Sobering experience tonight

[Masherbrum]

Thank you my friend.  I assure you it would be in the best of care.

Rakkasan!

[Babalonian]

My wife is a realtor. There is a closing that is condition on the home being cleaned. I find myself helping clean out this old house. On the counter in the kitchen is a pile of framed pictures, old photos in shoe boxes. Right next to it is a Unit Year Book for the 187th Parachute Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne. In the back room is a pile of old clothes, including a very nicely pressed Class A, Command Sergant Major uniform.

The sad part is that all of this was considered junk, to be thrown away. A lifetime of everything, just junk to be hauled away. I went through as much as I could, looking for names, dates, etc. Many pictures go back to the 1930's and 1940's. A boyscout certificate from 1969, Okinawa. It was essentially a mystery thriller, tracking this family down.

This is in Clarksville, Tennessee, home to the Fort Campbell and the 101st. Photos had information from Chattanooga, Kentucky, etc. Many hints indicate that this Command Sgt Maj was a verteran of combat during the Korean War. Likely this included the little known combat jump behind Communist lines to help break out of the Pusan Perimeter, sometime around then. If I had to guess, grandpa or grandma finally passed on. Kids long gone, handling final affairs for the family from across the country. No one is able go to their home to gather the final momentos representing their life.

Just sad. Makes me think about other things right now, besides my 60hour work week, and constant stresses. For starters, my 15-year old daughter wants to learn how to fly Aces High. I guess she gets to learn on my account.

Boo

Great story and I hope you saved some real momentos and footnotes to history there.  Honestly I'd be estatic in your position about your daughter's interest, embrace and nuture her curiosity for learning how to fly and about aircraft and aviation in general.  Might be fighting for the Aces High seat, but at least you know who will be the first to stand in line with you to enter the next local airshow.

[DarkHawk]

<S> thanks, suggestion: get her own account and fly together.
DHawk.

[Zoney]

I met and talked with a WW2 P38 pilot that was shot down, held prisoner, then escaped to come back to the states to have a nice life with a family, kids, grandchildren etc.

He passed about a year ago and his grandson came in to my store and told me of his passing, then handed me a set of wings that his grandfather had flown with on his uniform.  My mouth just dropped open.

I said, "I can't possibly accept these, they should be kept in your family to keep your grandfathers memory and his sacrifice alive".  He said, " My grandfather had a note on these that we were to give them to you, and besides, none of us wanted them."

I immediately accepted them.

I cried a little after he left, not for his passing, but for the uncaring attituted toward his sacrifice displayed by the only family member of his that I met.

[The Jekyll]

Get ahold of Phil Gray (columnist and friend) with the newspaper there, he is a vet and can give ya great ideas on what to do with it. This type of stuff should never be lost if we can help it.

[The Jekyll]

Get ahold of Phil Gray (columnist and friend) with the newspaper there, he is a vet and can give ya great ideas on what to do with it. This type of stuff should never be lost if we can help it.

Forgot to mention he is with the Leaf Chronical in Clarksville, although he is reporting in Afghanistan on the 101st for the next couple weeks.

[Gary26]

. One of them is Brigader General Westmoreland, who went on to command all US Forces in Vietnam.

My dad fought under Westmoreland in the la Drang Valley. Not really related, but thought I would share none the less.

[M0nkey_Man]

ive got a picture of my great grandpa's unit handed down to me. ill see if i can post a pic