SwiftVets.com

[GenrXr]

Hello everyone,

I would love to tell you about my grandfather. He was 12 when his father passed away and with three siblings supported the family by doing menial labor till he was 14 when he became a lumberjack(in the days of my grandfather being a lumberjack wasn't consider menial labor), he managed to take care of the family till he was 16 and enlisted in the war. Although he had no schooling he became a sgt within a year and led a platoon of men 16-22 through the liberation of the phillipines. I never knew what happened and very little has been reported about the fight that ensued because of its bloody nature. My grandfather told my grandmother that nothing could be discussed till he died but even after his passing we know very little. Basically he said leading his platoon they landed on the beach with no resistance, and he said the japanese decided prior to the invasion to take to the hills and gain high ground. My grandfather pushed the men up the high ground knowing that there were people behind him, and not wanting to pigeon hole the troops. Of my grandfathers platoon only 2 people survied and only because both of them were knocked out by shrapnel. My grandfather was unconscience for 30 days from a coma. He was paralyzed till the day he died on the left side of his body and still never wanted a purple heart. He never wanted a medal for living when his platoon died. BTW in honor of my grandfather i must say he would never approve of me writing this. It just ticks me off that Kerry is acting like hes a war hero when in fact hes nothing more then a opportunist. My grandfather was a war hero and he never asked for anything back. My grandfather never wanted us talking about his service!
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"An activist is the person who cleans up the water, not the one claiming its dirty."
"All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to stand by and do nothing." Edmund Burke (1729-1797), Founder of Conservative Philosophy

[MarineBrat]

Hi GenrXr:

Welcome to the forum! Semper Fi, to you and your grandfather!

So many men of the "greatest generation" have had their stories die with them. I believe it's their way of saying that they, as individuals, had seen such bravery and sacrifice in their brethren, that they couldn't speak about the war lest they themselves be called heroes. I'm sure that your grandfather felt that he had seen what he considered (in his eyes) to be some REAL heroes in the men of his platoon who never came back. I guess this hero stuff is relative, eh? A true hero never boasts.

Nice to have a hero's grandson around! Welcome!

Semper Fi.

MarineBrat
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God Bless Our Veterans Of The USA! Thank you for your service!
If you can read, thank a teacher. If you can read in English, thank a Veteran!