Born in LaSalle Parish near Jena, Louisiana, Fred was drafted in 1942, trained as an MP, and assigned to the Sixty-Sixth Division. He shipped overseas and landed at Omaha Beach on or about September 1, 1944. Assigned to the 110^th Infantry Regiment, Fred saw action in the Hurtgen Forest, a place he describes as "the worst, nastiest place I was ever in, in the war." He was on the line in Luxembourg when the Germans counterattacked on December 16, 1944 to begin the Battle of the Bulge. Captured by the Germans, he spent three days without food and water. He was sent by rail to a prisoner of war camp near Bad Orb, Germany, where he arrived a few days after Christmas of 1944. He recalls Nazi guards separating Jewish GIs and marching them away. After he was liberated he was sent to a rehabilitation center, Camp Lucky Strike, about forty miles from LeHavre, France. Sailing back to America, Fred grew gravely ill and fell into a coma. He was diagnosed with pneumonia, pleurisy, and tuberculosis. After he recovered he was discharged at the rank of corporal. Fred worked in the jewelry business for most of his career.