And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
Tuesday, January 1, 2019
No Joke
My dad once told me that the only reason I was here was a pilot's choice. A Kamikaze pilot. Who chose to crash his plane into the bridge of the ship directly behind the one my dad was on, killing everyone. My dad worked on the bridge (radarman).
I hear ya - my dad was a tank company commander leading his column into Germany in April 1945 kind sorta near Frankfurt am Mainz. His tank was hit by panzerfausts at a roadblock ambush, and he was badly wounded. While I knew the generalities of that, it wasn't until I read his unit's history that I found out that one of his Lieutenants raced up to where my dad was trying to crawl away from his knocked out tank. While his tank was providing covering fire, the Lt dismounted, grabbed my dad, threw him on the back of the tank and evac'd him back to the aid station. Both my dad and I owe our lives to Lt. Miller!! I regret not being able to thank him!
My Grandfather served in the Army Aircorps in WWII. He was station on Tinian in 1944-45. Pop never talked about the war.
Today I am an active member in our VFW's Auxiliary. I cook at functions, help clean up after same, participate in other things that need to be done in our little post.
We don't have too many WWII vets left. One just had his 93rd birthday. He was a Corsair pilot in the Navy.
And pretty much every one of these worn out old men are still bigger badasses then I ever was.
A Kamakazi hit my father's destroyer (USS Hazelwood - DD 531) off Okinawa and took out the bridge and pretty much everything forward of the #3 5' 38" gun. Dad was on the aft superstructure and the Japanese aircraft passed about 10 feet over his head. He was thrown clear of the ship in the explosion and was picked up when aid was rendered by other ships, later.
My grandfathers ship was the very first warship sunk by a KAmikaze, the US St. Lo. He went one way to fight the fire and two of his friends went the other way. His friends both died in an explosion.
I hear ya - my dad was a tank company commander leading his column into Germany in April 1945 kind sorta near Frankfurt am Mainz. His tank was hit by panzerfausts at a roadblock ambush, and he was badly wounded. While I knew the generalities of that, it wasn't until I read his unit's history that I found out that one of his Lieutenants raced up to where my dad was trying to crawl away from his knocked out tank. While his tank was providing covering fire, the Lt dismounted, grabbed my dad, threw him on the back of the tank and evac'd him back to the aid station. Both my dad and I owe our lives to Lt. Miller!! I regret not being able to thank him!
ReplyDeleteMy Grandfather served in the Army Aircorps in WWII. He was station on Tinian in 1944-45. Pop never talked about the war.
ReplyDeleteToday I am an active member in our VFW's Auxiliary. I cook at functions, help clean up after same, participate in other things that need to be done in our little post.
We don't have too many WWII vets left. One just had his 93rd birthday. He was a Corsair pilot in the Navy.
And pretty much every one of these worn out old men are still bigger badasses then I ever was.
God Bless them all.
The sentiment is correct,but the picture is not.
ReplyDeleteThose are two 12 inch action figures.
Marwin.
A Kamakazi hit my father's destroyer (USS Hazelwood - DD 531) off Okinawa and took out the bridge and pretty much everything forward of the #3 5' 38" gun. Dad was on the aft superstructure and the Japanese aircraft passed about 10 feet over his head. He was thrown clear of the ship in the explosion and was picked up when aid was rendered by other ships, later.
ReplyDeleteNot only is he a bigger bad ass, he is also humble about it too.
ReplyDeleteThis is a staged photo of two reproduction G.I. Joe-type figures by an artist named Mark Hogancamp , not an actual photo from WWII.
ReplyDelete"Marwencol (art installation)"
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marwencol_(art_installation))
Steve Carell in "Welcome to Marwen" (2018)
(https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3289724/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_3).
Actually, the more you know about the guy who staged this photo and his art, the creepier it gets.
My grandfathers ship was the very first warship sunk by a KAmikaze, the US St. Lo. He went one way to fight the fire and two of his friends went the other way. His friends both died in an explosion.
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ReplyDelete