[JD1969]

Originally Posted by Tackleberry1

My Grandfather was a Marine, Pacific Theated WWII. that's about all I know. He passed away 2 years ago and never spoke of his service. Only knowledge was public because 5 of his buddies all joined together and my Gramps was the one who made if home to Metaline Falls WA.

Tack

Mine was like that as well. We knew he was in the Army and had been wounded, but that was about it. A few years ago my mom was going through some papers and came across a folder that had a bunch of his paper work. In it I was able to find out that he was in the part of Patton's 3rd Army, got wounded at Metz, was awarded two Bronze Stars. There was some other cool info in there, but I was really shocked to find out about this. I know he had a pretty rough time there and really never talked much about it. He was shot in the knees and he jumped over a bunker, his buddies went around it and got hit in the chest, they died and he came home with a really bad limp.

[Mason609]

Well, in that case...

I had an uncle that was in the Army during Viet Nam (was KIA), another that was Navy during during Korea and one that was Army during the same.

I also had several cousins (5 maybe 6) that were Navy (no wars or conflicts). And my sister is Navy (medical field, in a nursing program now, will be commissioned in the fall of next year)...

And, if it counts, me former Army, Iraq and Afghanistan.

[big_blue79]

Dad's 2nd older brother was stationed in Tailand in Vietnam, was given a 1911 with no magazine or bullets and told to guard the gate.. The people behind the gate just so happened to have 1911 magazines and ammo which might've saved his life, no other's I can think of off the top of my head served in any war. This was just after he joined by the time it was over he was an E5 MP and could've been hired to any police department in the US.

[Chainfire]

My father was a single parent with two children when the war broke out and nearly too old anyway so he missed the "big one". Two uncles served with the Marines in the Pacific, both wore metal in their bodies until they died. One was hit on Okinawa the other on Iwo. Neither men would say anything about their wartime experiences. I thought when one was in his late 80s I could draw him out to talk about his war. Nothing doing..... Neither would either ever buy any product that was made in Japan. Neither would either let his children donate to the Red Cross drives that were popular in schools in the 50s and 60s. Both hated the Red Cross for making them pay for ever service they received from cigarettes to writing paper when they were wounded. The services were supposed to be free and the workers were pocketing the money.

I have a neighbor who recently died who came ashore in France a few weeks after D-day and fought with Patton's 3rd Army to the end of the war. He had a lot of great "fun" stories, but like my uncles, never would talk about combat. I think it was just too painful to recall.

[JoshH]

Where to start?? My grandfather George A Regan was a Sargent under Omar Bradley and was in the D-Day invasion. In route across the English Channel his ship was sunk by German U-Boat. He was the sole survivor and was fished out of the water some 10 hrs later by a French ship. He was stripped of his clothing and brought in to occupied France. He was put in a hospital for about three days then he left on his own. With the help of a French family he was taken to an American camp that had just gotten to shore. He gave his info and was sent back to join what was left of his unit. He fought on till just before the battle of the bulge. When they dug in and had time to camp just before the BOTB he took off his boots to find his legs black from the knees down. That was the end of his service but his battle was far from over. I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time with my grandfather in his later years and he revealed stories to me and my brother that he had held on to for 60 years. I'm actually in the process of writing a biography about him. He was a professional boxer in Minnesota and won Mickey Wards fightingest fighter 1938. After the war he refused treatment for his legs and went home. His medical records We're lost in a fire in the fifties and this caused his condition to be listed as trench foot instead of injury from direct enemy fire. His legs were actually frozen from being in the channel so long. This mis-classification disqualified him from getting his purple heart. Our family has written several letters and even had senator Mark Dayton of Minnesota trying to get him his purple heart up until his death in 2010. Unfortunately the Army wouldn't budge on its stance because of the lack of info about the incident. Miss that old bird just talking about him! Also had three uncles in Nam and two cousins in Iraq. God Bless Our Troops who's lives are forever changed by the realities of war. It's men like George Andrew Regan who have paid for our freedoms that are being stripped away daily it seems! Sorry for the long post guys, thanks for reading. Here's George in 1939 not long before his service years.

[Sonic82]

My Grandfather was in WW1 he was in every major battle except one...as a foot soldier. I'm lucky to be here.

My Father was a Technician in the Navy aboard the USS Manchester in the Korean War...at the time it broke a record for sending more ordnance for bombardment of military targets than any other ship in history, all at the Korean Penninsula and the prolonged Seige of Wonsan.

[rigjumpr]

Starting with the pillar of the family my grandfather- WWI USMC
Grandfathers brother WWI US Navy never came home.
My father-US Army – battle of the bulge
Step Father- US Army south pacific
My brother- US Army Vietnam
Me- US Navy Cold War/Desert storm
Oldest Son - USMC operation Iraqi Freedom
Youngest Son US Army Operation Iraqi Freedom (still serving)
Yeah I have family military history. As well as many others I read through most if not all of the post what grate family history

[canebrake]

"The Greatest Generation" in their "Finest Hour!"

Operation Overlord The invasion of Northern France. The American VII Corps, which began to debark on UTAH at 0630 June 6, 1944, included my Dad in the spearhead landing. (First boots on Utah)

The assaulting troops quickly took the upper hand and within three hours the enemy force defending the beach had surrendered and Allied troops and supplies were moving inland. In all, some 23,000 men came ashore at UTAH that day.

Many men distinguished themselves that morning, among them the 4th Infantry Division's Assistant Division Commander, Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. Going ashore with the first wave, Roosevelt contributed materially to the success of his forces by personally reconnoitering the area inland from the beach. He then returned to the beachhead time and again, without concern for his own life, to lead groups of his men over a seawall through enemy fire to safety. He earned a Medal of Honor for his gallantry.


My Dad and the truck he drove on his European Holiday. That Thompson was his truck gun.

The Normandy Campaign ran till late July. He then moved into Northern France and fought through the middle of September.

He then entered the Rineland. The 4th Infantry Division bore the brunt of attack at Echternach, Luxembourg and then expended a great deal of ordnance in The Ardennes Offensive: Dec. 16, 1944 - Jan. 25, 1945. (The Battle of the Bulge)

Dad's 45 was fired numerous times during his European Holiday but the one he spent in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany produced his only confirmed kill. (Not his only one, it's just that no one counts them in the heat battle.)

He was rummag.......ah........inspecting a drawer in a desk at a forward German Pay Post with his 45 held overhead when a German Officer came out of a closet drawing his Luger. If he had taken it out prior to exiting the closet this story may have been told in German! (And the whole coming out of the closet story is not a pun!)

The resulting firefight was one .45 ACP round and a loud thud as the German returned to the closet.



The Ithaca on the left was used to eliminate the need of the German officer to keep his Luger P08.

The Rineland Campaign lasted through March of 1945. He worked his way South through Germany winding up liberating Dachau in May.



Thanks Dad. 1919 - 1998







My Military career was no where near as colorful as Dad's. I spent 1967 thru 1971 in the Navy punching holes in the North Atlantic aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln SS(B)N 602 Blue Crew. (A George Washington class Polaris Submarine)

[trip286]

Grandad (mom's side of family) was one of 9 kids. 7 brothers, 1 sister, and himself that survived to adulthood. There were originally 11 I believe, some passed away to childhood illnesses and accidents.

He was the youngest of the boys at around 7 or so, and was left in charge of the farm, and provided for his mom and younger sister while his father (my great grandfather), and all 7 of his older brothers fought in WWII. Every one of them came home, some later than others, and some in worse shape than others. They were all Marines and Army (I think 3 joined the Marines, 4 were army, great grandfather was army too) and they all had combat MOS's, infantry, riflemen, mortar men, machine gunners, and one was a combat medic.

They fought in probably all of the major/famous battles of Europe. None of them went to the pacific or N. Africa. One of my uncles was taken captive at the battle of the bulge, organised an escape of about 30 other POW's, and was highly decorated for it.

My Grandad enlisted when he came of age and took a communications MOS, and was stationed in Germany during the Korean war. Towards the end, he was transferred to Korea, didn't see any combat though, I think he was supporting communications during the withdrawal. He made it to E-4 in his first 2 years, so apparently he was doing pretty decent.

The closest my dad's side of the family came to service was my Grandfather buying a surplus 1911, which I've mentioned a few times. It's a Colt, built in 1912, serial number in the 500's.

Several of my Dad's family were in law enforcement in the past. Incidentally, my Dad's grandfather or great grandfather shot my Mom's grandfather or great grandfather in the head and killed him during the prohibition. Dad's ancestor was a lawman, Mom's ancestor was a bootlegger/moonshiner.

I joined the Marine Corps at 17, did one tour in Afghanistan in 2004, Operation Mountain Storm, task force linebacker, and a tour in Iraq in 2005. I was in 1/6, A co.

My six year old son says he's going to join the Marines when he grows up.

[robocop10mm]

Maternal great uncle was a captain in the 10th Armored at Bastogne. Never knew it until I saw his grave stone. Paternal grandfather was a captain (Chemical Engineer)'35-'45, but never left the DC area.

Great great grandfather took another's place in 1863 in an Ohio Rifle Regiment. Distinguished himself in battle primarily by dropping his rifle and running away. Not sure what battles he ran from. We have copies of handwritten receipts for two Springfield rifles, one mess kit and one canteen that he was docked for. Spent some time in the stockade for desertion. Mustered out at Victoria, TX and went back to his native Wisconsin. There he was told by his family that he was no longer a member of that family because he had used another man's name in the Army. Kept his assumed name, went to Canada, married a Blackfoot Indian, had 11 kids and settled in the same area of his "new" family (central Michigan). The "other" Darlings of Michigan consider our family as illigitimate Darlings and have nothing to do with us, even though we kept one of theirs out of the war.

Father in law was AF intel. Two tours in Thailand, Two in the PI, one in England. Won't talk about his time in Thailand. Probably had something to do with cameras on the F-105's