WW II Stories that must be Shared

We remember them.

We have a long way to go to Thanksgiving this year. Plenty of time to gather our thoughts!

Here's a great idea for celebration the holiday all month long: Start at the top of the pumpkin and write, “We are grateful for…” or “We are thankful for…”

Every evening, add a few things you’re grateful for, writing in a spiral around the pumpkin. Add 1-3 things every night.

You can start with the super important things we’re grateful for like our family members, good health, a roof over our heads.

After you get through the important things, start adding the fun and silly things we’re grateful for like coffee, (actually, not so silly), chocolate, desserts, Alexa, and family movie nights.

By the end of Thanksgiving, the whole pumpkin will be filled up with everything we’re thankful for.

Place your Gratitude Pumpkin on your Thanksgiving table as a centerpiece.

12 years ago, I captured this image near Omaha Beach from the American Cemetery and Memorial in Normandy, France - looking out on those crosses -- forever changed how i think of Memorial Day.

Excerpts from a veteran's memoirs with quotes from our father

Playing with pastels this evening

A friend of my Dad's recounting one of their more harrowing landings... in a letter circa 1958.

Another story of unbelievable bravery. Remember these individuals for they protected our Nation. With our Democracy being in peril it is a crime not to honor them and learn from them. Freedom does not come easily and it is never guaranteed.

Gordon Prime was a despatch rider for the Royal Army Service Corps, the unit responsible for keeping the British Army supplied with provisions.

During WW2, Gordon was involved in and witnessed some of the most well-known battles in Northern Europe before Germany surrendered in May 1945.

Gordon Prime passed in January 2023. Thank you for your service, Gordon. Lest we forget. 🕊️🇬🇧

Source: BBC News

Tomb Guard at the “Tomb of the Unknown Soldier” in Arlington, Virginia - November 1942

Note M1 Garand with long M1905 Bayonet, and the odd cartridge pouch on the back of his belt.

If anyone knows which US Army unit was doing Tomb Guard Duty at this time please comment.

LIFE Magazine Archives - Myron Davis Photographer

War is hell.

On Nov. 13, 1942, the five Sullivan brothers were all killed when the USS Juneau, the light cruiser on which they all served, was sunk during the Battle of Guadalcanal. 685 other crew members also died that day.

The Sullivan brothers enlisted in the U.S. Navy on Jan. 3, 1942, with the stipulation that they serve together. The Navy's policy of separating siblings was not strictly enforced. All five were assigned to the light cruiser USS Juneau.

During the Battle of Guadalcanal, on the morning of Nov. 13, 1942, the Juneau was struck by a Japanese torpedo and forced to withdraw. Later that day, as it was leaving the Solomon Islands area, the Juneau was struck again by a torpedo from a Japanese submarine. The ship exploded and quickly sank.

Captain Hoover, commanding officer of the USS Helena and senior officer present in the U.S. task force, was skeptical that anyone had survived and believed it would be reckless to look for survivors, thereby exposing his wounded ships. He ordered his ships to continue towards Espiritu Santo. Helena signaled a nearby US B-17 bomber on patrol to notify Allied headquarters to search for survivors.

Approximately 100 of Juneau's crew survived the torpedo attack and were left in the water. The B-17 bomber crew, under radio silence, did not pass the message about searching for survivors to their headquarters until several hours later. The report of the location of possible survivors was mixed in with other paperwork and went unnoticed for several days. Meanwhile, the survivors, many of whom were seriously wounded, were exposed to hunger, thirst, and repeated shark attacks.

Ten survivors were found by a PBY Catalina search aircraft eight days after the sinking. They reported that Sullivan brothers, Frank, Joe, and Matt, died instantly. Al drowned the next day, and George survived for four or five days before suffering from delirium; as a result of hypernatremia, he went over the side of a raft. He was never seen again.