Written by FTW
My father was a WWII vet that ended up having to wear metal braces on both legs, from his ankles to his hips, as a result of getting hit by shrapnel from artillery during the war.
Unfortunately, from the time I could talk, until I turned 18, I never had a chance to see or speak with my father, so I was not able to learn much about his war experiences.
The second time I ever flew in an airplane, I jumped out of it. I was a 25-year-old surgical intern when World War II broke out; convinced that there would be more romance in Europe than in the Pacific theater, I volunteered as a battalion surgeon to join parachute regiment 506 of the 101st Airborne Division, also known as the "Screaming Eagles." From D-Day, to the invasion of Holland, to the Battle of the Bulge, I learned firsthand what it means not just to treat casualties of war, but also to become one.
D-Day
The ball turret of the B-17 Flighing Fortress.
Due of the size of the ball turret, the gunners best suited to take the position were typically the smallest airmen in a crew; taller individuals would have struggled in the cramped, tiny spaces. The gunner would wear a flak jacket and an electrically-heated flight suit.
Cigarettes
Does anyone out there flip one cigarette in the pack? You may be following a GI tradition.
Whenever the troops sent to Europe or the Pacific would light up, they would flip all of the cigarettes inside the pack except for one. This is so that the brand stamp on the cigarette butt would not tell the enemy the country of origin of the smoker as it was burnt first. As for the last unflipped one, well, if you lived long enough to smoke your way through an entire pack, that last cigarette was your lucky one.
Navy Patch
James Bullington
Does anyone know what the insignia in the shape of a book stands for on a Navy Uniform?
___________________________
Gen. Patton
Tom Mlinar
A Union Army band on Lookout Mountain, TN, 1864 during the Civil War.
Honouring WWI Mascot Dog Stubby, 1916 - 1926
Sergeant Stubby was an American dog who served as the mascot of America’s 102nd Infantry Regiment during the First World War.
Stubby was stowed away on a ship to France by a young soldier called Robert Conroy and went on to participate in four offensives and 17 battles.
Lest we forget
Thanks to Kingdom of Doggo
Wartime Comments
I was with Patton in Sicily in July 1943. We landed at Gela, and started due north. We went through many small villages. They were making tomato paste. The crushed tomatoes were placed on boards in front of the houses, in the steaming, hot sun.. Also, in the very hot weather, were millions of flies all over the crushed tomatoes. Enjoy your spaghetti and meat balls. Hot dogs tomorrow for sure.
Bernie
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shirley C. Glory nee Wagaman, a nurse in the U.S. Army.
Life is just a yummy plate of garden vegetables. Yes, it sounds corny, but I’ve always found comfort in the simple truth of this metaphor. Tasty, homegrown vegetables from my garden remind me of the beauty, joy, and serenity, which more than compensates for all the hard work, muscle strain, pest and diseases encountered along the way.