Posted on 05/27/2002 5:48:22 AM PDT by Hillary's Lovely Legs
I did get my dad's service records and found out only a little more than I already knew. My dad would never talk about it to us, not till he was dying. Then he did only a little. But he was in the Pacific, they were stationed near the Marshall Islands, building an airstrip on a little island named Kwajalein in the Majuro Atoll. I think it was a miserable experience being stuck out there, and he would just never talk about it. He would never even go to Hawaii, though my mother wanted to. He said he was there once during the war, before shipping out farther, and he just wouldn't go back.
His older brother was in the First Infantry, the famous Big Red One, which landed in the first wave on Omaha Beach at Normany, and he survived (in fact he lived for 50 more years). They fought their way up the hills there, through the town, and all the way to Paris, where they were among the first soldiers to march through Paris, when it was liberated.
Then they fought their way through Belgium, and marched into Liege when it was liberated. There was also a famous battle at a bridge though I'm not sure which one. Then they liberated a concentration camp in Germany though I'm trying to find out which one (I think it could have been Dachau from what I'm reading, but not sure). But they were so appalled when they opened up that camp, that after capturing the guards, they marched back into the village nearby and forced the villagers at gunpoint to go into the camp to see what was going on near where they were living.
My uncle said that up to that point he had been feeling conflicted about shooting at the Germans, as he was himself a 2nd generation German-American and was worried that he had been shooting at cousins. But after that camp experience, he no longer cared about that, and no longer felt German! He felt American.
But my uncle would almost never talk about it, though my sister was able to get that small amount out of him. And some I've learned just by reading about the history of the Big Red One.
And then their younger brother was stationed in Florida during the war, testing dive bombers. He said something very interesting to me once. He said that once he was testing a plane out over the area that's known as the Bermuda Triangle, and all of a sudden the instruments went haywire! And he doesn't know how long they were flying there or where they were flying after that, but they finally made it back to base landing with only gas fumes left in the tank. Apparently there is something to the Bermuda Triangle, he believes it's a real thing. Probably something magnetic.
I've enjoyed reading about your family's service, but this paragraph is strong stuff. I'm sure there were many more who felt as he did. Thanks for posting. JL
(In fact, I didn't write this above, but just remembered it, he said he tried to kill as many Germans as he could.)
I've read that our Texas Hill Country looked a lot like home to them, so this is were they sunk their roots. (Lodwick = Ludwig prior to WWI, by the way.)
Think about them one at a time BEFORE going on to the next one......... IT DOES MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD, especially the thought at the end. 1. Falling in love. 2. Laughing so hard your face hurts. 3. A hot shower. 4. No lines at the supermarket 5. A special glance. 6. Getting mail. 7. Taking a drive on a pretty road. 8. Hearing your favorite song on the radio. 9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside. 10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer. 11. Finding the sweater you want is on sale for half price. 12. Chocolate milk shake. (or vanilla!) (or strawberry) 13. A long distance phone call. 14. A bubble bath. 15. Giggling. 16. A good conversation. 17. The beach. 18. Finding a $20 note in your coat from last winter. 19. Laughing at yourself. 20. Midnight phone calls that last for hours. 21. Running through sprinklers. 22. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all. 23. Having someone tell you that you're beautiful. 24. Laughing at an inside joke. 25. Friends. 26. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you. 27. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep. 28. Your first kiss (either the very first or with a new partner). 29. Making new friends or spending time with old ones. 30. Playing with a new puppy. 31. Having someone play with your hair. 32. Sweet dreams. 33. Hot chocolate. 34. Road trips with friends. 35. Swinging on swings. 36. Wrapping presents under the Christmas tree while eating cookies and drinking your favorite tipple. 37. Song lyrics printed inside your new CD so you can sing along without feeling stupid. 38. Going to a really good concert. 39. Making eye contact with a cute stranger. 40. Winning a really competitive game. 41. Making chocolate chip cookies. 42. Having your friends send you home-made cookies. 43. Spending time with close friends. 44. Seeing smiles and hearing laughter from your friends. 45. Holding hands with someone you care about. 46. Running into an old friend and realizing that some things(good ..or bad) never chage. 47. Riding the best roller coasters over and over. 48. Watching the expression on someone's face as they open a much desired present from you. 49. Watching the sunrise. 50. Getting out of bed every morning and thanking God for another beautiful day.
That's the way to be a grandma! Spoil 'em rotten! :-)
Tea, if you're gonna be a fan, you gotta get the name right...WWE!! ;-0
Can you smell what the ROCK is cooking?!
Cher performs a tribute to Elvis Thursday, May 23, 2002, during the VH1 Divas telecast from the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Joe Cavaretta)
Oh good grief! (You know Mr. Teacup is the grandkid's step grand daddy, right?) Anyway, we just got back from Wally-Mart. Let's see, grandpa bought the 2 boys, water guns, super soakers. The grand daughter got a futon to put in my office, because she's to big to sleep with her brothers. AND!!! He bought them a huge inflatable swimming pool. Are we spoiled???? We love our grandkids.
Here's another picture I thought was cute. I'm not a Catholic, but I do have respect for this Pope. I think back on the time when Bubba met the Pope and he had to scold Bubba about abortions. I doubt he had to scold our President about anything. Look at their body language. They look like they enjoy each other's company.
A nice memory is like a favorite book that can be read, and re-read, and enjoyed each and every time - it nevers grows old, just better and better.
I don't know why we Texans were told that the Germans settled in the Hill Country because it reminded them of Germany. I don't think it looks a bit like Germany. I sometimes wonder if that isn't one of a long line of Texas Tall Tales. No doubt there are lots of folks of German heritage in the Hill Country. They were damn fine at growing peaches there, too. (Altho how they were able to clear out all the rock and find fertile ground for orchards, I'll never know.)
Blow a kiss towards Kerrville for me at sunset, Lodwick. It's my favorite part of Texas.
Texas is not the BlackForest or anything, but to folks in a wagon, hacking their way through the brush inch, by stinking inch, I'm guessing that any hill that they could find by running water would look pretty much like home to those pioneers. ;-)
Both sides of my family are of German descent (arrived in the early part of the century) but were Americans first. My parents both lost siblings fighting in WWII.
Heard today that Chasity (sp?) Cher's daughter has a new book coming out where in she now says that the reason she's gay is because the woman Cher left her with (the nanny) was gay and turned her gay. ??? I thought gay's were born that way.
I'll go look and see if any info is out there...
Another German from Texas here! :-) On my Mom's side. I'm German and Scottish, which probably is why I'm so wacky.
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