National Purple Heart day,,,

[Guppy]

I believe I heard this on the news this morning,,

Thanks for serving Wayne, and all you other courageous vets,,,

[piemma]

Thank you Ray.

[Nebe]

My grandfather received one in ww2. He was a Captain in the marines in the South Pacific. After Guadalcanal, narrowly escaping death in the lagoon of tarawa, he was blown to bits in Saipan while marching behind a Sherman tank. Apparently there was a Japanese soldier in the top of the smoke stack of the sugar factory that was calling in artillery strikes and he spotted the tank my grandfather was behind and attempted to take it out. He almost lost his leg and an arm and miraculously a medic was able to apply tourniquets and he was evacuated to a hospital ship, then brought to Hawaii, then put on a train across the USA to recover at the Naval hospital in Newport. He lost all feeling in his left hand and other than that, healed up perfectly.
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[Guppy]

Originally Posted by Nebe

My grandfather received one in ww2. He was a Captain in the marines in the South Pacific. After Guadalcanal, narrowly escaping death in the lagoon of tarawa, he was blown to bits in Saipan while marching behind a Sherman tank. Apparently there was a Japanese soldier in the top of the smoke stack of the sugar factory that was calling in artillery strikes and he spotted the tank my grandfather was behind and attempted to take it out. He almost lost his leg and an arm and miraculously a medic was able to apply tourniquets and he was evacuated to a hospital ship, then brought to Hawaii, then put on a train across the USA to recover at the Naval hospital in Newport. He lost all feeling in his left hand and other than that, healed up perfectly.
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[wdmso]

Originally Posted by Nebe

My grandfather received one in ww2. He was a Captain in the marines in the South Pacific. After Guadalcanal, narrowly escaping death in the lagoon of tarawa, he was blown to bits in Saipan while marching behind a Sherman tank. Apparently there was a Japanese soldier in the top of the smoke stack of the sugar factory that was calling in artillery strikes and he spotted the tank my grandfather was behind and attempted to take it out. He almost lost his leg and an arm and miraculously a medic was able to apply tourniquets and he was evacuated to a hospital ship, then brought to Hawaii, then put on a train across the USA to recover at the Naval hospital in Newport. He lost all feeling in his left hand and other than that, healed up perfectly.
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That’s a real war .. I saw nothing compared to that horror. I can not fathom surviving 1 island invasion then being told we’re doing it again next week or next month .. every day I left the wire to go on patrol I’d got a queasy stomach, but once out it was game on. .. yet I can’t fathom the resolve of you grandfather and other Marines had to do that day in and day out for years

[Nebe]

Yeah. He was very forthcoming with sharing his stories with me. He gave me a Japanese officers sword he took from a pile of meat inside a bunker in tarawa. It has bullet holes through the blade and hilt.

He viewed every day after the war as a gift and was one of the happiest people I have ever met. You’d never know what he saw.

From the looks of it, Ukraine is seeing some serious WW2 style combat. What a waste of life.
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[wdmso]

Originally Posted by Nebe

Yeah. He was very forthcoming with sharing his stories with me. He gave me a Japanese officers sword he took from a pile of meat inside a bunker in tarawa. It has bullet holes through the blade and hilt.

He viewed every day after the war as a gift and was one of the happiest people I have ever met. You’d never know what he saw.

From the looks of it, Ukraine is seeing some serious WW2 style combat. What a waste of life.
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I Agree 100%
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[Mike P]

My dad received the Purple Heart with 2 oak leaf clusters in WW 2. Combat wounded 3x. The last one resulted from a 25% loss of use in his right arm, and rendered him medically unfit for combat. He pulled rear echelon sentry duty for the remaining few months of the war.

His unit, the 30th Infantry Division, discovered the Malmedy massacre in Belgium. I remember him telling me that he was given orders from above to not allow any Waffen SS to surrender, as a result. Luckily he didn't have to follow through--he was wounded for the last time just days later.

[piemma]

Originally Posted by Mike P

My dad received the Purple Heart with 2 oak leaf clusters in WW 2. Combat wounded 3x. The last one resulted from a 25% loss of use in his right arm, and rendered him medically unfit for combat. He pulled rear echelon sentry duty for the remaining few months of the war.

His unit, the 30th Infantry Division, discovered the Malmedy massacre in Belgium. I remember him telling me that he was given orders from above to not allow any Waffen SS to surrender, as a result. Luckily he didn't have to follow through--he was wounded for the last time just days later.

Mine also. Radio man in the 79 Infantry Division. Battle of Cherbourg, Battle of St. Lo. Had his left arm partially blown off by a German 88. Never could use it after that.

[spence]

Originally Posted by Nebe

Yeah. He was very forthcoming with sharing his stories with me. He gave me a Japanese officers sword he took from a pile of meat inside a bunker in tarawa. It has bullet holes through the blade and hilt.

He viewed every day after the war as a gift and was one of the happiest people I have ever met. You’d never know what he saw.

From the looks of it, Ukraine is seeing some serious WW2 style combat. What a waste of life.
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And he was in a book!

[Nebe]

Originally Posted by spence

And he was in a book!

Indeed he was. Several actually.
He saved the boxer Barney Ross’s life at Guadalcanal which got a lot of press.
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