Met another ww2 vet last week

[kryptosdaddy]

Sometimes I get lucky- In my years as a plumber i have met alot of different people while fixing their homes and I got another treat last week.

I replaced a washing machine drain in a home here in Columbia. The guy that contacted me was a friend (who paid cash- my favorite) he lives with his grandfather who is 84. Granddad has some serious problems, he's deaf and wont begin a conversation but he will answer questions. He was just walking around while I was working, turns out he also walked onto Omaha beach at Normandy on June 6 '44. He was wounded twice. Franco told me that he used to talk more about it but old age took over the old boy's mind and now he doesn't speak much- Franco said that grand pa told him he came ashore on a small landing craft like at the beginning of Private Ryan. To me that means he ran out of a Higgin's boat into a firestorm. He was 16 years old then. His older brother helped him lie about his age to join the Army!

I always enjoy meeting these guys, have met quite a few outside the military. It's always good.

Years ago I met an old man named Fling. This was the early 80's. mr. Fling was crazy, he walked around in a daze and his wife, who he married at the end of WW 1 told me he was 19 years old when a piece of German equipment he was standing on exploded. He lived the rest of his life shell shocked from the experience. A couple of years later I had heard that he died.

I consider myself lucky to have met guys who served in those times.
Remember them always, but be sure to salute them on Friday.

 

[moon puppy]

I think the funniest Vet meetup I had was when I was running service calls all over SC and NC. Had one at an apartment complex in Asheville. Got there and the fella, MAYBE in his 60s answered the door. very fit looking guy, dressed very neatly and stylishly but casual.

He was rather, hmmm, how should I say, "festive", nice enough guy. He offered me a Fresca... The apartment was very very neat and stylishly decorated. He had his computer on the bar all laid out, I replaced the system board in no time and suggested we test it out. He said sure, let's take it back to my office.

I carry the system to his office which was down the hall and nearly dropped it when I looked in and saw all the Military honors and photos that were on the wall. He had framed numerous citations, I saw the 82nd Airborne patch and one of those shadow boxes with all his ribbons and badges mounted. Pictures of him in combat environment with heavy weapons, a SAW, and other squad members. He had Sargent stripes framed as well as Captain's bars...Guess he came up through the ranks.

Not only that, there were pictures of him and his TOTALLY HOT WIFE!

I didn't think to ask him about his experiences because I was so dumbfounded to have been so far off base with my initial perception of the guy.

Just goes to show ya...don't judge.

 

[kryptosdaddy]

This woman wan't a vet- she was one step better, She was a pin up model during WW2. (this is from my earlier post on Swanny's)

Her name was Jewel Flowers Evans, I met her when i was a service plumber in Myrtle Beach. Jewel was a widow then and i went to her house several times in the late 90's to fix various things.

Her basement was what gave it away- she really didnt have a basement, just a back room that was a little lower than the rest of the house, but it was so different it gets the name. The walls were litteraly covered with 8x10 and other various sizes of little paintings holding this gorgeous brunette as she danced across the walls- her outfit and hair changing in everyone-I remember seeing these and pointing at one then looked at her and she told me a quick story of her life as a pinup during WW2- apparently she was on a B-17 or a B-24, she wasn't sure. Also down in that basement was this...

It was the original and a little bigger than standard poster sized- It was painted by Rolf Armstrong, the artist that did most of her work and whose art captured that beutifull young girl that decorated those walls.
A great note about this ^ painting is it was a still life of Karloff during the filming of either Bride Of Frankenstein or Son of Frankenstein. The picture held several small BW photos- one was the artist painting the picture with Karloff sitting in full monster garb, smoking a ciggarette held between the two touching fingers in his right hand as shown in the painting! I was in love. lol

Here is a picture of jewel from her pin up days- this was posted on her obit. Notice the singnatures on each painting are the same- both by Armstrong.

Jewel died in 2006 I belive- the Frankenstein painting is in a museum out west.

I have seen alot of stuff over the years working in people's homes- and i have met a lot of interesting and cool people during, along with some NICE collections of various memrobilia, but this experience is at the top of my list.

 

[SA Dave]

About 2 weeks ago I went into Cape Town to meet up with an fellow modeler and Forum Mate Geoff (Jugjunky)

While we were talking models an guy his wife and the guys dad joined us at the coaches. We talked a bit and it soon came out that the old man was an RAF Pilot from 38 - 46.

During the blitz he was in a pub that was hit and he lost an eardrum and was unable to participate in the BoB. After his recovery he flew in India. Mostly MkII Huricanes. But he once flew "the hump" and also flew in PRO Mossies.

I have been invited to go to theyr house and see his uniforms and flight logs.

When I do I am sure to take a lot of pictures and post them here.

 

[kryptosdaddy]

You had better!

This was so crazy it will read like BS- when I lived at the beach it was Vet Heaven. I went to Pawley's island to work on a house and met this very interesting and articulate old man who had pictures of B-25's and some others all over one wall. Turned out he was the last known survivor of Doolittle's raid that lived in SC! I don't remember the name.

 

[reconron]

It's always interesting to hear the stories from WW II veterans.
Many of them can tell you stories about what really happened,things you will not find back in books or videos.
Every year on may 5th Liberation-day is celebrated here[NL],the still remaining veterans are invited and they always get a warm welcome.
If they are still able to, they will walk a parade,sometimes some are pushed around in wheelchairs.

I have the deepest respect for them!!!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=PzeuixDhsAw

[A big part of my country was liberated by the Canadians]

Greetings,Ron.

 

[Arturius]

Sometimes, this other Braves, that fight like volunteers, are almost forgot on history. Not care about how hard was their battle.
Thank God, the people of Netherlands remenber this braves.

A moving documentary! Thanks for sharing!

Cheers

 

[iambrb]

My Sales manager's Dad was one of the Rangers on D-Day - remember the little rope ladders used in THE LONGEST DAY? he was one of those guys that climbed the rope ladders.

Back about 1990, there was a little gunshop run in "96" SC, and the propietor was a friend of mine - I would run it for him soem days and this old man would come in and would somethies buy or look, always with a heavy german accent. Finally got the owner and this guy there at the same time, turns out he fought for the Germans on the East Front, Lieberstandarte (I know I spelled that worng) division. he had somehow made it to the US and worked int he cotton mill there. When I met him he was pretty much eat up with cnacer and died not too long after, but he once pointed to a picture of a ppsh-41 and said "only good up close" and when I showed him a pic of an MG-42, he just offered a very grim smile.

 

[reconron]

Great story!

We should not forget that the Germans were brainwashed by all the nazi-propaganda since the 1930's by
Doctor Goebbels.
They often fought till the last bullit for 'Führer und Vaterland'.

And yes...it's LEIBSTANDARTE. :laugh:
Pronounced as laib-standarte.

Lieb-standarte would mean something like lovely-standarte. :laugh:

This is from WIKI-PEDIA:
The Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler ("LSSAH") was Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard. Initially the size of a regiment, the LSSAH eventually grew into a divisional-sized unit. The term "Leibstandarte" was derived partly from "Leibgarde" or "Life Guard" – a somewhat archaic German expression for the personal bodyguard of a military leader, and "Standarte" – the Schutzstaffel (SS) / Sturmabteilung (SA) term for a regiment-sized unit.


:drinks

Greetings,Ron.

 

[Barney]

In 1971 I asked my cousin Jean if her husband Russ would like a model of his B-24. She let me have 2 pictures and I did my very best work... Russ was a vet of the USAAF and the Ploiesti raids. This tough dairy farmer cried like a baby.

Three of my cousins came ashore on D-Day... My cousin Robert was in a unit that relieved a Nazi work camp... He never talked about it.

These men were the Greatest Generation... I consider it a great blessing that I was able to meet and talk to these men and that I was able to follow (somewhat) in their shoes.

 

[kryptosdaddy]

Thanks for sharing these stories fellas- today i helped a friend by getting his W/H powered and checked out. Greg was a SEAL in Vietnam and later flew an Ea 6 off the Enterprise. A good day .

 

[jknaus]

My father flew Me 410's And even though a Luftwaffe pilot he was not a Nazi nor was he brainwashed as far as I could tell. Personally I do not believe you can label a person by the government of the time.

My mother was a Londoner and on the receiving end of his bombs. I have family on both sides. I've served 27 years and worked with the military another 5 years.

Having said this I believe that Remembrance day should be for all the brave men and women who have given their all in service to their countries and who have paid for us to have the rights and freedoms we do today.

And of all the vets I have met in my life I guess the most well known would be Johnnie Johnson who paraded with us at the commemoration ceremony for airfield B-4 at St Croix Sur Mer.
James

 

[moon puppy]

James I didn't know that about your Dad. Did you say he also was in the RCAF?

 

[jknaus]

No, just Luftwaffe.

 

[Adam]

My Grandfather, my father's father, was in the Marine Corps in the Pacific. He served on Saipan, Okinawa, and Iwo Jima. He was a specialist of some sorts. He never told me anything about the war except that when the P-51s showed up the Japanese planes didn't bother them any more. He also told me that he heard the Navajo code talkers on his radio one time and thought the Japs had captured one of their radios. Later I found out from my Dad and Uncle what he did. They were dropped off 5 miles out to sea before the invasions. My grandfather swam five miles to a Japanese held island with a radio strapped to his back and a knife. Their job was to scout enemy positions and radio them back to the ships. They also were to provide coordinates for the pre-invasion bombardments. The reason they only had knives was that they feared gunshots would give away their positions. Anyway, out of 80 men in my Grandfather's original unit that left Hawaii, only 3 men survived the war. I think about that nearly every day. One thing different and I wouldn't be here.

My other Grandfather didn't go to war as he was just about drafting age as WW2 ended, but his brother was a nose gunner in a B-24. He survived the war only to die of cancer in 1949. Every single male brother in my grandmother's family also served in the military. Either in WW2 or later.

On Veterans Day I think about them even more. I can't be anything but thankful for their service and for anyone's service past and present. So, thank you veterans. You are truly appreciated.