I never knew this

[Hitokiri]

I never knew this. I went to a birthday party for my 90 year old great-uncle. Awesome gun an dvery funt o be with (and his mind is all intact!).

I was with my guys coisons and my dad when he came to our table and sat down. We knew he was in WWII but we forgot which battle. He was involved in the Battle of Metz and the end of Battle of the Bulge. However, at Battle of Metz, he got shot in his face. To his mouth to b correct where the bullet shattered his teeth which stopped the bullet. He went on to talk about his friends who died and his war time stuff. It was really neat, recounting how he got shot (some germans ambushed him and his troop squad thing), time at the hospital, and afterwards. It's was really intresting.

Another thing is that where he lives, his family (the Hoelter's which includes my entire mother's side) owns the town he lives in. It's called Lucky and thier's like 12,000 people who live there so it's small. My grandma and grandma owned a super market, thier's a hall dedicated to the Hoelter family, a park named after my great-grandpa, and several streets named after my grandpa, great aunts, uncles, as well as the uncle who had his birthday.

Quite intresting and felt like sharing ^_^

[Doubleshadow]

That's really something Hitokiri. I had something similiar happen when my Dad's Dad died. I found out he was a Navy pilot between '42-'44 (never saw combat though). Lots of other stuff about him, too, but things I think my family considers too personal in a family way to discuss.

[Hitokiri]

You might think old people ar eold and boring an dtake up room and money but they really have intresting stuff to share and you can learn alot from them.

[soul alive]

that is pretty interesting.

both of my grandfathers were in the Navy in WWII, i think both were in the Pacific. my maternal grandfather never would talk about his service, but a few years after he died, and his mother (my great-grandmother) died, one of my great-aunts gave my mom a collection of letters my great-grandmother had saved that my grandfather had written to her during his tour of duty, at least a hundred or more letters, which my mom is preserving in a archival quality book.

my paternal grandfather talked more about his service, but usually only as vague references to having been through the Panama Canal (and how unbelievably long it took). and having the ship he was on be torpedoed, but the torpedo passed clean through, and blew up on the other side. and he blamed the wierd (or at least how it seemed to me at age 5) way he folded his socks on having been in the Navy.

i also volunteer occasionally in the nursing home in my home town, and once got to listen to a resident talk about his experience of being in the Invasion of Normandy.

[_Sin_]

Quite interesting, Hitokiri.

Although I'm living in Germany I'm pretty sad that my ancestors were and are living in peaceful times and didn't came into contact with any wars - especially not WWII.

And yeah, old people usually have lots of stuff to tell you if they are still right in their mind. I consider my grandpa a wandering book ^_^

[Technomancer]

I had relatives who'd served in both world wars, but the details of their service were sketchy. My grandfather who served in WWII never, ever talked about the war or what he did in it- and we learned as kids that is was simply something you didn't ask about. To this day I don't really know where or how he served.

[Kisa]

Thats cool.
Both my Grandads were in WWII.

[termyt]

Sounds like a great experience Hitokiri.

My great uncle was a tail gunner in a B-17 flying over Germany. It was not an experience he liked to talk about and the war had a devastating effect on his mind. Believe me, I am very grateful for the relative peace he and those like him earned for the rest of us at great cost to themselves.

[Yojimbo]

My dad's father was a two years too young by the time the war ended but he was later called up to the Korean campaign. But both of his brothers went, served, and came back.

The oldest brother was an 11th Armored Division gunner on an M3 halftrack variation and saw action in Normandy all the way to The Ardennes and the Battle of the Bulge. He died this past summer and I only talked to him once. I can only remember him talking about a dozen Messerschmitt's strafing his convoy right through the forest.

The other brother was in the 101st Airborne and was dropped in way off course when his plane hit really heavy flak fire. And I'm pretty sure he saw action in Foy and Noville. Unfortunately when he got back his wife had cheated on him while he was away. It was too much for him and he shot himself in the head.

My mom's father was stationed at Dutch Harbor in Alaska a year after the Japanese attacked it as a morse code operator. It was the only other target on American soil and was a diversion for the attack on Midway. And to somewhat prevent an Allied advance through the Aleutians. The Kiska and Attu islands are the only pieces of American soil that have ever been set foot on by an enemy force. And you've probably never heard about it and the 1,000 men who were killed in that campaign.

[Scribs]

My grandfather was a master Sergent in WWII and worked on building roads for the troups. he sayed that sometimes at night he could hear the Germans talking a little ways from his camp. He was stationed in Iceland and france. He died before I could really ask him much about it, that is one major regret I have

[c-girl]

Wow!! >^.^< That's really neato!

[Mr. SmartyPants]

aww thats pretty awesome!

[Ren_sama]

I'm glad he survived! ^^
My grandfather told me about his WWII stories too! ^o^ Hey, maybe my grandpa knows your great uncle! XD That'd be pretty neat. ^^