Corporal Frederick Stressinger, Company M, Seventh Cavalry, was born Frederick Streing on June 24, 1852 in Ripley County, Indiana.  A laborer by trade, he enlisted at Louisville, Kentucky on October 19, 1872; he was listed as 5’5¼” tall, with gray eyes, light hair and a fair complexion.  He joined Company M in Unionville, South Carolina on December 9, 1872.  In April 1873 he was diagnosed with acute bronchitis and was on the steamer Western as the company travelled from Yankton to Fort Rice in April and May 1873.  Stressinger was detailed as the company cook in August 1873 and served as the company carpenter from April to June 1875.  He also appears as the company blacksmith in July 1875.  A Fort Rice Garrison Court Martial convicted Stressinger on February 5, 1875 for refusing to perform the duties of the company cook and fined him $5.  He was acquitted by another Garrison Court Martial on April 13, 1875 of the charge of being absent from a retreat formation.  Frederick Stressinger was promoted to corporal on June 17, 1876.  (Custer’s Best: The Story of Company M, 7th Cavalry at the Little Bighorn)

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Ludwig Bullay.  Ludwig Bullay was born on March 1, 1920 in Saarbrücken.  As a youngster, he joined the Hitler Youth in 1933 and remained in that organization until June 24, 1937.  A salesman by trade, he joined the Waffen-SS on June 25, 1937.  Promoted to SS-Unterscharführer on November 11, 1939, he initially served in the 6th Company of SS Infantry Regiment 4 (motorized) Langemarck until October 31, 1942, when the second battalion of the regiment became the second battalion of the Das Reich panzer regiment.  During his time in the infantry he was wounded in action and awarded the Wound Badge in Black.  On November 15, 1942 Ludwig joined the Tiger company of the Das Reich, as he had all three classes of driver’s license.  At Kursk, as an SS-Unterscharführer, he is believed to have been a driver; he later received the Panzer Battle Badge in Silver.  (Waffen-SS Tiger Crews at Kursk: The Men of SS Panzer Regiments 1, 2 & 3 in Operation Citadel, July 5-15, 1943)