86-year-old Joseph Robertson served in the U.S. Army for 26 years. He was an infantryman during World War II and fought at the Battle of the Bulge, the largest and bloodiest battle fought by the United States during World War II.

At StoryCorps, Joseph (left) tells his son-in-law, Jonathan Fish Jr. (right), about killing a young German soldier, whose face remains etched into his memory.

Joseph passed away in January of 2009. He was 90 years old.

Click here to watch “Germans in the Woods,” the StoryCorps animation of Joseph’s story.

Originally broadcast November 11, 2005 on NPR’s Morning Edition.