Sad Story Of WW2 Vet

[Orange_Juice]

Godspeed and RIP.

Death frees WWII vet after 62 years of mental torment : Home: The Buffalo News

Before Edward F. Kielich marched off to some of the bloodiest fighting in World War II, he was like a father to his little sister, Peggy, reading her comic books and making up voices for the different characters.

He was the father she never knew.

When Kielich returned home from the war, he was silent and continually paced the floors of the family’s South Buffalo home. The young sister wondered: “Where’s my brother?”

He ended up spending 62 years in a Department of Veterans Affairs nursing home, his mind devastated by the horror of a war that psychologically impacted two of his other brothers as well. But Kielich’s family says he is finally free. The 86-year-old Army veteran died Nov. 16 in the Canandaigua facility.

Edward Kielich and his brother Gene had participated in the D-Day invasion of Normandy at Omaha Beach, which became known as “Bloody Omaha” because of the high number of casualties.

 

[Annie]

Godspeed and RIP.

Death frees WWII vet after 62 years of mental torment : Home: The Buffalo News

RIP I agree, but he really was the exception, not the rule.

My dad was not a hero, he'd be the first to say so. He was drafted. He was in a basic training squad with a drunk sergeant, it took them 3 times to pass. Afterwards, when the 'tests' showed he'd exceptional ability to id planes, they wanted him to do that. He declined. Later they wanted him to command a platoon, again he declined. He'd learned never to volunteer from the drunk sergeant.

He ended up in the 3rd wave on D-day, about 7am on 6/7. He and another guy came off the Atlantic, made it across the beach, started up the marked dune, but the artillery piece on wheels, well it crossed the mark. Blew them into the air, killing those behind them. The other guy died. My dad, well he was unconscious for awhile, he awoke to a medic plopping his arm and hand into a bucket of sulfa. He was also scooping the sulfa onto his, back, and butt.

The medic explained he needed to amputate his hand, my dad said, "Why would you want to do that?" He curled the arm into his body and said, "No." Again lost consciousness. He awoke in London, with the hand still there.
legs
Long story short, Thanks to an incredible soon-to-be orthopedic surgeon, his hand was saved. Granted there were no nerves left, the man lived to 84, constantly tearing the skin on that hand, bleeding like a stuck pig and not knowing it, till he'd stained the carpet with his blood.

 

[Angel Heart]

godspeed And Rip.

death Frees Wwii Vet After 62 Years Of Mental Torment : Home: The Buffalo News

Rip

 

[Againsheila]

RIP. Hopefully he's up there trading stories with my dad and uncle, also WWII vets.

 

[dilloduck]

On the lighter side, last week my son and I were joined on the golf course by an 86 year old WWII vet. He was a Seabee who daily repaired Henederson Field during the battle for Guadalcanal and rebuilt Naha Harbor on Okinawa during the last days of the battle. His next assignment was invading the main islands of Japan.

He walked briskly, had a great sense of humor and shot a great game of golf from the BACK tees. MY son and I were honored and he thanked us for the chance for him to chat since I was on Okinawa in 67-69. My son was awestruck by the history we played with that day.

I hope we run into him again.

 

[Orange_Juice]

On the lighter side, last week my son and I were joined on the golf course by an 86 year old WWII vet. He was a Seabee who daily repaired Henederson Field during the battle for Guadalcanal and rebuilt Naha Harbor on Okinawa during the last days of the battle. His next assignment was invading the main islands of Japan.

He walked briskly, had a great sense of humor and shot a great game of golf from the BACK tees. MY son and I were honored and he thanked us for the chance for him to chat since I was on Okinawa in 67-69. My son was awestruck by the history we played with that day.

I hope we run into him again.

Thanks, great post. Henderson Field is scared ground

 

[dilloduck]

Thanks, great post. Henderson Field is scared ground

As is every American soldiers grave.
You're welcome. This guy was the real thing. Lived to enjoy his sacrifices.

 

[pegwinn]

I'm always a bit sorry to hear of a vets passing on. But, we can hope that he's now in a better place. He damned sure earned that much.

Patton said it best:

It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived

Dillo had a great point in his golf story. The best time to pay tribute to the vets is when they are still around. It's always the right time to make sure they know that what they did truly mattered.

Here is another one who is truly the real deal. I had the distinct privilege of meeting with him on numerous occasions when I was stationed in Abilene TX. We, the local Marines on I&I duty, helped him and his wife move from an apartment on the twentieth floor to a new house. He attended all the Marine Corps Birthday Balls, and I even got a copy of his book, signed of course. Great Guy. I have no doubt that if you are ever in Abilene TX and look him up, he'll appreciate it.

John Keith Wells - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/review/product/096446750X/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_helpful?_encoding=UTF8&coliid=&showViewpoints=1&colid=&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending]Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Give Me Fifty Marines Not Afraid to Die: Iwo Jima[/ame]

 

[editec]

My old man is still kicking.

He did six years (1939-1945) in the merchant marines. Atlantic sailor. Wounded in action. Three ships he was serving on were sunk. He was blown off a ship by a sub's deck mounted gun, too.

Didn't get veterans benefits until he was about 70 or so.

A couple more years and there won't be an American WWII vet alive.


Godspeed, brothers.

 

[pegwinn]

My old man is still kicking. Mine too.

He did six years (1939-1945) in the merchant marines. Atlantic sailor. Wounded in action. Three ships he was serving on were sunk. He was blown off a ship by a sub's deck mounted gun, too. Damn. Another example of being the real deal. Impressive on many levels. My respects to your dad. Mine was USAAF/USAF from 42 to 72. Served in England, then Korea, then VN. Started as a Bomb Loader then ended up in Supply.

Didn't get veterans benefits until he was about 70 or so. I didn't know that. I always assumed the Merchant Marine fleet was covered under the US Navy in wartime IRT to benefits and suchlike. He was done a huge disservice.

A couple more years and there won't be an American WWII vet alive.


Godspeed, brothers.

Tell your Dad thanks from us. I was gonna send you some Thanksgiving Rep to give to him but the machine is keeping me down...... You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to editec again.

 

[del]

On the lighter side, last week my son and I were joined on the golf course by an 86 year old WWII vet. He was a Seabee who daily repaired Henederson Field during the battle for Guadalcanal and rebuilt Naha Harbor on Okinawa during the last days of the battle. His next assignment was invading the main islands of Japan.

He walked briskly, had a great sense of humor and shot a great game of golf from the BACK tees. MY son and I were honored and he thanked us for the chance for him to chat since I was on Okinawa in 67-69. My son was awestruck by the history we played with that day.

I hope we run into him again.

i have a picture of my FIL sitting in his plane on Henderson, Oct, 1942. for his 75th birthday, he rented a biplane and buzzed his house and flew some aerobatics. great guy and still has his act together at 90. they'll all be gone soon and we all owe them a debt that can't be repaid.

 

[dilloduck]

i have a picture of my FIL sitting in his plane on Henderson, Oct, 1942. for his 75th birthday, he rented a biplane and buzzed his house and flew some aerobatics. great guy and still has his act together at 90. they'll all be gone soon and we all owe them a debt that can't be repaid.

It's damn good so many got to appreciate thier victory. Even thanking them seems so trite. The history they carry in their memories is priceless and explains things better than any historian could. We're really gonna miss em.

 

[editec]

Damn. Another example of being the real deal. Impressive on many levels.

You might find this interesting:

2nd Pearl harbor

or this

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Service[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Number serving[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] War Dead[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] Percent[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] Ratio[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Merchant Marine[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]243,000*[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]9,521**[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]3.90%[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]1 in 26[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Marines[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 669,108[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 19,733[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 2.94%[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 1 in 34[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Army[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 11,268,000[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 234,874[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 2.08%[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 1 in 48[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Navy[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 4,183,466[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 36,958[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 0.88%[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 1 in 114[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Coast Guard[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 242,093[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 574[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 0.24%[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 1 in 421[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Total[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 16,576,667[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 295,790[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 1.78%[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 1 in 56[/FONT]

 

[pegwinn]

It's damn good so many got to appreciate thier victory. Even thanking them seems so trite. The history they carry in their memories is priceless and explains things better than any historian could. We're really gonna miss em.

Ya know, the word "trite" brought up something unrelated.

I've had some high powered vets actually thank me for my time in. To be honest I am not comfortable when people do that. I don't think that I did anything special. Don't get me wrong, I am proud of my time and the things that got done. But I am no ones John Wayne. I've spoken to my Dad and thanked him for everything he did. He kinda nodded real quick and then shuffled his feet and changed the subject. So I guessed that he wasn't really comfortable with open praise either.

I have decided that instead of simply saying "Thank You" that I would rather talk to the guy or lady about what they did and let them tell me about it. Like someone said, you can't find better history. It also seems that when they get to brag on what they helped do, they (and me for that matter) are not so self conscious about accepting thanks or gratitude.

Just a thought, I could be wrong. Don't my kids that though. I have em convinced that I am perfect

 

[Sunni Man]

My father did 26 years in the Army.

In WWII he started out in North Africia, then to Sicily, and finally to Italy with the 10th Mountain Division. He was a ski trooper. Was at the Po River when Germany surrendered.

He was in Korea from the start and was a Sargent.

During the Battle of Pusan he was the highest ranking person left alive. All the Officers had been killed. He took command of the surviving troops and beat back the N. Koreans till help arrived. Recieved the Purple Heart and Bronze Star w/V

For his efforts, he recieved a battle field commision to Lieutenant. We have a picture of Omar Bradley pinning the bar on his collar.

He retired as a Lt. Col and is now buried at the military cemetary at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma.

 

[dilloduck]

You might find this interesting:

2nd Pearl harbor

or this

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Service[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Number serving[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] War Dead[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] Percent[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] Ratio[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Merchant Marine[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]243,000*[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]9,521**[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]3.90%[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]1 in 26[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Marines[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 669,108[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 19,733[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 2.94%[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 1 in 34[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Army[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 11,268,000[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 234,874[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 2.08%[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 1 in 48[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Navy[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 4,183,466[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 36,958[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 0.88%[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 1 in 114[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Coast Guard[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 242,093[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 574[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 0.24%[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 1 in 421[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Total[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 16,576,667[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 295,790[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 1.78%[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 1 in 56[/FONT]

Ironically enough a neighbor of mine ( 87 years old )was one of the first sailors on St Lucia and Trindad after the destroyer for bases agreement with Britain. They conducted surveillance of and eventual destruction of U-boats prowling in the Southern Atlantic from the naval air station at St Lucia. Another man full of history.

 

[Orange_Juice]

Ya know, the word "trite" brought up something unrelated.

I've had some high powered vets actually thank me for my time in. To be honest I am not comfortable when people do that. I don't think that I did anything special. Don't get me wrong, I am proud of my time and the things that got done. But I am no ones John Wayne. I've spoken to my Dad and thanked him for everything he did. He kinda nodded real quick and then shuffled his feet and changed the subject. So I guessed that he wasn't really comfortable with open praise either.

I have decided that instead of simply saying "Thank You" that I would rather talk to the guy or lady about what they did and let them tell me about it. Like someone said, you can't find better history. It also seems that when they get to brag on what they helped do, they (and me for that matter) are not so self conscious about accepting thanks or gratitude.

Just a thought, I could be wrong. Don't my kids that though. I have em convinced that I am perfect

That's just about exactly how I feel. Very happy I was in, but I don't wear it as a badge of honor. The military did way more to help me than I did to help the military.