D Day
- Thread starter Ben
- Start date
Uncle Grinch
Active Member
I wasn’t born until January of 1948, but I remember seeing newspapers my grandparent saved from WWII.
Stephen Ambrose wrote several books on WWII, of which D-Day was the best in my opinion.
Stephen Ambrose wrote several books on WWII, of which D-Day was the best in my opinion.
Dusty Bannister
Well-Known Member
And commitment! Do not let your fellow soldiers down, complete the mission. These men were born and grew up through harsh times and knew what it meant to sacrifice so others could succeed. We are grateful for those that could do it and did do it in WW II. And that burden/honor is still necessary today. Some will step up, some will step back. Unfortunately, some will just get in the way.
I am fortunate to have had two uncles serve and now that they are gone, wish I had learned more from them. One was in the Army, one was in the Army Air Corp. I went Navy. We all served under the same flag, but mine had two more stars in it. Thank you for your service.
I am fortunate to have had two uncles serve and now that they are gone, wish I had learned more from them. One was in the Army, one was in the Army Air Corp. I went Navy. We all served under the same flag, but mine had two more stars in it. Thank you for your service.
462
California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
Another solemn day, and coming shortly after Memorial Day.
Two months after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, my father enlisted in the Army, four months after his 30th birthday and served in North Africa and Italy. (My parents married very late in life, after the war.) Dad's older brother tried to enlist, but was refused because of the loss of an eye, so he joined the Merchant Marine.
Two months after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, my father enlisted in the Army, four months after his 30th birthday and served in North Africa and Italy. (My parents married very late in life, after the war.) Dad's older brother tried to enlist, but was refused because of the loss of an eye, so he joined the Merchant Marine.
Last edited:
F
freebullet
Guest
Hats off & heartfelt THANK YOU to those brave men & all that stand ready for same today.
Hawk
Well-Known Member
My FIL was in WW II also.
He never talked about it until one time he and I were alone drinking and just relaxing in the sun on an autumn day in the back yard.
He just started talking to me about it and didn't stop for about an hour. I didn't interrupt and we never spoke about it again.
I felt pretty honored. He never spoke to anyone else in the family about it.
His daughters found out he had been wounded and a POW, for a short time, when a local TV station did an interview at his VFW for Veteran's Day.
That's one of the few things they know about his WW II service.
He retired a Col. from the Army after serving in WW II, Korea and Nam.
He never talked about it until one time he and I were alone drinking and just relaxing in the sun on an autumn day in the back yard.
He just started talking to me about it and didn't stop for about an hour. I didn't interrupt and we never spoke about it again.
I felt pretty honored. He never spoke to anyone else in the family about it.
His daughters found out he had been wounded and a POW, for a short time, when a local TV station did an interview at his VFW for Veteran's Day.
That's one of the few things they know about his WW II service.
He retired a Col. from the Army after serving in WW II, Korea and Nam.
waco
Springfield, Oregon
My Grandfather was on a battle ship near Saipan when the ship was struck by a torpedo. He remembered helping other men on the ship shove mattresses in the hole to try and stop the ship from flooding. He joined the Navy the day after Pearl Harbor.
A very heart felt thank you to all who served.
A very heart felt thank you to all who served.
JWFilips
Well-Known Member
This week our local TV station is interviewing D Day survivors....I would just love a chance to talk with them! ( & not the supid questions the reporters are asking them!) A friend of mine had a chance to interview his Wife's Grandfather before he died! He was a WW1 vet! The stoies he told me that he related to him were fascinating! That started his quest to interview as many WW1 vets as he could
RBHarter
West Central AR
My great grandfather , a Nashville lawyer , enlisted and served Artillery in France WW1 , at the tender age of 30 . His first hitch would have been 1907-1909ish , law school got him Lt bars in 1918 .
I think Grampa Hart was enlisted WW1 also I know he was Army but born 12/1901 he may not have been old enough to have "made it to the war" . I guess nobody asked him and it was never a thing .
Grampa Flowers lied about his age to get in and do a hitch with the 9th Cav 1924-26 . Born 12/1901 they wouldn't take him at 23 , all of his government paper said 12/22/1903 but he was born in 1901 .
Grandpa Mitchell did his USN hitch 36-39' in 1940 he went to work for Civil Service and was offered Hickem or Wheeler field at Pearl as a base shop/office , he shipped over in 6/41' .
Uncle Bud , I learned at his funeral shared Grampa Harts name , was Navy 1941-45 . He went in pre-war "to see the world" . I have to look it up but the destroyer he spent the war hit the water the first time late in 39' and was decommissioned early in 1946 . The ships only claim to fame was scuttling one of our carriers during a "retreat" in the So Pacific . He lost his best friend in a typhoon in spite of the safety lines . He had a few clippings and a shadow box of ribbons that hung mostly out of sight in the hall .
Uncle Kenny was USA Korea . He got his Korea ribbon , but basically got off the ship checked in , got his orders , the end of action was declared , he never saw his port transportation and got back on the boat and came home . He did get a letter for service above and beyond as he cooked most of the trip home and most of the quarantine . Seems someone brought a gut bug aboard with them . It swept the boat like wave over the bow .
Dad was 4F he lost a eye when he was a kid .
Adopted Uncle Bingo landed 3 Beaches , 1 of them was Iwo Jima . He retired from the Corps 42'-72' . 6"2' , 210 , shaped like a splitting wedge and not a scar I ever remember seeing . He went to a USMC Iwo Jima reunion , he knew why they were all excited about Lee Marvin but at the time that other Sgt didn't make any sense ..........
My boys are USA , the oldest is 12th Cav , the youngest is out but was 222nd Air Wing . 2 tours in Iraq , 1 in Afghanistan between them .
My oldest daughter went to post sunami Japan on the Reagan , 6 yr USN .
I have a host of In-laws that did time between wars in USN , USMC , and USCG .
Last but not least my 3rd great grandmother's , named after her Aunt , first cousin was a CIC . Wm McKinley was a Brev Major 23rd Ohio Infantry 1863-65 , and settled up the Spanish-American war with Annexure of Guam , Philippines , and Hawaii among others . Teddy Roosevelt relieved him of duty in 1901 . He was the only one I know of to date to die in service or suffer a significant visible wound .
I would have gone to the Corps but based on my asvab scores they and the USAF and USA wanted me to go to OCS and push paper , even after I got my A&P OCS and clerk was all they could offer . I ended up a civil contractor employee on an ammo depot for 22 yr .
I should have gone to OCS after X1s USAF hitch ........ hindsight .
Apologies for the braggary . It just makes me ooze red , white , and blue pride .
I think Grampa Hart was enlisted WW1 also I know he was Army but born 12/1901 he may not have been old enough to have "made it to the war" . I guess nobody asked him and it was never a thing .
Grampa Flowers lied about his age to get in and do a hitch with the 9th Cav 1924-26 . Born 12/1901 they wouldn't take him at 23 , all of his government paper said 12/22/1903 but he was born in 1901 .
Grandpa Mitchell did his USN hitch 36-39' in 1940 he went to work for Civil Service and was offered Hickem or Wheeler field at Pearl as a base shop/office , he shipped over in 6/41' .
Uncle Bud , I learned at his funeral shared Grampa Harts name , was Navy 1941-45 . He went in pre-war "to see the world" . I have to look it up but the destroyer he spent the war hit the water the first time late in 39' and was decommissioned early in 1946 . The ships only claim to fame was scuttling one of our carriers during a "retreat" in the So Pacific . He lost his best friend in a typhoon in spite of the safety lines . He had a few clippings and a shadow box of ribbons that hung mostly out of sight in the hall .
Uncle Kenny was USA Korea . He got his Korea ribbon , but basically got off the ship checked in , got his orders , the end of action was declared , he never saw his port transportation and got back on the boat and came home . He did get a letter for service above and beyond as he cooked most of the trip home and most of the quarantine . Seems someone brought a gut bug aboard with them . It swept the boat like wave over the bow .
Dad was 4F he lost a eye when he was a kid .
Adopted Uncle Bingo landed 3 Beaches , 1 of them was Iwo Jima . He retired from the Corps 42'-72' . 6"2' , 210 , shaped like a splitting wedge and not a scar I ever remember seeing . He went to a USMC Iwo Jima reunion , he knew why they were all excited about Lee Marvin but at the time that other Sgt didn't make any sense ..........
My boys are USA , the oldest is 12th Cav , the youngest is out but was 222nd Air Wing . 2 tours in Iraq , 1 in Afghanistan between them .
My oldest daughter went to post sunami Japan on the Reagan , 6 yr USN .
I have a host of In-laws that did time between wars in USN , USMC , and USCG .
Last but not least my 3rd great grandmother's , named after her Aunt , first cousin was a CIC . Wm McKinley was a Brev Major 23rd Ohio Infantry 1863-65 , and settled up the Spanish-American war with Annexure of Guam , Philippines , and Hawaii among others . Teddy Roosevelt relieved him of duty in 1901 . He was the only one I know of to date to die in service or suffer a significant visible wound .
I would have gone to the Corps but based on my asvab scores they and the USAF and USA wanted me to go to OCS and push paper , even after I got my A&P OCS and clerk was all they could offer . I ended up a civil contractor employee on an ammo depot for 22 yr .
I should have gone to OCS after X1s USAF hitch ........ hindsight .
Apologies for the braggary . It just makes me ooze red , white , and blue pride .
Pistolero
Well-Known Member
We spent three days in the area, Pegasus Bridge museum, US Paratrooper museum in
St. Mere Eglise, went to a number of Easy Company sites, and others. Then to the beach
itself, had a retired Brit Army fellow as a guide, really interesting. And the cemetery is
almost overwhelming, is done so well, maintained so beautifully. I spent a bunch of time
reading names out loud, but quietly. Somehow just acknowldging them seemed right.
Freedom isn't free.
Bill
St. Mere Eglise, went to a number of Easy Company sites, and others. Then to the beach
itself, had a retired Brit Army fellow as a guide, really interesting. And the cemetery is
almost overwhelming, is done so well, maintained so beautifully. I spent a bunch of time
reading names out loud, but quietly. Somehow just acknowldging them seemed right.
Freedom isn't free.
Bill
Bret4207
At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
We tend to focus on D-Day since it was such a huge operation. Yet there were literally hundreds of other smaller landings across the globe in the war, many were bloodier and somewhat more difficult, relatively speaking. Doesn't matter is it was North Africa, the Italian campaign, any of dozens of island hopping actions in the Pacific, defending Wake or Midway, Europe, the Balkans, Southeast and Southwest Asia...it was an immense war with hundreds of unbelievably costly and bloody battles. Some we won, some we lost. The kid catching a bullet at Normandy was just as dead as the sailor drowning in the south Pacific or the airman burning to death over China or India. Their families all grieved the same. I just hope we never see such war as that again, or any more war for that matter.