Caustic Burno
Well-known member
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is a U.S. naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii, that was the scene of a devastating surprise attack by Japanese forces on December 7, 1941. Just
www.history.com
Day of Infamy
- Thread starter Caustic Burno
- Start date
Help Support CattleToday:
www.history.com
coachg
Well-known member
Got to visit the Arizona memorial about 20 years back . Show a film before going out on the boat. Several Japanese citizens in the audience. Didn’t really know how to feel about being in the room with a mixed group. Several older men , wondered if any had fought in the war against us .
OP
OP
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
Had an uncle there that day.
Lucky he had liberty that weekend and wasn’t on the Nevada.
My grandfather's older brother was killed in the European Theater on D-Day.
My dad was drafted in1945 and was stationed in El Paso ready to be shipped. The Japanese surrendered in September of that year and he never got orders. His brother which was older participated in the war effort. Both did come out with plenty of free cigarettes and a habit that led to their demise.
Redgully
Well-known member
My great uncles were dropped ahead of the front line in Europe to do commando type work, came back physically ok but mentally were pretty messed up. My wifes grandfather was a machine gunner, not sure where he served but got a a few medals. Unfortunately after the war became a drunk for the rest of his life.
OP
OP
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
My dad mom and every uncle and aunt served in some way.
Every man was in theater and all the women worked in industry.
Mom followed dad to Yorktown as that was his homeport until Germany fell, then San Diego until Japan.
That was the most stable supportive group of people from that generation I have ever seen.
That generation seen some tough stuff.
Texas [email protected]
Well-known member
My daddy served in the Army Air Corp and my momma was Rosie the Riveter working at the Douglas plant in Tulsa.
Everyone sacrificed and served!
Everyone sacrificed and served!
OP
OP
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
They had a common bond as a country from depression to war , it effected everyone . The country was very united for the common good.
Today is divide and conquer by our politicians for their gain not America.
Redgully
Well-known member
My family was involved in very different ways. My grandfather on my fathers side was Italian and Italians were imprisoned and put on farms to work. As my grandfather and great grandfather already were market gardeners they were contracted to grow vegetables for the army. Concentrating on potatoes and celery of all things! My grandfather on my mothers side was a very famous jockey who just before war broke out had a bad fall and smashed both his wrists. He was rejected from war service because of the injuries, although at 4'11" I'm not sure he had much chance anyway! So he did what he could from the home front and swore an oath he would never ride again because he couldnt serve with his brothers and never did ride again. He was a wonderful man and died when i was kid back in 1986, over 2000 people attended his funeral. I remember this group of little old ladies came up to us grandkids telling us how they used to follow everything my grandfather did at the height of his younger years. I realise now they would have been his groupies!
Dave
Well-known member
My Dad was trained as a tail gunner in dive bombers. Before shipping out he wad given a drug for a very bad cold he had. Had a bad reaction to the drug and ended up in the hospital for several months. Was discharged and spent the rest of the war working in the ship yards building victory ships. Literally every adult male I knew growing up served in WWII.
OP
OP
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
Dad was a diesel mechanic on the USS Pope. He got recalled in Korea to San Diego to recommission ships for the war.
You didn’t mention Korea without getting a lecture on Americans dying for politics.
CowboyRam
Well-known member
My grandfather on dads side of the family was a farmer at the time so he didn't have to serve, and my grandfather on moms side was a sheepman, he didn't have to serve either.
greybeard
Well-known member
Same with my father up until 1943 and he lost his deferment because they changed the number of animals needed for the deferment as well as requiring that all feed for them had to be raised on his farm. He just had a little acreage and received a draft notice when the requirements changed and he served up until Aug 1946 but never went overseas..
His brothers and most of my uncles on my mother's side of the family were not so lucky.
Redgully
Well-known member
The craziest survival story i heard was a farmer up the road from us, he was in the jungle and they were in a firefight, he ran into an opening right in front of a machine gun nest and was hit seven times across the chest on a diagonal and somehow survived. I never got to meet him but a few years back when he died there was a write up about him in the paper.
