1944, least we forget…
- Thread starter Roper
- Start date
I was in a theatre in Hawaii with a bunch of new Marines with fresh haircuts watching this for the first time. When the movie was over, you could hear a pin drop in that place…
Love the spirit of these guys.
Indeed the greatest generation.
SF
Indeed the greatest generation.
SF
Wolverine
Smolt
I was there for the 40th anniversary. I was with my dad and 2 uncles. 1 uncle hit the beach on D-day, the other a week later. Dad didn’t get to Europe until the fall as he was recovering from wounds in North Africa. I vividly remember our walks on the bluffs and the US cemeteries their conversations and remembrances. These 3 vets are gone now but were truly part of the greatest generation.
Rob Allen
Life of the Party
At the same time two years earlier, the Japanese were dealt a crippling blow by more brave men of the US navy at Midway.
Many of these men deserve special remembrance. First of all the aircrew of the TBD Devastators, their planes were slow and helpless, yet they pressed their attacks on the enemy carriers and were all lost nearly to a man and their torpedoes didn't score a single hit, through no fault of their own. However what they did accomplish was to keep all the enemy fighters engaged leaving the skies clear for the crews of the SBD Dauntless Dive bombers who had much greater success sinking 4 Japanese fleet carriers in just a few minutes. This attack would likely have been thwarted if it were not for the sacrifice of the Torpedoe crews. Now the Dauntless guys, they left their carriers knowing they didn't have the gas for a round trip and most of them had to ditch into the ocean, those that somehow did have enough fuel landed with almost no fuel.
None of these aircrew had the expectation of surviving the mission, but they went anyway.
Many of these men deserve special remembrance. First of all the aircrew of the TBD Devastators, their planes were slow and helpless, yet they pressed their attacks on the enemy carriers and were all lost nearly to a man and their torpedoes didn't score a single hit, through no fault of their own. However what they did accomplish was to keep all the enemy fighters engaged leaving the skies clear for the crews of the SBD Dauntless Dive bombers who had much greater success sinking 4 Japanese fleet carriers in just a few minutes. This attack would likely have been thwarted if it were not for the sacrifice of the Torpedoe crews. Now the Dauntless guys, they left their carriers knowing they didn't have the gas for a round trip and most of them had to ditch into the ocean, those that somehow did have enough fuel landed with almost no fuel.
None of these aircrew had the expectation of surviving the mission, but they went anyway.
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flybill
Life of the Party
My great uncle Nick hit Utah Beach on the 6th! He survived the war, but is long gone now. The few times I met him, he wouldn't talk about it. I tried to talk to him about it despite all of my family telling me not to try, but I was a stubborn little kid! I think of him this time of year and honor his sacrifice and all of the others who fought wars for us!
When I was growing up, post 1953, most adult men had served in some capacity in the war. I remember times at get-togethers when mothers would herd the kids away from the dads who would then talk quietly amongst themselves. It was understood they were the veterans and those who weren’t there weren’t welcome in the conversation or to eavesdrop. Same thing with my brother, cousin and other combat veterans of the Vietnam conflict. I asked a good friend once why he wouldn’t talk to me about it and his soft and quiet answer was “If you weren’t there you couldn’t understand”. My uncle was in the British army, battle of Kohima, where 400 British troops held off 15,000 Japanese for two weeks at the gateway to India. Eventually 30,000 Japanese were in the fight that lasted 6 weeks before they were stopped and then pushed out of Burma in a nasty campaign lasting a year. The campaign didn’t get much press here as American troops were fighting in Operation Overlord, Battle of the Bulge and taking islands in the Pacific.
The memorial monument at Kohima reads “When you go home, tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow we gave our today”.
The memorial monument at Kohima reads “When you go home, tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow we gave our today”.
My Grandfather was Czech and he snuck out to fly Wellingtons for the RAF. Czech RAF squadrons (I think there were 3) were involved in D-Day although I do not believe the 311 was as they were Coastal Command. He died in 1943 at age 26 in a Wellington. His family was in the Resistance and was captured. My other Grandfather was career Navy. In World War Two he was a submariner (torpedoman) in the North Atlantic. He spoke rarely about the War. However when I was a teenager and he was in his 70s, we went on the class of submarine he was on, (restored as a museum in Baltimore Harbor) and I remember how agile he was gliding around the submarine, while i tripped over or hit my head on, everything.
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Bob Carroll
Smolt
My Dad also arrived about a week later…D-Day plus 6. 2nd Division…Indian Head. Also served Korea and Vietnam.
Remarkable story!!!
My father was in Iceland staging for Overlord with thousands of Marines when Pearl Harbor happened. They were redirected and boarded Liberty ships for the long cruise to the new theater in the Pacific. He was a Master Gunnery Sergeant on Okinawa and other exotic islands, later in the Korean conflict.
Ex-FIL, no longer with us, was a navy coxwain piloting the troops ashore in a landing craft. Dodged fire headed in, hit the beach, dropped the ramp, and the soldiers ran ashore with several killed in the process. He went to back the boat off the beach, but it was stuck. He ended up going ashore with only a sidearm. Became a soldier and served with the Army for the rest of the war, earning a battlefield commission. Post war he served in Nagasaki as part of the rebuilding occupying force.
Grandfather, Marine Sgt. Major served in Guadalcanal, Kwajalein, and others in the South Pacific as well as in Korea during that conflict. Had nightmares until his dying day.
Other Grandfather, XO of the USS Cowpens and saw action in the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
Long history of military service in my family, but just focused on the Greatest Generation here.
Grandfather, Marine Sgt. Major served in Guadalcanal, Kwajalein, and others in the South Pacific as well as in Korea during that conflict. Had nightmares until his dying day.
Other Grandfather, XO of the USS Cowpens and saw action in the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
Long history of military service in my family, but just focused on the Greatest Generation here.
My FIL was a Marine and served on the Indianapolis. He got transferred before it got sunk. Lucky I guess. My dad. since he was a not a US citizen,(he was from England) he didn't have to serve. But he turned down a Captains rank, when asked to join. Me, I missed all wars. Wasn't old enough for WWII and Korea. and 4F for Viet Nam.
wanderingrichard
Life of the Party
Come from a long military line too,
One of Dads cousins was a marine on Iwo and Guadalcanal. He later became a health and science teacher in his local school system back home. To this day, I think he had some form of PTSD but wasnt being treated properly.
Dad Missed WW II as he was too young. But, he had a lot of older frineds who did serve then. Sometimes a lot of them would end up at our place us kids and the women would get sent to the kitchen or another room. When i got older and was in the Army on my own right, i was included in the circle. Most of it was talk about how bad the equipment was, especially the airplanes and tanks.
There's a very large, or was, group of Pacific Marine veterans in Union County PA. For some reason, that predominately farming area got picked heavily for The Corps.
When i worked as a grounds keeper for the local cemetary Assn, every Memorial Day was overtime and we worked hard to mow, trim and clean the plots. When we were done, it was a sea of flags in two parts of the cemetary. People used to tell us how they loved how good the place looked.
One of Dads cousins was a marine on Iwo and Guadalcanal. He later became a health and science teacher in his local school system back home. To this day, I think he had some form of PTSD but wasnt being treated properly.
Dad Missed WW II as he was too young. But, he had a lot of older frineds who did serve then. Sometimes a lot of them would end up at our place us kids and the women would get sent to the kitchen or another room. When i got older and was in the Army on my own right, i was included in the circle. Most of it was talk about how bad the equipment was, especially the airplanes and tanks.
There's a very large, or was, group of Pacific Marine veterans in Union County PA. For some reason, that predominately farming area got picked heavily for The Corps.
When i worked as a grounds keeper for the local cemetary Assn, every Memorial Day was overtime and we worked hard to mow, trim and clean the plots. When we were done, it was a sea of flags in two parts of the cemetary. People used to tell us how they loved how good the place looked.
