Your Family's Military Stories (1 Viewer)

[Kanil]

You all have the coolest stories.  My family has a pretty long history of service but nothing particularly interesting or heroic (in comparison).  Thank you to all the families for their sacrifices.

My stories:

Paternal grandfather served in the Army during the Korean war.  I didn't know this until his funeral which was odd because he was always telling stories from yesteryear.  I asked my dad about it and he said my grandpa didn't like talking about it and he'd only heard it brought up a couple of times in his life.  My great uncle (paternal) was in the Navy at the same time.  He was very open about his time in the service but didn't have any really cool stories to tell.

My mom's stepdad (who was the only grandfather I knew on her side) served in the Army Air Corps and later in the Army Air Force during WWII.  He was a flight mechanic stationed in England.  One night he went out drinking and was riding a bike (drunk) back to base when he rode into a bomb crater and tore the ligaments in his knee really bad.  Discharged, purple heart.

My maternal grandmother was a psychiatric nurse in WWII.  She hated war more than anyone I've ever known.  She would get incredibly angry any time war was brought up.  She saw some ####.

My dad's brother was in the Army in Vietnam.  He was off in the head (but not as bad as some) and lived most of his life on his own in the mountains of Colorado.  He got really into computers and made his living as a web developer working from home.

My mom's oldest brother was in the Navy during Vietnam.  He was stationed in Alaska and spent most of his days watching for the Russians.

My mom's brother was in the Army in the 80s.  I don't know a lot of what he did but I do remember as a kid seeing a picture of him in the jungle with the biggest ####ing knife I've ever seen.  He was my hero back then.

My father-in-law just retired after 28 years as an Army Colonel.  He's got a ton of stories of both Iraq wars and Afghanistan.  I was helping him with his computer one time and noticed he had a video of a drone destroying a truck (and some dudes who ran out of the truck).  He pointed out a couple of hotspots on the infrared where he and 6 of his troops were about 200 yards from where the truck got wrecked.

My cousin has a picture of himself sleeping on one of Saddam Hussein's couches.  The couch had red silk cushions and the arms had golden lion heads on them.  Looked sweet.

My brother was in the Army reserves and had his unit called up to go to the second Iraq war.  He was all gung-ho saying things like, "I'm gonna catch that MFer Saddam myself".  He was sent to do some retraining to learn a new piece of equipment (he was in a civil engineering unit) and while he was in training he got sent home because the Army couldn't wait for him to complete 6 weeks of training.  They pulled someone from another unit and my brother separated before his unit got called up again.  Never had to go overseas.

I was in the USAF and served entirely during peacetime which is rare for someone my age (got out 9/2/2001).  I worked for a test organization that developed all kinds of cool things.  Missile guidance systems, rocket engines for space planes, ejection seats, GPS satellite jammers, and some other cool things that are still classified.  Most of the people I worked with were civilian scientists and engineers (read: nerds) so the extent of my stories are about off-duty shenanigans.

 

[Mr.Pack]

Great thread and thank you to all who served. My story isn't like a lot of your stories. My nephew flew an A10 in the first Gulf War. He was shot up pretty badly on the last day of the War. Huge tank battle and he had to fly low because of fog. He had friends in the tank battle and wanted to give them cover. Shot up he flew back to the base and tried to land which many other A10s had done. His hydraulics we're shot up and when he tried to land he hit with 500 times the force killing him instantly. 

Great kid, always flew with an American Flag under his seat. RIP Patrick.

 

[Kanil]

Great thread and thank you to all who served. My story isn't like a lot of your stories. My nephew flew an A10 in the first Gulf War. He was shot up pretty badly on the last day of the War. Huge tank battle and he had to fly low because of fog. He had friends in the tank battle and wanted to give them cover. Shot up he flew back to the base and tried to land which many other A10s had done. His hydraulics we're shot up and when he tried to land he hit with 500 times the force killing him instantly. 

Great kid, always flew with an American Flag under his seat. RIP Patrick.

RIP

 

[jabarony]

Wonderful thread, Chief. All ypu guys should be very proud.

My grandfather was a bomber during WWII.  He literally dropped bombs out of a big ol hole in the plane.  He died about the time i was born, so i never got to inquire. 

This was the nose art on his plane. My uncle got a few bomber jackets customized with the artwork for himself and his brothers. Very cool looking. 

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ1P83Bgv1DX0dqeHq5JPAjmqICsfDPetU37dv1cvS4uIGAvg

 

[Beef Ravioli]

Lot of good threads on this board about the subject if you guys are interested in more. tim also had an excellent WWII thread that was ridiculously detailed and well put together if you want to learn a little.

https://forums.footballguys.com/forum/topic/753899-my-grandfather-passed-and-we-found-a-box-of-wwii-items-one-of-which-is-pretty-amazing/

I was trying to remember this thread - thanks!

When someone mentioned their neighbor several post up, it reminded me of a WWII vet i met in 2002. He passed in 2007. He shared a few things with me but primarily his wife shared most of his story with me after he passed. He struggled with his relationship with his kids most of their lives as he was harsh and demanded a lot of his kids but didn’t demonstrate a whole lot of love. I think I know why, at least partially.

He was in the belly of an airplane as a machine gunner. They were shot down over Germany, and he was the only survivor of his plane. He never knew how he lived.  He woke up after the crash in a pile of snow missing one boot. He heard the Germans coming and took off. He avoided being captured for a few days but eventually was caught. The war was almost over so the Germans marched him and a few dozen more pow’s around for a couple of months. They basically were starving and ate whatever he could find (he caught a chicken and ate it raw). 

I really enjoyed those few years of getting to know this man and had a great appreciation for him and his sacrifice for our country. 

 

[BLOCKED_PUNT]

My uncle was in the army and stationed @ FT. Cambell but I've never really asked him what he did nor has he really shared any stories.

BUT

My Grandad was an engineer during WW2.  I remember him telling my cousin and I a story about him being on one of the Pacific islands and he ended up talking to some natives that claimed Amelia Earheart and  Fred Noonan crash landed there and they were buried there. 

/shrug 

 

[ChiefD]

Great thread and thank you to all who served. My story isn't like a lot of your stories. My nephew flew an A10 in the first Gulf War. He was shot up pretty badly on the last day of the War. Huge tank battle and he had to fly low because of fog. He had friends in the tank battle and wanted to give them cover. Shot up he flew back to the base and tried to land which many other A10s had done. His hydraulics we're shot up and when he tried to land he hit with 500 times the force killing him instantly. 

Great kid, always flew with an American Flag under his seat. RIP Patrick.

Damn, sorry to hear this. 

Patrick died a hero. As they all do.

 

[Beef Ravioli]

I used to post to a Buckeye forum site called the Nuthouse. I think it’s dead now. We had a regular poster on there that shared his military family story. He lost his boy over in Iraq. It was a difficult read but we all appreciated him sharing his heart, it took him a long time (years) before he could talk about it. Perhaps it was a bit therapeutic for him?  He had shared the date of his sons death and someone would always start an appreciation thread on that anniversary. 

 

[Eephus]

My dad fought in the Italian campaign of WWII.  He'd been in-country for about two months when he was hit by shrapnel and then struck by a vehicle.  He was shipped stateside with a 3" wound and a broken back and spent most of 1944 in the hospital. 

My mom spent WWII in an internment camp in Topaz UT.  Neither of my parents spoke much about their wartime experiences but I do remember a story she'd tell about how some of her young men she knew in camp would drink soy sauce to raise their heartbeat enough to be classified 4F.  Maybe that was just a fable concocted to keep her kids from using too much soy sauce. 

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

Wonderful thread, Chief. All ypu guys should be very proud.

My grandfather was a bomber during WWII.  He literally dropped bombs out of a big ol hole in the plane.  He died about the time i was born, so i never got to inquire. 

This was the nose art on his plane. My uncle got a few bomber jackets customized with the artwork for himself and his brothers. Very cool looking. 

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ1P83Bgv1DX0dqeHq5JPAjmqICsfDPetU37dv1cvS4uIGAvg

Looks like he served on Tinian in the 505th BG.  Very Cool!

505th history

The 505th has a Facebook page you could check out and perhaps find someone from another family associated with your Gramps BG who may have info they'd share about your Gramps

 

[Good Posting Judge]

I kinda don't support the troops tbh.

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

My Cousin Dave served in the 82nd Airborne, 504th PIR (parachute infantry regiment).  Took part in Operation Market Garden and was in the canvas boats in the Waal River Crossing, made famous in the movie "A Bridge Too Far".

https://www.cpp.edu/~rosenkrantz/paratroop/waalriver.htm

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/articles/the-heroic-waal-river-crossing-82nd-airborne-504th-pir-h-company-after-action-report.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H21zi9hj9-A (Waal River Crossing is at 2:09:00)

Went MIA at Den Heuvel Woods, Holland on Sept. 24th, 1944. His body was never found.  The Germans were known to have completely cleared an area (including removing bodies of Allied and Axis dead bodies) after shelling leaving no evidence that anyone was ever there (except for the obvious left over effects of repeated shellings)

I have all of his records, including his IDPF (Individual Deceased Personal File).  My one cousin (his direct nephew), my father and I have all had our DNA requested by the US Government as they continue to search in the area for possible remains.  US and Dutch researchers continue to find remains of KIAs from my cousin's unit, but Dave has yet to be found.  The latest meeting I had with US government researchers in Hawaii and the DPAA indicated there is a sample that may be a match to Dave, but nothing has been 100% determined as of today.  One of my close friends from all these years of research had his Uncle's remains finally found in the general area that Dave went MIA just earlier this year.

Soldier remains found after 73 years

So we remain hopeful.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

He volunteered for Korea very early on.  Before it was called a war.

He was assigned as muscle to help build a MASH.  When he got there, it turned out it was just him an an engineer.  The first thing the two of them did was dig foxholes since the enemy was close.

In the middle of it, mortars come in and sniper fire.  They take cover.

Somehow, they both make it without a scratch.  

But some fuel cans were hit...but they did not know.  Celebratory cigarettes. A zippo is dropped. 

Engineer is killed.  

He is wounded but not too bad.

He’s had enough.

Switches dog tags.

Eventually he creates the greatest soda commercial ever.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

My dad was a general who planned out the Tet Offensive.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

I killed 17 men at Okinawa

 

[Todd Andrews]

Dad flew B52s in Vietnam then switched to fighter jets and was career Air Force, ending up in intel/Pentagon/White House etc.

Maternal grandfather was a Jewish Canadian who enlisted in RAF and flew fighters against the Nazis. Was called back to Canada because he was an aerospace engineer to work on aircraft design, bombay doors and such. Came to America to work on spacecraft.

Lots of family fought in various other US wars: Had a South Carolina ancestor/relative captured in the Civil War who was released barefoot in Illinois at the end of the war and had to walk back to South Carolina. 

Direct ancestor in South Carolina was half Cherokee and was in charge of a troop of Cherokees who fought with his white Tory dad with the British in the Revolutionary war.    

 

[Mr.Pack]

Damn, sorry to hear this. 

Patrick died a hero. As they all do.

Thank you

 

[[scooter]]

- grandfather on mom's side was blind in one eye. He used to tell us kids that he got shot in the war. Years later we found out that he actually lost the eye at age 2, which was kind of a let down. But then we discovered that he somehow faked his way through the Army eye exam and ended up serving in the infantry in Italy, where he was shot (but not in the eye).

- grandfather on dad's side was an intelligence officer in Africa. He spent weeks tracking the Germans (and hiding from them). He described it as an intense back-and-forth game of hide-and-seek, except that when you were found, you got killed. Every time that the Germans figured out his position, he felt personally responsible for the men in his unit who were killed. By the end of the campaign, he was overdue for a promotion, but for some reason he hadn't received it yet. He marched into his commander's office and pulled out his pistol and pointed it at his own head and said that if he didn't get his promotion, he was going to blow his brains out all over the commander's desk.

He got his promotion. Shortly thereafter, he checked himself into the hospital for "exhaustion" and was subsequently discharged.

 

[[scooter]]

I have several ancestors who fought on either side of the Civil War, including one great-great-great-grandfather who was drafted by the Confederate Army in 1862, then went AWOL, then snuck across the border and joined the Union Army in West Virginia.

 

[skol asylum]

No details really, but my grandfather was a medic in the Philippines during WWII and my uncle built and fixed roads in Vietnam.

 

[Plorfu]

My dad (Navy) was on one of the ships that surrounded Cuba during the missile crisis. He said what he remembers most is looking through binoculars and seeing Russians looking through binoculars right back at him. 

 

[BobbyLayne]

Philo T Peck (1836-1908)
Pvt, 2nd MI Cavalry, 1861-65

Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War. By the 20th century Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who have died while in the military service.

While I am grateful to all my ancestors and relatives who served their country, none is dearer to my heart than my maternal great-great-great grandfather, who along with several of his cousins from the Ada area, signed up for the duration on October 2nd, 1861. The regiment was mustered out of service on August 17, 1865. Their regimental Colonels included Gordon Granger (hero of Chickamauga) and Phil Sheridan. The latter won his generals star when the regiment drove off superior numbers at the Battle of Booneville - in large measure, because their 5 shot Colt revolving rifles could get off rounds at a dramatically faster pace than the Confederates who had single shot muzzle loader rifles.

Here's to you Philo...and to all the others who are due the heartfelt thanks of a grateful nation.

 

[dozer]

My lifelong close buddy retired as an Army Major about 15 years ago. He saw combat duty in Granada, Panama, and Gulf war 1.

In the Clint Eastwood movie, Heartbreak Ridge, there is a scene when the Marine (in reality it was the Army), opens the door to where the students are being held and says "We're the United States Marines (Army) and we're here to rescue you".... That character was my buddy in real life, and his exact quote.

He followed in his father's footsteps who served in Korea with the Marines, then joined the Army during Vietnam. He earned three silver stars in Vietnam. I think that makes him one of the most decorated soldiers in Vietnam. He never told his son how he earned them. I've seen the awards though. They are awe inspiring to say the least.

Two of the best men I've ever had the honor of knowing. They own a ranch in the high country of Arizona together now, where the 84 year old dad raises a hobby herd. I go out to help with the spring round-up some years. Last time I was there the dad promoted me to Bovine Specialist 2nd Class!

 

[The Dreaded Marco]

My wife's grandfather was drafted in 1942 at age 31.  He had a wife and an infant daughter (my MIL) at the time. He served in the European theater as a quartermaster supplying the front lines.  He arrived on Normandy beach hours after the battle. His 18 year old brother was drafted in the same year and was killed in the Guadalcanal Campaign at the age of 19.  

Her grandfather spent 3 years in Europe. When he returned home his daughter did not know him. 

I met him in 1986 when my wife and I were in college and he died in 2005. I got to know him very well.  He told me many war stories over the years but most were superficial and usually humorous rather than tragic.  He dealt with the tough stories by keeping them to himself and drinking a lot of Scotch.  He claimed to never have seen a dead body which we knew was not possible given the theater he was in. 

My wife has 300+ of the letters he wrote to her grandmother during the war.  She is an author and plans to someday write a novel incorporating those letters.  

He was a great man.  RIP  David "Ted" Mattson. 

 

[top dog]

We found out recently that my son in the guard is being deployed to the middle east for a tour. Can't say where as they get real funny about giving those details out online... His second child will be born in early August,  he will be able (hopefully) to be red crossed for the birth as he should still be stateside at the time. His other child is 20 months old. Needless to say it is bad timing, but these things never are. Luckily,  we have a phenominal relationship with our daughter in law and she will be leaning on us heavily (she considered asking me to give her away at their wedding considering she is estranged from her family)... My wife and I know that the older child is going to be spendig a ton of time with us. Mom is going to have her hands full. 

Of course we are worried for his safety, but we also couldn't be prouder of his commitment to do what the rest of us can't do, or choose not to. Both he and his wife were like "well, this IS what he signed up for. It will be a long year, but we got this."

He also re-enlisted after finding out about the deployment.  

 

[Mister CIA]

Granddad was a B-17 Tail Gunner in WW II.  Lived to be 95.  I miss him and love him.

 

[jimmy b]

Have an amazing letter hanging on my wall that my Dad received.

HEADQUARTERS 36TH INFANTRY DIVISION

APO #36, U. S. Army      16 June 1944

MEN OF THE 36TH INFANTRY (TEXAS) DIVISION

    It is with great pride that I congratulate you on you magnificent achievements in battle to date.

   Nine months ago you landed on the hostile beaches of PAESTUM, the vanguard of your country’s Army, 

to crash the gates of Hitler’s European Fortress. In that, your first action of the War, fighting courageously

against well trained enemy forces of long combat experience, you established the first American beachhead

on the European Continent, the first to be established anywhere by Americans against German opposition.

      For this achievement alone, you have a right to feel justly proud.

Later on while subject to hardships that have never been exceeded by any troops anywhere, you drove the enemy

from his well-organized, stoutly defended positions in the hill masses of CAMINO and SUMMUCRO; from 

MT MAGGIORE, MT LUNGO, MT ROTUNDO and SAN PIETRO. You punished him severely. His losses in men

and material were great. Throughout this period of bitter winter weather, under the most adverse conditions of climate 

and terrain, you maintained a cheerfulness and enthusiasm far superior to that of your enemy.

          Then came your gallant effort on the RAPIDO. Let us bow our heads in reverence to the fallen comrades who crossed

that bitterly contested stream and put up a great, if losing, fight— as great from the standpoint of sheer gallantry and

determination as any recorded in the annals of our Armed Forces.

    At CASSINO and CASTELLONE RIDGE you were serverely tested. You suffered losses, but you captured vital high ground from 

the strongly entrenched enemy, and held it throughout a month of hard fighting.

      After a well-deserved rest you were ordered to attack again at a critical time and at a critical place near VELLETRI, to break

the stronghold of the enemy defenses east of ROME. History will record forever your outstanding success. In a week of 

brilliant maneuvers and relentless assaults on one position after another, VELLETRI, ROCCA DI PAPA, MARINO and beyond,

you killed and captured well over three thousand of the enemy; routed him from his strong, well-organized positions and

drove him across the TIBER in disorder.

      Your brilliant performance on that famous battlefield was a major contribution in the capture of the first European capital to be recovered from Nazi occupation. For your magnificent accomplishment here, General Marshall sent a personal message of 

congratulation to you and to me .The German Army is still reeling from your blows. The relentless pressure of your attacks will substantially shorten the duration of the War. Your victorious March though the streets of the cities of your enemy cannot be

long delayed.

                                                                                                                FRED L. WALKER

                                                                                                            Major General, U.S. Army

Thanks for your service Dad, your never far from my thoughts. Rest In Peace. 

 

[Hooper31]

I've had a significant number of family members that have served, but only one that sticks out in my mind that I know a little about who lost his life in a war. I had a surreal experience when I went to Arlington National last year during spring break and located his tombstone. He's my name sake. 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/9C65APce2zqkoZ7M8

It's a bit weird to see your name on a tombstone. He was a first born in our nation. His father was brought here in the early 19th century.  They were ashkenazic jews from Germany. Western PA coal miners who settled in and around Punxsutawney, PA. Yeah, groundhog day. 

Being a math guy I tend to have a deeper understanding of exponential growth. The idea that we have only one line that results in us is sort of silly. Our tree gets much wider than most realize in only a few generations. In the last 250 years there are about 1 million people that got together and got it on to result in just you. Yeah, 1 million ancestors that resulted in you. However, if you track only your dad's dad's dad's dad's.....etc. You end up with just a single line of dudes. One of the guys in my paternal line is the man buried in that pic. 

Me: David Shick born in 1969

My dad: John Shick born in 1939

My grandpa: Alvie Shick born in 1900

My great grandpa: John Shick born in 1880

My great great grandpa: John Shick born in 1857

My great great great grandpa: David Shick born in 1835

David served and died on June 16th, 1864 at the second battle of Petersburg. When Memorial Day rolls around I can't help but think of him. I know nothing of who he really was or what he was like, but I can't help but picture myself in his place. I have a wonderful life and opportunities thanks to these men. Today my thoughts turn to David and wonder what his life was like before he died in the civil war. 

 

[KCitons]

We found out recently that my son in the guard is being deployed to the middle east for a tour. Can't say where as they get real funny about giving those details out online... His second child will be born in early August,  he will be able (hopefully) to be red crossed for the birth as he should still be stateside at the time. His other child is 20 months old. Needless to say it is bad timing, but these things never are. Luckily,  we have a phenominal relationship with our daughter in law and she will be leaning on us heavily (she considered asking me to give her away at their wedding considering she is estranged from her family)... My wife and I know that the older child is going to be spendig a ton of time with us. Mom is going to have her hands full. 

Of course we are worried for his safety, but we also couldn't be prouder of his commitment to do what the rest of us can't do, or choose not to. Both he and his wife were like "well, this IS what he signed up for. It will be a long year, but we got this."

He also re-enlisted after finding out about the deployment.  

God speed to your son and all the best to his young family. Thank him for his service. 

We found out our Marine son is shipping to Okinawa in October. We don't know much else other than the location and dates. 

My dad served in the reserves before I was born. My cousin has done 3 tours in the Middle East over the last 25 years. It's been tough on his wife and 2 sons, but they have a great support group to make it a little easier.

Most of my uncles on my Mom's side served in the Navy. She was the youngest by about 15 years. So most of them passed before I ever got a chance to talk to them about their service time. (her dad died before I was born). 

 

[Redwes25]

My great great great (add a few more greats) grandfather fought in the Civil War for the Union.  Before the war he had been in the army and stationed out west.  He left the army before the start of the civil war.  His service during the war began as a lieutenant colonel as he helped organize a regiment of volunteers in his hometown of Brooklyn.  He was eventually promoted to full colonel and given command of the regiment.  He was wounded at the battle of Chaffin's Farm (also called battle of Ft. Harrison and it was part of the siege of Petersburg) and given a brevet to brigadier general and given a command of his brigade.  The brigadier general he replaced was promoted to command of the division.  He commanded that brigade until the end of the war, which was one of the first to enter Richmond.  

He was mostly part of the Army of the James and the most notable battles he fought in were Cold Harbor and Petersburg.  At Cold Harbor his regiment suffered significantly as it was part of the assault on June 3rd one of the worst days for the Union during the war where the union had about 7k casualties and the fighting was over by around noon.  I can't even imagine what it was like as it was one of the most horrific battles of the war.   

Military history of his regiment - https://dmna.ny.gov/historic/reghist/civil/infantry/139thInf/139thInfMain.htm

 

[JaxBill]

I'm the youngest of my family generation so my parents and their siblings were WWII age.

My father was born in 1924, grew up during the depression and was 17 for Pearl Harbor. He was a radar man on a destroyer that mostly did transatlantic escort runs for cargo ships. Only lately have we found out how dangerous that really was. The destroyer also spent time in the Mediterranean. 

USS Champlin

My mother's brother was a nose gunner on a B24 Liberator who died when plane shot down over Ploesti.

My uncle (Mother's sister's husband) was some quiet, scrawny guy who was a Marine at Okinawa. He had a Japanese rifle with bayonet on display in their basement, but refused to talk about it.

Their son spent time in Viet Nam and came back very much the loner to the point of being antisocial and almost a hermit.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

My great-grandfather on my dad's side served in WWI and, because he was so young during the first World War, had to register for the draft in WWII -- but was not called up.

His son, my grandfather, flew the Hump (over the Himalayas) from India to China as a shortwave radio operator during WWII as part of the effort to supply the Chinese fighting Japan.

Hi son, my dad, was in the Navy during Viet-nam -- which he joined to avoid the Army after a friendly reporter at a local paper tipped him off that his draft number had been pulled and would be published the next day.

My mom's father also enlisted during WWII.  He ran off to Alaska and joined the Navy after hitting a man with a piece of pipe in an ally during a fight and (wrongly) believed him dead.

My father's mom, my grandmother, had two brothers that served in Europe during WWII.  One of them was some sort of aide attached to Patton's army and was nearby when the Russians defeated the remaining troops in Berlin.  Apparently many German troops gratefully surrendered to the group he was with in order to avoid the Russians.

 

[BobbyLayne]

“I think of a hero as someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom." 

- Bob Dylan

Happy Memorial Day weekend, y’all.

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

Wonderful thread, Chief. All ypu guys should be very proud.

My grandfather was a bomber during WWII.  He literally dropped bombs out of a big ol hole in the plane.  He died about the time i was born, so i never got to inquire. 

This was the nose art on his plane. My uncle got a few bomber jackets customized with the artwork for himself and his brothers. Very cool looking. 

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ1P83Bgv1DX0dqeHq5JPAjmqICsfDPetU37dv1cvS4uIGAvg

I believe your grandfathers plane was a Silverplate B-29. There were 63 of these planes developed, specially reequipped to deliver atom bombs. Of course the three most famous were the Emilia Gay, Bockscar, and The Great Artiste.  I have a book about these planes I will have to check this to make sure but I’m fairly certain this was one of them. 

 

[beer 30]

I believe your grandfathers plane was a Silverplate B-29. There were 63 of these planes developed, specially reequipped to deliver atom bombs. Of course the three most famous were the Emilia Gay, Bockscar, and The Great Artiste.  I have a book about these planes I will have to check this to make sure but I’m fairly certain this was one of them. 

Slight clarification Enola Gay

 

[TLEF316]

Thanks to all those who serve/served.

My grandfather was a major in the air national guard. Served during WW2 but I dont believe he saw any sort of combat. Still, he received quite a few commendations and various awards which my dad put together in a frame along with the flag we were presented when he passed.  (Man, can't believe that was 15 years ago. The whole "on behalf of a grateful nation...." speech at the funeral just ripped my heart out)

My dad also served in the guard. Stateside only and the running schtick (started by and maintained by him) is that he "fought" in the postal strike of 1970.  He'll joke about it occasionally but I get the sense that he feels guilty about it (that he ended up there and not in Vietnam). I believe a couple of guys from his high school didn't make it back (or came back with problems).

On a somewhat lighter note....another one of my relatives (I want to say it was my grandfather's cousin or something) was drafted into the service back during WW2 (At least I THINK it was WW2. It may have been Korea) . They enlisted him, had him sign papers, took his official military picture...the whole deal.   Turned out this relative of mine was somewhat mentally challenged and had absolutely no business whatsoever being in the military. Apparently he had the mental capacity of like a 10 year old and had gone through the whole process without anyone figuring it out.  It got to the point where his father (Again, I want to say my great grandfather) had to go to Chief of the FDNY (my family were firefighters up until my dad) and convince him that it was the truth (I guess the military thought they were making it up)  so that he could appeal to the army and get him the heck out of there.  It was apparently quite the spectacle.

 

[brun]

1st - I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend. Not great weather here this year but will still visit the cemetery and do some clean up around my parents' grave.

2nd - years ago I requested and received my Dad's military records. It took a long time and the documents looked like a bad copy of a bad copy of a bad copy. But, I'm really glad I did it. IIRC I got it thru the National Archives. I also, I think via a different agency that I can't remember, got all of his ribbons & medals. You can to do a search online to get the info on how to do this. Pretty sure this cost me nothing or just some token amount.

My Dad was in the Army for about 22 years. My Mom said he joined to get away from some girl he was supposed to marry. My parents were both from Canada but my Dad had come down to Massachusetts.

He was in Korea and got the service ribbon with 3 bronze stars to indicate 3 campaigns. His service record shows he was in close quarters combat a couple times and under artillery fire once.

He went to Vietnam in 1962. I understand that they were supposed to be in a more training, advisory role at that time. It makes sense that he would have gone then as he was a drill instructor (Fort Dix) and spoke French. He was awarded a Bronze Star when he returned. Unfortunately there were no details about this in his record. There was no V, so I figure it was for doing a good job during some difficult circumstances.

I remember seeing a couple pictures of him that were captioned. One was him centered with other NCOs who reported to him. "Slick and the Boys". Another was him sitting at a desk by himself. "White walls and one inch on top". We had lots of hair arguments when I was growing up. I got caught skipping school in 9th grade. He said if it happened again he'd shave my head. When I was nearing high school graduation and would soon have to register for the draft, Vietnam was still going on. He said that if I was to be drafted he would move the family to Canada. Turns out we didn't have to.

Dad passed when he was 55.

 

[ChiefD]

So, another story about my grandfather from the first post in this thread.  He was a torpedo bomber in WWII, and one of his torpedoes helped sink the Yamato, one of Japan's finest battleships. Sinking this ship was one of the final blows of WWII.

Jack and his gunner/radio operator Bill were among the Navy Wings who participated in the sinking of the famous Imperial Japanese battleship Yamato on 7 April 1945. Flying from the U.S.S. Intrepid, Jack scored one of the last torpedo hits on the Yamato, and was awarded the Navy Cross in recognition of his achievement. Jack's official commendation from the President of the United States awarding him the Navy Cross reads as follows:

"The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Lieutenant, Junior Grade Grant C. Young (NSN: 0-315272), United States Naval Reserve, for extraordinary heroism in operations against the enemy while serving as Pilot of a carrier-based Navy Torpedo Plane in Torpedo Squadron TEN (VT-10), attached to the U.S.S. INTREPID (CV-11), in operations against the Japanese Fleet on 7 April 1945, in the East China Sea. Flying in a group of twelve torpedo bombers, Lieutenant, Junior Grade, Young participated in a coordinated torpedo attack against an enemy force. In the face of intense and accurate anti-aircraft fire, he skillfully and courageously pressed home his attack to within one thousand yards of an enemy battleship, scoring a direct hit with his torpedo which contributed materially to the sinking of the vessel immediately after the attack. His skill and courage were at all times inspiring and in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

General Orders: Commander 1st Carrier Task Force Pacific: Serial 0926 (July 6, 1945) Action Date: 7-Apr-45 Service: Naval Reserve Rank: Lieutenant Junior Grade Company: Torpedo Squadron 10 (VT-10) Regiment: Combat Air Group 10 (AG-10) Division: U.S.S. Intrepid (CV-11)"

Soon after the sinking of the Yamato, Jack was flown by the U.S. Navy to the Marianas, where he was interviewed about his experience helping to sink the Yamato for a radio broadcast which was aired back in his hometown of Dixon. A recording of the broadcast is available at the A&T Recovery website. Here is a transcription of the broadcast:

Announcer: Dixon, Illinois, here is one of your own fighting men of the United States Navy. He's attached to a great fighting carrier, a carrier that is credited with getting the last telling blows on the *** battleship Yamato. He's speaking to you from somewhere in the Marianas, where he was flown especially for a series of broadcasts. His name: Lieutenant (jg) Grant C. Young.

Just about where did you live there in Dixon, Grant?

Jack: Well, I live in the country just outside of Dixon.

Announcer: And have any names? Call you Grant out here, do they?

Jack: Uh, no, they call me Jack.

Announcer: So your name is Grant, I suppose, huh?

Jack: I imagine.

Announcer: Uh huh. How long have you been in the Navy anyhow?

Jack: Five years.

Announcer: And I understand that you had quite a time with this particular *** battleship, the Yamato. Tell us about that now. We'll pick you up just at the point where you were about ready to go in. How was the visibility at that particular time?

Jack: Very poor.

Announcer: Take it from there and tell us what happened.

Jack: Well, through a freak I got separated from the rest of my group, and I could not attack the same ships that they were attacking, which happened to be a cruiser and a destroyer. It was necessary for me to go in on this battleship all by myself.

Announcer: In other words, you made a lone run on the Yamato.

Jack: It was a lone run.

Announcer: And no other aircraft to divert the firing. Was there a lot of firing going on at you at that time?

Jack: Very much so.

Announcer: Did they hit you with any of that fire?

Jack: Yes, I picked up several holes.

Announcer: Now as you leveled off for that long (sic) run at the Yamato, and they were doing all of this firing, did you think you were going to make it?

Jack: No, I didn't.

Announcer: But you plowed right on through, huh?

Jack: Yeah, I went into a snake dance there, and jinxed very much here and there, and got in and out alright.

Announcer: And you dropped that fish -- did you see it hit, Grant?

Jack: Yes, I eased outside the anti-aircraft [fire] and made a circle to watch the fish run in.

Announcer: After it -- when it hit, what did the ship look like? Describe that, will you?

Jack: Well, it -- the ship lifted up out of the water and moved sideways. It just heaved out of the water.

Announcer: And then you knew there wasn't any doubt.

Jack: There was no doubt there.

Announcer: When you finally left the ship, what did it look like to you?

Jack: Well, it was burning and seemed to be settling a little by the stern. I wasn't there at the actual time it blew up.

Announcer: You think that was about your toughest run on a battleship or any ship?

Jack: I'd say that was a pretty tough run on any man [inaudible].

Announcer: I'd say you were entirely right. Any time you make a lone run on a ship like the Yamato, you're heading into a lot of possible trouble. You did a great job on that. I know the people of Dixon, Illinois, would be proud of you.

That was one of your own fighting men of the U.S. Navy, Dixon. He spoke to you from somewhere in the Marianas where he was flown especially for this broadcast, and as we told you earlier, he's a member of a great fighting carrier, a carrier that is credited with sinking or getting in the last telling blows on the *** battleship Yamato. His name: Lieutenant (jg) Grant C. Young.

During a telephone conversation in August 2010, Jack told me the story of his part in the sinking of the Yamato, relating substantially the same narrative as in the 1945 radio broadcast, but providing many additional details. He explained that he was in the third task force that hit the Yamato, and that the men on the U.S.S. Intrepid had set their torpedo depth at 23 feet before he and the other torpedo bombers took off. "I was in the port side attack. The other members were on the starboard side," he said. Visibility was poor and anti-aircraft fire was intense, so Jack ducked into a cloud to escape the flak. When he came out of the cloud, he was no longer with the other 11 torpedo bombers of his squadron, but found himself almost right on top of one of the ships he was to attack. That made it necessary to pull away, which ended up placing him perfectly in position to make a run at the Yamato. The Yamato had already been hit and was still going about 5 knots, but at the time Jack struck the Yamato it was listing over to the right by about 5 degrees. His torpedo hit the battleship just forward of its front turrent, and it was apparently not very long afterwards that a "tremendous explosion" erupted and the Yamato sank. "They said mine was the seventh torpedo that hit it. Who knows? There were so many bombs," Jack told me. After dropping his "fish," in the confusion of the battle he was briefly attacked by some of his Navy comrades. Bill had to frantically radio to the attacking planes, "Don't shoot! Don't shoot! I'm a Turk! I'm a Turk!" ("Turk" was the Navy nickname for torpedo bombers.) The attacking planes then ceased firing and helped escort him back to the Intrepid.

Jack's uncertainty about how many torpedos and bombs hit the Yamato is understandable, because no one can really be sure just how many hits were scored against the Yamato. Earlier accounts tallied the torpedo hits at eight, but it is now believed that from the first attack at 12:37 p.m. to the explosion at 2:23 p.m. the Yamato was hit by no less than 11 torpedos -- maybe 13 -- and eight bombs. Jack's recollection is apparently that his was seventh out of eight torpedo hits, but since his was certainly one of the last of the torpedo hits, it may actually have been ninth or 10th out of 11, or maybe 10th or 11th out of 13.

A link to a full page about my grandfather, in case you are interested.

 

[JaxBill]

I'm the youngest of my family generation so my parents and their siblings were WWII age.

My father was born in 1924, grew up during the depression and was 17 for Pearl Harbor. He was a radar man on a destroyer that mostly did transatlantic escort runs for cargo ships. Only lately have we found out how dangerous that really was. The destroyer also spent time in the Mediterranean. 

USS Champlin

My mother's brother was a nose gunner on a B24 Liberator who died when plane shot down over Ploesti.

My uncle (Mother's sister's husband) was some quiet, scrawny guy who was a Marine at Okinawa. He had a Japanese rifle with bayonet on display in their basement, but refused to talk about it.

Their son spent time in Viet Nam and came back very much the loner to the point of being antisocial and almost a hermit.

More information about my nose gunner uncle I never knew.  My cousin posted a crew photo. I did a reverse image search and followed several loose ends and came across 484th Bomber group

That's him, second from right, back row. Turns out it was Austra not Ploesti . Official Mission log lists target as Wiener Neustadt, Austria.

 

[Osaurus]

Mrs. O’s grandfather was in Berlin (Army) 2 weeks after Hitler offed himself. He was in his apartment and helped himself to a lot of artifacts. My in-laws have a liberated marble vase that freaks me out every time I walk by it in their house, knowing where it came from. He became a Biology teacher after WWII, staunch believer in evolution and used to have great conversations with the Seventh Day Adventists and Mormons who would stop by his house from time to time.  He was was a great guy all around. His generation does not get enough credit for all sacrifices they made. 

 

[Judge Smails]

My grandfather, Dad and brother all served.  Grandpa was in the Navy.  Nothing stood out but then again I was probably too young and not interested at the time to ask good questions to my grandpa.  Some great stories here - awesome thread.

 

[ChiefD]

My uncle told me another story about my grandfather. Apparently when the Cuban missile crisis was going on, the Navy pilots were going through some map training of the Soviet Union. Studying the topography of the whole country, but specifically targets within the major cities. And they were studying them as if they were going in as fighter pilots. Meaning low to the ground.

Fast forward a bit and he was on an aircraft carrier. I believe they were in the Mediterranean Sea, but I'm not 100% sure. So when the missile crisis reached it's peak of tension, he and some of his fellow pilots were ordered to the flight deck. They sat in their planes for 8 hours on the flight deck with nuclear weapons strapped to the bottoms of their fighter jets, awaiting orders. Their target was going to be Russia.

Thankfully those orders never came. 

 

[Jayded]

My "whoa" story I recall from interviewing my grandfather for a social studies project years ago in school....

He served in the Army (Air Force, before it was split) and served in both theaters. The story comes from European as the Allies were trying to work their way up the Italian peninsula. He was a gunner on bombers and they'd flown a number of missions already but since Italy is largely hilly, we were missing a lot more targets/bridges than we had hoped and so the leadership needed a new strategy.

They came up with "skip bombing" at this point and he'd be part of the early adopters to try it out. It worked pretty well, and he had stories afterwards of coming back, landing the plane, and upon inspection finding small caliber bullets still in the cabin because they flew that low to actually have to worry about that kind of fire as well.

After a few successes, a general or two decided he wanted to tag along to see this new technique first hand. By this point, the Germans/Italians had gotten smart to what we were doing and often aimed one anti-air at the air and another downstream of the valley. They took off with four bombers and on this run with the general, they turned the corner for the final pass to see one of those downstream guns pointed right at them. Of those four planes, only one made it back (my grandfather's) and the general was in one of the planes lost.