Tomorrow we remember the heroes of the invasion of Normandy on June 6th, 1944. My flag is flying in remembrance.
Heroism personified
- Thread starter DaytonRickster
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My Brother in laws father was a glider pilot.
Bergstrasse Cemetery. One of Pennsylvania’s bravest sons.
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80 years ago today. On that day, all gave some, but many gave all. Cherish your freedom, and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve it.
The Dick Winters leadership memorial in Normandy (same statue as the one in Ephrata), and the Brecourt Manor entryway has a memorial to the men of Easy company as well as an etching of the map Lt. Winters recovered during the fight.
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Dangerous job, flimsy aircraft, carrying troops. Cut loose from the drag plane and then having to land under hostile fire in small spaces. Many of those aircraft didn't make it.
Pointe du Hoc, with the grappling hook memorial to the Rangers given the difficult task; one photo showing the height and some leftover barbed wire; one photo showing the view west. Simply unbelievable heroism, and the site is still pockmarked with bomb and naval craters of immense size. I have photos, but google earth will give a better overview.
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+1. The mortality rate was very high.
There is an excellent glider pilot museum in Lubbock, TX.
My FIL…. 101st… 502nd… I-Company…wounded in Bastogne, honored to have known him. 9pm there right now,,, would love to know what he was doing at this moment in 1944.
Aug 2, 1950…6500 Marines deployed to Korea, known as the Fire Brigade… my dad was one of those guys. Greatest guy I have ever known
None of our family members knew that my Uncle, then just 19 serving as a bomber pilot, had been shot down over France on two occassions. Somehow he was smuggled out, back to England only to fight again. He never spoke of it. At his funeral in 1990 his friend, who he confided to about his awful memories, told us the history.
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I will remember Chuck, a good man I met when he was over ninety. He carried his own golf clubs even then, and beat me soundly.
He was on Omaha Beach, carrying a radio on his back. He walked across Western Europe, steps behind his unit commander on the front lines and never got so much as a scratch. I remember when he told me about the one time he fired his rifle. One shot and he took out a sniper who had pinned down his unit. He was not proud of that. I know he wished he had never had to pull the trigger.
He was on Omaha Beach, carrying a radio on his back. He walked across Western Europe, steps behind his unit commander on the front lines and never got so much as a scratch. I remember when he told me about the one time he fired his rifle. One shot and he took out a sniper who had pinned down his unit. He was not proud of that. I know he wished he had never had to pull the trigger.
My dad and my uncles are all gone now. Army, Army Air Corps, Navy, and Marines. Between them they saw N. Africa, Sicily, Italy, France, Germany, the Murmansk convoys to Russia, Normandy, and the island-hopping campaign in the Pacific.
One killed when his B-17 was shot down, one wounded at Iwo Jima.
All so we could live in peace.
One killed when his B-17 was shot down, one wounded at Iwo Jima.
All so we could live in peace.
My uncle was a Bataan Death March survivor. In my family you didn't buy anything Japanese for a long, long time. In the end he still died of malaria 20 years after the war so they still killed him. I had another uncle who was in the Battle of the Bulge. My grandfather was a legion commander and we were raised to serve this great country to give back. God bless all those that served or are serving in the US military.
Bastogne, major battle, that took momentum from the Nazis.
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Korea, so many incredible battles and back & forth. Kinda forgotten vets like many who fought in Vietnam.
My friends father was in the Battle of the Bulge and was awarded a Bronze Star. Those men endured horrendous weather conditions, lacking proper clothing and equipment against a German force with superior equipment. Bravery!
Any who survived that brutality are to be honored as are those who were murdered or died during the death march.
It's not a pleasant thing to say but Marines in the Pacific that I talked to and learned from in documentaries indicated they stopped taking Japanese prisoners after learning of the horrendous treatment of American POWs. That's war and it's never pretty.
Exactly. A very old friend of mine, now in heaven, was also a Marine in the Pacific theatre and said after a couple Japanese surrenders, came close to Marines, and detonated grenades killing or wounding Marines, it angered the Marines, and therafter many Japanese were not given the opportunity to surrender.