My uncle enlisted in the Navy, right after the attack on Pearl Harbor. I found this picture of him

[Siwsan]

He served aboard the USS Sagamon Bay (CVE-26) and the USS Santee (CVE-29). Both ships took direct hits (torpedo and Kamakazi) and it is my understanding that he had the misfortune of being on both of those ships during the attacks. And it was during one of those attacks that his best friend was killed, just feet away from where he stood.

I remember him as a quiet man who rarely discussed much of his experiences in the war. There was always an air of sadness around him. But I do also remember how proud he was of me, when I enlisted in the Navy.

When he returned to Flint, he went to work at "The Buick", as everyone around here called the Buick Motors Plant. He later retired to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for a life of hunting and drinking with his buddies. He was only 64 when he died. I have no doubt, he suffered from intense PTSD that sent him into a lifetime of self-medicating to numb memories.

I found this picture of him, taken at the Jade Hulu Shack in Oakland, CA. From the date, it looks like it was after his ship had limped back for repairs. Uncle John is the man in the middle. (I still have his 'Cracker Jack' uniform.) Knowing his story, I could be reading too much into the photo, but I am haunted by the look on his face.

[img][/img]

[DesertFlower]

1. i was 2 months old. my dad enlisted in the navy.

most of my uncles served too.

[Siwsan]

3. My Dad's brother was in the Battle of the Bulge.

Sadly, he also died young - at about 50. And, I suspect, for the same reasons as my Uncle John. I had two other uncles who served, during the war, but they remained stateside.

[bucolic_frolic]

8. Ditto here

incredibly. My dad's brother was in the Battle of the Bulge. He
survived, but we suspect had PTSD for the rest of his life in some form.
He too was named John!

[JudyM]

13. My dad was in the battle of the Bulge too. Made it out fine, except with sad memories.

Got a medal that he still feels conflicted about because of the loss of life.

[monmouth4]

38. My Uncle Ray was in that battle also. Rarely ever spoke of it except for the great guys..n/t

[DinahMoeHum]

59. My father was also a Bulge veteran.

106th Infantry Division, as a radio operator attached to a headquarters company in the town
of St Vith, Belgium. Place was overrun when the Germans launched their counteroffensive.
He was a POW from late December 1944 until liberation in April 1945.

[oneshooter]

18. My Uncle was with Pattons 3rd Army when they went to relieve Bastone.

He was a cook. But in the final push to Bastone there were no cooks, only Riflemen. He walked behind the Sherman's as they fought their way in.

Was wounded a month later and lost feeling in parts of his left hand.

Another Uncle is still in Southern France. He was part of "Operation Dragon" an invasion to relieve the pressure on the D-Day beach heads.

https://www.abmc.gov/news-events/news/france%E2%80%99s-second-d-day-operation-dragoon-and-invasion-southern-france#.WEiiP33miUk

[denbot]

2. My gramps was on the Kalinin Bay CVE-68

During the Battle off Samar the sailor next to him passing ammo had his head removed by a passing shell. My mom and grandma said that he was never the same after coming home.

[Siwsan]

4. That's what they said about Uncle John

Even when I was too young to understand what he had gone through, I knew Uncle John was so different from the others.

[Aimee in OKC]

51. My uncle was a tank gunner on the push to Berlin, Dad was Navy

... in the South Pacific, on Espiritu Santo; he knew how lucky he was to not be fighting, especially after meeting combat veterans on some R&R breaks.

In the 60's he had on his work crew a man his team all helped look out for. Because JB had survived the Bataan Death March, and until the day he died was absolutely the most broken person I have ever met. How haunted he was really did show in his eyes, his body, his reactions.

[Lint Head]

5. My uncle was at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked. He said one of the first bombs hit the air raid

so no alarm could be sounded where he was. He eventually went on to winning a Silver Star as a bombardier when the gunner on his plane was shot and he took over the gun. He fought off Zeroes for almost an hour. Shooting down quite a few.

"Paul Kinnett, Jr., United States Army Air Forces, was awarded the Silver Star for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against an armed hostile force while serving with the FIFTH Air Force in the Pacific Theater of Action during World War II."

[Siwsan]

6. I think it is so important that the families make sure these stories are never forgotten.

I get chills, just trying to wrap my mind around what happened.

[barbtries]

7. my dad was on the USS California.

his family was notified of his presumed death at pearl harbor. i still have the War Department telegrams and other memorabilia.

remarkably, he was also on the USS Lexington the day it sunk in the Coral Sea. We have his diary, and it ends on that day.

[Siwsan]

9. I just found a box of my uncle's letters.

I haven't read any of them, yet.

[barbtries]

10. those are treasures.

we have a postcard that he was able to send but he couldn't write anything on it. It was printed, "I am Well Injured" and he had to circle "Well." It said he had been working on recovery operations or something to that effect.

We also have all the sympathy cards sent to his mother and a couple of newspaper articles. He went back to Hawaii in 1968 for a job and dropped dead of a heart attack. He was 49. I never had the chance to hear a war story from him, but my sister says she can recall him telling of being in the water after the Lexington sank, swimming and pushing bodies out of his way.

War never did not suck, not even this "good" one.

[Siwsan]

12. My Uncle Ray, who was in the Battle of the Bulge, shared some stories with my Dad

He suffered with severe foot problems, resulting in the conditions during that battle. And about crossing a creek or small river where some people started to scoop water to their mouths, but were stopped when it was realized that, just up stream there were a number of bloated German corpses in the water.

When I started looking through my Uncle John's foot locker, I found pieces of shrapnel, that I can only assume came from one of the ships.

[barbtries]

14. this is history.

cherish it.

[Siwsan]

16. Absolutely. We have to make sure that NOBODY romanticizes War.

It is the kind of history we need to learn from so that we can avoid repeating it. I wish more people would.

[Fast Walker 52]

67. Wow-- did he die on the Lexington then?

[Liberal In Red State]

11. My uncle served on the USS Alabama - prior to enlisting he was considered a scrappy fighter . . .

who never passed up a chance to take on the big guys. After the war, when I knew him he was to most forgiving man . . . a guy that would give you the shirt off his back . . . turn the other cheek. Nice man who let others take advantage of him . . . My Dad always said the war took the fight out of him.

[Cha]

15. Bill Nye's grandmother kept this paper..

Bill Nye
✔ ?@BillNye
My grandmother kept this paper. It was the day my dad went missing, the day that lives in infamy. Honor those who have served.
11:24 AM - 7 Dec 2016
1,590 1,590 Retweets 5,661 5,661 likes

Thank you, Siwsan

[Siwsan]

17. When I opened Uncle John's foot locker, I found a calendar taped to the inside lid: December, 1941

I intend to leave it exactly as I found it.

[img][/img]

[img][/img]

[Cha]

19. Wow.. thank you.

[blue-wave]

56. I second that Wow!

I started to well up in my eyes when I saw this pic. Bless all who truly sacrificed so much so that we might have better lives. They are hero's to me, each and every one.

[NNadir]

20. My Dad was sunk in the North Atlantic. He complained for the rest of his life that his...

...cigarettes got wet. He was a "Armed Guard" gunner.

The war didn't kill him. The cigarettes did, albeit decades later. (That's how I exist.)

He also served in the Pacific on an aircraft carrier. There was an accident on board involving a shell, but no Japanese planes, that resulting in ripping open two of his fingers and severing the nerves. He blamed an officer who he considered an idiot. He kept the fingers, but had no feeling in them for the rest of his life. He was very proud of being able to grab hot things off the stove. I think he grew to be proud of the injury.

I sometimes tried to emulate him as a child with that hot stuff stuff.

Not a good idea.

This was a terrible war, not a "Good war." All wars are terrible, but I personally didn't understand that until I became a man. "Slaughterhouse Five," the ultimate veteran's book, had something to do with me learning that no war is just.

We may learn more about war soon, since a coward and a fool, a moral weakling with bad hair, will be occupying the White House after being rejected by the bulk of the American people.

[Victor_c3]

42. Slaughterhouse 5

I read that book before going to fight in a war and then several times in the last 12 years since I returned. Each time I find it has a more profound meaning to me.

[TrekLuver]

68. After Pearl Harbor my father lied about his age to enlist. He was all Navy all the way. n/t

[Archae]

21. My Mom's brother enlisted in the Navy during WW2.

He served on a picket destroyer, that was hit by a kamikaze.

The pilot was ejected from his plane and literally splattered all over the bridge.

My uncle had to help clean it out. He said it was awful.

[COLGATE4]

47. The picket destroyers were sitting ducks for

kamikaze pilots, since the were out there alone, far from any assistance. A necessary job that had to be done but that was one of the hardest duties at that stage of the war.

[Victor_c3]

22. They all look like kids in that picture

I guess they were.

I too was just a kid when I was sent to fight in Iraq...

[Siwsan]

25. I think my uncle was 21, in that photo

He was a part of the Civilian Conservation Corps, before he enlisted, so he had some experience with regimentation. But I doubt there is anything that can really prepare you for war.

[sarge43]

23. My father didn't serve in armed forces

He was in his mid thirties, with a family. He worked in an auto factory that converted to tank engine production. He also was afflicted with a bleeding ulcer. My mother and he had a small farm. They grew sugar beets during the war, essential at the time. My mother told me they managed on 4 to 5 hours sleep a night.

One of the few times he and I had an intimate conversation (we weren't close), he expressed regret that he hadn't served. I told him that without people like him the men and women in service could not have functioned, couldn't have completed their missions. I think that meant a great deal to him; I hope so.

There are many ways to serve. Hand salute and deepest thanks to all who did during that terrible time.

[Siwsan]

27. During the war, several of my aunts worked in the auto and tank plants, in the Flint area

In fact, the Fisher Body Plant, just south of Flint, in Grand Blanc, has ALWAYS been referred to as the 'Tank Plant'. Never as Fisher Body.

And you are right - there are many ways to serve.

[Blue_Roses]

24. Oh, wow...

This was such a humble generation. My parents served in the Army during WWII. My dad was in Germany and my mom--a nurse-- was in the Phillipines. It would be years after I was grown, before they would ever talk about it. Their Army trunks sat in our storage room for years without being touched. My mother never would let us look through them. Finally, years later she did and there were letters written to my dad and all kinds of stuff.

I'm glad you have these memories of your uncle. This generation has my utmost respect.

[11 Bravo]

26. My Dad was aboard the Santee the day she was hit!

He was a fighter pilot, and was sitting in his aircraft waiting to launch when the ship turned out of the wind. That had never happened before, so he left his plane (that had never happened before either) and tried to find out WTF was going on. As he was headed back to the Ready Room the Santee absorbed the Kamikaze attack. Not long afterward he felt the ship shudder again. That turned out to be the torpedo. Oct. 25, 1944.
Small fucking world!

[Siwsan]

28. Wow! Small world, indeed!

We can only wonder if they knew each other!

[11 Bravo]

36. Dad rests at Arlington, so I can't ask him. However, this thread has led me to ...

dig out his pilot's log (as the oldest son, it came to me). Here are his entries from that time frame: (I won't include names)

24th - **** killed on pre-dawn rendevous. Skipper shot down four Sally's one Zeke, and one Irving. **** got two Sally's and one Zeke. **** got one Sally and one probable. I flamed one Sally and one Zeke. Jap fleet near.

25th - Santee took a 500 LB bomb hit when a Judy made a suicide dive into the flight deck. Caught a fish about 15 minutes later. Still afloat in pretty good shape and are keeping our position in CARDIV 22. Made first night landing tonight. ****, ****, **** and **** all had to make water landings after torpedo attack on Jap fleet. **** was hit in the arm with a 7.7 slug, but is OK. Suwanee was bombed in the same manner we were. Relatively few casualties and everyone on board has done a marvelous job today. God has surely been with us. We are hoping that the "Big Boys", our Third Fleet, will be here in the morning.

Das was 21 at the time. They had to grow up fast.

[Siwsan]

40. I have my uncle's Aviators Flight Log Book

A lot of things were signed off by a Lt. S M Cawan or maybe Cowan. Kind of hard to read the handwriting.

Lots of numbers and letters about type of machine, number of machines, duration of flight and character of flight.

One thing that is really clear is that on March 29, someone named Peterson 'went into the drink'.

And on Nov 9 they 'left Manus Islands heading for the States via Pearl Harbor'

I'm going to have to do some studying on the other entries that contain a little more info.

[11 Bravo]

49. That's the same kind of log.

Dad's "Machine" was an FM-2 (Hellcat), the numbers were just numbers, possibly the air frame #. Flight durations ranged from 1.5 to 5.0 (I assume that's hours). The longest one, 5.0, was the the 25th - the day they were hit, and the length of the flight is probably the reason he had to make his first night trap. The character of the flights contained LCAPs, Strikes, TCAPs, and one that looks like either "SNAP" or "SWAP". I know that "CAPs" were Combat Air Patrols and "Strikes" were just that, but I have no idea what that last one could have been.

The log shows that he came aboard the Santee in April of '44, from the SOPAC pool at Guadalcanal, so he missed the guy going "into the drink".

[JudyM]

41. Wow, that is so cool. Your dad sounds like a great guy to me, helping keep his mates' spirits up

and staying focused.

[tammywammy]

29. My grandfather was already in the Navy when Pearl Harbor was attacked.

Last edited Wed Dec 7, 2016, 11:05 PM - Edit history (1)

Thankfully he was stationed in New Orleans at the time. Served in the Pacific the entire war. Married my grandmother 7 December 1945.

[panader0]

30. When I was a kid (7th grade) my dad got stationed at Hickam AFB.

Our house was about 200 feet from the water at the entrance to Pearl Harbor.
My buddy and I once got into trouble (actually we got in trouble many times)
for paddling our surfboards across the channel to surf on the Navy side.
My dad worked at PACAF headquarters, and the building still bore the scars of the many bullets it took in 1941.
My dad graduated from Kelly Field as a Second Lt. just before Pearl Harbor and did
his service in Europe and North Africa in the USAAF.

[Siwsan]

32. I had another uncle who was in the Army Air Corps in England

He had wanted to be a pilot, but didn't meet the eye sight standards. So he trained them, instead.

He never saw active combat, but one of his 'other duties as assigned' was to help wash out the planes when they returned, and to help collect the remains of anyone who didn't live through the mission.

[watrwefitinfor]

64. My dad was in the Army Air Corps in England, somewhere near the Cliffs of Dover.

Dad had wanted to be a pilot, too, but though he barely met the height standard (he was 5'6), he didn't meet the weight standard. Oddly, he weighed too little. (You would think that would be a bonus.)

Instead they made him a staff sargeant, and he kept maintenance records (a librarian he called it) for the planes on his base.

I grew up hearing stories from my mom of how he wanted to make the grade so badly, stuffing himself with mashed potatoes, gravy, and bananas for the last week prior to the weigh-in, but still fell about three pounds short. After his mother died, I found his test results among her papers. He had passed the written with flying colors, but alas, was just too damn skinny to be a pilot.

He only talked to me about it once, when he told me years later that he was bitterly disappointed about it at first, but he felt somewhat differently after watching the guys come limping back in - some of them shot up so badly they crashed onto the field instead of landing, often catching fire. He said the things he saw on that airfield were never out of his mind, but he never discussed any details, or whether he had a role in the clean-up.

I wonder if they were on the same base, or maybe knew each other, your uncle and my dad.

Wat

[Siwsan]

65. I should dig around to see if I can find any details on my Uncle's assignment, in England

He would never attend any reunions, whether they be here or in England. The first time I went to England, he asked my why I wanted to go there, because in his memory, it (London, in particular) was a bombed out disaster area. After he was discharged, he would never again eat fish, lamb/mutton or poultry because he associated those with his time in England. When I got home I showed him photos of what the city looked like, but also included some that showed some of the war time damage was still visible. As I recall, they actually found another unexploded bomb, while I was there. And that still happens.

When he finally got his discharge date, he contacted my aunt and told her to buy her wedding dress. They were married for just shy of 60 years.

I still have his mother's 'Blue Star Mom' banner, so maybe if I dig deeper, I'll find more information.

[oneshooter]

69. The reason for the weight standerd was

because the aircraft of that time had no "power steering" and were basically flown by hand. The cables that moved the ailerons, flaps and rudder were directly connected to the stick and pedals.

[watrwefitinfor]

72. I knew there would have been a good reason.

Thanks.

He would have chuckled at your comment about no "power steering".

Wat

[iluvtennis]

31. Nice picture n/t

[Omaha Steve]

33. My great uncle's plane was one of the B-17's that tried to land during the Pearl Harbor attack

Navigator 1st Lt. Leo M. Eminger

"Leo Eminger was part of the 38th Recon Sq. from Albuquerque, NM. Eminger was awarded with the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and the Purple Heart. Eminger were both with the 88th Recon Squadron from Albuquerque Army Air Field. Eminger was with Crew No. 4 aboard B-17C 40-2063 one of the the B-17 flying from Hamilton Field bound for Hickam Field and arrived during the attack on December 7, 1941. Charles Norton was with Crew No. 6 which had to return to Hamilton Army Air Field due to engine trouble. I have also discovered, through many publications and personal contacts with crew families, photos of the pilot (Charles E. Norton), the co-pilot (Bruce B. S. Barker), and the bottom turret gunner (Fred S. Croyle). I am working on a photo of Bruce W. Osborne who is the only crew member listed as KIA because they found his bones."


The story of his mission and death on the plane: http://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/b-17/41-2420.html


My dad was a PFC in the 25th Div 35th Infantry Battalion anti tank company. In action on Guadalcanal, Luzon, and Northern Solomons. Dad had the Combat Infantryman Badge and several ribbons. We found out in 2000 he was screwed out of a ribbon his unit got after he went home on points. Honorable discharge Aug 7, 1945.

I know Uncle Bobby was in the Pacific not far from my dad. Dementia has stolen all his memories.

I know an uncle was KIA in the Battle of the Bulge.

Uncle Eddie (mom's brother) was Navy in the pacific. Gunners mate. His best friend right next to him was killed when a Kamikaze struck their pom pom turret.

Mom worked on the Enola Gay at the Martin Bomber right down the street from here. We saw President Clinton's ONLY trip to Nebraska in freezing weather Dec 2000 in front of that building at the Offutt air base. I toured the building recently: http://www.democraticunderground.com/11796440

In Oct. 2000 I met A.D. Flowers. He won the Oscar for Best Effects, Special Visual Effects Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)
At that time I didn't know my great uncle Leo was involved in the attack.

OS

[Siwsan]

35. What an amazing family history. Thank you for sharing it

I'm getting ready to start a research project on my family military history. On my Dad's maternal side, it goes back pre-Revolutionary War. All of the other 'sides' of the family didn't arrive until after the mid-1800's. I am pretty much expecting to discover that I had family fighting on both sides of both the Revolutionary and Civil wars.

[Omaha Steve]

39. Check it again

I edited in more.

Thank you.

OS

[Siwsan]

43. I'll do that!

[DK504]

34. All those people

All those men and women that served so valiantly and selflessly made our country great. I have always loved these people a little more than other service people....sorry presently enlisted 😜. My uncle had to get a special dispensation to join up at 16. Like most that served never talked about it, always intrigued me.

Just a side note, has any one noticed how HOT WWII were? Or is it just me?

[Siwsan]

37. As a "Cold War" Veteran, I have the deepest respect for those that experienced combat

I can't begin to imagine what they've seen.

[dhill926]

44. K & R to infinity.....

perhaps the most emotional thread I've ever read on DU....man....raising a glass to the sacrifices of all....and to the hope we NEVER have to go through this again....

[Laffy Kat]

45. They all look so young in that photo.

It's heart-breaking what we do to our young adults. Bless you for remembering him and posting this. I know I had a great-uncle who died during the Bataan Death March. No one in our family wanted to talk about it and I sure do wish I knew more about him.

[Cary]

46. My uncle.was captured at Bataan.

He spent the entire war as a prisoner.

[truckin]

48. My Father's best friend in high school was killed at Pearl Harbor.

My Dad then tried to enlist in the Marines 3 times but was rejected each time for high blood pressure. The 4th time he got in. He went on to serve in the 3rd Marine Division and fought in Bougainville, Guam and Iwo Jima.

I am so grateful that I interviewed my Father 3 months before he passed in 2008 about his WW2 experiences. My sister and brothers have bugged me since then to write up the interview so they could read it and this year I finally did. I used my notes, notes my Dad wrote, a book issued by the Marines about the 3rd Marine Division in the Pacific, and a book called "Stories from the Pacific" by Lawrence Kirby. I have read a handful of books about the battles my Dad fought in the Pacific and "Stories from the Pacific" is the best of the bunch. Mr. Kirby's eloquent writing and his brutal honesty make for a great read and I highly recommend this book if you are interested in this topic.

When I completed the project this year I learned many things. First was that while my Dad shared many interesting stories with me when I interviewed him, he never discussed any of the actual combat. I also learned that his experience on Iwo was worse that I thought. When we started to talk about Iwo, his last battle, he broke down and couldn't continue. The interview ended there after 3 hours.

That generation has my deepest respect and I don't know how they did what they did.

[leanforward]

50. Read all of the above.

What has been said is a parallel with my dad's story. I appreciate your picture. I agree with you, the look is there. Most of us will never know the horrors they experienced. Yes, they were affected for life. My dad ended up earning a CMB and worked for a gentleman named Doc Riley. He was with the 52 AIB from England, D-Day, the Bulge, Remagen Bridge 'feet dry', to the surrender. I've had an opportunity to talk with survivors of the 52nd Reunion in 1999 and again in 2007(8) when they gave the banner to the Ft Knox Museum. Their last reunion took place near Ft Knox.

Talking to those Gentlemen (not guys) is listening, alot. Some at the reunion are survivors of those who either did not make it home or later died as a result of natural causes. We had some beers at the last reunion. I listened to the Soldiers that worked near and around my dad. The circumstances. Different companies. Some of the guys became POWs from the Bulge. What do you do when you see a half track behind you, full of your buddies blown up.

If any of you have a chance, visit the overseas Military Cemetaries. I have visited Normandy, as a kid, with Dad.

Visit the Tomb of the Unknown. And tell everyone to keep their silence at the Tomb and during the changing of the guard.

[dflprincess]

52. My dad enlisted the day after Pearl Harbor

his mom drove him and a few of his friends up to Fort Snelling to sign off.

I could go on about his service (Army Air Corp, rear gunner in a Mitchell bomber in the Pacific theater) but as I've gotten older I think more of my grandmother. On December 31, 1941 she made the trip again as that's the day he had to report for duty.

What awful drives those must of been for her.

So, yes here's to the men and women who fought the war, but also to the moms and dads who had to send their children off to fight. And especially to the Gold Star parents, spouses and kids.

[Dem2]

53. K&R

Thanks for sharing the story.

[Warpy]

54. Nice picture. Mine had been in England for 2 years

as a civilian engineer attached to the RAF. He was with them across North Africa and into Italy, where he got his draft notice during a bombing raid.

[pablo_marmol]

55. "I could be reading too much into the photo, but I am haunted by the look on his face."

I know the feeling very well. One of my mom's cousins was Charles Butler McVay III.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_B._McVay_III

[tenderfoot]

57. Here's the same image flipped...

[gladium et scutum]

58. My Dad enlisted in the Navy in 1940

He went to the USS Yorktown. Just missed being killed when the ship was bombed during the Battle of the Coral Sea. He was on her at Midway, abandoned ship when she was damaged and then went back on board to try and save her. He was onboard when she was torpedoed then sank. He and about half of the Yorktown engineers were then assigned to the USS West Virginia. She had just been raised off the bottom in Pearl Harbor and moved to dry dock at the Navy. First assignment on WV was to clean 5 feet of mud out of one of her engine rooms. Said they found two bodies and parts of a third body of men killed when she sank on Dec 7. Spent the rest of the war on WV. Both my Moms parents and my mom worked in the Kaiser shipyard in Vancouver WA throughout the war.

[tblue37]

60. My father was there during the attack. He was a 19-year-old airman at the time. nt

[sarge43]

61. This is a beautiful thread

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, not the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

[pinboy3niner]

77. +1

[Elmergantry]

62. my Dad was eligible

For the draft later in the war. Had deferment as he was
Only son to help his Father on the dairy farm. But the
Deferment was close to running out and it was looking like he was going to go when they dropped the bomb on japan. It may be because of the bomb i am here.

[Loki]

63. My father and his cousin enlisted in the Navy on December 8th, 1941

in Kansas City, Mo. He went on to sub school and was stationed out of Pearl from 1942 until the end of the war Was at the Battle of Midway where his sub had gone in for resupply. He was a MM2 on Gato Class. He very rarely talked about the war, and I remember that he hated fireworks around the 4th of July. Now I understand why. He lost a lot of his hearing from depth charges and rapid surface dives. He was and will always be my hero. I wish now, that I could have talked to him more about his experiences, but I remember one of his favorite movies was the one with Clark Cable called "Run Silent, Run Deep". I remember his reaction to the loss of the USS Thresher when it sank with all hands aboard. He was distraught for days. Pride Runs Deep.

[RFKISNEEDED]

66. Awesome Pic

Awesome service.

[Eleanors38]

70. Yikes! Little escort carriers without the protection of fleet CVs.

Quiet men of WW II. My uncle never spoke of his Pacific Theater combat experience flying multi-engine bombers, until he was on his death bed speaking to my Mom (his sister). He ditched his shot-up bomber after giving the order to bail out. The crew eventually reached safety via submarine, and with the assistance of pro-Allied native peoples on nearby islands.

[Eleanors38]

71. U.S.S. Sangamon (CVE-26) highly decorated, much attacked...

A good account in Wiki, which shows a high quality color photo of bomb damage. In pictures of Sangamon, a classic photo of a kamikaze bearing down on Sangamon. She took part in one of the most heroic Navy battles off Samar where the little "jeep" carriers and a few destroyers and destroyer escorts turned back a far superior Japanese TF bent on disrupting the massive Leyte Gulf invasion force.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

73. My partner's uncle was lost at sea on the USS Indianapolis

I think my partner's dad never met his older brother. It was a big farm family.

My dad was too young but signed up right at the end of the war. His older brother was a gunner on a B-17 over Europe and was shot down, I believe, in France.

My mom's three brothers served in Korea and one of them, a lifer, Vietnam.

It seems like everyone in my neighborhood growing up served overseas.

They all came home bought houses and/or went to school on the GI bill.

My dad worked for American Airlines. His brother worked for US Steel. My mom's brothers worked for Electromotive and National (American?) Can.

Those jobs are all gone now. I grew up near Electromotive and Reynolds Aluminum. Driving by those places the massive parking lots were filled with cars. Now those lots are all storage.

[Siwsan]

75. It is so interesting to read everyone's family histories

And just reading the words USS Indianapolis gives me chills.

By the time my Dad was able to enlist in the Marines, the war was essentially over, although he enlisted during a time period that still qualified him as a WWII veteran. He went to school on the GI Bill, played football at Michigan State and had an amazing career as a teacher, football coach, athletic director and principal.

Growing up in Flint - the home of General Motors - I was surrounded by auto factories that played an important role in the war efforts. Many of my family and most of our neighbors worked at the plants. People moved to Flint from all over the country, for the jobs and it was a wonderful place to grow up. Now the Chevrolet, Buick and AC Spark Plug plants are gone, along with many others. It is sad, but Flint is re-inventing itself as an educational center with the University of Michigan, Michigan State, Central Michigan, Baker Business College, Kettering University and Mott Community College now doing the job of bring in people from all over the world.

If we can just get the Republicans to stop trying to kill us all with lead tainted water, things might start really looking up looking up.

[leftyladyfrommo]

74. My dad was in the army.

He was stationed in Alaska and Canada working on the Alcan Highway.

[egold2604]

76. My father worked at the Naval Ordinance Lab in DC during the War

My father worked at the Naval Ordinance Lab in DC during the war designing many of the weapon systems that helped win the war, including many of the rockets systems.

Dad received the first Presidential Citation of WWII and the first Presidential Deferment of the war. He tried to enlist several times but was told his job was too important. Finally they told him if he enlisted he would be right back at his drafting table as a sailor at much less than his civilian pay.

His first major design, for which he got his Presidential Citation, was designing a recoil and loading system for a cannon to be placed in the nose of a B-17 to be used against Japanese barges bringing troops to the Philippines at the start of the war. Japanese destroyers were decimating the PT boats sent out to destroy the barges. Dad put a 50 cal. machine gun next to the cannon with loads such that the velocity of the shell was the same as the cannon and used it for aiming. When the tracer hit the barge the cannon was fired and hit the barge.

He also designed the recoil system for the big guns on battleships and cruisers.

After the war, he swore never to work on weapons systems again. He got his Ph.D. in Physics and was a partner in a BioMedical Instrumentation company. He has many patents to his name.

He was a true American Hero. A three star Admiral came to his funeral. Turns out Dad reported to him during the war. He told our family that Dad was responsible for saving thousands of live due to his inventions.

[Siwsan]

78. Thank you for sharing!

Some of the most important work was done by civilian employees. People like your father, whose accomplishments and contributions are amazing. And people like my aunts who toiled away in the factories, making parts and instruments, and working towards the war effort.

I really think it is so important for people to share their family stories and experiences. We realize how incredibly interconnected we all are, in this country.

I've already heard from one individual whose father was likely stationed on the same ship, as my uncle, at the same time. What are the odds? And two others that have led me to start investing further into the military records of two other uncles to see if there might be a connection there, too.

[egold2604]

79. There is more to the story

After the war, my father was blacklisted and kicked out of the Navy Department because he was a Communist in his youth. He resigned from the party when Stalin signed the nonaggression pact with Hitler.

All of his partners at the biomedical instrumentation company were blacklisted engineers he had worked with at the NOL.

He designed the first laser tank targeting system for Israel just after the laser was invented which was instrumental in destroying a lot of Egyptian tanks in 57. He was an optical physicist. The men in black came to call on him and were pissed that he did not offer the system to our military first. His response was that they blacklisted him and kicked him out of the Navy Department. He did call, but was not allowed to talk to anyone in charge, so he offered the technology to Israel. Yep, we are Jewish.