Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire WW2 Veterans?

I should have started by thanking all the people, working at home to make all the supplies, and the veterans that fought the war. I salute them all!

When I was a kid, it was the WWI guys who were still around in fair numbers. Our neighbor was a tall, gray-haired and mustached fellow who had been Over There. He was fun to hang around with. The WWII guys were practically everywhere, and the Korean guys were just kids.

The last one I knew passed on December 7th 2017. He was 94. ON the Monday after the attack on Pearl harbor he was at the post office bright and early to sign up for the draft. Along with all the boys in the senior class of 42. It was my cousin Gene Greenwood. He flew bombers over Germany in WWII for the 100th Bomb Group, the Bloody 100th. He stayed in the Air Force for 32 years before retiring. He is buried next to his wife and just a few rows from his Mom and Dad in our home town.
kwg
https://100thbg.com/

My Dad is 96 and still running on all 8 .Served in the Pacific with the US Army Signal Corp. He was on a troop ship headed for the staging area for the invasion of the Home islands of Japan when they dropped the bombs and the invasion became no longer necessary. No one would ever be stupid enough to make a comment about how unnecessary the use of the A bomb was to end the war, more than once around my dad. The estimated casualties of our troops for that invasion was over 50% and even more to the Japanese military and civilians. The casualty count from the bombs are only a fraction of what an invasion would have cost in human lives both ours and theirs. Magnum Bob

Sadly, I currently don't know any WW II vets. Grew up surrounded by them, which was a blessing. Dad was Commander of his VFW post through much of the 1970's. I spent many a wonderful weekend listening to their stories. Every last one of them have gone on to their eternal rest.

I’m lucky to still have my buddy, Harold, lives across the street from us. 96 years old, P-47 pilot, flew the Bulge. Damn fine man. We take him his paper every morning and dinner most nights. I consider it a privilege every time I get to talk with him.

LIKE

My Father was a B29 navigator. He flew on both atom bomb missions and many others. He is 95 and still alive. He retired from the USAF in 1968, and has been getting a check ever since, hahahahaha.

Are you familiar with the book Flying Fortress by Edward Jablonski? A whole chapter on the Bloody 100th.

Sadly, I only personally know of one that's left in our community. He is related to my mother-in-law and I see him every Friday night at the Legion for steak night. He was a school teacher and principal here locally for over forty years. He was a radioman on a B-17 in Europe during the war and made 25 missions. He has written a couple of books and still writes for our local paper.
Another, who was my friend, passed in May. He had served as an Infantryman in the 96th Division and had been in the Philippines and Okinawa. He told some neat stories. He said while on Leyte he saw two P-38's shoot down a Betty bomber and he said that several years after the war, in the 50's, he visited Harry Truman's grave and thanked him for dropping the bomb and saving his life. Ol' Fred was an expert woodsman and gardener. He taught me alot.
Another passed in February. My boys mowed his grass and he let us hunt on his farm. He had been in the Marines on Okinawa. He was the salt of the earth.
Both of my grandfathers served in the pacific during the war in the U.S. Army in the Philippines and Okinawa.
Both of my wife's grandfathers served in the U.S. Army in Europe fighting the Germans.
I knew so many of these men. They were everywhere. They were my pastors, teachers, relatives, neighbors, employers and fellow congregation members. I could fill up a book with all the stories they told me while serving in all branches all over the world........most of whom had never been out of Indiana.
One of my greatest blessings is getting to grow up around these men and I'm glad my boys got to meet some of them too. God bless them! I hope we never need such men again.

Awesome! this is the crew of the Enola Gay, can you please point him out for us.

My Dad is now 97 and counting. B17 pilot, flew 35 missions in the big one. Hell's Angels and quite a guy. His crew is all gone..long ago

http://www.303rdbg.com/360geiger.html

There were like 5 or 6 planes that flew on the missions, obviously only one weapon carrier, but the rest flew in and did different types or recon and blast observations. A number of those planes flew on both strikes.

That's awesome Mag,I don't think I've ever seen that pic before.
Makes you wonder if they knew the impact that mission would have.

My dad went to Europe as a replacement in January 1945 during the battle of the bulge. He would be 95 today, but we lost him in 2013. I had 2 other uncles by marriage who served and dad had several friends who were WW-2 vets. Sadly all are gone, I no longer personally know of any living vets from that era.

The most memorable moment of my dads funeral was when the only other living WW2 vet my dad knew hobbled up to dads casket on a cane. He stopped, leaned the cane against a table and stood up straight and tall to give a salute. It was an extreme effort for the old guy to do so. But the effort was appreciated.

My father is one. His mind is pretty much gone now, lives in the moment and the past. Nothing new sticks. He was in the 103rd Infantry Division. Landed at Marseille in October 1944, was reassigned to the 5th Division for the invasion of Japan after VE, but then they dropped the bombs.

His brother was a quartermaster that volunteered for a classified posting; ended up on Tinian where Enola Gay took off. He passed in
December 2016, along with my good friend that was a captain in Europe by the end of the war, retired as a full-bird colonel in the 70s.

Four of my mother's brothers and her sister served during the war. One was in the Coast Guard on an LST at Sword Beach and at Salerno.

My mom worked in a defense plant cutting steel plates for building ships. Probably as dangerous as some combat duty!

i knew many some were relatives,bless them all ! but now they are all gone i knew.one Marine i knew well raised the real flag at IWO JIMA WITH HIS RIFLE IN HIS HAND AND SHOOTIN AS THE FLAG POLE RAISED.

Good read on my old man..he is still tougher than nails

http://www.cutbankpioneerpress.com/...9fb34f7-8b7e-5d28-9d81-14066d6496ca.html

Sadly all of the ones that I knew are gone now.

Growing up, Mr Ketchum who lived across the road from us was a WW1 vet, his son in law that lived down the road was a navigator on a B-17. All my great uncles were in the war some in Europe, some in the pacific. All great men and I miss them all.