Rolf Tjernagel

Answering the CallIn this moving and well-written account of a common World War II soldier, author (and nephew) Norman Teigen remembers how his uncle Rolf Tjernagel answered the country's call for service in 1942 at age thirty-two. This World War II soldier had struggled through the Depression era and had to give up a good civilian job for the Army. Tjernagel first served in German POW camps in Minnesota, and then in 1945, as part of the big push near the end of the war, he was ordered to a Special Services unit in Europe. The author describes his uncle's doings as an Army enlisted man and the Army way of doing things. Of particular interest are the numerous postwar activity programs for American soldiers and how these veterans dealt with Army regulations for their orderly return home.