Memorial Day Thread

[Capmaster]

Since we're celebrating Memorial Day in the states today to honor our deceased veterans, I thought I'd put up a post honoring my dad.

As worded, Memorial Day honors those who have died in combat, but in my family, and my wife's, and everyone else I know, we also honor our war veterans who have died from other causes too.

In contrast, our Veteran's Day honors all veterans regardless of their military service or status. It includes currently serving military too.

We're thinking of you today dad

He was in the army for 6 years, 3 as an enlisted man and 3 as an officer. He left the army in 1946 with the rank of First Lieutenant.

After leaving the army he trained as an electrical engineer and worked for IBM, and in the '60s, worked on the Apollo 11 mission that landed men on the moon for the first time. He was the Chief Engineer for the Central Timing Equipment. His name is on the moon on a plaque commemorating the people most instrumental in making the mission possible.

My dad was the greatest man I ever met, a true family man who always put his family first. He inspired me and convinced me the I had the world by the balls if I so desired.
He passed away in 1999.

Here he is at attention:




Here are his medals. Some patches and pins he exchanged with buddies in the Royal Marines, but the medals are all his. The medal with the red, yellow and green ribbon attached just up and to the left of center is the Jubilee of Liberty medal presented to him by Senator Carol Moseley-Braun on behalf of France for his participation in the D-Day Normandy Beach invasion June, 1944 that led to the liberation of France. As a kid, the one I found most interesting was the little sock gun, shown here just below and to the right of center, with a clip on it. These were issued as emergency weapons in case of capture. Also of note, in the lower left is his long string of marksmanship pins for just about every weapon he picked up. He was the best shot I ever met:



Please post pics and bios here of anyone you want to honor today

[Ripper2860]

Hey Cappie,

Your father has truly accomplished many great things in his life and his unselfishness truly makes him a hero.

You certainly have reason to be proud!

[Guest]

Props to your old man! I give many thanks to all of those who had to fight for my lifestyle

[rallynavvie]

Not much is known about my grandfather's specific actions in WW2. He was part of the 82nd Airborne and was part of the drop before D-Day. His company was a forward intelligence unit who would sneak around and report on enemy movements and strengths. He was also part of the unit that liberated Dachau. Many of the scenes in Band of Brothers are similar to pieces of stories he's told us, especially the concentration camp liberation. He had said to my uncle once that they made the townsfolk bury the dead and clean up the camp. He did earn a purple heart from one of his jumps. When paratroops dropped the C-47 went into a shallow dive to get the tail clear of jumping troops. He was the last out and the pilot had just levelled off so the tail struck him in the head and knocked him out, would have been dead had it not been for the helmet. Fortunately he got hung up in some trees and rescued by his unit before being discovered by the Axis. Rumor has it this happened as part of Market Garden. He was also involved in the defense of Bastogne in the Battle of the Bulge where he received a Bronze Star for something we may never learn about.

But the most hauntingly similar story to one our grandmother told us was that of a Christmas day in France where he actually helped a German platoon "defect". The accounts were very similar to the movie "On a Midnight Clear", and were told to my aunts and uncles well before the movie ever came out. He may very well have been one of the characters from the movie (though I can't say which).

He is still alive, living in Mesa like all the other snowbirds. I wish one of us relatives could have worked up the courage to ask him more details about his experiences but he keeps really quiet about it and I'd rather not bring all that out after years of keeping it out of mind.

[pacmania_2001]

to all the men and woman who serve their respective countries.

Just recently in Australia we celebrated Anzac Day which is the day of remembrance for all those that served for their country and also those that perished in combat.

My Grandpa served in WW2 however I don't have any details about what he did apart from that he served in the Pacific and recieved various medals for his service. My other Grandpa was too young to fight in WW2 but lost his brother in the combat.

A few of my uncles also served in Vietnam however they don't often talk about it.

[flaninacupboard]

I never met my grandfathers, they were dead before i was born - one died from lung cancer and the other from bowel cancer. they both fought in WW2 though, and some stories have passed down through my father. although i don't agree with war as a generality, i still recognise that we've lost millions of people who died fighting for what they believed was right.

props to those who had courage in the face of adversity, and hopefully their loss will teach to not make the same mistakes in the future - although the current global climate makes that look increasingly unlikely.

Your dad sounds like a good man cap, i hope your kids will keep his memory alive 8)

[Capmaster]

Thanks guys. My dad was a tough act to follow

All the men who fought for us and were injured or killed deserve our gratitude. Heck - a place like this wouldn't even be allowed without freedom of speech. Can you imagine a world without post whores and off-topic threads

[flaninacupboard]

Can you imagine a world without post whores and off-topic threads

I'm c-c-c-old. i c-c-an't stop sh-h-haking.

[VCDHunter]

My Grandfather fought on the Somme during WWI. He lost a leg to German machine gun fire and was captured, therefore spending the rest of the war as a POW. I never knew the man but from the small tales told me by my father I can understand a little more why I am what I am.

[shoozleboy]

My mother's father (grandpa Joe is what we called him as kids), was in "Army Intelligence" with a ground unit that 'stormed the beaches' on June 6th, 1944.

He passed away in the late 1980's when I was younger, but he lived with us in his final years and I remember him telling stories of his military career - both during and after WW2. A lot of the details escape me now, but I always enjoyed listening to him talk about it. That's probably where I have gained my love for WW2 history and of course, the movies made during and after WW2. (MUCH better than most of today's garbage that Hollywood makes - excluding Private Ryan and Band of Brothers)

He met my grandmother just after WW2 in Austria and they married not too long after that. My mother was actually born on an Allied military base in Austria...

In the mid 90's, I was helping my mom clean out her garage at her house when I came across a couple of old footlockers. Being the nosy person that I am, I opened them up to see what was inside. I found everything from old maps that described Grandpa's route through Europe to his old WW2 uni's. I remember a journal that I was going to read someday.... That day never came and the journal, lockers, and contents were lost in my parents housefire on Sept 4, 2001.

I remember seeing the Purple Heart in his footlocker, along with a number of other medals/ribbons - most of which I did not know what they were for. He never talked about his medals or such, he always mentioned his good friends he made and lost while serving... that was his proudest memories, as I recall.

Here's to you, Grandpa Joe... I miss the time we had together....