Article

2025-11-11 -Land of the Free

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by NN2N1 2025-11-11 11:17|| E-Mail|| Front Page|| [1815 views ] Top

1 A really memorable way to recognize the exact moment on Nov 11th each year.

https://x.com/armygir36701799/status/1988251526293287256

Posted by NoMoreBS 2025-11-11 12:33|| 2025-11-11 12:33|| Front Page Top

2 My mother's first husband, Ernst Fuchs (pronounced Foox, so stop giggling, dear Reader), was an only child and had heart damage from childhood due to scarlet fever or something. Plus he was a pacifist. At any rate, he got his parents out of Nazi Germany to Australia, where he volunteered for the US Navy as a medic so that his parents could moved to America, while he served all the up the Pacific to Japan. His mother was cousins with one of the wives of the New York Times family, and corresponded with her throughout this ordeal. Nonetheless, they got no help from that quarter, either during their trek or after they settled in Manhattan.

After Ernst was demobbed, he went to college to get a degree in occupational therapy, which is where he met my mother. After they both got their degrees, they were hired by the VA to set up OT departments, first in upstate New York, then in the brand new VA hospital in Buffalo. Unfortunately, his heart started giving out at that point, so his last months were spent in a bed in the cardiac ward, where Mama would join him for discussions at the end of the day of what she’d done and work out treatment modalities for the patients and next steps for the department. They only had three years together before he died, but Mama corresponded with her mother-in-law for the rest of the lady’s life.

Posted by trailing wife 2025-11-11 13:01|| 2025-11-11 13:01|| Front Page Top

3 My Uncle Harold B Johnson (now Fernley, NV Vets Memorial urn resident) served USMC in the Pacific War, but wouldn't talk about it til I visited one summer driving a Datsun 510

Posted by Frank G 2025-11-11 13:13|| 2025-11-11 13:13|| Front Page Top

4 My Uncle Bob was captured during the early days of the Battle of the Bulge, and spent the rest of the war in a German POW Camp. He was a healthy 18yo, 6'1 and played linebacker in High School. He never talked about the war, but my Mother remembered the notification of his capture at Christmas, and was at Waler Reed Army Hospital when he arrived after being returned, by ship, right after the German surrender. He weighted 108 pounds, and that after the Navy keeping the mess deck open 24/7 for the returning POW's the entire trip.

He never missed a meal the rest of his life, but after he died my cousin found his Red Cross bible from the POW period. Every page was covered on the margins with meals, food descriptions, and restaurants to be visited. He was always cheerful but hated everything German with a passion that never ended!

Posted by NoMoreBS 2025-11-11 13:39|| 2025-11-11 13:39|| Front Page Top

5 My godfather, James Wickham, served in the Battle of the Bulge at age 18. He dropped out of high school to enlist. He then served as part of the occupation forces.
I always bring this up whenever I hear about some college students today who need safe spaces and puppies whenever somebody says something they don't like.

Posted by Rambler 2025-11-11 14:06|| 2025-11-11 14:06|| Front Page Top

6 My Dad was a navigator on a B-24, flying 28 missions after D-Day. His squadron got separated on Christmas Day, 1944 and was attacked by 25 FW-190s, losing three aircraft in twenty seconds. Dad's tail gunner shot down the only attacker. Flak was common, sometimes nasty, but he only saw the one fighter attack, because of the group defense, and the P-51s. My middle name is in honor of his pilot, who died in a B-29 crash, after the war, before I was born.

Posted by Bobby 2025-11-11 14:53|| 2025-11-11 14:53|| Front Page Top

7 Damn good stuff Bobby, Rambler, NoMo, Frank and TW. Thanks for the remembrances and thanks for sharing.

Posted by Besoeker 2025-11-11 15:10|| 2025-11-11 15:10|| Front Page Top

8 During WWI my grandfather served aboard a battleship shoveling coal. During WWII my dad served aboard a carrier as a gunner's mate in the pacific. He didn't talk about it much until about a month before he passed. I spent a career in the largely peacetime navy.

Posted by Difar Dave 2025-11-11 15:50|| 2025-11-11 15:50|| Front Page Top

9 My grandfather was in the 97th 'Trident' infantry division which was supposed to be the reserve division for the invasion of Japan. The Battle of the Bulge caused the division to be sent to Europe and it remained there until the end of the war. After the war in Europe ended, he was given leave and the entire division went to Japan for occupation duties.
My grandfather died before I was born, but father said he didn't talk much about WWII. The 97th did liberate at least one concentration camp and it's likely my grandfather saw at least some of the survivors.

Posted by Chantry 2025-11-11 17:47|| 2025-11-11 17:47|| Front Page Top

10 By the way, my father was a B-24 mechanic stationed in England. As a child, I once criticized him because he "didn't fight" like his brother, my godfather. Much later, I realized how utterly vital the support troops were - if they didn't do their jobs, the planes didn't fly. (The same applies to all the support types - supply clerks, mess cooks, etc.)

Posted by Rambler 2025-11-11 18:02|| 2025-11-11 18:02|| Front Page Top

11
My father was 1st Generation America, born Chicopee Mass. His Pole/Solvak parents were sold to a Chicopee mill owner's brother and held as indentured servants for 10+ years. They lived on ## Bell St. there.

He was a member of US Army Yankee Div. (26th Infantry Division) during WWII. He did the Bulge and was assign duties regarding the St.Vick (sp) massacre. He took part in the Gusen concentration camp liberation.

YD was deactivated, and he was xfered to another Army group, then ended up being sent to Japan for occupational duty in 1947-1950.

When the Korean War broke out, he was part of the initial combat troops sent in. The unit he was assigned to fought their way up to the Lincoln Line in Korea.

He then ended up in Camp Gordon, Ga. 1953'ish married my mom, and I was his 1st born.

He was then sent to Ft. Benning (signal related) then "unofficially" did Nam in 1959, an again in 1962 and 1968.

Over his career he was awarded the Bronze Star and 4 Oak Leaf clusters, and 3 purple hearts and few other combat related medals.

He was part of the original group selected for the New Rank called Command Sgt. Major (CSM) in 1967 while stationed at the Q-Talk site Kilborne Cancern (sp).

He returned to the US and was the US Army HQ Signal School CSM (Ft. Gordon) in 1968-1969. Then as a reward for 27 years of top service, the DOD sent him to Nam (Phu Bai) FB-Eagle area where he earned his last Purple Heart.

Posted by NN2N1 2025-11-11 20:44|| 2025-11-11 20:44|| Front Page Top

12 Sgt. Hurley killed doing a Dust Off on Feb. 21 1991 during Desert Storm war.

I owe him.

Posted by NN2N1 2025-11-11 20:51|| 2025-11-11 20:51|| Front Page Top

13 Battle of Mogadishu Oct 3rd and 4th 1993.

In memory of Master Sergeant Gary Gordon and Sergeant First Class Randy Shughart, both awarded the Medal of Honor.

In memory of my good friend MSG Timothy (Griz)Lynn Martin who was awarded the Silver Star.

Posted by NN2N1 2025-11-11 21:09|| 2025-11-11 21:09|| Front Page Top

14 William Davis Seabee during Korea, then 173rd, later 101st, I never asked his rank. Multiple tours in Vietnam retired 1972, loved the Army, only left because of moral. Did not talk about much when i was younger, despite my prying. with time he would drop things briefly. Survived multiple tours but not the VA. Patty Davis, who endured his career, 6 kids and supported him through it all. Happily, still with us with too many grand kids to count.

Posted by jefe101 2025-11-11 23:49|| 2025-11-11 23:49|| Front Page Top

23:49 jefe101
22:42 trailing wife
22:39 jefe101
22:17 Woodrow
21:09 NN2N1
20:51 NN2N1
20:44 NN2N1
19:39 Super Hose
19:38 SteveS
19:15 magpie
19:10 SteveS
19:10 Frank G
19:08 Frank G
18:47 chris
18:39 SteveS
18:30 SteveS
18:02 Rambler
17:53 Besoeker
17:47 Chantry
17:13 Abu Uluque
16:36 Procopius2k
16:28 Procopius2k
15:50 Difar Dave
15:49 Thing From Snowy Mountain
Merry-Go-Blog