The FReeper Foxhole Remembers Operation Nordwind - Jan. 1st, 2003

http://www.ehistory.com/world/library/books/wwii/army/bulge/0035.cfm ^

[larryjohnson]

What'd I do to get to be first on your ping list? The last shall be first? HAPPY NEW YEAR! I went for a run this morning. Then slowed to a walk. But it was icy. Start walking. Lift weights.

[SAMWolf]

LOL!

Jen handles the FoxHole Pinglist. You must have done something good.

Happy New Year to you.

[The Real Deal]

Windfall Brightens Veteran's Future
TED BENSON/THE MODESTO BEE
January 1, 2003 Posted: 06:50:13 AM PST

By MOLLY DUGAN
BEE STAFF WRITER

CERES -- Charles Crandall did not expect a happy new year.

His health problems -- diabetes, kidney failure, epilepsy, ulcers -- have been getting worse. His right leg is amputated and he uses a wheelchair.

He also was about to be evicted from the two- bedroom apartment where he lives with his daughter and two grandchildren.

Then a couple of days ago a letter arrived that changed his life.

Crandall, 53, an Army driver who said he was exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War, has been surviving on veteran's disability payments of $413 per month.

In March, he went to the Veterans Administration office in Modesto to help a friend apply for disability. While he was there, he discovered that he was entitled to receive up to $2,536 a month.

What he did not realize was that the federal government owned him back pay from the time he went on full disability in 1991.

The Veterans Administration not only upped his monthly income, but is going to send him $228,000 to compensate for the money he was owed but did not receive.

Now instead of worrying about whether he will have a place to live, he is looking forward to buying his first home.

"It's a late Christmas present," Crandall said. "I fought for my country, and I appreciate what they're doing for me."

Crandall and his daughter, Kay, had gotten behind on the rent. She works, but did not earn enough to pay for his care and handle their other bills. They were due to be evicted Tuesday.

She said the windfall has put her mind at ease, knowing that her father will have enough to care for himself.

"It makes me feel good because he needs it. He's never owned anything in his life, and now he can actually buy something," she said. "He just needs it to make himself feel good again."

Despite his problems, Crandall delivered flower arrangements and drove a cab until his health declined rapidly in 1991.

He is not the least bit bitter that he struggled to survive for so long after eight years in the Army. He said he is glad to have served in the war and is grateful for the Veterans Administration.

Served two tours in Vietnam

Crandall joined the Army in May 1967 and left for Vietnam the following year. He served two tours in Vietnam and was later stationed in Germany and at Fort Lewis, Wash.

He still has nightmares about the Vietnam War and only talks about his service occasionally, his daughter said.

The father of four and grandfather of eight lived independently until about a year and a half ago, when he moved in with his daughter in Ceres. He had spent about eight years in Ceres, then briefly moved to southern California before coming back.

Though his daughter was happy to have him home, Crandall has been cramped into a small apartment with his daughter and two granddaughters, ages 4 and 10.

Meanwhile, Crandall's financial woes grew worse. He has used check cashing businesses, which have high interest rates, to get enough money to make it through the month, and his credit card debt has skyrocketed.

His daughter said he still needs someone to care for him, because his health continues to deteriorate.

But now, Crandall is looking to buy a van with a wheelchair lift with his first check, about $54,000. The remainder is to be sent to his bank over the next few months.

"It's going to help me a lot," he said.

Bee staff writer Molly Dugan can be reached at 239-2152 or mdugan@modbee.com.

[Jalapeno]

... there are things worse.

You mean like Hitler ruling the world?

What's the phrase?..."Mean People Suck!"

[SAMWolf]

Thanks for that "Good News" story, Real Deal!

Sometimes there is justice in the world.

[SAMWolf]

Yep, or being forced to live under a Communist government or or an Islamic Regime.

[The Real Deal]

It sure seems to have taken a long time to catch up with this Vet., but I am glad that it did.

[VOA]

(for posters and lurkers that haven't seen these URLs before)
In response to your post about Capt. Whisner and his Mustang:

http://www.mustangsmustangs.com

Oh, and a URL for a fairly well-known Mustang pilot (who also did some other feats):

http://www.chuckyeager.com

[VOA]

The shot of Capt. Whisner is a PR shot for the mission of Nov. 21 '44

Hey, I think actor Matt Dillon looks like a ringer for Whisner...
Hello Hollywood Bigshots!...time for another WWII flick!

Even Spielberg paid homage to the Mustang in "Empire of The Sun" and (with historical
inaccuracy) in "Saving Private Ryan".

[VOA]

A group of Afghan children cast a curious glance to an American soldier outside their
house during a search misson Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2003 in a village in Khost, Afghanistan

Certainly looks like a great mixture of apprehension and fascination on those
Afghan kids faces...

Well, if they've got any sort of a future...it will be because the US Military, Dubya
and a few sane minds save Afghanistan from nuts like the Taliban and Osama.

[aomagrat]

Today's classic warship, USS Idaho

USS Idaho, a 3241-ton steam sloop, was built at New York as part of a Civil War program of large, very fast, steam cruisers. Completed in May 1866, she ran her trials the following August, making just over eight knots. Her boilers and engines, ordered as a result of political influence, failed totally to achieve her fifteen-knot contract speed.

Briefly laid up after trials, Idaho was converted to a sailing storeship in 1867 and sent to Japan as a base for the U.S. Navy ships operating in Asiatic waters. During that passage, she logged over eighteen knots, making her one of the fastest sailing ships ever built. In September 1869, while en route back to the United States, Idaho was badly damaged by a typhoon. She returned to Japan and remained at Yokohama until sold in April 1874.

---

SAMWolf, Is this Idaho more to your liking? :-)

[painter]

Real grits are a delicacy - especially salted and peppered and dripping in butter.

That,is exactly how I like my grits!

[Mo1]

Happy New Years AntiJen ..
Thanks for the story, I've been trying to research my Dad's service during the War and it is amazing what these guys did. True Heros, God Bless them all

[VOA]

Over the past 50 years the "Battle of' the Bulge" in the Ardennes region in northern France
and Belgium has received as much publicity as Gettysburg.

Movie recommendations for posters/lurkers:

1. Battle of The Bulge from 1965
http://us.imdb.com/Title?0058947

OK, so it's not historically accurate. But the acting of Telly Savalas and James
MacAuthur (as the cowardly soldier who redeems himself) make it worthwhile viewing.
And the portayal of the older German soldier who is an assistant to the confident
German commander...let's say the closing scene leave me feeling a bit of sympathy for
the average German who got caught up in WWII...
And the closing scene with what at first looks like an unfair duel between Henry Fonda
and Robert Shaw...OK, call it a guilty pleasure.

2. Battleground (from 1949)
http://us.imdb.com/Title?0041163
This film is often cited as one of the best, gritty war films..and is about the 101st
Airborne at Bastogne.
It's been YEARS since I've seen it, but it's worth renting.

3. A Midnight Clear (from 1992)
http://us.imdb.com/Title?0102443
I haven't seen this film, but some people have told me they like it, despite the
"downer" atmosphere of the film.
What I HAVE SEEN is a short (one-hour?) film that I showed a very similar situation...
squads of American and German soldiers accidentally stumbling on each
other at the house of a poor lady and her son in a house in the woods (during the Bulge)...
in that show (name unknown?) the groups disengage peacefully after their
communal meal...knowing they have to follow their assigned duty once they've
retreated to join their forces...

OK, that's my movie-buff list...
open to others with suggestions/corrections/divergent opinions on what I've said...

[SAMWolf]

Current Military News
New Year's At Sea

Sailors and airmen line up for food at a picnic was held to celebrate the new year on the decks of USS Constellation aircraft carrier Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2002. (AP Photo/Ali Fraidoon)


Sailors have a picnic on the deck of the USS Constellation aircraft carrier Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2002. The outdoor picnic was held as a New Year celebration. (AP Photo/Ali Fraidoon)


U.S. sailors and airmen hold a picnic on the deck of the USS Constellation aircraft carrier as part of New Years celebrations Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2002. (AP Photo/Ali Fraidoon)

[SAMWolf]

Thanks for the Mustang Links!

Best Prop Plane of the war once the airframe was merged with the Merlin engine.

[SAMWolf]

LOL! It's bigger than yesterdays!

I still can't get used to that transition period where ships had funnels and masts. They just look so strange.

[SAMWolf]

Battleground is definately the better movie.

I still get a good laugh out of Battle of the Bulge, but here else can you get such good shots of Chaffees in any other movie.

Col. Hessler's assistant is one of the better performers in the flick. Just a German soldier doing his job.

[Pippin]

Good evening and Happy New Year to you all!

[painter]

I seemed to have gotten in on the last of this thread.What caught my interest is that several years ago I bought the book,

WORLD WAR II INFANTRY SOLDIER

The horror endured by a U.S.Infantryman by,W.Y.Boyd

50th anniversary Collector's editions

It is a true story about a soldier just out of bootcamp thrown into the battle at Alsace as a replacement in the 555th Infantry Reginment. Its a personal story about his combat experiences from there till the end of the war.

I have read the book several times and its an inspiring story.

Mr Boyd,if you lurk this site I really loved your book!