Posted on 12/18/2021 6:11:05 AM PST by dmam2011
101st Airborne veteran Earl Ervin McClung is remembered as an American Indian whose service during World War II was heroic, brave and memorable. As a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division, McClung jumped into battle on D-Day, and landed behind enemy lines amidst gunfire both in the air and on the ground.
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McClung has modestly explained, though, that the praise received by Easy Company, following the successful HBO series, could have easily been based on many other airborne companies. “They all went through the same things we did,” McClung said. “This was supposed to have what these men and companies went through. We didn’t go through any more than anyone else went through. Many people went through the same things, except we got the notoriety of it.”
(Excerpt) Read more at clarksvillian.com ...
Sometimes to illustrate how great everyone did, you concentrate on a smaller group of them, and dive deep into their story.
Band of Brothers—first in Ambrose’s book, and then in the HBO production—brought to life what they all endured.
His sacrifices helped buy the Nation a few decades of peace and prosperity. Too bad it’s ending.
Thank you for posting.
One of my father’s high school friends was in the 101st and followed the pattern of Earl Ervin McClung.
McClung was parachuted behind the lines at Normandy, the Netherlands and the Bulge at Bastogne.
My father’s classmate came in behind the lines at Normandy in a glider, parachuted into Holland for it’s liberation, and was trucked into the Bulge.
After he died his widow sold us their home (the home that I live in) when she decided to move into a care home. They were both incredible people.
I have deep respect for those WWII vets that were my father’s friends. They taught my brother and I to hunt and fish and to enjoy life in the heart of Texas.
I have a friend whose father parachuted behind enemy lines in several European campaigns. He was in the 101st Airborne. He was wounded by a mortar attack in a McDonalds parking lot. Well, it’s a McDonalds parking lot now.
Apparently his dog tags got blown off him onto a dead soldier. His family was informed he was killed in action and his obituary was published. A year later he was shipped stateside and he called his parents on the phone. He had to convince them he really was their son.
Seems like a humble man. The same way most of the WW2 vets that I’ve been able to meet.
Greatest Generation for a reason.
Sometimes you can still giggle at a story like that.
Lord, I wish I could have heard that conversation.
That is an awful story. But War is horrible on all levels.
But at times there are no other options.
“101st Airborne veteran Earl Ervin McClung is remembered as an American Indian whose service during World War II was heroic”
RACIST!
Let me UNRACE this statement.
Earl Ervin McClung was a 101st Airborne veteran, whose service during World War II was heroic.
No need to bring up the fact that he was an Indian!
WHY THE HELL SHOULD THAT MATTER?
Was he MORE heroic because he was an Indian?
Was he heroic, when most other Indians were not?
STOP dividing people by RACE. How does that benefit us? IT DOESN’T.
As an aside...
I grew up in the era of the new invention, black & white television.
I remember watching test patterns on all 3 TV networks. I remember watching them sign off around midnight playing the national anthem, flags waving.
I remember watching the host of TV shows and movies about “cowboys and Indians”. Roy Rogers, The Cisco Kid, The Lone Ranger, etc.
The “Indians” were the “Bad Guys” and the Cowboys were the “Good Guys”. Indians were often portrayed as and called “savages”.
A little later on we had “War Stories”. The GI’s were the “good guys” and the “Japs” (Japanese) were always the “bad guys” from the evil empire of Japan.
You might think I would be predisposed to hate/dislike/be racist toward Indians and the Japanese.
You would be WRONG!
The Indians and the Japanese were (in today’s terms) the “generic” bad guys.
SOMEBODY has to be the bad guys. The struggle between good and evil has to have a villain.
Race doesn’t need to be/shouldn’t be “heralded”, it should be IGNORED!
When a nation becomes a majority of people that do not want the responsibilities of self-determination, it is well on it's way to enslavement.
You’re over thinking way too much ...
Great response.. the circle of people we keep tells a lot about a person. Congrats to you.
Thank you.
I’ve been blessed in my life.
I’ve known some extremely interesting people.
Some of that was because of friends and family, some because I am a Ham Op (45 years), some of it was because of some very technical people that I met, and some from great people I did business with.
For the past 20 years, I spent most of my time taking care of elderly and or sick family members.
Have you ever read the story of Jack Bushyhead and the Liberation of Dachau?
He got in a lot of trouble until Patton stopped the nonsense. He was just being a human being, Indians are that.
Unlike the Transhumanist freaks we read about today.
(I also knew a Lt. Jack Westbrook that was involved in that liberation.)
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