Three ways to support veterans in your community

(Family Features) – As a group, United States military veterans have played an important role in protecting the rights and freedoms enjoyed today. However, the sacrifices made by service members can become easy to overlook with the passage of time. For example, consider the experiences of Pfc. Antonio Ralph Martinez, one of 2,223 U.S. military servicemen aboard the Leopoldville, a Belgian transport ship. Ahead of the Battle of the Bulge, the last major German offensive of World War II, the Leopoldville was crossing the English Channel from England to France when a German U-boat struck it with a torpedo on Dec. 24, 1944. In an interview for the Library of Congress Veterans History Project, Martinez recalled the ship zigzagging across the channel to dodge possible attacks. He was playing cards and jolted forward when the torpedo hit. Under blackout conditions, Martinez jumped to a nearby destroyer, sliding down a rope into the frigid water, where he stayed, developing hypothermia, until being rescued by a tugboat after about two hours. Related Stories Of those on board the Leopoldville, 515 are presumed to have gone down with the ship while another 248 died from injuries, drowning or hypothermia. Martinez was awarded a...