Flight959 Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 My grandfather fought for 5 yrs in WWII and my great uncle was captured by the Japanese and kept in a concentration camp. He wrote three really good books before he died... Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruznolfart Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 My grandfather fought for 5 yrs in WWII and my great uncle was captured by the Japanese and kept in a concentration camp. He wrote three really good books before he died... Regards Forgive me for my oversight, Flight. You have your own generation of Vets who " just did their job" and got back to the business of making a life afterwards. I salute them one and all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homz Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 Many good people fought for the rights we enjoy. I am proud of them all. I stand up for the rights spelled out in our Constitution on this forum daily. Many can't see that. I will never allow things like the Patriot Act stand without questioning their legality. I wish all Americans would honor those that died for our rights and understand what those rights are based on. That being the Constitution of the United States of America. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 Great thread. My uncle flew Air/evacuation in Namm. Choppers. Got written up in the hometown paper. I don't have any neighbors. They all moved. Weird..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Californiaman Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 Great thread. My uncle flew Air/evacuation in Namm. Choppers. Got written up in the hometown paper. I don't have any neighbors. They all moved. Weird..... My uncle serviced those choppers. He saw who went out and who didn't come back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mick Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 Eye love talking to old folks they wen't through so much more than most of us could comprehend having to deal with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoyt Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 Great thread. My granddad drove a truck in the Black Forest in WWI. My dad was 18 when Pearl Harbor was bombed. Like many, he joined up right away. My dad ended up in the Coast Guard because the recruiters told him he'd be the first to land on the beaches (piloting landing boats). For awhile he ended up guarding Japanese Americans in the camps in Northern California. He used to tell of spending all his pay buying some of the "prisoners" gloves because it was so cold and they were provided very little otherwise. An Marine uncle of mine fought in the Pacific Islands and saw some really serious action. He was never right after WWII. It is amazing how many of those from "the greatest generation" believed (or hoped) they were fighting to end all war. "War" is necessary at times, but it is not something we enter into without dang good reason, especially when there are alternatives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Allen Posted May 12, 2009 Author Share Posted May 12, 2009 heh that honor is kind of split between a canadian pilot' date=' and (most likely the killing shot,) an Australian artillery crew. And although there was a draft, the US military had many many volunteers, and people who waited on their draft notice, without trying to dodge it. In fact the first two world wars there were many underage soldiers, who lied aboout their birthdays in order to serve. This was part of the prevailing attitude at the time that it was an honor to serve your country. things have changed, that's for sure.[/quote'] Great point Twelvebar! I have to admit though, I've seen some of the Iraq/Afghanistan vets who are full of pride and honor for thier service. Too bad we still have a huge element in our society who think they are murderers. Some people just don't understand that war is horrible but sometimes necessary. And those who serve honorably and willingly deserve our respect and gratitude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveinspain Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 Why does this always happen just when I want to go to bed.... Good night guys, it's almost 4am here.... I look forward to reading the 10 or so pages tomorrow if they are still there.... Nighty night.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Allen Posted May 12, 2009 Author Share Posted May 12, 2009 Forgive me for my oversight' date=' Flight. You have your own generation of Vets who " just did their job" and got back to the business of making a life afterwards. I salute them one and all.[/quote'] Amen! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jannusguy Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 Great point Twelvebar! I have to admit though' date=' I've seen some of the Iraq/Afghanistan vets who are full of pride and honor for thier service. Too bad we still have a huge element in our society who think they are murderers. [/quote'] i find this to be an interesting perspective. being the age that i am, i recall the sad circumstances surrounding the return of our soldiers from vietnam (my dad was one). it was a tough time for those men and women as the war was so polarizing. i have no sense of the sentiment the poster alleges at all as it regards our returning vets from iraq or afghanistan. as a matter of fact, i get the sense that many people of my generation remember how it was after and during vietnam and have gone out of their way to be sure that our modern day vets don't experience the same sort of shame and poor treatment. this time our anger and resentment is correctly directed at the fools who made the decision to prosecute such a travesty. hence, the result of the last election and the (hopefully) pending war crimes prosecution of members of the bush administration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynadude Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 My old man was an aerial photographer in Korea. He took the pics while the pilots flew the planes, so he never saw any real action. He did knock down a grass hut with a coke bottle though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bol316 Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 Thought I would throw this in. My grandfather (still alive) was a Flying Tiger. ALSO oddly enough (get this), in like 5th-6th grade (if i remember right) we had to choose from a list of like 50 names of famous people from World War 2 to do a paper on. Keeping in mind that I knew nothing of my grandfather being a "Flying Tiger' (hadnt even heard of them), from that long list I just happened to (randomly) pick, guess who? General Chennault, the commander of the Flying Tigers. 1 in 50 shot came in there huh? He had (and still does have) TONS of photos, stories and info on Chennault and China (where they operated from). Needless to say I got a good grade there. Just as a "toss-in" my dad is retired from the Air Force as well. Has a bombing range named after him. He helped start it up. So, do I win the "Look what my Daddy and Grandpa did" award? :- heh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemoon Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 I had a friend whose father spent five years as a child (10 years old to 15 years old) hiding in the woods in France during WWII. He and his family were Jewish. He never had a childhood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tulsaslim Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 heh that honor is kind of split between a canadian pilot, and (most likely the killing shot,) an Australian artillery crew. Yeah, they've pretty well proven that the shot that brought down the Red Baron came from the ground. An interesting tidbit for the old guys: You might remember when Nixon clobbered McGovern in the '72 election Nixon contstantly critisized McGovern for being 'weak on defense' and implied over & over that McGovern didn't have the guts to manage a war. All this coming from a guy who never got any closer to combat than his desk in Wash. D.C. (where he was an underling lawyer). McGovern, on the other hand, was a bomber pilot who flew 34 missions in WWII and 9 of them were strictly voluntary as U.S. pilots were officially 'done' after 25 missions. McGovern would not defend his own war record on principle (he was anti-war) and let Nixon humiliate him throughout the entire campaign. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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