I have learned a lot about the hardships of war through this project. Stephen Pszeniczka lost his life when he was only 22 years old, a sacrifice millions of men have made for this country. My research thoroughly solidified the idea that freedom is not free: it comes at a cost. The phrase "Land of the Free because of the Brave" holds more water now. If I had the chance to speak with Stephen I would first thank him for what he did in Cherbourg and D-Day. Then I would ask what war was like. As a society, we glorify war with games we play as children, through movies and books, but I would like a chance to ask him what it was actually like to leave everything you know behind to fight for your country. Throughout this process the most important source I used were the documents I found on ancestry.com. Specifically, the census was useful in determining Stephen's early life experiences and his family member's names. Above all, this project shed a new light on what gratitude means to me. My Pap was a Korean war vet with a purple heart a medal of valor, (along with other medals), and reading through Stephen's experience makes me appreciate what he did for this country tenfold more. Stephen Pszenicka, thank you for your service. I hope this project does you justice.