Welcome, one and all!!
As Jeff said, the intent is not to look down our collective noses at anyone... we prefer to celebrate those who served... regardless of where, when or how they served!!
So... my Father was a veteran of WWII. He joined the Army on 24 Sep 1940, at the age of 22 and went from civilian farmer/truck driver to Infantry Basic Training.
After Basic, he rose from Rifleman to Gunnery Squad Leader to Section Leader, attending Alpine Skiing Training in Mich (I think). He then trained, in the states (Camp Bullis, TX, I think), with a 50mm mortar crew, as an
Indianhead e.g. 38th Infantry, 2nd Division.
He landed in Northern Ireland, with his unit, on 19 October 1943 and was injured in training (broken ankle, I think) and was not able to rejoin his old outfit until Jun 1944.
The
Indianheads landed in Northern France (Omaha Beach) on D-Day+1 and fought from Omaha Beach to the hedgerows around Saint-Lo, France.
He fought through the entire stalemate at Saint-Lo and was wounded on 27 Jul 1944, in the right elbow, during the
Breakout at Saint-Lo.
He was eventually evac'ed to London, where he underwent numerous surgeries, to recover mobility in his right elbow.
That was the physical end of WWII for my Father, but mentally... he spent the rest of his life drowning his memories in alcohol and died from the ravages of alcoholism at age 76.
He never spoke of his military experiences, until just before he died... he told me that his best friend was screaming for help and he couldn't do a thing for him...
Please don't misunderstand... my Father was a good man, who never understood how to cope with the horrors that he had seen and endured. When sober, he was wonderful... when drinking, he was not... but, I loved him nonetheless.
) this thread...Looking forward to anything you can share.....
Some of my more interesting rides.