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Posted 15 months, 16 days ago
cocacolama…
(43 items)
My Papaw used to love showing this to people.He didnt really like talking about the War but when he did all you could see is sadness in his face.He was shot twice and lost many good friends.One young man stuck heavy on his mind.A young boy yelled to my Papaw saying hey look,there takeing pictures,my papaw told him to get down and stay down.At that time the boy was shot and killed.
Papaw went home last year so I wanted to show this off for him.He was really sorry for going to War all those years and the world turning out like it has.
He recieved the Bronze Star for Valor (heroism);
next is the Purple Heart for wounds;
European Theater, he served in the Europe, Africa, and/or Middle East area;
American Defense Service Medal;
Good Conduct (3 years);
WWII Victory Medal;
Army of Occupation continued to serve overseas after the war;
While not well portrayed in movies, War Vets, are like your Papaw. They are personally proud of what they achieved, and did, but are not proud that it had to be done. And while you study the cost of war in dollars and lives in school, he saw it in faces and names, hence the pride in showing the uniform, and sadness in his face.
That you honor him, is something of which he would be most proud.
I too am a veteran and a Commander of a Veterans of Foreign War Post, and I have known these men as such for 20 plus years. I have not read this in textbooks, I have known and do know men that were in the same war, and this common.
My father-in-law was a Sgt. in WWII and is exactly the same way. He has four sons, none who served in the military. He never talked of his war years to them. he was never in the VFW or any military association after the war. When I came into the family is the first that he ever spoke of it, and only directly to me. His children have learned about it only from listening to our conversation, until about 4 years ago. He pulled out a wood box of mementos he called his treasure chest and showed its contents to his middle age children and his grandchildren.
I hope this helps you understand him and a little about what he did, better.
The "A" is for "First Army;
The small hash marks are for 6 months each, for over seas war service (he was overseas for 3 years)
The longer hash, at an angle, indicates 3 years of completed military service.
AR8Jason,I bet I could liisten to you all day.Thanks for the info and story.
Thank you. Quite a compliment.
I wish I could have talked all day with your Pawpa, and you were able to listen.
His uniform tells a little of his story. There is so much more.
My father-in-law's hardest thing to grasp to this day was the Japanese killing themselves towards the end of the war. Seeing a Japanese soldier that had been shot was totally different. These men were fighting to stay alive, and the Japanese soldier was needless killing themselves toward the end.
He was a lineman for the forward artillery observers telephone. They went where ever the officer told him to. One day a company was going out and they fell in with that company going there direction, to have a little protection. He had gotten a new man as his observer that morning. As the company was walking a narrow trail on the side of a cliff, enemy artillery rounds started coming in and there was no where to take cover. The trail was wide enough for one man. A shell hit where the observing officer was in front of him, and as he looked down, all that he could see left to signify the officer ever existed, was the the blood on his uniform. He met him that morning, and he was gone before noon.
That was easier than seeing a group of dead Japanese soldiers gathered around a spot where they had set off a grenade, to kill themselves.
Your Pawpa fought the Germans and Italians. That was different, but they had the things they don't want to remember as well. Fighting a people that does not look like you is different than fighting one that looks just like you. It is harder to separate yourself from the people that are trying to kill you, and you are trying to kill. The horrors done by Nazi Germany had to stop. Someone had to stop them. But no one really went in to kill. Many on the battlefield killed to keep from being killed, or more likely to keep their friends from being killed. Not proud of killing. Ashamed in a way, but it had to be done. It was hard for your Pawpa to settle the two issues. He saved lives, by taking lives.
The Bronze Star was awarded with a special "V" for valor. He was marked by someone that knew him as a hero. His name was submitted with a description of his action, and that action was reviewed, and deemed worthy of the action of a hero by fellow soldiers. He would have told you that he wasn't a hero. The medal says other wise. If you don't have his service record, the Next of Kin (oldest living child or widow, can request a copy of his complete service record and the citation should be there. The "Service Officer" of a local VFW Post, American Legion Post, or of some other veteran origination can and would help you get it.
I remember Papaw talking about comming face to face with a German.This was after he got shot twice at an earlier date.He said they just looked in each others eyes for a few seconds and they both turned and walked away.
I wish I recorded all of our talks.I took care of him for months befor he passed.The day he went home he looked me in the eyes and said Thank You for all your help.I said NO PAPAW,Thank you for your service,We'll always be proud of you being our papaw.He was gone about 2 hrs later.
Get a note book and over the next few days, write what you do remember down. Over time as memories are triggered, add them to the book. Go to a local VFW post, and take the uniform. Ask if they have someone that was in WWII that served in Eurpoe to tell you what it was like for your Pawpa.
I lived my own experiences, but sometimes it takes talking to another vet or some bit of history to see to trigger some memories. If you don't write them down now, or at least a reminder to set you thinking of his stories, you will begin to forget.
This last year I got a privilege and that was to serve as a Guardian on a Honor Flight taking WWII vets to Washington DC. We took 80 WWII Vets on our trip to see their memorial, and then to see the USMC Memorial, Korean War Memorial and the Vietnam Memorial and to Arlington National Cemetery and the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Seeing all those things was great. Being with the men and women was even better.
We had many other vets like myself serving at Guardians so stories were told.
I spoke with a State Senator who was a Vietnam Vet, traveling as Guardian for his father. A man stood off to the side, politely waiting for some time. When their was a pause, he said he heard I mentioned the Navy Armed Guards. I said yes, my Grandfather was one. He said he was a Merchant Marine and he didn't think any one knew they existed. (Armed Guards were US Navy personnel that manned the guns on Merchant Marine Ships.) He showed up for the flight in his WWII Merchant Marine uniform and his daughter as his Guardian.
You could check in your area if they are doing Honor Flights for WWII Vets and apply as a Guardian in honor of your Pawpa, and to learn more about what he did in the war. Many wear markings of what they did. Pearl Harbor Survivor hats, hats with ships names, and even Battle of the Bulge hats were on our vets. I was able to photograph a Battle of the Bulge vet, at the WWII Memorial while at the fountain in front of the inscription that remembers him and the men that were lost in those very dark days. Likely, your Pawpa was there or was in the group to that went to save the ones encircled. That also would be in his service record.
Thanks Laura
Most welcome,
Kevin (AR8Jason)
Thanks for sharing! Very cool story! He is a Hero!
The rope around the left arm is the French Fourragere. Your pawpa served his country with honors.
Tese were the people that Tom Brokaw called "The Greatest Generation", I started his book the other day but had to stop because my eyes were leaking . I too served but not nearly as mush as these guys my brother is a Viet-Nam vet, he don't talk much about his experiences either, even to me ! Scars go very deep for these people.
I love seeing all of the posts. My dad was in World War II and I have all of the letters he sent to his mom and dad and all of his stuff from the war. It is an amazing story of how war heros lived and what they went through. I will never forget one of the last letters he sent to my Mamaw and Granddad. He was thinking it had to be a dream that he was coming home. He hoped it wasn't! He was afraid he would wake up and it wouldn't be true! Thanks for all of you that shared!
I'm glad for this dialogue. One of the most amazing men I have known is a member of my American Legion post, we all call “Sarge.” He fought the Japanese in WWII, then The North Koreans, and finally the North Vietnamese before retiring as a First Sergeant. He will be on a future Honor Flight. In spite of his advanced age, he divides his time between volunteering at the VA hospital information desk, volunteering at the USO lounge at the airport, and serving as part of the honor guard detail at our local National Cemetery. He told me once “I’ve taken care of soldiers all my life. I want to take care of them as long as I can do so.”
As for my own father, he was with the 3rd infantry Division in North Africa, Italy and Germany. He seldom said anything about the war, except that if he had to do it again, he would.
Good story Chrisnp ... Tell Sarge hi, and thanks for me,
This is a wonderful story and alot of great information. My dad served in WWII as a medic in Burma, India and Thailand. He recently went on the Honor Flight. He spoke afterward about his service a little and how they all laughed and cried and remembered while they were in Washington. His health is failing so I'm glad that he went while he was still able. Several years ago, my sister and I honored him by putting his photo and service on the World War II Registry. The website is http://www.wwiimemorial.com. It meant alot to him. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for sharing. The failing health of so many WWII vets is what motivated the flights. It is their memorial. It is good when they get to see it. I am reading a book at this time of men and women who went by buss from Kentucky. It tells their stories of the war. Some are bare facts and others shared more. Some are written by family members because before the book could be compile, they service member had passed away. Some lasted only a couple of months after, but it was like finally closing the door or the nightmares of the war.
Thank your father for a younger vet. I am a VFW Post Commander. I have so few WWII vets left. Thank you for honoring your father.
I'm trying to type through tears. Thanks guys, for your service.
My dad was an instructor at the School of the Americas, in the CZ, and a Viet-Nam vet. Unfortunatelly I was too young (and a girl) for him to want to tell me his stories, and by the time I was old enough, he passed away.
Please, Kevin, can you tell me how to get is service record? He was buried in uniform, so his medals went with him.
Thanks
Esther
Hello Esther,
To get your fathers service record ...
http://www.archives.gov/veterans/
Likely only one issue of your fathers medals were made so you can also request a reissue of his medals. All medals from the US Government will be sent at no cost.
Thanks Kevin! Gonna get right on it!!!
It was not strictly due to your age your father did not talk about his experiences from war. There are various reasons vets don't talk to their children about there service.
One is they don't think their kids would understand. To some part this is true. He would use terms that another vet would understand but would require an explanation to anyone else. That they would not understand why he did some of the things he did in war. Some due to youthfulness some due to conditions where they were at, some strictly for survival. They don't want to be judged by someone that hasn't been where they have.
Hathcock, one of the most famous snipers of Vietnam, shot a 12-14 year old boy from about a mile a way riding a bike. Many would say that is unconscionable. With out the facts it would seem so.
The boy was carrying weapons to the enemy. First he thought the boy was doing just what he was forced to do (a "mule"), so he shot the bike causing the boy to wreck. The boy instead of running grabbed up one of the weapons, so he shot the boy.
Another time he was called in to take on a sniper that would fire on a Marine compound every night. When he set up and waited for his prey, he saw a man with a rifle that was barely held together and an old feeble man. The man raised the rifle and aimed it up the hill towards the Marines and began shooting. Hathcock shot him. Two girls came out of the woods and dragged his body away. The old man had sons that he had already lost to the war. The communist came to his village and told him if he did not fire 4 rounds at the Marines every day, they would kill his wife and the daughters he had left. They would leave the bullets at night for the man in a hiding place and pick up the empty shells. No empty shells would result in his families death, so he fired. Why shoot him? Young men, with mothers and sisters and even children were on top of the hill where the man aimed his rifle, night after night. One night, he might get accidentally hit a marine, and a mother, some sisters or even a daughter would morn the loss of the young Marine, so he shot the old man. The North Vietnamese had many cruel practices resulting in the death of the innocent.
"War is H..." it is said, and it is very bad. For many reasons. Men do what they would never do in a normal situation. Men that have been pacifistic become killers, because they realize that to not kill is not only to lose ones own life, but the life of others about which he cares. Sgt. York is a story about just such a man. The did what they felt they HAD to do. They took no joy and no pride in it. They would just as soon not think about it again. To remember people that were friends, that they saw dead, and even saw them get killed is not pleasant.
My recomendation to all who want to hear a vet tell his story, is to get another vet together, and get them talking. they will be talking to someone that has been where they have been, and they will speak the same language, and they will play off the others words, remembering things that they had forgotten. Tape the discussion. Don't interrupt, or if you do, do so briefly, and sit as the fly on the wall. Later, you can ask what a "B-A-R" (pronounced as letters) is or or a "C-I-B" (also pronounced as letters) or a Scuttlebutt or anything else that you don't understand. Listen to the tape after they are through and write down your questions and get them back together. Then you will have some base to ask your questions and they will remember things they did not discuss before.
(For those that have fathers, or brothers and even sisters that have served and are still with us. It is good for them to talk. It is good for you to hear. But don't feel bad if you have to first hear as the fly on the wall. That is usually the only way you will hear, unless you to become a vet.)
My father served in the Army in Germany in the 1950s. I served in the Pacific and Indian Oceans in the 80s (Iran Hostage Crisis). He did not talk much with me about his service over the years and it was not "war service." The night before he went into heart surgery from which he did not survive, we talked about his service. Stories that I had never heard. We had the best talk of our lives together until 2 or 3 in the morning.
It was considered elective surgery, and not a big deal. There was no reason to believe he would not survive, but we talked.
He developed pneumonia and an incompetent hospital had no lung specialist induced coma and kept him there, and when weeks had passed finally transferred him to a hospital that did, but it was too late. (It was NOT a VA hospital.)