Maggie’s And Then There Were None

[hankpac]

Vince Speranza is a Living Legend. He's everywhere. He tavels to Normandy, Bastogne, then Alaska where his Bastogne unit is now stationed, plus the 101 Reunion and other Airborne Activities. A replacement troop, he was at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, and the Siege of Bastogne. During the Siege, he went to visit a buddy who had been wounded, and was lying in a makeshift hospital in a bombed out Church. As he was leaving he asked if he could get his buddy anything (No supplies were coming in, so he had to have been offering anything he might have on him or could scrounge). His buddy asked for BEER.
Where was PFC Vince going to get beer? Everything was bombed out. He searched for hours, and found either depleted stocks or completely bombed and destroyed buildings. finally he found a place, partially damaged where the taps actually still worked.
He told the owner of his plight, and search, and the owner was sympathetic (after all, this was a mission of mercy, for the wounded). However, he had no container. What was he going to carry the beer in?
Vince tok off his steel pot, and separated it it from the liner. using the chin strap as a handle, he proffered the helmet to the Pub owner. The helmet was filled to brimming. He carried the helmet full of sloshing beer, to his comrade. The comrade took a huge sip, and lay back satisfied. Another GI asked for a drink, and it was shared. Eventually he shared it all around, and drew the attention of a medical officer. He was severely chastised and thrown out of the Aid Station, because of the potential problems for men with belly wounds and chest wounds. Vince left and went on with his life as a soldier. 46 years or so later he was taking his first tour back in Bastogne, and was sitting in a Bistro, where he ordered a beer. The server brought a bottle of "Airborne Beer" and a small ceramic helmet to pour it into.
Vinnie's response was one of wonder (WTF is this?). A story was told about the selfless paratrooper who sacrificed his helmet to the use of his friend, in order to bring him the life-giving bucket of suds. Such humanity, such friendship, such brotherhood. If must be memorialized.
Vinney told the owner that that legendary man was he. Free Beer!
You can buy the same beer and helmet mug in Bastogne today.
I bought Vince Speranza's book, "Nuts" from him at the last 101st Airborne Reunion, held in Colorado Springs in Late August of this year.
What a man. Pics to follow.

 

[TripleBull]

He related he was given the BAR as he was the smallest guy in the platoon. He said he liked it though because it really put the lead down range.

Right on.

My dad was one of the shorter guys in his platoon at 5' 9" but he was a powerful dude. His 5 brothers were all in the 6' 2" to 6' 4" range, but dad was born 9 weeks premature and never got the height of the men in his family. He did get the muscle.

In the Korean war, at the height of one surge, he manned a M1917 HMG day after day. His description of the battle scene is bizarre, with north Koreans and Chinese, few of them with firearms, rushing our front lines brandishing sticks. When they found a firearm, they would pick it up and shoot. One BAR barrel would wash and they would bring dad another. When the surge was over, there was a long mound of the dead, snaking across the battle field.

In Ranger training, he figured out that all the gun fire was fucking his ears, in part because it was easy to lose the ear plugs given out and there weren't extras available. So dad started to put a extra wad of toilet paper in his kit. He'd twist a cone-shaped piece, spit on it and shove it into his ear. I wonder how many WWII vets were deaf by age 60?

 

[pmclaine]

Right on.

My dad was one of the shorter guys in his platoon at 5' 9" but he was a powerful dude. His 5 brothers were all in the 6' 2" to 6' 4" range, but dad was born 9 weeks premature and never got the height of the men in his family. He did get the muscle.

In the Korean war, at the height of one surge, he manned a M1917 HMG day after day. His description of the battle scene is bizarre, with north Koreans and Chinese, few of them with firearms, rushing our front lines brandishing sticks. When they found a firearm, they would pick it up and shoot. One BAR barrel would wash and they would bring dad another. When the surge was over, there was a long mound of the dead, snaking across the battle field.

In Ranger training, he figured out that all the gun fire wash fucking his ears, in part because it was easy to lose the ear plugs given out and there weren't extras available. So dad started to put a extra wad of toilet paper in his kit. He'd twist a cone-shaped piece, spit on it and shove it into his ear. I wonder how many WWII vets were deaf by age 60?

Got to remember guys back than though giants in character were small in physical reality compared to our day.

Most came of age malnourished during the depression and Type 2 diabetes was not common as our sugar/carb society is now.

5-7, 5-8 or so at 160 was likely your typical dude.

 

[pmclaine]

Had to fact check myself....Good height but they were 15 pounds lighter...

In the US Army during WWII, logs were kept by the Quartermaster Corps of what sizes of clothes were issued for supply purposes, as well as by the Medical Corps for statistical purposes. It was found that the average male inductee was 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighed 144 pounds; an inch taller and eight pounds heavier than his Great War counterpart. He had a 33 1/4" chest measurement and 31" waist measurement; he could expect to add an inch to his chest and gain anywhere from five to twenty pounds during training. Many inductees were underweight due to insufficient nutrition as they grew up during the Great Depression.

From the tariff tables showing the frequency of size issues it is found that the sizes most frequently issued are a 7 to 7 1/2 hat, number 9 gloves, a 15 shirt with a 33" sleeve, a 36 regular jacket, a pair of trousers with a 32" waist and a 32" leg length, size 11 socks, and size 9-D shoes.

 

[TripleBull]

Had to fact check myself....Good height but they were 15 pounds lighter...

In the US Army during WWII, logs were kept by the Quartermaster Corps of what sizes of clothes were issued for supply purposes, as well as by the Medical Corps for statistical purposes. It was found that the average male inductee was 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighed 144 pounds; an inch taller and eight pounds heavier than his Great War counterpart. He had a 33 1/4" chest measurement and 31" waist measurement; he could expect to add an inch to his chest and gain anywhere from five to twenty pounds during training. Many inductees were underweight due to insufficient nutrition as they grew up during the Great Depression.

Wow. Thanks for the info. Maybe my dad was just comparing to men in his family. They were all fricken Amazons. His last surviving brother passed about a year ago and he was the uncle I was closest to. He served in the Navy and was off the coast of Japan when the nuke was dropped on Nagasaki. He was 6' 4", the tallest brother and even when young and trim was ~210, almost the same size as my grandfather. My grandmother and dad's sisters were in the 5' to 5' 2" range, so family pictures were pretty weird. My dad still works the dumbbells and rides the exercycle so if you want to see 93, maybe keep on keepin' on.

Speaking of depression nutrition, dad hunted rabbit, squirrel, deer and fished as a little kid to help feed the family. That's just the way it was done. He raised us to learn to survive and watch each other's backs.

 

[pmclaine]

Wow. Thanks for the info. Maybe my dad was just comparing to men in his family. They were all fricken Amazons. His last surviving brother passed about a year ago and he was the uncle I was closest to. He served in the Navy and was off the coast of Japan when the nuke was dropped on Nagasaki. He was 6' 4", the tallest brother and even when young and trim was ~210, almost the same size as my grandfather. My grandmother and dad's sisters were in the 5' to 5' 2" range, so family pictures were pretty weird. My dad still works the dumbbells and rides the exercycle so if you want to see 93, maybe keep on keepin' on.

Speaking of depression nutrition, dad hunted rabbit, squirrel, deer and fished as a little kid to help feed the family. That's just the way it was done. He raised us to learn to survive and watch each other's backs.

You can eat as much rabbit and trout as your stomach will hold and still starve to death.

 

[TripleBull]

You can eat as much rabbit and trout as your stomach will hold and still starve to death.

I have a hard time eating rabbit, even if hungry.

Not trout - bass, perch, catfish. The way my grandmother fried catfish, you can survive. Obviously...

 

[pmclaine]

I have a hard time eating rabbit, even if hungry.

Not trout - bass, perch, catfish. The way my grandmother fried catfish, you can survive. Obviously...

Protein poisoning - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[j-huskey]

I have a hard time eating rabbit, even if hungry.

Not trout - bass, perch, catfish. The way my grandmother fried catfish, you can survive. Obviously...

Gotta have some greens, beans, and corn product. Home grown tomatoes make a nice treat too, pears off trees, muscadines n blackberries....
Barn rats do for stew meat when the rabbits get slack.
Once upon a time....
Glad it's not here now.

 

[TripleBull]

Gotta have some greens, beans, and corn product. Home grown tomatoes make a nice treat too, pears off trees, muscadines n blackberries....
Barn rats do for stew meat when the rabbits get slack.
Once upon a time....
Glad it's not here now.

Beer is the 4th food group. Err, I mean:

Well, we're a farming family with orchards so fruit and veggies are a given. I did not mean that we just pounded protein. OTOH, I'm not into tofu, I want to sink my teeth into charred flesh, hot off the grill.

My neighbor says the potato goes in the front but I don't know WTF he's rambling about.

 

[Foul Mike]

I don't know how I missed this thread for so long but I did. Makes my eyes dusty.

I can't read through all of the posts right now, but last night I read one about a 15th Air Force ball turret gunner on a B-24 out of Italy and didn't write down who posted it.

My Dad was in the 15th Air Force and was a tail gunner on a B-24 and did his 25 missions and then some. He too was on some of the Polesti missions and they crash landed in Yugoslavia 2 times and were rescued by the Partisans and the wounded were carried and others better off walked to the coast where they were put on fishing boats and returned to Italy only to pick up another working and flyable airplane and go give it to the Germans again.

My Dad never spoke of this too much to me until I was drafted and went to Vietnam in 69 and did my year in the 1st. Cavalry and returned home rather scarred in the head as well as the body. He understood my feelings but couldn't relate to them. Thank God I had Uncles from my Big Brother Family that were WW2 Infantry and knew how to deal with me. It takes a Grunt to know a Grunt.

He told me that he was worried about me while I was there as he knew how it was for the Infantry type people.
I told him it was worse for them than me as I could hide behind a tree or log or dig in and move or retreat or advance as we saw fit whereas they had their orders to fly at a certain altitude and they did not vary from that even though the German gunners had their altitude plotted and were putting up flak for them to fly through.

I asked him why they didn't go 1000 ft. higher or 1000 ft. lower to avoid it?

His answer was,"We had our orders and that is what we followed, whatever was on our written orders."

Apparently, Adapt, overcome and Improvise was not on their agenda.

I then told him,"You can't dig a foxhole in the AIR." but I could do it on the ground."

I have a picture of my Dad and his crew next to their B-24 "Pretty Micky" that I will give to anyone that wants it from 15th. Air Force.
Regards, FM
PS If I were to give likes to all of these wonderful posts, my mouse would be worn out.

 

[Foul Mike]

I do think that our Dads', Uncles' answer to PTSD was the VFW and American Legion where they hung out with other like minded guys like them.
Maybe that is why the VFW and AL have trouble staying open now? Not so many Vets in the population now.

 

[bigdaddydmd]

I do think that our Dads', Uncles' answer to PTSD was the VFW and American Legion where they hung out with other like minded guys like them. Maybe that is why the VFW and AL have trouble staying open now? Not so many Vets in the population now.

I would respectfully disagree with that. Almost 18 years of war on terror has produced a lot of veterans. I don't know the number of vets. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting one here in Phoenix. I tried the VFW and AL once as have many of my fellow OEF/OIF vets. I keep getting the mailers yearly from them to join. I found it wasn't for me and most of the vets my age say the same thing.

 

[Foul Mike]

It wasn't for me either when I was younger.
The WW2 and Korea Vets weren't too nice to the Viet Vets until their ranks began to thin.
I think you missed my point.

 

[bigdaddydmd]

It wasn't for me either when I was younger.
The WW2 and Korea Vets weren't too nice to the Viet Vets until their ranks began to thin.
I think you missed my point.

I do believe I missed your point then. I thought you were referring to "not so many vets in the population now" as the reason VFW and AL were struggling to stay open.

I do agree that finding like minded guys as the answer to PTSD is quite beneficial. Going out with fellow vets and getting gunpowder therapy trying to hit small targets at long range all while busting each others balls is an excellent stress management tool. We can reminisce about shared misery, bitch about the wind, and on the plus side the guy who shoots worst gets to buy lunch.

 

[pmclaine]

I do think that our Dads', Uncles' answer to PTSD was the VFW and American Legion where they hung out with other like minded guys like them.
Maybe that is why the VFW and AL have trouble staying open now? Not so many Vets in the population now.

I would respectfully disagree with that. Almost 18 years of war on terror has produced a lot of veterans. I don't know the number of vets. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting one here in Phoenix. I tried the VFW and AL once as have many of my fellow OEF/OIF vets. I keep getting the mailers yearly from them to join. I found it wasn't for me and most of the vets my age say the same thing.

I think Foul has something here.

There were some 11 million WWII vest and the Korea vets were two war guys with some new blood thrown in. The citizenry had compulsory military service than also. The population at large was familiar with and new military life.

I never went to war but coming out of the USMC returning to my earlier life was a transition that was not easy.

Things with the friends were not the same and mind sets were/are much different.

Something like less than 1% of the population has served over the last 18 years and most of the fighting is by those that are on multiple tours. The combat elements are relatively small while the support is very large.

I think the Legion and such places were a place to go and reintegrate and connect. It also had its harmful aspects as it was a place to "self medicate" and perhaps never allowed scars to "wound over".

It all depends on the individual.

There is no weaknesses, just shit effects some differently than others.

No shame in having a hard time and sometimes I think the tough medicine of "suck it up" is rarely but sometimes warranted.

Thank you for letting me speak outside my lane.

The problem with the Legion and such places today is that they are no longer Vets organizations.

"ASSociates" now run them and the only Vet may be the one or two very old guys at the bar that all the "ASSociates" despise.

All the Vet and Fraternal organizations in my town became places to get around the "dry" laws and to get cheap drinks.

We are no longer face to face social and joining organizations when we can pound our keyboards for hours and think we are talking to someone.

 

[bigdaddydmd]

I think this is a excellent discussion and I am enjoying it, but it may be best to start a a new thread regarding the VFW,AL and veterans and leave this thread to its intended purpose of honoring those WWII veterans.

 

[j-huskey]

I think this is a excellent discussion and I am enjoying it, but it may be best to start a a new thread regarding the VFW,AL and veterans and leave this thread to its intended purpose of honoring those WWII veterans.

Well, .........
My dad never went to a VFW and AL. Probably for the same reasons current veterans dont go. If he was still alive, I'd ask him.
Those 8 uncles I mention, 6 were not interested, like Pop. 2 went, and the aftermath of each visit was difficult as they sloshed home and tried to kill my aunts. The sober uncles cleaned that business up and months, even years went by b4 the next incident....
The other vets I have mentioned here were staunch churchgoers, not VFW or AL.
The one left standing, the one I call Tough Hombre, isnt a VFW or AL haunter.
He does the trips back to EU on D-Day and does reunions.
The VFW and AL's here are drunk ass free for alls. Those in Oklahoma where pop came from b4 Ft. Benning were rough.
Tough Hombre (93...), I saw about 20 minutes ago, and asked him why he didnt go VFW or AL, he said he didnt need that drunk ass shit.
Said most of the guys there being asses, might have been mil, but werent combat vets or close to front line jobs, and he couldnt stand their lieing whining.

The majority of the combat vets here are quiet successful people who were made stronger by seeing hell, and burned with a fire to move on and live life to the fullest, make up for what their war stole from them.

And I have posted earlier about their lives and successes and what they taught me. Life is not the same with them gone. When Tough Hombre leaves, hes the last one here for us. I am not ready for that.

Thank you all Vets.
vr

 

[bigdaddydmd]

Another dusty office day. Rip Al. WWII US Army vet 1942-1946. Lost his left leg and part of his hip in Holland. I still have the newspaper article from earlier this summer when he was the special guest for Memorial day this year. Wish I knew how to scan/post it. He made his only request of me in the 6 years that I knew him this year and he asked that I get him fixed in time for Memorial day as it was important to him to present himself properly as a soldier. I moved heaven and earth and got it done for him and I am proud I was able to do that for this man. I say that not for kudos for me, but that he deserved it and more. Hell of a man. After he came off active he was a member of the DAV for 63 years and was a chaplain for 40 of them.
AZ Veterans Hall of Fame link

Radlinski, Aloysius (Al)

avhof.org

*edit. I forgot to add. He was 101. I thought he was going to make it to 102.

 

[pmclaine]

Another dusty office day. Rip Al. WWII US Army vet 1942-1946. Lost his left leg and part of his hip in Holland. I still have the newspaper article from earlier this summer when he was the special guest for Memorial day this year. Wish I knew how to scan/post it. He made his only request of me in the 6 years that I knew him this year and he asked that I get him fixed in time for Memorial day as it was important to him to present himself properly as a soldier. I moved heaven and earth and got it done for him and I am proud I was able to do that for this man. I say that not for kudos for me, but that he deserved it and more. Hell of a man. After he came off active he was a member of the DAV for 63 years and was a chaplain for 40 of them.
AZ Veterans Hall of Fame link

Radlinski, Aloysius (Al)

avhof.org

A National loss.......sorry.

 

[canman]

He's being welcomed home like the Hero that he is.

 

[hollowoutadime]

Dad - on right (Korea, SFC 51/52) at Honor Flight this past weekend. There were two 96 yr old WW2 vets in attendance. Youngest were older looking Vietnam war vets
.

 

[canman]

Norwood Thomas, Headquarters Company Artillery 101st Airborne Normandy and Holland. Rode out on the last two lifts at ADT in Frederick Ok. Sat. 12/10/ 2019.Served into the 1960's. I had the honor of picking him up at the airport. Best hour and a half I've had all year. Sunday 13 /10 was his 97th birthday.

 

[Threadcutter308]

Norwood Thomas, Headquarters Company Artillery 101st Airborne Normandy and Holland. Rode out on the last two lifts at ADT in Frederick Ok. Sat. 12/10/ 2019.Served into the 1960's. I had the honor of picking him up at the airport. Best hour and a half I've had all year. Sunday 13 /10 was his 97th birthday.
View attachment 7166542

97 ? Wow, looks pretty good ! Here's to many more !

 

[canman]

<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/po....com/wwiiadt/posts/2614589115231137&width=500" width="500" height="718" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe>
Gene Gilbreath

 

[canman]

Norwood Thomas, Dan McBride and Vince Speranza
OJS WWII ADT Frederick Ok. 10/19/2019
Gary Daniels photo.

 

[canman]

Bump... We can't be 75 years out of the Battle of the Bulge and not have anything in the best thread on SH...

 

[S Roche]

Stopped by last week to visit Staff Sgt. Cal Swagerty in the nursing home. He's 96 now and still in reasonably good health. Before stopping by I picked up a piece of Apple pie (his favorite) from a place called the Crystal Cafe (35 miles away) which was his daily stop for lunch before he quit driving a couple of months ago. Good man.

 

[Badfinger]

I was going through some things and found my uncle Benny's fighting knife from when he was in the Navy and on Tarawa.

This was Benny, he passed away on December 5th, 2012.

Here's his knife:

 

[sirhrmechanic]

 

[canman]

These guy's could take the building down with no tools 75 years ago. They tolerate us because in most cases now we are the best our Country now has to offer... That's it and that's all.

 

[dinc]

I was going through some things and found my uncle Benny's fighting knife from when he was in the Navy and on Tarawa.

This was Benny, he passed away on December 5th, 2012.

Here's his knife:

Thanks for sharing. Seriously, that knife and scabbard are a treasure. And great pics of your uncle.

 

[Marinevet1]

Another of the Greatest Generation to remember......

Donald Stratton, Pearl Harbor survivor who fought for recognition of hero sailor, dead at 97

Donald Stratton, one of the last USS Arizona survivors from Pearl Harbor who fought for the recognition of one of his heroic shipmates, died Saturday night in his sleep, his granddaughter told Fox News.

www.foxnews.com

 

[hankpac]

Just an update;
I talked with my Wife about what she remembers about this. The medal/medals were lost in a house fire before she was born. This makes since as I've never seen anything in the house except for the Flag that was presented to my MIL and some pictures. One medal was a Bronz Star with 2 Oak leaves. The citation mentioned sneaking up on and neutralizing a machine gun bunker that had his squad pinned down. She does not remember what the Oak Leaves were for. This was in the Aleutian Islands. He got out of the Army after the war and soon after joined the Air Force where he retired. He was once a Crew Chief for one of the planes displayed at the gate entering the base at Jacksonville Ar.

My Uncle that I never met was killed in a car wreck 2 weeks after he got home, not 2 weeks after the war ended. My bad.

If you are next of kin, you can contact National Archives and get an extract of his 201 files, his DD214 and all his medals replaced.

 

[lightman]

If you are next of kin, you can contact National Archives and get an extract of his 201 files, his DD214 and all his medals replaced.

I did not know that! Thank You

 

[canman]

M/Sgt. Roddie Edmonds 422 Inf. 106 Inf. Division

Following the Footsteps of My Father on Vimeo

player.vimeo.com

 

[S Roche]

That is a very moving story about a courageous man. You can look at his eyes and know he's a determined and strong individual.

 

[Lapuapalooza]

My Paternal Granddad that served in the Navy. He is the one I posted about earlier. He was on a tug boat in San Diego during WWII. Going through a few old photos. I thought I would post this up. He is second row in the middle.

 

[Macman25]

My Step father was on Wake Island when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. He was taken prisoner about two weeks after the Pearl Harbor attack and spent the rest of the war as a POW. He like others mentioned above would never own anything by them. He is the man who taught me how to run a 8hp sears tiller on almost an acre of garden, (said it builds character and muscles), how to fish, how to shoot and a lot of other things. He taught me many valuable life lessons about being a man, honest, work ethic, look a person in the eye when speaking to them, shake a mans hand when you see them, treat a woman right. One thing he always said (and is something I did with my own children when they were growing up) is “be honest, you will get in trouble for what you done wrong but you will also get more punishment for lying” and he also used to tell me trust must always be earned, but once lost is even harder to get back. I miss him. I have had many family members over the years not return from various wars and the ones that did were much like the ones in everyones stories here. My family on both sides have all served, we consider it a responsibility we owe to the ones who served before us to keep our Country free. I am grateful beyond measure for the sacrifices these people have done. I get frustrated with the younger ones who are only concerned about their BBQ and day off than remembering what this day is really all about. Thank you for sharing your memories and stories.

 

[Lesch]

My father in law was in the navy during ww11. The was at Pearl Harbor the day after the attack. What he saw made him say a jap car will never soil his driveway. He was the most patriotic person I have ever met. He flew the flag everyday and would give a speech on Memorial day gatherings or any other gatherings too. He would tesr up as he spoke. He was a great man!
RIP Ray Koopman.

 

[Soulezoo]

I had an uncle in the 1st Marine Div in WWII, he made a couple of landings and he's another that wouldn't buy anything Japanese. Some hard feelings there. Another Uncle was a XO on a sub in the Pacific. My dad was on B-24's out of Benghazi. And my older brother was in Nam in SF. I think I participated in just about everything except Grenada after that.

 

[canman]

Duane J. Pinkston 1924-2015

SSG Duane ” PINKY ” PINKSTON 505th PIR 82d ABN | Amis des Vétérans Américains en Normandie

A Hero's Passing "Several days ago, ex 505 PIR medic Pinky Pinkston died. I knew him reasonably well from his trips to Normandy and he was truly great and the stuff that made us and the 505 what we were and are today. He fought with the 505 PIR throughout the war and was a

www.avanormandie.org

 

[rkgsmith]

Awesome photos and history lesson. People underestimate understanding the past to survive the future, and paying homage to those that sacrificed. Well done!

 

[canman]

Semper Fi: US Marine, WWII Veteran, Historian Ed Bearss | The National WWII Museum | New Orleans

Ed Bearss, a US Marine who was severely wounded in combat in 1944 and went on to become a great Civil War historian, passed away on September 15, 2020, at the age of 97. He stood for the finest values and traditions of the US Marine Corps.

www.nationalww2museum.org

 

[sirhrmechanic]

Semper Fi: US Marine, WWII Veteran, Historian Ed Bearss | The National WWII Museum | New Orleans

Ed Bearss, a US Marine who was severely wounded in combat in 1944 and went on to become a great Civil War historian, passed away on September 15, 2020, at the age of 97. He stood for the finest values and traditions of the US Marine Corps.

www.nationalww2museum.org

I interviewed Ed Bearss for my book a few years ago... at his house in VA. His front parlor was just packed with books. We spent about 3 hours together and I got a chance to interview this greatest of gentlemen about his landings with the 5th Marines... and it was one of the great privileges of my life to chat with him.

Ed was not just one of the greatest Civil War historians, but he was a plankowner U.S. Marine Scout Sniper. He was trained in one of the first classes of Scout Snipers and went ashore at Cape Gloucester. He was shot in the arm by a Japanese sniper on the second day of the battle... Christmas day or Christmas eve and that ended the war for him before he fired a shot.

For several years after interviewing him, I have tried to get LL to do something with him like a Podcast or something, but it always fell through. Too late. I talked with him about Snipers Hide when I visited him in 2015... to do the interview. Oh well.

Rest with your fellow warriors, sir. There are so many men waiting to meet you in Valhalla Mr. Bearss.

Tonite I will raise a pint in his honor.

Canman... thanks for posting. I had not heard until now. Pardon my disjointed thoughts above. But I am really kind of choked up at this moment, which is not like me at all He was not a close friend, per se. But he was a friend, a fellow historian and an someone I idolized.

In greatest sorrow.

Sirhr

 

[canman]

He was a True American. We throw the word Hero around a lot...too much is you ask me. He was someone who saw Americans as they were. Normal people capable of extraordinary things and not the exception among their Peers. There were and are thousands of men like Ed Bearaas... And thank God for it.

 

[canman]

WWII ADT member Frank Ortega's visit

WWII 11th Airborne Paratrooper Tony Meza

In a recent visit to the city of La Puente, Franky Ortega, a secondary history teacher, had the opportunity to visit War World II Veteran Master Sergeant Tony Meza, now 94 years old, who served in …

wwiifrankyortega.wordpress.com

 

[SanPatHogger]

There is a ranch/farm next door to me. The owner is 96 years old. He was in Germany in WW2. I think later in the war. He still drives out to the ranch every day. His wife is 94. After they go into the ranch and take care of the cows they sit under the tree in front of my property and drink a beer. Then drive back home.
They do this every day.

 

[SanPatHogger]

My Great Grandfather was in the merchant Marines in the Pacific in WW2.

 

[Mk16.5]

My father was B 17's 15th AAF, 75 missions. After his first 25 his brother was killed in action after Midway in a Dauntless DB. My grandmother told my dad he was to blame for his brother joining up. He did another 50. He did care much for his medals or for talking about it. He was a great man all around. I still feel his presence.