A little off topic ... but The Pacific series starts March 14 on hbo. Speilberg - Band of Brothers style. Trailor is amazing. This stuff should be shown in our schools. They saved the world.

It would probably be better than the watered down heavily biased version that they teach in school.

Dueller-

18 bullet wounds? EIGHTEEN?

:O

He was almost cut in half by machine gun fire...fortunately most just went straight thru. Broke ankle, arm, both femurs and tibia and fibula in one leg. Some were relatively superficial to agdomen, thighs. Spent 14 months recuperating. Met my mom while hospitalized in '52. He was 17.

Never knew my uncle had a Purple Heart untill I saw it at his funeral.

We have the PH plates in Virginia. I have never been in the military so I don't know what it "means" to the recipient. Thus, I can't tell if folks get the plates as a remembrance or some type of "hey, here's what I did". Can anyone enlighten me, cause I'm sure not going to walk up and ask. :)

Most states have some sort of break on registration fees/taxes; i.e., they get a free or discounted tag if they had purple heart, POW, etc. I know my dad got it to save money, not to brag.

Gifferent states also offer other "freebies" for PH, POW. MOH, etc such as free drivers locense, free hunting/fishing license, CCW permits, etc. depends on State. If I'm not mistaken California offers free college tuition in stae schools for wounded/disabled war veterans.

As the story goes, my uncle was in some sort of advance recon squad in France and Germany whose job was to advance deep into enemy territory and provide cover for the demo. crew to blow up bridges and roads. Killed a few men in various ways, including strangulation and slitting throats. I did see some medals of his once for bravery, etc. He drank alot and only talked about it once as far as I can remember. First time I ever saw a grown man cry. I was probably 15 or so. He was extremely soft spoken. My dad was among the first to set foot in Nagasaki after the bomb. My mom still has some original B&W photos he took. The whole city totally leveled flat. He told stories about the pre-landing briefing and what to expect. Young Japanese mothers were throwing themselves and their babies off cliffs thinking they were going to be brutalized by the invading sailors. Other than that, his entire tour of duty was one continuous party.

Dueller and others, any way you can get him to talk about it?? I would think you'd not want all those stories to go with him to the grave. That whole generation is leaving us at such an acclerated rate...true heros

Veterans History Project
 

The Library of Congress has been collecting oral histories from veterans since 2000 with the aid of many different organizations. Perhaps this would be a way for your father to tell his story.

Veterans History Project (Library of Congress)

What is the Veterans History Project?

The Veterans History Project (VHP) collects and preserves the remembrances of American war
veterans and civilian workers who supported them. These collections of first-hand accounts
are archived in the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress for use by
researchers and to serve as an inspiration for generations to come. The Project collects
remembrances of veterans who served in World War I, World War II, the Cold War, Korean War,
Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War (1990-1995), or Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts (2001-present).
U.S. citizen civilians who actively supported war efforts (such as war industry workers,
USO workers, flight instructors, medical volunteers, defense contractors, etc.) are also
invited to share their valuable stories. VHP relies on volunteers throughout the nation to
collect veterans’ stories on behalf of the Library of Congress. These stories are made
available to researchers and the general public, both at the Library in Washington, D.C.,
and via the VHP website.

One of my buddies used to be a curator at the Kruse WWII museum in Auburn, Indiana. They have been collecting oral histories, as well. Collecting, recording, and preserving.

To all those who have served, thank you.

My father don't....my friends fathers don't...actually...I don't know a single person who has kill mens....!

Wow.

Tell your dad i said thank you.

Jim, thank your dad for me. His generation saw changes/sacrifices that we will never understand or experience.

My dad was in Korea but didn't see any action. He flew a helo but just to transport supplies and personnel between camps, I believe. It's neat to see pics of him at an age younger than I am.

He never won any medals, got shot at, shot anyone or saved a life but he served proudly as a cog in the war machine.

I am lucky enough to have talked to him about his experiences before he passed away. He was a hero to me and I respected him for doing his duty but he always told me "it's what we needed to do to preserve the US".

Wow, just wow, so humbling.

My son is waiting on pins and needles for word on his ROTC scholarship application. I have no military background in my family, his Grandfather on my ex's side is a retired Naval Captain. He hasn't told gramps that he's going Army. I was very hesitant to see him do this as I worry about him like any parent would but I am very proud of him.

A quote from an old chap:

"Ah, Berlin. Yes I've flown there many times. Thankfully never landed if you know what I mean."

I second Sniper...wow! And pass my thanks as well.

Gents, some of your relatives are American heroes! I am in awe of their valor and in debt for the sacrifices each have made to preserve our freedom. That generation of soldiers was durable, resilient and humble.

In my experience, the ones who talk about their experiences during wartime are typically embellishing stories. Those who have seen the horror and terror do not want to relive the experience. No offense, but that is my experience.

The book "On Killing" was shocking regarding the statistics who refuse to kill, despite being in the heat of battle.

Respectfully, David

I also think, based on my limited life experience, that there are those who are born warriors and choose it as their profession. There are many, like those that were drafted into various wars, who became warriors not by choice and would rather forget it.

I have a friend in law enforcement that had to shoot and kill in the line of duty. He talks about it when asked (I actually wrote a paper on the guy) and he claims he never lost a lick of sleep over it. "That's business" was the reply. I've also seen one of many Marines (or choose your branch of the service) that were horrificly burned over in the sandbox that say the mission should continue, and that they wish they were still able to serve. And then you have those that had to do the job and witnessed hell, never wanting to talk about it again.

Either way I am in their debt as an American and pray I never have to face the dragon.

Not only American . . .

I posted some notes from my father in this thread:

WWII Flying Stories from my father

Now as for my Hungarian father-in-law, I have some stories from the 'other' side. He was drafted into the Hungarian Army & sent to fight the Soviets in the Ukraine. A very different perspective & every bit as heroic & every bit as tragic.

Ian