eelgrass
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LAST EDITED ON Jan-15-09 AT 06:10PM (MST)[p]My dad passed away at the age of 85 on Dec. 24 2008. Among other things he was a veteran of WWII, and I thought it might be interesting and/or educational to some of you to recount some of his experiences during that period of his life.
I'm not a very eloquent writer like Roy or Predator but I'll do my best. Some of it is historic, some of it is humerous, some of it is informative, and some of it is down right ugly.
The specific accomplishments of his outfit are pretty much a matter of public record, so I don't want to delve too much into that part of it. What I would like to do is try to pass on a few of the personal stories that he shared with me over the years. And I would also like to share a few of his photographs during that time.
He was a member of the 373rd General Service Regement, an outfit that was activated during the war and was deactivated shortly after the war. This link is about all I can find, and I think it is not totally accurate (from what dad told me and from another member of his Company whom I have spoken with recently)
http://www.military.com/HomePage/UnitPageFullText/0,13476,714575,00.html
He was not your classic combat soldier. The engingers were mostly skilled people whos purpose was to provide support for the war effort. They cleared mines, built roads and bridges, set up communication lines, and other work as needed. He never killed anybody or fired his weapon at anyone. But I think they were a vital link to victory both in the Pacific and in Europe where dad served.
Dad was born in August 1923 in Haskell, Oklahoma (big turtle hunting country
). At a young age his family left Oklahoma as part of the migration of people who were leaving the Dust Bowl areas and the Depression, seeking a new and better life in California. They settled in Hilmar, CA where he attended school and worked on the local farms as much as he could. While working and going to school he learned how to weld. A lot of farmers called on him because of his welding skills. When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor dad was too young to enlist, but he shortly heard of good welding jobs in the shipyards around Oakland, so he dropped out of school and landed a job there. He became very proficient at over head welding and was liked very much by his supervisor. They were making ships as fast as they could to aid the war effort. He was making good money and even bought himself a 1932 Ford coupe with a flat head V-8. He loved that car.
One day he got his draft notice in the mail. He showed it to his supervisor and his surervisor said "Give me that and I'll see that you get an exemption as I need you here." Dad said "No way, I'm going to join the Army and serve."
to be continued.......
EDIT:I can't get that link to work, sorry
I'm not a very eloquent writer like Roy or Predator but I'll do my best. Some of it is historic, some of it is humerous, some of it is informative, and some of it is down right ugly.
The specific accomplishments of his outfit are pretty much a matter of public record, so I don't want to delve too much into that part of it. What I would like to do is try to pass on a few of the personal stories that he shared with me over the years. And I would also like to share a few of his photographs during that time.
He was a member of the 373rd General Service Regement, an outfit that was activated during the war and was deactivated shortly after the war. This link is about all I can find, and I think it is not totally accurate (from what dad told me and from another member of his Company whom I have spoken with recently)
http://www.military.com/HomePage/UnitPageFullText/0,13476,714575,00.html
He was not your classic combat soldier. The engingers were mostly skilled people whos purpose was to provide support for the war effort. They cleared mines, built roads and bridges, set up communication lines, and other work as needed. He never killed anybody or fired his weapon at anyone. But I think they were a vital link to victory both in the Pacific and in Europe where dad served.
Dad was born in August 1923 in Haskell, Oklahoma (big turtle hunting country
). At a young age his family left Oklahoma as part of the migration of people who were leaving the Dust Bowl areas and the Depression, seeking a new and better life in California. They settled in Hilmar, CA where he attended school and worked on the local farms as much as he could. While working and going to school he learned how to weld. A lot of farmers called on him because of his welding skills. When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor dad was too young to enlist, but he shortly heard of good welding jobs in the shipyards around Oakland, so he dropped out of school and landed a job there. He became very proficient at over head welding and was liked very much by his supervisor. They were making ships as fast as they could to aid the war effort. He was making good money and even bought himself a 1932 Ford coupe with a flat head V-8. He loved that car.One day he got his draft notice in the mail. He showed it to his supervisor and his surervisor said "Give me that and I'll see that you get an exemption as I need you here." Dad said "No way, I'm going to join the Army and serve."
to be continued.......
EDIT:I can't get that link to work, sorry
