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Marlaine Dennehy's avatar

My father also was a gunner in WW2 he’s been gone 14 years im so proud of him.

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Michael Cenoz's avatar

I, too, am very proud of my Father who was a Submariner during WWII and rejoined when the Korean Conflict commenced.

My Grandfather was a CB in the Pacific Islands.

We owe so much to the brave men and women that defended Democracy globally.

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Lynn Horsky's avatar

My Dad served in the Army in the Pacific Arena as well. I have ancestors that have fought in almost every war in every generation since the 1600's. From King Phillip's war is 1670's, the French and Indian Wars, at Bunker Hill, both sides of the Civil War, the Spanish American War, WWI and WWII. Many to honor today and to revere their faith in the American experiment that has been sabotaged by the traitors that have stolen our government. We have abundant reasons to defy these tyrants. Look forward to being in the No Kings protest!! Keep the faith burning, brothers.

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Lynsey Reuber's avatar

My family has also been fighting since the 1600s. My 3X Great Grandfather was bayoneted at the age of 90 and left to die, when Tories took over his town. My family has served in Intelligence; Korea and died in Vietnam. They all fought to be free and for a democratic republic. i honor them all today. ❤️ 🇺🇸 🙏. I pray that we never forget their service and sacrifice.

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Lynn Horsky's avatar

I forgot to mention that my own brother and cousin served during the Vietnam War as well. One of my boyfriends came home in as box after stepping on a grenade. God bless him, he was a fun guy, brave and a positive spirit. I know he made it to heaven!

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Kay Moore's avatar

Wow! You should write a book! That’s an amazing family history of service.

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olderwoman's avatar

Michael, What's a CB?

Thanks

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Michael Cenoz's avatar

Sea Bee…Construction Battalion

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Michael Cenoz's avatar

Construction Battalion

known as Sea Bees

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olderwoman's avatar

Roy thanks, that was fascinating. I had heard the term Sea Bees before but never knew specifically what they were. Turns out they are divers who do underwater construction work. This is the physical test they take in order to be admitted into the school for training.

👇🏼. 👇🏼. 👇🏼

Must pass the following: Swim 500 yards in less than 14 minutes, followed by a ten minute rest; 42 continuous pushups, followed by a two minute rest; 50 continuous sit-ups, followed by a two minute rest; six continuous pull ups, followed by a ten minute rest; run 1.5 miles in less that 12 minutes and 45 seconds wearing PT gear and running shoes.

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Anne Johnson's avatar

My father was in the Air Force and flew missions over the South Pacific. He has been gone for 17 years. I have been thinking about my parents so much lately and what they would say about what is happening to our country today. They would be so devastated.

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Ursalette's avatar

I think about that too. I’m actually glad they aren’t here to see this disaster.

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Anne Johnson's avatar

I feel the same way. I do have occasional moments when I wish I could talk to them. But in the long run, I'm glad they were spared this.

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ramona j's avatar

Me too. They had it rough. The Depression. The wars. The stories of them standing for hours for a loaf of bread as children. Living on potatoes. The greatest Generation gave us what we have. They are spinning in their graves watching such greed and selfishness

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Kay Moore's avatar

Me too. My dad was a Vet of WWII and Vietnam, and my mom was Canadian. Glad neither of them lived to see the death of Democracy in the USA. 🥲

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olderwoman's avatar

My father was an engineer, task was to clear mine fields and deactivate booby traps.

The jeep hit a mine, the driver was dead the other two were badly wounded.

My dad carried both the wounded guys back across a live mine field and then, cleared the mine field so the troops could advance, for the very first allied invasion into motherland Germany, the Battle of the Rhineland.

Granted a Bronze Medal, Heroism under fire, did not get the silver star as that is Heroism and Leadership under fire, and he didn't lead as was the only remaining one, so no one left to lead.

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Lynn Horsky's avatar

it’s great you know the story as so many couldn’t open and up and talk about the war

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ramona j's avatar

Thats true. I have photos of my Dad. Sitting on his tank woth a German Shepard that was his buddy. Alot of them are Im assuming ,taken in Germany. He never talked about what he saw. Just that he hoped to never see anything like it again..

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olderwoman's avatar

I never knew, I had always known he had a Bronze Medal but never knew why as, like you say he didn't talk about it. It was only when my son was in grade school and had an assignment to interview your grandparents and write a report about what they did in WWII that I first found out about it. For a school report my father finally opened up and talked about it. That is how I found out.

My husband's father had passed when my husband was 18 so my husband told my son that story. His other grandfather, southern Italy (read poor, the poorest part of Italy) was against Musolini, hated fascism, recognized fascism, saw right through Musolini. He volunteered to fight for the King of Italy and was captured in Greece and sent to a concentration camp in Berlin Germany. According to the Geneva Convention the prisoners were allowed to periodically send post cards home, we still have those post cards.

The post cards had the camp number stamped on them, we had framed the post cards. One day I walked by and noticed the camp number stamped and thought, "I should look up where that camp was, that information might be on the internet." The iternet was still pretty new but more and more information was on the internet, and I did find it, the camp was in Berlin Germany.

The Germans used to segregate and house the prisoners by country, and there were fights between prisoners, more or less a country origin type fights. Grandfather had really pissed off the guards and they threatened to move him into the Russian lodging. He said the Russians were the worst. So him and another Italian prisoner made a plan and actually escaped from a POW camp in Berlin Germany, they followed the rivers and the mountain ridges to walk back to Italy.

When they arrived in Italy they hid and observed, when they saw the Americans they went into the American camp with their hands up and surrendered. The Americans looked at them in amazement and asked them where they came from as they were skinny as toothpicks, the US had conquered Italy, the Americans were now an occupying Army. They told their story, the Americans were amazed and housed them in their camp for a good long time and fed them until they got stronger. Then they got them train passes from northern Italy to southern Italy, along with US Army passes for the travel, and they went home to their wives in southern Italy. My mother in law says she almost died of shock when he walked in the door.

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Lynn Horsky's avatar

Great story. I hope you have passed it on to any of your descendants.

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Ursalette's avatar

Wow, what a hero! My father was a medic for a while and it almost broke him. I’m still upset decades later about my best friend dying at 19, 1 very dear person I can’t imagine the grief your father suffered over and over. And to cross a minefield to save your fellow soldiers… this is why your father’s generation really is the Greatest Generation. If people today would try to be 1/2 as good, we’d all be living 100% better today.

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