Comments on WW2 vet, Vietnam vet. The difference.

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Re:
Nothings ever as it appears to be.

posted by mordent on December 24, 2008 at 7:17 PM | link to this | reply

Wonderful recap! You guys have done your duty....however ill-conceived the war was. Now they won't even help you pick up the pieces. We fight the wars of the elites...not those of our convictions. When BUSH's daughters go to fight war (not like Princess Diane's son who was chaperoned) then I believe it is US against THEM! WE're caught in a trap, my friend!

posted by Soul_Builder101 on December 24, 2008 at 6:58 PM | link to this | reply

By the way, My dad moved to San Diego right after the war and that is where I now reside. I can remember walking by the harbor with him and seeing a Japanese destroyer in port. There were two Japs kicking a soccer ball and my dad approached them and asked them about their ship.

They replied it was a destroyer and my dad looked at it and said "beautiful." I think he mean't it but as we walked away I remember him saying "I never thought I would see one of those in my harbor."

posted by mordent on December 24, 2008 at 12:09 PM | link to this | reply

Re: Re: Re: BEST POST EVER ON BLOGIT BY ANYONE!!!!!

Hello,

Remarkably similar stories. Thats the generation. My dad became the man of the house at age nine as my grandfather met his fate at close to the same age of yours.

He ran away from home around '34' said there was nothing to eat and didn't want to be an extra mouth to feed. He worked in the CC camps and stowed away on railroads. Eventually joined the navy in 1940. He saw Pearl Harbor a week after it was hit and said the ships were still burning and he said he was sure the hell ready to fight.

He didn't tell a lot of stories. I know he changed ships quite a few times. And most of his fighting was with the anti-aircraft batteries (pom-pom guns). I think he was a gunners-mate. He was on a landing ship USS Oxford, a cruiser USS Chester, Battleship USS Washington and a few others. He didn't like the battle-ship because he said there were too many inspections. 

I remember him talking about a tiger shark actually swimming with the men in Hawaii but they all fled for the ship once they saw it. 

I also remember him talking about how scary the storms in the South Pacific were. About how the ships went way up (bow out of the water) and down with the surf. A hundred feet bumps if I remember correctly. And one storn they lost 3 tin-cans (destroyers).

I remember him seeing another sailor get crushed to death by crates they were trying to secure during these situations.

I asked him if he ever killed anyone and he said he didn't know. He said he just aimed at the sky and that the whole sky was always black. 

posted by mordent on December 24, 2008 at 11:50 AM | link to this | reply

Re: Re: BEST POST EVER ON BLOGIT BY ANYONE!!!!!

Oh yes I remember Lee Marvin, great actor and many military flicks. He was great and exemplified the time, era and the persona of military personnel. My Dad became the man of the house at age 6 in 1931. His Dad, my grandfather died at age 32 (this is incredible history involving the NY mobsters, prohibition and the roaring 20's that is not pleasant nor a proud moment in our family history but there was much about this too much to talk about here). My Dad said he enlisted as a Marine to be able to support his Mom and sister and that he wanted some excitement. He later said he got more excitement than he bargained for, lol!

I will see him tomorrow and on Christmas Day and will forward your interest as well. Again, thanks so much for remebering the Great Generation. Many thanks and hats off to your Dad for serving our nation. I would like to hear more about your Dad's experiences. Is he with us now? How about your Mom?

 

posted by RedStatesMan on December 23, 2008 at 10:52 PM | link to this | reply

Re: Re: BEST POST EVER ON BLOGIT BY ANYONE!!!!!

Oh, man, I could go on for days on this topic. I believe you when you said you were thinking of me when you created this post. It was so weird reading it because to say it hit home is an understatement. It was like you had just done an interview with my Dad. Kamakazies, yes, Dad saw plenty of them. On the ship he was on, there were several but they were fortunate because they all just missed. When Dad received his honorable discharge in San Diego, he was a Marine staff sargeant. I am currently trying to get something lined up for Dad on a Veterans History Project that is being done with my alma mater and Fox50 TV in Raleigh. Here is the link and I will let you know how this all turns out:

http://www.myfoxraleigh.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;jsessionid=013028216C596F02C50E865650BE20AF?contentId=7495284&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1

Sorry if I am rambling but there is so much on this topic you have brought up. I have some incredible pictures from back then of my Dad and some captured Japs as well as other many interesting pictures. Sorry, but in our family they are referred to as Japs not Japanese, if that offends anyone then get over it!

My Dad told me of their unit surrounding a Japanese mess hall which had about 500 inside. Our Marines interrupted their breakfast shall we say! My Dad also told about the use of flamethrowers to take care of those in the huge number of tunnels that they had dug. My Dad said that when they did get leave, they would, of course, go to the bars and if the Navy, Army and Marines were in the bar then the Navy and Marines would get together and beat the hell out of the Army, lol! Hey, the Navy and Marines obviously stuck together. He said there were many fights after the booze got flowing, lol! By the way, every football season, I have always cheered "Go Navy Beat Army"! LOL! Poor Army guys, but where would we be without them?

I could go on forever!

Great post again, I thank you for it and I will write more on this in the future!

posted by RedStatesMan on December 23, 2008 at 10:06 PM | link to this | reply

one more
Another fear. My dad said the crew were always thinking about sharks if they sank.

posted by mordent on December 22, 2008 at 8:25 PM | link to this | reply

RSM here's another

A quote from a Viet-vet.

"We haven't been in a justifed war since WW2. These people don't want freedom, don't know what it is, and don't deserve it!!

posted by mordent on December 22, 2008 at 8:19 PM | link to this | reply

Re: BEST POST EVER ON BLOGIT BY ANYONE!!!!!

Well believe it or not I was thinking of you reading this as I was typing it. I knew you could identify and your fathers history.

My father was in all the same battles as your dad but in the navy. He told me the scariest thing about being on ship was the kamakazies. One hit their stern and they lost 17 guys.

But man a marine in the infantry!! Thats death in the face right there. I'm sure your dad has some stories. Lee Marvin is one of my favorite actors. He was a marine (Iwo, Guadalcanal?)and had to be invalided at 17! Pretty nuts.

Your last paragraph sums it all up. And your yankee metaphor is perfect. I call it big dog syndrome.

So thanks for the huge compliment.

posted by mordent on December 22, 2008 at 8:17 PM | link to this | reply

Re: I think we just need to put testosterone in the water here.
EEGGGsactly

posted by mordent on December 22, 2008 at 8:10 PM | link to this | reply

BEST POST EVER ON BLOGIT BY ANYONE!!!!!

INCREDIBLE!! I was astounded reading this post. Do you know my Dad? By the way, some of those guys are still here. My Dad is 84 but here is right here with us and Mom too. She is 84. Both went through the depression at the ages of 8 and 9. They remember it well. Many stories and we have them in writing to keep through the years.

My Dad is a Marine (once one always one) and he was in WW2. He was in Okinawa, Iwo Jima, Guadal Canal and near the end of the war he was in China. I can share many war stories from back then that he has told me throughout my life. Vets from that war do talk about it (unlike vets from other wars). I always thought that too be interesting in itself and I feel you touched on the reasons why that is in this post. That ol saying about if a "war vet talks about the war then they weren't in the sh*t" is so false. Especially in this war. My Dad was in the infantry; he saw it all.

Others have said that my Clint Eastwood approach about politics is not correct these days. Well, I got it honest, from my Dad because back then that was how it was. That is also how it should remain. So to relate to another one of your great post I must add that I have always agreed with my Dad and that era when it comes to the right way to think; so I guess that is the caveman coming out, lol.

I would rather our nation be feared and respected than liked! Go ahead liberals, quote me all day long on that one because it is true and right. This is one of many things that concern me for our future. It does not matter how many foreign nations like us, all of them would love to defeat us and have always disliked us. I call it the Yankees syndrome. Many hate the New York Yankees and why? They are always in first or at least a winning team.

GREAT POST MORDENT!

posted by RedStatesMan on December 22, 2008 at 7:05 PM | link to this | reply

I think we just need to put testosterone in the water here.

posted by calmcantey75 on December 22, 2008 at 4:53 PM | link to this | reply