War dead from our family.......

[Bob Wright]

During our morning service at our church yeaterday, my pastor recognized those who had lost family members in the military service.

I thought back, and only two that I know of. My nephew died in a helicopter crash here in the US. He had served as security for the SR-71s on Okinawa and had returned to the US where he guarded the missle silos.

One other was a relative on my mother's side, a Clardy Williams. He left middle Tennessee to join Andrew Jackson's forces and fought in the battle of New Orleans, and was never heard from again. Whether a battle casualty or not is not known.

Bob Wright

 

[blume357]

As far as I know, no relatives have died in my family since 1781... that was at a place here in South Carolina called Cowpens.

 

[Bob Wright]

As far as I know, no relatives have died in my family since 1781... that was at a place here in South Carolina called Cowpens.

You must have one house full of old folks! :D :D :D :D


Bob Wright

 

[Bucks Owin]

My family was fortunate as well. My dad survived Pearl Harbor and his time around New Guinea. Two of his brothers made it through Okinawa, one of them Korea too. Cancer took his brothers relatively young, but the ol' man made it to 85 years old...

God bless all who serve.

 

[Jeepnik]

While every male, and now females of this generation, has served, whether it be peace time or war time only two have died while in the military. Neither was combat related.

My paternal grandfather died at Ft Leavenworth in the Spanish flu epidemic. He may well have survived but injuries sustained in France had compromised his health.

The other was my maternal grandfather. After being medically retired (heart attack) from the Navy (he was an old China sailor for those that know what that is) in early 1941, he somehow managed to get reinstated just after Pearl Harbor.

His last ship was the USS Vestal (moored alongside the USS Arizona). He apparently wanted payback, but even though he managed, through the "old Chief's network" to get reinstated they wouldn't let him go to sea. He died of a heart attack in November of 1942. He may not have gotten payback, but his boys sure as heck did.

Most of us have been a bit banged up, with one cousin (career Marine) who never did learn to duck, we all survived. Some may see it as good luck, we see it as God's intervention.

 

[StanMemTn]

My great uncle Jule, died in the weeks following D Day. His brother, my grandfather, was wounded in St. Lo just a short distance away but didn't find out about his brother until months and months later.

 

[427mach1]

My great-grandfather was killed near Ypres, Belgium, on April 8, 1916. He was enlisted with the Canadian First Pioneer Battalion.

 

[Don Lovel]

Dad's older brother Don I was named after, was 1st Lt in 101st Infantry in southern Belgium post D Day, caught in Nazi counter offensive mortar barrages and was wounded but managed to get his men safe and out of the area. He was in the field hospital in Normandy, died of infection & pneumonia. He is buried in the cemetery shown in Saving Private Ryan.
We had mom's family members were Alabama Confederate soldiers and two brothers were wounded in the same battle in 1863. Another family member died in 1865 in Georgia during Sherman's scorched earth campaign.

One of the best friends I ever had, 1st Sgt Richard Snyder, 101st airborne, Special Forces, Silver Star at Trung Luong in 1966, Multiple Purple Hearts, presidential commendation for 39 confirmed kills in one very bad afternoon.
Severe real PTSD, Agent Orange and the incompetence of the administration veteran's policies and mismanagement of VA killed him in December 2013.

 

[Heliman]

My step granfather's two brothers died in the South Pacific during WWII. One was a Navy Corpsman and died in Saipan. His other brother died on a ship in the Philippine Sea.

My Cousin's fiancé was a Marine and was killed in Vietnam after 3 weeks in country.

God bless all who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

Dave

 

[Mobuck]

Several of my relatives have been wounded in action but none KIA since the Civil War.

 

[ronto]

My Uncle Paul was in the Signal Corp. and was killed by a sniper a few days before the end of WWI.
My Cousin Junior was in the Merchant Marine was lost at sea in WWII when his ship was sunk by a German U-Boat.
My Cousin Eddy was in the Army and is MIA in the Korean War.
May all those who gave everything to preserve individual liberty rest in peace...it's up to us to ensure their sacrifice was not in vain...we owe them that.

 

[Colonialgirl]

Well, Had a great Uncle that served during WW1 (I have a copy of a photo of him in his "Doughboy" uniform) My Dad was a 20 year Navy vet (enlisted in the 30's before WW2) I had an uncle that was a Paratrooper, but he never talked about the war; TWO relatives that fought in the Revolutionary army against the Brits, a cousin that was US Navy, an Ex-BIL that was career AF and then there was me in the US Army.

 

[toysoldier]

In researching my family history, the only definite war casualty I found was an ancestor who was killed at the battle of Tewkesbury in England in the 15th century.

http://www.britainexpress.com/History/battles/tewkesbury.htm

 

[smoke-eater]

My Mom's brother, Jim Hulings was KIA on his 28th mission, serving as a top turret gunner/flight engineer on a B-17, the "Galloping Ghost", in the Mighty Eighth, on 1/20/45. His remains were returned home in 1948. I placed a Flag and a bouquet of red, white and blue carnations on his grave last Sunday, as I faithfully do for every Memorial Day. Every Christmas, I place a Flag and a wreath on his grave. I won't let his sacrifice be forgotten.

My Dad was fortunate, in that he spent most of the war assigned to a coastal artillery battery at Ft. Sherman, Panama Canal Zone. His best friend, George Sparks, whose family raised my Dad as their own after his father abandoned him, joined the Army with my Dad, but was not so fortunate. He was killed crossing the Rhine.

I have traced back in my family's history, and found the names of 11 members who served in the GAR during the Civil War, three of whom died in battle, or of their wounds. My cousin recently visited the grave of one, Asher Kirkbride, who was killed on Missionary Ridge.

Jeff

 

[bogus bill]

I came from a huge family on my dads side. Counting both sides of the family (Aunts husbands too) I once counted 8 uncles in the second World War and two in Korea. Every one came back. Only one of dads brothers is alive, (96 years old) and one uncle by marriage to a aunt is still alive.
I had one gr,gr grandfather on moms side that fought for the union in the civil war but on dad`s side they all got here late. Dad is a first generation american. I heard of others that were killed in europe that I never met. My grandmother lost her first husband before she came over so there were great uncles and 2nd cousins lost in the axis.
As I was born in early 1941 I well recall the end of the war and new uncles I never knew before coming home over a very short time. Dad was the oldest, all the uncles were younger.
Also my ex father in law (navy) was present at the signing of the surrender of japan. That was quite a story. He told of the ships making wide circles in the ocean and firing at Japan to make them think there was more of them. He also claimed to be among the first after surrender to walk on the city streets and didn't experience hostility and was treated well. He highly defended the bombing.

 

[bogus bill]

Years ago I had several girl friends. One was a English war orphan, her dad was killed flying a spitfire and her mother killed (bombed) in the battle of Brittan. She died on my watch. The other was the same age as me and she was born in Berlin Germany. Her dad was captured on the Russian front and was finally about the last to be released from the Gulag in the 1950`s. We are still in touch and she even is a friend of my wife now. The strange thing is she is only a couple months younger than me and when talk of the war has come up she claims her mind has blocked it all out. She of course living in Berlin must have been present of horrible stuff as she was born in 1941 as I was.

 

[blackhawknj]

The only ones I know are from my paternal grandmother's family in the Civil War-New York State troops at Gettysburg, either an uncle or a great uncle-or a couple of them. My mother mentioned-only once-a cousin by marriage who was MIA in The Bulge,

 

[huntsman22]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9c8Rba5NVE

 

[contender]

I only know of one family member who died in service. One of my Dad's brothers was killed in Normandy, D-Day. God Bless you uncle Freddy.

 

[bobski]

capt allen etheridge
us army
vietnam 1969.

my brother in law.

all my other family dodged the bullet for 7 wars.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Hi,

Records are sketchy in our family, but from what I know, we've been fortunate. The first service we can document was in King Philip's War, beginning in 1675. Some served in the Revolutionary War, but I know nothing of where they were, what they did, or what happened to them. From there, the next one I know of who served was my maternal great grandfather. He was called up (Union) in the latter months of the Civil War. He was wounded, and it's said after effects of the wound shortened his life, but he did make it home.

Every one I know of who served made it home from WWI, WWII, and Korea, although my BIL's Dad was captured by the Japanese in WWII. He flew Corsairs in the Marines, but never talked much about his experiences. I know he was a HAM radio operator at home, and there's a story he made a radio out of bits and pieces that helped in getting him rescued. As far as I know he wasn't wounded other than whatever bangs and scrapes were involved in his capture.

My thoughts go out to those whose families sacrificed far more than mine did...

Rick C

 

[graygun]

IDK of any killed and have not done any research. The old man and two uncles served in WW2.