Please tell me your story's about your father, grand father.. in the military

[Unkotare]

My Dad turned 17 late in 1943. He joined the Navy and spent the next 19 months in the Pacific, mostly on CV-19, USS Hancock.

The last week of his life he told me why he never ate seafood. When the war ended, the Hancock was docked near the shore, the crew used to count how many human bodies floated past that day. They would often see fish taking bites.

He's gone a while now and I always try to remember to thank a veteran and have a special affinity for WWII vets

Fair winds and following seas, Pop

Do you eat seafood?

I do. I also practiced several Japanese martial arts and sumi-e

We're opposites. I'm a veggie and I did Karate once and decided I wouldn't be good at it.

I did Kendo when Reagan was President, first term. I later, much later, went to aikido on and off, mostly off now, for the past 18 years

All I can say is, if I see you down a dark alley, I'm hoping I can run faster than you, or I'm covered in green goo.

????

 

[Unkotare]

Do you eat seafood?

I do. I also practiced several Japanese martial arts and sumi-e

We're opposites. I'm a veggie and I did Karate once and decided I wouldn't be good at it.

I did Kendo when Reagan was President, first term. I later, much later, went to aikido on and off, mostly off now, for the past 18 years

All I can say is, if I see you down a dark alley, I'm hoping I can run faster than you, or I'm covered in green goo.

LOL Neither

Aikido is pure self defense, no kicks or strikes, uses the attack against the attacker

You don’t patrol the city’s alleys - shinai at the ready?

 

[Silent Warrior]

8th Air Force
B17 navigator
Flew his missions over France and Germany
Returned from an early mission with two engines shot out, flying on the deck and throwing everything they could out the bomb bay to lighten the load. He was standing at the bomb bay being handed things to toss and got hit by a machine gun they tossed and just about fell out. Went on to complete 30 missions and came home.

 

[Pellinore]

I hope a story about my great-great-great-great-grandfather counts. I wrote this one about him a few years ago for my website.

George Palmer Ransom, American Patriot

 

[Pellinore]

WWll vets had the total support of the American public and felt good about doing their duty for their country. There was a front line and a military objective. The soldiers were enthusiastically welcomed home with parades and such. Growing up, just about every dad in my neighborhood was a WWll war veteran, and they were well adjusted men, who continued their careers, married, had kids, bought homes and cars. and generally lived a normal life.

The Vietnam vets experience was a whole different animal. The country was divided about the Vietnam war. There was no common sense military objective, and no front line to battle the enemy. The American soldier fought gallantly, but politically, historically, and militarily, war was stinker from the get go. We were using WWll military tactics to fight a guerrilla war.

When the Vietnam vet returned home their were no parades, no pat on the back; just an indifferent public who would rather forget the Vietnam misadventure and humiliating defeat at the hands of asian rice farmers. I'm sure that affected many vets deeply, with a sense of failure, that led to depression.

I know the day I separated from the service after my two year conscription was completed. I ditched my military gear, put on civilian clothes, and went home. I never mentioned to my friends where I had been, and none asked me. I just got on with my life, marriage, career, raising kids, buying a home.

It wasn't until about 30 years later, as I was filling out a form for a bank loan or something, and checked the box where it enquired if you were a veteran. The lady said, "Thank you for your service". I was startled, and it left me speechless. It was the first time anyone had ever said that to me. ...

Well, let me add my voice as well: Thank you very much for your service.

 

[Pellinore]

I will go first my grandfather landed on Normandy, it was Ohio beach, it was the third wave , he got hit in the fore arm and made his way up..

He was a tank mechanic during the rest of the war

When he died I was there so was the US military and gave him a 12 gun salute at his funeral.

I loved my grandfather alot.. we used to play ball together he took me to a bunch of Chicago cubs games ..one heck of a man.

My family never talk about what they dide they all went into intellegence. I would imagine they spent most of their time staring at aireal photos.

My Dad was in Army Intelligence in the 1950s. He was one of the guys who did background checks on soldiers and so on, and he told me of when he and three others were assigned to watch someone's house overnight. The assignment boiled down to four men in their 20s in pressed suits and hats, sitting on a quiet suburban street in a non-descript sedan, bolt upright, all night. What's more, they were required to check in every thirty minutes, and the behemoth radio in the trunk only worked while the engine was running, so these four men would start up their car once every half hour, let it run for about two minutes, and shut it off.

They could not have been more suspicious.

 

[evenflow1969]

I will go first my grandfather landed on Normandy, it was Ohio beach, it was the third wave , he got hit in the fore arm and made his way up..

He was a tank mechanic during the rest of the war

When he died I was there so was the US military and gave him a 12 gun salute at his funeral.

I loved my grandfather alot.. we used to play ball together he took me to a bunch of Chicago cubs games ..one heck of a man.

My family never talk about what they dide they all went into intellegence. I would imagine they spent most of their time staring at aireal photos.

My Dad was in Army Intelligence in the 1950s. He was one of the guys who did background checks on soldiers and so on, and he told me of when he and three others were assigned to watch someone's house overnight. The assignment boiled down to four men in their 20s in pressed suits and hats, sitting on a quiet suburban street in a non-descript sedan, bolt upright, all night. What's more, they were required to check in every thirty minutes, and the behemoth radio in the trunk only worked while the engine was running, so these four men would start up their car once every half hour, let it run for about two minutes, and shut it off.

They could not have been more suspicious.

I have not gotten a great deal of info from them on what they did but they did say it was not as exciting as it sounds.

 

[Old Texas Reb]

My Dad was a Marine in World War 1. He enlisted on his 18th birthday in July, 1918 but the war in Europe was over before he was due to go overseas. He finished up his enlistment on battleship duty in the Caribbean and was discharged in the spring of 1919. Strangely enough, my MOM was also a WW1 vet! She enlisted in the Navy as a yeomanette in 1918, discharged 1919..