coming out of my shell

coming out of my shell

Sunday, September 6, 2020

There are no suckers or losers in the U.S. Military

 There are no suckers or losers in our military. All should be honored for their service.

This is my Uncle Joe. He served in World War II. He was stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii with what was then known as the Army Air Corps. On 7 Dec 1941, he was walking back to the barracks after attending mass when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. The heel of his shoe was hit by flying shrapnel, but Joe was not hurt. After Pearl Harbor, he was assigned to Canton Island, a South Pacific coral island, where he helped to operate one the first radar facilities. Later, he received a transfer to Europe. Joe was a tailgunner, flying bombing missions over Germany. The first week in December 1942, on his 13th mission, the B-17 was shot down over the Black Forest. The crew parachuted to safety. All survived but the pilot. Joe hid in an abandoned farmhouse for 4 or 5 days. He melted snow to drink, and in one of the houses he found one egg, flour and sugar. His feet froze, and he wrapped them in old rags. He decided to try to make it back to the American line. He was dressed up as an old lady, and the Germans spotted him crossing a river. He was captured and imprisoned at Stalag Luft 4 POW Camp Gross Tychow, Germany. He was liberated at the end of the war. Fuck you, Donald Trump.





















Uncle Joe with his mother and his youngest brother after he returned from the war.

27 comments:

  1. Ditto, I couldn't have said it better!!

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  2. Replies
    1. How can we have a president who doesn't respect the heroism of our troops?

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  3. What an interesting life your uncle had! What did he do after the war? He certainly was a heroic survivor! How frightening for him!

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    1. He married and had a family, but was was never the same person as he was before the war. It haunted him.

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  4. For my father and my uncle, who also slogged through the war, let me join you. Fuck you, Donald Trump.

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  5. Your Uncle Joe was a true hero. What an incredible military experience he had while serving our country. My father was a medic during World War II and was behind enemy lines during the Battle of the Bulge. He sustained a back injury rescuing fellow soldiers from an overturned tank. He was awarded a Purple Heart for his service. Yes, Fuck You, Donald Trump.

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    1. Wow, he treated soldiers at the Battle of the Bulge! Remarkable. Did he ever talk about it? Must have been horrific - but oh, what a fight to fight.

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    2. He didn't like to talk about it. He was a very quiet man. When my sibs and I were growing up in the suburbs of New Jersey, my dad was the neighborhood go-to guy for all the little booboos, scrapes and bruises.

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  6. Mr. T has perfected the art of opening mouth, inserting foot - to put it mildly.

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    1. There is something seriously wrong with him. He is not fit to be a leader.

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  7. Trump has no idea what people like your Uncle Joe went through. He survived but at what mental and emotional cost? My mother's brother flew a Spitfire during WW2. He went missing and was never heard of again. I don't think my mother ever stopped grieving for him.

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    1. The lives that are ruined by war are countless. I hear you! But that's a separate issue.

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  8. My uncle died in WWll. My other uncles all served, and thankfully survived, although one was very broken. My husband served during the Viet Nam era. He was not drafted, he joined. My brother served. They are all heroes, and good Americans.

    tRump is a coward, a liar and a disgrace. When I heard what that creature said, I cried.

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    1. He is all you say. Craven is a good word to combine all the negative traits he possesses.

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  9. I thought it was interesting that Trump denied saying these things, but everyone KNEW he said it, because he's made similar comments in the past and let's face it -- it sounds EXACTLY like something he'd say. His view of the world is purely transactional. He doesn't understand why anyone would do anything that doesn't bring them immediate (and monetary) gain.

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  10. Perfect. My brother was killed in Vietnam. He did not choose to go. When he was drafted he dutifully reported and did what was needed. We did not have the money or imagination to get a doctor to give him a diagnosis of bone spurs. Another brother stationed at the DMZ in Korea after he was drafted. Even though it is seldom reported this is still a war zone. My brother was wounded and he also received a purple heart. My father served in WWII. He volunteered.He also was wounded. Uncles and great-uncles served. Most were wounded and some died in the service of our country. They were all brave men and sometimes no more than boys. How many Trumps have served? I did not hear him call them suckers but I did see an interview (on Fox News) in which he called them losers. Pig!

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    1. I would love to hear more about all your relatives who served in the military. Giants walk among us.

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  11. Much as I admire Joe's exploits I don't think you should have risen to El Trumpo's sneers. I've just read a summary of the press conference he gave yesterday and it's clear he'd say anything if he thought it would gain him votes. Claim he was a woman, perhaps. These are no longer just lies; on such occasions he enters a specially created Cloud-Cuckoo Land where black is white, up is down, and his pants stay round his waist without the need of a belt ("See, you fake newsers! You said I was fat. But I'm slim. Much slimmer than that traitor Obama.")

    "So Mr President, what about the bone spurs that kept you out of Vietnam?"

    "Lies. All fake news. They were wounds I got fighting with our boys at the Somme in World War One. See, I got a dozen purple hearts." Forms his mouth into a bee-sting shape in order to make wholly imaginary women swoon. "I tell ya, I'm brave. Even gays love me."

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    1. Ha! I enjoyed the respite from reality you just presented me with. Here in the States, it is way beyond the point where you can ignore him. It is two months until the election. Civil War looms, and evil walks through neighborhoods, stealing Biden signs and damaging property. For better or worse, we are a nation of brawling hotheads. We take a stand. We fight back. We rise, together. That's my fantasy, anyway. Cheers my friend.

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  12. The Stories of Heroism in your Family are so poignant... The Man served for 39 Years and is 100% Military related Disabled, so we were equally Offended and appalled at this President's unforgivable insulting remarks. Fuck him indeed!

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    1. Please thank The Man from me for his service.

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So, whadayathink?