Big dog

Well that doesn't sound" boring" by any means ! Compared to you guys my year of sea duty really WAS boring, though I've NEVER had a boring day at sea in my life, and I still go offshore fishing a few times every year.

EN Submarine Qualified Loc: Wisconsin East coast

I am so happy your grandfather survived. I am so disappointed so few people even know What, Who, Where Bataan is.
My uncle survived the march and 3 years as a POW in Japan. When he was returned 6'1" and 85 lbs he was hospitalized for 3 months. You might think he had enough but no he finished his 20 to retirement. Passed away in 1976. Sorry to say, never got to meet him.

Loki Loc: Georgia

Some Liberal twit was talking the other day about how the evil US dropped the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and killed all those civilians. I mentioned not only Bataan, but also the Rape of Nanking. All I got was a deer in the headlights look of complete confusion. WTF do they teach these days? It isn't history.

QuestGirl Loc: Jayhawk Country

It ravaged my grandfather's body and health. I have a rather long letter he had typed to the Army detailing the horrors of this Death March. He had served in WWI too.

alabuck Loc: Tennessee

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Not to brag, but I scored 30 out of 30. However, in my defense, I do have 3 degrees in American History.

My dad was in the Marines during WW2. He seldom spoke about his exploits until he was on his deathbed. Initially, my dad was one of Adm. Halsey's Personal Marine Detachment, 1st Marine Division ("Just a fancy name for Halsey's body guards," my dad claimed). He held that honor for a while; even managing to "liberate" some of Halsey's silver dinnerware (which I now have) before being transferred to a rifle company. He was among the first ashore on Okinawa. He and one of his squad-mates were sharing an outer perimeter foxhole during one of the Japanese many attacks. My dad said he emptied his M1 several times and was just about out of ammo when the Japanese soldiers finally reached their fox hole. My dad was shot in the knee. His squad-mate was shot twice and then bayoneted.

My dad shot and killed the Japanese soldier who'd killed his squad-mate, plus two more that were attacking their, specific, hole, including the one who'd bayoneted his squad-mate, before he was out of ammo. Oddly, at that point, their Japanese retreated back to their lines, allowing the Marine to gather-up their dead and wounded. My dad was evacuated back to a field hospital for surgery to remove the bullet in his leg. Six weeks later, he was allowed to return to his squad and finished out the battle. For this and subsequent actions, he was awarded the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star Medal, and the Silver Star Medal.

His older brother was a Sherman tank commander with Patton's armies; beginning with Patton in North Africa; going with him to Sicily; then, with his 3rd Army in France. He participated in the Battle of the Bulge and ended the war crossing the Rhine River and hooking-up with Russians west of Berlin.

As for myself, in a nut-shell, I joined the Navy in 1970. Went to Pensacola NAS and graduated a Naval Flight Officer. January 1973, found me stationed aboard the USS Midway as an F-4 Phantom NFO/RIO (back seat rider), attached to VF-161. On our 3rd mission, we were shot down by a SAM. My "stick" (pilot) was vaporized as the missile took out the front of our aircraft, just as his seat cleared the canopy rails. (Ejection sequence of an F-4 Phantom was that the back seat ejected 1.5 seconds before the front seat to avoid the 2 aviators from smashing into each other.). Pete was a married man with 2 small kids and a drop-dead, built like a 2 story brick outhouse, beautiful wife. I was unmarried with no kids.

I splashed just a couple of hundred yards from the North Vietnam shore. Immediately, NVA soldiers were on the beach and I was taking fire. In just a few minutes, a Rescue chopper was overhead. Someone tossed me an M16 and I emptied it firing back toward shore. Then, a gunship arrived and took care of the enemy on the shore while I was hauled aboard the Rescue chopper. I left the Navy in September of 1973, being unable to pass the medical physical to return to flying.

EN Submarine Qualified Loc: Wisconsin East coast

How about how wonderful Socialism/Communism is and how corrupt Capitalism is? Oh yeah don't t forget how mankind is ruining the planet.
Can't get over reading an ad taken out by a real brain when she blasted a hunter for taking a deer for meat. "Why can't you get meat at the store like everybody else?"Just think of all those chickens and steers that kill themselves, butcher themselves, wrap themselves, attach those cute little UPC stickers and jump into the refrigerated display cases. Amazing, I guess.
Not a real surprise though as I was writing the above, I recalled hearing a sailor on my boat totally at a loss as to whom the US was fighting in WWII. And this about 6 years after WWII was over.

EN Submarine Qualified Loc: Wisconsin East coast

I will happily exchange info about our relatives if you wish. Let me know, please.

Big dog

There are plenty of idiots out there. I knew a guy, 10 years younger than me, he thought we dropped the A bomb right after Pearl harbor.
Ya just can't legislate stupidity. Though it would be nice.......

EN Submarine Qualified Loc: Wisconsin East coast

For once, I am totally awestruck with nothing meaningful to type. I can only say "it is sobering to be 'acquainted' with kin of heroes"

QuestGirl Loc: Jayhawk Country

I was taken aback when my daughter was in grade school, character seemed to be a lesson. I was then appalled wondering why? My child's character is my responsibility, not the schools. Sadly, I had not the wherewithall to home school her.

Big dog

Quite honestly, I'm awestruck by the intellect and knowledge of so many here on OPP. I'm proud to be able to be apart of this, and proud to be able to communicate with you good folks.( a few withstanding).

QuestGirl Loc: Jayhawk Country

I gotta admit, I'll ask, "Who won?" While leaving the baseball stadium.

QuestGirl Loc: Jayhawk Country

I get awestruct with the brilliance here on OPP myself.

QuestGirl Loc: Jayhawk Country

They have certainly managed to successfully and unconstitutionally legislate stupidity.

EN Submarine Qualified Loc: Wisconsin East coast

Yep there are lots of idiots and only slightly in partial defense of some of the idiots. Had we had a nuke, very likely Pearl would not have occurred. Also the process of building a nuke is very complicated and time consuming so not knowing that or anything about a nuke weapon, the average person would never realize what the "Manhattan Project" was all about. I would love to see the cost of building the nuke compared to the rest of the bucks spent on WWII. I would guess about one half.
Just recall the fundamental particle, the neutron was first discovered in 1932. Only 13 years before the first detonation ( in New Mexico) of a nuke. Another 13 years got us the first commercial nuke power plant (Shippingport, PA, 1958.
I mention neutrons in the unlikely event persons might not know, nukes operate by the rapid fissioning of a fuel by neutrons.