Alphawoman's blog

From Last Year ( Can't believe I have been pounding this out for over a year!!!)

My Dad served in WWII.  He  celebrated his 85th birthday earlier this month.  The veterans of this war are dying, some 400 per day.  I heard this statistic when Tom Hanks  presented his tribute to the veterans of WWII with the "Band of Brothers"  mini series broadcast on HBO.

My Dad  weighed four pounds when  he was born. The odds for his survival in 1919 were slim. The odds were against him when he enlisted.  He had to trick the doctor during his physical to pass and be inducted into the Army.

I wish I had paid closer attention to my Dad's war stories. The stories are now trapped in his brain, held captive by dementia associated with the aging process. So my memories of the incidents may be sketchy.

While in basic training, the Air Force claimed my father to spearhead a special secret project. He had scored extremely high on the admitting IQ test, and subsequently was needed to put together and coordinate the truck operation for the Normandy Invasion.

Upon completion of the project he stayed with the 101st Airborne Division.  He flew into battle with them. When it was time to line up to parachute out, he took his place in line.  He heard his name called, and ordered to fall out.  Because he was Army, and not Air Force, the Army  had ordered for him to stay behind.

Not one of the men who made the jump that day returned.

This is one of the many stories my father had to tell of his experiences in the War.  The horror, artocities, bravery and heroism were just as prevalent to the men who served in WWII as those wars and/or "police actions"   that followed.

 This generation of men defined bravery.  

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• #15 Comment from jonesgrl5 
  11/18/04 9:15 PM | Permalink

  *jaw drops* wow, my grandfather's also a WWII vet and he's now deceased. I never met him and I only know that he was in the US army and that he was in the infantry in the ETO. That's all. You're lucky to have all this knowledge.
  
  Luv always,
  Livi
  
  (I always say "Luv always" so don't feel awkward! LOL)
• #14 Comment from camaroisle050856 
  11/16/04 12:31 AM | Permalink

  Thanks for sharing a part of your life with us, Mary, and the photo of your Dad.
  We do owe a lot to the "generation of men who defined bravery."
  
  Best wishes,
  Debi
• #13 Comment from krobbie67 
  11/15/04 8:47 AM | Permalink

  Wow, I got chills reading this. Thank goodness the fates stepped in.
  :-) ---Robbie
• #12 Comment from sieblonde 
  11/13/04 1:45 PM | Permalink

  "This generation of men defined bravery."   So very eloquent.  Very. ~Sie.  http://journals.aol.com/sieblonde/Pfft/
• #11 Comment from cneinhorn 
  11/13/04 10:23 AM | Permalink

  What a  story! And what a handsome man!  I love the photo.
  ~JerseyGirl
  http://journals.aol.com/cneinhorn/WonderGirl