Remembering WW2

[annabella1]

My brother drives a Limo and last week he brought home from the airport 3 veterans who had just returned from visiting places they had been stationed in WW2. They mentioned Tinian and my brother said my dad was stationed there. Dad died about 10 years ago but my brother got their phone numbers and gave them to mom. Once a month mom attends a retired military club meeting and she called the guys and invited them to go. She got out all the old pictures from when Dad was stationed on Tinian and then in the Phillipines. She was showing me the pictures of the crash landing dad was in 4 years before I was born. It was wild to see those pictures. She also showed me pictures of the house they lived in in the Phillipines just after WW2. I remember dad telling about the accordian he would sit out on the porch and play and the natives would squat down across the road and listen. Every once in a while one of them would get bold and run across the road and touch the accordian and run back. Mom said that she was only allowed to stay with dad if she agreed to learn how to use and carry a gun. They still had Japanese in the Jungle there who didn't know the war was over and some of the natives were still headhunters. I have a hard time imagining my mom with a gun. But I bet if she had kept it my brothers would have been better behaved.
The guys my brother picked up at the airport came to the meeting and brought pictures of their own. Mom said that everyone had such a good time remembering the places they had been stationed in the service.

[bookwormom]

world war two ended 63 years ago yesterday

[cubcadet]

Word War 1 never ended.

[TheUnboundOne]

Dear Bookwormom,

You wrote:

world war two ended 63 years ago yesterday

Actually, that was the date Germany surrendered. *According to this page below, complete with citations, the U.S. maintained a State of War with Germany until 1951:

End of World War II in Europe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End_of_World_War_II_in_Europe

And let's not forget also that the Asian theatre of the War against Japan persisted until the U.S. gave Japan a one-two punch of Plutonium on August 6 and August 9, 1945 and the Japanese surrendered September 2, 1945.


In any event, my Grandfathers' stints of service in WWII are not forgotten by me, nor are the stints of service of all the rest of those who served. *One Grandfather was an Army Quartermaster and Sentry guarding German POWs and the other was a Seabee in the Asian theatre. *Not all that glamorous, but vital functions all the same in the war effort. *I salute them and all like them.

[bookwormom]

where was your grandfather guarding prisoners at? do you know?

[TheUnboundOne]

Dear Bookwormom,

You wrote:

where was your grandfather guarding prisoners at? do you know?

He was in France, Germany, and I think also Belgium. He wasn't guarding any big-name, truly evil, Nazi Party types, just German infantryman who were along for the ride just like he was for the U.S. side.

When I heard about the Abu Gharab story and contrasted it with my Grandfather's actions, I just had to laugh.

I told people: "Is that all they did to the Islamofascists? Hell, my Grandfather guarded German POWs with a fully-loaded M-1 Garand with a lead butt-plate and a fixed bayonet! He wasn't putting panties on heads. He was just ready to crack the skull of, run through, or shoot any POW who tried any nonsense! Those POWs at Abu Gharab have it easy!"

;D