Il start off with this,here is grandpa outfit that he was in. From what grandma told me today he was a canoneer on omaha beach on dday,and marched through N France/Rhineland and Central Europe


heres just a handful of his army medals,grandma is still waiting for some to come in.If anyone can tell me what these are for I would appreciate it


here he is again.When I get the correct info for the picture Il update it


this is the original copy of his army discharge paper


heres one of his USAF group in 1953


heres a certificate for the USAF


He was discharged from the USAF in 1964,he ended being a technical sergeant,appperently he was a plane mechanic.Here he is in 1959 working on a plane,Misawa(sp) Air Force Base Japan

and sadly grandpa passed away last February from a stroke Heres grandma holding his flag at his wake.



il add to this later,my grandma has plenty more papers and pictures that I need to go through

Sorry for your loss. May he rest in peace for he has known true hell on earth.

RIP

thanks for posting pics...

As for the medals:

National Defense Service Medal, WWII Victory Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal

ETA: here's a site to look them up:

The Institute of Heraldry - decorations and medals

Speechless...

Cool stuff.. Your 3rd pic isn't from 1944. The USAF didn't exist then, Neither did F-86D's.

Great pics, I'm sure he was an awsome grandpa.

you're probably right.Il double check and get the correct date,I was a little overwhelmed at the time going through everything im sure I got a few things confused.Thanks for pointing that out

We are losing that generation pretty fast.

Are you sure that first pic is 1944?  Looks more like the early USAF era.

God bless him. We thank him for his service.

caption changed.When I talk to grandma again Il get the story behind the picture.Thank you for the blessings guys. If you have any grandpas/fathers/relatives that were ww2 vets,spend as much time with them as you can. They're few and far between anymore

Thanks for sharing. God bless him and the many others that served.

You forgot the Presidential Unit Citation, which only came in the ribbon form pictured.

I have no idea what the "7" patch is. I have never seen that one before.

The wsquare patch with the "wreath" is a Meritorious Unit Emblem. It was worn on the right sleeve near the wrist.

"The Meritorious Unit Commendation was awarded to service units, generally of battalion size or smaller, for at least six months of exceptionally meritorious conduct in support of military operations. Established August 23, 1944, the eligibility period extended from January 1, 1944 to September 15, 1945 during the Second World War. It was also awarded in conflicts that have occured since. The award exists as a wall plaque and as a ribbon bar in more recent usage. The emblem was worn on the right sleeve four inches above the cuff. It could be awarded several times and additional awards bore the numbers 2 or 3 within the wreath or as stars on the wall plaque"

I can't find much on the 772d FA Bn. online. I did find something showing them attached to the 79 Infantry DIvision. If thats the case he would have landed on Utah beach about a week after D-Day. When I get home I'll check some other stuff I have. If they were with the 79th here is a brief bit from Wiki:

World War II
Activated: 15 June 1942
Overseas: 7 April 1944
Campaigns: Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Central Europe
Days of combat: 248
Distinguished Unit Citations: 8
Awards: Medal of Honor-3 ; Distinguished Service Cross (United States)-13 ; Distinguished Service Medal (United States)-1 ; Silver Star-962; Legion of Merit-11 ; Soldier's Medal-27 ; Bronze Star-4,916 ; Air Medal-78
Commanders: Maj. Gen. Ira T. Wyche (June 1942-May 1945), Brig. Gen. LeRoy H. Watson (May-July 1945), Maj. Gen. Anthony C. McAuliffe (July-August 1945), Brig. Gen. LeRoy H. Watson (August 1945 to inactivation).
Returned to U. S.: 10 December 1945.
Inactivated: 20 December 1945.
Reactivated: (Organized Reserve Division 29 November 1946).
[edit] Combat Chronicle
After training in the United Kingdom from 17 April 1944, the 79th Infantry Division landed on Utah Beach, Normandy, 12–14 June and entered combat 19 June 1944, with an attack on the high ground west and northwest of Valognes and high ground south of Cherbourg. The division took Fort du Roule after a heavy engagement and entered Cherbourg, 25 June. It held a defensive line at the Ollonde River until 2 July 1944 and then returned to the offensive, taking La Haye du Puits in house-to-house fighting, 8 July. On 26 July, the 79th attacked across the Ay River, took Lessay, crossed the Sarthe River and entered Le Mans, 8 August, meeting only light resistance. The advance continued across the Seine, 19 August. Heavy German counterattacks were repelled, 22–27 August, and the division reached the Therain River, 31 August. Moving swiftly to the Franco-Belgian frontier near St. Amand, the division encountered heavy resistance in taking Charmes in street fighting, 12 September. The 79th cut across the Moselle and Meurthe Rivers, 13–23 September, cleared the Foret de Parroy in a severe engagement, 28 September–9 October, and attacked to gain high ground east of Emberménil, 14–23 October, when it was relieved, 24 October.

After rest and training at Lunéville, the division returned to combat with an attack from the MignevineMontiguy area, 13 November 1944, which carried it across the Vezouse and Moder Rivers, 18 November–10 December, through Haguenau in spite of determined enemy resistance, and into the Siegfried Line, 17–20 December. The division held a defensive line along the Lauter River, at Wissembourg from 20 December 1944 until 2 January 1945, when it withdrew to Maginot Line defenses. The German attempt to establish a bridgehead west of the Rhine at Gambsheim resulted in furious fighting. The 79th beat off German attacks at Hatten and Rittershoffen in an 11-day battle before withdrawing to new defensive positions south of Haguenau on the Moder River, 19 January 1945. The division remained on the defensive along the Moder until 6 February 1945. During February and March 1945, the division mopped up German resistance, returned to offensive combat, 24 March 1945, crossed the Rhine, drove across the Rhine-Herne Canal, 7 April, secured the north bank of the Ruhr and took part in clearing the Ruhr Pocket until 13 April. The division then went on occupation duty, in the Dortmund, Sudetenland, and Bavarian areas successively, until its return to the United States and inactivation.

Throughout its 248 days of the World War II campaign, the division suffered 15,203[2] killed with 10,971 wounded and 14,875 non-battle injuries. Three soldiers from this division were awarded the Medal of Honor. The division took 35,466 prisoners of war.

Yep, definitely not '44.  There wasn't a USAF until '47.

very nice, thanks for sharing sir. I wish I had pics of my Grandfather during his service in WW2, all of his things were stolen while he was in the hospital recovering from wounds sustained during the break out from St. Lo France.

Thanks for sharing this.

National Defense Service Medal

WW-II Victory Medal

Euro-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal

Good Conduct Medal

American Campaign Medal

The Blue Ribbin is a Presidential Unit Citation