Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: mthrockmor on April 18, 2011, 11:22:49 PM
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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
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Did you save any of this stuff? Perhaps you can donate it to a museum.
I was standing around the B-24 at some stop when a WWII vet walks up and hands me a small wooden doll like figure. He said it was his "good luck charm" and he had hung it next to his waist gun on his 35 missions. He wanted to give it to me. I told him I was honored but that he should give it to someone in his family. He replied that "no one is interested". I told him in that case I would be pleased and honored to accept the "good luck charm". From that day on it hung next to me in the B-24 as we toured the country.
It's sad how much history has disappeared because family members either don't care or are unaware of the value of the items.
<S>
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It's sad how much history has disappeared because family members either don't care or are unaware of the value of the items.
<S>
Ive noticed this as well, when I was younger went on vacation with a friend of mine. one of the stops we made was at the Naval Air museum in Pensacola. I thought I was gunna have a heart attack the aircraft I had seen and heard of only on TV right in front of me! I could see, feel and smell them up close and personal. Now I'm runnin around just dumbstruck by the gold mine of A/C I'm standing next to my friend though could care less. and for the life of me at the time I just couldn't understand it. Ive of course learned that bout 75% of the world could lose pretty much all history and probably not be the wiser and that still just bothers me. But I guess it falls to us to keep it alive, nice find keep that stuff safe sir. :salute
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I'm trying to inspire my dad to raid navy base archives before bases are closed down and the stuff is thrown away.
He missed by about a week when they closed midway and found most everything bulldozed into holes and off a seawall.
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wow man....I would have gone nuts...not like :x - but I would have mentally in shock...I would have also been absolutely heart broken......I hope you kept them...
:salute to that Csm.
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2/187th 101st was my unit. Pretty cool find. Take care of it. :salute
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USRanger, I kept the unit book and I am going to try and find the home for the pictures et al. Since you belonged to this unit, if I cannot find a relative, if you want the unit book its yours. It is from 1953 or 1956 I believe. This unit was formed during World War Two and has every commander since then, which is only a few at that point. One of them is Brigader General Westmoreland, who went on to command all US Forces in Vietnam.
This book belongs to the 187th, one way or another.
Boo
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It's a damn that had to have happened Boo. I'm glad to see you have done what a lot of us would and that is say "This isn't junk". Ranjah, kudos bro. :rock
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Reading this thread has got me thinking. (Oh no not again, they keep tellin me to stop thinking)
I have noticed an acceleration of the "don't care" attitude of our younger generations.
Perhaps this is why history often repeats itself. The earlier sacrifices are forgotten and thrown away.
:salute to the Sgt. Major
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'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'
George Santayana
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I had friends in the 187th, I went to BNCOC at Campbell. I'm sure if you can contact the BDE, or
any BN CSM, they might be interested in the items for BDE/BN History.
Maybe even the 101st Museum. Hope someone is interested.
Would be a disgrace to see "trashed".
<S> Oz
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Reading this thread has got me thinking. (Oh no not again, they keep tellin me to stop thinking)
I have noticed an acceleration of the "don't care" attitude of our younger generations.
Perhaps this is why history often repeats itself. The earlier sacrifices are forgotten and thrown away.
:salute to the Sgt. Major
Most kids today are selfish. I see the way some of my son's friends act and just shake my head.
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Rakkasans man... the CSM that convinced me to go to OCS years ago had fought on hamburger hill as a private with the 187. Lots of history with that unit. Sad to think that McArthur had it right all along. Old Soldiers never die...they just fade away.
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USRanger, I kept the unit book and I am going to try and find the home for the pictures et al. Since you belonged to this unit, if I cannot find a relative, if you want the unit book its yours. It is from 1953 or 1956 I believe. This unit was formed during World War Two and has every commander since then, which is only a few at that point. One of them is Brigader General Westmoreland, who went on to command all US Forces in Vietnam.
This book belongs to the 187th, one way or another.
Boo
Thank you my friend. I assure you it would be in the best of care. :salute
Rakkasan!
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i lookins through some old stuff im in my grandpas attic and found some old marine corps rifle training books from 1917 and some pic of ships from that peroid
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Thank you my friend. I assure you it would be in the best of care. :salute
Rakkasan!
:cheers:
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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.
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<S> thanks, suggestion: get her own account and fly together.
DHawk.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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. 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. :salute
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ive got a picture of my great grandpa's unit handed down to me. ill see if i can post a pic