Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: BaldEagl on February 01, 2014, 01:32:33 PM
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I was reading ARSNishi's thread about losing his grandfather who fought in WWII. I know many of us had parents, grandparents and great-grandparents that fought in that war. I thought it would be interesting to hear about those individuals.
My own father fought in WWII, first in the infantry (1938-1942) in Europe then, after being discharged, he joined the Merchant Marines (1942-1946) where he was an AA gunner. I know little to nothing about his deployments as he rarely spoke of them and I was too young to be very interested other than constantly looking at the four book pictoral history of the war in B&W that was always located in the attic.
After the war he worked in the CCC camps, eventually working in the open pit strip mines in northern Minnesota where he was caught in the back of a pickup truck during a blast. It crushed his leg causing a limp that ended up with him being disabled with back issues for most of my lifetime. Despite the fact my parents were poor, my dad would do anything for me even if it meant hardship for himself. He died in appoximately 1979 at the age of 65 due to complications of a life spent smoking and drinking.
I still have a 20mm Hispano shell complete with casing but emptied of powder that he brought home as a souvenier. I wish I still had those books but I'm afraid they're lost forever. I think I'm going to have to gather together some photos before my mother, now 95, passes.
Let's hear your stories.
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My paternal grandfather was in the merchant marine in the Pacific ocean. My maternal grandfather was a combat photographer in the Pacific, landing on the beaches with the first waves, but armed with a camera instead of a gun. My paternal grandmother built Liberty Ships in Sausalito, CA.
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To the best of my knowledge I had 3 relatives that were serving during WW2. Both grandfathers and an uncle.
My grandpa on my mothers side was in the Navy he died when I was very young (I only have very vague memories of him). From what I've been able to tell he was an armorer in the Navy serving mostly in the south pacific and was ground based. We have some of his old photos, a few from WW2 but most of the paperwork and pictures are form his post WW2 service in the reserves. I know he was on Bougainville and may have been attached to VF-17 at one point.
My dad's father enlisted, he was a bomber pilot but he kept getting transferred and as a result was never deployed overseas. By the end of the war he was fully checked out in the B-25, B-17, and B-29 and he was an instructor at one point teaching Chinese nationals to fly the B-25.
His brother was also a B-25 pilot and he flew in the MTO. He was assigned to the 447th BS, 321st BG. He is still alive but living on the other side of the country, my dad has talked to him on a few occasions and we have some of his stories down on paper. He also stayed in the service after WW2, he went on fly in the Berlin Airlift and flew combat in Korea. In many ways I really lucked out the 321st is part of the 57th Bomb wing that has a really great website with tons of info including mission logs
http://57thbombwing.com/index2.php (http://57thbombwing.com/index2.php)
Going through the website I was able to find some pictures of his aircraft. I've posted these before in other threads but what the heck. :)
(http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq209/Soulyss/Uncle%20Roy/Ships_Rogowski_0ShoShooBaby.jpg)
(http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq209/Soulyss/Uncle%20Roy/Ships_RogowskiLovelyLady.jpg)
(http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq209/Soulyss/Uncle%20Roy/Ships__Rogowski43-27473Jjpg.jpg)
(http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq209/Soulyss/Uncle%20Roy/447thBSShooShooBaby.jpg)
(http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq209/Soulyss/Uncle%20Roy/1shooshoobabycloseb.jpg)
(http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq209/Soulyss/Uncle%20Roy/1AAC447thBS_LovelyLady.jpg)
(http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq209/Soulyss/Uncle%20Roy/1447thBSLtLeRoyAlgers.jpg)
(http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq209/Soulyss/Uncle%20Roy/1447thLovelyLady.jpg)
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Didn't have anyone in my family that I know of serve in WW2. My fiance though had an uncle that was a B-17 bombardier in the 360th BS/303rd BG (Hell's Angels) stationed in England. His B-17 was forced to crash land in Switzerland after receiving flak damage to the wing for their B-17. He was interred along with the rest of the crew and escaped back to England.
This is a picture of their B-17 in Switzerland.
(http://www.303rdbg.com/intern-4297905.jpg)
And the story of his last mission and escape from Switzerland.
Charles Cassidy and is escape from Switzerland (http://www.west.net/~macpuzl/internee.html)
More info from the 303rd BG website. His crew is the 3rd one listed, 1Lt Paul H. Long Crew.
303rd BG(H) Switzerland Internees (http://www.303rdbg.com/intern.html)
ack-ack
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I never had the chance to be close with my paternal grandfather so I'm not sure about him.. However, my maternal grandfather served on a pt boat in the pacific, and if I remember correctly he was on rescue duty on a ship during the occupation of japan right after the war. I will see if my mom can dig up some pictures later this week.
<S>
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My father joined the RAFVR as soon he was old enough in 43 (aged 18). He did'nt get active until he was assigned to RCAF 408 Goose Squadron in late 44 as a flight engineer to a Canadian crew flying Halifax MKVII's.
He was demobbed in 46, met mother in 49. They were married in 52 living with my mothers mother until 59 when they were able to put savings together with his demob pay ( not touched since 46) to buy their first home.
He is pretty frail now at 89 ( 90 this year).
I now have his log book and training manuals plus a picture of him with his crew.
I look at them now realising that at the time he ( the man who has been the father figure throughout my life) was little more than a boy, uncertain of what the next mission will bring let alone what life would unfold before him.
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My great grandfather served on the USS Guest in the Pacific. He loaded ammo for the forward 5 inch gun turret. Fought around Guam, Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
One of my great uncles was the engineer and top turret gunner on a B17. 325BS/92BG withe the 8th air force over Europe. 1943-1944. The name of his plane was the Buggs Bunny.
My other great uncle served in the Navy, but I don't know much about his service except that he drove a landing craft on D-Day.
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Both my Grandfathers were "drivers" in WW1. Although in very different capacities.
My paternal grand father drove horses pulling a gun carriage. I don't know how but he ended up being gassed in 17 and was removed to light duties. He was unfit to return to the foundry he worked at prior to joining up and so spent the rest of his life as a night watchman passing away in the mid 60's.
My maternal grand father was a staff car driver / batman for an infantry general, for whom he served through out the war and beyond , finding employment with him in his families business after the war. He passed away in the late 40's. I never knew him yet if I go out to my work shop many of my old " familiar" tools bear his mark and his pocket watch given him during the 14-18 conflict sits before me now below the screen.
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I dont think I have any direct relatives that served in WWII. I think my maternal grandfathers oldest brother was on a destroyer in the pacific at one point, but I do not know if it is true or not. My maternal grandfather was in the USAF in the 60s through the mid 80s and retired a Lt. Colonel. He was a navigator on an RB-47 and later a RC-135. He has lots of very interesting stories, many of which were just recently declassified. He flew over the Soviet Union out of Okinawa testing Soviet radar capabilities, and chasing Soviet communication satellites listening to what they had to say. He once told me a story of having no less than 10 SAMs fired at their plane while flying over Vietnam and disabling them in flight with electronic countermeasures. Afterwards intercepting the radio transmission confirming 1 SAM fired and 1 aircraft shot down. His most interesting sortie was flying very close to Soviet radar installations out of Turkey on Nov. 22, 1963. He said they were shadowed by 20-30 MIGs, various models, and had no idea why. They learned when they landed that Kennedy had been shot.
My paternal great grandfather served in the infantry during WWI. He died long before I was born, but my grandmother tells stories about how he would never eat carrots after the war. It had something to do with being stuck in the trenches in the middle of a carrot patch sometime in 1918.
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Dad was working as a telephone lineman when he was drafted in '42. He was put into the Signal Corps as a "steel tower rigger". His first unit was the "1st Signal Service Platoon, Special"….which was in fact the first electronic counter-measure unit in the US military. Dad's part was to build steel towers for radar jamming equipment.
When the Japanese invaded the Aleution Islands his unit was rushed to Alaska to counter the Japanese radar….as it turned out they didn't have a radar station in Alaska. From Alaska they went to the Med where they were on Corsica, again doing the radar jamming stuff. From Corsica he went west, way west to Iwo Jima. Iwo was the toughest duty assignment for them combat wise. In Oct/Nov of '45 he was able to hitch a ride on a B-29 heading to the states.
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My grandfather was a mechanic in Budapest, Hungary. During the war he was forced to mechanic on vehicles. After the war he serviced soviet vehicles as well, in the 1956 hungarian revolution he helped sabotage dozens of vehicles he worked on. Knowing which ones had cracks or problems, he exploited this to immobile them. He was going to be arrested, but fled the country with my father on a train.
He didn't like the Germans, but they actually took good care of him giving him rations and such for how quick he fixed the vehicles whether it was a motorcycle or a tank. He had no good words for the Russians at the time. My father wishes to go back to budapest to see his family, especially my grandfathers side of the family but does not want to take the chance.
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My great-grandfather served with the Sixth Marines on Okinawa. He made it from the landing to the end of the battle. He carried a B.A.R and in the last couple of weeks a Flamethrower.
He didn't talk about it till the last 6 months of his life. He passed away almost 2 years ago.
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My grandpa was a yomen aboard the USS Enterprise, I'll ask my father about it and give a more in depth story on him.
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Similar Oclub thread with more pics.
http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,357789.0.html
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I was born to middle-ish aged parents (36 and 46), so I feel like I grew up a lot "closer" to recent history than other people in my generation with younger parents. (I'm 21)
My maternal grandfather was somewhere in the pacific, but that's all I really know. He died well before I was born. My paternal grandfather tried to sign up, but was medically unable, however his brothers and cousins fought in the pacific as well. I know at least one of them was on a PT boat. After my maternal grandfather died (young, my mom was only 23, so that would have been 1979), my grandma remarried. The person I grew up with as 'grandpa' didn't fight in WWII, but was in the airborne during Korea. I don't think he ever fought; he broke his back during a jump in training.
Unfortunately only my maternal grandmother remains today, the rest having past away in the last 5-7 years.
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My uncle served as a tail gunner in Lancs for the RCAF. He left training in Canada early in '43 and returned home at wars end. The basement of his house was interesting, littered with memoriablia of places he'd stayed and visited in the UK while stationed there. Pictures of people, pubs he'd frequent, and trinkets or items that reminded him of the area. He had stuff everywhere. He loved to tell stories of the great people he met, and fun times they had at the pubs.
...but only a single picture of him with his crewmates, tucked away in the corner with a few some squadron insignia and the like. He never talked about his experience as a gunner, or anything related to the actual war itself. And I never asked.
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Iv'e got a great grandfather that died back in WW2. He was the top turret gunner in a B24.
That's about all I know and ever will know.
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I remember my grandma talking about her oldest son who moved to the united states in 1940 looking for work. sometime later she got a letter from him saying he had been drafted and was going to a place called europe. she never heard from him again. she died not knowing what happened.
my other grandma had cousins that were german, their parents had moved into northern mexico sometime in the 1920's. their sons got called up to go back to germany. the 2 or 3 oldest ones went back and joined the navy, they barely spoke german but they went anyway. nobody came back. their parents died not knowing what happened. my grandam told me about how handsome they looked with their blue eyes and blond hair. how they played together and how she always felt sad she didnt know what happened to them.
it seems weird to me to say that I had relatives that fought with and against the united states. I was in the marines a long time ago, just like my brother. we both followed our father who even though he is still alive, i think died back in vietnam.
I got a nephew and and my son in law who are in the air force.
semp
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My Uncle Vince Dalton enlisted in 1942 and was with 15 Aust Field Baking Pl (AIF) until he was discharged as a corporal in 1946. He served in New Guinea along the Kokoda trail, I could only imagine baking was the furthest thing from their mind. This is what the Kokoda trail looks like now, during WWII it was mostly steep mud.
(http://myrelish.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/kokoda-2010-187.jpg)
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(http://www.b24bestweb.com/images/B24/VAGABONDKING.JPG)
(http://image2.findagrave.com/photos/2012/250/56293559_134705516478.jpg)
Grandpa on my moms side, Lewis Raines. Waist gunner on a B-24
Consolidated B-24D-95-CO Liberator 42-40787 Vagabond King 389BG 565BS 2885
40787 (389th BG, 565th BS, *Vagabond King*) shot down by two Fw 190As of JG 11/10 and crashed into sea 27 km SW of Stromstad, Sweden Nov 18, 1943. MACR 2885. 11 KIA
Source: Joe Baugher US Aircraft Serial Numbers - http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/usafserials.html
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My father join the Australian Militia (part timers) on the outbreak. Soon after he was posted to a radar detachment, and soon after that he volunteered for overseas duty. He was posted to Port Morseby and Lae with the radar detachment. His chief memories were the rain, the mud, the jungle reclaiming airfields in an amazingly short time after the forces moved on, and fishing with hand grenades.
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My grandfather & great uncle served on a destroyer. I got on my grandfather just a few hours ago about how he shoulda let the Japanese keep China so they wouldn't own us now. :lol
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1944-1945 Far East; India, China, Malaya, Hong Kong.
RA and REME
Mentioned in dispatches
(https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1/1642_10152698125535161_1224505558_n.jpg)
His Army Portrait picture
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/t1/485157_10152698078625161_1269452229_n.jpg)
Unit group photo
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/t1/604112_10152698075990161_213171697_n.jpg)
His unit up for inspection
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/479875_10152698078775161_1495864474_n.jpg)
Moving equipment through the trails
Bonus picture
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/484136_10152698075735161_2013364938_n.jpg)
A photo he took of a Japanese Emil captured and displayed in India
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My dad was a navigator/bombardier on B24's in New Guinea, Of an 18 plane squadron, His was the only crew to service the tour of duty, their last mission the crashed in the jungle but was able to get back to allied lines.
Upon return to the states he was assigned to B29's, after the war he was not allowed out of the country due to the fact, he was able to arm the A-Bomb. He died in 1954 from the head injury he received in the plane crash. I have his entire service record.
DHawk
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Grandfather was captured in the Philippines, and went on a long march commonly known as Bataan.
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My Grandad was a civil engineer and therefore in a 'reserved profession'. So he joined the ARP instead (air raid wardens) and used to sit on top of tall buildings in central London calling in fires, etc.
My Great Uncle was a Desert Rat. Sgt Major Adams, 7th Battalion, 7th Armoured Division. Fought Rommel in North Africa and then went on to fight the Japanese in Burma.
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My maternal grandfather was in the Army as an infantryman and participated in the island-hopping campaign in the Pacific. He was shot in the butt climbing over a fence during the landings at Leyte Gulf and ensuing combat. Before he died, he would always finish telling the story by saying "I turned around and shot the Jap bastard right in the face." Sorry for the offensive language.
My paternal grandfather entered Europe through Normandy on June 10th, I believe. I'd like to find out more about his war service. I know he had a Purple Heart for wounds received from a grenade, and had shrapnel in his back from it.
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it seems weird to me to say that I had relatives that fought with and against the united states.
semp
My Grandfather on my Mother's side was a politician in Germany but he was removed and sent to the eastern front and never heard from again. My Grandmother and Mother barely escaped eastern Germany at the end of the war. The Germans were much more afraid of the Russians than the other Allies.
They emigrated to the US and became citizens before My Mother met my Father in Massachusetts.
I have Family on my Father's side that served with the US Military including My Uncle who lost a limb in Vietnam. He is a Lafayette with lineage that goes back to the Revolutionary War.
:salute To all that served their Countries no matter how messed up their leaders were. :rolleyes:
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My Grandfather was born in 1898, he was too old for WWII. But he just missed WWI, they signed the armistice on the day he was to ship out. His youngest brother was killed in Italy though, artilleryman. My Dad was born in 1938, so he was young during the war, albeit he does remember bombers coming over their home in Wickett Texas.
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On my dad's side, grandfather was a civilian carpenter for the British Army and helped build stations and bases. On my mom's side, grandfather was quartermaster for the Royal Coast Guard during WWII on their SAR vessels (rescue vessels were actually disguised Corvettes and Destroyers). Lots of sad stories on seeing cargo and transport ships being torpedoed with sailors and civilians in the water and in lifeboats but being unable to stop and pick them up right away until the u-boats were driven away and then circling back only to find empty boats and the dead. Most having died from exposure or hypothermia.
On my wife's side, both grandfathers were Engineers with the Royal Canadian Military Engineers -doing mostly anti-mine work and building portable bridges. First shot by a sniper a couple of days after D-Day (he was first group in) and spent months recouping back in the UK where he met his wife (a nurse) and when back to Germany just before the war ended and married her just before going back. Her other grandfather was an engineer officer who fought in Northern Africa and then Italy where he met his wife, a front line 'MASH' nurse. Both men on my wife's and her grandmother in Italy didn't talk about the war. Ever. Going back on my wife's side, her grandfather's father (mom's side) fought in the Boer War with his brothers (1899–1902). Then all fought in WWI as...engineers...strange that. :salute
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My Father dropped out of college in Jan.1941 and joined the U.S. ARMY for a 1 year enlistment. He didn't get out until August 1945. He traveled all over the U.S. teaching various military courses.
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Both of my grandfathers served in ww 2. My mothers father was navy,in south pacific. I know he was at Saipan, but rarely talked about it. When he did I always paid attention as it was a topic I knew not to ask about. He was bitter and always got his temper high. I do remember one specific item, When my father bought a Toyota Tercel in 84'. Wow ! Talk about mad. He didn't talk much that trip. He got to a point in his life where he finally dealt with it and came to a forgiveness stage. Unfortunately all his navy records were lost in a fire at the Naval records area, so will never know why he had so much hatred. My fathers dad was pushed into the marine corps by his mother, as he didn't know how to swim. Funny too, as he ended up making every round trip on the USS Wakefield, a converted troop transport. It has a write up on Wikipedia that was very informative. In the Corps he met and fell in love with ICECREAM! To the point that he gained 30 pounds in basic. Grandma still laughs about not recognizing him at the bus stop when he came back to visit. The skinny boy from Kenna, West Virginia wasn't so skinny any more. He always said that at meals the boys from the city would want extra beans and potatoes as that was new for them, so he traded his for their ice cream.
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I wish I knew more about my grandfather on my mother's side, he died a few months after I was born in 1971. His name was Wilbur Cail from Sylvania, GA. He dropped out of high school at the beginning of WWII and joined the army. Neither my mother nor my uncle know much about their dad's time in the war a they weren't born until years after the war, other than he suffered a bad wound, shot in the chest, somewhere in Europe, and spent quite a while in a hospital, then served the rest of his time during the war in Panama, supposedly "guarding the canal." According to mom and my uncle, he refused to ever speak of the war or anything he did. All they knew of it were his scars. When he returned home, he went back and finished high school, and spent his life selling insurance and running a barber shop, and drinking. That finally got him in 1972. The only thing anyone has from his service to my knowledge is my uncle has his bayonet.
There's not a day that goes by that I don't wish I knew more about him.
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My paternal Grandfather served in the infantry in Europe, where he was seriously wounded in France. Two of my paternal Grandmother's brothers (My Great-Uncles) served in the Navy during WW2, one of them was stationed at Pearl Harbor during the attack. Have tried researching in the past and found it to be quite a trick :lol . Perhaps it's time to look into again.
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Maternal grandfather flew B24's in the south PTO. (read sig line). Lt. Col. Darrell M. "Bud" Gray. Charles City, IA.
Paternal grandfather was a courier in the ETO (jeep jockey) in an artillery unit, he routinely ran officers, mail, supplies, and wounded to and fro the front lines. Tech Sgt. Robert W. Bennett. Hinton, IA.
My paternal grandmother's brother (my great uncle), flew B24's in the PTO. He flew 26 combat missions then rotated home and flew B24's and B25's with experimental engines in them. Cpt. Ralph Oliver Brown. Hinton, IA.
My wife's maternal grandfather was a naval aviator instructor, I'm not sure where exactly he taught flying for the US Navy. Either TX or FL, his records say both. I had the chance to speak with him multiple times before he passed away. btw... his favorite plane to fly was the F4F, for being the "most stable and forgiving". Lt Theodore Davis. Sioux City, IA.
My grandfather's cousin, Sgt. Earl Hannum, at Wake Island when the Japanese invaded. Earl was smaller in build, yet as feisty and cocky as could be. He was always fighting with other men. He would put up with no one's gruff, including the Japanese. The survivors of Wake said that Earl was the most belligerent of all the prisoners and there is a reason he was taken to the deck of the prisoner ship and beheaded. His story is told here: http://missingmarines.com/2011/12/29/master-technical-sergeant-earl-raymond-hannum/
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I was hesitant to start this thread. I'm glad I did.
Inspiring, enlightning, touching and sad, these stories have had it all. I've really enjoyed reading them so far. Keep them coming.
:salute to the greatest generation and all they did to ensure our freedom (and to those from the other side who had no choice but to fight).
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my grandfather was a infantryman with the wehrmacht. he ended up on the russian front and spend the next 11 years after the war in a russian prison camp. fed 2 slices of bread a day. sometimes was given to them. cooking grease was a luxury to them, to put on the bread. the russians used to toss hand granades at them for sport, because they hated the germans so much. my grandfather had several peaces of sharpnel in his body, till the day he died.
my great uncles were also in the infantry. both were killed. one was hit square in the chest by artillery shell from a tank. theres wasnt much left. the other uncle was killed in action with no further information.
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My uncle was a b17 pilot. On many missions he served as the tailgunner-observer on the pathfinder plane. That's what he was doing on this particular mission when the pilot peed in the general's face. On another mission he came forward to gather blankets and flack shredded the TG position. Luck never put him in the same place and time as projectiles, be it urine or flack.
http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/245.pdf
Also have a great uncle who played in the snow at Bastogne.
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You know it's funny, almost all of the mission reports state "no enemy aircraft encountered", In fact I have yet to read a mission report from the 359th that mentions getting attacked by fighters. Yet on some missions they expend thousands of rounds of ammo, and on other missions none. Notice on the mission report I posted a link to they fired 7,220 rounds of ammo, yet it states no enemy aircraft were encountered. Also notice it says they had no fighter escort on the way to the target. ;)
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My dad just missed WWII but still enlisted in the Navy in 1946. He spent the next two years on the USS Antietam, CV-36, in the Pacific running the print shop.
He had two older brothers that served. My uncle Henry died jumping into France during the European invasion. My uncle Paul was a Ranger in the Pacific and I was told he made the Okinawa landing. He didn't talk about his service much so that's about all I know.
SB
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You know it's funny, almost all of the mission reports state "no enemy aircraft encountered", In fact I have yet to read a mission report from the 359th that mentions getting attacked by fighters. Yet on some missions they expend thousands of rounds of ammo, and on other missions none. Notice on the mission report I posted a link to they fired 7,220 rounds of ammo, yet it states no enemy aircraft were encountered. Also notice it says they had no fighter escort on the way to the target. ;)
Each plane had what, thirteen guns? And when they entered enemy territory, they'd clear and test fire the guns to make sure they weren't jammed. Might account for it.
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My grandfather Robert Brown (dads) served with the 29th Infantry Division on D-Day, he fought with the 29th I.D. until after the capture of St. Lo when he was transferred to the 90th I.D. He fought in the Falaise Pocket, and he served with 90th under Patton (I think) until the end of the war. He was present at the liberation of the Flossenburg Concentration Camp, and he told me that it was the most pitiful thing he's ever saw in his life. He told plenty of stories of his time in the war which I could tell you guys if you want. He did pass away last summer at the age of 90.
My great great uncle (dad) served on Iwo Jima with the 28th Marines, where we was wounded on March 24, during the final banzai charge, he was wounded by rifle fire in his right shoulder and took grenade fragments in his right leg. He would be awarded the silver star for continuing his fight after being wounded. He was open about Iwo Jima, and after hearing some of his stories it was hard to believe he survived.
My great great uncle (mom) served in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy with the 3rd Infantry Division. He fought alongside Audie Murphy, and was awarded two Bronze Stars.
:salute
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My dad served in the Army ( 1944-1946 ). He joined at 17 ( lied about his age ) and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. His older brother was a navigator on a B-24.
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My grandfather served as a .50 Jeep crew Sgt. in England and then France. He was in the 3rd (I believe) wave at Omaha beach after originally being tasked to Pointe du Hoc. After being in France for some time, he ended up driving one of Eisenhower's Jeeps (MSgt) before the end of the War. My dad has some really cool pics/medals/orders/etc. that he saved in an old trunk for all these years. I'll have to dig them out and do some posting.
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Lost my uncle Howard on 11 April 1945, in Germany. His Brother, my uncle Francis (Frank) served as a master sergeant with Merrills Marauders (China, Burma, India theatre). He survived the war and a VFW post was named after him. He passed away in the late 70's. I served in both the Navy and Army from which I retired after 28 years.
I have nothing but respect for those who currently serve and those that did serve.
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My great uncle died in ww2 in a crash landing on a carrier. Don't know where, when or how. I heard he hit the structure on the carrier. I'm going to try to find out.
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Two uncles that served aboard "tin cans" as ships cook. One was aboard the USS WOOLSEY DD-437 late 41 to early 47. The other I don't know. A third uncle was at Iwo Jima with his Marine group.
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I think you guys are forgetting that this thread is about my uncle's copilot peeing in General Travis' face.