Did Your Parents Serve In WWII?

My mother's older brother left for Navy OCS the day after he graduated from college at 20.

His OCS was at Notre Dame University and was shorter than usual because of the huge influx of candidates in the war. He always joked that instead of being the usual "90-day wonder", he was a "60-day miracle"

He spent 31 years in the Navy, retiring as a Captain.
 

I forgot to mention that I had an aunt who was a Navy nurse, an uncle who was assigned to Italy in the Signal Corps handling pigeons used for delivering messages, and another uncle in the Merchant Marines who traveled through the Panama Canal many times. He said the on-board food ruined his stomach.
 
Dad enlisted in the RAF 1940 at 18. Demobbed 1947. In 1942 was shot down spent just over two years as a prisoner of war, including time at Stalag Luft III and 3 other places.

I still have these:

The original telegram to his parents advising of him being shot down and missing.
Letters - to his parents (some earlier ones heavily censored) asking for cigarettes, warm socks and lots of references to Red Cross parcels.
His medals and Caterpillar Badge.
Local newspaper articles about him.
Lastly, (and I don't know who took these), many photos of prisoners doing different sports in Stalag Luft 111.

Apparently while he was a POW he studied accountancy and Pitmans shorthand.
 

My dad had taken flying lessons in the 1930s, but never did anything with it, other than occasional recreation. The day after Pearl Harbor he joined the Army Air Corps. At 35 he was considered too old for combat, but became a pilot in the air transport command. He flew planes from West Coast factories out to the East Coast, and supplies to the Pacific theater. I recall one incident he told me about that brought tears to his eyes. He was piloting a plane in group towing gliders out to the East Coast. As they passed over the Rocky Mountains they iced up and had to cut the gliders loose. he stayed in the Reserve after the war and retired a Colonel.

After my mother died he married a retired Navy nurse. She spent a lot of time in Japan after the war, and served in a military hospital in California where at one time she took care of Admiral Chester Nimitz. He gave her an autographed photo of him signing the Japanese surrender document that ended the War. Not quite the rarity you might imagine. He was reputed to carry a supply of those photos wherever he went. (-8
 
As I have posted before, Dad quit high school shortly after attack on Pearl Harbor
and enlisted in the Marines.

Wounded during Guadalcanal, but returned to his unit in time for invasion
at Peleliu.

Fought on Okinawa.

He served with the 1st Marine Division during WWII.

After 5 years with the Marines, he switched over to the Navy and served
another 30 years.
Retired as a Master Chief Petty Officer.

Served in WWII, Korea and Vietnam.

I am so very proud of his Service and he will always be my Hero.
 
My Dad served in U.S. Army in WWII in Europe as a combat infantryman. He received the Purple Heart medal and two Bronze Star medals. He would never talk about the bad parts, he would only ever tell us the funny stories about his and his friends antics while in the service. He was my hero and I still miss him everyday.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top