I honor my father WW II vet.

[infullview]

He’s gone but his contribution is not forgotten. My dad was a munitions expert who crawled from one infantry man to the next to repair their rifles. I didn’t learn that his best friend died in his arms until he was in his mid 50’s. As a child I remember his rage and outbursts that frightened all of his five children - what we now know as PTSD. Stationed in the islands, he had photos of dead Japanese solders piled as high as a man is tall. I can’t imagine what hell he endured. It is with great respect and love that I remember him, my father.

[republianmushroom]

1. The unselfish generation, there will never be another generation like them.

We owe so much to them.

[democrank]

2. K & R

Thank you for this, infullview.

[Irish_Dem]

3. The enemy fighting on the Pacific islands was particularly horrific and brutal.

The Japanese soldiers had been ordered by their emperor to fight until they were dead.
It took a huge toll on the US soldiers.
The casualty rate and PTSD was very high.

Was your father on Okinawa by any chance?

I am an USAF kid and we were stationed there for part of my father's overseas assignment
during the Viet Nam war.

We lived in a house right next to one of the beaches where there was fierce WWII fighting.
We would find food rations and gun parts, etc. The WWII bunkers were still intact.
We used to play in them.

[infullview]

4. I'm not sure. He didn't like to talk about the war

I never pushed it

[Irish_Dem]

5. Yes most of them refused to talk about it.

It was bad, very bad.