OT who had a family member fight

[Cow College]

In one of the wars?

I had a grandfather from the greatest generation fight in WW2. Said a sniper picked off a guy he was talking to in a doorway. If that German picked off the other guy I wouldn't be here

 

[msstate7]

Ww2 and desert storm. Thankfully both came home safely.

 

[bomanishus]

Both WWs

Pop was a bombardier in WWII but spent most of his service in the Berlin Air Lift. If you aren't aware of that, it was one of the most magnificent logistics endeavors ever. Berlin was part Allied and part Russian after the war ended. The only way to keep the city from falling completely into Russian hands was to keep the Allied half livable but the Russians cut off supply lines through East Germany and intended to starve the city into submission. If Berlin fell, Germany would soon go, and then all of Europe. The accounts of how the Allies (mainly US and Englisg) kept it going is nothing short of incredible. Excellent book on the subject is The Candy Bombers.

F-I-L was foot soldier in northern Africa and from the tip of Italy to Salzberg. My gosh. He went through hell.

Both grand dads were WWI vets.

So proud of each. They've all gone on.

 

[starkvegasdawg]

My grandad was a radio operator in Algiers. Said for two weeks or so every summer the wind would come off the Sahara and it would hit 120 degrees and stay there day and night. They lived in tents while there in that heat. Also said on the way over there the boat they were on was running a zig zag pattern to avoid u-boats and on the way back they went through a hurricane and almost sunk. Funny story he told was that they were not allowed to divulge their exact location in letters home but he would telk my grandmother to take something to a fictitious neighbors at certain addresses. The addresses would be the lat/long coordinates of where he was so she would know. The mail censors never figured it out.

 

[chainedup_Dawg]

WWII, Vietnam, and twice in the Iraq War once in Fallujah and the other in Syria

 

[xxxWalkTheDawg]

My great, great, grandfathers brother was a major in the Confederate army and took a minnie ball to the leg at the peach orchard at Shiloh. Grandad was in WW1 in the infrantry. Wife's grandad was in Korea. Uncle was a Huey pilot in Vietnam. Have a nephew that's in the guard right now

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

My grandfathers could not serve because of severe health problems, but they had brothers that did in both of the big wars. I had uncles that served in Korea and Vietnam.

I had one great uncle that was a machine gunner in WWI. They said the life expectancy of a machine gunner was less than an hour in that war but he made it all the way through.

As a boy I remember asking each of my relatives about their experiences and they all changed the subject.

I had a boss at one time that served in Vietnam. He did talk about it in broad terms, primarily about the crazy "strategy" of going in a spot, losing a bunch of guys, leaving, then being told to go back in that spot again.

They all have my utmost respect both past and present servicemen and women.

 

[DAWG61]

Grandfather fought in Vietnam. Flew a refueling plane and got shot down once. He landed the plane because he was too afraid to parachute. Got a purple heart for that and never told my grandma till the war was over. Ha

 

[MaroonOldCrow]

I've got a 17-load of them, going back to the South Carolina militia in the Revolution.

 

[twopack]

An uncle was killed on Iwo Jima

 

[rdnkkicker]

Great gramps was in WWI, both grandpas in WWII along with all 7 of my grandma's brothers.

 

[karlchilders.sixpack]

Dad was on a ship in the South Pacific

WW2...His ship was torpedoed, and his leg was cut pretty bad, went to sick bay to get it looked into...and left, because with what he saw, he decided that he did not have a problem.

 

[Maroonbulldog]

Had a grandfather who was at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese hit ( after the Germans showed up of course). He was a corpsman. Instill have his medical kit. A prized possession for sure. He was on the USS Tangier and was damned proud of it to.

 

[prairiedawg]

Grandfather fought in the trenches of WWI somewhere in France, but wouldn't talk about it so don't know any details. Dad was in during Korea but stayed stateside in a training capacity the whole time. Uncle was in Korea as a medic, some pretty gory stories.

 

[HammerOfTheDogs]

Had a great-great grandfather who deserted the Union Army a day before the Battle of Gettysburg (he was in the 4th Pennsylvania Cavalry)....definitely not a courageous thing to do, but if not for his noble act of cowardice I probably wouldn't be here. 100 years later, my dad was a Marine Chopper pilot who served two tours in Vietnam, got 46 Air Medals (you get an air medal for flying 20 missions...dad was in the **** a lot), was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, and at 79 he could probably still drink any of you under the table. My grandpa was on a boat over to France in WW I, but they signed the Armistice when they were halfway over and they turned the ships around and went back. My mom's cousin flew C-47's over the Hump in Burma. My wife's Grandfather's brother was killed in World War I. Some of dad's stories had titles as well: 1) "The Danang Beer Run", 2) "Blowing Up The Buddhist Temple", 3)"How To Get Kicked Out Of a Bunker During a Rocket Attack", 4) "The Pissing Contest", 5) "Will the 82nd Airborne Just STFU and Go Back To Sleep!", 6) "Not Bad Gook! Good Gook! Good Gook!" and many more that made Vietnam sound so much fun I wished I was there.....maybe not.

 

[coach66]

Same here my dad was shot three times

And still has shrapnel in his knee from
Korea, like you I almost didn't happen.
My dads brothers fought in WWII one
at day and battle of bulge and the other
Was killed by a sniper in Saipan.

 

[o_fredgarvin]

Dad was in the Corps of Engineers - Korea/Japan in WWII. Grandfather drove trucks in WWI. Great-great uncle was a Roughrider with Teddy in the Spanish American War.

 

[00Dawg]

My maternal grandfather went from Marines pre-WW2 (radio operator at the embassy in Haiti) to Navy for the war. Served on a destroyer as the radio operator and saw action throughout the island hopping campaign. Ship eventually caught a torpedo from a Jap sub that killed about 20 guys, but they were able to repair most of the damage and sail back to the West Coast.
Last Thanksgiving my uncle told me a story I'd never heard: at some point the destroyer shot down a transport plane carrying a general, whose body they fished out of the water. One of the crew survived, but wouldn't grab the buoy ring they tried to throw him. On the third throw, my grandfather grabbed a rifle and shot right next to the guy's hand. He grabbed the ring.

 

[KennyPowers2]

Great grandfathers brother fought in WW2 and was a POW for while in Japan.

 

[Crucifictorious]

My grandfather was 4F due to his poor eyesight. So naturally he was given the job of spotting U-Boats underwater off the coast of Florida. At night. Government at its finest.

His brothers, twins, both served. One with Patton, the other in the Navy in the Pacific.

My Dad was in the AF during Nam. He was in weapons design so he remained stateside.

 

[MrKotter]

I've got a 17-load of them, going back to the South Carolina militia in the Revolution.[/QUOTE

Same here, from Jeff Davis and a few others in Civil War (don't think he actually fought) to an *** load in WWII

 

[Dawg4ever49]

Had several family members in WW2. One was a Marine who was shot by a Jap sniper through the jaw. Also a first cousin who was in Korea, also a Marine, who fought at Chosin Reservoir. Many uncles in WW2 both in Europe and the Pacific.

 

[Uncle Ruckus]

Grandfather in WW2. My brother is a gunny in the marines and has been to Afghanistan twice and Iraq once, hes currently stationed in Bahrain. Sister is also a marine that was in Iraq once and her husband did several tours. Biggest regret of my life is not joining out of high school.

 

[titus.sixpack]

My Father fought in WWII & Viet Nam. Was a bombardier on a B-25 flying off of Corsica. His tentmate was Joseph Heller, who wrote Catch-22. Piloted a "Puff, the Magic Dragon" gunship in Viet Nam. Awarded the Silver Star during the Tet Offensive. They were totally the Greatest Generation.

 

[dawgenstein]

My great-great Grandfather from Alabama fought for the Confederacy and was wounded at Gettysburg. I had two uncles serve in WWII. My wife's great uncle was killed in WWII at Normandy. He is buried in a grave near Normandy, France. My wife has his dog tags.

 

[tcdog70]

My folks fought in the Revolutionary War, War with Mexico, Both Gr-gr-Granddaddys fought against the Yankees and One had his fingers shot off and the other was shot 3 times. He was captured at the Battle of Selma where he took a ball in the knee. My Dad was captured at Corregidor where Mc Arthur left them to surrender to the Japs and he spent 31/2 years as a POW. My Uncle was a ball turrent gunner in a B25. And My brother in law was a weapons expert in Laos.

 

[BogeyGolfer.sixpack]

WWII, grandfather fought in New Guinea....

Pacific Theater extremely tough terrain and fighting. He served in the Dixie Division, and I think it was made up of mostly men from Mississippi and Alabama. New Guinea isn't talked about much in textbooks but it was a very important campaign that was fought under harsh conditions, look it up. Granddad only talked about it occasionally, he was a great man.

 

[ckDOG]

Grandfather served on the USS Indianapolis.

His tour was over not long before it was sunk in the Pacific. If you want to read an interesting story of a major 17-up from WW2, read about the USS Indianapolis and how Japan took it out. He died when I was 8 so I never got a chance to ask much. I'm getting my dad to request his military records from the archives in St. Louis. I'm very interested to learn more. Anyone have any advice for looking into WW2 era Navy records?

Also, I haven't been able to validate, but my family says that CSA Major General Earl Van Dorn is my Great x 5, Uncle. If you ever have watched the History Channel show "Sex in the Civil War", he was the Officer they featured who was murdered in Spring Hill by a local Doctor who though Van Dorn to have been sleeping with his wife. Shot in the back of the head. Apparently, Uncle Van Dorn was quite the womanizer. His history is also an interesting read for you Civil War buffs. He was an excellent cavalry officer, but wasn't the greatest commanding large troops. He had large roles at Pea Ridge, Corinth 2, and Vicksburg campaign. He was also an officer for the USA in the Mexican-American war. He's buried in Port Gibson, facing North, so that he's ready to rise and beat the Yankees back to the North. Seriously.

 

[woozman]

A gentleman from the Indianapolis gave a talk at a SAME meeting in Mobile several years back. He was one of the survivors. That was some crazy **** those guys went through. The ones that survived the sinking had to deal with sharks pulling men under next to them and others who got so thirsty that they drank saltwater and went crazy. One of the best talks that I have ever heard.

My father did 2 tours in Vietnam (3 Purple Hearts and 2 Bronze Stars) as a Fire Support Officer (life expectancy of less than a minute during a firefight). His older brother, who I am named after served in Korea and was killed in Vietnam on May 20, 1970 from small arms fire on Dong Ha Mountain. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for his actions that day.

 

[lariverdog]

My additions

Grandfather served in the army in WW2. I have his Purple Heart, still in the box. He said the US GI was the worst prepared soldier in Europe. He said he stayed frozen most of the time. He shared very few stories, but I cherish those memories. He spent most of his time in Germany, driving a bulldozer. Said he got the job because he was the only one who knew how to drive it. Said driving a tractor wasn't really any different and he grew up on a farm. He loved his dozer, said he could raise the blade and hide behind it. Told stories of hearing German rounds hitting that blade. My favorite stories: raiding German castles. I have a sword from one of those raids. Said he would drive the dozer right through the castle wall. First stop, the smoke house. The second, the wine cellar. He raided a department store, got 5 fur coats. (Remember he was cold). Sent 3 home (I have 1), sold 1 in the 50's to buy a truck. The other 2 he gave to some Jewish women that they freed from a camp. He said they were essentially naked. Also said you could get a French girl for the night with chocolate packed in the rations. Second story, he killed a Russian that jumped up on his dozer. Hate that if that was your kin, but he said no one was allowed on his dozer. I have that pistol as well, German issued piece given to the local militia. Llama with all the nazi markings.
Dad did 2 tours in Vietnam. I have no idea what or where, he rarely talked about it. I've typed enough.

 

[KurtRambis4]

Not

trying to be a smartass, but "the Iraq war" is referred to as Operation Iraqi Freedom.

 

[chainedup_Dawg]

Yes, I know that some people refer to it as Operation Iraqi Freedom while some also refer to it as the Iraq War. I chose to refer to it as the Iraq War because while Fellujah was at the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom, my family members time spent in Syria was after Operation Iraqi Freedom was declared a success/over. However you chose to look at it. Therefore I didn't think it would be technically correct to label both of those as Operation Iraqi Freedom

 

[SkullCandy.sixpack]

Men on both sides of my family fought in the Revolution. One side from Virginia, and the other from Pennsylvania.

 

[Goat at MSU]

Had 3 great great uncles killed first day of fighting at Gettysburg.They were in 142nd Penn. Had both great great grandfathers fight one another at Shiloh. One uncle on a B 29 out of Guam at the of WW2 .

 

[titus.sixpack]

I have been to the American Cemetery there and it is a very sobering and emotional place.

 

[hillcitydawg]

I had two uncles that served in WW II. My mothers brother survived the Normandy invasion. He passed several years ago. My fathers brother went down on the USS Monaghan in the South Pacific during Typhoon Cobra in !944. He served as a Navy Soundman 2nd Class. My wife's father served during the Korean Conflict. He was with an artillery group near the DMZ. Had a cousin that served two tours of duty in Vietnam as a paratrooper.

 

[T-45fixer]

Dad was in Korean War in the Army. I myself was in desert storm. Served 4 years in the Navy as a mechanic on S-3b, anti-submarine aircraft. Stationed on U.S.S John F. Kennedy.

 

[nsvltndog]

Several relatives on both sides of Civil War.

Great Grandfather was a cook a WWI in France.

Paternal Grandfather was in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam and retired as an Army Lt. Colonel. He died when I was 11 in 1982 so don't have a lot of his war stories. I know he served in the ski patrol in Italy which sounds fun until you think about the neck high wire that was often deployed to slow them down.

Maternal Grandfather was in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam and retired as an Army Colonel. He passed in February at the age of 95. I have wonderful stories and memories from him. He was tasked with leading either the first or one of the first groups of African American soldiers onto Normandy on the 4th day of the Allied Invasion. The military was not very integrated back at the time of WWII and Roosevelt was trying to start the process of changing that. Since Roosevelt was interested in integration and the success of the unit my Grandpa was leading, General Patton also became interested. This led to a personal inspection from Patton on the coast of England shortly before the D-Day launch. He drove a jeep ashore from the Higgins boat that was equipped with a snorkel to allow it to run in the water. Another major campaign he saw was the Battle of the Bulge and until he passed in February he was the only surviving soldier from his unit at the Bulge. He said over 50% of them died in the Battle. A doctor from Mobile that is a WWII history buff is currently finishing a book on his unit from the Battle of the Bulge and most of the 1st hand accounts in that book will be from my Grandpa. Over the last few years, the author made several trips to Jackson to interview him.

My father was in Vietnam and resigned his commission as a Captain in his mid-to-late 20's. He served 3 tours as a forward observer and was highly decorated with a Purple Heart, Silver Star, 4 Bronze Stars, among others.

The interesting part of this thread is how almost all of these people in each of our stories had to survive for any of us to be here. I'm sure there were cases where soliders left young sons and daughters at home to go fight that would have allowed family trees to continue to grow, but in many cases these soldiers served well before ever having children.

 

[KurtRambis4]

I'm

confused. You seem to think Syria is part of Iraq?

 

[chainedup_Dawg]

He was stationed on the Syria-Iraq border but where he was was just inside Syria. However, troops there were still apart of the Iraq War.