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I was just watching the AHC channel's "D-Day in HD" and I don't know if there are any WWII veterans on here but I am sure there are family members of those brave men that post here. I just want to say thank you for all they have done and sacrificed so many years ago to keep this country free. There numbers are dwindling daily and we owe one tremendous debt of gratitude to the "Greatest Generation"

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An aging neighbor has been loaning me a number of WWII books recently on both Europe/Africa and the Pacific. One gets a much more detailed picture as opposed to the condensed versions one sees on a single page in a history book.

The number of seriously tough people involved and the logistics overcome back then are absolutely astonishing.

They are/were indeed the greatest.

Last edited by 1minute; 08/29/16.

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They were indeed the Greatest.

I seriously doubt we as a nation now could pull off what they did.




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not taking away from them, but we could pull it off now.

In the future it would probably be illegal to go to war though...


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I seriously doubt we as a nation now could pull off what they did.


I pray we could rise to the occasion, but think it would take a direct threat to our nation and people to arouse the ire.


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Just finished building a teal blind for WWII vet pretty sure it will be his last season .Decoys are ready also waiting for Sam on Sept 10th.

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Originally Posted by 1minute
Quote
I seriously doubt we as a nation now could pull off what they did.


I pray we could rise to the occasion, but think it would take a direct threat to our nation and people to arouse the ire.


You would also have to overcome the liberal interference against the war.. Think Viet Nam on steroids!


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Originally Posted by 1minute
An aging neighbor has been loaning me a number of WWII books recently on both Europe/Africa and the Pacific. One gets a much more detailed picture as opposed to the condensed versions one sees on a single page in a history book.

The number of seriously tough people involved and the logistics overcome back then are absolutely astonishing.

They are/were indeed the greatest.


No argument there. The world will never see their like again.

Dad flew 34 missions as a gunner in B-24's over Europe in late 43 and 44. Rotated back to the states and was transitioning into B-29's when it ended.

Got discharged and worked in the oil and chemical industry till 1982. Got married and had 3 kids along the way. He has spent the last 30+ years whacking deer, ducks, turkeys, golf balls and chunking baits at bass. Had me get a couple more game cameras for the farm for this fall. He'll be 94 in November and plans to deer hunt as much as I can take him. I may be 1/2 again as big as he is but, I'll never be 1/2 the man he was when it counted.


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Originally Posted by magshooter1
Originally Posted by 1minute
An aging neighbor has been loaning me a number of WWII books recently on both Europe/Africa and the Pacific. One gets a much more detailed picture as opposed to the condensed versions one sees on a single page in a history book.

The number of seriously tough people involved and the logistics overcome back then are absolutely astonishing.

They are/were indeed the greatest.


No argument there. The world will never see their like again.

Dad flew 34 missions as a gunner in B-24's over Europe in late 43 and 44. Rotated back to the states and was transitioning into B-29's when it ended.

Got discharged and worked in the oil and chemical industry till 1982. Got married and had 3 kids along the way. He has spent the last 30+ years whacking deer, ducks, turkeys, golf balls and chunking baits at bass. Had me get a couple more game cameras for the farm for this fall. He'll be 94 in November and plans to deer hunt as much as I can take him. I may be 1/2 again as big as he is but, I'll never be 1/2 the man he was when it counted.

Great story. Thanks for sharing.

My 90 yr. old father-in-law served on an aircraft carrier, hit by kamikazes. He and his 90 yr. old wife are independent, keep up their property, drive to the store, etc.

Good, tough, God fearing folks.

Salt of the earth, a generation that hasn't been duplicated.

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Only saw a few minutes of "D-Day in HD" and wish I could see more. I knew several guys who were there. One of whom was my late dad; he was a 19 yr. old radioman aboard a light cruiser shelling German gun positions. From where they were in the channel he said that as far as they could see it was all the invasion force all the way to the horizon. One of his buddies who I knew ever since childhood was also a 19 yr. old radioman on a different ship a few miles away, although at the time they didn't know they were that close to each other. I grew up around WWII vets and all the ones I knew are gone now. I recently saw something that stated that only about 10% of them are still with us. We do owe them a tremendous debt of gratitude.

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The WWII generation was just entering retirement age during my formative growing up years. There were no finer folks and I really enjoyed being around them. I much preferred them to the folks my parents age. I really miss them and the backbone that they added to society. I am fortunate to sit in front of a WWII veteran at church each Sunday. We routinely thank him for his service, which he modestly down plays. He was driven to the front three days after Normandy, so he certainly did his part.

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Originally Posted by CEJ1895
Originally Posted by 1minute
Quote
I seriously doubt we as a nation now could pull off what they did.


I pray we could rise to the occasion, but think it would take a direct threat to our nation and people to arouse the ire.


You would also have to overcome the liberal interference against the war.. Think Viet Nam on steroids!


there was a pretty big stay out of Europe movement in America prior to Pearl Harbor - led by Republicans. There were more German immigrants in this country than any other nation at one point

Roosevelt's efforts to get us into the war in Europe (to come to the aid of Britain) was actually an impeachable act.

Last edited by KFWA; 08/29/16.

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A cousin was a sniper for three years, both in the European and Pacific theaters. Grew up in the woods, hunting and shooting. At boot camp he loved to show out his shooting prowess. As they moved out, a few were left behind. Finally, they got on a train headed West. They'd pick up a few here and there, finally when they got to California, the Col. told them they were snipers. He had a sinking feeling, showing out with his marksmanship...

He's gone, but I do remember some of his stories. Most of those guys weren't too free with a lot of the worst details. But, I remember him telling me he could hit a flying crow with a Garand. Once on a beach, there were piles of wood a few feet from each other. Hogs were hiding in those piles. They torched the piles and he'd shoot those hogs as they darted from pile to pile.

I think this guy would have done pretty well with driven boars like those shot by the young German prince in the video. I'll try to find it if anyone is interested. It's on line.

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We lost one of the Greatest Generation last Thursday.

He was the father of one of my buddies and was here visiting his son and doing some shooting and seeing some of his old army friends. His son owns a small truck line and has a garage with a grease pit in the first bay. Thursday was a really bright, sunny day and Fred walked into the dark garage and obviously didn't see the pit. He was 93.

He volunteered the day after Pearl Harbor and was sent to Europe with a MG crew. He fought all across Europe and after Germany surrended he stayed on. His favorite story was about guarding the warehouse, where those who were condemded to die at Nuremberg, were hung. He said it always gave him a sense of fulfillment to see it thru from beginning to end.


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The politics of WWII in the European and African theaters was something else with all the countries involved. Day one the French were shooting at us in Africa, and day 2 we're on the same side. Everyone wanted credit for the successes, but few wanted to take on the risks. Eisenhower had some serious A-type personalities to deal with. I cannot imagine the stress and frustrations he had to handle even among our own troops.

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If you get the chance, shake their hand. Say thank you. Let them know you remember. They are dying out, upwards of 2,000 a day.


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I care for a WWII vet right now. His service years were from 1939 to 1945. He's 95 and not in too good health. I suspect he'll be gone by the end of this year. Too bad, before the Alzheimer's took hold a few years ago he was a wonderful person to be around.


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Originally Posted by Timberlake
I care for a WWII vet right now. His service years were from 1939 to 1945. He's 95 and not in too good health. I suspect he'll be gone by the end of this year. Too bad, before the Alzheimer's took hold a few years ago he was a wonderful person to be around.


Thank you for doing this, Alzheimer's is a rough ride for all involved.


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Originally Posted by 12344mag
Originally Posted by Timberlake
I care for a WWII vet right now. His service years were from 1939 to 1945. He's 95 and not in too good health. I suspect he'll be gone by the end of this year. Too bad, before the Alzheimer's took hold a few years ago he was a wonderful person to be around.


Thank you for doing this, Alzheimer's is a rough ride for all involved.

Sometimes I think it's harder on the caregivers than the patient.

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Originally Posted by magshooter1
Originally Posted by 1minute
An aging neighbor has been loaning me a number of WWII books recently on both Europe/Africa and the Pacific. One gets a much more detailed picture as opposed to the condensed versions one sees on a single page in a history book.

The number of seriously tough people involved and the logistics overcome back then are absolutely astonishing.

They are/were indeed the greatest.


No argument there. The world will never see their like again.

Dad flew 34 missions as a gunner in B-24's over Europe in late 43 and 44. Rotated back to the states and was transitioning into B-29's when it ended.

Got discharged and worked in the oil and chemical industry till 1982. Got married and had 3 kids along the way. He has spent the last 30+ years whacking deer, ducks, turkeys, golf balls and chunking baits at bass. Had me get a couple more game cameras for the farm for this fall. He'll be 94 in November and plans to deer hunt as much as I can take him. I may be 1/2 again as big as he is but, I'll never be 1/2 the man he was when it counted.


Say hi to your father for me and thank him too!


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My Father served with the 77th Div. in the pacific, making landings in the Marianas, Philippines and Okinawa.

His brother, an uncle I never met, died near Carentan 6-20-44. He served with the 51st Infantry Battalion, 4th Armored Division.

The last of the siblings (there were four), a Sister, died 6-24-16. The other sister had passed a couple of years ago.

She, as far as I know, was the last of the "WWII" generation in our family. My older sister said, when calling me with the news, "She was the last one."

It saddens me to remember a time when my parents (both passed at a relatively young age) were vibrant and active, and it seems like everybody I knew was either a child of a WWII vet, or a WWII vet themselves.

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Dad served in Africa and Europe. Infantry under General Patton. Wounded twice in combat. Once in a straffing run on an airfield he was dug in on, and once during the brutal street fighting in Italy. He took a MG round in the belly. Went to his death with scars on his gut and backside. He saw Mussolini hanging from the derrick as the partisans riddled his body with gunfire. He heard the rumors about the Germans having a plane that flew without propellars, and shortly thereafter saw one of the first Me 262's. After his second wound, he got off the front for a while. His duty was driving a war photographer around. We have a big box full of black and white pictures of battle damaged tanks, POW's , knocked out German artillery, etc. He went back to the front lines in January of 45. Patton's boys were driving towards the border and it was all hands on deck.

Like so many others, the horrors of war were very hard on him, and he dealt with it all on his own. I can remember him calling out in his sleep for medics, and artillery coordinates. These were some truly amazing men. My heroes one and all. They truly were our Greatest Generation.

Rest in Peace
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Wow!

Thanks for sharing.

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my dad was a bombadier on a b17 and all of his buddies were vets. i remember sitting around deer camp in the early 70's with him and his buddies, a pacific navy vet who told stories of shooting down kamikazies, another USAAF vet, and a guy who landed at normandy and was shot in the ass. all told stories but other than the kamikaze one they were all funny stuff like my dad meeting mickey rooney at some USO show and thinking he was a little puss. and hunting pigs in germany with a tommy gun and getting a german pow to cook them. i wish to heck i could go back just one time and ask the questions i have now.


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My Dad was the engineering officer on a destroyer escort. DE-100. He always got a kick out telling the story about the Captain not letting anyone load their M1 rifles because he said that the Captain doubted any of the steel in the ship would stop one of the bullets if it went off...Dad said the good part was that they didn't think that there was enough steel to set off an armour piercing shell from another ship either. It should just blow right on through.

Those guys were a different breed.


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My Favorite Veteran by Jordan Kallus (my granddaughter)

Rufus Warren Smith, born in 1918, also known as RW to family and friends was my great grandpa. He married Jean Smith in 1940 and was working for the Civil Service as an electrician.
In May 1943, he was sent to Warrington, England, for the Civil Service to work as a technician for the 401st Air Depot. On the way to England, he had to travel by ship that was a part of a convoy. Some of the ships in the convoy were sunk by German submarines.
When he got to England, he was working at the 8th Air Force. He did the electrical wiring on the airplanes that were used in the war.
After 18 months of working in England, he was sent home to the U.S. When returning home, the U. S. got involved in the war and in 1945, he was drafted in the 25th Division of the Army as a Private 1st Class for World War II. His home base was Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and he fought in the Philippines on Luzon Island.
In June of 1945, the Japanese were firing upon them when my great grandpa pulled a friend out of the way and got shot by a Japanese machine gun. He was shot in the left eye and the bullet went out of his left ear.
After he was wounded, he was sent to a hospital in the Philippines. At the hospital, they did what they could for him before shipping him off to a hospital in Washington.
In September of 1945, he was then transported by ship to a hospital in El Paso, Texas. After many surgeries, he had a glass eye, a rebuilt ear, and the left side of his face had been reconstructed. When he was released from the hospital after 6 months, he received an Honorable Discharge, a Good Conduct Medal, a Combat Infantry Badge (which means you were a shooter in action and later upgraded to the Bronze Star for WWII Vets), and a Purple Heart for being wounded in combat.
For the rest of his life, he was a disabled veteran. He worked as an auto mechanic in his own shop in Pasadena, Texas until he retired. He died in 1993.

My granddaughter wrote this about my dad. Hasbeen


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We lost dad 3 1/2 years ago. He'd be 93 if he were still with us.

He graduated HS in 1942 and was drafted shortly after. After basic he was assigned to work in hospitals on Army Air Corps bases where bomber crews trained. He spent time in Louisiana and New Mexico. In the Fall of 1944 he was sent to Paris TX for infantry training. My best guess was as part of the planned invasion of Japan, but dad said they were told nothing.

He completed training in December just as the Germans counter attacked at the Battle of the Bulge. His unit was on the Queen Mary within days, which had been converted to a troop ship.

He was given a Garand in France and spent the next 2 days in a boxcar headed to Belgium. Once there they took his rifle, painted a red cross on his helmet and he spent the last 5 months of the war driving this ambulance to the front and returning them to hospitals in the rear. He drove across the Rhine on a pontoon bridge while under fire.

The way the points system worked dad was one of the last to get home in April 1946. Almost a year after the war ended. The return trip took twice as long on one of the Victory ships.

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My father was a tail gunner on a B-17. Lot of amazing stories

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My cousin was a co pilot on a B-17 and flew 29 missions total before the war ended for him in Europe. He stayed in the Air Force for 32 years and flew in the Berlin Airlift, Korea and Viet Nam before he retired in 1975.

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We lost Uncle Gilbert on August 12. He was in the Navy, on a landing craft in the South Pacific, in the Phillipines and around Borneo, late in '44 and '45.

He died a year to the day after we buried my father, who was younger and spent his service time at Camp Fannon TX after the fighting had stopped.

I miss them both. I still have one uncle left, who spent his Army years in Alaska, post-war.


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Originally Posted by RogueHunter


They were indeed the Greatest.

I seriously doubt we as a nation now could pull off what they did.


When the young men of today want their safe place in the middle of a war they just might wake up. On the other hand, most of those serving today are some of the finest you will find anywhere.


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Father In Law served on the USS Alabama in '45. They didn't see action. Went to The Citadel, got shipped to Korea, saw more than he wanted! He;ll be 90 this December. Great man.


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Dad will be 90 in October. Served in the Navy during WWII, in the Pacific.


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My father, born in 1917, joined the navy in 1942. He served in the Pacific on USS Swallow (AM-65) then the USS Oglala (ARG-1). Discharged in 1945 as a MS2c. He died in 2000. I still miss him. I always will.


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Originally Posted by hasbeen1945
My Favorite Veteran by Jordan Kallus (my granddaughter)

Rufus Warren Smith, born in 1918, also known as RW to family and friends was my great grandpa. He married Jean Smith in 1940 and was working for the Civil Service as an electrician.
In May 1943, he was sent to Warrington, England, for the Civil Service to work as a technician for the 401st Air Depot. On the way to England, he had to travel by ship that was a part of a convoy. Some of the ships in the convoy were sunk by German submarines.
When he got to England, he was working at the 8th Air Force. He did the electrical wiring on the airplanes that were used in the war.
After 18 months of working in England, he was sent home to the U.S. When returning home, the U. S. got involved in the war and in 1945, he was drafted in the 25th Division of the Army as a Private 1st Class for World War II. His home base was Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and he fought in the Philippines on Luzon Island.
In June of 1945, the Japanese were firing upon them when my great grandpa pulled a friend out of the way and got shot by a Japanese machine gun. He was shot in the left eye and the bullet went out of his left ear.
After he was wounded, he was sent to a hospital in the Philippines. At the hospital, they did what they could for him before shipping him off to a hospital in Washington.
In September of 1945, he was then transported by ship to a hospital in El Paso, Texas. After many surgeries, he had a glass eye, a rebuilt ear, and the left side of his face had been reconstructed. When he was released from the hospital after 6 months, he received an Honorable Discharge, a Good Conduct Medal, a Combat Infantry Badge (which means you were a shooter in action and later upgraded to the Bronze Star for WWII Vets), and a Purple Heart for being wounded in combat.
For the rest of his life, he was a disabled veteran. He worked as an auto mechanic in his own shop in Pasadena, Texas until he retired. He died in 1993.

My granddaughter wrote this about my dad. Hasbeen

My father was also born in 1918 and served in the Pacific theater in WWII. He died in 1992. He received five medals, two of which were the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star.

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All the adult guys around me when I was growing up were WWII vets. All the guys in my department as a newly minted supervisor in the mid-70's were WWII vets. I felt like a green Lieutenant when amongst them. Uncles of mine were ETO combat vets (one of whom was drafted in 1940, went through N.Africa, Sicily, Omaha Beach D-Day, and on into Germany- and lived to tell about it), the dad's of all my buddies were vets, heck everybody back then was it seemed.

The "old guy" across the street and down the block when I was a kid was a survivor of the Philippine campaign- Bataan, the Death March, and Jap POW camps. He lived on total disability and at age 40 he looked 70. Told me of pulling .30 machine guns out of wrecked planes and jerry-rigging them for ground use, and finishing his short combat role as an infantryman rather than an Air Corps mechanic. He wouldn't talk about the March into captivity, or the time spent in camps in Japan. He died from health issues incurred then, well before age 50.

My Dad and Grand dad were both too young for WWII and WWI respectively, but my Great Grand Dad was a Spanish-American War vet- I knew him well. He died in the early 60's when I was in Jr. High. Never saw combat- the shooting was over in Cuba by the time he got there. He might be the reason I like Krags so much!


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Dad turned 93 July this year, WWII saw him in the Navy in the pacific.
Spent a lot of the war on this ship as a weather reporting ship in the North pacific. Whatever mother nature bought they reported. Torpedoed once that were set to deep, and watched from the bridge as they passed under the ship.
One storm blew them 500 miles. Ship they replaced just disappeared.

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My Father who was born in 1916 was an atomic veteran having worked on the Manhattan Project in Albequerque, NM. when he first arrived he was in charge of a detachment of G.I's hauling water. Toward the end of his service he managed the assembly hall and movie theater. Dad would be 100 on his birthday December 18th this year, he passed away in '06. My Mother's cousin worked with Dad and I, he was a radioman in a tank at the Battle of the Bulge. My Dad always spoke with a reverance about the Battle of the Bulge and the brave G.I.'s who fought there. A good book about the Battle of the Bulge is The Bitter Woods a detailed account written by Pres. Dwight Eisenhower's son, a good read that I can highly recommend.

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I love reading these stories. Those of us that have solid, tangible connections to this generation of patriots rue the day when they will all be gone, and it's coming faster than we want to admit. One can only wonder what kind of world we would live in today if not for the selfless sacrifices these men made.

I can't possibly say it enough, but my deepest thanks to all our vets. We owe each and every one our utmost respect, appreciation, and thanks.


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My father-in-law received a Purple Heart for being wounded December 7, 1941 at Pearl Harbor.


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I knew a man in the Navy who was assigned to a naval boat built somewhere up in Michigan (or maybe Wisconsin) of all places, took the boat down the Mississippi, out thru New Orleans , then around Cape Horn on its way to see action in the Pacific.

By the time they reached the Pacific, the war was over.

I'm not sure if the Panama Canal was closed or what but they opted to go around I can only assume for some valid reason.



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Forgot to turn right at Panama? grin


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Originally Posted by magshooter1
No argument there. The world will never see their like again.

Dad flew 34 missions as a gunner in B-24's over Europe in late 43 and 44. Rotated back to the states and was transitioning into B-29's when it ended.

Got discharged and worked in the oil and chemical industry till 1982. Got married and had 3 kids along the way. He has spent the last 30+ years whacking deer, ducks, turkeys, golf balls and chunking baits at bass. Had me get a couple more game cameras for the farm for this fall. He'll be 94 in November and plans to deer hunt as much as I can take him. I may be 1/2 again as big as he is but, I'll never be 1/2 the man he was when it counted.

I love the fact he is still able to go hunt at his age and still has the desire to do so. You are fortunate indeed to still have him around. Thanks for sharing.

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Mom and Dad after the war


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Originally Posted by Gringo Loco
Originally Posted by magshooter1
No argument there. The world will never see their like again.

Dad flew 34 missions as a gunner in B-24's over Europe in late 43 and 44. Rotated back to the states and was transitioning into B-29's when it ended.

Got discharged and worked in the oil and chemical industry till 1982. Got married and had 3 kids along the way. He has spent the last 30+ years whacking deer, ducks, turkeys, golf balls and chunking baits at bass. Had me get a couple more game cameras for the farm for this fall. He'll be 94 in November and plans to deer hunt as much as I can take him. I may be 1/2 again as big as he is but, I'll never be 1/2 the man he was when it counted.

I love the fact he is still able to go hunt at his age and still has the desire to do so. You are fortunate indeed to still have him around. Thanks for sharing.


I am indeed fortunate. He's tough as nails. Grew up on a dairy farm before they had milking machines. Used to have a grip like a vise. When WWII started he was in CA building PBY Catalinas. Never knew anything but hard work until he retired.
Still climbs up into 12 foot tall deer stands, still rides his four wheeler, none of this happens fast mind you. Never have been able to get him to give up his see thru scope mounts. He does use a variable scope now though. Course he keeps them set on 4X. lol


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Originally Posted by wilkeshunter
The WWII generation was just entering retirement age during my formative growing up years. There were no finer folks and I really enjoyed being around them. I much preferred them to the folks my parents age. I really miss them and the backbone that they added to society. I am fortunate to sit in front of a WWII veteran at church each Sunday. We routinely thank him for his service, which he modestly down plays. He was driven to the front three days after Normandy, so he certainly did his part.

I also enjoyed being around folks from that generation when growing up. Anytime I learned someone was a vet of WWII, I ate up anything they would share about their experiences. And some I didn't learn they served until after they passed. Regardless, they were good people to be around for their values and wisdom.

One fine gentlemen who fought in Europe all the way to Germany spoke of a guy in their unit who wouldn't bath even after he was given many direct hints he should. It was finally remedied one night by giving the fellow a surprise and rather vigorous scrubbing (I'm leaving the description at that). Suffice it to say, he got the message and no more forced bathing was required. I spent many a night enjoying the hospitality of this man's home, while we spoke into the wee hours about many things, most of which had nothing to do with his military service. It was a sad thing to learn he had passed when I came back for a visit while going to college.

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I think of Bob Feller, perhaps the best pitcher in the Major Leagues and in the prime of his career, which is short for pitchers. On December 8, 1941, he immediately quit baseball and enlisted in the military, not to return until 1946.

His honor was dearer than his life. Now we have this Kaeppernick bum, whom fans are dumb enough to go and see earn $100MM. The Greatest Generation had honor and integrity.


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We all owe them a debt that can never be repaid....

yet the sad truth is many people 30 and under don't even have a clue what these men did, even with many barely out of high school... and some who were drafted right while still in high school.,,

many of the clueless younger generations, don't even have a clue what anyone in this nation did to survive and support the war effort in WW 2.........

then think how much of pretty much all of the United States involvement in WW ONE is pretty much forgotten period by most people under 40.......

several days ago in a grove of trees in the middle of a farm field in Virginia, I took the picture of a grave stone of a young man who was killed at 19 years old in 1861 fighting for the Confederacy..... the weeds being as high as the grave stone....

sadly how soon will the gravestones of our WW 2 vets being as forgotten as the grave of 19 y/o Pvt James Painter, VA Volunteers, CSA 1842 to 1861..... final resting place an abandoned grave yard in a farm field in Rockingham Co VA.

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Not counting Christianity, the man I most admire is Audie Leon Murphy. He was a man's man in every sense of the term. He joined the US Army to prevent his siblings from being separated upon the death of is mother. He sent every one of his Army paychecks home to his older sister so she could care for his siblings. His acts of incredible heroism were to protect other American soldiers.

Murphy never sought to capitalize on his Congressional Medal of Honor, the most prestigious medal in the world. He was a utility man in a boxing gym in LA. A movie mogul worked out at the same gym. He used to knock the heck out of Murphy in the ring. The mogul was impressed that Murphy never gave up. In a sauna one day, the mogul noticed that much of one of Murphy's hips was missing. The mogul asked the gym's owner about Murphy. The mogul had no idea he was working out with Audie Leon Murphy. The mogul took Murphy home, introduced him to the biggest stars of the era, and paid for Murphy's acting lessons.

Men like Audie Leon Murphy are more rare than honest politicians.

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Originally Posted by CEJ1895
Originally Posted by 1minute
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I seriously doubt we as a nation now could pull off what they did.


I pray we could rise to the occasion, but think it would take a direct threat to our nation and people to arouse the ire.


You would also have to overcome the liberal interference against the war.. Think Viet Nam on steroids!


Speaking of Viet Nam, most Viet Nam vets I know are heading into their 70s. Please take time to thanks them before it's too late. They went through hell there and a lot of them came back to hellish indifference back home.


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They went through hell there and a lot of them came back to hellish indifference back home.


The ones who suffered ONLY "hellish indifference" upon their return are the fortunate ones.


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I shared my dad's story earlier, but I also had a grandfather who served in WW-1. Unfortunately I don't know much about him. I do know that he was gassed and suffered with breathing problems the rest of his life. He died in the early 1960's while in his early 60's. I was only 3-4 at the time and never got to know him.

That was my mom's dad. My fathers dad received a draft notice and reported for duty during WW-1. But was told that since he was a farmer his skills were needed more on the farm and they sent him home.


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They just want constant reassurance that what they believe is the truth.
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Originally Posted by KFWA
I knew a man in the Navy who was assigned to a naval boat built somewhere up in Michigan (or maybe Wisconsin) of all places, took the boat down the Mississippi, out thru New Orleans , then around Cape Horn on its way to see action in the Pacific.

By the time they reached the Pacific, the war was over.

I'm not sure if the Panama Canal was closed or what but they opted to go around I can only assume for some valid reason.

They built a lot of naval boats right here in Minnesota. They floated them down the Minnesota River out of Savage, and down the Mississippi. I believe they were landing craft, but I'm not positive on that. They would have had to be small enough and shallow drafted enough for passage on the rivers.


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Originally Posted by Ranger_Green
Originally Posted by CEJ1895
Originally Posted by 1minute
Quote
I seriously doubt we as a nation now could pull off what they did.


I pray we could rise to the occasion, but think it would take a direct threat to our nation and people to arouse the ire.


You would also have to overcome the liberal interference against the war.. Think Viet Nam on steroids!


Speaking of Viet Nam, most Viet Nam vets I know are heading into their 70s. Please take time to thanks them before it's too late. They went through hell there and a lot of them came back to hellish indifference back home.
The way these guys were treated when they came home was absolutely criminal. Another group of brave men, risking their lives for us, and they got spit on and worse when thet returned. The idiots that did this to them should rot in hell for their actions.


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Originally Posted by SakoAV
.........Congressional Medal of Honor, the most prestigious medal in the world...


I agree with every thing you have said about Murphy; a truly great man. However, the Victoria Cross is the equal of the Congressional Medal of Honor in prestige.





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