Here is a thread to honor what American troops have done, share stories about the men you know/know of who have been in the service, and just overall celebrate the day.
Both of my grandfathers were a part of the army in WWII, though neither of them died during the war. My grandfather on my father's side was in the air force, if I remember correctly. Although he was injured in some way before a major battle, so that is one reason he did not die in the war. He was in the hospital. And my step-grandfather on my mom's side (though I consider him my blood grandfather) was a part of the ground forces, I believe. Although he was never deployed over seas.
I wrote a report about him for history class, and so I am now sharing it here:
My Grandfather in WWII wrote:
My grandfather was a member of the army ground forces during World War II. He served first in Camp Wheeler. There, he said, the men learned how to live together and how to defend themselves. During his fourth week of training, he and the others were working on hand-to-hand combat, and he slipped on the clay, causing him to break his leg. While he was in the hospital, the attack on Pearl Harbor came. Many of the survivors were taken to the hospital he stayed in. The interesting thing was that my grandfather kept saying, “We.” Even though he was not at Pearl Harbor, he still considered himself as part of those who were there. It made me think that the sense of unity was much stronger then.
He also remembered when the Italian moved to Africa, and stated the water literally turned to blood from the US’s troops. But he also remembers when we defeated the Italians, and said that was a great victory. When he got out of the hospital, he worked on building barges and a couple airplanes. He said that many think about what went on overseas, but a lot of stuff also happened in America. They had to build shipyards, training centers, and such. He said, “Self was put on the backburner.” People bonded together, as they all were worried about their family: those who would be affected by the war.
He talked a lot about many other things. V-E day, the attack on Normandy, V-J day, and then stated that he had hardly mentioned anything at all. I could tell that there was so much more that could not even be put into the words, and the emotion that had stayed with him through the years impacted me greatly. It was neat seeing the war through a personal level instead of a general overview. It made it seem much more like a real event. I learned that people tend to bond in a time of need, especially when it affects so many people. He said people found a purpose. It seemed the war gave everyone a common focus. I think I find this time so interesting is because of how others worked together to help others, not themselves. There was so much sacrifice. The soldiers were heroes, as were those who stayed on the home-front in their own ways.
So, what about y'all? Do you have stories of your grandparents during any of the wars? How about your parents? (Come on, Airi. I know you probably have stuff to share.
) Do you have any interesting or moving stories about men who died for our country? Any thoughts to commemorate the day?
Thanks for explaining, 'tis interesting.
