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| GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach | |
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Thanks GSWarrior. |
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Posted on 01/09/2013 5:42:24 PM PST by GSWarrior
Edited on 01/09/2013 5:56:31 PM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
MERRILLVILLE, Ind. — A World War II veteran who served in France during the war has been reunited with his Army-issued duffel bag nearly seven decades after it went missing.
William Kadar, 92, opened a carefully wrapped package Tuesday at his Merrillville, Ind., home and found his drab green duffel bag inside, still stenciled in black with his name and serial number. Kadar last saw the bag used by soldiers to tote their gear in November 1944, a month before he was captured by the Germans.
A letter included in the package said the bag was being returned by a 16-year-old French boy who found it in his grandfather’s house.
“It’s still in good shape. Oooh, boy. Well, I finally got it,” Kadar told the Post-Tribune for a Wednesday story.
Kadar’s granddaughter, Arleen Haas, said the bag was found and kept by a family in Rehaupal, France. The teen’s great-grandparents were killed when their house was bombed by the Germans when his grandfather was 10 years old.
Excerpt, read more at gjsentinel.com
pictures at:
http://posttrib.suntimes.com/17460984-460/duffel-bag-returned-to-wwii-soldier-68-years-later.html
There was a time when the French respected the USA. FWIU, there are cemeteries in France where they still lovingly tend to the graves of American GIs who died in WWII for France.
So sad the modern generations of French forgot so much and don’t realize how close they were to speaking German and Japanese forever.
Knowing the US Army - I am sure William Kadar had a statement of charges for missing items and he had to pay.
:-)
NCO wouldn't look at the bag, wouldn't look at the hand receipt, said they'd had an equipment change and that bag wasn't listed anywhere.
Yet one more bag to move when trying to get to something in the closet. Sigh.
/johnny
That’s how I lost my dad’s arctic orange switchblade (well, opposite, actually) - the spring wore out and he tried to get a new one in Panama, the supply guy took it back and told him he wasn’t authorized one because he wasn’t flying in the Arctic anymore. Pissed me off...
Not like I'm going to be using artic gear here in Texas anytime soon.
I told the kids to charge the government storage charges for it after I die. ;)
/johnny
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| GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach | |
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Thanks GSWarrior. |
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>There was a time when the French respected the USA.<
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There was a time when all Americans respected the USA.
There are probably more French who respect the USA than there are Americans who do so.
None of the French voted for Obama.
“there are cemeteries in France where they still lovingly tend to the graves of American GIs who died in WWII for France.”
The local grammar school children have the responsibility of the upkeep of the graves at Normandy. The locals will not let the children forget.
I have been there. the gravesites are impeccable without even a blade of grass being out of place.
>>The local grammar school children have the responsibility of the upkeep of the graves at Normandy. The locals will not let the children forget.
I have been there. the gravesites are impeccable without even a blade of grass being out of place.<<
If I was to ever travel to Europe that would be the only place I would visit.
Thanks for the information and those French are always in my prayers.
Yeah. In Normandy they respect us, elsewhere in france not so much.
In Belgium it’s like that in some places too, as well as in Holland.
My unit took part in the 50th anniversary of Belgium’s liberation, and the older people would come up to us and thank us. They would offer us something to eat or drink. It was pretty cool.
Very sad to say, outstandingly beautiful country, but today they had best be studying Arabic.
I still have the hand receipt and the field jacket I was issued as OIC for mobility at Cannon AFB. Like yours, the supply guy didn’t want to count it, I guess...
Remember those nice green wool sweaters the USAF used to have? Way back when, during my first enlistment, before the 18 year gap in service?
I've got two.
Brats (E-2s through E-4s) and I were going through conexes doing... inventory.
We opened one that had no labels and Lord knows where it came from.
Not a single item in it, except for the body bags were still standard issue.
Shop chief said throw 'em away. Noted it on her clipboard.
So... we used my truck to take the ancient stuff to the dumpster. Mostly.
/johnny
Those were great sweaters! Of course, in the late ‘90s, they kitten-ified (cleaning up the language) us with the Mr. Rogers blue sweater with elbow patches (turns head and spits disdainfully). They finally got rid of that one and brought back the pullover. Another sixty bucks. I’d say don’t get me started, but it’s WAAAAAYYYY too late. Three more years...
/johnny
There are also 3 World War I US cemeteries in France. My Great Uncle is buried in one of them. During WW2 the Germans continued to have the grounds of these cemeteries maintained.
Cannon 83-84, not my favorite base during my career.
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