My Dad was part of the "Greatest Generation".. and he was the one of the best

[Peacetrain]

people I have ever known.. only in his very later years did he talk about all he went through.. including riding the rails trying to find a job.. working in CC camps.. going in on Omaha Beach, walking over the bodies of those who were in front of him..

So many people of that generation, so flawed but tried so hard.. failed miserably many times..but kept getting up and trying again..

George Hebert Walker Bush, was not a perfect man by any means, like all of his gereration.. but you have to admit he was so much better than what is in that office right this minute..

God Speed President Bush.. your work is done..

[samnsara]

1. My dad is the same age....some of the stories!

[Peacetrain]

3. My dad has passed on..

And yep.. the stories they tell.. I often wonder what my son will talk about, about my generation.. all that we went through..Vietnam, Civil Rights.. etc.. each generation pushes forward a little bit more.. and each seems to have a huge task given to them..

[greatauntoftriplets]

2. Your father and mine.

They did their bit to rid the world of Fascists.

[Peacetrain]

4. Yes they did!

[Generic Other]

5. Mine too

They all would have found Trump repulsive I think. Mine would have grabbed him by the fancy collar and shaken him like a beanbag. He didn't have much use for people like Cadet Bonespurs.

[Peacetrain]

6. My cousins and I have had that exact same conversation so many times

All our Dads are gone.. One is still buried in France.. that is where he fell and his body is still there.. how would they handle a President who embrace Nazis with a wink and a nod.. I cannot imagine how betrayed they would have felt

[CountAllVotes]

7. My father was a war hero

Marine Corps. WWII ----> Semper Fidelis !!

He served in those gawd awful tropics for the likes of YOU and ME both.

He made it home to America very sick, all 115 lbs. of him.

It was men like my late father that made America GREAT!

Anyone that says otherwise is un-American in my book!

[Peacetrain]

8. You see how they suffered and carries that for

decades...

[CountAllVotes]

12. He used to act like it was no big deal

However, at the end of his life he was in rough shape and hallucinating.

They had to place a sign on the door to his hospital room keeping certain people out. The hallucination became reality again as he was dying.

It was the saddest thing I can remember about my Dad.

My he RIP.

[TlalocW]

9. Dad never told us any of his stories before he passed when I was in high school

Only that he turned 18 in 1945 so he joined the Navy but was then honorably discharged when the war ended, and because of his short enlistment time, he was eligible for the draft and was indeed drafted into the army for the Korean War. Mom was not happy about that.

TlalocW

[Peacetrain]

10. Oh my gosh.. he got picked twice..

My Dad lived into his 80's, but he never really talked about his experiences.. when he and his brothers started reminiscing and the kids came round..they changed the subject.. but he did talk to my husband about it.. I visited with the some at the Veterans.. and they said that was not unusual.. that so many WW2 did not share what they went through, and it scarred them..

[TlalocW]

11. He volunteered the first time

I think the second time was a complete surprise for him.

TlalocW

[cwydro]

13. Both my parents.

I honor them and that generation.

[49jim]

14. My late FIL

was also part of the "Greatest Generation".. He was a 1st Lt in the Army Air Corp, Navigator, (Air Force today). He flew 25 bombing missions over Germany in B24's. In one crash that killed the pilot and co-pilot. He flew the last mission..25th on his 21st birthday. He didn't speak about any of his missions until our oldest son was born in 1975.

My father enlisted in the Navy 1945....served briefly and the war ended. He was drafted for the Korean War but with my brother and I being small he didn't have to go.

[Elwood P Dowd]

15. My father and 4 uncles served during WWII.

One of my great uncles who served in WWI as an infantry officer was a lawyer and then a judge by the time WWII started, so he went back into the Army as a JAG officer. I ended up being drafted during Vietnam, and two older cousins were drafted during Korea.

[ZZenith]

16. I won't admit that he was so much better.

Bush is just Trump that went to finishing school.

I almost prefer Trump, as their self-dealing is so much more obvious.

The Bushes engorged themselves at the expense of the American people but were so much sneakier about it.

[elocs]

17. My dad was a heavy machine gunner

and he landed on Omaha Beach as well.
He started out fighting with the expeditionary force in North Africa, then on to Sicily and then to England to train for D-Day. He fought through France and Belgium and The Netherlands and then into Germany where, incredibly, he was wounded for the first time in September of 1944 and 2 months later he stepped on a booby trap and that ended the war for him.
He died 48 years ago of alcoholism. My uncle told me that my dad was always in pain unless he was drinking, and he hated going into a VA hospital.
After he died I found out that he had been given a Purple Heart with an Oak Leaf Cluster and a Silver Star.

I don't know if his was the greatest generation, but I think it was better than mine, the Baby Boomers.
What kind of generation would we have had without them?

[Trailrider1951]

18. Yes, my Dad was too, a Democrat his whole life

Grew up in poverty during the Great Depression on a farm in Virginia. His father died the summer before Dad turned 16, so the older boys in the family had to get jobs to help support Grandma and the younger siblings. When Dad turned 16, Grandma signed the papers for him to join the Army. This was December, 1940, a year before Pearl Harbor. He was stationed at Ft. Knox, KY and served with the 1st Armored Division. He sent most of his pay back to Grandma.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Dad and the 1st Armored Division were part of the Operation Torch landings in North Africa at Oran, Algeria the night of Nov 8-9, 1942. This was the first action of USA Army in the "European Theater" of WWII. They fought in part under General George Patton, and against General Rommel's troops. He was in North Africa until the January, 1944 invasion of Italy at Anzio, where he was wounded (shot in the arm). When D Day happened in June of 1944, Dad was in a tank chasing Germans out the North side of Rome, and continued fighting in Italy until the end of the war.

After the war, he met Mom, married, and worked at North American Aviation in Ohio, where I was born. He was a good and decent man. He was my Hero. He would have been 94 next week. Happy Birthday, Daddy. I miss you every day.

[Peacetrain]

20. My Dad grew up on a farm in Virginia too!

So many that went in on D Day were the Mountain boys... My father would have been 100 this year if he was still with us.. and yep.. I miss him still

[Raine]

19. My father was of that generation too

but he hated that term "greatest generation" and Brokaw for foisting that name on them as a means to sell his books.

[Peacetrain]

21. Every generation has its great work to do...

in that sense each generation is the greatest.. I am a baby boomer.. and ours was the rights movements.. and ending Vietnam.. My sons generations work is to save the planet so future generations will survive.

[Victor_c3]

22. My paternal grandparents were of that era

My grandfather was Infantryman assigned to a Glider Infantry unit that landed vicinity of Normandy on D-day. He never talked to me at all about it, but as a kid I remember him having terrible nightmares. My grandmother used to hang out with other younger women her age and do shore watch around Panama City, Florida during the war.

I joined the Army in 1997 and later went on to be an Infantry Platoon Leader in Iraq in 2004. My grandfather died in 1998 and never saw me graduate college, get a commission in the Army, or see me deploy to Iraq and deal with combat myself. I wish I had the chance to talk to him now. In hindsight, he had many issues with PTSD - like I do. We could have helped each other tremendously.

I look back at the things I did in Iraq and wonder what my grandfather would think of me as a leader. I’m not sure if he’d be disappointed in me or if he’d be understanding or proud of me. Similarly, I look at my kids and hope they never wonder what type of guy I was as a leader in combat.

I’m getting way off the topic here, but I wonder if I’ll tell my kids or grandchildren about my time in Iraq. There is a lot of shame surrounding my memories. Right now, my daighters are 8 and 10 and they see me as a loving and kind parent. I’m terrified that they might one day make the connection that I served in the Army as an Infantryman in combat and think of me as a monster instead.

[Peacetrain]

23. Victor c3.. your daughters are going to love you always..

when they are grown, you should share your life with them.. I wish Dad could have shared more with me..but he was able to talk to my husband about his experiences.. I think it is a protective thing that all parents have for their kids.. even when their kids are parents themselves.. Its funny how ops take on a life of its own.. this one went from saying goodbye to President Bush and how that generation had its work to do.. as we have ours.. as you have yours.. and now my son has his.. his and your generation will save the planet.. Your girls will be there for you when they grow up.. I see that now in my own son who has just turned 30.. how much he is there for us.. one hand reaching forward as one hand reaches back..