Thanks, Dad! .... and all veterans...past, present, future

[muff528 3]

26 Combat missions and 3 "Operation Chowhound" missions to Holland. Based at Deopham Green, East Anglia.

[skyrider 0]

Thank You to All that have served!

[tharv17 0]

Badass dude

[Amazon 7]

[skyrider 0]

From another forum...or was it this one??

anyway...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTs6a0ORdQU&feature=player_embedded

[JerryBaumchen 1,468]

Hi muff,

I take my hat off to those folks. Those were harrowing days & nights.

Many, many years ago I was stationed in the Norfolk area of England; a very young USAF enlistee.

JerryBaumchen

[BillyVance 35]

My great-grandfather and 8 brothers all fought in WWI, all made it back alive. My grandfather fought in WWII and he made it back too. My godfather fought in Vietnam and lived too. They all came back changed men though. War is HELL.

Thanks to all who have served and are serving still.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[muff528 3]

Quote

Hi muff,

I take my hat off to those folks. Those were harrowing days & nights.

Many, many years ago I was stationed in the Norfolk area of England; a very young USAF enlistee.

JerryBaumchen

Thanks Jerry,

All just kids! They called the tailgunner on his crew the "old man" at 23 because he was married and had a child. Their togglier(bombardier) was only 17 and he had already served with a previous crew that had been shot down! Nothing but the deepest respect for all you guys and girls.

[muff528 3]

Quote

My great-grandfather and 8 brothers all fought in WWI, all made it back alive. My grandfather fought in WWII and he made it back too. My godfather fought in Vietnam and lived too. They all came back changed men though. War is HELL.

Thanks to all who have served and are serving still.

I knew one relative, my grandmother's uncle, who served in WW1. He died a few years ago at 101 and is buried at Florida National Cemetary in Bushnell.

[Amazon 7]

Thought I would dig out some of my dads piccies from Korea.

He spent over a year there and came home in June of 1951 to my mom.

[JerryBaumchen 1,468]

Hi Jeanne,

Quote

came home in June of 1951 to my mom.

And here you are.

JerryBaumchen

[Amazon 7]

Quote

Hi Jeanne,

Quote

came home in June of 1951 to my mom.

And here you are.

JerryBaumchen

Yup I was born in April the following year

I have been reading thru his letters from his shipping out... to Inchon ... to Chosin.

HQ Btry 3rd Bn 11th Marines Ist Marine Div FMF

[warpedskydiver 0]

Yep, I just got some pictures of my dad during the war.

The guy that sent them to me found me through the Korean War Project.

Jesse Gonzalez said he arrived on Nov 1st, he noticed almost every man was a replacement.

My dad was still wearing a summer uniform, he had already been there for eight months and was older than the CO.

Jesse said he and the others were happy that they had survived the ambush that night. My dad was not so happy, he told them "Don't worry it will be dark again tonight and now they know where we are."

5 Divisions of Chinese regulars had them surrounded.
The next three days nearly every man in the Regiment was killed.

8th Cav Regiment, Unson.

They were involved with Old Baldy, the Bowling Alley, Pork Chop Hill, and finally Unson

The Regiment was retired for good.

4000 men were in that Regiment, only a handful survived.

[muff528 3]

Quote

26 Combat missions and 3 "Operation Chowhound" missions to Holland. Based at Deopham Green, East Anglia.

I found an interesting (to me) website here about the food drops over Holland. My dad's unit (452nd BG) is not mentioned but there is a sepia photo of a 452nd B-17 at the top of the site (square L designation on the tail) (actually that's a 390th BG, square J, a/c with photo reversed). Two of his "Chowhound" flights were over occupied Holland. Dad said they were supposed to drop over an airfield or other designated area but some of the bombers feigned "problems" with the bomb bay and unloaded over the countryside hoping it would be found by the citizens. The fear was that the occupiers would confiscate the food. The 3rd one was over liberated Amsterdam. They did some sightseeing over the city and surrounding area. I recently heard from a relative of the tailgunner who told him that it was quite a ride at the tailgunner's station, weaving in and out of the smokestacks and steeples during that flight.

Dad also participated in this mission and witnessed two of the rammings. Their Group received the Distinguished Unit Citation for this.