The men I've met.............

[Bob Wright]

I can honestly say I enjoy grocery shopping with my wife. I've struck up a few conversations with some older men, WW II veterans, and heard some interesting stories.

(1) Met this gentleman at the grocery store, a WW II B-24 pilot. Served with the 13th AF in the Pacific. First entered combat in the Solomon Islands, served up through New Guinea and into the Phillippines. Made several flights in a B-32, then transferred to 20th AF and B-29s.

(2) Naval aviator, flew PBY in South Pacific. Made two attacks on Japanese submarines. Told me he made two depth charge runs, never saw any results.

(3) Not at the grocery store, but flew B-17s in Pacific. Was flying into Pearl Harbor at the time of attack. Landed safely, but Japanese strafed his plane, setting in on fire.

(4) Belly gunner on B-17, 8th AF. Didn't have much to say.

(5) PBY pilot, Navy, Mediterrean area. Belonged to the MADCAT Squadron. (Magnetic Anomoly Detection CATalina). Their plane carried 24-60 lb. bombs with contact fuses. Bombs were fitted with retro rockets to kill the trajectory, for anti-submarine use.

(6) Pilot, 8th AF and 20th AF. Flew B-24 in 8th AF, went to B-29s in Pacific. Didn't like the B-29, claims he couldn't see as well from the cockpit.

The grocery store and service station where I trade is situated near a condiminium complex where may older retirees reside. Nearby is also a high rise apartment building where older citizens reside. Interesting folks there.

Bob Wright

 

[Brules]

I've met a B17 pilot at a local baseball game. He has some great stories of his time in France, like the time he "buzzed the Eifel Tower", or dropping food over Holland. He also has some stories about seeing other B17's shot down around him.

 

[USARet27years]

Bob you are right many interesting people out there. I meet a elderly (coff coff) man that was a WWII vet, at the Dr office and we talked about our respective military service for a bit, turns out he was a DUWK driver and had a wonderful discussion about the pros and cons of them . It was a very enlightening conversation and I hated to have to stop, should have got his name , but didn't. Soon they will all be gone , it is a shame we can't keep these treasures forever.

 

[stevemb]

If talking WW2 Vets, besides my Dad, the most interesting guy I've met was an OSS agent that told me of his mission to Burma to convince the warlords to fight the Japs or at least stay neutral. He killed the Japs agents that were on the same mission.

 

[bobski]

interesting....no fighter pilots shopping in grocery stores. they must still have enlisted men doing it for them.

 

[DeletedMember275]

I met a former paratrooper who made all three combat jumps with the 101st Airborne in WWII a couple of times. He went on to retire as a First Sergeant, and then did another 20 years as a DOD civilian. Quite a man!

 

[stevemb]

An older couple bought my inlaws home, when they moved to Fla 25+ yrs ago. His last name Plesovich(spell?). He made the jump on, and fought for the bridge at Arnheim. He was interviewed several times for the books and movies, such as "A Bridge too Far".

 

[stevemb]

Sadly, I feel the need to relate a story where not all the Vets are worthy of respect. Had an aquaintence 5-10yrs older than I, that served in air assualt brigade in 'Nam. He he came home with a whole shoe box of medals and numerous scars, inside and out. Helicopters made it possible for combat troops to be dropped smack in the middle of "it" more often I guess. But during his tours I beleive he spent more time in and under fire, by hrs or days, your choice, than most WW2 or Korean War Vets. The welcome home party went badly, all his male relatives that he had looked up to all his life, and wanted to be like, treated him and his medals like boy scout stuff. Sat around belittleing him and his medals. Telling their stories. He kicked the whole clan outta his house and never talked to any of them again.

 

[Tensaw]

A WWII B-17 pilot retired here on the Gulf Coast years ago. He and his wife live in our condo complex. I always enjoy conversations with him. He is now 90 and it is sad to say that he has bone cancer that is spreading fast. He probably won't be around to see another Thanksgiving.

 

[Bob Wright]

These Vets are disappearing fast. I read the obituary section each morning in my daily paper. My observation is that WW II and Viet Nam Vets are dying at a faster pace than Korean War Vets. My own nephew one of the 'Nam Vets, died of cancer. While not proven, we surmise that there was some exposure to Agent Orange.

Bob Wright

 

[Bob Wright]

While on the subect, a friend of mine at our church died recently. He was a paratrooper and served with a unit he called "The Blue Devils." Does anybody know which unit this was?

Bob Wright

 

[muzzleloader]

I did have a great uncle who I never had the pleasure of meeting that spent some time as a belly gunner on a B-17 in the Pacific. His planes did not always get to land on dry land and my dad said he was never the same when he came home. Those men did a job, didn't they?

 

[Ale-8(1)]

Not a REAL OLD individual, but . . .

Church group took a tour to the Air Museum in Dayton that Ed talks about all the time. Great experience. Highly recommended.

Anyway, we were wandering thru the building where the recent military stuff is displayed, and had stopped to wonder at the B-52 on display there. Man, what an aircraft. Big ol' thang.

The fella who had driven the church bus to Dayton was standing there with his mouth hanging open. I knew he had been in the Air Force. I asked him if he had ever flown one of these things. He said "Yeah . . . this one!!" He didn't know it was on display there.

Turns out he had flown this very airframe, or at least one with this tail number. He looked it over very closely and said he believes it's "his" Buffy. We were all suitably impressed, and got some good stories during the bus ride home.

Darn small world.

 

[Coop]

I would like to share my memories of my father here. He was never a combat soldier, but he gave a lot to WWII and the Cold War. I was born in 1943 in Radford, VA. Dad was superintendent of the Hercules/Army Ammunition plant there during WWII, and sent tons of his products overseas to Europe and the Pacific. Ammunition, shells, etc. The facility is now owned by Alliant Tech Systems out of Minnesota, and still makes the popular (and unavailable) Bullseye, Unique, etc. smokeless powders.

After the war, in 1946, he came to Wilmington, DE, and became involved in Hercules' solid fuel rocket stuff, moved to Allegheny Ballistics in Cumberland, MD in the late 50's, and eventually moved to Salt Lake City in the early 60's. His solid fuel ICBM plant in Bacchus, UT built the Polaris, the Posidean (sp), and parts of the Minuteman ICBM's still active today. He was never involved with nuclear devices. He only built the delivery systems.

His work, and those who worked for him, is still out there today, Bless you Dad. Died November 1982.

 

[Selena]

Those I have met are too numerous to list, some were combat soldiers, some were not. Like one TOB that spent most of his time signing out rifles and handguns then repairing the ones that had worn out. He talked most of racing cars in a place called Baja. Another was cook in a rear area until one day the Chinese launched a major offensive and his rear area was suddenly a front line area. He talks most about fishing a little river that runs into the Ohio. A third was on a gun crew on the USS Agerholm, unfortunately his Alzheimer's has progressed to the point he no longer says much at all. One of my favorites was a clerk/typist for an Infantry division. He was buried with his bronze star and purple heart but to my knowledge never once mentioned them much less how he happened to earn them. Still another was an airplane mechanic in England, he had an 8 by 10 photo of him shaking hands with a pilot that he was quite proud of. The pilot's name was Clark Gable.

The sailor, the cook, the truck driver, the typist, the front line soldier... All have their stories to tell. Each story is different but they all have one thing in common. They all put their lives on hold to do their part to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

 

[smoke-eater]

I feel blessed to have known many WW II vets, mostly by spending time at my Dad's VFW post, as a teen with a keen interest in history, in the 1970's. Sadly, they have all passed on, and VFW Post #633 is no more.

We were very fortunate to have had neighbors from Germany - Hans was a U-Boat crewman who's sub was sunk by the British, who sailed away, leaving the survivors afloat on the Atlantic. An American ship stopped and plucked them from the sea, and Hans spent the remainder of the war here in the States as a POW. His wife, Marta, survived the bombing of Hamburg. Her father was sent to Stalingrad, and he was never heard from again. After the war, they emigrated to the U.S., and their son became a officer in the U.S. Navy. They returned to Germany in the late 1970's. Wonderful folks that I am proud to have known as friends.

Jeff

 

[mcoe74]

A few months ago, I had the honor to meet and talk with Korean War Veteran and Medal of Honor recipient Hector Cafferata. IMO, a fine gentleman and still very active. Also, my sister-in-laws father was a AAF pilot Sergeant in WWII who remained in the active Air Guard until he retired. Another fine gentleman and still active.

 

[Cracker-American]

I think I have told this story here before.

While touring the Confederate Air Force B 17 and B 24 about fifteen years ago I ran into two gentlemen. In listening to them it was obvious they had flown in these planes. We talked and they answered my questions with polite good humor. As we were near to parting I asked a final question I had often thought about. I asked them what the crew did when they had the "call of nature"

One of the men laughed and replied "There was always an ammo can to pee into. We didn't have to worry about the other cause from the time we took off until we landed we were so scared you couldn't drive a needle up our ass with a sledge hammer"

They are all going way too fast.