My Dad

[reeshy]

I spent a week with my dad the first week of May. We did a little talking about life and what not. He started to reminisce about his time in the submarine service during WWII. The things that he went through were incredible. I spent time in Viet Nam and none of it compared to what he experienced. Depth charge bombings, torpedo runs, rescue missions. The name of his sub was the USS Gunard. He speaks of his experiences with humility mixed with a quiet pride. My dad is 80 years old and I am only finding out about these things now. That is the way of these proud, quiet and unique veterans who went to a horrendous war and came home to pick up there lives where they left them off like nothing happened. I love my dad more than I can tell him and I am so proud of him and the other people who went to fight for our freedom during that terrible time.

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This message was edited by reeshy on 5-30-04 @ 12:29 PM

[Mike Teacher]

He started to reminisce about his time in the submarine service during WWII. The things that he went through were incredible.


Holy moly you coulda stopped there for me! My dad was 6 foot 1, so off to pilot school. And even he would admit, combat flying is Heaven compared to sub service.

I read 'THFT Red October maybe three months after release; i still have the Naval Institute Copy. Clancy's description of life on a modern nuclear sub is bad enough, but he in other books, talks about the Hell that sub service was on those guys.

I watch 'Das Boot' and the American WW2 Sub Movies [the good ones] and It Slays Me. If I had a gun I'd end myself rather then die 400 feet below the surface. They say the psychological demands are too much for many.

And what was that sub that sank, the Kursk? Perhaps the worse death imaginable, for me. If you dont know, this post is too long already. Hit da Google. Kursk sub disaster should do it.

I would love to shake your father hand.

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[reeshy]

Mike,
Thanks for that wonderful reply. My dad's favorite war movie is "Das Boot"...he says that it is really how he lived as a 18 year kid on a submarine. Isn't it incredible how these vets just go about there lives and never talk about the experinces that thay lived through....BTW, my dad was on the FDNY for 31 years in the South Bronx and never talked about that either!!!!

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[furie]

silent service. i don't think i could do it.


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[Alice S. Fuzzybutt]

Isn't it incredible how these vets just go about there lives and never talk about the experinces that thay lived through.


My dad was a Marine in the South Pacific during WWII. He received a Purple Heart but was incredibly humble about his experiences.

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[FUNKMAN]

My Dad is a bit younger at age 67 and didn't serve but my Grandad's brothers served in WWII.

> Michael - was the youngest and served in Europe but didn't see any action

> Everett - the next youngest volunteered and wound up being killed when his tank was hit at the Battle Of The Bulge. My grandfather says that the Military leaders let their guard down at the beginning of that battle and took it too lightly. He said the leaders felt the war was almost over and didn't feel there would be much resistance. kind of ticked him off when he discovered what happened. I worked at the Colgate Plant in Jersey City and there was a plaque with Everett's name on it hanging in the cafeteria.

> Arthur - the next oldest was drafted, he served under George Patton(9th Infantry i believe) in South Africa 'El Guettar'(sp?) and later in France. He received two purple hearts and one silver star which Patton himself pinned on him. He's still alive in Florida and is also a very quiet, distinguished man, unlike myself! My granddad had said that Arthur was friends with General Westmoreland and they continued to keep in touch via telephone and letters. Arthur went back to the Colgate Plant after the war and retired as a machinist.

As it turns out Everett is buried in the Luxembourg Cemetary very close to Patton's grave. They even have a page for him on the cemetary web-site.
Everett Clark


Everett A. Clark
Private First Class, U.S. Army
32589655
63rd Infantry Battalion, 11th Armored Division
Entered the Service from: New Jersey
Died: January 1, 1945
Buried at: Plot B Row 10 Grave 51
Luxembourg American Cemetery
Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Awards: Purple Heart







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This message was edited by FUNKMAN on 5-30-04 @ 5:03 PM

[keithy_19]

My grandpa was in India during WW2. He's sea nile(sp) now so all he talks about is how he got trapped in the bathroom while a tiger was outside.

I think that anyone who served in any war, especially WW2 where there was a definite enemy(probably the closest thing to good verses evil), should be honored for it. I have so much repsect for people who fought to keep this country great.

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[A.J.]

My dad is 80 years old and I am only finding out about these things now.

It's funny that you say that because my grandfather only started to open up about his own war experiences in the last couple of years of his life. I knew that he served in the 5th Army Air Corps in the Pacific during World War II but he never would really talk too much about what he did and what he saw. Just a short time ago he told me about his training, the different places he was stationed, and some of his experiences in New Guinea the Phillipines and Japan.

I wish he had lived to see the new World War II memorial down here. He would have loved it.

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[JohnnyCash]

My father was in the Korean war. He rarely speaks about it but when he does he only tells me good stories about the friends he made. He never talks about the fighting, just about the guys he was close to and the good times he had.

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[TheMojoPin]

Just spent this past Memorial Day in Pittsburgh with my great-uncle, talking with him about his WW2 experience in the European theater...landed at D-Day and never looked back until he made it to Germany! He had a twin brother, too, who actually joined the Canadian Air Force before the US entered the war and was shot down and killed over the English Channel. All three of their other brothers were in the various services, so this was a family the definitely gave it their all...

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