Talked to a WW2 vet today

[Sylvain]

Yes he did, he was over in Normandy for the 50th anniversary back in 1994 and he told me that all the US servicemen that went over where treat like heros. He turns 86 tomorrow and god willing I am planning on taking him over for the 70th anniversary in 2014.

That's great!

We sure treat Americans that visit Normandy right (despite what you may hear in some media about French not liking the US and other crap), even if they are not veterans and we take extra care of Veterans.

 

[Hoosier8]

That's great!

We sure treat Americans that visit Normandy right (despite what you may hear in some media about French not liking the US and other crap), even if they are not veterans and we take extra care of Veterans.

A friend of mine was telling me about his uncles diary from France. His uncle was a kid and wrote down what he went through during the German occupation, from having to move to the poisoning of wells with dead animals. There are so many stories that will never be told.

 

[schafe]

My WWll veteran dad died recently at 90. All my life I was curious about his war experiences, and he would refuse to talk about them.Then, a few years before he died, he had the first of several strokes, and decided that I should take him to the veterans home to live. By that time, speech was incredibly difficult and frustrating for him. He tried many times to tell me about his war experiences, and a few times, he was able to eek out a few sentences. I was amazed by what he had gone through while in France, Belgum, and Germany, and the battle of the bulge. It was sad how difficult it was to get those few sentences out, when he finally wanted to talk about it.
Nonetheless, I am glad for those few stories I was able to understand. His service and my father-in-laws service are why my wife and I have some wartime firearms and their memorabilia collected and displayed. Those who have passed are finally getting their much deserved reward.

 

[Hoosier8]

My WWll veteran dad died recently at 90. All my life I was curious about his war experiences, and he would refuse to talk about them.Then, a few years before he died, he had the first of several strokes, and decided that I should take him to the veterans home to live. By that time, speech was incredibly difficult and frustrating for him. He tried many times to tell me about his war experiences, and a few times, he was able to eek out a few sentences. I was amazed by what he had gone through while in France, Belgum, and Germany, and the battle of the bulge. It was sad how difficult it was to get those few sentences out, when he finally wanted to talk about it.
Nonetheless, I am glad for those few stories I was able to understand. His service and my father-in-laws service are why my wife and I have some wartime firearms and their memorabilia collected and displayed. Those who have passed are finally getting their much deserved reward.

I would have never known what my uncle did to earn a Silver Start during the Battle of the Bulge but his son nagged and nagged him and he told him once. Other than minor things like how cold it was, he didn't talk about his experiences.

 

[sbcman]

I agree, if you get a chance to talk to them, do so.

About ten years ago there was a man in our church that was a WWII vet. We became pretty good friends. He was in the Army and was at Pearl the day it was attacked. Afterwards he spent his time in the Phillipines. He wouldn't share much with me, but one day I visited him at his house and he showed me into a room that had all kinds of medals, papers, etc. He told me to take as much time as I liked looking at it.

About an hour later I came out. He and his unit went through all kinds of terror in that place. He even had a book written about a specific battle he and his unit was in. The book said this earned them a presidential citation for hand to hand combat, and as I looked on the wall, there the paper was, signed by the Pres.

He shared a few things he did there, I think to clear his conscience a bit. Then he talked about God, saying that one night, while out of ammo, they were dug in and could hear the "Japs" walking all around them. He said, and I quote, "in that moment you know its just you and God- there is nothing else."

Back before I was really aware of WWII vet experiences I worked at a small company and the the guy that cleaned the place was a Pacific vet. He hated Japs. I mean he really hated Japs.

So did my friend. So much so that he went to a hospital once to meet a surgeon and in walks what he called "a full stock Jap." He said he better not lay a hand on him and left.

It was an honor to know him.

 

[Miller Tyme]

That's great!

We sure treat Americans that visit Normandy right (despite what you may hear in some media about French not liking the US and other crap), even if they are not veterans and we take extra care of Veterans.

Here is a pic of Dad ( on the right) with one of his friends, Clayton Pease, a WW2 submarine vet at the dedacation of the WW2 monument in 2004. They had the best time there, and the folks in DC treated them like royalty.

 

[CombatRex]

That's great!

We sure treat Americans that visit Normandy right (despite what you may hear in some media about French not liking the US and other crap), even if they are not veterans and we take extra care of Veterans.

I visited Normaday, I was treated very well by the French...even better by the folks in Belgium in the Bulge area.
I also lived with a WW2 vet, my father, 4 or 5 landing stars in the South Pacific, including some big ones, like Saipan and Iwo Jima. However he mostly only told me his humorus stories.

 

[Roadie]

My dad was in WWII, but never really talked much about it. I wish he had.
I do have a bunch of his pictures from the war though. He apparently was in Egypt, as there are pics some of the pyramids, etc.

 

[longbow]

A few years back I was at one of the B-17's that visit Bloomington. Had a talk with a gunner on a B-17. He operated one of the 50's behind the bomb bay. He started his missions just before the P-51 came into the war.

He pointed to the P-51 at the airport and said, that plane and the pilots are the only thing that saved his life. Missions were "not" as crazy after the plane offered protection. The survival rate was horrible on those planes before the P-51 arrived.

He wanted to say more, but his daughter and grand daughter were with him. He did get into the plane and show me his station. He had that look, remembering, as he was at the side gun on the plane. I've seen enough WWII videos of B17's to have an idea of what he was seeing in his mind.

He even could still fit in his jacket. The least I could do is thank him.

 

[Taylorz71]

There is a guy up at the Boone County Conservation club that was a Sherman tank driver in France just after Normandy. I love talking to him about that, and he is almost always up there working on the grounds etc. I am grateful beyond words to all those heroes that fought for our country. My grandfather was on the USS Swasey, and I sure wish I would have talked to him a lot more about this when he was still alive.