Remembering the truth of war

When asked what he does on Memorial Day, WWII veteran and Sun City resident Rick Loughran gave an interesting reply.

During the war, Rick Loughran was an ‘island hopper,’ but that didn’t mean he was lazing around, bathing in the sun. Rather, he was installed into constant combat, as his unit moved closer and closer to Japan. (Photo by Chris LaPelusa/Sun Day)

“I get up in the morning, I have a cup of coffee, and I get on with my day, as I do the other 364 days of the year,” he said.

It’s not that Loughran wishes to forget his days of combat. It’s that, after serving in WWII for three years and earning the rank of sergeant, Loughran has a firsthand understanding of the battlefield.

“War is really very simple. You keep killing each other until one of you gives up or simply runs out of men to kill. That’s what you do,” Loughran said.

What Loughran did in the war not only involved fighting, but also brainpower; his “specialty” in WWII included serving for an intelligence group. To this day, he cannot discuss his work there.

“We did things you will never hear of because they’re top secret, and I can’t tell you about them,” Loughran said.

What Loughran can discuss is the book he recently wrote and published, based on his experiences in WWII. Titled Teuflehund, meaning “devil dog” in German, the semi-fictional book is based on Loughran’s experiences in wartime.

“I relate things in there that I normally don’t tell people. It’s all based on historical fact,” he said, adding that he also writes other material, such as “things for newspapers, a little ghost-writing.”

In addition to authorship, Loughran has membership to local veterans groups. These include McHenry County marine groups as well as the Sun City Marines.

If Loughran’s war-inspired writings and marine memberships are proof enough of the importance he places on remembering past battles, what explains his unconventional stance on war holidays?

“Very often, you’ll find that we veterans don’t pay attention to these days, because a lot of us feel they’re more for commercial purposes. We don’t badmouth them, but . . . when you’ve spent a few years killing people . . .these days don’t mean a whole lot to you.”

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