Post a pic of your father from WWII

[Ptah]

Or a friend from Viet Nam



Or not.

[lakemonster11]

1. Well, considering that my dad was too young to fight

in Vietnam, I think I won't do either...

Cool pictures, though. :hi:

[flvegan]

2. Wish I had one.

I heard the stories. I revere the man. Yet, I have no pictures from the time. 23 years Navy. A strong, handsome man, the boots of whom I'm not fit to carry.

[Left Is Write]

3. My dad was six when WWII ended.

[RevCheesehead]

4. I would love to, but I haven't unpacked that box yet.

My dad was a handsome dude, Army corporal, served in Germany.
He'll be 87 next month, and is still going strong. :)

[Ptah]

26. My father will be 87 in September.

I saw your thread asking for a cheerup.

Are these your cats?

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

5. Don't have one handy. HOWEVER...

will you accept one from shortly AFTER the war?

[spacelady]

8. That is a beautiful picture. n/t

[Ptah]

24. Now that shouts "Welcome Home!" n/t

[asthmaticeog]

6. In the middle, a few rows back

[Beware the Beast Man]

10. ...

:hug:

[RandomKoolzip]

11. Holy shit....

I'm so sorry, man. :hug:

[Dangerously Amused]

13. No words...

:cry:



:hug:

[NMMNG]

14. I'm so sorry asthmaticeog

:hug: for you, and :hug: for your dad.

[Cooley Hurd]

18. Damn, asthmaticeog...

:hug::cry:

Thank you for sharing your picture.

[Ptah]

23. Oh. My.

:cry: :hug:

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

46. kinda changes the thread a bit - huh?

I can't romanticize war. And this is a great example of why. Sure veterans deserve respect but wars ruin lives - period. Fuck the "Last Good War" bullshit.

[Ptah]

62. Yes, I am embarressed. I'm surprised at my myopia.

:shame:

I wasn't intending to romanticize.
I wanted to honor my aging father, and my aging friend.

The photos of the camps, concentration and internment,
break my heart.

:cry:

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

74. Don't be embarrased. Your father should be honored. No doubt.

I think that there's a lot of folks who see it differently than others like say Japanese Americans whose parents were interned.

I didn't mean to be harsh, my friend. If I was I apologize.

[supernova]

30. Deeply sorry asthmaticeog

:cry:

Evil Bastards!

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

45. Wow, dude - just wow.

:hug:

[myrna minx]

54. No words...

:cry::hug:

[uppityperson]

71. Glad that he survived.

thank you for sharing.

[Zomby Woof]

77. Interesting

That pic is from Auschwitz, yes... but pulled from a Catholic university's website in Ireland - St. Mary's Immaculate.

[Oeditpus Rex]

7. My sister has all those

And my scanner's out of commission anyway. x(

But... my dad was a medic in WWII, in the ETO. I know very little about his war experiences, since he rarely talked about them. I'm proud, though, that he was, essentially, a non-combatant.

Years after he died, I learned a likely reason he talked so little about the war: In addition to the "normal" ugliness, he was among the Allied medics who went into the concentration camps after they were liberated. I can't imagine the horrors he saw.

[momophile]

9. how 'bout Dad in Vietnam

Is that your Dad in WWII? I love it. So handsome!

Here's my Dad in Vietnam.

[Cooley Hurd]

44. Vietnam was the first war "in color"

Of course, there are many color photos from WW2, but Vietnam was the first one after the advent and wide usage of color photography.

Great pic, momophile!:thumbsup:

[democracyindanger]

12. I don't have a picture, but it'd be like this

[Cooley Hurd]

19. A great injustice...

:(

I can imagine you probably want to plant a foot up Michelle Malkin's ass. I know I do (for her bullshit book justifying the internment of Japanese-Americans in WW2).

Thank you for sharing your photo.:thumbsup:

[Ptah]

22. .

Wow. Thanks for sharing that, democracyindanger.

[myrna minx]

55. What a shameful time in our country's history.

i am so sorry.

[GrpCaptMandrake]

15. Just breaks my heart at the inital offering

and reminds me how much scanning I have to do.

In 1944, a watertender 3rd Class, he posed for his formal portrait. His older brother had posed for something similar.

Both portraits hang on the wall, reminders that children should see of what has been required.

My Dad's the sailor in 1944. What a joy it is to talk with him! Just to be around.

[BikeWriter]

16. Dad wasn't in the military, I was.

[Ptah]

25. Welcome home, BikeWriter

I was USAF, 1970-1974.

[BikeWriter]

57. Thank you for your service, Pard.

I was USAF 1965 through 1969. I was at Pleiku, AFB during the 1668 Tet, then did a year remote on the DEW Line in Alaska.

[Ptah]

61. And thank you as well. I was very lucky to spend my four years

stateside. After basic, 9 months at Lowry,
The the remainder at Castle.

B-52 Avionics.


:patriot:

[momophile]

50. Such a great photo...

Yes, welcome home. You were there during Tet? So was my Dad. My Dad was 101st Airborne.

Thanks for sharing.

[BikeWriter]

59. Thank you, Ma'am. Yes, I was there for the Tet.

I know a number of Airborne Vets and have the utmost respect for them.

[Cooley Hurd]

17. Here's Dad in Regensburg, Germany, summer, 1945:

Dad is closest to the camera, on the left (in profile). Dad served with the 555st Anti-Aircraft AW Batallion, Battery B.

I love this photo - it's got that "Band of Brothers" feel to it.:)

BTW, your photos are great, Ptah! Was your dad in the Pacific during WW2? Do you know what ship he served on?

[Ptah]

21. My father was a SeaBee in the south Pacific

Admiralty Islands, and surrounding area.

Spent his time building landing strips for the Marines.

[Cooley Hurd]

27. Damn - that was seriously dangerous work!

The SeaBees would go in right after the Marines, and BEFORE the area was completely secure (to build the infrastructure needed to bring in the rest of the troops and supplies). I've heard many stories about SeaBees getting killed, and it was considered much more dangerous than sea duty.

:patriot: to you Father and his service!

[ScreamingMeemie]

31. It really DOES! Great picture!

:hi:

[Cooley Hurd]

35. Thanks, MrsG!

:hi::)

[momophile]

51. Looks like something important was going on...

How lucky you are to have such an amazing photo.

Thanks.

[Cooley Hurd]

60. I'm not sure - possibly a promotion ceremony of some sort...

I love the the little German children looking on with such rapt attention. It must've been so strange to be a child in that era...:(

[samplegirl]

65. Just finished watching that

movie last week that was the first thing that
came to mind looking at this photo and a few others.

[nickinSTL]

20. don't have any pics...

but my dad was born a few months before Pearl Harbor...my grandfather was in the army during WWII (no pics of that either) - and my dad got out of the army just before Vietnam began.

[Bridget Burke]

28. With the Mighty 8th Air Force.

He was the Navigator--first row, 2nd from right:

[cleofus1]

33. great photo

it is now on my desktop at my workstation

[Cooley Hurd]

37. WOW! That's such an awesome pic!

What was his job on the B-17E in the background?

[Bridget Burke]

39. He was the navigator.

Not long afterward, the plane was shot down over France. Some of the crew became POW's, others (including my father) escaped with French help. The kid at the far right on the top row came down dead in his chute--his legs had been shot off.

My dad was called back to active duty for the Cold War. He did not survive the crash of an RB-36 in Newfoundland. Much of the wreckage is still there.

[Cooley Hurd]

41. Jesus... I'm sorry, Bridget...

There was no more hazardous duty in WW2 than daylight bombing missions with the USAAF. Every single one of the airmen were heroes!:patriot:

That RB-36 was a big boy, no doubt. I saw the one at the USAF Museum in Dayton a few years back and was amazed by its size (given the era it served). Where did you get that crash photo? I follow the activities of TIGHAR and am fascinated by aviation archeology...

[Bridget Burke]

43. Well, it was a long time ago.

Here's a link to the Goleta Air & Space Museum. You can even download the sound of B-36 in flight--let's hope you have BIG speakers. The sound was not heard so much as felt.

www.air-and-space.com/b-36%20wrecks.htm

The site features this photo of a B-36 & a B-29. The B-36 is on the right--yes, it was pretty big.

[momophile]

49. Love this photo.

They all look so handsome. Reminds me of my grandpa who was also in WWII. He was shot down behind enemy lines and survived and taken prisoner and again survived. My sister and I have his POW letters and we have to finish reading them all so we can figure out what to do with them - probably going to a museum somewhere.

Thanks for sharing.

[Deep13]

29. Deep13 Sr., 1947-1999, never in the military.

[Cooley Hurd]

38. I'm sorry for your loss, Deep13...

My dad also died young (1923-1968). I was a tot when he drowned at our family camp on Cayuga Lake in NY...

[kwassa]

32. I just visited the WWII memorial in DC with my dad

who was in the infantry in Europe in the war as a sargeant in charge of a mortar squad. He still, at 81, goes to reunions for his batallion, something he only picked up in the last 15 years. When we were kids he never talked about the war, and I think that quite honestly he put a lot of it out of his mind. He actually doesn't remember many of the things that happened, though his mind is otherwise quite sharp.

He did say that "Band of Brothers" was the most realistic film that he saw about combat during that war. He also thought the concept that his generation was the "The Greatest Generation" as Brokaw said was complete B.S.

[anarch]

53. I always get choked up visiting that memorial

My grandfather was an infantry sergeant as well...he died quite a while before they put that memorial up, though. I don't have any pictures of him from back then...wish I did. I've been thinking of him quite a lot recently--actually watching that whole "Band of Brothers" thing since I never saw it when it was on HBO, so maybe that's what's got me thinking about all that those guys went through. He would never talk about his experience in the war. Apparently his unit went through 195 continuous days of combat. I suppose putting it out of his mind was the only way he could carry on.

Anyway, I've been feeling deep gratitude and respect for all of the people who served in WWII lately. "Greatest Generation" or not, I feel like we owe them some serious thanks.

I just wish the world wasn't once again having to deal with fascist warmongers bent on invading other countries and such....

[AngryAmish]

34. My dad was in Ireland cheering on the Nazis

[cleofus1]

36. now that is funny

i actually laughed out loud...shame on you

[AngryAmish]

42. it's true!

[Cooley Hurd]

40. A case of "the enemy of my enemy..."

:(

[Patiod]

47. Damn! Wish I had seen this last night!

Then I could have brought his picture into work and had it scanned. Great picture of him in his leather flight jacket!

Unfortunately, he crashed his plane during his first solo flight, and spent the end of the war in a Navy hospital, recovering from the crash. By that point in the war, they were training on crap from WWI like biplanes (seriously) because all the decent planes were being used in the war itself. Still kickin' (although fighting emphysema) at 82!!

[seemunkee]

48. Not sure about this one

I scanned in all the old family photos that I have to give copies to my brother and cousins. This photo was unmarked so I don't know who it is or where the uniform is from. If anyone recognizes it give me a shout.

[momophile]

52. I have no idea, but...

it is a wonderful photo! Such youth.

Thanks for sharing.

[seemunkee]

56. Thanks

I'm hoping my uncle or my mother's cousin can help identify him. Unfortunately there is no one from my grandparents generation around to help out. I have a bunch of unidentified photos.

[kwassa]

58. It looks like a West Point plebe outfit

[Call Me Wesley]

78. What kwassa said:

The most similar uniform I can find is this one:

[Mr. McD]

63. My dad was WWI, I don't have a pic

Here's me in Viet Nam

[momophile]

67. Thanks for sharing this pic...

and welcome home. My Dad was in Vietnam as well.

[Zomby Woof]

64. Nini's Dad: WW2 Vet in the Pacific Theater

I never got to meet him, but he lives on in the memories of his family and friends... I extend my respect and gratitude in his honor. :patriot:

[graywarrior]

66. My dad, 5th from the left, bottom row

Not a good pic, but I found it by accident online. Could never find the site again. He enlisted in the paratroopers at age 15-1/2.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

68. No picture. Dad was conscripted into the Latvian Army

when he was a teenager, got shot in the arm and was transferred to a hospital in Germany where he later met my mom and I was born. We came to the USA because by that time the war was over and the Baltic countries had been given as spoils of war to the Soviet Union. My dad's parents who were still in Latvia had no idea of dad's whereabouts or even if he or his brother were alive until many years later because the Soviets didn't allow any correspondence for years.

Those were sad and difficult times for millions of people. Thanks for this thread and all of the touching stories and pictures.

[hickman1937]

69. He destroyed them all when my Grandmother died.

Wouldn't let us see them even before that. Fortunately she showed them to me a few times when I spent the week-end with her as a kid. Just a couple of him in uniform. He landed at Omaha Beach and fought in the Bulge and would never talk about it or allow my brothers to own guns.

[justabob]

70. How about grandfather in WWII?

Rumor has it this was taken on Guam... none of the photos I have are labeled, I have to trust that my mom remembers right. Grandad died shortly after I was born, so I never got to ask him about it. It was definitely somewhere in the Pacific.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

72. My father is on the extreme right in this picture

He's the co-pilot of the B-17 bomber the "Mary Ruth". His crew was chosen by John Steinbeck as the subject of several stories while Steinbeck was a war correspondent in England during World War II and this pic is featured in the compilation of Steinbeck's wartime reports entitled "Once There Was A War". Shortly after this photo was taken, my father's plane was shot down over Germany while on a mission to bomb the synthetic rubber factories at Huls. My father was shot by Germans while parachuting through the air and also broke both his legs when he crashed through the roof of a barn. He was taken to a German prisoner-of-war hospital where a German doctor saved his life. That German doctor had coincidentally had his entire family killed in an allied bombing mission the night before. In the prison hospital, my father met a French Officer who was also a wounded prisoner as well as a giant Russian named Ivan who had been shot through the body at Stalingrad. The big Russian used to bathe my father, because he couldn't walk. The French Officer spoke English and made plans with my father and with the Russian to steal a plane from the nearby military airport during an air raid and fly back to England, with my father as the pilot. But before they could implement the plan, my father was transferred to Stalag Luft III, the prisoner-of-war camp where the Great Escape occurred. My father was extremely ill in the camp, because the bones in his legs had never healed. Because he was so badly injured, he became part of a rare prisoner-of-war exchange between the Germans and the U.S. and he transferred out of Europe via Portugal. It took him a long time before he could walk again.

[HuskerDU]

73. I don't have pictures of my grandfathers on my computer.

But I have always been proud of the fact that both of my grandpas fought in WWII. Dad's dad was a member of the 28th infantry. He was wounded and captured as a POW. Mom's dad was a sailor on the USS Massachusetts. Most of my great-uncles served as well.

edit for spelling

[Left_Winger]

75. The last member of my family to serve in combat was grandpa...

in the "War to end all wars". Here is his official photo from 1917:



and the medals he earned (someone stole his WWI Victory Medal):



On edit: the rest of us were lucky to be "of age" in between the other wars.

[SKKY]

76. I am sooooo glad we don't have to wear those covers.

Not like the "Dixie Cup" is much better.

[kskiska]

79. Army Air Corps - 85 last October

[eyepaddle]

80. This thread should be collected and saved as an album or

somesuch.

It shows so much, in these shots of the small moments of the times (both WWII and Vietnam etc) Both the sense of hope in the individual shots as well as the team work of the B-17 crews, and the raw injustice of the Japanese-American internement camps to the naked horror of a concentration camp.

Scrolling through this thread has moved me almost to tears--for many, many different reasons.

Oh as for me, it would've been my grandfather, I don't have any pictures scanned in (and my scanner is hors de combat so none are forthcoming) but he served in the 10th Mountain Division in Italy in 1945.

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

81. Here is a pic my grandfather took in WWII