"Yesterday, December 7, 1941"

[LGR4GM]

I start this thread in honor of my grandparents, 1 set dead, 1 set alive. They fought and became the greatest generation in history as they won the greatest and most deadly war this world has ever known. In honor of the 70th anniversary I ask others to note stories or memories that were past down to them by those who we should all remember as a generation that halted the armies of darkness from destroying the world. "The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here" Too the "Greatest Generation" I bow my head in thanks for the ultimate sacrifice which they have laid on the alter of freedom.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VqQAf74fsE

[Eleven]

http://twitter.com/#!/RealTimeWWII

 

It will take a couple of years before he catches up to Pearl Harbor. He's on 12/7/39 now, going day-by-day, hour-by-hour, through the war.

[qwksndmonster]

http://twitter.com/#!/RealTimeWWII

 

It will take a couple of years before he catches up to Pearl Harbor. He's on 12/7/39 now, going day-by-day, hour-by-hour, through the war.

Thanks for the link this time :worthy:

[HopefulFuture]

Both Grandfathers have passed. 1 in 87 and 1 in 04.

1 served with the 82nd airborne, helping reconstitute the division and turning it into an airborne division, he served in the North African campaign with them, following that action he was transfered over to the 101st airborne, where he served in the following campaigns: D-Day, Market Garden and Bastogne. He served under Major Dick Winters, from Band of Brothers at one time during the war, as his company was a part of their Regiment.

 

1 Served in the 2nd infantry division, landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day, Battle of the Bulge and invasion of Germany across the Rhine.

 

These 2 men formed my childhood and will always be my hero's.

[drnkirishone]

one of the rare times in life when people use the word greatest and I actually agree with it. truely they are the greatest generation. I only hope that we never forget what they did and all they sacrificed.

[TheMatrix31]

http://twitter.com/#!/RealTimeWWII

 

It will take a couple of years before he catches up to Pearl Harbor. He's on 12/7/39 now, going day-by-day, hour-by-hour, through the war.

 

Oh wow that's bad ass dude! Thanks for this.

 

70 years. God Bless America.

[neverenough]

My pal earl was on the navy ship during this time, what a great man he was!

[Corp000085]

RIP...

[Weave]

They were truly a great generation who sacrificed in ways I don't think we as a country would stand for sacrificing today.

 

My grandfather was a B-17 pilot stationed in Scotland and flew missions over occupied Europe. I have his flight log, uniforms, and medals.

 

About 3-4 months ago I decided to re-read The WInds of War. I put it down awhile ago and picked it back up again about 2 weeks ago. I ended up on the Pearl Harbor bombing chapter yesterday. By coincidence.

[LabattBlue]

My grandfather was a B-17 pilot stationed in Scotland and flew missions over occupied Europe. I have his flight log, uniforms, and medals.

Those are awesome keepsakes! Treasure them forever, and hopefully his story can be passed on to many generations of your family.

[nfreeman]

Great thread. I don't have much to add other than recommending "The Pacific" HBO miniseries and urging everyone to take a minute and appreciate today's significance.

[Sabre Dance]

My dad (who passed in 1996) had joined the Pennsylvania National Guard in the summer of 1939. In December of 1941 his unit was stationed in Louisiana. One Sunday (the 7th, of course), he and his buddies were taking it easy, sunbathing and just hanging around their quarters. Their sergeant came along and said, "The Japanese have just bombed Pearl Harbor - everyone is in for the duration..."

 

He spent the next few years at various camps around the US, and was sent to England in 1944. He was part of the D-Day invasion (landing on the second day) along with his artillery unit. He was a communications specialist, so he was responsible for the radios, field telephones, etc. He never talked much about the war, but the few times he did, he told me how he would have to run phone wires up to the forward observation posts (mostly right on the front lines) at night so that in the morning, the infantry could call in targeting info for the 155mm "Long Tom" cannons. Although he didn't elaborate, I got the impression that on more than one occasion he actually found himself behind enemy lines during these excursions. The thought of wandering around in the dark, dragging a huge spool of telephone wire and trying to be quiet so that the enemy wouldn't shoot you...well, that scares the hell out of me. I can't imagine how he must have felt.

 

I have the utmost respect for anyone who did serve or who currently serves in the Armed Forces. I do have a special place in my heart for all of the "citizen soldiers" who fought in World War II. The job that they were asked to do was dangerous and difficult. Yet, those who were fortunate enough to return home mostly accepted it as a duty to their country (and the world) that had to be performed. On this 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, I honor all the men and women of the US military, past and present. Thank you for protecting our freedom!

 

Also, my dad's tour of duty in Europe had a happy ending. He made it through the war with only a minor wound, and when Germany surrendered, his unit was stationed just outside of Pilsen, Czechoslovakia. Pilsen is the birthplace of pilsener beer, and the boys celebrated by drinking beer (by the helmetful) from the local breweries.

[R_Dudley]

My Dad passed in 1995. He was a 17 yr old Sea bee in the Navy in WWII. He was in the pacific and was responsible for building/maintaining the airlplane runways and small supply ports that they built on the islands they occupied as they fought their way towards Japan. He was very lucky in that his group typically came in after all the hard fighting to build from there however I cherished his stories of what he saw and had to clean up after. I have a couple pictures of him in the jungle or next to their tents. I also have his duffle bag and uniform. He was active with the VFW and I attended all the parades and picnics as a child growing up. The bugle taps and 6 gun salute at his funeral was the only time I cried.

 

If you ever see the red buddy poppy's on sale at times at the local Home Depot or Lowes please buy one and than thank them.

 

These are/were men that truly know what sacrifice means.

[ROC Sabres]

I usually end up telling this story every year. My brother use to teach at a school for kids in a school district where basically every kid came from a well off family. And of course in this day in age, kids are no longer required to say the pledge of allegiance (which still bugs be but i digress). He only had one student that never said the pledge and on December 6th, he went to that student and said to him, "If you could, tomorrow I would really appreciate it if you would say the pledge". Of course the student asked him why. My brother then told him, my mother has been a nurse for 30 years and some of her patients were survivors of the USS Arizona and it would mean a lot if he could just show respect to them.

 

The next day came and the student stood up and said the pledge and did it from that day on.

[mphs mike]

i have an uncle who was wounded in his right hand and arm during the battle of the bulge. A few years ago his daughter found a diary he wrote as physical therapy for his hand while spending months in the hospital recovering. I read it periodically and am amazed at the difference between his life at 18 and mine. Lines like "just after finishing eating we set off on a night attack. We went about 1000 yards, ran into a tiger tank on the right. We sent out a partrol ( 3 guys) they never came back" are just chilling.

[dEnnis the Menace]

Was going to start a new thread, then remembered we had this one.

 

A friend of mine posted this on face book, and it got my attention, and i've been spreading it to a bunch of people: LINK

 

As someone who worked for a production company for 6 years (albeit, live sound shows), I know that schedule is everything. But there were always things that made you stop regardless of schedule out of respect. A moment of silence nearby, Taps being played, or the National anthem being played. And never in my wildest dreams would I have asked one of my production assistants to shoo away a veteran. In fact, we invited a couple that were hanging around the field house once to observe what we were doing as long as they stayed out off to the side. IMO, the reaction of the crew filming, and the reaction of CBS is appalling and disgraceful, and I for don't care how skewed the truth is, unless a veteran is being a pompous a$$, you are respectful to the nth degree!

 

The part that got me pi$$ed the most was the flower laying being interrupted.

 

any one else have thoughts on the matter?

[Bmwolf21]

Was going to start a new thread, then remembered we had this one.

 

A friend of mine posted this on face book, and it got my attention, and i've been spreading it to a bunch of people: LINK

 

As someone who worked for a production company for 6 years (albeit, live sound shows), I know that schedule is everything. But there were always things that made you stop regardless of schedule out of respect. A moment of silence nearby, Taps being played, or the National anthem being played. And never in my wildest dreams would I have asked one of my production assistants to shoo away a veteran. In fact, we invited a couple that were hanging around the field house once to observe what we were doing as long as they stayed out off to the side. IMO, the reaction of the crew filming, and the reaction of CBS is appalling and disgraceful, and I for don't care how skewed the truth is, unless a veteran is being a pompous a$$, you are respectful to the nth degree!

 

The part that got me pi$$ed the most was the flower laying being interrupted.

 

any one else have thoughts on the matter?

 

Nothing you haven't already expressed perfectly. Filming on Dec 7, those guys should have been as unobtrusive, respectful and accommodating as possible. And if you can't, you certainly don't get into a public pissing match with a veteran's group on their most important day. I am equally disturbed by the production crew's actions as I am the exec producer's response. Apologize, promise it won't happen again, make a donation, move on. PR 101.