Battle Tested: Street Kid, Soldier, Teacher, Patriarch

Many call them “the greatest generation”—those who fought in World War II. Author Gregg Patterson Davis can claim that distinction. He was a kid running the streets during the Great Depression, dodging problems created by a distant father. Then he left behind his home and high school sweetheart for the battlefields of Europe—and returned a decorated and wounded man.

As a soldier in the 89^th Infantry Division, many of the “Rolling W” wrote of their experiences—sometimes in blood. The Divisio...