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nevadablue

Lifer
Jun 5, 2017
1,192
4
Thanks Brad. I think we all do what we must. It has been 11 years this month since he came home. My biggest worry is what happens after his mom and I are gone. God will provide, I am confident.

 

fnord

Lifer
Dec 28, 2011
2,746
8
Topeka, KS
I'm late to the forums this evening but I've spent my day sending out best wishes to all my friends and family members on Armistice Day.
Bradley: Thank you for posting that pix of your son in the tandem jump.
Al: How old was your dad when he shipped out to French Indo-China? He must've been on the cusp, pal. I thought that was a CIB in the first photo and the second pix, with your old man holding his frame of medals and spotting a starred CIB with a clusterd Bronze Star? Man, he was a warrior!
MSO: What a pedigree! I am humbled and truly grateful.
Ken: PM sent. Your warfighter son deserves the best our country has to offer.
To all of you veterans: peacetime or conflict, our thanks.
Fnord

 

ssjones

Moderator
Staff member
May 11, 2011
18,443
11,350
Maryland
postimg.cc
@fnord:

He was drafted in '42, so he was 21. I was just thinking, I have no clue what he did between his ages of 18 and 21!
He did mop-up operations on Saipan in '44.
After WWII he was a military detective in Austria (Salzburg & Linz), primarily homicide. Think "The Third Man" movie. I found his record book for 1946, there were 2,100 murders in Salzburg in that year!
He then went to occupied Japan, then to Korea at the onslaught, he ended up twice in Korea, Japan in between.
Austria and Japan were from '45-'51.
Vietnam in '68-69.
After WWII, he was infantry,1st & 26th Infantry divisions.
He retired in '73.
His records were lost in the fire at St. Louis. He reconstructed his service record in the 1980's and I had to type it up (and saved).

 

mawnansmiff

Lifer
Oct 14, 2015
7,426
7,369
Sunny Cornwall, UK.
"The flag is flying on my porch in a puffy breeze on a crisp fall day. Must remember to retire the colors at dusk."
Flying your nation's flag is one of the most patriotic things one can do. However, here in England it is illegal to fly any flag...including the Union Jack...without seeking (and paying for) and being granted planning permission first...how mad is that?
Regards,
Jay.

 

jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,744
27,342
Carmel Valley, CA
A moving thread, and hats are off to all Vets, but particularly those above. Fnord said it best, and I'd like to "me too" his post.

 
Jul 28, 2016
7,634
36,769
Finland-Scandinavia-EU
Before my daddy died several years ago I never knew where my grandfather did his war time service,he passed away when I was 5 year old,then in later years when I was asking my father where your father was in those years he kept saying your graddaddy served as an intepreter on POW camp,(my another Grandfather-my mother dad died early in 42 on the front-Finland-Soviet union war)now lets get back to my grand-daddy who was said to be servicing at Pow camp(there were thousads of Soviet union prison kept behind the barbwire in our land back in the days- and all those men who survived after the end of the war were to be back to CCCP)then my father died and I got my hands on war time record book yet found some war time photos of my grandaddy in German Waffen SS uniform.

based on these doucuments I did found out that he volunteered for service in German SS units//Freiwilliger SS Division Wiking among 3000 other his compatriots and then further this division were deployed on the southern Ukrainian and Russian front.Shortly after when that division was reformed he came back to his fatherland and continued his service as interpreter at Pow camp,That was the story what I found out which nobody wanted to tell me before.I must point out that Finland as a country had very close yet friendly relationships with war time Germany.

 

mawnansmiff

Lifer
Oct 14, 2015
7,426
7,369
Sunny Cornwall, UK.
Paul, interesting to hear your grandfather was an interpreter in WWII. My father was in the Royal Signals based in Italy (1940 - 1946) and was an interpreter and translator (he spoke most European languages plus a smattering of Russian) at an Italian POW camp.
He told me he was twice reprimanded for not having his service firearm loaded...he told me he was terrified of killing someone!
His father Isaac (naturally my grandfather) fought in both Boer Wars...he was in his 70's when he sired my father in 1926!!!
Regards,
Jay.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,459
I thought this was an especially good Veterans Day thread. Some moving historical photos of dads in uniform and civies.

 

tbradsim1

Lifer
Jan 14, 2012
9,104
11,066
Southwest Louisiana
. For my Grandson at school a few years ago, my Family from WWII to Korea, to S Asia to Desert Storm.

 

nevadablue

Lifer
Jun 5, 2017
1,192
4
Here's a bit of related info... Lee Van Cleef apparently served on a mine sweeper in WWII!
917858cb0b514d43c1dbe19c79b66916f0c17fdb.jpg

My dad never mentioned him. 8)

 
Jul 28, 2016
7,634
36,769
Finland-Scandinavia-EU
Yes this is one of a very interesting thread,Jay:I love the way you are using written english,the lanquage which is famous for being difficult grammatically,especially the so called Oxford English one.As for my grandfather who served in German troops originally he was descendant of Baltic Germans and spoke&wrote fluent German,Russian,French yet Swedesh&Finnish,as a child my late father spend his war time years in Sweden as his parents were afraid that our country will eventually be occupied by Red Army forces which however never happened.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,459
mawn', fascinating about planning permission being needed in UK to fly the Union Jack, or any flag. It would seem to tamp down the enthusiasm, but when in UK I certainly saw some flags flying. Speaking of which, I am pleased to say that my little ship's Stars and Stripes has held up incredibly well. I think it is at least fifteen years old, and has been flown on most appropriate holidays when I'm at home, and it looks almost new. It's good quality, sew stars and stripes as mentioned, and well cared for, I think.

 

didache

Can't Leave
Feb 11, 2017
480
10
London, England
mso489 - with respect to Jay, I don't know where he got the idea that flying the union flag was not allowed without permission. This from the official (Crown) rules on it:
1. Flags Not Requiring Consent

...

The flag of Saint David.

The flag of Saint Patrick.

The flag of any administrative area within any country outside the United Kingdom.

Any flag of Her Majesty's forces.

The Armed Forces Day flag.

Any country’s national flag, civil ensign, or civil air ensign.

The flag of the Commonwealth, the European Union, the United Nations, or any other international organisation of which the United Kingdom is a member.

A flag of any island, county, district, borough, burgh, parish, city, town or village within the United Kingdom.

The flag of the Black Country, East Anglia, Wessex, any Part of Lincolnshire, any Riding of Yorkshire, or any historic county within the United Kingdom.
I note that this means that Jay, being from Cornwall, would be permitted to fly the Cornish flag! It also means that an American, for example, could fly the stars and stripes.
There are some rules pertaining to the erection of poles, but these are mainly for reasons of safety.
Hope this clarifies that point.
A further point though is worth making: the national flag in the UK is NOT the primary symbol of statehood as it is for Americans. In the UK the primary symbol is the Crown, with the flag being only a secondary symbol. This is why British people, generally, do not view the national flag in quite the same rosy way as you guys do across the pond.
Mike

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,459
didache, interesting elucidation of the subject. I don't know, but I'd guess, the U.S. being much younger country with relatively less symbolism and ceremony from the past makes more of the ones we have. Because we are large and prosperous, I think we often forget how young this experiment is. At one time I had a brother-in-law from the Middle East who used to laugh about our antique stores. He'd say, in my country, everything in those stores is old junk. Something has to be about a thousand years old before it is valued for its age. Good point. When people complain about British pronunciation as it differs from American English, I like to say, well, it's their language.

 

mawnansmiff

Lifer
Oct 14, 2015
7,426
7,369
Sunny Cornwall, UK.
I bow my head to Mike's elucidation on the flag issue. Perhaps I read it in the Daily Mail...or was it The Guardian...either way, mea culpa and a hair shirt for a week :oops:
Regards,
Jay.

 

didache

Can't Leave
Feb 11, 2017
480
10
London, England
Jay - no need. You were actually correct until 2012 or so. It was Eric Pickles in his days as Community Secretary who liberalised the rules, mainly because of the upcoming diamond jubilee and a sudden upsurge in flag waving. Pre-Eric you would have been absolutely correct.
Mike

 
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