Putting your relatives in harm's way

[RevRick]

Dad was in the Marines on the Canal (in the 2nd MarDiv.) His older brother was flying F4F's and F4U's in the Solomons, don't know which outfit. Another of my uncles never made it out of Pearl - died on the Shaw, I believe. and another was lost on a Cat hunting U-boats in the Atlantic. I sort of turn all that off, metaphorically, but realize that there were a lot of families with 50% and higher casualties/mortalities from that era. Makes you glad that this current bunch of whimpy reporters weren't at Tarawa or Omaha Beach.

[Twotribes]

My Dad did 2 tours in Vietnam, well one tour and 3 months, second tour got cut short when he fell in a punji stickhole ( which Ironicly probably saved his life, his falling triggered the start of the ambush), he spent 3 months in a hospital in Japan they didnt know if he would live, had some kind of NASTY infection. He retired in 84 from the Army and in mid to late 90's lost his leg to that old infection, come back to haunt him. He died a few years ago. He just missed going to Korea, joined the Army ( for one tour) in 1953 and was scheduled to go, but got the mumps and ended up in the hospital and reassigned. He got out and went in the guard in about 64 then sometime later went regular Army, I know we were in Germany in 1969 and he did a tour in Vietnam before that and after. He hated Germany so much he volunteered to return to Vietnam.

I missed Iraq the first time cause I hated Comm Company 2nd Mar Div and got a reassignment early to Okinawa, left 2nd Mar Div in August 90 , about a month or 2 before they stopped all transfers. No support people went to Iraq ( or rather no units, some individuals did) from 3rd Mar Div. Not being a grunt and being an Instructor at an Army school I missed Grenada and being a support person I wasnt with the Marines that went to Panama either.

Being a GySgt by 1990 prevented me from going on any deployments with MEU's . they dont want SNCO technicians, they want Sgt and below. I joined in 1979 and was medically retired in 1995. Permanent retired in 2000 on disability. Gotta spend 5 years on temp disability retired list, just in case you get better or die ).

[Bill Durrant]

Couple of stories on this thread:

A friend at works father was captured in Burma - survived but hated the Japanese and never bought anything Japanese. Later on he won a Honda car in a works raffle - he said to his colleagues, "Boys, it's time to forgive and forget"

My father was too young to serve in WW2 (born 1931). He did get a job though in the communal air raid shelter in his street in London. He had to sit on top and watch for V1's and if anything cut out nearby he had to rush in and bang a gong so everyone could brace themselves. He was promised a penny for every 'spot'. First one he saw he crapped himself, ran inside, and didn't bang the gong. He got sacked!

[SpitfireIX]

ORIGINAL: rogueusmc

I try to play the game in a manner as if there were real men on real decks.

I also try to play the game under realistic constraints, even if those constraints aren't modeled in the game. Once at a convention, I was playing naval minis with a friend of mine who tended at the time to go in for really cheesy, gamey tactics. We had the Phoenix (my flagship), an Omaha-class (forget which), the San Diego, two Fletchers, and three pre-war DDs. My orders were to bombard a small island, and I was to detach one cruiser and a couple of DDs as a scouting force. I gave my friend the San Diego and the two Fletchers as the scout fource, as those were our only three ships with SG radar. My orders also specified that I was to be very careful with the cruisers, as they had been "borrowed" from a CV task force, and had to be returned in working condition. In the middle of our mission, our orders changed completely (the guy running this is an ex-US Navy officer; his scenarios are usually really creative); I was to intercept and destroy a Japanese convoy of two merchantmen with an indeterminate escort. While my friend was racing to rejoin me, I engaged the escort and wiped out the Kitikami (don't ask me what she was doing there) and three Fubukis, due to the inexperienced Japanese players' falling into a simple trap I set, just as I had predicted (basically I tricked them into firing all their port-side and centerline tubes, then rushed in and massacred them at knife-fighting range before Kitikami could unmask her starboard-side tubes). Meanwhile, my friend had finally arrived, finished off the Kitikami, which was limping away behind a smokescreen after having stopped a torpedo, with a hail of radar-directed 5" shells, and then sank the two freighters. We had lost two DDs, had a third one crippled, and sustained one superficial shell hit on Phoenix.

The referee told me that one of the Seagulls I'd launched earlier was reporting a Japanese CL and four DDs in the vicinity; he asked me if I wanted to go after them. I said, "No. We've accomplished our mission; we have survivors to rescue, and a wounded ship to safeguard, plus our two 6-in cruisers are down to one-third ammunition. We're heading home."

At this point, my friend piped up, "If the Japanese find us, we'll run away and forget about the damaged ship."

I replied, "The hell we will! We'll try to avoid combat, but we'll fight if we have to." However, at this point, the Japanese players, being thoroughly demoralized, decided they'd had enough, and broke off the action. I imagine we would have won if we had fought, but we would almost certainly have taken significant additional damage. This is one of my all-time favorite minis games.

[SpitfireIX]

ORIGINAL: Oliver Heindorf

being german I give a $*** about it. [:'(]

I put my relative in harms way when I am the skipper of a motorboat or sailing boat in hamburg harbor and have them abord [:D]

Good one, Oliver.

[:D][:D][:D]

[SpitfireIX]

ORIGINAL: bradfordkay

A question for those younger than 60...

If your dad was aboard a ship that gets sunk in the game, will you cease to exist?

Actually, if you were conceived on or after December 7, 1941, you will most likely cease to exist in any case, due to the butterfly effect.

[TheElf]

My Grandfather was a gunner's Mate in the Long Island. I take care of her.

[Twotribes]

Umm, why would the Long Island ever get in harms way? LOL, well actualy I sent her out to hunt submarines with a marine SBD unit, I guess she is in harms way.

[deggo]

My dad was with VB-104. PB4Y's off Guadalcanal and a few other Islands.
His plane was #60 and the nose art consisted of plain white stenciled letters "MOMENTARY DYSENTERY."
I see they are coming on later in the Guadalcanal scenario I'm playing.
Gotta be careful with those guys.

[Mike Solli]

I had an uncle who was one of the bow quad 40 gunners on LST 66. During the US invasion of the Philippines, there were some injures on the stern mount and my uncle was transferred there. About 5 minutes later, a kamikaze landed on the bow mount and pretty much wiped the bow of the LST (including the bow mount and everyone manning it) off the face of the Earth. Somehow she survived and made it back to port. My uncle never really talked to anyone about it until I joined the navy and then told me stories whevever we got together. He gave me his hat and I still treasure it.

My Dad was an MP in the ETO and was scheduled to "participate" in Operation Olympic. They were getting ready to head to the PTO when the atomic bombs were dropped. He said that invading Japan was truly frightening to all of them; much more than fighting the Germans.

[SpitfireIX]

ORIGINAL: Mogami

Mr. Hands: Hi kids! It's time for the Mr. Bill Show!
Mr. Bill: Yay!
Mr. Hands: Say Mr. Bill, I see you've bought War in the Pacific.
Mr. Bill: Yes, I'm gonna play by email and have lots of fun!
Mr. Hands: Hey Mr. Bill, PBEM opponent Sluggo is here to set up game.
Mr. Bill: Ohh, he's gonna be mean to me!
Mr. Hands: Come now, Mr. Bill. Your PBEM opponent Sluggo is your FRIEND. First, he's going to set the house rules.
Mr. Bill: Ohhhhhh no!
Mr. Hands: Say Mr. Bill, Look who's here. It's your dog Spot
Mr. Bill: Yeah Hi Spot
Mr. Hands: Sluggo says he will put your disk in the drive. (closes drive door on Spot squashing him)
Mr. Bill: I don't think you're a friend Mr. Hands all you do is let Sluggo be mean to me.
Mr. Hands: Oh you better watch out for enemy ASW .
Mr. Bill: Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh noooooo!
Mr. Hands: Your carrier TF has been spotted by Sluggo's patrol planes and guess what? you forgot to take your airgroups off of training.
Mr. Bill: OHHHHhhhhhhhNNNOoooooo!!
Mr. Hands: Hey look your supply lines are cut.
Mr. Bill: Ohhhhhhhh nnooooo!
Mr. Hands: Sluggo says he's made auto victory.
Mr. Bill: Ohhhhh! you are all being mean to me.
Mr. Hands: Come now, Mr. Bill. Your PBEM opponent Sluggo is just trying to have fun and play historicly.
Mr. Bill: OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH NNNOOOOOOOo!
Mr. Hands: Well kids, that's all for now. See ya next week, when Mr. Bill plays Scenario 15!

Mr. Hands: Hi, Kids! It's time for the Mr. Bill Show. In this week's episode, Mr. Bill joins the Seabees.
Mr. Bill: Yay!
Mr. Hands: Okay, Seaman Bill, you need to use your shovel to fill in that bomb crater in the landing strip, so we can make it nice and level for our bombers to use.
Mr. Bill: Aye, aye, sir! (moves shovel full of dirt)
Mr. Hands: Oh, look, Seaman Bill, it's CPO Sluggo, and he's brought a steamroller to help you!
Mr. Bill: Oh, I don't like him--he's mean to me.
Mr. Hands: Come on now, Seaman Bill--we're all in this together. Now get back to work.
Mr. Bill: Aye, aye, sir.
Mr. Hands: Uh-oh--look out, Seaman Bill--CPO Sluggo is coming to flatten the dirt--you'd better get out of the way!
Mr. Bill: OHHHHHHH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Mr. Hands: Uh-oh--too late. Tune in next week, when Mr. Bill joins the Tank Corps.

[:)]

[Tankerace]

With Special guest star Private SNAFU! [:D]

[scout1]

Though, I've (almost) exclusivelt played as Japan, my brother-in-law's father was on the Brittany as a member of TF58. Has some amazing insight.

[SpitfireIX]

ORIGINAL: Tankerace

With Special guest star Private SNAFU! [:D]

Good point--SNAFU can drive the tank and run over Private Bill because he's not paying attention to where he's going. [:)]

[RevRick]

Does he get to bring his pet Chihuahua-St. Bernard mix FUBAR?

[SpitfireIX]

ORIGINAL: Tankerace

With Special guest star Private SNAFU! [:D]

For anyone reading who doesn't know who Private SNAFU is, see here.

[Cap Mandrake]

Check out SNAFU's babe[X(]

[Ron Saueracker]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Check out SNAFU's babe[X(]

There is hope for wargaming geeks yet![:D]

[panda124c]

My father was CIC USS Arkansas, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. His brother was in a Marine PBY Squadron in SW Pacific (don't know which one).

[janushm]

i had several family members serving in the DEI a great uncle on the HR.MS Java...and he wasnt one of the 12 survivors.
my grandfather was with a AA battery in surabaja and got captured.
and another one of his brothers was with the merchant marine [koningklijke pakket maatschappij] and got away to australia..