The Greatest Generation

[PirateLover]

Warning! Long but meaningful!

Slowly but surely we are beginning to lose those men and women who suffered through the great depression and dedicated their lives to fighting a noble cause in WWII. A few days ago, my neighbor from across the street, Charlie, died after they tried to replace his pacemaker. (I think he was 86) Charlie was a great guy. He got a silver star in WWII. He always remembered my brother and I around Christmas time. He drove neighbors to the store with him and had an old clunky looking car that he still drove until just a few weeks ago. I've been looking at that car parked in front of his house my whole life. Funny how the little things make you realizes how life is changing.

Anyway, what I really wanted to start this post for is for other Intercotees to share any stories they have about their parents or grandparents to help keep their memories alive. It does not have to be a war story or even a member of the "Greatest Generation." I just titled it that because it is the generation that will be all but gone within the next decade and a half or so. I can't really think too well at this hour of the night/morning, so I 'm going to sit down with my parents when I get time and make sure I have my own stories right before I come back on and post my family's legacies. Some are quite hilarious! My grandfather who passed away a year and half ago (age 87)was in the army in WWII and traveled all over the world. My other grandfather (age 86) who is still alive but not in tip top shape was in the Navy and I think may have been stationed at Okinawa for a time but I have to check. He has some great stories too about almost getting in big trouble with the marines for accidentally killing their mascot.

I just really think it would be great to have a thread where we could celebrate the lives and accomplishments of those that we love and allow their memories to live on through strangers as well. I hope you will join me in this effort. I'll be back as soon as I can to start posting my stories.

[merlinmagic4]

I actually just pulled Tom Brokaw's book, "The Greatest Generation" off the bookshelf two days ago. Great idea for a thread :thumbsup:

[meldan98]

My grandfather passes away in 1994. He had been in Japan during WWII. He was a very quiet man who lost his wife in 1976. He lived in the Foothills and was old fashioned in his beliefs and could say very cruel things about people of different ethnicities. I spent more time with him growing up and he taught me everything he knew about baseball. I was his only grandchild for many years and then when my cousin was born, he never got to see him because his mother was very rude and ungreatful. My mom and I were all he really had, because after his wife died, her family blamed him for it, even though she battled many serious illnesses over the years. Anyway, he lived with congestive heart failure for 9 years, 8 1/2 years longer than anyone ever expected. His last year he moved in with us, which was very difficult on all of us, especially my mom.

I spent a lot of time talking to him about baseball and about his life. The summer of 1994 I was selected to go to Japan for a program and would spend 18 days traveling all over Japan. My grandfather was so excited for me. I expected him to say negative things about the Japanese people because of the things that happend during the war, but he truely suprised me. He talked about how beautiful the country side was and how wonderful the people were. He talked about how difficult it was to fight in the war, because some of the soldiers he was fighting against were so young and many of them didn't understand what they were fighting for. He was so excited that I was going to get to experience a different Japan than he did. He gave me his camera so that I could take lots of pictures for him to look at when I got back.

He died 16 days before I left for my trip to Japan.

[Emily]

Interesting idea for a thread, Maryanne, I hope more people share their stories. :)

My grandfather fought in WWII, he was at Iwo Jima actually. He was wounded in battle. I didn't really ever have a chance to discuss it with him (he passed a couple of years ago), but I know he was affected by his time there very deeply and actually preferred not to talk about it too much. My father was a Marine and managed to get my grandfather to open up about it several times, so he knows a lot more than I. My dad feels pretty strongly about preserving the memories of that generation as well, and awhile back he bought himself a new digital camcorder and started traveling around to VA centers and other areas looking for WWII vets willing to talk on camera. He did it just as a hobby of sorts, but also because those stories are so precious. I watched a few of them when I was last at home, and they just bring tears to your eyes and make you laugh at the same time! The guys he got were great narrators. Really touching stuff. :) :flag:

[PAYROLL PRINCESS]

When I went to Hawaii, the friend I went with wanted to go to Pearl Harbor. I wasn't really expecting the reaction I had when I got there. There was a Pearl Harbor survivor narrating our shuttle boat out to the Memorial. Just listening to him talk about that day brought tears to my eyes.
My father was in WWII, but he really didn't like to talk about it. I guess he saw things and exsperienced things that he preferred not to dwell on.

[crazypoohbear]

My father would be 91 this year if he were still alive. He spent 26 years in the Army. He was in WWII, served during the Korean war and the Vietnam war. Although he didn't talk about "the War" he did talk a lot about being in the service and what it meant to him. HE was VERY proud to have served. Us kids grew up "policing the area" (cleaning up for you non army brats:))
My mother has dementia but when we visit with her all she talks about is "being in the Army" and travelling around the world with her husband.
It's interesting listening to men of this age group. Someone earlier had posted about their grandfather saying cruel things about other races etc. I have noticed over the years that these men will most often start a sentence with "for a (woman, Jewish, Irish, Italian, French, Polish, German, Asian etc) they were good people. I think it was because they grew up in neighborhoods that all contained the same ethnic group and THEY were told "stories" about the other groups so when the "big One" brought all these people of different backgrounds together for a common good, they realized they were more alike then they had been lead to believe. hence, the "for a...." they were good people. I don't think they were prejudiced, just ignorant of different races.
I really miss my dad saying."police the area before you leave and have fun and Be good boys and girls"
It was a mantra that we heard until he died.
As adults some of us would say back to him "Dad, do you want us to have fun or be good girls??":blush:
He'd respond BOTH

[PirateLover]

This is great guys, exactly what I was looking for. Neither of my grandfathers actually saw action. My grandfather Charles who was in the Army travelled all over the world. He was actually originally stationed under Lt. Colonel Mucci and Captain Prince in the 6th Ranger Battalion but he got called on a side trip to go with the airforce because he was an expert knot tier. By the time he got back to the Rangers, they were halfway through their intense training so he asked to be released. Since he had experience with packing mules, he asked Captain Prince to let him on a ship that was headed to India. Capt Prince said he'd see what he could do and soon enough my grandfather was on a boat to India. Those stories are for another day though. Those men whom my grandfather left ( Rangers) went on to execute one of the greatest rescue missions of all time. They rescued 500 POWs from the infamous Cabanatuan Japanese camp. This was depicted in the movie The Great Raid. While it isn't Saving Private Ryan quality, it certainly has some powerful moments and I recommend it highly. My grandfather always spoke highly of Mucci and Prince and was excited that this movie was being made. Unfortunately, by the time it came out on DVD my grandfathers body was being ravaged by the effects of chemotherapy and lymphona. However he was still able to watch it and smile and feel that connection to these men. It was one of the last things he did before he died. He never saw combat but he went all over the world and had some great stories that he loved to share. I will be back with more as long as stories about my grandpop Stosh, who was in the navy and still alive (though slowly kicking)
Please keep them coming guys.