D-day remembrance: June 6, 1944...

[bama579]

A reminder of that momentous event sixty-nine years ago.

My father wasn't in on the landing day-of; his unit went in three days later. They were later attached to Pattons' 3rd Army and were among the first to relieve the 101st Airborne at Bastogne. He was a tank driver.

Didn't see an existing thread and thought it us another example of what people in our military have done for us and that we should remember.

And . . . Yes, I miss him. Still.

Feel free to add stories/ memories of veterans in your family - or friends.

 

[GrayTide]

Re: D-day rememberance: June 6, 1944

My wife 's father went in on D Day + 1 in a glider. He was with the 101st Airborne and was in Bastogne.

 

[seebell]

Re: D-day rememberance: June 6, 1944

I salute them all. Not many WWII vets left. The old guard fades away.

 

[dayhiker]

Re: D-day rememberance: June 6, 1944

crimsonaudio was at the memorial ceremony yesterday.

 

[bamachile]

Re: D-day rememberance: June 6, 1944

My dad's uncle was a cook with Patton's 3rd army. Dad also had a brother with the 8th Air Force during that time, one at sea in the Pacific, and one yet to be inducted in the Army. My mother's father was in his thirties with seven children, but was drafted right after D-Day. These were the heroes of my youth. God bless them all, living and dead.

 

[willie52]

Re: D-day rememberance: June 6, 1944

A reminder of that momentous event sixty-nine years ago.

My father wasn't in on the landing day-of; his unit went in three days later. They were later attached to Pattons' 3rd Army and were among the first to relieve the 101st Airborne at Bastogne. He was a tank driver.

Didn't see an existing thread and thought it us another example of what people in our military have done for us and that we should remember.

And . . . Yes, I miss him. Still.

Feel free to add stories/ memories of veterans in your family - or friends.

Brings back memories of my dad. He was a tank commander with Patton from North Africa to Germany. Wounded twice and carried shrapnel is his spine for the rest of his days. If you could pry them out of him, there were some stories to hear. He was good friends with Patton's driver (Johnny I think was his name), if I remember correctly they were both in Japan for the occupation. I've always loved to sit with the WWII vets and talk with them, they seemed to enjoy it also. Bless them all.

 

[TexasTideFan]

Re: D-day rememberance: June 6, 1944

I've always loved to sit with the WWII vets and talk with them, they seemed to enjoy it also. Bless them all.

My older relatives that served in the Pacific during WWII never wanted to open up about their war-time service. I think they wanted to block out from memory what they saw and what they did over there. Alot of Vietnam vets are the same way. The amount of death they witnessed and the methods of survival they had to use to get home, I can't blame them.

 

[TheAccountant]

Re: D-day rememberance: June 6, 1944

One of my favorite songs:
[video=youtube;wbYvU9PLhcw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wbYvU9PLhcw#![/video]

 

[DzynKingRTR]

Re: D-day rememberance: June 6, 1944

My older relatives that served in the Pacific during WWII never wanted to open up about their war-time service. I think they wanted to block out from memory what they saw and what they did over there. Alot of Vietnam vets are the same way. The amount of death they witnessed and the methods of survival they had to use to get home, I can't blame them.

my family was the same way. no one ever talked about their time. Then my senior year of high school I had to interview a "veteren" for American history. I picked my grandfather on my dad's side. It was then that I found out he was at Pearl Harbor. He talked at length about it to me that day. He teared up a couple times (never before had I ever seen the man cry). I didn't follow up with any D-Day questions and now that he is gone I wish I had.

 

[TexasTideFan]

Re: D-day rememberance: June 6, 1944

I didn't follow up with any D-Day questions and now that he is gone I wish I had.

Probably wise you didn't if he never brought it up again. The vets that saw death that up close and personal and were lucky enough to come home alive are not the same people that went over there. Alot of them will tell you they became more like savages. It's a memory most of them want to keep locked up tight. Alot of guys coming home now are the same way. War is hell.

 

[DzynKingRTR]

Re: D-day rememberance: June 6, 1944

Probably wise you didn't if he never brought it up again. The vets that saw death that up close and personal and were lucky enough to come home alive are not the same people that went over there. Alot of them will tell you they became more like savages. It's a memory most of them want to keep locked up tight. Alot of guys coming home now are the same way. War is hell.

my grandfather on my mothers side was a grouchy old man. my grandmother always told me he came back different. he was nearly killed and was MIA at one point. both of my grandfathers went thru hell and somehow survived. it is crazy to think how lucky i am to even be here.

 

[jabcmb]

Re: D-day rememberance: June 6, 1944

If you ever get a chance to visit the National Cemetary above Omaha Beach, take advantage of it. There's no other place like it. Rare is the person who visits who doesn't shed a tear and feel the weight of the tremendous sacrifices that took place there.

Plus, the people of that region love Americans!

 

[exiledNms]

Re: D-day rememberance: June 6, 1944

On my bucket list, jabcmb. A buddy went last year, & since he's former military he got to be part of the flag lowering at the cemetery. Said it's the most awesome experience he's ever had.

Y'all should go ahead & put this on next year's list (if you can't make it over to Normandy): roll down to NOLA to the museum. That same buddy & I went down 4 years ago for tne 65th anniv. They had invited every known living survivor of DDay, & a couple hundred showed up. I doubt I'll stand in that great of a company again this side of Heaven. I spent the whole day barely able to speak & keep composure.

I saw a guy talk about his uncle who was tasked with cleaning off the beaches back then. The guy said his uncle would say he cleaned the beaches of Omaha & Utah...and never said another word about it to anyone. Wife, kids, friends, VFW buddies,...I can only imagine what his duty was like.

 

[TexasTideFan]

Re: D-day rememberance: June 6, 1944

I saw a guy talk about his uncle who was tasked with cleaning off the beaches back then. The guy said his uncle would say he cleaned the beaches of Omaha & Utah...and never said another word about it to anyone. Wife, kids, friends, VFW buddies,...I can only imagine what his duty was like.

Not taking away anything from what happened on D-Day but the Marines hopping around the Pacific that did not get KIA or wounded had to do alot of burial and body removals/ID. Iwo I heard was the worst. Seeing some of that would challenge me to be a normal human again and be able to adjust back to society.

 

[cbi1972]

Re: D-day rememberance: June 6, 1944

Not taking away anything from what happened on D-Day but the Marines hopping around the Pacific that did not get KIA or wounded had to do alot of burial and body removals/ID. Iwo I heard was the worst. Seeing some of that would challenge me to be a normal human again and be able to adjust back to society.

Amazon: With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa

A grunt's eye view of the Pacific Theater and one of the best memoirs I have ever read, by Alabamian E.B. Sledge.

 

[bamachile]

Re: D-day rememberance: June 6, 1944

Amazon: With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa

A grunt's eye view of the Pacific Theater and one of the best memoirs I have ever read, by Alabamian E.B. Sledge.

Great book; one of my favorite island-hopping accounts. It'll make you forgive Eugene B. for attending API.

Another is Helmet for my Pillow, by Robert Leckie. Between those two, I don't know if I could choose the better account.

 

[92tide]

Re: D-day rememberance: June 6, 1944

Amazon: With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa

A grunt's eye view of the Pacific Theater and one of the best memoirs I have ever read, by Alabamian E.B. Sledge.

my best friend's dad was a grunt in the pacific theater. he died a couple of years back. my friend (one of three boys) said he never talked a bit about it.

i saw a documentary that had a guy from alabama talking about fighting on the ground in the pacific theater. it was hard to watch/listen to. i can only imagine the horror.

my maternal grandfather was a medic in europe, but he died in the 50s when my mom was 11. My paternal grandfather was too old to fight in ww2 but had several (4 or 5) brothers that ended up fighting (i think they were all in europe). never heard much about it, but my dad told me at least two of them drank themselves to death after the war.

 

[TexasTideFan]

Re: D-day rememberance: June 6, 1944

Great book; one of my favorite island-hopping accounts. It'll make you forgive Eugene B. for attending API.

Another is Helmet for my Pillow, by Robert Leckie. Between those two, I don't know if I could choose the better account.

Those names sound familiar. Were theyportrayed in the HBO mini-series Pacific. Wasn't one of those jarheads from Mobile?

 

[jabcmb]

Re: D-day rememberance: June 6, 1944

Not taking away anything from what happened on D-Day but the Marines hopping around the Pacific that did not get KIA or wounded had to do alot of burial and body removals/ID. Iwo I heard was the worst. Seeing some of that would challenge me to be a normal human again and be able to adjust back to society.

Read With the Old Breed by E.B. Sledge. A Marine who survived Pacific battles and became a college professor. He writes from the grunt's perspective.

Edit: Sorry, didn't see above post. Didn't mean to duplicate.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

Re: D-day rememberance: June 6, 1944

my best friend's dad was a grunt in the pacific theater. he died a couple of years back. my friend (one of three boys) said he never talked a bit about it.

i saw a documentary that had a guy from alabama talking about fighting on the ground in the pacific theater. it was hard to watch/listen to. i can only imagine the horror.

my maternal grandfather was a medic in europe, but he died in the 50s when my mom was 11. My paternal grandfather was too old to fight in ww2 but had several (4 or 5) brothers that ended up fighting (i think they were all in europe). never heard much about it, but my dad told me at least two of them drank themselves to death after the war.

My brothers never talked about much, and, from what my brother who served with the 8th Air Force, based in SE England, told me, I wasn't sure I wanted to hear much more...