| Author | Message | ||
     Rocketman |
My grandfather on my mums side fought in North Africa and Sicily. Amongst his medals he was commended in dispatches to the King twice. He was a Royal Engineer with 22 years service behind him when he left the army. After leaving the army he spent another 20 years as a welder in a shipyard and helped build some of the finest trawlers ever built. Many of them world record catchers like the Hammond Innes built by Cook Welton and Gemmel at Beverley in Yorkshire. A very strict and orderly man I miss him dearly since his death 20 odd years ago. We got on like a house on fire and he was the only member of my family that would sign a credit agreement as guarantor to enable purchase of my first real motorbike when I was just 17, a Honda SL125. I remember as a young lad asking my granddad if he ever killed anyone during the war. His reply was understanding of my young curiosity. "That's the kind of question you never ask a man" he told me. I knew then of his respect for what those of his generation had lived through. It's important never to forget. Just 200 yards from where I sit now there's an empty space across the street where several houses once stood 60 years ago. I have the picture in front of me pinned to the wall that shows the remains the morning after the bomb dropped all those years ago. My grandfather on my dads side was a Home Guard. Living not 20 miles from the East Coast of Yorkshire the defense of the nation relied heavily upon the Home Guard. They sat in bunkers or dug outs on cliff tops watching the movement of enemy aircraft and the risk of been shot at if seen was ever present. They built concrete blocks into the beach heads and strung miles of barbed wire. Built rail lines and gun turrets in the most obscure places. Their job was one of hard labour and the threat of invasion was always imminent. Even in the rural areas one couldn't escape the bombings. It was often the case that enemy aircraft that hadn't successfully deployed their bombs would drop them somewhere rather than nowhere. The East Coast played host to this activity often. My dads dad suffered back injuries as a result of Home Guard duty which put paid to his professional boxing career after the war ended. Before the war my granddad had been a young fighter of much success winning regional titles and fighting toward a British Title fight. That was 'Tiger' Pepper who we lost in 1999 aged 88 but he's still a legend around these parts and I miss him dearly too. My grandma on my mothers side also served during the war. Her place was working in the Auxiliary Territorial Service - formed in 1938 to recruit as many as possible into the war effort. In this case women who did the same jobs as men except they weren't allowed to fire anti-aircraft guns. I miss this great woman too who endured the last fifteen years of her life wheel chair bound with MS but her enthusiasm for life and her family never wained. She was a rock. Thank you to all that served and I'm proud to say that last year I paid my respects towards our fallen brave men from the United Kingdom, United States and The Commonwealth by visiting many military cemeteries, some war museums and sight seeing lots of Normandy, France where the march towards Berlin started and finally brought Victory in Europe, May 8th 1945. Having seen what I saw last year I can't imagine what hell it must have been fighting hand to hand as those brave people did. Their efforts we should never forget. Many many thousands paid the highest price for the freedoms we try and share today. If there is a God, God bless you all. Rocket | ||
| U4euh |
I raise my drink to toast, don't think many of us can imagine what it was like. My grandfather served on the USS Essex in WWII. He died the year after I was born, but I have 100's of pictures. | ||
| Newfie_buell |
What a great story Rocket! I love old history, I have a great-uncle who flew as a tail gunner in a Lancaster Bomber during WWII. His plane was shot down over England and he survived. He really never liked flying much after WWII. He is still alive and living in Ontario. | ||
| Iamike |
Rocket- Your comment is so true, the ones that didn't talk about their war experiences are the ones that really endured it. My father-in-law said the guys that bragged about the war are the ones that weren't involved in the action. | ||
| Road_thing |
Well said, Sean! rt | ||
| Cyclonemaniac |
Very poignant Rocket. All too often we go about our lives, ever so busily, not often thinking about the sacrifices our friends and loved ones made then, and are still making today. I never met my Mom's oldest brother. He was killed about 2 weeks before the end of hostilities in Europe. As a young boy, he idolized the Hollywood cowboys. One in particular was Buck Jones. For those not familiar, Buck Jones was born in Indiana, but at an early age his family moved to Montana where he learned to be a real cowboy. My uncle grew up in Kentucky the son of a poor tobacco farmer. His life was working the farm with my grandfather, getting his schooling whenever he could. He saved every penny he could to buy a genuine Buck Jones autographed guitar. I think my Mom said he spent $25 for it. That was a huge sum during the depression, especially for a kid. Well, I still have that guitar. Every now and then I take it down, dust it off and pick out a tune or 2 just to remind me of My uncle Orville and the ultimate sacrifice he made so many years ago. So Rocket, I tip my hat and raise my glass to you and your family as well as all of your countrymen and women who have served, and continue to do so. And to all of the brave men and women of My Great Country. Lest we never forget.  | ||
| Firemanjim |
Thanks for the reminder Sean.My dad was in the ETO,spent some time in England before D-day.Lied about his age to get in(he was 17) fudged his eye test as he was nearly blind in one eye.He never talked much except when he was around others from the war.I can still remember him having bad dreams and speaking in German and French while taking afternoon naps.Captured and escaped,2 purple hearts,bronze star.Died 3 years ago.I remember watching the movie "Saving Private Ryan" and being in awe of what he and all those others went through--things we can never imagine.Wish I had had more time to learn of his stories. | ||
| Rocketman |
It's impossible to come from the generations we have and not remember, but last year in commemoration of D Day landings some 60 years earlier I learned so much more. Our family home in France is just on the outskirts of Avranches. This is the town where Patton joined the 4th Army and started his campaign that lead to the fall of the Nazi's. Patton's Place, the centre of a large roundabout, has Patton's tank sat there on top of a lage memorial. The soil, trees and plants etc were all brought in from America and if you stand on this piece of hallowed ground you are in America as it is American Territory to this day. To have an understanding of rural France, all those small towns - so many literally raised to the ground, and the knowledge of France's topography then combing this with the fierce resistance the Germans put up it's just impossible to comprehend how so many could have fought and marched all the way to Berlin in less than a year and through an awful Northern European winter. Private Ryan seems authentic when you see that old Pathe movie footage and the old newspaper cutttings. If ever you get the opportunity to visit the parts of France that were so heavily involved in the war grasp it with both hands. You will cry like a baby somewhere along the route but it will put your whole life and that of every living person in perspective. For my grandparents, thank you all. Rocket | ||
| Jerseyguy |
My father-in-law went in through Normandy and fought all the way to Germany. He took a german 88 burst in his back & side in the Arden, was out for a couple of months, and then went back to his buddies to continue the fight. He still cries whenever he talks about what he saw & did. He's a cranky old codger now, had a few strokes and isn't too steady on his feet. I couldn't love and respect the man (and his generation) more for what he did back then so that we could live the lives we now have. We should never forget this. And we should never forget the unbreakable bond between the US and GB, no matter how hard the road ahead may get. | ||
| Whatever |
Rocket, Interesting... god bless. Grandfather was a Marine on Iwo Jima who drove the amphibians... after seeing Saving Private Ryan can't say I have ever looked at him the same. Char | ||
| Bomber |
we all owe our warriors thanks that can never be repaid -- amen, rocket, and thanks for reminding us -- | ||
| Blake |
I'd say we can repay our fallen warriors by living our lives as best we can with honor for their beliefs and sacrifices. And Rocket, please trust that God exists; how else could we ever explain the existence of the incorrigible Rocketman? I mean such a wondrous creation by definition defies mere chance. You were no accident my friend, trust me on that.  Thanks for the heartfelt words and personal history. Great stuff. (Message edited by blake on May 10, 2005) | ||
| Newfie_buell |
Rocket is indeed a unique individual - hopefully we shall share a few cold ones some day. | ||
| Rocketman |
I try to consider myself a realist thus I have great difficulty in understanding the reality of Gods without conclusive proof. There are often times when I wish I could believe without question but I can't understand how for example evil can exist if there is a God. Then a miracle happens and I can't explain that either. One thing I can say though. For those of you that truly believe I envy you if it works for you. Personally I think I'm still searching for my spiritual enlightenment as I'm sure it exists somewhere. Then I think of my kids and realize I've already found it. Perhaps when I circumnavigate the planet on a motorcycle I'll know for sure which way is up. That's my dream. Thanks friends. Rocket |
