re: Relatives that served in World War 2

I had a relative killed in Germany a few days before the surrender. His family heard about the cessation of hostilities and thought he was safe, then got the notification. That must have been a punch in the gut.

A great uncle served on USS Essex. Saw a good bit of combat, including being hit by kamikazes, but said the scariest thing he experienced was riding out Halsey's typhoon, with blue water coming over the flight deck.

Another great uncle was stationed in India, flying the hump into China. He went sightseeing one day and his group was briefly captured by communist guerillas who let them go because they only had a beef with the British.