Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: macleod01 on September 04, 2009, 12:13:18 PM
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A new museum on WW2 is opening up near me. This is a huge thing for my area, and probably the closest one inside of 100-150 miles. However they are still looking for items of interest to add to the exhibits. So now I'll cut to the chase.
I know that there are some WW2 Veterans who fly this game. I was just wondering if you would possibly mind, even if just one person did it would be amazing for me and everyone in the area, putting down your story on tape and sharing it with me. If you you could please PM me, and let me know if this would be possible at all I would be most grateful.
Thank you for your time Sirs and Ladies.
:salute
Macleod01
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Good luck on your quest - It's good to see some one taking an interest privately in Vets and their stories. Do you really think tho there are many WWII vets playing here?? Assuming they didn't lie about their age the youngest would be about 82 years of age. Perhaps another good source for you would be to make a few calls to some local retirement homes/residences and leave your Tel#.
Also of course any Veterns clubs/associations/legions. If your community has a local "internet classified/wanted" site a note on there might get you some replies - even from family members of vets who don't do internet. "www.kijiji.com" is one.
Please let us know how it goes - definately if ya get any air force guys!!
Good on ya mate! :salute
cheers eh!
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Wreked, I remember a gentleman, and I hate to say I forgot his ID, but he spoke up on the MA channel 200 after having his past insulted and announced he was a F6f pilot with 25 confirmed kills to his name by wingman and guncam.
I know theres Vets out there, and im very interested to see if anyone will be kind enough to comply with my request.
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Contact vilkas. I think he's a vet. Not sure if he'll talk about it. You'll have to ask him.
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Also I believe "1wildcat" or WILDCAT or something like that flew and saw action in the pacific theater during WW2.
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Stodd is correct, Wildcat1 is a WW2 veteren wildcat / hellcat pilot. I'm sure he has some very interesting stories to tell.
I also feel bad about the way he is treated online. It seems the younger gen. has no respect any more.
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Stodd is correct, Wildcat1 is a WW2 veteren wildcat / hellcat pilot. I'm sure he has some very interesting stories to tell.
I also feel bad about the way he is treated online. It seems the younger gen. has no respect any more.
FB, if it is possible, would you mind firing him a PM to get in touch? I searched the boards with the search function and got nothing. I would dearly like to speak to the gentleman. Many thanks
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Assuming they didn't lie about their age the youngest would be about 82 years of age.
My dad passed away last year at 80. He enlisted in the Navy at 17 and first saw action off Okinawa.
A flyer who saw any action would probably be 5 years older.
I salute your intentions, but I think the WWII generation is slipping away.
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My dad passed away last year at 80. He enlisted in the Navy at 17 and first saw action off Okinawa.
A flyer who saw any action would probably be 5 years older.
I salute your intentions, but I think the WWII generation is slipping away.
Which, all counting im not mistaken, makes it all the more important to listen today while we still can. As you said, these men are slipping away but I would dearly like to get their story down on tape, just so it can be remembered.
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Vilkas was who I was thinking of when I saw this thread.
Never flew with him or chatted with him, but I knew of him.
Good luck! :aok
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Vilkas is a veteran of the second world war and an exceptional gentleman as well :salute
His presence ads a certain authenticity to our Squad nights as well as FSO
He and all other Veterans are something we should treasure .
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I have met a number of WWII vets out in the general public.Just look for the hats.The Navy guys tend to be the easiest to spot,they usualy have a baseball cap with theyre ships name and what have ya on there.I noticed guys from other services wearing similiar hats.I met one Vet at my local supermarket who was on board a cruiser at one of the naval battles at Guadalcanal.Another gentleman I met at the same supermarket told me about the landings on different islands in the pacific.I felt bad because he got all choked up at one point.He told me he goes around to local schools and gives short lectures on his experiances.Another guy I met a Mcdonalds was on the USS Iowa at the very end of the war.The first Vet I mentioned I havnt seen in awhile and I am afraid he may have passed.So get out there and have a look.Its not too late but its probably getting close.
Pipz
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I have met a number of WWII vets out in the general public.Just look for the hats.The Navy guys tend to be the easiest to spot,they usualy have a baseball cap with theyre ships name and what have ya on there.I noticed guys from other services wearing similiar hats.I met one Vet at my local supermarket who was on board a cruiser at one of the naval battles at Guadalcanal.Another gentleman I met at the same supermarket told me about the landings on different islands in the pacific.I felt bad because he got all choked up at one point.He told me he goes around to local schools and gives short lectures on his experiances.Another guy I met a Mcdonalds was on the USS Iowa at the very end of the war.The first Vet I mentioned I havnt seen in awhile and I am afraid he may have passed.So get out there and have a look.Its not too late but its probably getting close.
Pipz
Pipz.
Its a brilliant idea but unfortunatly not realy practical for me. I live in small area, where I can name almost everybody inside of a 40 mile area. I can meet them all walking down the street so my chance of bumping into a Veteran are nil, sorry to say. Its just the way it is. I live in the north west of Scotland, so its not even seen any major battles or skirmishes that may bring the vets. This game and these boards are my best chance to meet these vets, hence the call.
Boingg
I have sent Vilkas a PM but if you wouldn't mind asking him to get in touch, it would be most appreciated.
Thank you so much
Macleod01
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It sounds to me you better make some phone calls to vet groups in larger cities and make some field trip interviews. Don't wait too long...time is tickin.
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It sounds to me you better make some phone calls to vet groups in larger cities and make some field trip interviews. Don't wait too long...time is tickin.
Again, the problem is my location. The trip you say would take about 3 days to complete, which although worth it, means days off work which I can't easily afford at the moment. That is also why I came here, as I have the best chance of contacting the vets as I would do anywhere else.
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Pipz.
Its a brilliant idea but unfortunatly not realy practical for me. I live in small area, where I can name almost everybody inside of a 40 mile area. I can meet them all walking down the street so my chance of bumping into a Veteran are nil, sorry to say. Its just the way it is. I live in the north west of Scotland, so its not even seen any major battles or skirmishes that may bring the vets. This game and these boards are my best chance to meet these vets, hence the call.
Macleod01
You know awhile after I posted that I thought..."I wonder if he lives in an isolated area"...and of course <G> Maybe you could check for local Veteran groups by phone or the internet like some of the guys have mentioned and just take it from there.
Pipz
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You know awhile after I posted that I thought..."I wonder if he lives in an isolated area"...and of course <G> Maybe you could check for local Veteran groups by phone or the internet like some of the guys have mentioned and just take it from there.
Pipz
I have done that and come up with the number of one old Gentleman. I happen to know him anyway and I was going to visit him come the new week. He served in North Africa and up through Austria.
I just got word from Vilkas and he feels it too painful to share his memories with me. If anyone can ask Wildcat1 it would be much appreciated.
Many Thanks
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I just got word from Vilkas and he feels it too painful to share his memories with me.
You will find some fella's very open about theyre service while others would rather not talk about it.I worked with an old vet many years ago.His name was Dick and he was a top shelf machinist.He told me one day that he drove a landing craft into Anzio.He said he saw a lot of people get hurt and didnt like to talk about it so we left it at that.Usualy when I talk to a vet I may ask some general question or say something like "Oh you were in the Navy in WW2?" or what have ya.If they want to talk about it you will know.I usualy let them lead the conversation and ask questions on things they seem to enjoy talking about.Obviously you have to be very sensative about these things.You found a vet from North Africa that sounds like a very good start to me.
Pipz
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You will find some fella's very open about theyre service while others would rather not talk about it.I worked with an old vet many years ago.His name was Dick and he was a top shelf machinist.He told me one day that he drove a landing craft into Anzio.He said he saw a lot of people get hurt and didnt like to talk about it so we left it at that.Usualy when I talk to a vet I may ask some general question or say something like "Oh you were in the Navy in WW2?" or what have ya.If they want to talk about it you will know.I usualy let them lead the conversation and ask questions on things they seem to enjoy talking about.Obviously you have to be very sensative about these things.You found a vet from North Africa that sounds like a very good start to me.
Pipz
I understand entirely how he feels about the subject, and I never pressed him. It would feel wrong to anyway. The gentleman I spoke of is very open and has spoken to me once or twice about the war, including when he came under attack from a flight of Stukas.
Just because someone wont speak about it, doesn't mean I dont honour him as much.
<S>
Edit - That last line was not ment to be a 'get back' at you pipz, just simply saying. Nothing ment
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I hope you didnt take anything I said the wrong way.All I was saying is that some guys talk about things and others dont.Other than that I wasnt implying anything about you and just giving some of my thoughts.
Pipz
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Dont worry, I never. I was just saying.
No worries sir
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Stodd is correct, Wildcat1 is a WW2 veteren wildcat / hellcat pilot. I'm sure he has some very interesting stories to tell.
I also feel bad about the way he is treated online. It seems the younger gen. has no respect any more.
I agree, Grave. Hopefully a real war vet can find it funny when a squeaker calls out their tactics or flying style. It is always pointless to take offence at the voice of total ignorance.
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I have had several friends who were WW2 vets. In general they would only speak about their experiences on their own terms when they felt like it. They would bring the subject up at times but asking about war stuff could indeed be very painful for them. I learned not to talk about it unless they brought it up. I was fortunate in my own military service to not have been shot at or have to shoot at somebody else. I was attached to the hospital squadron and saw what war did to bodies and minds. That's as close as I would ever want to be to war.
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I was attached to the hospital squadron and saw what war did to bodies and minds. That's as close as I would ever want to be to war.
+1
You either have to be ignorant, stupid or fanatic to support acts of war. Not surprisingly the majority of the global population fit into at least one of these categories, you sir do not and for that I congratulate you.
It's good to see people do value vets for who they really are and not the glorified image of them made up by the media. I met a woman today who as a teenager survived the siege and battle of Berlin. She grew up in that city... she said it took 10 years before she felt anywhere close to herself again and that it was still today very difficult for her to talk about some things, or even just think of them.
I can recommend Anthony Beevor's book on Berlin, the final battle.
Only the blind see the glory of war. What's a medal worth? A arm, a leg, your own or a comrade's life, or a dozen enemies, maybe two dozen? What's a medal worth?
It's just a piece of metal. Most ppl would think a guy's crazy saying such things, but I know some do understand and I care not for the opinions of the misinformed, or otherwise dilusional.
If you have any part in the making of this museum, please do not glorify the war or the men. None of them want to be glorified, or remembered as heros. They all have heros of their own, like a dead comrade or a nurse they never got to know the name of. If anything should be remembered, remember the dead the wounded and all the lives lost, the sacrifice and pain of the surviving.
Most people will never understand, because they rather believe the hollywood glorified image of war than look at reality and face up to it, and for that I hate them.
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+1
If you have any part in the making of this museum, please do not glorify the war or the men. None of them want to be glorified, or remembered as heros. They all have heros of their own, like a dead comrade or a nurse they never got to know the name of. If anything should be remembered, remember the dead the wounded and all the lives lost, the sacrifice and pain of the surviving.
Please, do not misconstrue my request for the Veterans tale as a Glory hunt. I would just like to hear from the men themselves, so I can hear their story, as they tell it, with nothing added, and nothing ment.
In no way do I think war is glorious. AS you said, only a fool would believe that. I would just like to hear the stories of the men
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Yes I understood that and that can only be a good thing. Sometimes things are better left unsaid but whatever a WW2 vet wants to share is a treasure. Each story is unique and none less important than the other.
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I remember when I served with the 1/41 Inf. We went to Germany in 1984 during REFORGER and were the first unit to draw the Bradley Fighting Vehicle from the POMCUS sites, Preposition supplies. We were in the area of Braunscheig, FRG. During the exercise we were positioning our vehicles in a tree line facing another town approximately 2,500 meters away. After placing our vehicles an old gentleman came over and started talking to us. It was a little hard to understand him because he spoke no English and we spoke very little German. What came out though is that he served in the German Army in a Panzer Grenadier unit. He was telling us how watching us place our vehicles and how we brushed over our tracks marks to keep them from being visible from the air brought back many memories. Even though we could not understand much of what he said he kept us company most of the day. We showed him our vehicles and he was really surprised and interested in our Thermal sight system. One of his comments was that he wished they had had them when they were fighting the Russians. It was hard to see this kind old gentleman in the light of a hard bitten soldier. It especially cast a different light the next day when he brought his grand daughter and son to see the vehicles and bring a pot of Goulash Soup for us to enjoy. I miss those days in Gemany and the friends I made while there.
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I lived near Albany, NY for several years. The destroyer escort USS Slater is moored there and the remaining crew would try to get together there each year. I'm sure there are other similar reunions throughout the world. It sounds like you'll need to do some research to find where they are and make some field trips. Time is not on your side as these reunions get smaller each year.
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Wildcat was the CO of Firepower, Inc. on the game when I was a squaddie. One night he told me that he was a WWII pilot in RL. He volunteered to tell me that he had 14 kills, 65 probable. I gave him a <S> and he never mentioned anything else. A man of few words, I think. I haven't seen him on in quite a while, has anyone seen him?
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Only the blind see the glory of war. What's a medal worth? A arm, a leg, your own or a comrade's life, or a dozen enemies, maybe two dozen? What's a medal worth?
It's just a piece of metal. Most ppl would think a guy's crazy saying such things, but I know some do understand and I care not for the opinions of the misinformed, or otherwise dilusional.
You are incorrect in the assumption that acts of bravery and sacrifice in the military are motivated by hope of receiving a medal. Medals are for the command structure to acknowledge said acts.
As a 2nd Lieutenant in a flying squadron, I had the additional duty of Awards and Decorations Officer. My task was to do the paper work when the commander wanted to submit some one for a decoration. I never saw the process used as an incentive.
I flew in support of Desert Shield/Storm. I was never shot at, but I got close enough to see an occupied Kuwait City from the air. A flight commander at the time, again, medals or decorations were never discussed. The motivation that I witnessed was that no one wanted to let the rest down. No one wanted to be the weak link to cause a mission to fail. It is not glory that was sought, but the respect of one's peers. And to get home in one piece.
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I'm not saying that military personnel are pursuing medals for the sake of glory, I'm saying that medals glorify ordinary people doing extraordinary things... that are sometimes ordinary in war. Does the man honor the medal or is it the medal that honor the man? There's a culture of military romanticism flourishing especially in the young who have never seen war and what it does to people. There are many vets who would gladly trade their medals and decorations, even if rightly earned - it does not matter, for lost friends.
What you are speaking of is exactly what drive men in war, the comraderie and ties to one another. The respect and friendship only a life threatening situation can create. I belive that in what I write, you see what you want to see and not what I'm actually saying. Medals aren't worth a damn when it comes at a cost of the lives of friends.
In a conflict, there are sacrifices made on a daily basis by every man in the field which are seldom mentioned nor understood. Some of these men have the unfortune to die, some might make a fortune of surviving just out of blind luck. It's the essence of life, in a way. I guess what I'm really trying to get at is that it's those who don't come home who are the real heros. A medal is worth nothing in that perspective.
The modern day conflicts we see now have very little similar to WW2. Today we kill at a distance, preferrably watching through a 46x magnifying lens using 30 mm cannon rounds and hellfires on human flesh and soft vehicles. I don't view that as going to war. Some men go to war never realizing what they've done.
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I have met a number of WWII vets out in the general public.Just look for the hats.The Navy guys tend to be the easiest to spot,they usualy have a baseball cap with theyre ships name and what have ya on there.I noticed guys from other services wearing similiar hats.I met one Vet at my local supermarket who was on board a cruiser at one of the naval battles at Guadalcanal.Another gentleman I met at the same supermarket told me about the landings on different islands in the pacific.I felt bad because he got all choked up at one point.He told me he goes around to local schools and gives short lectures on his experiances.Another guy I met a Mcdonalds was on the USS Iowa at the very end of the war.The first Vet I mentioned I havnt seen in awhile and I am afraid he may have passed.So get out there and have a look.Its not too late but its probably getting close.
Pipz
Yep, this Spring I was up north in West Branch, MI and I said to my buddy: "Hang on Kirk, grab us a table, I just have to thank this man." He served in the Navy and was in Taffy 3. He stood there, shocked, but smiling and said "You have no idea what it means to me."
Another time, Ian wanted some pizza. So the three of us go to a Little Caesars, inside was a Pearl Harbor Survivor with his hat on. I shook his hand and bid him thanks and he stood there damn near in tears. Then he smiled and said "you're welcome". Then it was turn to nearly be reduced to tears.