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Michael Penn
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 12 April 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 12428
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| Posted: 06 June 2019 at 5:42am | IP Logged | 1
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The New York Times, in this article, reports this statistic: "Fewer than 3 percent of the 16 million American veterans of the war are still alive, and all are in their 90s or beyond."
History disappearing before our eyes.
As the article above describes, so many veterans simply refused to discuss their experiences, understandably.
Both my grandfathers fought, and neither discussed it. My mother's father was more involved in many battles, from a regular soldier at the start to a partisan living on mountains in the wild. He was shot at some point. Although when I was a kid he and I loved to watch "war movies" together, even showing me in a playful way how to march etc., he absolutely refused to talk about what he really did, witnessed, and suffered, even when I was an adult.
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 132227
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| Posted: 06 June 2019 at 5:55am | IP Logged | 2
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Some years back I read that veterans of World War II are dying at the rate of one thousand per day. It makes it all the more important that we commemorate them and what they did. Soon there will be no one who actually lived through the War.
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Michael Penn
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 12 April 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 12428
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| Posted: 06 June 2019 at 6:15am | IP Logged | 3
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Does any one on the JBF know a living WW2 veteran?
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Eric Ladd
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 August 2004
Location: Canada
Posts: 4506
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| Posted: 06 June 2019 at 6:53am | IP Logged | 4
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Both of my grandfathers (deceased) served. My mother's father was a tail gunner in a B-17 and my father's father was stationed in the Pacific digging fox holes all across small islands. My maternal grandfather died before I was old enough to ask him about his experience and my paternal grandfather lived too far away to be an influence in my upbringing. In my later years I knew him as a solitary, pious and stoic man who always named his dog Max; six black labs over 60+ years, and never stopped working.
That generation was different. Maybe it was the wars or just how the world worked back then, but that generation sacrificed their lives, well being and innocence to do what was right. On my drive into work today I found myself wondering when the last of them will pass and what we have truly lost with their absence. Reminders like this anniversary are too infrequent and we must all do better at honoring the great sacrifice these men and woman made for all those that came after.
Edited by Eric Ladd on 06 June 2019 at 6:54am
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Michael Casselman
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 14 January 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 1217
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| Posted: 06 June 2019 at 6:54am | IP Logged | 5
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A couple. Met them through my American Legion post and through work.
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 132227
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| Posted: 06 June 2019 at 7:10am | IP Logged | 6
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Joe Sinnott.
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Brian Miller
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 28 July 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 30884
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| Posted: 06 June 2019 at 9:14am | IP Logged | 7
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Both my grandfathers served. Paternal was in the Army. Fought in North Africa. Maternal was in the Navy in the Pacific. I’ve heard various stories as to what he actually did on the ship. I’m gonna ask my grandma if I can go thru his old stuff soon. Army Gramps was wounded in battle and the medics left him lying there to die twice figuring he wouldn’t make it. On the third trip, they decided he’s a fighter and took him back. He had shrapnel in one of his lungs and it had to taken out. So he lived since then with only one lung. Navy Gramps served his full time and came home afterward. He never really talked about any of his experiences. I’ve heard bits and pieces that he was in a few battles, but nothing concrete.
Sadly, both are already gone. NG passed the same day Princess Diana died in 1997. AG died July 4, 2004.
Grandma’s still kicking, tho! She turned 101 two weeks ago.
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Brian Floyd
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 07 July 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 8341
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| Posted: 06 June 2019 at 9:32am | IP Logged | 8
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My maternal grandfather died about 16-17 years ago. He was in the Army Engineering Corps, and actually involved in crossing the Rhine when we invaded Germany.
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Kevin Brown
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 31 May 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 8840
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| Posted: 06 June 2019 at 9:43am | IP Logged | 9
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Does any one on the JBF know a living WW2 veteran?
******************************
Yes, my wife's uncle. For his age, he's quite fit and very sharp mentally. He used to walk at least 5 miles a day, but I know that has decreased.
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Phil Kreisel
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 03 February 2006
Location: Canada
Posts: 1911
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| Posted: 06 June 2019 at 9:48am | IP Logged | 10
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Two of my wife's uncles (both recently deceased) were Canadian paratroopers who were among the thousands dropped from the sky on D-Day. Her Uncle Danny loved to talk about the war. Ironically, he repeatedly said it was one of the best experiences of his life (though he never went into specific details). My Father-in-law also served during WWII, but he never talked about it.
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Tim Cousar
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 12 May 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 1662
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| Posted: 06 June 2019 at 12:15pm | IP Logged | 11
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Does any one on the JBF know a living WW2 veteran?
*************************************
I did until about an hour ago.
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Brian Miller
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 28 July 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 30884
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| Posted: 06 June 2019 at 12:50pm | IP Logged | 12
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Sorry to hear, Tim.
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