Posted: 6/30/2015 5:16:27 PM EDT
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This afternoon I was at my club to send some .22 LR downrange. While I was there an older gentleman (who I later learned was Joe) was also on the line and I saw that he needed to be reminded of our current cease fire procedures. After he packed up his stuff I walked up to him and introduced myself, and politely went over some range rules with him. We got to talking and I saw that he was wearing a 75th Infantry Division cap, so I asked Joe where he was sent during World War 2. He told me Europe and that he went through the Battle of the Bulge. Joe recounted to me how if you qualified as Expert with one of the small arms issued to the Army, you would get a three-day pass. He was issued an M1 Garand, but he qualified Expert with an M1 Carbine. Joe also told me that during the Bulge, his company of 182 men got down to 16 men, before they got replacements. He said that a lot of the casualties were from trench foot. Joe's still pretty spry at 92 years old, but it's hard to imagine this old man who is maybe five feet tall slogging his way across Europe carrying an M1 Garand and fighting the Wehrmacht. At 47, I remember a lot of World War 2 vets. All of my great uncles served during the War. Those who are left are in their 90s and more pass every day. If you get the chance to talk to -- or better yet listen to -- a World War 2 vet don't pass it up. Some info about the US Army's 75th Infantry Division: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/75th_Infantry_Division_(United_States) |
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This afternoon I was at my club to send some .22 LR downrange. While I was there an older gentleman (who I later learned was Joe) was also on the line and I saw that he needed to be reminded of our current cease fire procedures. After he packed up his stuff I walked up to him and introduced myself, and politely went over some range rules with him. We got to talking and I saw that he was wearing a 75th Infantry Division cap, so I asked Joe where he was sent during World War 2. He told me Europe and that he went through the Battle of the Bulge. Joe recounted to me how if you qualified as Expert with one of the small arms issued to the Army, you would get a three-day pass. He was issued an M1 Garand, but he qualified Expert with an M1 Carbine. Joe also told me that during the Bulge, his company of 182 men got down to 16 men, before they got replacements. He said that a lot of the casualties were from trench foot. Joe's still pretty spry at 92 years old, but it's hard to imagine this old man who is maybe five feet tall slogging his way across Europe carrying an M1 Garand and fighting the Wehrmacht. At 47, I remember a lot of World War 2 vets. All of my great uncles served during the War. Those who are left are in their 90s and more pass every day. If you get the chance to talk to -- or better yet listen to -- a World War 2 vet don't pass it up. Some info about the US Army's 75th Infantry Division: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/75th_Infantry_Division_(United_States) I had a substitute teacher in History Class in middle school (many decades ago) that was a bombadier that was shot down over Germany and being Jewish the Germans Sent him to Auchwistz (spelling ?), He lost an eye when the plane desentigrated (he said everyone wore parachuets when they went up) and he was the only survivor of the plane. He escaped Auchwistz (spelling ?) and made it back to the US side and told Patton about the Concentration camp when he was debriefed. He had the letters of comendation from Patton for this that he brought in along with pictures with him with Patton when he received the commendation (many decades before computers so no way they were faked). ETA: He had many, many horrible stories of Auchwistz that I will not repeat here. |
| Back in the 80s two of the senior members in my local CAP Group were WW2 vets. One had been in the Navy and after his ship was torpedoed, became an involuntary guest of the Empire of Japan. He had nothing nice to say about them. The other guy was in the USAAF and was a navigator/gunner on a B-25 gunship. One of his jobs was to load the 75mm howitzer in the nose. |
| I went across the street to visit with my 87 year old neighbor who served in the Army Air Force in WWII and then the Air Force in Korea. Sadly he has dementia. He doesn't even know me anymore and I lived two houses away from him for 5 years now. When ever I went over there we would start bitching about Obama. Nice old man. |
Pretty cool, OP. I've always considered it a treat to meet & chat with a WW2 vet, but especially these days, when they are becoming increasingly rare.  A few weeks ago my dad introduced me to a D-Day veteran (4th Inf Div, landed at Utah Beach), who recently joined our church. Guy is in excellent health. |