Article

2004-05-31 Europe

Dutch Honor U.S. Soldiers Killed in WWII

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Posted by Steve White 2004-05-31 12:53:29 AM|| || Front Page|| [3 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 I told my little story about my Dutch journey a few days ago but may I say again. I was thanked by a dutch mother, who was a child at the time, for American kick ass. You guys are going fast and I'm in awe. Thanks again and again and again and again. Did I say thanks, thank you.

Oh what the hell. A repeat story. Memorial Day moment.

My dad was on a troop ship bound for the Philippines, Dec 7th, must have been a pretty night on the open seas. But Japan did their thing and his ship was diverted to Aussieland. Lucky for me.

Had he shipped out a few days earlier, no Lucky!

Thanks dad, your gone and I'm Lucky. We're all Lucky!

And you guys that are doing the tough stuff, Thanks!

Posted by Lucky 2004-05-31 2:01:07 AM|| 2004-05-31 2:01:07 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 Yes.

My father was one of 10 siblings - 9 brothers and 1 sister.

Of the 10, 7 served in WWII, 6 brothers and the brother-in-law. (The 3 youngest were too young to enlist ... my father lied about his age to get in).

Several stayed in as career NCOs, and one of the other 3 served in Korea. The youngest served in VietNam, along with the son of the 2nd oldest.

All 7 came home, but not unscathed. One uncle was in the first wave of paratroopers at Normandy and came home held together with steel pins. My father's plane was shot down in the south Pacific near the end of the fighting there, and he came home in a body cast ... until he died, he regularly had recurrances of some tropical fever from time to time. It never occurred to him to claim disability.

My uncle Lefty (also my godfather) was wounded twice and won 3 Silver Star awards.

None of them talked much about their service - they did what needed doing at the time, that was all. I'm very very grateful to them all.

Posted by rkb 2004-05-31 7:15:26 AM|| 2004-05-31 7:15:26 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 Never posted on this site, but had to mention the Dutch. I was stationed in Mainz with the 509th Airborne Inf during the late 60's. They had us recreate the drop at Eindhoven. Just 20 or so of us.....we jumped from a C47, was that different from a 130 or 141.....Anyway, I have never, never, never, never, never ever been treated so nicely, or honored to be an American, than on that day, those older people were REALLY gratiful, in a restrained and honest way......too bad the people in this country, that hate this country so much, don't appreciate freedom....

Posted by Anonymous5066 2004-05-31 11:19:26 AM|| 2004-05-31 11:19:26 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 Well then get a name A5066 and come back often. Eindhoven, was that the coup de main with the gliders and the parachute drop on the far side of the bridge?

Posted by Lucky 2004-05-31 1:42:03 PM|| 2004-05-31 1:42:03 PM|| Front Page Top

#5 This past week many PBS stations ran a documentary titled "Thank you, Eddie Hart" about a Dutch family who "adopted" a North Carolina GI's grave in the Netherlands, and who have been tending it since 1946. This news story and the documentary complement each other.

Posted by Tresho 2004-06-01 1:15:26 AM|| 2004-06-01 1:15:26 AM|| Front Page Top

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