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Posted: 2/26/2021 12:09:44 PM EDT
[#1]
The guys that are true heroes are the last ones to talk about what they did. Some never do.
I had a GG-Uncle that won a DSC and a battlefield promotion during the Meuse Argonne Offensive in WWI. From what my relatives have told me, he would tell war stories, but didn't really talk about what he did to win the DSC. He did have horrible PTSD after the war.... |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 12:28:29 PM EDT
[#2]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The guys that are true heroes are the last ones to talk about what they did. Some never do. I had a GG-Uncle that won a DSC and a battlefield promotion during the Meuse Argonne Offensive in WWI. From what my relatives have told me, he would tell war stories, but didn't really talk about what he did to win the DSC. He did have horrible PTSD after the war.... Truth. My JROTC air rifle coach was the same way. He did several tours in Vietnam as an infantryman. He would only speak about it in general terms like "I served in VN in such and such unit from this time to this time". Whenever a cadet would ask about killing and body counts he would deflect and change the subject. I can only imagine the fucked up shit he had to witness and do. He was a little weird with his sense of humor and was into plastic vehicle model making-the level of detail and airbrush painting were meticulous. I figured it was a way for him to focus on something other than the wartime memories? |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 12:39:31 PM EDT
[#3]
I recall a story about a cadet at the Air Force Academy doing a paper on WWII and finding their building's janitor's Medal of Honor writeup. Turned out he retired from the Army as a Master Sgt and moved to Colorado and took the janitor job at the Academy as something to do. Some people keep it low key.
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Posted: 2/26/2021 12:48:07 PM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I recall a story about a cadet at the Air Force Academy doing a paper on WWII and finding their building's janitor's Medal of Honor writeup. Turned out he retired from the Army as a Master Sgt and moved to Colorado and took the janitor job at the Academy as something to do. Some people keep it low key. My first assignment was Martin Army Hospital, Fort Benning. The quiet guy who worked in supply in the basement would say hi to me. I was told by my VN vet anesthesia tech that he was retired CSM Plumlee. Name meant nothing to me in 1991. |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 12:49:35 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The guys that are true heroes are the last ones to talk about what they did. Some never do. I had a GG-Uncle that won a DSC and a battlefield promotion during the Meuse Argonne Offensive in WWI. From what my relatives have told me, he would tell war stories, but didn't really talk about what he did to win the DSC. He did have horrible PTSD after the war.... I know why they do it, but it is still a shame for all of that important information to just.... vanish. |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 12:55:45 PM EDT
[#6]
Both my grandfathers were in WWII. Records lost in the 73 fire. My Maternal grandfather, we have his Uniform. So we know he has a Silver Star, and a purple heart with 2 oak leaves on it. (We know more, he talked occasionally about stuff and we have his scrapbook full of photos and newspaper clippings. 9th Infantry Div, 60th Inf Reg. Hurtgen Forest, Battle of Bulge, Battle of Berlin)
My Paternal grandfather, nothing other than he was a sherman tank crew member. When he passed, my dad found buried in his dresser, a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. He has no idea how he earned them. We also have a Type 94 Nambu. The only story he told was how they shot down a Zero with the tank and it crashed nearby. He grabbed the pistol, others grabbed the helmet, or parts of the plane. My dad also kept a scrap book of his time in Vietnam in the Marines. I'm glad he did, and he's told me a few stories as well. I feel for those family members who don't know anything about their relatives service in combat. |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 12:56:04 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The guys that are true heroes are the last ones to talk about what they did. Some never do. I had a GG-Uncle that won a DSC and a battlefield promotion during the Meuse Argonne Offensive in WWI. From what my relatives have told me, he would tell war stories, but didn't really talk about what he did to win the DSC. He did have horrible PTSD after the war....  Grandpa, were you a hero in the war? |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 1:19:11 PM EDT
[#8]
Then there is the story of the Janitor at the Air Force Academy...
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/air-force-academy-janitor-medal-of_honor-x.html |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 1:36:00 PM EDT
[#9]
I once talked to a guy who was a point man in VN with a shotgun as his tool.
He described his tour as "365 days of unadulterated terror". |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 1:53:56 PM EDT
[#10]
My grandfather was awarded two bronze stars in the Philippines. No one in the family knows what he did to earn them. He never talked about the war, to the degree that we didn't even know he had even been to the Philippines. When asked, he would say he was part of an antiaircraft battery in Washington state - which was true for the first half of the war. We only know what we know because many years after he passed away, we found where he had hidden his medals and discharge papers.
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Posted: 2/26/2021 1:56:24 PM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I recall a story about a cadet at the Air Force Academy doing a paper on WWII and finding their building's janitor's Medal of Honor writeup. Turned out he retired from the Army as a Master Sgt and moved to Colorado and took the janitor job at the Academy as something to do. Some people keep it low key. My cousin was a cadet there and remembers him. He was a very quiet, low key man. Veterans generally only open up to other veterans. Other veterans are not judgmental of them and know the horrors of combat, of losing friends, survivos' guilt. Talking about their experience can cause them to have flashbacks and dredge up memories they'd much rather forget. As a researcher, I also have trouble getting veterans to open up. |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 2:00:10 PM EDT
[#12]
Wouldn't that mean EVERY SINGLE person in uniform at the USAFA salutes the janitor? 
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Posted: 2/26/2021 2:03:53 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Wouldn't that mean EVERY SINGLE person in uniform at the USAFA salutes the janitor? Yep |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 2:09:24 PM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted: My first assignment was Martin Army Hospital, Fort Benning. The quiet guy who worked in supply in the basement would say hi to me. I was told by my VN vet anesthesia tech that he was retired CSM Plumlee. Name meant nothing to me in 1991. I hope you never commented on the weather. |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 2:17:51 PM EDT
[#15]
My ex-wifes grandfather told all his kids he was a mess Sgt through out the war. One labor day weekend I was helping him with some plumbing and he started telling stories at first it was funny stories, then he started talking about the battle of the bulge. He never told his kids or grandkids anything but anytime I was around hed start talking.
Turned out he made most or all the jumps with with 101st. Had 2 purple hearts and a silver star. When he passed I told my MiL where his medals and decks were, in a coffee can in the garage. He never mentioned how he won the Star but I bet it was a heck of a story. |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 2:39:14 PM EDT
[#16]
Some people keep it really low key.
Great uncle drove 5 hours to watch me graduate basic training, and was super happy that id joined the guard vs active duty. Dad was glad he was there. I didn't find out until after he died that he had won the DFC and silver star. Never talked about being in germany during the war. Dad's golfing buddy "Pete" was over to parents house one day when I was home visiting, had a lemonaid, and talked about bicycles with dad. Mom used the "good" glasses. which made me raise an eyebrow( I don't even get the good glasses...  ). "Pete is a war hero back in Vietnam". Yeah Pete Lemon. CMOH. his license plate is a purple heart one NOT the CMOH one. |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 2:47:35 PM EDT
[#17]
My Father had pretty bad PTSD from WWII. In his later years he finally started talking with me about some of his experiences. I think the didn't talk with any of my other siblings about it was because I was the only one who entered the military.
His experiences and MOS during WWII shocked the hell out of me. I always knew him as the gentle and loving Father that raised me. After hearing about him doing some of the things he and his unit had to do, no wonder he had PTSD. One just doesn't imagine a gentle and loving parent doing up close and personal "wet work" time and time again. |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 2:52:49 PM EDT
[#18]
I worked with a Japanese guy that was in the 100th, back in the 80's he was real character. Good guy, he was brought up in tough times.
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Posted: 2/26/2021 2:55:07 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Truth. My JROTC air rifle coach was the same way. He did several tours in Vietnam as an infantryman. He would only speak about it in general terms like "I served in VN in such and such unit from this time to this time". Whenever a cadet would ask about killing and body counts he would deflect and change the subject. I can only imagine the fucked up shit he had to witness and do. He was a little weird with his sense of humor and was into plastic vehicle model making-the level of detail and airbrush painting were meticulous. I figured it was a way for him to focus on something other than the wartime memories? My father was the same. Plastic models, Meticulous true to life detail painting. South Pacific WW ll. Korea in the trenches. Terrible PTSD. Rest In Peace. Dad. I’m sorry I didn’t understand. |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 2:55:54 PM EDT
[#20]
I had a friend from church who was a WWII vet. Everyone knew he'd been in the D-Day Invasion. He told everyone he was clerk/typist.
One Veteran's Day he told my kids' Scout Troop about his time in the War. He started with joining a newly formed unit in Tennessee called "Rangers"... Then proceeded to discuss every move they made through Florida and a place called Ft. Bragg up until he found himself at the base of a cliff in France waiting on his turn to climb the ropes. After that, it was mostly a nature hike through Belgium. Except for the time the German 88 went off over his head and gave him tinnitus. The kindest and gentlest soul who ever lived, his kids never really knew what he'd done. One of the other veterans in the Scout group that day was a Ranger veteran of the Battle of Mogadishu. He was moved to tears by the old guys' story. |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 2:57:44 PM EDT
[#21]
Maternal Grandfather was an assault boat coxswain in the Pacific during WW2.
He never talked much about anything other than what they did on liberty. |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 3:04:21 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Some people keep it really low key. Great uncle drove 5 hours to watch me graduate basic training, and was super happy that id joined the guard vs active duty. Dad was glad he was there. I didn't find out until after he died that he had won the DFC and silver star. Never talked about being in germany during the war. Dad's golfing buddy "Pete" was over to parents house one day when I was home visiting, had a lemonaid, and talked about bicycles with dad. Mom used the "good" glasses. which made me raise an eyebrow( I don't even get the good glasses... ). "Pete is a war hero back in Vietnam". Yeah Pete Lemon. CMOH. his license plate is a purple heart one NOT the CMOH one. Do they make CMOH plates? Doesn't seem like a very big market
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Posted: 2/26/2021 3:06:21 PM EDT
[#23]
Quoted: Yeiki Kobashigawa, a Medal of Honor recipient from Wai'anae, Hawaii who fought with the famed 100th Battalion in World War II, seldom spoke about his wartime service. His son Merle found out about his fathers heroism when his daughter went on a field trip to Washington D.C.when she stumbled across her grandfathers name in a display of Distinguished Service Cross recipients Yeiki Kobashigawa's DSC was upgraded to the Medal of Honor in 2000. He was still alive. There was a ceremony in DC. I'm sure his family knew. When was this article written? Source? |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 3:09:03 PM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted: As a researcher, I also have trouble getting veterans to open up. |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 3:16:47 PM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted: That makes no sense. Yeiki Kobashigawa's DSC was upgraded to the Medal of Honor in 2000. He was still alive. There was a ceremony in DC. I'm sure his family knew. When was this article written? Source? Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Yeiki Kobashigawa, a Medal of Honor recipient from Wai'anae, Hawaii who fought with the famed 100th Battalion in World War II, seldom spoke about his wartime service. His son Merle found out about his fathers heroism when his daughter went on a field trip to Washington D.C.when she stumbled across her grandfathers name in a display of Distinguished Service Cross recipients Yeiki Kobashigawa's DSC was upgraded to the Medal of Honor in 2000. He was still alive. There was a ceremony in DC. I'm sure his family knew. When was this article written? Source? WW2 uncovered. Research material and photographs designed to aid students of WWII History. All information offered has been confirmed and properly cited for educational research. Seemed legit to me. Or, this - http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/May/13/ln/ln48p.html Merle Kobashigawa said that when Secretary of the Army Louis Calderato called his father in 2000 to tell him that President Clinton wanted to present him with the Medal of Honor, the elder Kobashigawa told Calderato to just put the medal in the mail. "He said, 'That was more than 50 years ago,' " Merle Kobashigawa said. |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 3:22:53 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted: That makes no sense. Yeiki Kobashigawa's DSC was upgraded to the Medal of Honor in 2000. He was still alive. There was a ceremony in DC. I'm sure his family knew. When was this article written? Source? Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Yeiki Kobashigawa, a Medal of Honor recipient from Wai'anae, Hawaii who fought with the famed 100th Battalion in World War II, seldom spoke about his wartime service. His son Merle found out about his fathers heroism when his daughter went on a field trip to Washington D.C.when she stumbled across her grandfathers name in a display of Distinguished Service Cross recipients Yeiki Kobashigawa's DSC was upgraded to the Medal of Honor in 2000. He was still alive. There was a ceremony in DC. I'm sure his family knew. When was this article written? Source? @ODA_564 Makes sense to me. DSC and MOH are not the same, grandkid found out about the DSC. I ASSUME that later on the family petitioned for a MOH? But I've only done time at the Salvation Army, so what do I know? |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 3:26:01 PM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Do they make CMOH plates? Doesn't seem like a very big market they do. notice though there is only room for 3 numbers... normal plates have 7 numbers and letters, so(0-9, and a-z so 36, time 36, x 36, x 36, x36x36x36x36 = 20 BILLION potential plates. with CMOH there are potential for 999 plates. total. https://azdot.gov/content/congressional-medal-honor |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 3:41:20 PM EDT
[#28]
I graduated high school in Lancaster, CA in 1978. The football coach was a Vietnam Vet Marine. He said that the world had two armpits, Barstow and the Republic of Vietnam. He would not talk about his time in VN.
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Posted: 2/26/2021 3:44:17 PM EDT
[#29]
Most I've encountered do not want to talk about it.
I heard a few stories from my grandpa before he passed and it made far more sense why he was a consistent in church. |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 3:51:49 PM EDT
[#30]
Most folk my age their father served in Viet Nam or maybe end of Korea and between Korea and 'Nam.
My dad served in WW2. All he has ever said about his service that he was in N. Italy, and would steal a half gallon of ice cream from the kitchen, check a jeep out of the motor pool, drive up into the mountains and eat ice cream all day. Seeing as how he brought home an Italian wife, etc. I know at least the N Italy part is true. I figure it is either 100% true, or he was involved with some really terrible crap at some point. |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 3:55:07 PM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Do they make CMOH plates? Doesn't seem like a very big market They do in Texas, along with DSC, Silver Star, PH and other plates. If you have the PH or higher plates on your car, you don't pay tolls. |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 3:57:38 PM EDT
[#32]
A local guy, Tim Gray, has done a great job getting WWII vets to talk to the camera about their wartime experiences. In recent years he has gotten some of these guys to really open up. One of their wives told me that she had no idea what her husband had gone through until he spoke to Tim and the WWII Foundation.
Videos are available here...... |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 4:01:00 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I recall a story about a cadet at the Air Force Academy doing a paper on WWII and finding their building's janitor's Medal of Honor writeup. Turned out he retired from the Army as a Master Sgt and moved to Colorado and took the janitor job at the Academy as something to do. Some people keep it low key. |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 4:02:58 PM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted: A local guy, Tim Gray, has done a great job getting WWII vets to talk to the camera about their wartime experiences. In recent years he has gotten some of these guys to really open up. One of their wives told me that she had no idea what her husband had gone through until he spoke to Tim and the WWII Foundation. Videos are available here...... And, there is the other side. I know of one WW2 videographer specializing in Silver Star recipients stories. The Silver Star folks have never seen a copy of the interviews. Quite a few interviews were taken by the videographer. |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 4:03:06 PM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryQuoted: @ODA_564 Makes sense to me. DSC and MOH are not the same, grandkid found out about the DSC. I ASSUME that later on the family petitioned for a MOH? But I've only done time at the Salvation Army, so what do I know? Quote HistoryQuoted: Originally Posted By Yeiki Kobashigawa: Quoted: Yeiki Kobashigawa, a Medal of Honor recipient from Wai'anae, Hawaii who fought with the famed 100th Battalion in World War II, seldom spoke about his wartime service. His son Merle found out about his fathers heroism when his daughter went on a field trip to Washington D.C.when she stumbled across her grandfathers name in a display of Distinguished Service Cross recipients Yeiki Kobashigawa's DSC was upgraded to the Medal of Honor in 2000. He was still alive. There was a ceremony in DC. I'm sure his family knew. When was this article written? Source? @ODA_564 Makes sense to me. DSC and MOH are not the same, grandkid found out about the DSC. I ASSUME that later on the family petitioned for a MOH? But I've only done time at the Salvation Army, so what do I know? Infantry Lieutenant (then a Technical Sergeant) Yeiki Kobashigawa was awarded the DSC in June 1944. He also received a Bronze Star (for merit, as did all awardees of the Combat Infantryman's Badge in the ETO) and the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster (2 awards). In 1996-2000 there was a review of Asian-American valor awards from WW2 - Korea. In 2000 his DSC was upgraded to the MOH. That means no more DSC for him. You don't keep the lower award when it's upgraded. The award ceremony was in May 2000. Yeiki Kobashigawa was still alive and attended. Pres. Clinton put the MOH on him. His family was there. From at least 1996 there was an official review. That's a pretty big deal that makes a lot of noise. The way this confusing article is written, Yeiki Kobashigawa was a MOH awardee with a DSC (too) whose family was unaware of his DSC. When did his granddaughter see this display? 1980? When I read the Honolulu Star-Advertiser obituary this was the opening paragraph of it makes a bit more sense (by the time you read the whole obituary) - a bit. It's still poor writing. |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 4:04:27 PM EDT
[#36]
My paternal grandpa fought through North Africa, landed at Anzio, and fought a ways up through Italy. He would only talk about "this Texan" or "this Kentuckian" and only about funny stories. He came home with a Bronze star. The local paper at the time was doing articles on everyone coming home and they reported that it was for bravery under fire, hauling supplies through the night under sniper fire, etc. Like everyone else has said, the gentlest man you'd ever know.
He died when I was 10. I remember to this day how he would look at some of his pictures and cry at his kitchen table about the friends he had lost 50-55yrs earlier. I'm turning 35 in a couple months and still get choked up thinking about the hell papa Joe went through in his life. I named my son after him. |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 4:54:22 PM EDT
[#37]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Maternal Grandfather was an assault boat coxswain in the Pacific during WW2. He never talked much about anything other than what they did on liberty. Growing up, I knew my grandpa was in the Navy. He'd never mentioned anything more than that. Years after he died the family was together and Saving Private Ryan was playing in the background. My grandma said your grandpa drove those boats in the Navy. It was the beach scene, and he was apparently some type of landing boat pilot. I know he served during WW2, but have no idea where. This thread actually got me curious again, but the government is apparently not allowing record requests right now citing COVID. |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 8:50:24 PM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Growing up, I knew my grandpa was in the Navy. He'd never mentioned anything more than that. Years after he died the family was together and Saving Private Ryan was playing in the background. My grandma said your grandpa drove those boats in the Navy. It was the beach scene, and he was apparently some type of landing boat pilot. I know he served during WW2, but have no idea where. This thread actually got me curious again, but the government is apparently not allowing record requests right now citing COVID. I doubt you'll get much info anyhow, there was a fire in 1973 and tons of guys lost all their records. I would still try though. |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 8:58:24 PM EDT
[#39]
I had one great uncle who fought in the Battle of the Bulge, one on a destroyer off the coast of Iwo Jima and one who was in New Guinea......... only one ever spoke about his time in the military but general info, no combat stories.....my moms father was in the USN in the Pacific and hated the Japanese till the day he passed
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Posted: 2/26/2021 9:05:33 PM EDT
[#40]
I had 3 uncles that served, the two that saw heavy action never talked about it at all. The other told great stories but he was in supply and setup of bases, and doubt he fired a shot, his stories weren't about action though just people and what was going on during the war.
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Posted: 2/26/2021 9:10:47 PM EDT
[#41]
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Posted: 2/26/2021 9:13:26 PM EDT
[#42]
I had one u cle that was wounded in WWII and Korea. He only joked about them, he said dont climb telephone poles when people are shooting at you. He said one PH was for the left cheek and a broke back, the second was for the right cheek and that time he hugged the pole.. He was comm.
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Posted: 2/26/2021 9:16:58 PM EDT
[#43]
My dad spent the war in the Pacific. He never talked about it until the final months of his life. Even then, it was when it was just the two of us and was mostly the funny parts. He did mention a couple of hellacious experiences but never went into detail. I asked my mom if he had ever told her any details about his time overseas. She said he never told her anything and she knew not to ask.
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Posted: 2/26/2021 9:24:00 PM EDT
[#44]
Kind of interesting, I know very little about my fathers time in Vietnam, he just doesn’t want to discuss it. To this day he refuses to eat rice.
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Posted: 2/26/2021 10:10:37 PM EDT
[#45]
BTW, no one ever “won” or “earned” a medal for valor. It’s a strong military courtesy to honor them by referring to them as the recipient/awardee. You “win” a hand of poker “or earn” a pay check. You are awarded and receive a medal for valor.
I was honored to have been an RTO/driver and defacto bodyguard for a recipient of the Medal of Honor for valor. It was awarded for his valorous actions while he was in command of an an infantry platoon as a 2LT in Nam. I knew him when he was my battalion commander in Germany. I believe he retired as Lieutenant General Robert F. Foley. The only ring knocker I ever respected during my time in the US (gawddam) Infantry. It is not known how many Medals of Honor for Valor have been awarded posthumously, but of the more than 5,000 awarded, it is estimated that 60% were posthumous. You see, not all Of the recipients have been made public... |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 10:45:34 PM EDT
[#46]
My grandfather’s cousin came home from Europe in 1945 and didn’t talk about his service. Last year I found both of his Silver Star citations in his division’s General Orders. That’s a great place to start research.
I didn’t get to meet him before he passed. He was close to my grandfather growing up, both enlisting on the same day in 1940, but my grandfather was KIA in Europe. The local paper interviewed him in 1985, and when asked if he was a “hero,” he replied, “the heroes were the men who didn’t come home.” |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 11:45:03 PM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryQuoted: BTW, no one ever “won” or “earned” a medal for valor. It’s a strong military courtesy to honor them by referring to them as the recipient/awardee. You “win” a hand of poker “or earn” a pay check. You are awarded and receive a medal for valor. I was honored to have been an RTO/driver and defacto bodyguard for a recipient of the Medal of Honor for valor. It was awarded for his valorous actions while he was in command of an an infantry platoon as a 2LT in Nam. I knew him when he was my battalion commander in Germany. I believe he retired as Lieutenant General Robert F. Foley. The only ring knocker I ever respected during my time in the US (gawddam) Infantry. It is not known how many Medals of Honor for Valor have been awarded posthumously, but of the more than 5,000 awarded, it is estimated that 60% were posthumous. You see, not all Of the recipients have been made public... The part in red: I thought it was a matter of public record because it takes an act of Congress (hence "Congressional")? I have read that Col. Robert L. Howard (I believe the most decorated solider EVER in American history) received his MOH after two other, separate actions couldn't be acknowledged due to the covert nature of what he was doing, and thus he couldn't even be nominated for a MOH. The first part of your post is spot on and a pet peeve of mine as well.
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Posted: 2/26/2021 11:50:15 PM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The first part of your post is spot on and a pet peeve of mine as well. |
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Posted: 2/27/2021 12:21:37 AM EDT
[#49]
Both of my Grandfathers and my Step Grandfather all served in WWII. My Paternal Grandfather served with the 3rd ID all through North Africa got shot in Sicily. Terrible PTSD for years found some peace and lived a long, good life. Awarded some medals and never really talked about it. An amazing man who I still think about every single day. His records were went up in smoke in the fire.
My Step Grandfather was a true gentleman. Was a pilot in several units in Asia during the war. Built a business that was a cornerstone of the community and took care of a wife with MS for 25 years. Never talked about any of it. My Maternal Grandfather is a mystery. His records also went up in smoke in the fire. He died in a car accident in 1952. I was told a story growing up about what he did during the war. A perfectly acceptable, admirable story. Years go by and I do my stint. Always fascinated by history and soldiers and servicemen and women. I do so love you all. My Mom decides to give me a small box with all of his Military "trinkets" as she said. None of it makes any sense at all. Not the story I was told. Grandpa, either you were seriously amazing or you were a PX Ranger bullshit artist. Wish I could know. Either way the pics of you with naked Japanese girls in your your uniform make you a legend in my book |
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Posted: 2/27/2021 12:25:10 AM EDT
[#50]
Quote HistoryQuoted: BTW, no one ever "won" or "earned" a medal for valor. It's a strong military courtesy to honor them by referring to them as the recipient/awardee. You "win" a hand of poker "or earn" a pay check. You are awarded and receive a medal for valor. I was honored to have been an RTO/driver and defacto bodyguard for a recipient of the Medal of Honor for valor. It was awarded for his valorous actions while he was in command of an an infantry platoon as a 2LT in Nam. I knew him when he was my battalion commander in Germany. I believe he retired as Lieutenant General Robert F. Foley. The only ring knocker I ever respected during my time in the US (gawddam) Infantry. It is not known how many Medals of Honor for Valor have been awarded posthumously, but of the more than 5,000 awarded, it is estimated that 60% were posthumous. You see, not all Of the recipients have been made public... Feels like I earned my V device, but maybe I'm mistaken. 
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