Conversation with a WWII Veteran

[frnkeore]

On a more somber note, I was created by WWII. My dad was to old to be drafted and met my mom, in a motor pool, going to the Long beach, ship yards.

In my moms later years, she married a man, that I was proud to call my step father. He was a wonderful guy and decorated Captain, in the 91st Inf. He lost a eye, the day after he landed at Normandy.

[1948F-1Pickup]

I was in the Navy for 25 years, got out in 2010 as an O-4.
I'm not even fit to tie the shoes of those guys that served during WWII.
Met a really old gentlemen at the bank one day sporting a ballcap with a ship hull number and class I did not recognize. He was a crew member of a civilian ocean tug during WWII that had been USN commissioned and militarized. (like the tug in the Curious Case of Benjamin Button movie)
The gentlemen mentioned that not too many of the folks he went to sea with had survived that type of service. I was surprised that I even got to meet one.
Living history in that man and mind-boggling sacrifice for that group.

[bobwellsnoveltyshop]

Thought someone might want to see this picture. The minesweeper I was stationed on was just pulling in the Pear Harbor coming back from Viet Nam and I saw these planes above us??? They were making the movie Tora- Tora -Tora .

[Tinker]

I fly mine everyday also.

[Karl]

Originally Posted by rotorwrench

To talk about it is kind of like reliving it and many were glad to serve but wouldn't really want to go through it again. My Pop would talk about the guys and the flack and a few other things but he would never talk about losing a member of the crew and what he did to try to save him. Those things were never brought up. He would talk about the crash landing he was in but he didn't know the crew all that well since they had just gone to rotation of pilots. That tactic was halted not long after the crash he was in. The crew that trained together always worked better together than when separated no matter what happened. They were like brothers only closer.

I was blessed to have worked for and with a good many WWII vets. They are all gone now and I sure do miss them. They don't make them like that anymore.

I agree when I started my medical training World War One Vets were not uncommon now they are all gone . World War 2 vets are now rare I have a new patient who is 98 and was torpedoed in Sydney Harbour when the Japanese got midget submarines in there -He still suffers pain from the injuries. When I was able to talk to him about the attack and how the subs followed the Manley Ferry in and were trying to sink the USS Chicago but got his tender by mistake -he couldn't believe that someone knew about it!
Sad because as has been said previously if we forget our history we are destined to repeat it !

[Frank Miller]

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"Sad because as has been said previously if we forget our history we are destined to repeat it !"

Or someone will try and rewrite it.

[Seth Swoboda]

Thanks for sharing that with us Marcus. So many of these memories are leaving us as the WWII vets pass.

[Ol' Ron]

The commander of our local VFW , was running the liberty launch when the Japs struck. They spen all day picking sailors out of the water. He couldn't believe the damage they done. Bu the made it thru the war.

[FrankWest]

Originally Posted by FrankWest

My father was a Marine in the Pacific, engineer , looked for mines with a bayonet.
He saw action on many island in the Pacific including Iwo Jima, toward the end of the war, he was getting ready to be in the invasion force on Japan. They never had to invade because of The Atomic Bombs and Japan's surrender.

The Japs were terrified of the new President because of his name
TRU-MAN

And their worst fears proved to be right.

[Tinker]

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