Vets or relative of vets

Hillbilly · Aug 30, 2001

I was never in the service,but my father was a Sea Bee during World War II,he served in the South Pacific,he had some stories to tell me as boy growing up,I have a chest of stuff he brought back from over there,pictures newspapers etc. Japanese pilot gloves,a Japanese comb made from fish bone. MY dad has been gone for 25 years,but I still remember his stories well.He was homebuilder in our area for years after he returned(and before he went to the service) from overseas Anyone else want to remininsce. I like to read and hear stories from vets.

ERNIEB · Aug 30, 2001

Hillbilly, I grew up around a bunch of WWII vets. My Dad was with the 2nd Division when it went into Normandy. He didn't bring much back, and it was almost impossible to get him to talk about it. Now my uncles were different. One was with the 101st Airborne he had alot of stories. Another was with the 19th bombardment in the South Pacific, they flew B29's. He was on Tinamin (sp?) when a plane named Enola Gay took off.
Another was with the 8th AF, another with the 1st Marines. I even have a cousin who during the war when he turned 16 lied about his age and joined the Navy. I've seen pictures of him in his uniform and how he fooled anybody is beyond me.
I heard plenty of stories from this bunch. I also knew when I got drafted in 69, there was no going to Canada for me. They would have hunted me down, and brought me back themselves/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif When I think about it these days, I'm amazed they all made it back home.

Ernie

kubmech · Aug 31, 2001

Amazed they made it back home!!!??? What about those B-17 crews over germany??????? Those guys were HERO'S above and beyond!!!!!!! Imagine, everyday, waking up to, today is your last day (on earth). Pushing forward, no matter the consequences. BEFORE THE LONG RANGE FIGHTERS. To this day it still amazes me what it took to get in that airplane and go fly .............

scruffy · Aug 31, 2001

Kubmech, one of my Uncles was a B-17 pilot making those runs over Germany. He won the medal of honor for flying it back and landing, with most of the crew dead, and him missing a big chunk of his skull. He lived until 1953 when he got his head lighly bumped against the side window in his car, died instantly from it. I agree with your opinion of their feats and nerve to make that run!

heehaw · Aug 31, 2001

my dad spent his time in the phillipines, hand to hand combat, had a dud bomb drop in the middle of the landing craft he was on(from his description, everyone on board was white as a sheet), dug a fox hole, just to have an officer order him out of it, so he went to a fallen tree for cover. he never would discuss it with me, but he did some others, just a short while before cancer got him. he brought back a big wad of japanese money and some other things, all lost when the house burned in the early 60's. this was quite a generation to be proud of, i sure miss him..
heehaw

cowboydoc · Aug 31, 2001

My grandfather and great uncles were all in WWII, he had six brothers, and they never talk about it. I've tryed to get my Grandpa to talk about it but he won't very much. My uncles don't either. They have gone back to some army reunions though. My father was killed in Dec. 1968 while stationed in Korea. He was a doctor in the Army and was killed by an attack on their post. My uncle was in Vietnam and he was a sharpshooter. He doesn't talk a whole lot about it but he can sure shoot like nothing you've ever seen.

StoneHeartFarm · Aug 31, 2001

Scruffy,

A couple of years ago there was an airshow at one of the airports near here and I got to tour a B17G. By the time I climbed back out I was very nearly in tears. There is NO WAY I would climb into one of those things and fly into combat. I just don't have those kind of guts. Being inside was like being in a series of sardine cans connected by tunnels and all built to service a great big hole in the floor. To imagine flying in one with people shooting at you and no place to hide...

Well, I have to respect anybody that did it. Those guys must have been scared to death every time they went up.

SHF

scruffy · Aug 31, 2001

SHF, The only time I was in one was right after my Uncle's funeral. They had one on display near the cemetary where he was interned. You are sure right about the size! Not what one would imagine, from all that you hear/read about them and the job they accomplished.

StoneHeartFarm · Aug 31, 2001

Scruffy,

Not what you would expect from walking under the wings! The wings are huge. It's like being in a garage.

SHF

Anonymous Poster · Aug 31, 2001

Hillbilly,

I had an uncle who was a See Bee in WWII, he had some great stories. Sadly, after he died my cousin sold all of his dad's war memorabilia (sic?) for drugs. He never has grasped what a great guy his dad was or the sacrifice he made for his country.

PitbullMidwest