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re: What family members of yours fought in WWII?
Posted on 5/31/13 at 1:34 pm to NYCAuburn
Posted on 5/31/13 at 1:34 pm to NYCAuburn
quote:
yup, mostly green berets though
Gotcha. Hell, he could've been in that and I'd have no idea. He's never really talked about what he did during that war. Either he doesn't want to scare me, or he's buried it. I'm going with the latter though.
quote:
retirement life crisis
Gotta be it. Although he retired in 2008. He didn't go through the normal "midlife crisis".
0
Posted on 5/31/13 at 1:34 pm to Patton
quote:Ive done several research topics on Patton and he was a badass dude. He wasn't a cold, emotionless a-hole like so many think. He was very religious and a very caring person but he believed God made him and warrior.
His son spoke at my hometown memeroial day service last year. I'm super jelly. I wish I was related to such a bad dude
Posted on 5/31/13 at 1:40 pm to Patton
Grandfather, he had some fun stories about french women. 
Posted on 5/31/13 at 1:48 pm to NYCAuburn
quote:
Do you know what location?
Oak Ridge, TN
Posted on 5/31/13 at 2:11 pm to Patton
Both of my grandfathers were in WWII, and both passed before I was born, unfortunately.
My dad's dad was a Naval engineer. He played a major part in designing the Higgins amphibious landing craft that they used from D-Day onward throughout the war, and he redesigned the hull of a warship class that was used in the Pacific (can't remember which one), as his goal was to help protect the ships from torpedo and Kamikaze attacks. He apparently got the idea on how to make them stronger after his ship was attacked by Kamikaze pilots while in the Pacific. My grandmother christened one of his ships that went on to have a long career in the Navy.
My mom's dad was in the Army (I think?) and made it through Italy, France, and Holland. He apparently didn't like to talk about the war much, as my mom and my aunts think he must have killed several enemies and it sort of haunted him because he hated conflict for the rest of his life and was a very peaceful person. I hear he was hilarious, too.
My dad's dad was a Naval engineer. He played a major part in designing the Higgins amphibious landing craft that they used from D-Day onward throughout the war, and he redesigned the hull of a warship class that was used in the Pacific (can't remember which one), as his goal was to help protect the ships from torpedo and Kamikaze attacks. He apparently got the idea on how to make them stronger after his ship was attacked by Kamikaze pilots while in the Pacific. My grandmother christened one of his ships that went on to have a long career in the Navy.
My mom's dad was in the Army (I think?) and made it through Italy, France, and Holland. He apparently didn't like to talk about the war much, as my mom and my aunts think he must have killed several enemies and it sort of haunted him because he hated conflict for the rest of his life and was a very peaceful person. I hear he was hilarious, too.
Posted on 5/31/13 at 2:12 pm to Patton
quote:
Man I bet he's got some stories.
I bet...too bad he died before I was born.
Posted on 5/31/13 at 2:17 pm to Patton
Both grandfathers. One in the Pacific and one in Europe. Also two great uncles, both in Europe.
My grandfather that fought in Europe was a POW.
My grandfather that fought in Europe was a POW.
Posted on 5/31/13 at 2:26 pm to CatFan81
quote:
My grandfather that fought in Europe was a POW.
That's intense. My dads dad helped liberate a holocaust camp. I wouldn't have dreamed about asking him about that.
Posted on 5/31/13 at 2:30 pm to Patton
quote:
Loving these stories. Keep them coming
if you dont mind me injecting the vietnam stories, if so, I will move on.
I knew my dad's friend had a book, but I guess some guy just wrote another one. Here is a link to some interview questions. Name was jim bolen, after the war, him and my uncle were body guards for larry flynt, then he became a mercenary/bounty hunter in africa. stories in the link are pretty tame from he has told me and from his own personal book. My dad and uncle are in the book as well for some less than stellar reasons
Him on cover of soldier of fortune
LINK
Posted on 5/31/13 at 2:48 pm to NYCAuburn
quote:
if you dont mind me injecting the vietnam stories, if so, I will move on.
have at it. I was going to start that thread some time in the Future but we can do that here. I had another great Uncle who served in Nam as an Army chaplain. Never carried a weapon, that must have been brutal.
Posted on 5/31/13 at 2:50 pm to NYCAuburn
quote:
I knew my dad's friend had a book, but I guess some guy just wrote another one. Here is a link to some interview questions. Name was jim bolen, after the war, him and my uncle were body guards for larry flynt, then he became a mercenary/bounty hunter in africa. stories in the link are pretty tame from he has told me and from his own personal book. My dad and uncle are in the book as well for some less than stellar reasons
Him on cover of soldier of fortune
also this is all incredible. I could listen to those guys stories for days.
Posted on 5/31/13 at 2:55 pm to NYCAuburn
My mom's dad was a navigator in the air force. He would tell me how they got shot down over Germany. He burnt his face jumping out of the burning plane and became a POW for the last year or so. I have the letter from his superior saying his plane was seen being shot down and how he probably wasn't going to come home.
He would tell me stories of being a POW like how the gruel would move if you watched it to long. My favorite story he told was that one day they all decided to tell their best sex they had ever had to take their minds off food. They all thought about it for the night and started telling them in the morning. He said they made it about 20 minutes and then they started talking about food again.
He would tell me stories of being a POW like how the gruel would move if you watched it to long. My favorite story he told was that one day they all decided to tell their best sex they had ever had to take their minds off food. They all thought about it for the night and started telling them in the morning. He said they made it about 20 minutes and then they started talking about food again.
Posted on 5/31/13 at 3:10 pm to Patton
Both of my grandads. One is still a bad arse and the other was a bad arse till the day he died. If I were only half of one of them I'd be set.
Posted on 5/31/13 at 4:16 pm to Patton
My Grandfather served in the Navy on the U.S.S. Cockrill. They sank a U-boat in the Atlantic. In '45 they tranferred to the Pacific and he was on the island and got to see the Enola Gay take off with the A-bomb
Posted on 5/31/13 at 4:47 pm to Patton
My grandfather was in the Navy from '43-'47. He'll turn 90 next year. 
Posted on 5/31/13 at 4:54 pm to GumpInLex
Two uncles, my mom's older brothers, both deceased now. (I was a very late-in-life oops baby!)One was in Europe, the other in Japan.
My uncle in Europe would never talk about what he saw. He never brought it up, or answered questions other than very general ones. Right before he died he talked to one of his brothers about it, a brother who served in the Korean War. I think he saw holocaust camps, and was just devastated by it.
My uncle in Japan was only there toward the end of the war.
They were both wonderful men, like great uncles to me. I always think about them on Memorial Day.
In doing family tree research, I found not only Civil War stuff but also that I'm a descendant of men who fought for independence in the Revolutionary War. They were militia in Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina. By the Civil War, the ones from Pennsylvania had moved to South Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama.
My uncle in Europe would never talk about what he saw. He never brought it up, or answered questions other than very general ones. Right before he died he talked to one of his brothers about it, a brother who served in the Korean War. I think he saw holocaust camps, and was just devastated by it.
My uncle in Japan was only there toward the end of the war.
They were both wonderful men, like great uncles to me. I always think about them on Memorial Day.
In doing family tree research, I found not only Civil War stuff but also that I'm a descendant of men who fought for independence in the Revolutionary War. They were militia in Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina. By the Civil War, the ones from Pennsylvania had moved to South Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama.
Posted on 5/31/13 at 5:32 pm to Patton
My fraternal grandfather served with the 5th Army in Africa and Italy. The only cool story he told me was that he and some guys got pretty drunk in Italy and got into a firework war that escalated into live explosives. Apparently they didn't get into any trouble b/c they diverted the German Army away b/c of all the commotion. He said some superior came down and gave them an arse chewing but finished it with good job. You caused the German Army move on in a different direction.
Also he is pictured in a George Marshall book as a small group of soldiers listening to Marshall in the field.
My grandfather had 7 brothers. One of them was an aide in England to Ike.
Another one was On the USS Missouri when Japan signed the surrender. he has some great pictures of the signing. Actually they are unbelievable.
My maternal Grandfather was stationed in Alaska during WWII. he never mentioned anything about it.
Also he is pictured in a George Marshall book as a small group of soldiers listening to Marshall in the field.
My grandfather had 7 brothers. One of them was an aide in England to Ike.
Another one was On the USS Missouri when Japan signed the surrender. he has some great pictures of the signing. Actually they are unbelievable.
My maternal Grandfather was stationed in Alaska during WWII. he never mentioned anything about it.
This post was edited on 5/31/13 at 5:33 pm
Posted on 5/31/13 at 5:53 pm to Patton
My great uncle fought under Patton. Said he was a "gruff" old man. He was an officer of a tank division. Ended up getting killed in the Battle of the Bulge in Liege, Belgium. I got to see his grave at an American memorial cemetery in Liege a couple years ago. It was great to be able to see that.
Both of my grandfathers fought in the Pacific. One was with the Navy and one with the Army. The one with the army manned the cannon guns. His hearing wasn't very good after the war. Only thing he ever mentioned about the war was remembering how the beaches would be covered with bodies and maggots when the Army would roll through after the Marines.
Both of my grandfathers fought in the Pacific. One was with the Navy and one with the Army. The one with the army manned the cannon guns. His hearing wasn't very good after the war. Only thing he ever mentioned about the war was remembering how the beaches would be covered with bodies and maggots when the Army would roll through after the Marines.
Posted on 5/31/13 at 6:33 pm to Patton
My Dad was a Ranger in WWII. He had the distinction of belonging to the 29th Ranger Battalion and The Fighting 29th I.D. The Blue & Grey Division.
The 29th Rangers were formed in England and trained by British Commandos. History, and my Dad says they never went on an official mission and were disbanded and assimilated back into the regular units they belonged to before they became Rangers.
What really happened once they were back in their regular units, was they were still used as Rangers.
My Dad was an avid Bar B Quer, every Friday night he had his Pit fired up and was cooking meat. He had two friends that were in the 101st. Once they had the meat going and the toddies flowing, they would run us boys out of the kitchen and the war stories were shared. Of course we eves dropped.
This is where I saw saving Private Ryan for the first time. The stories my Dad told about the invasion were identical to SPR.
His tools of trade were the Fairbairn Combat Knife, a three foot piece of piano wire with a handle on both ends and a Thompson.
One story he told that sticks in my mind was when he received orders that the C.O. needed intelligence, and that intelligence should be a German Officer. His squad, infiltrated by night a German camp and captured an officer without being detected.
He was captured briefly but escaped as they were being marched to where ever they were being taken. They were on a winding road and as they came upon a curve he made his escape.
He came out of WWII with a Purple Heart, and a Bronze Star. Served in Korea when I was two and finished up his 12 years at Fort Benning.
I know of no better man than my Dad. He was truly a hero in my eyes and to many men in the town I live in.
He passed in 1988.
The 29th Rangers were formed in England and trained by British Commandos. History, and my Dad says they never went on an official mission and were disbanded and assimilated back into the regular units they belonged to before they became Rangers.
What really happened once they were back in their regular units, was they were still used as Rangers.
My Dad was an avid Bar B Quer, every Friday night he had his Pit fired up and was cooking meat. He had two friends that were in the 101st. Once they had the meat going and the toddies flowing, they would run us boys out of the kitchen and the war stories were shared. Of course we eves dropped.
This is where I saw saving Private Ryan for the first time. The stories my Dad told about the invasion were identical to SPR.
His tools of trade were the Fairbairn Combat Knife, a three foot piece of piano wire with a handle on both ends and a Thompson.
One story he told that sticks in my mind was when he received orders that the C.O. needed intelligence, and that intelligence should be a German Officer. His squad, infiltrated by night a German camp and captured an officer without being detected.
He was captured briefly but escaped as they were being marched to where ever they were being taken. They were on a winding road and as they came upon a curve he made his escape.
He came out of WWII with a Purple Heart, and a Bronze Star. Served in Korea when I was two and finished up his 12 years at Fort Benning.
I know of no better man than my Dad. He was truly a hero in my eyes and to many men in the town I live in.
He passed in 1988.
Posted on 5/31/13 at 6:45 pm to lakedawg1626
My grandfather was in the Navy during Vietnam, he doesn't talk about it a whole lot but does have some interesting stories when he does. One of them is kind of funny, he was flying with the first ever known pilot to shoot himself down. The pilot was flying nose down and fired a missile, unfortunately for him the plane was faster than the missile and he outran it. About the time he slowed to pull up the missile was on him and took out his wing, he ejected out and was alright except for he parachuted into enemy territory and spent a couple years in a POW camp. He has also told me some pretty scary stories of having to climb large arse towers with little to no safety equipment during very bad storms to fix electrical problems. I also had an Uncle in the Air Force who worked on a nuclear base in North Dakota and the stories he has told me of the idiots who work with nuclear warheads scares the shite out of me. I'm talking trucks strapped with warheads getting lost from their route and ending up in Canada, a B-52 bomber strapped to the gills with live nuclear warheads on wrong orders flew from Dakota to New Orleans, it was never supposed to take off.
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