Kammala jumla mai zuwa: Hechler ya gudanar da wasu ƙananan mukamai a cikin ma'aikatan gwamnati har sai da aka kira shi a cikin sojojin Amurka a lokacin yakin duniya na biyu a watan Yuli, 1942. Bayan kammala karatunsa daga Makarantar 'Yan takarar Jami'in Sojoji, an sanya shi a matsayin masanin tarihin yaƙi a cikin Gidan Yakin Turai. Hechler ya taimaka wajen rubuta tarihin 'yanci na Faransa, mamayewar Normandy na 1944, Yaƙin Bulge, da kuma shiga cikin Nazi Jamus. Ya kasance a haɗe da 9th Armored Division lokacin da wani makamai da sojoji na soja, wani ɓangare na Combat Command B, ba zato ba tsammani ya kama
Ludendorff Bridge da ke ratsa kogin Rhine a lokacin yakin Remagen. Ya yi hira da sojojin Amurka da na Jamus da ke da hannu a lokacin. An ba shi lambar yabo ta Bronze Star da taurari 5 na yaƙi. Ya dawo bayan yakin sau biyu don yin hira da Jamusawa waɗanda suka shiga cikin yaƙin. Ya sami Kyaftin Willi Bratge, daya daga cikin jami'ai biyu da ba a kashe su ba a umarnin Hitler saboda an kama shi, kuma ya shafe mako guda tare da shi a yankin Remagen yana koyo game da bayanan yaƙin. A cikin 1957 ya wallafa littafin "The Bridge at Remagen: The Amazing Story of March 7, 1945" wanda aka daidaita shi zuwa fim a 1969.