Memorial Day

[Tidewater]

I was curious as to the numbers for the Second World War.
How many served:

Year	Army	Navy	Marines	Coast Guard	Total
1939	189,839	125,202	19,432		334,473
1940	269,023	160,997	28,345		458,365
1941	1,462,315	284,427	54,359		1,801,101
1942	3,075,608	640,570	142,613	56,716*	3,915,507
1943	6,994,472	1,741,750	308,523	151,167	9,195,912
1944	7,994,750	2,981,365	475,604	171,749	11,623,468
1945	8,267,958	3,380,817	474,680	85,783	12,209,238

How many died or were wounded:


US MILITARY CASUALTIES IN WORLD WAR II

Branch	Killed	Wounded
Army and Air Force	318,274	565,861
Navy	62,614	37,778
Marines	24,511	68,207
Coast Guard	1,917	Unknown
TOTAL	407,316	671,278

And the Merchant Marine:

MERCHANT MARINE CASUALTIES

Died as POWs	37
Dead	5,662
Missing/Presumed Dead	4,780
Killed at Sea	845

A couple of thoughts:

1. The Army was by far the largest service and had by far the greatest number of casualties. The number of KIA was surprisingly close to the number of WIA. Today, there is a huge difference between the two. Guys that in WW II would have died, today survive (even though many are horribly maimed). In WW II, they just died on the battlefield.
2. More sailors were killed than wounded. I guess when your ship goes down, she takes a lot of the sailors with her.
3. I am surprised at how low the casualties are for the merchant marine. The U.S. lost a lot of ships 1941-45, and that normally meant the crew had to be abandoned so the convoy could continue on.

 

[Crimson1967]

Unfortunately, Memorial Day is seen as the official kickoff for summer instead of remembering what it is about. It might be better if it was in November and Veterans Day was in May.

 

[B1GTide]

Unfortunately, Memorial Day is seen as the official kickoff for summer instead of remembering what it is about. It might be better if it was in November and Veterans Day was in May.

Those who care know, and those who do not care would not care any more in November.

 

[Tidewater]

Those who care know, and those who do not care would not care any more in November.

Sadly true.

 

[Bazza]

This aerial gunner was one of the only US aviators to be buried at sea inside his aircraft
Only once in the history of the U.S. Navy was an aviator buried at sea inside his airplane. Loyce Edward Deen was so shot up by Japanese anti-aircraft fire, his shipmates decided to keep him forever in his TBM Avenger as they bid him fair winds and following seas.

Deen joined the Navy in 1942, less than a year after the attack on Pearl Harbor. His first combat duty station was on the USS Essex. He was injured in the 1944 Battle of Leyte Gulf but instead of recovering on a hospital ship, he opted to stay with his crew, pilot Lt. Robert Cosgrove and radioman Digby Denzek.
(more at linked article)


Cosgrove, Denzek, and Deen.

Video:
His personal affects were recovered from his body. His fingerprints were taken. Funeral detail was called for all available hands to muster on the fantail of the flight deck. A shroud was wrapped around Deen. The ships captain said a few words and the coffin with Deen at his duty station is rolled off the deck as a bugler played taps. At around the fifty second mark of the video is Lt Cosgrove in flight suit, zipper open mid way with his hands behind his back. Lieutenant Cosgrove received the Navy Cross, three Distinguished Flying Crosses and eight Air Medals. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery in 2005. AMM2C's Deen's family received his posthumous Purple Heart and Air Medal. Remember them as we bear witness to the courage of all those who face danger to maintain our freedom.

 

[GrayTide]

A little late, but still relevant.

 

[DzynKingRTR]

Weird architecture fact about the wall. It was a design charratte (design competition with a one day deadline). The person that won was a student and their professor gave them a C. I have seen the original sketches, they are pretty simple and not that great. The project won because of concept and not based on the drawing ability.

 

[Tidewater]

A little late, but still relevant.
View attachment 17178

My battalion, 2nd Battalion, 327th U.S. Infantry, went to Vietnam in 1965 and came home in 1972. (Full disclosure I did not deploy with 2-327 INF. I was 2½ years old). The battalion stayed seven years, but individual soldiers would rotate in and out over those years. Trickle-feeding replacements one man at a time was one of the most pernicious personnel policies I have ever heard of. It was almost designed to destroy unit cohesiveness.

 

[Bazza]

Reviving the thread I started back in 2020. Obviously the date is different for this year, but nevertheless, worth sharing the thread content.

Memorial Day…is the day that is set aside to remember with gratitude and pride all those who served and died for our country and our freedom.

May your day and weekend be filled with happy memories and peace as we remember the many brave men and women who have given their lives through the history of our country to protect us from danger and harm. Let us remember all those who sustained injury in the mind and/or body in the course of their services. Let us salute all those who have, are, and will serve in the military.

God Bless and Thank You!

 

[Padreruf]

Thank you...I was amazed in ministry at how many people confused Memorial Day and Veterans Day. I had veterans confront me over not recognizing them in the service. My answer; you are still living. The day you want is in November.

 

[GrayTide]

Thanks, Bazz for reactivating this thread. A solemn day with gratitude for those who did not make it back home. May they all find eternal peace.

 

[crimsonaudio]

Rest in peace, all who gave all.

 

[AlistarWills]

It really chaps my hide that people are shooting fireworks on Memorial Day. Someone nearby is doing it. Truly pathetic!

 

[Bodhisattva]

Lan, Lily, and I took a road trip to Mobile and the Eastern Shore over the weekend. On Saturday I visited my nephew, who is the son of my second youngest brother. Tyler was five years old when my brother died, and the last time I saw my nephew he was three years old. A couple of weeks ago he graduated high school. It was a very good visit with Tyler, his mom, and his little brother. He earned a scholarship to pay for some of his college and has been working and saving his money. On Saturday I let him know that I would help cover the cost of his education. He’s a smart, hardworking kid and looks like my brother did at his age.

We went on a three-hour food tour (Bienville Bites Food Tour) in downtown Mobile. We visited six restaurants and had everything from biscuits to oysters to barbecue to beignets. The walking tour also included a history lesson on the founding of Mobile, a study of the architecture, and some ghost stories. We walked through the Battle House hotel and a couple of the cathedrals. Most of this I already knew, but I got to enjoy watching Lan and Lily experience the food and history. And watching Lily interact with her cousins for the first time was very special.

Sunday morning, I visited the graves of my two youngest brothers, whose tombstones are side-by-side under an oak tree and facing a pond. I cleaned the tombstones, did some weeding, and spent a couple of hours in quiet conversation with them. I’d like to think the conversation was real.

Three years ago, as I was coming back to the area every other weekend for more than a year to deal with my mom’s estate, my wife asked me to visit a gentleman named Jere Trigg.

https://mobilebaymag.com/meet-jere-trigg-the-violet-guru/

Lan has developed a passion for gardening, and one of her favorite flowering plants are African violets. She happened to connect on FB with Jere, who has created several hybrid AVs, including one called “Jere’s Roll Tide.” Lan asked me if Spanish Fort was close to where my mom’s house is. It’s the next town over, so I visited Jere at his house to buy several plants and get a basic botany lesson.

Lan communicated periodically with Jere, and when we planned this trip, she wanted to visit Jere and buy some more AVs and learn more about the caring and propagating of the plants. But mainly she just wanted to talk to him about their shared enjoyment of gardening. Unfortunately, Lan could not get in touch with Jere this time. She found out he recently passed away. There is a FB group dedicated to keeping Jere’s legacy alive. Lan reached out to them and has joined their group, and we visited with one of the members while in Mobile. Lan bought some more plants that once were Jere’s, and she will try to propagate them. Lan is very much a novice but is determined to get her skill up. RIP Jere.

On Monday’s drive back home, we stopped in Pensacola for an early lunch at The Fist House. Good food and very nice water view.

The trip was brief, emotional, and awesome.

 

[Bazza]

Lan, Lily, and I took a road trip to Mobile and the Eastern Shore over the weekend. -snip-

Very nice post, Bodhi. Sorry for the loss of your two brothers. But respect to you for looking after your nephew, Tyler. Does he call you Uncle B. like mine do me?

Very cool about Jere Trigg and his African Violets. They are not easy to maintain! I've skimmed through the linked article and enjoyed what I've read so far. Fascinating!

Reminds me of one of my professors in college who was a renowned expert in orchids. Now passed away.

These folks leave behind their legacies.....in ways they probably don't even realize!

I have an A. Violet story to share later.

Best to you and yours!

 

[Bodhisattva]

Very nice post, Bodhi. Sorry for the loss of your two brothers. But respect to you for looking after your nephew, Tyler. Does he call you Uncle B. like mine do me?

Very cool about Jere Trigg and his African Violets. They are not easy to maintain! I've skimmed through the linked article and enjoyed what I've read so far. Fascinating!

Reminds me of one of my professors in college who was a renowned expert in orchids. Now passed away.

These folks leave behind their legacies.....in ways they probably don't even realize!

I have an A. Violet story to share later.

Best to you and yours!

Thank you, Bazza. I'm planning to help all my nieces and nephews with the college expenses. And, no, Tyler doesn't call me Uncle Bodhi ... yet. He's not aware of that nickname. He should be at least 21 before hearing the exploits of my younger self.

African violets are a finicky plant. Lan has great success with them for about three years, and then they die off. Have you had better long-term luck with them? Let's hear your story.

 

[Bazza]

African violets are a finicky plant. Lan has great success with them for about three years, and then they die off. Have you had better long-term luck with them? Let's hear your story.

I think finicky is the right word to use there, Bodhi.

My Mom used to have them in her home and did great!

But mine did like Lan's...good for a long period and then all downhill.

The story I will share is back in December of 2003 I went on tour - a week in California and then off to Moorea for another week, spending my Christmas there at Club Bali Hai in a hut over water. I went solo - just me and my surfboard. It was a fantastic time except for when my board was stolen just hours before my departure on my flight back to LA.

So here's the story. While waiting in line at the LA airport for departure to Tahiti....right in front of me in line was a family of 4 from California who went on vacation every year to spend their Christmas in a different land.This was to be their 3rd time visiting Tahiti. And they stayed at the same place as me! I got to be friendly with the daughter and turns out she had her own business creating and selling African Violet pots!

I know you're familiar with these...a 2 part pot with the bottom holding water and the top holding the actual plant - with the top part sitting inside the bottom part so the plant absorbs it's water from the soil thus avoiding getting any water on the leaves.

So we had some good conversations about African Violets and other things we had in common while there. The family also shared some tips with me about the flight - waiting for the seat belt light to go off and then grabbing any open 3 seat section so you can lay down and sleep during the long flight. Other stuff about the island and what to expect. Colorful family and pretty neat about the daughter's business.

Dad, Mom, son, and daughter......enjoying their Hinano beers!

 

[Toddrn]

I think finicky is the right word to use there, Bodhi.

My Mom used to have them in her home and did great!

But mine did like Lan's...good for a long period and then all downhill.

The story I will share is back in December of 2003 I went on tour - a week in California and then off to Moorea for another week, spending my Christmas there at Club Bali Hai in a hut over water. I went solo - just me and my surfboard. It was a fantastic time except for when my board was stolen just hours before my departure on my flight back to LA.

So here's the story. While waiting in line at the LA airport for departure to Tahiti....right in front of me in line was a family of 4 from California who went on vacation every year to spend their Christmas in a different land.This was to be their 3rd time visiting Tahiti. And they stayed at the same place as me! I got to be friendly with the daughter and turns out she had her own business creating and selling African Violet pots!

I know you're familiar with these...a 2 part pot with the bottom holding water and the top holding the actual plant - with the top part sitting inside the bottom part so the plant absorbs it's water from the soil thus avoiding getting any water on the leaves.

So we had some good conversations about African Violets and other things we had in common while there. The family also shared some tips with me about the flight - waiting for the seat belt light to go off and then grabbing any open 3 seat section so you can lay down and sleep during the long flight. Other stuff about the island and what to expect. Colorful family and pretty neat about the daughter's business.

Dad, Mom, son, and daughter......enjoying their Hinano beers!

View attachment 42633

View attachment 42634

Did you take a ferry to Moorea?

 

[Tideflyer]

Right on cue, the local VFW and American Legion placed flags on the US veterans' graves on Thursday and left them since Thursday. Well-intentioned, but ...

I know where you`re coming from, but I`ll take that

Let us not forget man's best friend.......

They too served and were good soldiers.

 

[Tideflyer]

Those who care know, and those who do not care would not care any more in November.

Well said. Are WWII , and Viet Nam for that matter, anything more than a footnote in high school history class anymore?