My Granddaddy, who was just 29 days shy of his 31st birthday, was a participant at Omaha beach along with thousands of other Americans, Canadians, and British soldiers, sailors, and airmen. Thousands of other fighting men landed in gliders or descended by parachute in the "Greatest Invasion Force" the world had ever seen. Lest we forget and some ANTIFA pukes tear down their monuments so future generations will never know what hardships and deprivations these men endured.
My Dad, RIP, shipped out to Australia on Dec 9, 1941 serving there, then in New Guinea for the duration + 6 months. He was an aircraft mechanic and the company forager, tasked by the Company Commander to hunt local game to provide some respite from a never ending diet of mutton. Dad was very good with a rifle and shot gun.
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My Dad *never* said what he did in WWII or the Korean War, he ended up in SAC Intelligence and retired as a CWO-3. Had an Omega clearance... but never discussed what he did nor how he met Mom - she was in the WAAC. He started in the Army Air Corps as a Mechanic on B-17's, B-24's, and B-29's. How he eventually got into Photo Interpretation is probably going to be a good story...
ReplyDeleteI will, of course, ask him what he did and how he met Mom when my time comes to join them. Should be interesting!
My Grandpa was 6ft 5 and served the war in a Sherman tank. He fought for the whole war + 1 year afterwards in Austria helping with the clean up.
ReplyDeleteMy fifth grade teacher told us (in 1973) that her brother died on D day and was never identified. His name is listed in our town square memorial. I never forgot his name. Say a prayer for George George, son of Greek immigrants. God bless.
ReplyDeleteMy best friends father was with the 801st tank destroyer group. He spoke very little about his experiences. When he died, they found his 5 bronze stars in the attic.
ReplyDeleteI had an uncle who was 82nd Airborne, Uncle AJ. He got shot shortly after D-day and spent time convalescing. He walked with a limp and was re-classified and re-assigned to the newly formed 3rd Army as a supply truck driver.
ReplyDeleteAs I was growing up all I ever knew was that he was part of Patton's 3rd Army. When I got back from Desert Storm he sat down with me and shared a bottle of 50 year old brandy as he told me about his time in the Army. This was the only time he talked about being in the Army with the exception of just confirming he was 3rd Army in WWII. It was also the only time I ever saw him drink.
My father, while not in a combat unit, once said that it was common knowledge about mid-1943 that the war would be over "sooner rather than later" and therefore beginning then major contracts with stateside suppliers were written with terms and conditions so that the war machine could be "shut down" sensibly and without lasting damage to American industry.
ReplyDeleteAll the comments here about the brave soldiers are in stark contrast to what the smug Kenyan loved to proclaim that "You didn't build that!". What he built we are seeing play out right now. "Entitled hypocrite" nowhere near comes close to describing the treason he and his kind have inflicted on our country.
My Father was part of Yankee Div. (Bell St. Kida's of Chicopee Mass)
ReplyDeleteHis company lucked out and came in few days later after the beach was secured.
What he told me of the beaches days later was and eye opener.
Things like, the dead still washing up on shore and more.
He told me how he had spoken here and here of D-Day survivors and the way they described it to him was with a 1000 yard stare.
I still have his YD unit book and have tried to explain to my kids and grand-kids why and how a person can walk into certain death for a noble cause.
But I don't think my kids and grand-kids fully grasp the fight for freedom at that bloody level.
My Granddaddy didn't talk about the war very much. When he did, it was because I pried it out of him. As for the landings he mentioned the sound of German "water-cooled machineguns" and how the expert naval gunners in terribly rough seas could "put a shell directly into a pillbox" from long distances. Of course the "Jerries" did have water-cooled MGs, but the distinct sound I imagined he was hearing was MG-42s. He did tell me he credited his surviving "the day of days" was due to the fact that the landing craft he was on got lodged on a sandbar about a quarter mile from the shore. He and the others had to wade/swim to the shore. As I have grown older and had time to reflect on the landings, I have wondered if you had of shown those young men the film like "Saving Private Ryan" and informed them that this is what they could expect at Omaha, would they still go?
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