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jamesjohns -> RE: Roll Call Thread Addition (5/22/2015 4:16:22 AM)
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quote:
Some of us older types grew up around WW2 vets. Teachers, coaches, scout masters, neighbors, dads, uncles, you name it. Certainly a big influence on many people on this forum.
Although I'm on the young end of the age range, thinking of the WWII generation I had regular contact with. Growing up most of them never really shared any stories with us kids. After doing my own time during the 1st Gulf, there where still some of these gentlemen around, they opened up more and shared some of their own experiences, for which I am very appreciative and grateful. Now that I'm older and had a few more trips, I wish I could visit with them again, but sadly most of them have passed on.
When I think of "Veteran", I point to these gentlemen and know my own experiences amount to about .001% of what they went through.
One Grandfather was an Infantryman in Africa and Italy; understandably never talked about the war. Other Grandfather logistics in the US, joined the Army expecting to go over seas and ended up stationed only a couple hundred miles from home, never left the States. Number of Great-Uncles, one a medic in France was captured and told me how at the end of the war was drawing near the guards main concern was the Americans got to them before the Russians, another with the 82nd for 3 jumps then wounded, my mom said he was active in the anti-Vietnam war movement. Grandma had a brother that was MIA, later changed to KIA in Europe, she always had a picture of him in her purse. Several teachers, middle school Principal had lots of pictures of WWII aircraft in his office was Air Corp in Europe. A math teacher was on a destroyer (? if I recall right) in the Atlantic, every year he swapped classes with history teacher and talk about the convoy battles/WWII, was one history unit everyone enjoyed. Minister in church meet the Russians at the Elbe, sometimes talked about WWII, war during his sermons and the need for peace, he had a son that died in Vietnam.
A neighbor farmed beside us was a gunner on a B-17, my dad & him helped each other out a lot/shared equipment, I worked a lot for him as a teenager. As little kids my sister once asked where his arm was, told us "It fell off somewhere over Holland". Another neighbor was a Marine in the Pacific think he was at Okinawa, his advice when I thought of joining military, "go to college". One of my Grandfathers best friends was on a minesweeper in the Pacific, one time asked him about it. He said if he "had any brains he would have been a lot more scared". My father in-law & mother-in-law grew up during WWII, (he was Korean War, Infantry), interesting to hear about WWII through the eyes of a teen growing up during it. One of my best friends dad was in France/Germany, worked at the post office, great guy, lot of fun, said his unit was the first to shell German soil, always talked loud & was hard of hearing (he was an Arty Officer [;)]) told stories about trading canned food for fresh food with locals and most of the time giving them a great deal because he felt sorrow for them.
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