Military Stuff
- Thread starter JHDK
- Start date
Did he get through Omaha Beach unscathed?
Physically I mean of course. I don't think anybody got through that shit unscathed really, like holy fuck.
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Shit that sucks. Would he talk about it with you at all?
I got lucky that Hendrik was an open book with his camp stories. I mean he wouldn't just bring them up to me or anyone else.
(Which by the way I would every second of every fucking day, like I meet a new person: "Guess what? I was in a goddamn death camp.")
But anytime I would ask him anything at all, specific or general, if he remembered he would tell me right away. He never once said I don't want to talk about that. And for all I discuss his stories here, there are a bunch of horrific ones I don't think I've told yet. So like like I said, I got lucky he was willing to talk about them with me.
I ask and I mention all that because it makes you wonder when your uncle got shot in the leg. Was he getting off the fucking boat or was it right as he was running up the beach or was it at the end of the thing like when it was almost over? Any of those scenarios fucking blows. But imagine getting right off the boat or just getting out of the water and being on the beach and then getting shot in the thigh and then somehow you have to not die, probably keep fighting and also still get off the beach. What a nightmare.
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I was the kid in the family, much younger than the other cousins and siblings. So when we got together, I was mostly in the basement playing with their old toys. He was pretty old by the time I was of an age to ask.
I'm close to his son (my Long Island/Vermont cousin), but if I asked him now, he'd wonder why. And then what would I say?
I'm close to his son (my Long Island/Vermont cousin), but if I asked him now, he'd wonder why. And then what would I say?
Easy:
"For years now I've been friends with this doofus Florida Man that I've never met because we only communicate through an internet message board about satellite radio and today, in the year 2026, we were discussing your father."
That wouldn't make you sound weird whatsoever.
Holy shit! Do you guys know about Dorie Miller?
Because I just learned about him and I'm embarrassed I didn't know his name until now. Dude is an all time American hero.
He was basically a lunch lady (enlisted as a mess attendant third class in 1939) for the Navy and was actively serving on December 7th, 1941. He was a mess attendant cause black people got the shit jobs in 1941.
So that date should ring a bell.......guess what? His battleship was docked at Pearl Harbor.
Well that day wasn't great for our homeland (however it did lead to me being alive today thanks to Dorie and so many others who fought and died in the Pacific Theater).
Japanese attack and wound his captain. He grabs his captain, drags him to safety then instead of going like "ok I've already been really awesome today" he goes back into the heat of battle, decides to man the anti-aircraft gun......THAT HE NEVER TOUCHED IN HIS LIFE......HE ONLY HAD LIKE BASIC TRAINING!!!!!!! And proceeds to down not 1 but 2 Jap planes!!!!!!!!!!
After he's out of ammo for the gigantic weapon that he became an expert in shooting on the spot, the ship is fucking burning so he then decides he still hasn't done enough for one day so he drags a bunch of other Navy men to safety through flames of burning oil that were engulfing his ship!!!!!!
Dude is a fucking superhero.
1 year later on the anniversary of the attack, December 7th, 1942 He was awarded the Navy Cross, the second highest Navy decoration for bravery and heroism. That made him the first black American to receive the award.
Doris "Dorie" Miller is a name we all should remember.
en.wikipedia.org
We currently have 11 Aircraft Carriers in service in our Navy. The USS Doris Miller was officially named for this freaking hero on MLK Day in 2020 and will join the fleet as our 12th Aircraft Carrier when its construction is complete which is expected to be in February 2034.
Because I just learned about him and I'm embarrassed I didn't know his name until now. Dude is an all time American hero.
He was basically a lunch lady (enlisted as a mess attendant third class in 1939) for the Navy and was actively serving on December 7th, 1941. He was a mess attendant cause black people got the shit jobs in 1941.
So that date should ring a bell.......guess what? His battleship was docked at Pearl Harbor.
Well that day wasn't great for our homeland (however it did lead to me being alive today thanks to Dorie and so many others who fought and died in the Pacific Theater).
Japanese attack and wound his captain. He grabs his captain, drags him to safety then instead of going like "ok I've already been really awesome today" he goes back into the heat of battle, decides to man the anti-aircraft gun......THAT HE NEVER TOUCHED IN HIS LIFE......HE ONLY HAD LIKE BASIC TRAINING!!!!!!! And proceeds to down not 1 but 2 Jap planes!!!!!!!!!!
After he's out of ammo for the gigantic weapon that he became an expert in shooting on the spot, the ship is fucking burning so he then decides he still hasn't done enough for one day so he drags a bunch of other Navy men to safety through flames of burning oil that were engulfing his ship!!!!!!
Dude is a fucking superhero.
1 year later on the anniversary of the attack, December 7th, 1942 He was awarded the Navy Cross, the second highest Navy decoration for bravery and heroism. That made him the first black American to receive the award.
Doris "Dorie" Miller is a name we all should remember.
Doris Miller - Wikipedia
We currently have 11 Aircraft Carriers in service in our Navy. The USS Doris Miller was officially named for this freaking hero on MLK Day in 2020 and will join the fleet as our 12th Aircraft Carrier when its construction is complete which is expected to be in February 2034.
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Pam's with her family in Tennessee right now and her Grandpa was talking about his dad. So her great-grandpa was one of the men who fought through the Northern Belgium border into the Netherlands to liberate both Nations during WW2.
I'm having Pam ask the dude a million questions but like he's super old and he kind of just falls asleep randomly sometimes so that's where we are right now. He's asleep so I've got like 15 more questions that remain unanswered about his dad....
But isn't it kind of cool? I know my dad was in a camp on the other side of the world, but it's not crazy to say that without Pam's great-grandfather there's a good chance my dad would have died and thus never made it to America, never met my mom, never made me and thus I would have never found Pam.
Like Pam's great-grandfather played a real part in me being with Pam right now.
That just seems really fucking cool to me.
I'm having Pam ask the dude a million questions but like he's super old and he kind of just falls asleep randomly sometimes so that's where we are right now. He's asleep so I've got like 15 more questions that remain unanswered about his dad....
But isn't it kind of cool? I know my dad was in a camp on the other side of the world, but it's not crazy to say that without Pam's great-grandfather there's a good chance my dad would have died and thus never made it to America, never met my mom, never made me and thus I would have never found Pam.
Like Pam's great-grandfather played a real part in me being with Pam right now.
That just seems really fucking cool to me.
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IdRatherBeSkiing
Sherbert is NOT and NEVER WILL BE ice cream.
How does Pam feel about that?
(joking)
It is cool when you can still connect with someone who has been there. None of my uncles would talk about their WWII experiences.