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re: Neat experience...met a WWII veteran at Sam's Club yesterday.
Posted on 12/28/14 at 9:43 pm to SuperSaint
Posted on 12/28/14 at 9:43 pm to SuperSaint
My next door neighbor lied and joined the army at 16 - the only person in his company to survive the battle of the bulge. His feet froze solid... Went to Germany to have them thaw out. After they did he went to the pacific (by choice) and kicked arse in some of the most famous battles on that front.
I got to talk to him about the war shortly before he died. One of the most fascinating days of my life. The nicest man I ever knew. Glad I found out what a hero he was...
I got to talk to him about the war shortly before he died. One of the most fascinating days of my life. The nicest man I ever knew. Glad I found out what a hero he was...
0
Posted on 12/28/14 at 9:54 pm to Crimson1st
My grandfather was an Army WWII vet. Fought in the Italian campaign and was severely injured by an artillery round. Broke his left leg, lost most of his calf, and had numerous shrapnel wounds on his back and arms. Told me he layed in a ditch for two days while the battle raged on and a medic would come by and check his bandages and give him morphine every couple hours. The doctors told him he'd never be able to walk on the leg again but he did.
He told me once after drinking some whiskey about shooting a German or Italian soldier looking out from a trench in the face or head. Apparently there were 6 or 7 enemy soldiers in a trench and they didn't have room to move side to side and kept shooting out of the trench from the same spots. Well my grandfather knew better and would never pop up in the same spot to shoot. He would move several yards left or right and pop up and shoot. He popped up one time between the enemy gunfire and put his sights where a middle guy kept popping up and shooting and capped him in the head when he appeared again. There were no more enemy shots fired for about 2 or 3 minutes and one of them started waving a white rag on a stick and they all tossed their guns out of the trench and surrendered. He said they were wearing German uniforms but were Italians.
Also told me about a platoon mate who was ordered to take 4 German prisoners to the rear for interrogation. The guy didn't want to because of snipers but took them anyway. Well he returned about 20 minutes later and told the sergeant that they tried to overpower him and he had to shoot them all. He later told another guy that he didn't want to risk his life marching them to the rear so he killed them.
He told me once after drinking some whiskey about shooting a German or Italian soldier looking out from a trench in the face or head. Apparently there were 6 or 7 enemy soldiers in a trench and they didn't have room to move side to side and kept shooting out of the trench from the same spots. Well my grandfather knew better and would never pop up in the same spot to shoot. He would move several yards left or right and pop up and shoot. He popped up one time between the enemy gunfire and put his sights where a middle guy kept popping up and shooting and capped him in the head when he appeared again. There were no more enemy shots fired for about 2 or 3 minutes and one of them started waving a white rag on a stick and they all tossed their guns out of the trench and surrendered. He said they were wearing German uniforms but were Italians.
Also told me about a platoon mate who was ordered to take 4 German prisoners to the rear for interrogation. The guy didn't want to because of snipers but took them anyway. Well he returned about 20 minutes later and told the sergeant that they tried to overpower him and he had to shoot them all. He later told another guy that he didn't want to risk his life marching them to the rear so he killed them.
Posted on 12/28/14 at 10:05 pm to Tigerwaffe
Posted on 12/28/14 at 10:06 pm to bhtigerfan
Wow...quite a set of stories you have!
I guess I would be remiss if I didn't mention my great uncle (and by all means we can add other wars and heroic service stories to this thread)who served in Korea. He went behind enemy lines to save a wounded friend. He was taking fire while doing it but managed to pull the rescue off. Received the silver star for what he did. Also got his leg jacked up in his service there and received the Purple Heart as well!
I guess I would be remiss if I didn't mention my great uncle (and by all means we can add other wars and heroic service stories to this thread)who served in Korea. He went behind enemy lines to save a wounded friend. He was taking fire while doing it but managed to pull the rescue off. Received the silver star for what he did. Also got his leg jacked up in his service there and received the Purple Heart as well!
Posted on 12/28/14 at 10:19 pm to Crimson1st
My father served in the 94th ID, part of Pattons 3rd Army, during WWII. Was twice wounded. Never really talked about combat much. The only "combat" story he ever told me was it took the German sniper 3 tries to hit him in the leg, so he had to be a lousy shot. He was the kindest, gentlest man I ever knew.
Posted on 12/28/14 at 10:28 pm to Crimson1st
My grandfather fought in Peleliu (USMC). He never much cared for Japanese folks afterwards.
In NOLA for the World's Fair in '84 with him and my grandmother. We got to the section where all the different countries had their exhibits set up. He saw the Japanese flag flying above their display and wanted to fight somebody right then and there. I remember him saying "I can't believe they are letting them fly that goddamn thing."
My current neighbor across the street, Mr Alvin, was a naval aviator in the Pacific. I asked him if he ever shot down any Japs. "Oh yeah, I killed a bunch of those sons-of-bitches." was his reply.
In NOLA for the World's Fair in '84 with him and my grandmother. We got to the section where all the different countries had their exhibits set up. He saw the Japanese flag flying above their display and wanted to fight somebody right then and there. I remember him saying "I can't believe they are letting them fly that goddamn thing."
My current neighbor across the street, Mr Alvin, was a naval aviator in the Pacific. I asked him if he ever shot down any Japs. "Oh yeah, I killed a bunch of those sons-of-bitches." was his reply.
Posted on 12/28/14 at 11:00 pm to reverendotis
I had an old great-uncle who commanded a Marine anti-aircraft-artillery battery on Midway. He was as crusty an old Marine as they come and whenever my grandpaw would mention the Japanese the whites of his eyes would turn red, but he'd bite his tongue when he was around me. He was at Pearl Harbor, Midway, Guadalcanal, and Tarawa, so later I realized that he'd seen a good deal of hell.
Posted on 12/28/14 at 11:15 pm to Crimson1st
Two stories - my grandfather served in the Pacific as an gunnery officer on an LCS(L). Basically their job was to pull in close to an occupied island and provide artillery cover. He died before I was born but my dad found out that his boat had to deal with kamakazi swimmers - Japanese soldiers with grenades they would set off as they were being 'rescued'.
My more notable story was that I was getting lunch at the Vanderbilt Hospital cafeteria and had the absolute honor of meeting one of the survivors of the USS Indianapolis.
My more notable story was that I was getting lunch at the Vanderbilt Hospital cafeteria and had the absolute honor of meeting one of the survivors of the USS Indianapolis.
Posted on 12/28/14 at 11:31 pm to Crimson1st
My Grandfather was in the Airborne glider division in WW2.
When we were little all the kids/cousins would sit around and ask him to tell war stories. Obviously there were not many suitable for young kids.
He had stories about how the mostly plywood gliders would generally break apart on landing and half the time you never exited through the doors. Sometimes they would barely make it over the mountains in Italy being towed by another plane.
I'll paraphrase one of his old stories as it still sticks with me to this day.
"It was toward the end of the war. The Germans pretty much knew they were finished. There were still firefights and pockets of resistance here and there but most of the German soldiers could see the writing on the wall. They had been without enough food and supplies for so long their morale was very low.
We were rounding them up a few at a time and I was put in charge of walking 4 back to the camp while the others in my squad went ahead. The prisoners walked ahead of me about 10 yards and I was walking behind with my rifle. The terrain was very rocky and it was hard to keep an eye on them and watch my footing. I tripped and fell down, dropping my rifle ahead of me. As I was going down I saw one of the german soldiers turning and running toward me and the fallen rifle. I thought that was it and I was done. No sooner than I had landed on the ground the German soldier made it to the rifle and picked it up. At that moment I knew I was dead.
In an instant he ran toward me and handed me back the rifle. One of the other soldiers helped me up off the ground. They all smiled and went ahead with me behind them with rifle once again."
My Grandfather summarized and said; "That was how the war was like, one minute everything is OK and the next second you think you're a goner. I lost count of the number of times I was sure I was going to die and managed to make it through. Many of my friends didn't."
When we were little all the kids/cousins would sit around and ask him to tell war stories. Obviously there were not many suitable for young kids.
He had stories about how the mostly plywood gliders would generally break apart on landing and half the time you never exited through the doors. Sometimes they would barely make it over the mountains in Italy being towed by another plane.
I'll paraphrase one of his old stories as it still sticks with me to this day.
"It was toward the end of the war. The Germans pretty much knew they were finished. There were still firefights and pockets of resistance here and there but most of the German soldiers could see the writing on the wall. They had been without enough food and supplies for so long their morale was very low.
We were rounding them up a few at a time and I was put in charge of walking 4 back to the camp while the others in my squad went ahead. The prisoners walked ahead of me about 10 yards and I was walking behind with my rifle. The terrain was very rocky and it was hard to keep an eye on them and watch my footing. I tripped and fell down, dropping my rifle ahead of me. As I was going down I saw one of the german soldiers turning and running toward me and the fallen rifle. I thought that was it and I was done. No sooner than I had landed on the ground the German soldier made it to the rifle and picked it up. At that moment I knew I was dead.
In an instant he ran toward me and handed me back the rifle. One of the other soldiers helped me up off the ground. They all smiled and went ahead with me behind them with rifle once again."
My Grandfather summarized and said; "That was how the war was like, one minute everything is OK and the next second you think you're a goner. I lost count of the number of times I was sure I was going to die and managed to make it through. Many of my friends didn't."
Posted on 12/28/14 at 11:35 pm to Crimson
I know a guy that was an F-100 Super Sabre pilot in Vietnam. He was telling me about their missions and bombing the Ho Chi Minh trail. I asked him if he ever saw the enemy soldiers through the canopy. He said "Oh yeah, many times. I said," Would they fire at you"? And he says, "No, they were usually running from the napalm I was dropping on their arse. " 
This post was edited on 12/28/14 at 11:37 pm
Posted on 12/28/14 at 11:52 pm to Crimson1st
My grandpa landed at Utah beach a few days after D-day. The stories he told me were chilling and they used to give me nightmares as a child and I wasn't even there. I can only imagine what he had has endured these past 70 years. God willing he will turn 90 in July, but his health has seriously been deteriorating these last few months
Posted on 12/29/14 at 12:07 am to Crimson1st
My grandfather was a WWII vet. He didn't talk about it much, so I really don't have any stories. Having said that, my great grandfather was a WWI vet. Although I never met him, my father still has his purple heart. What happened was, his platoon got ambushed by the Germans, and apparently afterwards, they would go around and stick all the corpses with a bayonet, to ensure they were dead. He and another guy, were able to pile some of the bodies on top of them, so they didn't get caught, however he still got stuck with a bayonet (in the hip,) yet he didn't make a sound. I'm not sure how they got help, or made it home, but I can't imagine the pain he went through, and not to mention how scary that situation would be.
Posted on 12/29/14 at 6:48 am to LSU0358
quote:
Thanks for the link, it was a good read.
Posted on 12/29/14 at 7:18 am to Crimson1st
My grandfather and most of his brothers served in WWII and Korea. My grandfather used to love to tell me stories about being stationed in India(some pretty inappropriate you might say). I most remember his brother Gene. He wore hearing aids in both ears and always spoke so loudly. At my age at that time I had no idea why and thought he was just a funny old guy. Later in life I learned that he had served on the USS Pennsylvania. He was aboard when the Japanese bombed Pearl. His hearing had been damaged from the bombing. As long as he lived he always made the trip back for the reunion. He never told me any stories but looking back it was plain that he carried a heavy burden from his experience.
Posted on 12/29/14 at 8:22 am to Bamadiver
My grandpa is long since gone but he served in the European theater. He wouldn't tell me stories until I was around 15... His neighbor in Florida was a nice man named Fritz with a heavy German accent. As it turned out, Fritz flew BF109s and was a damned good pilot. One time, my grandpa snuck me out a beer and we were drinking by the fenceline (one of those white picket styles) and Fritz came out with a beer of his own.
I asked them questions and they would answer as best they could. I finally asked Fritz why he fought for Hitler and it was an uncomfortable silence for a couple of seconds. He said he never fought for Hitler, he fought for his buddies and his family back home so they wouldn't have to fight. He in fact hated Hitler and lost some of his friends to the Final Solution. That was a real eye opener for me.
I was a History major and even at a younger age I enjoyed history, especially Military History. I would see Grandpa and Fritz and I would occasionally rile them up with little digs here and there, always friendly though. Man I miss him and I miss Fritz too.
Cheers, gents.
I asked them questions and they would answer as best they could. I finally asked Fritz why he fought for Hitler and it was an uncomfortable silence for a couple of seconds. He said he never fought for Hitler, he fought for his buddies and his family back home so they wouldn't have to fight. He in fact hated Hitler and lost some of his friends to the Final Solution. That was a real eye opener for me.
I was a History major and even at a younger age I enjoyed history, especially Military History. I would see Grandpa and Fritz and I would occasionally rile them up with little digs here and there, always friendly though. Man I miss him and I miss Fritz too.
Cheers, gents.
Posted on 12/29/14 at 8:23 am to Crimson1st
quote:
Also, with the release of Unbroken, it really makes me appreciate the sacrifices these veterans made for us. Wanted to give a big salute to them all...
Did you tell him what a shitty job Jolie did on the movie before you had even seen it?
I've heard thats the cool thing to do now.
Posted on 12/29/14 at 10:40 am to reverendotis
My uncle was involved in most of the island hopping battles in the Pacific, but the one time he did talk about any of it in detail was Guadalcanal. He went to his grave 6 yrs ago literally hating the Japanese . The one time he did talk to my cousin & I about Guadalcanal, he took out an old shoe box full of "official photos", and went through them all, over 100, with us. A few in particular stay with me still. One set was pictures of Japs roasted by flamethrowers; that was bad. But then he handed over 4 pictures of dead buddies, captured & mutilated by the Japs. I can still feel the heat in his eyes as he said:" This is why I fricking hate the fricking Japs". He was in one of the units who helped to liberate our POW's but he never did talk about that experience. One tough old boot but he broke down in tears every Veterans Day at the cemetery in D.C.
Posted on 12/29/14 at 10:42 am to Darth_Vader
quote:
Met a WWII vet at the WWII Museum that served In the 106th division during the battle of the bulge that managed to escape capture.
He was lucky, most of the 106th surrender to the Germans. Two of their three infantry regiments were virtually wiped out.
yes. i know. why i said managed in my original statement.
Posted on 12/29/14 at 9:06 pm to geauxtigers87
Nearly all of my uncles were WWII vets.
One was a top turret gunner on a B-17 over Europe. He was my mom's only brother. Came back after the war with lots of bad memories and nightmares.
One, married to mom's sister, was with an anti-aircraft unit in North Africa and Italy. He passed on about a month ago at the age of 98. A nicer, better person I have never met in my life.
Another, married to one of my mother's other sisters, was with the Engineers in Europe.
Another uncle, married to yet another of my mother's sisters, was in the Navy in the ETO.
My Dad's brother in law was in the Navy, in the Pacific.
I have one uncle left, married to my Dad's oldest sister. They are both still living, in their early 90s. He was a P-47 pilot, getting into the war about a month after D-Day. Did a lot of strafing and bombing of German armor in the Battle of the Bulge. Had one air to air kill; he said it most probably was a young kid with little or no training. He has never tried to make it out to be something it wasn't, and hardly ever talks about it.
They were truly some special people to grow up in the Depression and then have to deal with the horrors of that war.
LC
One was a top turret gunner on a B-17 over Europe. He was my mom's only brother. Came back after the war with lots of bad memories and nightmares.
One, married to mom's sister, was with an anti-aircraft unit in North Africa and Italy. He passed on about a month ago at the age of 98. A nicer, better person I have never met in my life.
Another, married to one of my mother's other sisters, was with the Engineers in Europe.
Another uncle, married to yet another of my mother's sisters, was in the Navy in the ETO.
My Dad's brother in law was in the Navy, in the Pacific.
I have one uncle left, married to my Dad's oldest sister. They are both still living, in their early 90s. He was a P-47 pilot, getting into the war about a month after D-Day. Did a lot of strafing and bombing of German armor in the Battle of the Bulge. Had one air to air kill; he said it most probably was a young kid with little or no training. He has never tried to make it out to be something it wasn't, and hardly ever talks about it.
They were truly some special people to grow up in the Depression and then have to deal with the horrors of that war.
LC
Posted on 12/30/14 at 4:59 pm to Jobu93
Jobu93 I know Fritz is a common German name, but any chance your vet was the same Fritz featured in "A Higher Call"? Great German pilot who had an incredible encounter with a USAF pilot. US pilot was told not to mention the occurrence in fear other pilots would think kindly of Germans. The US pilot wrote about his incident years after the war, and the German pilot happened to see the story. The two finally meet each other decades after the war to tell their stories to each other.
LINK
LINK
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