My Dad

[dustymars]

My late father landed on Omaha Beach in July 1944, fought into Belgium and in the Battle of the Hertgen Forest and Battle of the Bulge, then south to Colmar and into Germany by May 1945.  Here he is on far right of this photo (28th ID, 109 R, I-Company):

 
 
 
 

[gregm]

Very cool!

He never made it to Life magazine but I have a few local paper articles about my Dad during WW 2.

He was Air Corps/USAF from 1941-65 and when we came back from his last assignment at Torrejon AB in Madrid in 1965, they did a whole article about us!

[dustymars]

WWII air combat was more dangerous than ground combat.  Someone questioned me once about that and I pointed out the the USAAF lost over 28,000 men and the UK 56,000.  Even the US losses in air combat was more than all the men in all other branches of the military in all war theaters. 

I worked with men during my USAF 8 years that flew in WWII.  One was shot down over Switzerland and spent two years in lockup with German airmen.  Was different he said.  Many of the airmen I worked with were in WWII.  Brown shoe airmen we called them
 
 

[dustymars]

Dad attended basic military training at Fort Blanding, Florida.  During that time Mom, pregnant with my brother, traveled via train and bus to Florida to see Dad.  WWII caught up with us, taking my father away to war in Europe when he was transferred to England to await going to war and was assigned to the under Lt. Gen. Bradley, 1st Army, 109th Regiment, 28th Infantry Division, commanded by Major Gen. Cota. Dad's Infantry division was moved into General Patton's 3rd. Army after the "Battle of the Bulge" while near Belgium (20 December 1944). 

Dad was camped somewhere in Belgium near the Huertgen Forest that ran into Germany. One evening while the Germans were shelling their position an 88-mm shell hit the hill nearby the burned out building his company was in and bounced into the doorway and landed in the middle of the room many of the soldiers were laying or sitting. He told me that he and everyone else starred at this nearly red hot, sizzling shell for a few minutes when the floor caught fire.  The shell eventually burned through the floor and fell on top of an Army ammo cart, full of munitions. Dad and another soldier, from Kenosha, Wisconsin, and a Lieutenant (company adjacent) went down and pushed the cart out the doorway.

There was another ammo cart in the building, but the fire had spread near to it and the Lieutenant ordered Dad to go retrieve his rifle and gear and get the hell out of that building.  Dad went down another floor and gathered his gear when all of a sudden the ammo cart went off and buried dad under the debris. He came to about a day or two later, as his company soldiers were digging him out, with his M-1 Gerund sticking up, holding a large wooden beam. He told me that his guarden angle must have put that rifle there to keep the beam from crushing him - because the last he remembered, the M-1 was laying on the floor next to him. Anyway, the result of the action he, his soldier buddy and the Lieutenant, all were recommended for the Bronze Star with Valor. 
 
 

[John]

Dad attended basic military training at Fort Blanding, Florida.  During that time Mom, pregnant with my brother, traveled via train and bus to Florida to see Dad.  WWII caught up with us, taking my father away to war in Europe when he was transferred to England to await going to war and was assigned to the under Lt. Gen. Bradley, 1st Army, 109th Regiment, 28th Infantry Division, commanded by Major Gen. Cota. Dad's Infantry division was moved into General Patton's 3rd. Army after the "Battle of the Bulge" while near Belgium (20 December 1944). 

Dad was camped somewhere in Belgium near the Huertgen Forest that ran into Germany. One evening while the Germans were shelling their position an 88-mm shell hit the hill nearby the burned out building his company was in and bounced into the doorway and landed in the middle of the room many of the soldiers were laying or sitting. He told me that he and everyone else starred at this nearly red hot, sizzling shell for a few minutes when the floor caught fire.  The shell eventually burned through the floor and fell on top of an Army ammo cart, full of munitions. Dad and another soldier, from Kenosha, Wisconsin, and a Lieutenant (company adjacent) went down and pushed the cart out the doorway.

There was another ammo cart in the building, but the fire had spread near to it and the Lieutenant ordered Dad to go retrieve his rifle and gear and get the hell out of that building.  Dad went down another floor and gathered his gear when all of a sudden the ammo cart went off and buried dad under the debris. He came to about a day or two later, as his company soldiers were digging him out, with his M-1 Gerund sticking up, holding a large wooden beam. He told me that his guarden angle must have put that rifle there to keep the beam from crushing him - because the last he remembered, the M-1 was laying on the floor next to him. Anyway, the result of the action he, his soldier buddy and the Lieutenant, all were recommended for the Bronze Star with Valor. 
 

Very nice remembrance.  You're obviously very proud of your Dad for good reason.
 

[gregm]

Very nice to hear!