Thanks to all of our veterans

Mailman

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For the time and service you gave, so that we may enjoy the freedoms we have today, thank you all.

Members of my family have served in every major conflict since 1914.

My grandfather was a sailor in WW1 , shoveling coal into boilers in the belly of a ship. I can’t imagine a more dreadful job.
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My father fought in the Philippines , assigned to an artillery unit. He caught and came home with malaria, and the artillery left him deaf as a post.
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My uncle ( mother’s brother ) served in a submarine, patrolling the Eastern coast of the U.S. during WW2
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My other uncle ( Dads younger brother ) fought in Korea
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My older brother was in the Army during Vietnam, never left the U.S. He served his whole tour as a cook in Fort Carson Colorado and wound up marrying his seargents daughter.
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My brother in law was a Navy Seal. He was involved in the very first action of Desert Storm and is credited with capturing the first enemy combatant of the war. The guy never talked much, but boy did he give off a
“ Don’t f**k with me” vibe.
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My nephew was a Air Force fireman, stationed in the UAE during Operation Enduring Freedom
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There were many other cousins and uncles who served. We even had a “ Rosie the Riveter” in the family who built P-51’s during the war, her story was featured in a book.
Amazingly, our family has never lost a family member during their service. Though many carried the scars for the rest of their life.
 
My dad was in the South Pacific. No geared up photos of him that I know of, although he makes a brief appearance in "The World at War". :)

Was he on a ship or an island? I’d love to hear more.

My father, after fighting in the Philippines, went to Japan to become the first occupation troops after Japans surrender. His unit oversaw the turning in of weapons by the Japanese soldiers. When he arrived, he travelled by train through the destruction of Nagasaki. It left a real impression on him.
 
My father was in the chemical corp/division ? somewhere in the pacific
he help guard the supplies of gas the US had in case the Japanese decided to use theirs on our troops
Issued a gun no ammunition (the bullets were for the guys on the front line)
Thanks god neither country decided to use it
 
1 Uncle in law fought in the first world war, don't know any more and it wasn't talked about. He did receive a service medal just before he died in his late 80's

Another uncle in law and my uncle and father fought in the second world war. Dad and his brother were farmers and didn't have to enlist but they both did, Patriotic duty was something people did. Both my uncle in law and uncle fought in the battle of Casino without getting hurt.

Dad was on the wharf in Auckland, (New Zealand), waiting to get shipped over to north Africa, apparently there was a couple of delays and they were there a couple of weeks. A guy dad was talking to said they were looking for gunners and engineers in another regiment heading for the Solomon islands in the the Bougainville straights to build runways after the Americans cleared the Japs out. Dad was sick of waiting and volunteered so he could get involved. He was a big man 6' 1" and 13 stone, he was snapped up.

Didn't see any action and only one Jap prisoner but did end up on several islands, Vella Lavella and a Green island are 2 i can recall. building runways and infrastructure. More than a couple of times the supply ships were late and they had to go on rations without any communication on when supplies would arrive. There was always a threat of the Japs trying to take back the islands but not realy a reality.

Never talked about it much but but he did have some artistic talent he utilized when they were in periods of down time waiting for supplies, or to be shipped out to another island. He made several sets of knives, a couple of carving knives and a set of butter knives out of wrecked Japanese warplanes, (no not the whole plane), using the perspex wind shield he cut rings out for the handle and different parts for the hand holders, (prop), and blade. The perspex was different colours, some purplish tinge, green and white........No sawzills or grinders all done buy hand.......
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http://www.solomonencyclopaedia.net/biogs/E000330b.htm
 
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That’s a very interesting story Doug. Before my father went to the Philippines, they sailed to New Zealand to practice amphibious landings. His unit was actually training to do an amphibious assault on the Japanese main island. But then Japan surrendered and his role changed to occupation troops.
 
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