My Dad was there, 82nd Airborne, 508 PIR. He’s still around, but suffering from dementia. He survived the war from D-day until the end without major injury. During the Bulge, his toes turned black from frostbite, but he managed to keep all of them.
He never talked about the war until later in life.
My husband’s dad was there, a young 17 year old, 75th Division, in Grand Hallieux. They were there in January. He lost a leg - a mortar landed very close. If he’d been farther away, he would have died. Never talked about it, until my husband found a guy in Florida with the same name as his buddy, and that guy told my husband everything. Then the buddy called my father-in-law and they had a wonderful reunion.
We went to that area on our last trip to Europe, drove through the little towns, found the bridge where he was wounded. There is a teeny museum there, very moving, and in the center of town, there is a large memorial plaque thanking the Americans. Inside the little church is an area commemorating the soldiers, once again - and notes from a recent visit from those who fought there.
Father-in-law died a few years back, Our son thought it was the best ever to have a grandfather who put his socks on (his wooden leg) with thumbtacks.
508th PIR...quite a legacy. Do you know how many combat jumps he had?
God Bless him. My father-in-law was w the 101. He jumped in Huskey and was wounded jumping out the door. He was stationed in Egypt and Italy from 41 to 46 before coming home.
It took a bottle of brandy to get him to open up. After a while he went up to the attic and brought down his footlocker that had not been open since 46. All his pics, medals, uniforms, and other parifalia was in there. We spent hours going through his stuff.
He died Jan 19, 2012 of pneumonia and had dementia.
All the stores have ‘golf cart parking only’ where one would expect handicap parking. I went there because there is a place called Hometown Buffet. My type of restaurant…and I was hungry. As I walked in to the Hometown Buffet, I saw the Golf cart parking spots and grumbled, “Oh great. Lots of old folks. It should only take a week to get through the chow line.”
I paid my money and picked a table. I went to get some food and as I returned to my table I passed a very old gentleman…had to be over 90…who was picking away at his little bowl of what looked like Blueberry cobbler. What caught my eye was his cap on the table. It had the US Army Airborne insignia on it.
I went to my table, put my plate down and went back to his table. I said, “Excuse me sir, I’m sorry to interrupt your meal but I couldn’t help noticing your Airborne cap.” He said, “Yep. 82nd. Europe. ‘41 through ‘45.”
I said, “I’d like to shake your hand and say thank you. You gents are a vanishing breed and the greatest generation our country has ever known.” He asked me where I served. I told him I never had the honor but my late father was a Sergeant in Korea and he would have cuffed me upside the head if I didn’t stop and shake his hand. He said thanks and I went back to my table.
Actually, the conversation went a little longer than that as I had to repeat myself a few times since he was wearing hearing aids.
I finished my first plate and after I’d procured my 2nd, I stopped a server and asked if I could speak to the manager.
I was taken to an older gentleman…probably in his early sixties. I introduced myself and asked his name. His name was Mohammed. I explained that I had just spoken with an older gentleman who said he had served with the 82nd Airborne. Mohammed said, without a hint of an accent, “Ah yes. That’s Joe. he comes here quite regularly. Two or three times a week.” I told Mohammed that since Joe had likely already paid for tonight’s fare, I would like to ‘comp’ his next trip here and did they have Gift Cards? He said they did and that Joe gets a special personal discount from him…so his meals only cost roughly half of the regular price.
He led me to the front and he set me up with a $20 Gift Card in a nice Gift folio as we chatted about veterans and he said his father served in WW2. I told him that this is something that my late father…a Korean veteran…would do without thinking twice. So I wanted to make a gesture to Joe and honor both him and my father in one stroke. He said that was a very nice thing to do an not enough people today would stop to do that. We both agreed that the younger generations have not been taught our history properly much less the manners to even conceive of such a gesture.
I went back to Joe’s table and again apologized for the interruption and told him I’d like to sit for a moment if he didn’t mind. I presented him with the gift card and explained my reason for doing it. He thanked me and then proceeded to regale me with a number of stories from his time in Europe. He is 98 years old and his memory was sharp as a tack.
He had been a paratrooper in the European theater and had seen action in Arnhem, Malmedy and the The Ardennes.
He also had served as an advisor at the Pentagon in later years. I got the sense that he hadn’t spoken about these subjects for some time and was grateful for someone to listen. In the end, I thanked him again and said I would leave him to finish his meal and I needed to get back to mine. I told him about the WW2 air museum over at the John Wayne Int’l airport. He had never seen it but said he’d make the trip for sure.
All in all a very cool dinner experience. And the food was really good too.
mine too! He was from Minn. thank God so he could handle the cold better than I would but he always said how cold it was.
They would put their blankets in a jeep and he was supposed to drive them to where they would sleep the night away. But he didn't show because that was where the fighting was. .... yeah!
My dad is dead now but one story he left me was he was hanging on the tire of a jeep going back to base? or camp? and they hit a land mine, he went off in the air and was so troubled with head and ear problems he never went back to look or help. Tho he said he would have been no help.
The rest of the jeep people didn't make it.
He went to the hospital and there were rumors of a big jump (d-day) and he got out (deaf in one ear) and they issued him a rifle and he loaded up on the plane. When he landed the rifle didn't work. (this was the only story he told me as a little girl)
I asked what did you do? He hung around the stupidest guy in the outfit until he got killed and took his rifle. Wow, war is hell.
He also left me an AIRBORNE PLAN for 6/6/1944. It showed the drop zones, where the enemy was and he drew on it where he dropped. I just got it a few days ago.
it has the circle for 508 Prcht. I don't know that that means, just reading off your dad's but they landed close to each other.