67 years

[bigdad1]

A year or so ago I saw some WWII and Korean-era US Army uniforms. I had always assumed that the soldiers involved in these wars were big, strong hero-type dudes, like you see in the movies. I'd imagine some of them were, but these uniforms were size 28, 32, and 34 waist pants and size 38 and 40 jackets. That's the size of my ninth-grade boys. The point is, while movies like to glamorize real events, a lot of the servicemen (and women) were still teenagers, called up to do the work of a dozen grown men, each. A lot of them had never been away from home before. My great-uncle was so sheltered that he slept in the same bed with his mother until he shipped off to Basic.
While it was never my privilege to serve, my hat is off to those who did.

When I left home and enlisted I weighed all of 140# and my first issued uniform had a size 29 waist. I still have it some 48 years later. The pack I wore the first time I saw combat probably weighed about 70# or half of my weight. There is usually a big difference between fact and fiction. Especially with regard to war. Today is indeed a special day and those involved 67 years ago all deserve a moment of silence.

[Bill aka Mole]

When I was stationed at Port Hueneme, CA during Desert Shield/Desert Storm, one of the civilians who worked in the environmental department was a child living in Germany during WWII. He told my fellow Chief's and I how, in his village towards the end, the Mom's in the village covered the building that a Tiger tank was in with tablecloths. This was to signal to the allies where it was hiding. That morning, an aircraft dropped a bomb on it, destroying what was left of the tank. Seems that the tank had been left there as the power train was damaged and the men assigned to the tank had left during the night as well. Hans remembered that literally everyone was working in the fields that morning so that no one would be hurt when the building and the tank were both destroyed.

On my Mom's side of the family, three of her brothers were in Europe, two were Rangers. Only one came home and he was a changed man. Shortly after he died, my Mom told me about finding photos of the camps that he was involved with liberating. Unfortunately, those photos were destroyed long ago.

[tripleblessed]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4WZwz2C72M

I've known a few men who were there, and several folk whose fathers were. A special group of men, mostly quiet, unassuming guys.
Our eternal thanks.