My Dad was too young to serve in WWII, he was born in 1931. He grew up in extreme poverty and lied about his age to join the Army 101st Airborne Div. with whom he served 2 tours in Korea (in a segregated Spanish speaking unit) and 2 tours in Vietnam. He retired after 25 years of distinguished service with 2 Bronze Stars. He just turned 85 and to this day he's my hero. God bless our troops and THANK YOU!
Here's a survivor of Pearl Harbor, Chief Gunners Mate William V. Mitchell. This is a post war photo, as he is smiling. His ship was moored southeast of Ford Island where all the battleships were docked. The Japanese torpedo bombers flew right past his ship as they made their runs on the battleships and cruisers. After he was able to break the locks off the ammo lockers, he said in his war diary "we had some good shooting that day, including a direct hit on a torpedo plane that knocked all the gunners to the deck." When remember Pearl Harbor was mentioned, he would always say "who wants to remember a sh## kicking" He survived the war, taking part in 18 of the major Pacific battles. He made pre invasion landings as a member of the beach party (no Annette Funicello) at Tarawa, the Aleutians and several other islands. Thanks, pops and all veterans
My father in 2009 on the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight for WWII Vets and back in 1945 with his tank . He passed on August 25th 2016. RIP Pop's and miss you. Thanks to all who have served.
Ryan - Thanks for the thread. Lots of us swell with pride regarding the U.S. Armed Forces. Here's grandpa. He joined the Army after Pearl Harbor. Let me drive before I was old enough.
Here's a short video from December 7, 1941 which shows some planes flying over Pearl Harbor and the Arizona getting hit and exploding in flames at :45 of the video....
The dang picture is fuzzy, but it is the last picture taken with my wife's grandpa and myself before he passed Christmas 2014. He joined the Navy when he was 16 and served in the Pacific Theater for the duration of the war. I started dating my now wife when I was 16 and he accepted me as his own grandson shortly thereafter, something I greatly appreciated as all of mine had passed when I was young. He had been tinkering with Model Ts since he came home from the war when the only paint he could find was John Deere green and yellow. I tried to learn as much as I could from him knowing that our time would be short, and often our time in the garage led to other discussions as well. Anyone that tries to say that the generation wasn't the greatest should be punished, it is enough to make me so disgusted in my own generation. He was and probably will be the only World War II veteran I will ever truly know and I miss him dearly. I purchased his one remaining Model T after he passed and am showing it his his honor.
N.A.S.C.A.R. W.W. II Vets Walter "Bud" Moore- U.S. Army Normandy Invader Muilt Purple Hearts Bronze Star Winner Cotton Owens- U.S. Navy Pacific Smokey Yunick- Flew B-17s for the Army Air Core Flew for the Flying Tigers Red Byron- Army Air Core flight engineer B-24 shot at (not down) during the war and he suffered a serious injury to his left leg. Rene Charland- U.S.M.C. Pacific.
This is related to a later moment in WWII history: a family friend recently passed away at the age of 94...he was an engineer and machinist, just a brilliant and talented man. When I read his obituary, I found out he had worked on the Manhattan Project. I wish I had known about that years ago so I could ask him about it, but like many of the Greatest Generation, he never talked about it.
During the Viet Nam conflict, I was stationed at Hickam AFB for 3 years. During those 3 years, the movie TORA TORA TORA was being filmed. I was assigned to the 61 FMS in an aero repair shop. The hanger my shop was in had been hit several times during the Dec 7th attack. When the hanger was rebuilt, they left the old structure inside the new hanger. No loose pieces but the entire structure had been burned and bent. Knowing our hanger had been hit in the attack added to the spooky feeling. While the filming was going on, we would leave the shop with our work order and tool bag in our green jeans going to work on a plane on the flight line.............you would hear the drone of the radial engines, look up to see 5 or 6 zeros coming in at about 250 feet with machine guns blazing ( blanks, for the movie ). The hair on the back of my neck has never stood at attention like that before or after. The TV news and The newspaper warned everyone for almost a week before the scene of the Arizona being hit was filmed. The Movie Arizona was a platform that could be sunk and raised. The day of that scene was unreal. The explosion shook everything on that part of the island. The fireball and the smoke was everywhere. Every Dec 7, I indulge myself in the movie with the phone turned off, the drapes pulled and the doors locked. I get to see my hanger and the flight line and a lot of guys I knew who stood in line for the crowd scenes. It is an extra special day to me.
My dad, after finding out he was 4-F due to a brain condition that went unnoticed for another 30 years, signed on to the Manhattan project. He spent two years in Hanford, Washington running heavy equipment, never knowing what was being built other than rumors of a doomsday weapon. When the bombs fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he realized what he had been part of and cried for days from pride and horror, knowing that the can of worms was opened and the world would never be the same. On to the hot rod part of this thread: The world was a different place pre-war, many of the young men that were called upon to fight had never been off the farm, so to speak. Can you imagine the speed rush, the first time a young Army pilot they got his hands on the throttle of a P-38, Holy Crap that was a lot of horsepower. I'll bet a lot of future hot rodders found a new Heaven in or around war planes
My Uncle Al was a Marine stationed at Pearl that day.... On December 8th my Grandma found out he was ok and 5 more of my uncles (two on my Dads side and three on my Mothers side) enlisted. By wars end... I had 6 Uncles and two Aunts in the Military.... All arrived home beat up but safely.
A good friend of mine's dad was the Stunt Cordinator on the movie Tora Tora Tora. He and his friends bought surfboards from Hobie Hawaii Waikiki in 1968 to try and surf. When they were done filming he brought his surfboard home and put it in his attic never to be seen again. When he passed away and they sold the house I happened by there while they were cleaning it out. The brand new (1968) surfboard was going to get thrown away. An employees dad is 96, and Pearl Harbor survivor. He flew PBYs and picked up downed airmen. He came back from a flight on December 6th. Woke up to hell.
I see that list quoted a lot, but it's always missing one: Sabu, the original Mowgli in The Jungle Book, plus many other films. Sabu (last name Dastagir), kneeling second from right; B-24 ball turret gunner in the Pacific. (Image courtesy B-24 Best Web)
The butt-kicking we got at Pearl Harbor is a true tragedy. But as Yamamoto said "a sleeping giant has been awakened" When you contemplate the immediate and thorough conversion of our automotive manufacturing to military manufacturing, it is mind-boggling. I am in awe and full of admiration.
Had the pleasure of meeting and coming to know personally Donald Stratton while living in Colorado Springs. He is a survivor of the USS Arizona and his story is amazing. He will deny straight away being a hero, but I beg to differ. All of those that served during this wartime are the reason we still speak English in this country today. Sent from my A520L using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
My dad's dad was a coal miner in life. A do everything man. Enlisted the 3rd day after, on Dec. 10th, 75 years ago today. Battleship tender/troop transport - ship engineer in the Pacific, with both ships sunk within his first year of service. Thereafter a "vacation" stint closer to Australia via Marianas and Palau Islands. A year in hell. Made him miss his "swimming". Mining was the safest job he knew. Buried by West Virginia coal was more comforting then being lost within the burned glass sands and waters of the Pacific, with nothing to note his existence. He worked "checkerboard" with fellow shipmates during the war and later in the mines. No race deviation with either job ... always black, but American at day's end. December 7th steered his life path to the grave, 1982. I don't believe a single day is as significant for this country before, or since. I'm more thankful than most ... maybe. Miss him, and all ... every day. God bless 'em each and every one. Yes siree'.
I was reviewing some old WWII advertisements. One in particular was encouraging conservation and rationing. It was encouraging the citizens to carpool. "If you ride alone, you ride with Hitler"
My uncle Don Nickols was a Bataan Death March survivor. The stories he told were pretty Bad. He said there were things that he could never talk about. Gone now but not forgotten!
Had a neighbor in north Minneapolis, Mr. K also a survivor of the Bataan death march. After years in prison, one day they awoke and no guards. (war over). Some prisoners were walking along a railroad track and who should they encounter? A guard that had beat them and spit in their food for 4 years. Guess what happened next. Payback.
Lets bring this back with tomorrow being December 7th. My father enlisted in 1939 at the age if 15 from a severe depression hit area of the country. He was wounded during the attack and medically discharged. Upon learning of his brothers death during the Midway operation he again enlisted and was wounded once again in the European theater and again medically discharged. In 1947 he enlisted once again and was sent to Korea where he was again wounded and medically discharged again. After my birth he enlisted yet again in 1960 and was KIA in Vietnam in 1964. All of his enlistments were under fictitious names. My other uncles all served in both the Pacific and European Theaters surviving the Island Hopping campaigns to the Battle of the Bulge. Very few WWII Veterans are still with us and to me they are cherished. When I was young and in the Cub and Boy Scouts there were many WWI Veterans that participated in the Memorial day parade. Sadly not one of them is left. Lets take this moment to appreciate what was done by them and the civilian population of the time to succeed in their endeavors and thank any that are still around from "The Greatest Generation". Thank you Ryan for permitting this in the forum.
My Grandpa 1944 bottom row far right, just before heading to Europe, he was in the 28th Infantry division, they were the relief for Easy Company in Ardennes during the Battle of the Bulge. This was a Book he had that I now have. Brave men doing extraordinarily difficult things. He didn’t say much about the war, I don’t think he wanted to talk about it. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
It is very important that we recognize the brave souls who served at Pearl Harbor. There are few left. No recognition ceremony allowed today in WI. That saddens me. Thank you Veterans!
Pearl Harbor? read this and you'll never look at that incident the same way. 16 Days to die, the tragedy on the USS West Virginia.. Marines standing watch on the hull heard them banging but couldn't do a thing about it.. https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19951207&slug=2156455
One of my Uncles was there in one of those two battered destroyers caught in drydock - widely seen in photos. A lucky fellow, he only lost a finger. Later, my dad was on a ship in the first wave returning to the Phillipines and later a corpsman in Korea. Three other uncles served in WWII. Not a fun time. What I cherish most about the greatest generation was their willingness to hunker down, share, ration food and fuel, hold scrap drives to collect scarce material, and so on. They helped save the free world, and America.
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