Family heroes

[SargeantTex]

since this forum group can be considered a type of family in a weird sort of way thought I would see if any one has a story about one of their family members in the military they want to share.

I'll start with my great great grandpa who was from east texas got drafted into the confederate army or signed up never got the final answer. took part in a couple of battles not sure which ones but towards the end of the war was only in 1 year before appamatox.

great grandpa was already in navy when spanish american war broke out not sure which ship he was on need to try to find out discharged around 1913.

1 grandpa signed up in 1935 in army served in phillipines but rotated home before 1941 was stationed in pacific at Fiji or Samoa which one not sure but was on okinawa at end of war preparing for invasion of japan.

second grandpa signed up Dec 12,1941 was stationed with unit that invaded kiska island spent rest of war fishing for salmon and hunting caribou around alaska. imagine those wild three day passes to anchorage lol

great uncle in the navy was stationed aboard CA Chicago during Salvo Island and when she was sunk spent 2 months at espiritu Santo before going stateside got a 30 day leave reported back to san francisco to begin training for USS cleveland spent rest of war aboard the Cleveland

all my great uncles served during WWII the rest were mechanics or skilled Workers in the military.

Dad was in air force in 65 spent one night in danang decided he wanted to go to okinawa. he knew somebody he was headed to okinawa within a week lol

Uncle served in navy 67-72 was aboard USS constellation.
second uncle was in army during Nam lost both legs in a IED tripwire but got a nice payout and a life long job with the V.A. so could have been worse. he dont hold no hatred said he would go back if he had to.
third uncle was in marines during Vietnam wounded at Khe Sanh mortar round exploded behind him was in a while I think khe sanh was the tail end of the Tet 68 offensive.
had already been in for one full tour working on his second.

as for me havent served myself but if a draft comes around I will give them a call.

[patrickl]

Hi,

Thanks for sharing.[;)] Your family has a long history of serving the country. None of my family served in conflict - Singapore has not gone to war since 1963.

Pat

[Sarge]

[Sarge]

Here is his father in WWI

[Sarge]

This is another one of my GGrandfathers (Grandmothers side) in WWI

[Sarge]

Couple photos of the front

[Sarge]

1

[Sarge]

1

[Terminus]

No military heroes, per se, but I have two uncles who were resistance fighters during the German occupation, and a friend who sailed the Atlantic convoys as a merchant seaman; all of it took considerable courage.

[captskillet]

Well I dunno if you would call my Dad a hero (he was to me [;)]) but he was 1st Mar.Div Korea and wounded in action April 1951.

My grandmother had 3 sons (2 in Europe,Army and 1 in Pacific, Army) a brother (Europe, Army tank commander), 2 bro-in-laws, and 2 nephews (Navy, Marines) all in WWII

[patrickl]

Hi,

ORIGINAL: Sarge

Here is my Grandfather in a little town of Carentan, he was with the 502/I co. till wounded in the Ardennes.


PS: Sorry no big war stories, he never would talk much about his days in WWII.

Wow, mean Airborne fighter! [:D][;)]

[rtrapasso]

Not sure what constitutes a "hero" for this thread, but my uncle (now 92, iirc) was in the boiler room on the DD USS Charles Ausburne, helping to man one of the 5" guns when battle stations were called. Charles Ausburne was the flagship of Arleigh Burke, and participated in much of the fighting in the Solomons.

My father got drafted into the Navy (one of the few people ever to manage this feat - it took some weird circumstances). He was a gunner and landing craft driver, participating in several landings (that he never talks about). Most of his wartime experiences that he told us about revolve around his ongoing war with the captain of his ship, the APA USS Brookings, (one of the many APAs not in the game).

His biggest sea story involves how he was "volunteered" to go pick up some wounded guys using an open top landing craft during a big storm later made famous in The Caine Mutiny. [X(] [:'(]

[Monter_Trismegistos]

My grandfather was in 1944 in Brest Litovsk (Brześć nad Bugiem) drafted by force into Soviet Army (despite he was a Pole he fought in Red Army not in Polish Peoples Army). I don't know much about him because he died on today's German soil only few days before armistice. My father was 1 year old then.

[Przemcio231]

Well my Grandfather was deported in 1939 by the soviets to Kazachstan then he was drafted in the Polish Army in the SU and fought all the way from Lenino 1943 (first battle of polish army formed in the SU ) to Berlin in 1945 his brother fought in the Resistance near Bialystok , and my another Grandfather decided that better to be a live coward then a dead hero and he layed low during the War...[:D][:D]
 
My Father was Drafted into the Army in the late 70's but was kicked out after kicking ass of few fellow soldiers picking on his friend and punching a political officer in the face on an other occasion...[:D]
 
My neighbour who lived downstairs " he died a year ago " fought in the Warsaw Uprising in Zoliboz District participating in an attacks on Bielany Airfield and 2 unsucesfoul attempts to punch a hole in the German defences near Gdanski Railway station... he was a relly nice person who told me much about those yars of German occupation of Warsaw...

[Speedysteve]

Interesting stuff guys. Thanks

[Sarge]

Cool

[Przemcio231]

Yep and some times you can hear that the Official story is wrong as it is slightly changed to cover something up...

[janushm]

not much
my greatgrandfather was mobilized with an artilery unit during 1914-1918 and again in 1939-1940 as a horse driver.. when germany invaded the netherlands he ''fought'' the para's around the hague. died shortly after the war

the grandfather on my dads side of the family was deported to a car factory in hamburg, bombed twice by the americans. escaped late 1943 and went into hiding in sint oedenrode where he met my grandmother. (note, he also survived the bombing of rotterdam in 1940, living just outside the area where most of the bombs fell).

the grandfather on my mothers side served in indonesia from mid 1946 onwards first as a truck driver then as the personal driver of some senior officer. he returned to the netherlands in early 1950 and went farming.

One of my grandmothers brothers also served in indonesia from 1946 until 1949 and took part in the two police actions (politionele acties).

My dad served in the airforce from 1978 until 1993, many different jobs.... operating nike missles tipped with us nukes, guarding airbases, locking up protesters in the dog cages and being a training sergeant major. he enlisted to go Lebanon but my grandmother blocked that.

[Przemcio231]

Well my friends Grandfather was some kind of Railroad Enginier and he was sent to Hanoi to help Vitnamese in their efforts to keep the Railway's operationl under the bombs of US Planes... well he was working in some kind of Plant when the B-52 visited the place... took shelter in some small shack ore something like that and after the strike this was only build left standing... he told me once that the effect of the bombardment was terrible and he was so sceared that he nearly wet his pants...[:D]

[pasternakski]

My great-great grandfather Cornelius came to the U.S. from the Netherlands in 1856 at the age of 17, headed west on a wagon train from Pennsylvania, and settled down with other Dutch immigrants farming in Iowa (the main town in the area had the great name of What Cheer). When the Civil War broke out, he enlisted and served under Grant during the Vicksburg campaign, during which he was wounded and discharged. After recovering in 1863, he was allowed to re-enlist and served under Sherman. His unit, the 16th Iowa regiment, was overrun while fighting a rearguard action in northern Georgia, and he spent several months in Andersonville prison before being repatriated in a prisoner exchange. He rejoined his unit, was wounded again, and again discharged for his wounds. He returned to Iowa, where he farmed until his death in 1878.

I have a few relics from his life, including his wallet and his discharge signed by a fella named William Tecumseh Sherman.