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I'm Old...

My wife's grandfather Jack flew a Dauntless (an example is pictured below) while stationed in the Pacific. His pilot was the squadron lead, and Jack was the best shot in the whole squadron. But he was 6'4", so too tall to be a tail gunner. The lead pilot had the rear seat of his plane modified so Jack would fit (I think against 'regulations'). They had several battles with the Japanese.
In one battle we heard about, they flew into a bad situation with three Japanese gun batteries shooting at them: One on each side of the plane and one behind. They were sitting ducks, but Jack opened up on them, taking out all three relatively quickly. While the shooting was going on, he felt he got shot in the shoulder, but kept going. (He later found this was a hot shell casing that spun out of the gun and went into his jacket and burned the back of his shoulder.) The plane got shot up pretty bad and was losing altitude fast. But Jack's pilot said "Jack, you just saved my a$$ so now it is time for me to save yours". His pilot nursed the plane back towards friendly forces and crashed/ put the plane down so they both made it without injuries from the crash. They then managed to walk back to friendly forces.
Like many (most?) WWII vets, he had nightmares his whole life about the war.

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Both of my grandfathers were in Sweden. Sweden was officially neutral but sided with the Allies. At one point Hitler wanted to march his armies from Norway into Finland, through Sweden. He "asked" Sweden for permission but they really didn't have much choice or Sweden would have been annihilated. So Hitler marched his armies across the country. My grandfather was one who watched the German army move across the country through the sights of his gun. It was very tense and had anything been started, they would have fought to the death, even if they would not have had a chance to win.

My other grandfather was guarding an ammo dump when something happened and it exploded. He was blown 10 or so yards away by the force of the explosion. When he came to, he had lost most of his hearing, and never gained it back.
 
My dad also had almost no hearing. Aircraft was noisy back then!!! After the service would could never even get on a commercial airplane.
But in his early 70s he was able to have an operation and regained most of his hearing. I am 75 % deaf but they said mine is electrical issue and can't be fixed.
He spoke of the wars maybe 3 times.
Funny part was you would never guessed my dad had ever been in the military talking to him. My mom could have been a 5 foot 3 general. LOL
I had a college professor that had known my grandad as a boy. He had done a tour in Korea. Yea the Korean War. One day in class somehow he got to talking of his experience there and went off into never never land for about an hour. He was in another place and time. Spooky.
 
Guys write it down or record it with audio or video.. We did that with my Grandfather when I was a little guy. I didn’t appreciate it when I was a kid. Now I’d love to see the video again and hear his voice and see his story.. I’ll never ask but I have in my memories... We have so many hero’s around us don’t let their story go untold.. GOD bless them all!
I’ll admit dad was a side gunner and won’t discuss and struggles to speak as he is a stroke victim.. I didn’t follow thru and regret it.
I’m just offering a little encouragement for you all..
 
Nobody listens to me while I'm alive. Don't have any reason to think that they'll listen to me after I'm dead.:drinks:
 
Yeh, your right about that, my grandkids have grown up with all the modern tech.
I guess the thing I will miss and I figure others our age will also is the passing down of the albums and that cardboard box of black and whites. Lol.
Just does not seem the same as ( here check out my phone. )

I agree, But the upside IMO, Family members can record/share not only the pictures, but the voices, and mannerisms on videos of their ancestors that could never be captured with a photograph. Also much easier to distribute across family members without the dreaded where did all the family pictures go after members decease. Many families loose family history because some spiteful individuals take **** (like pictures) belonging to all family members to hoard for themself.
 
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I've thought about writing a book many times
but have to make it fictional,
not getting or able to contact or get permission from all the subjects
or their families (some are not with US anymore),
some would be racy, not for their wives/children etc. or very colorful...
Because the names & most incidents
would have to be changed, toned down 'to protect the unknowing'
(not so innocent)
So autobiographical or nonfictional is out the window...

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I have a nephew Austin that was published at 12 y/o...
At 19 y/o now all he cares about is photography, he's a damn bum
or staring at his damn cell/stupid-phone 24/7
(they are NOT smartphones, they are 'cell phones' because you're imprisoned)
 
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I agree, But the upside IMO, Family members can record/share not only the pictures, but the voices, and mannerisms on videos of their ancestors that could never be captured with a photograph.

OT here, but I knew a guy who lost his wife... Her voice was on the answering machine... As far as I know he never removed it, it was like she was still there....
 
My dad also had almost no hearing. Aircraft was noisy back then!!! After the service would could never even get on a commercial airplane.
But in his early 70s he was able to have an operation and regained most of his hearing.
My fathers battle station on his escort carrier the Baroque, was a 40mm AA gun... No ear plugs back then... His hearing was Ok, but even when I was very young he seemed to read lips.......
 
Looks like this thread has hit a chord. All the more reason for recording what is important to you and yours. I'm laying the groundwork for stories about our Boston Terrier Horde over the last 20 years, since they have meant so much to us over the years. Those with stories much more important like WWI, WW2, Korean War (my dad), Vietnam, various and assorted Gulf conflicts, submarine stories (sorry, skimmers don't count... J/K) and those shadow CIA/NSA conflicts take precedence of course...

Chuck (snook)
 
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