My Grandfather

jill jackson

jill jackson

Joined
Sep 5, 2006
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Was the Central Fire Control Gunner, aboard this B-29 "The Dangerous Lady"
in World War 2 and flew on 35 missions from the Pacific Island Tinian, into mainland Japan. He sat in a bubble midway on-top the plane and controlled two double Browning .50 caliber machine gun turrets. They put a total of 4 guns that operated simultaneously on target. (very devastating to the unarmoured Japanese fighters) The gun in the picture was one of the two, he controlled and shot down Japanese fighters with.
Anybody else have any relatives that served in combat, or maybe themselves served in combat?
If so post the facts to honor them or even yourself. :thumbup: Veterans Day is not far away!
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My Grandfather. 280th Medical Battalion D-Day to the end of the war. He spoke of D day only once...and he cried when he did...

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Utah Beach D-Day Plus one..

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destroyed german 88 near St. Lo

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My father and Uncle did 2 tours in Vietnam. 2 of my great uncles did time in Korea. Both of my grand fathers are WWII vets. My oldest know ancestor vet is a Col. McMorrow who served during the Revolutionary War. He's buried about 20 minutes from my house. I served during Operation Just Cause (Panama), Operation Desert Shield/Storm and various other nasty spots with 18th Airborne Corps.

Veteran's Day is one of my favorites. I meet my father and uncle at the V.F.W and we get drunk and tell lies all night.
 
My father is a Cold War vet. He served in the USAF at a BOMARK missile site in Cape Cod from 1960-64. He missed Vietnam by 2 months.

My uncle served in the Navy during Vietnam. He was a navigator on the WV-2 Lockheed Constellation, 1970-74. He is very forthcoming about his experiences over there and is proud of his service.

My uncle Jim served in the navy from 1959-1962. He was a jet engine mechanic.

My uncle Bob served in the US Navy from 1964-68. He served stateside during Vietnam.

I also had several cousins in the USAF.

It is because of these men that I enlisted in the USAF at 19. I served from 1989-93 active duty and served a tour of duty in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War and had supporting roles during Haiti. After a brief hiatus from military service after my separation I enlisted in the USAF Reserve. I hung up my stripes on Dec 1, 1997 to become a firefighter in the town in which I grew up.

*I'm going to sticky this thread until Veterans Day. Please share your stories. :)
 
Dad was a radioman on merchant ships during WWII.

He said that he was glad he did it but would not do it again. He went all over the world on those slow ships.
 
Here is a bit of info. about my Grandfather, he was truly a great man and is sorely missed :(

He was born on 24th March 1912 and known to be in service with 304 Squadron on 8th July 1943.

At the relatively late age of 27, he had completed his University education and was working in a Polish Air Force maintenance depot whilst waiting to be called up for his national service. On the day that war broke out, the depot was attacked and suffered extensive damage. It was decided to move the whole unit further east – probably towards Lwow (now in the Ukraine) – to make it safer from German attack. Before they reached their destination, Russia had attacked them from the east and the whole unit crossed into Romania.

Internment seemed inevitable but he made his way independently to the Polish Legation in Bucarest and volunteered to join the Polish Air Force in exile. He was provided with a passport and sent by train to Belgrade where the Polish Air Attache endorsed his passport and sent him, via Italy, to France.

Whilst waiting to join the air force, France capitulated and he made his way to St Jean de Luz in the Pays Basque near Biarritz in France, very close to the Spanish border. At this little harbour town he took passage on the Polish liner turned troop ship, Sobieski bound for Plymouth. From there he went by train to Liverpool and spent his first days in England in a tented encampment on Aintree race course.

He went on to the Polish Depot at RAF Blackpool and then RAF Kirby where he was assigned to the newly formed 302 Squadron and sent to RAF Leconfield near Beverley in East Yorkshire, where he served as ground crew. In 1941 he was sent for pilot training and flew Airspeed Oxford light bombers/trainers at No 16 Flying Training School, RAF Newton near Nottingham. He gained some experience flying as a second pilot in an OTU and was then posted to 304 Squadron.

In May 1944, flying NZ-N, he attacked 2 U-Boats which he found on the surface and engendered the only ever 2 way battle between U-Boats and Polish aircraft. One submarine was seriously damaged, as was the Wellington, but it was successful in getting back to Britain with no serious injury to its crew in spite of the rear turret being riddled with holes. As well as other serious damage, there was a direct hit on the starboard wing which left a hole big enough for a man to pass through.

He found these U-Boats using the Leigh Light which was a very useful piece of equipment but its installation reduced the forward armament to a single machine gun. In spite of suffering hits and a fire breaking out, he pressed on with the attack, taking no evasive action to avoid the flak. He was awarded the Order of Virtuti Militari Silver Cross, 5th class and the British Air Force Cross. At the end of the war he was posted to the Experimental Establishment at Boscombe Down in Wiltshire where he worked as an engineer and test pilot and finally he was posted to RAF Farnborough and retired from the Royal Air Force in 1961.

He then went to work in the defence industry for Ferranti Systems again as an engineer and test pilot. He finally retired in 1983. He died in Edinburgh, Scotland on 18th January 2001, shortly before his 89th birthday.
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Dr. Diana M. Henderson PhD, LLB, TD writes:-
“Squadron Leader Miedzybrodzki died on Thursday 18th January 2001. I shall remember him a charmingly modest man with a wry sense of humour whose flying log books of the early Cold War period made remarkable reading. He had flown and tested virtually every operational aircraft of the period, many of them secret. His exploit in the Bay of Biscay is more fully recorded in "Destiny Can Wait - The History of the Polish Air Force Association in Great Britain" by M. Lisiewicz, et al”
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both my grandmothers drove service men to and from Rosecrans Air Base during W.W.II.

all my uncles were in the service. uncle Jack was a soldier in The Bulge.
Uncle Henry was in the Aleutions.
Uncle Leo was in Italy and was badly burned.
Uncle Elmer was in a bomb disposal unit.
Uncle Garth flew the Burma road as navigator
buzz
Oh Man what a dumb mistake on my part.
i left out my Father-in-law. Sully
several times made Chief , was Fireman in the boiler room of a Mortuary ship during the Korean War.he had a real scar across his nose. he never told how he got it.
a cable or a bar fight. God rest his soul.

My Mother -in -law Doris Jean. she met Sully in the Navy when she was stationed in Maryland. all hands on deck
 
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Those were real men - and women - back then. No whining when they didn't get their way. No excuse-making or complaining or placing the blame somewhere else. They just did their jobs and took care of their families and acted like grown-ups are supposed to act. We could use a big dose of that today.
 
My grandfather is 88. He earned his CIB with the 20th Armored DIV in France and Germany. He has a purple heart but hasn't mentioned it. He was my role model as a kid. He bought me my first rifle and gave me my first knife. I killed at least a hundred pest birds on his land. He taught me about M1 thumb when I was 8. As a CIB owner, I understand the least of what HE went through. He taught me about quality, esp with tools. I'll be taking my wife to meet him this weekend.
 
Domo (thank you)


We have a stretch of the 99 dedicated to that unit.
 
My father was drafted in '67. He has several stories that are not often repeated, like being overrun during the Tet Offensive. He is a patriot and an honorable man and he served with distinction, though he doesn't have much love for our armed services.
 
My father's father was born in Russia but grew up in the US. He was in the US Army in WW I.

My mother's father grew up in Russia. After he got here, he was a machinist during WW II, making machine gun parts.

His son was drafted into the Army at the end of WW II and was stationed in Germany, making announcements to the locals in Yiddish. :p

My father enlisted in the Army before we got into WW II and was a Senior Master Sergeant in the Quartermaster Corps in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy.

About all he had to say about the war was that the Louisiana boys that made up most of the outfit were the finest men he'd ever worked with. He went to the reunions for years.

Before he went overseas, he went to Washington DC to marry my mother who was working in the Pentagon.

My brother was drafted in 1966 and ended up in Vietnam in the Army band. French horn goes to war.

I enlisted in the Air Force in 1965 and served in Germany and Turkey, keeping track of Soviet air operations.
 
My dad was a Lt. Jr. Grade during Vietnam and worked the flight deck of the Oriskany Aircraft carrier. He lost his right leg just below the knee from a cable snapping as it catches the planes and brings them to a stop. He has never complained about it. He recently had a hip replacement due to his gait being off for almost 40 yrs. due to his prosthesis. He still gets around fine, and just turned 70. I get very patriotic on Veteran's Day, even though I am just a civilian.
 
I should mention my mother, Sheila J. Scott, served in the War cabinet towards the end of WWII, taking the minutes of the War Staff Cabinet meetings. I asked her if she ever saw Churchill and she replied" Oh yes of course ", when I asked if she ever spoke to him she replied 'Oh no never, it wasn't done!"
My mother passed away May 11 at 2 a.m. I saw her on the 10th, Mothers Day for the last time, she was 87 years old.
 
My dad, two uncles and one cousin were in the Navy. Two more uncles Eighth Air Force. All served throughout WW2. My brother, 66-70 USAF,Thailand and I served in the Navy 64-68 two tours Vietnam.
Those of us who are still here were glad to have served and respect those brave servicemen and women today.
 
My younger brother just got back from his second tour of Iraq with the Marines. He just turned 22 in August.

My grandpa served is Air Force ages ago doing crypto. Stationed at Barskdale for a while.

My cousin is getting geared up to go to the 'stan as an Army sniper after doing 8 years in artillery in both Korea and Iraq.

My cousin is about to leave the Navy...he was a nuke tech of some sort.

My best friend just graduated Army OCS and is getting ready to deploy to the 'stan. His sister is on the same track, just a little but further down the road. Her boyfriendjust graduated Ranger school not too long ago and is getting ready to deploy soon.

Two of my friends from college are getting ready to receive their Army officer commissions and another friend is a combat vet Marine. Had to leave due to service-related injuries.

Last but not least, my uncle worked on one of the teams that developed the bunker busters.

To round it all out, I am planning on going in to the USCG when I graduate college.
 
My late father was a radio operator in the Army Air Corps during WWII. They stationed him at Goose Bay, Labrador to work with those doing long-range weather forecasting for air raids over Germany. Quite a weather shock for an LA boy! He never liked snow or cold the rest of his life....

One of my hunting buddies is 84 and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He was a machine gunner. He still has a tiny bit of shrapnel lodged in the left side of his nose from when he was lucky to survive having a Jeep blown out from under him. He got frostbite during that awful winter and it still hurts when he's in cold weather. He showed me the jacket he wore in the battle and you can see where he (like many GIs) sewed pieces of wool Army blanket into it as a makeshift insulated lining because most of them weren't issued proper winter gear.

The most interesting thing is that roughly 65 years after the battle he still has dreams every few weeks about killing Hitler (during WWII, he says it was a fairly common dream among soldiers in his unit). He says the dreams seem so real that he can hear the bones crunch when he drives his bayonet into Hitler's chest and twists it.

DancesWithKnives
 
my grandpa and uncle (father's side) were both in the national guard, don't have the information on what they did with me. and my other grandpa (mother's side) was in the airforce. all three survived through their tours. i never talked to my father's dad. he died right after i was born, my dad says he just wanted to see his grandson before he went. lately i've been thinking about enlisting just not too sure. i got a buddy that just joined the rangers. he finished basic and now he's in the ranger program. thank you all that have served.
 
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