My dad served in WWII in the Pacific. His eyesight was too bad for combat so he was part of the group that moved in after the battles were won to deal with what was left. What he saw prompted him to go into the ministry.
My dad, in the Navy, was on a battle ship in the South Pacific (was transferred to a new ship 2 days before Pearl Harbor was hit. He never talked much about the war, he did what he had to do to stop the spread of non Democracy, and tried to move on. My mother was a Wave and worked telegraph codes. I had a friend who was dropped three times in Vietnam, and was the only one who survived, physically but not mentally or spiritually. "Proud to Be an American" makes me cry for those that died protecting Democracy, and "Born in the USA" makes me want to get up and cheer. They both serve a great purpose. I hate war, and do not understand how people cannot just get along, but I understand defending against fascism and other one rule governments.
My dad was severely wounded in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, Philippines, never spoke one word about it. Only through my mom did I learn anything: he was in a Jeep that was full of GI's and a bomb killed everyone but my dad. I remember my mom taking him to the VA hospital in Jamaica Plain (Mass.) to remove shrapnel that had made its way to the surface of his skin...I just can't imagine. I disagreed with the Vietnam struggle but would have gone had I been called only because of my dad. He served, no reason I could not.
My dad served in WWII in the Pacific. His eyesight was too bad for combat so he was part of the group that moved in after the battles were won to deal with what was left. What he saw prompted him to go into the ministry.
My goodness, the terrible things he had to deal with :(
My dad, in the Navy, was on a battle ship in the South Pacific (was transferred to a new ship 2 days before Pearl Harbor was hit. He never talked much about the war, he did what he had to do to stop the spread of non Democracy, and tried to move on. My mother was a Wave and worked telegraph codes. I had a friend who was dropped three times in Vietnam, and was the only one who survived, physically but not mentally or spiritually. "Proud to Be an American" makes me cry for those that died protecting Democracy, and "Born in the USA" makes me want to get up and cheer. They both serve a great purpose. I hate war, and do not understand how people cannot just get along, but I understand defending against fascism and other one rule governments.
I don't understand either and fear we'll never actually get along.
My dad was severely wounded in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, Philippines, never spoke one word about it. Only through my mom did I learn anything: he was in a Jeep that was full of GI's and a bomb killed everyone but my dad. I remember my mom taking him to the VA hospital in Jamaica Plain (Mass.) to remove shrapnel that had made its way to the surface of his skin...I just can't imagine. I disagreed with the Vietnam struggle but would have gone had I been called only because of my dad. He served, no reason I could not.
Oh wow what a story and how strong he must have had to be to live with his experience :(