Tell a story in the comments about a special Veteran friend or family member.
To all Military Veterans,
Thank You!
11-11-11
Lynn said...
My late father was a Naval veteran of World War II - he was on a
minesweeper in the Pacific theater. One morning the ship's cooks were
all killed in a battle. They asked if anyone knew how to cook and so dad
and the ship's pharmacist raised their hands. Dad was stretching that a
bit - he mainly saw an opportunity to eat better. The first meal was
chili - the ingredients had already been laid out for preparation.
"Eerie" he said. Someone came by and suggested he make it good and hot,
so there was an industrial sized can of chili powder there, and dad
split it open and poured it all in. The rest of the story, was hearing
about all the sailors with tears streaming down their faces. :)He had some horror stories, too (edited to some extent) - what I always admired about that was that he never looked for glory - it was just something you do. You serve your country.
Bonnie said...
There are many vets in my family, my father,his brothers, my
brother in law and all 3 of my grandfathers. The one that sticks out
the most was my Grampa Comstock because he was a survivor at Pearl
Harbor when it was bombed. Unfortunately he died in 1975 when I was
quite young and even though I have researched it, I cannot find the name
of the ship he was on. God Bless all our veterans AND their families,
because they sacrifice too.My Dad served in World War 2 and survived where many of his buddies did not. He would not talk about it so I do not know alot. I have his uniform, dog tags, maps, letters to my Mom and many other things. I recently read a quote "There are no unharmed war veterans" and think it is true. Indeed we are grateful to all our veterans but we really can not understand their sacrifice unless we walked in their shoes.
Comments From Facebook
Judy (kenju) My dad had flat feet and the services wouldn't take him, but his brother and my cousin both served, and many others in the family as well. We are always grateful for their time in service to our country.
Lucy -- My dad was a veteran... He was in the Navy and he was so proud to have served his country... He loved watching Victory at Sea and we all watched it with him...We had a military salute at his funeral... Miss you, dad...
My late father was a Naval veteran of World War II - he was on a minesweeper in the Pacific theater. One morning the ship's cooks were all killed in a battle. They asked if anyone knew how to cook and so dad and the ship's pharmacist raised their hands. Dad was stretching that a bit - he mainly saw an opportunity to eat better. The first meal was chili - the ingredients had already been laid out for preparation. "Eerie" he said. Someone came by and suggested he make it good and hot, so there was an industrial sized can of chili powder there, and dad split it open and poured it all in. The rest of the story, was hearing about all the sailors with tears streaming down their faces. :)
ReplyDeleteHe had some horror stories, too (edited to some extent) - what I always admired about that was that he never looked for glory - it was just something you do. You serve your country.
There are many vets in my family, my father,his brothers, my brother in law and all 3 of my grandfathers. The one that sticks out the most was my Grampa Comstock because he was a survivor at Pearl Harbor when it was bombed. Unfortunately he died in 1975 when I was quite young and even though I have researched it, I cannot find the name of the ship he was on. God Bless all our veterans AND their families, because they sacrifice too.
ReplyDeleteMy Dad served in World War 2 and survived where many of his buddies did not. He would not talk about it so I do not know alot. I have his uniform, dog tags, maps, letters to my Mom and many other things. I recently read a quote "There are no unharmed war veterans" and think it is true. Indeed we are grateful to all our veterans but we really can not understand their sacrifice unless we walked in their shoes.
ReplyDeleteWhen we were children we were taught this poem as a way to honor our wartime heroes.
ReplyDelete"In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields."
Lt. Colonel John McCrae M.D.
Canadian Army
Thanks for remembering those of us who are vets.
ReplyDeleteWe all have a lot to thank veterans for. Those who have served as well as those who currently are.
ReplyDeleteRalph
My father served in WWII. He was shot on the battlefield while rescuing another soldier. He received a Purple Heart and Bronze Star in recognition.
ReplyDeleteMy three uncles also served in the same war. One of them (Ray)was killed in action. My dad wanted to honor him in some way, so he named me after him.
God bless them all.
ReplyDeleteI come from a long line of peace-loving veterans. My great-grandfather lied about his age so he could join the Navy in WWI (where he was a champion boxer), and my grandfather, his son, also lied about his age so he could go fight the Nazis in WWII. Before that, my great-great-great grandfather fought on the Union side in the civil war. I can't imagine that kind of bravery, and I salute them.
ReplyDeleteI don't really have any stories to tell. As an adopted person my history is very limited. I didn't have a grandfather. Both my parents were evacuated as children in the second world war.
ReplyDeleteI do have a story about my father visiting the concentration camps in germany, so maybe I'll try to talk about that on my blog one day.
Ron served 20 years in the Navy through the Cold War and Vietnam. He freely and often tells funny stories from his years in the military but he never talks about the serious stuff unless he is with a group of other veterans. They know that unless we were there we cannot understand.
ReplyDeleteI don't have any stories to tell either, however I will mention that my late grandfather was a WWI veteran of the Navy who lost a couple of fingers during combat while loading those big ass cannons (I think. My recollection is a bit hazy on that). Like some patriotic men in those days, he lied about his age so that he could enlist.
ReplyDeleteMy Dad was a Sergeant in the Infantry in Korea. The GI Bill helped get him thru Engineering education.
ReplyDeleteA girl I knew growing up became career Army, as both her parents were. She did 3 tours in Iraq after a tour in Germany, despite being a parent. She works in the Motor Pool division. I think she's very dedicated n brave.