We haven't learned a thing...wars go on...only worse than before! Winter an' Summer... the killin' goes on! 
Sgt. Rock #414 is an issue of the series Sgt. Rock (Volume 1) with a cover date of January, 1987.
Synopsis for "The Shining Star"
While marching through Italy, Sgt. Rock reflects upon an old story concerning his father's tour of duty during World War I. It was Christmastime and his company had been fighting in France against the German soldiers. However, at midnight on December 24th, both sides elected to a brief cease fire in observance of the holiday.
Rock's team arrives in a seemingly deserted village. A German panzer tank roars out of a church building and begins firing 88mm shells at Easy Company. Rock runs up to the barrel of the tank and lobs a grenade into the cannon, destroying it.
Outside of the town, he finds two villagers leading a mule through the snow, Giuseppe and Maria. Maria is heavy with child, and Rock grows concerned that they may fall prey to enemy soldiers. He leads them to a cave so that Maria can give birth to her child. Nazi soldiers surround the cave, and Rock offers to surrender if they promise to leave Giuseppe and Maria alone.
The soldiers prepare to open fire until they hear the sound of a baby crying. It is now Christmas Eve and just like his father's adversaries from years ago, Rock's Nazi combatants choose to stand down.
Appearing in "The Shining Star"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Villains:
Other Characters:
- Giuseppe (Single appearance)
- John Rock (Flashback only)
- Maria (Single appearance)
Locations:
- World War II
- France (World War I) (Flashback only)
- Italy
Items:
Vehicles:
- German panzers
Synopsis for "Fish Out of Water!"
Danny Foster is a Navy Frogman. He job is to scout ahead of patrol ships and destroys underwater booby traps. He accompanies a team tracking Fiel Marshal Erwin Rommel's trail across Cairo. The soldiers deposit barrels of oil beneath an oasis so that they can refuel later. Rommel's men double back and combat the Allied forces. They learn of the secret fuel cache and attempt to claim it, but Foster booby-traps the oil containers setting them to explode. Rommel's forces scatter.
Appearing in "Fish Out of Water!"
Featured Characters:
- Danny Foster (Single appearance)
Supporting Characters:
Villains:
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
- German naval vessels
Synopsis for "Two Ways to Die!"
A wounded American soldier is airlifted onto an Army helicopter. From the sky, he spies a Viet Cong artillery squad readying an anti-aircraft weapon. The soldier's bandaged arm cannot reach his grenade belt, so he lets himself fall from the helicopter onto the enemy soldiers. The grenades explode simultaneously wiping out the entire squad.
Appearing in "Two Ways to Die!"
Featured Characters:
- An unnamed American soldier
Supporting Characters:
Villains:
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
See Also
Recommended Reading
- World War II Recommended Reading
- Adventures in the Rifle Brigade (Volume 1)
- Adventures in the Rifle Brigade (Volume 2)
- All-American Men of War (Volume 1)
- All-Out War (Volume 1)
- Blackhawk (Volume 1)
- Blitzkrieg (Volume 1)
- Capt. Storm (Volume 1)
- Four-Star Battle Tales (Volume 1)
- G.I. Combat (Volume 1)
- Men of War (Volume 1)
- Military Comics (Volume 1)
- Our Army at War (Volume 1)
- Our Fighting Forces (Volume 1)
- Sgt. Rock (Volume 1)
- Sgt. Rock (Volume 2)
- Star-Spangled War Stories (Volume 1)
- Unknown Soldier (Volume 1)
- Weird War Tales (Volume 1)
Links and References
- Sgt. Rock article at Wikipedia
- Sgt. Rock encyclopedia entry at DC Comics
- Sgt. Rock (Volume 1) series index at the Grand Comics Database
- Sgt. Rock (Volume 1) series index at Mike's Amazing World of DC Comics