Veterans

[Mylander]

Y'all check this out: I'm a Dentist in New Bern (coastal) North Carolina, near Cherry Point MCAS. As such, I have a number of very interesting patients - I just finished chatting with Mr. Paul Newlove, the Engineering officer on USS Archerfish. He was on the Indianapolis on 5 December '41 when they steamed out of Pearl Harbor. Archerfish was patrolling off of Tokyo Bay when the Japanese surrendered, so he was in the bay for the surrender ceremony. He saw Shinano sunk, damn. He is 90 years old - it has been very sad for me to watch his physical decline over the last few years. Today he told me he just lost a shipmate - one of the last couple of guys from the Archerfish still living. Another patient, "Pop" Beasley, just passed away over the holidays. "Pop" flew wildcats off of Henderson Field in the days of the "Cactus Airforce", and until a few years ago, would go hunting every year with his best friend Joe Foss, who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor flying F4Fs with "Pop" over "The Canal" in 1942. Another patient, Rev. Clifford Dartt, was awarded the Navy Cross on Peleliu.

Salute to these guys, and all of the others. Their generation is passing away, to our great loss.

Andrew Mylander

[flintlock]

Hello Mylander, and welcome to Subsim.

You're lucky to have an opportunity to meet and speak with such interesting people. Enjoyed reading your post, so thanks for sharing.

PS. Agreed, it's sad for all when veterans pass.

[geetrue]

Hello Mylander, and welcome to Subsim.

You're lucky to have an opportunity to meet and speak with such interesting people. Enjoyed reading your post, so thanks for sharing.

PS. Agreed, it's sad for all when veterans pass.

Same goes for me Mylander ... wish someone would interview them with a camera.

I hear that over 20,000 WWII veterans are dying every month now ...

Soon no one will be left to tell us what happened ... :cry:

Thank you for doing what you did veterans ... Hey! I'm a veteran too :p

[Sailor Steve]

Pretty cool, those guys' experiences.:sunny:

[Finback]

Salute!!! I only wish all people could know and remember what these men know too well. The ugly and real face of war.

My father is a WWII veteran and it is indescribable to relate his emotions when his grandson (my son) received 2 Purple Hearts in Iraq. As a father it is hard to meet your son returning from a tour and know that he has faced what I have only read about--and have no real point of reference to relate to his expeience. Only respect and exceptance of how he has changed keep us close as ever. HOOAHH 101st Airborne!!!

If only we didn't have to keep learning these lessons...

No emoticons can express the deep respect and honor I have for all Veterans.

[Barkhorn1x]

Their generation is passing away, to our great loss.

Andrew Mylander

That is the truth.

My wife's family here in FL had a group group of 4 guys - all WWII vets - my father-in-law (Signal Corps ETO), his brother (Field Artillery ETO), his brother-in-law (Navigator [B-24] USAAF in the Pacific), my wife's Uncle (sailor, USS Spencer, Atlantic and Pacific). All are gone now except the sailor and he is not in good health***.

These guys all grew up within a mile of each other in the Bronx, NYC - and never really left the neighborhood until they volunteered or were drafted. They all went in the service as little more than boys, saw the world, helped win a war, came back as men and really built the US during the 50's and 60's.

We will not see their like again.

Barkhorn.


***BTW, week after next we are going to have him and his wife over to watch "Flags of Our Fathers" on our large screen TV. He doesn't hear too well so I will have an excuse to turn the system up LOUD. ;)

[Lt commander lare]

im glad you had a chance to meet him and talk to him im reading about the archerfish now its called gallant lady a biography of the uss archerfish so far its really good i think all those guys were true heroes in my book and i wish them all well including all my submariner friends that are on eternal patrol in the pacific and even though i never was in submarines myself i have played submarine games and read and watched so many movies about them i feel very close to them even i though i never knew a single soul and i hope one day to meet all of them and tell them the gratitude i feel and will feel forever


lt commander lare

[Mylander]

Thanks for the welcome fellas. I'm a veteran too - XVIII Airborne Corps Artillery - First Gulf War. I was a Ranger and Fire Direction Officer in a 155mm howitzer platoon. But that was just a training exercise compared to what these guys went through in WWII. We are all deeply in their debt. I try to let these guys know how much they are (still) appreciated. The first time I met "Pop" Beasley, I asked him: "So you were in the Cactus Airforce?" He said that he hadn't heard anyone use those words in 60 years - made my day. I told him I just read a lot. Rev, Dartt loaned me his 3 books on the Peleiu invasion. He was with 2/5 Marines, 1st MarDiv. He had highlighted some passages that pertained to his battalion and regiment, and made some handwritten notes in the margin like "This is where I got hit" in the Umurbrogol pocket. Invited me to his home where we spent a couple of hours talking, and he finally showed me his Navy Cross. These guys are to a man, very modest, and not grandstanders at all. Their attitude is "We just did what we had to do". They are heroes. The best of what America stands for.

As for my Subsim resume, it goes back to Avalon Hill's "Submarine!" cardboard counter, hex and dice game. On PCs, back to Silent Service II. I have been lurking on this board for a long time, just not a big poster. Can't wait for SH IV, it looks beautiful, and I am definitely a PTO guy. Been a long time since SH I.

Last summer, I SCUBA dived on the U-352 - sunk 30 miles off of Cape Lookout, by USS Icarus, in about 100 feet of water - almost out my back door. I took some great video and stills. Let me dig them up, and I will post.

My computer? I've always been a PC guy, but am running SHIII on my new machine, a Power MAC! (Gasp!) running Win XP in a dual boot environment. It runs all of these Windows games at max resolution with silky smooth frame rates - 2 x 256MB graphic cards. I have been very pleased.

Did I mention I can't wait for SH IV?

Best regards,

Andrew Mylander

[Onkel Neal]

Welcome aboard, Andrew! Give Mr. Newlove our regards.

[Finback]

Thanks for the welcome fellas. I'm a veteran too - XVIII Airborne Corps Artillery - First Gulf War. I was a Ranger and Fire Direction Officer in a 155mm howitzer platoon. But that was just a training exercise compared to what these guys went through in WWII. We are all deeply in their debt. I try to let these guys know how much they are (still) appreciated. The first time I met "Pop" Beasley, I asked him: "So you were in the Cactus Airforce?" He said that he hadn't heard anyone use those words in 60 years - made my day. I told him I just read a lot. Rev, Dartt loaned me his 3 books on the Peleiu invasion. He was with 2/5 Marines, 1st MarDiv. He had highlighted some passages that pertained to his battalion and regiment, and made some handwritten notes in the margin like "This is where I got hit" in the Umurbrogol pocket. Invited me to his home where we spent a couple of hours talking, and he finally showed me his Navy Cross. These guys are to a man, very modest, and not grandstanders at all. Their attitude is "We just did what we had to do". They are heroes. The best of what America stands for.

As for my Subsim resume, it goes back to Avalon Hill's "Submarine!" cardboard counter, hex and dice game. On PCs, back to Silent Service II. I have been lurking on this board for a long time, just not a big poster. Can't wait for SH IV, it looks beautiful, and I am definitely a PTO guy. Been a long time since SH I.

Best regards,

Andrew Mylander

Hey Andrew!!! Welcome to Subsim!!!

A Pastor I used to get preached by (;) ) was either with 1st Marines 3/5 or 2/5--can't remember which off the top of my head... Have you ever read With the Old Breed? It's a great book about the 1st Division Marines on Pelileu and Okinawa. Great book. My ex-Pastor's name is in the back among the survivors, Orley Uhls. He's retired and I haven't seen him for years. Hope he is still well.

And!!! :lol: I also started out on Avalon Hill's Submarine! It was a great game (as long as you used advanced rules ;) ).

Cheers!!!

[Barkhorn1x]

And!!! :lol: I also started out on Avalon Hill's Submarine! It was a great game (as long as you used advanced rules ;) ).

Cheers!!!
I still have my copy - and it's in excellent condition.

Remember the US Data Card, Mark XVIII Torp. Results Column?
DUD
DUD
DUD
DUD
DUD
HIT


;)

Barkhorn.

[Finback]

...let's see--11 to 64 for a hit (tumbling dice) Oh! 65?!! ALAARMMMM!!!!

:rotfl:

[Dowly]

Joe Foss´ airport incident:
http://www.snopes.com/military/medal.htm

[_Seth_]

Welcome, mate! My respect to the ol' vets! :yep:

[Mush Martin]

National Treasures

[Donner]

I'm a son of two members of the Greatest Generation. My mother passed away 2 years ago this past January and my father (USN WW2 vet) will be 82 in April. I have picked his brain for all the stories that he is willing pass on.

A good friend of the family died last month. He was a medic who went ashore on D+1 at Normandy and then went on serve in Patton's 3rd Army. He kept alot of his stories to himself since he saw the horrors of war up close.

It is sad to see these men passing so quickly. I have been fortunate to have corresponded with many vets, American, British, and German. I was also fortunate enough to correspond repeatedly with Erich Topp and many other u-boat RKTs (Hardegen, Oesten, Lassen, etc). Herr Topp was a true gentleman and I miss him.

I continue to be amazed at the kindness of all the vets. I received a letter some years ago from Hans-Günther Lange dated "24.12." I was stunned that this man would take time on Christmas Eve, a time for family, to write to me. I am still in awe over it.

The most amazing things I have experienced are the unexpected phone calls from Germany from u-boat seamen and diesel mechanics whom I had written. They appreciate the fact that someone cared enough to try to locate them and learn from them.

If you ever have the good fortune of speaking with a WW2 vet, by all means take advantage of it. Soon the opportunity will be gone forever.

[Mylander]

Wow, it's great talking to all of you kindred spirits. Fin, I haven't read "With the Old Breed" yet, but it's on my list.

Yeah, Submarine! by AH was a great game. I think I bought it in '79, if I remember.

Great memories. Someone tell me how to post a picture here - I have some stuff to share.

Best,
Andrew

[XXi]

Salute to all veterans ! It`s so sad to see how they pass away, one after another. The divisions became battalions, companies became teams :(

On the other hand, in almoust complete silence, last living WWI veterans are passing away. There are the very last of them - for now, only about 60 are still among us, and they all are well above 100, like the last living founder member of RAF, Mr Henry Allingham, 110. Or Harry Patch, the last British soldier who actuall fought in the trench.
Just two weeks ago died Mr Robert Meier - the oldest German, aged 109, who served in the Western Front as an infantryman since 1915. He met Henry Allingham in England, in October 2006.
In the last year, over eighty have passed away while at the dawn of the century there were thousands of them. Would anyone care ?

[The WosMan]

Joe Foss was a great man, a great American, and a true defender of the Second Amendment (my dad served with him on the NRA Board prior to his passing).

My grandfather is a WW2 vet at 83 is still going but in recent years has gotten quite frail. He was in the US Army in Manila, New Guinea, Australia, and a few other places. Every once in a while he tells a story about something my dad and I never heard before. He as a whole box of pictures, money, and other items he brought home. One day I will scan the images and post them here for you to see. He was also one of the few guys smart enough not to throw the guns he took as trophies overboard the ship on the way home like some of the guys did.

He was nearly killed three times, once by malaria, second by a crazy japanese prisoner, and third by a venomous snake that decided a nice place to rest was in his bed. I think the snake scared him the most. He ran a prisoner camp for 2 months where he has some interesting stories on how they had to deal with Japanese prisoners although the Americans were far nicer to Japanese then they were to our POWs. When he was in New Guinea for some time the big problem was it was dry and they had no alcohol on down time. One of the guys with him who was also a friend had been drafted at the age of 39 and had been a bootlegger during Prohibition. This guy knew how to make booze. They were able to convert steel wash bins into stills and they got sugar and they distilled their own alcohol.

My grandfather also didn't care much for General MacArthur's wife (apparently she had been in the Phillipines or overseas at some point with her husband) because she used to buy many luxury items over there and then fill the ships with her things she was sending home to the States. Apparently they were quite wealthy and she would buy large quantities of items and furniture and it would take up space in the cargo holds of the ships that could have been used by the troops or for other supplies.