Yep. Mine had a couple of Purple Hearts. Back then, they just kept fighting regardless of being wounded. These boys were no little pussy-whipped whimps for sure....some tough SOBs actually. He was in the 1st Marine Division, G27.
After Okinawa, he was assigned to China. He was there when the commie revolution just started. They could have easily stopped it but were told “NO” and couldn’t even give the Nationalists a single bullet.
After that, he went at Great Lakes as a “hand-to-hand” combat instructor until he finally got out. They tried to get him to stay in, but he’d had more than enough and had met my mother. Those in his unit that stayed in were all killed in Korea.
By the time I was age 6, he had me shooting a little single-shot .22. By age 8, he had me “throwing just the right punches”. Not many messed with me all thru school after a few good scraps. He taught me how to hunt, fish and to respect my elders and my country. To say I miss him badly is an understatement.
“By age 8, he had me “throwing just the right punches”. Not many messed with me all thru school after a few good scraps. He taught me how to hunt, fish and to respect my elders and my country. To say I miss him badly is an understatement.”
As the oldest son of a combat tested Marine, my youth had a special ingredient. That meant scouting, every sport, church fellowship, etc. And it meant Devil Pups, a USMC program for teen aged boys.
It also meant Sunday family time, was wrestling for the males in the living room. My youngest brother was Southern California Champion, BTW. He had been at the bottom of a 4 person pecking order since he could crawls into the center of the room. We had the benefit of years of “matches” at home before we got to the school team.
And shooting, fishing, camping, etc.
Our father grew up in Wyoming, where males in those days had real cowboys for fathers, as ours did.