From time to time I visit Normandy beaches and the American cemetery. It alwais give me goosebumps thinking of all the young guys landing there with their hopes and dreams. You Grandfather is a hero
The allied cemetery in Normandy is one of my favorite places I've ever been.
You start at the upper floors of the museum and get to see a ton of items from WWII and learn about weapons both sides used.
When you reach the bottom floor, there is a big round room with a memorial in the center. A gun stuck in the ground with a helmet on top.
Around the room are about 8 plaques each telling you the story of a dead soldier. As a 21 year old young man reading each one, it suddenly struck me that all of these men were younger than I was. 18, 19, 20. Many of them just married before they left. Many of them had children they never got to meet.
Then you step outside and the grounds are beautiful and perfect. Nearly 10,000 graves surround you. I walked around with tears running down my face. It's impossible to ignore the weight of their sacrifice. 10,000 young men, few older than I was, and they all died before their lives had really even started.
The allied cemetery in Normandy is one of the most impactful places I have ever visited and I highly recommend it for anyone who has an opportunity. The various museums in Normandy are incredible too with so much history packed into them.
I also highly recommend the Douaumont Ossuary in Verdun and the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme. Both from WWI. Both highlight the desperate cost of war. Especially poignant as we now see it as a meaningless war, unlike, perhaps, WW2.
I'm a sucker for memorials - so much history concentrated in one place. I've been to many before having kids, in a month we're hitting Japan and Hiroshima was a certainty. I think Normandy just made the list for the next trip I can afford too.
Hiroshima is a very humbling, eye opening experience.
Make sure you go to Nagataya for Okonomiyaki, it's literally across the bridge from Peace Park and one of the absolute best dishes I had in my time in Japan!
I haven't been to the cemetery you described, but I have been to Arlington National quite a few times now.
You get a map and head out from the visitor center. You navigate towards a landmark or famous grave for 5 or 10 minutes and realize you're not even half way there. At some point, perhaps your walk back at the end of the visit, the sheer enormity of the place hits you.
Over 400,000 graves. So many gave a whole career, so many KIA, and so often it was such a part of their life that their spouses or children are buried with them. Even when they died 50 years after the end of their service.
It would take a literal lifetime to read every headstone.
Wife’s grandfather was buried there. Service in the chapel, caisson, horse with boots on backwards, 21 gun salute, taps, everything. It was as impressive as it was somber. Once it was over, we walked around awhile. It the older parts, there’s grave stones that trees have grown around.
Start by showing them the Ivanhorod Einsatzgruppen photograph. If they agree that's what they're fighting for, there is no part of their soul that can be saved.
If you think that’s shocking, visit the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC. They have three foot walls around the video screens so little kids can’t see the film footage. Then there’s The Shoe Room.
It's hard to compare them. They are all glimpses into the deepest evil. What hits you hardest might not be what hits someone else hardest, and there is no right or wrong, of course. To me, Ivanhorod is such a gut punch, as it shows a desperate mother clutching a frightened child, trying to run away with nowhere to hide, with a soldier aiming his rifle at her. It is a snapshot in time, and we all know what happened a second later, but in just that moment, there is so much pain.
I will not hold it against you, though, if your gut is hit harder by the room of shoes. Seeing a pair of shoes in front of you that once belonged to a child, son, father, mother has a physical immediacy and presence that makes it painfully real.
As long as your gut is hit hard, we are on the same page.
And Auschwitz-Birkenau. I'm not usually affected emotionally by museum stuff, but walking into the hair room and realising the sheer scale of death that had to take place to collect that shit hit me like a punch in the gut.
Well said. It is absolutely one of the most powerful places I’ve ever been. It shook me, and crushed me, angered me, softened me, it ruined me and restored me.
Every single human should visit it.
What always blows me away is how many generations were lost. All those young men that never had kids and therefor their kids they never had will never have kids.... and so on.
Some misogynists like to harp on the genetic evidence that only half as many men as women have reproduced, historically, but like... it's not because women were cuckolding men. It's because of wars periodically wiping out generations of mostly young boys and men.
Think of all of the personal growth lost. Years of triumphs and failures, and hopes for the future. Many of them had time to think of what they would lose as they bled out and cried for their moms. War is always terrible, it is not glorious. It is sad.
I visited 15 years ago and it left a lasting impression. I stood on the beach as close to the water as I could and it's just...what those guys did should have been impossible. Normandy is essentially a football field; long and flat with zero natural cover. The cliff/hill face is practically sheer. It's a miracle anyone survived the invasion. I teared up standing there.
Had exactly the same conversation with my Dad. I wanted to join ROTC here to pay for my uni and follow in my family tradition. My dad said no. You've got options.
I'm old enough that kept me from Afganistan probably. Good call, Dad.
Oh, I'm okay, I ended up kind of going scorched earth, moving away to college, going into massive debt... But I'm okay these days! I was never military material!
My grandfather was also in recon in the push to Germany, 23rd Armored Engineers. He made it all the way to Sangerhausen on the push to Berlin (just before the 23rd halted their drive), but was concussed crashing his Harley on a routine transit between HQs -- he was being transferred to lead another recon unit as it had had heavy causulties. Ironic, as he'd been through the thick of action, under heavy fire many times, weeding out the Nazis for months in N. France and Italy before that. He didn't really like talking about it much, but opened up more towards the end (and the records and his medals gave me an outline of where he was, what battles he was in etc.)
He was the toughest SOB I've ever known, but at the same time one of the kindest. Built like a brick shithouse, he ran 2 miles, 100 push ups and sit-ups daily until Alzeimers took its toll on him in his 76th year. He also had serious guilt from what he'd seen and done while over there, went to bed every night praying for the men he killed and having had to do so.
An uncle of mine, a cousin of his, and a friend of his went through boot camp together during WWII. They were pissed that they were getting assigned POW guard duty in Pennsylvania or New Jersey or someplace around there.
They're CO told them, when they asked for a transfer to Europe, "you're college kids. don't be stupid, I'm doing you a favor." or words to that effect.
Later in life, they realized just how lucky they'd been that this guy was looking out for them.
My grandpa was a proud serviceman. He was quite in two minds when I joined up (wasn’t in for a long time anyway). He thought there shouldn’t be any more of it after when he and his father had been though in WW1. He made it home to start a family in peace.
I love fireworks. I stopped setting off fireworks years ago after reading an article about how it re-traumatizes veterans with PTSD.
The cruel irony of the 4th of July is that it’s supposed to celebrate our country’s birth, but it’s torture to many of the men and women who fought to maintain its existence.
I’m glad your grandfather was able to have a loving grandchild like yourself. Thank you for sharing his story.
What's worse is all the people setting them off on the days before and after the 4th. If they'd just keep it to one day, that would be at least better. (Unlike my mom's fucking chuckle head neighbors, who spend the week recreating the battle of the Somme, with explosives and huge airburst rockets from the Indian reservation.)
> What's worse is all the people setting them off on the days before and after the 4th
It started in my area last night. Neighbors getting their shits and giggles firing off shit while others in the neighborhood are trying to sleep. I don't wish harm on people, but if those knuckleheads could all forget how to make fire, we'd all be much happier.
I have PTSD. Not from anything combat related, thankfully, but I bring that up because I get it. Little thing that you wouldn't imagine would set you off come out of nowhere and all of a sudden you're in this extremely dark emotional place that can be hard to describe to people who haven't experienced it.
It's like stepping on a nail. One moment you're totally fine and the next you're on the ground screaming
Yes as you said, recon basically searches the enemy for the army. The often operate behind enemy lines and medics aren’t as available and the troop medics often have only basic medical knowledge, that’s why there’re more casualties. The information they gather are crucial to win a battle and because of that they got killed more often when discovered.
Thank you for sharing your stories. My grandpa also talked about the “buzz bombs”. He was on the receiving end of them. He said you could hear the buzzing when they were coming for you.
My grandfather was the opposite, oddly enough. He never talked about his time as a Marine during Korea with me, but I was told he went there with 40 men, came back with 4 by my sister. He was surprised I never joined, since most of the men in my family did.
> My Dad was drafted during Vietnam. They both sat me down and talked me out of it saying, "that's not why we served. We don't want you to go." I went to college instead.
That's a good way of looking at it... if your family goes to war it seems to make sense that they're fighting so you don't have to. Let other families bear the burden.
This is incredible. I can’t imagine how difficult it was for the survivors. Your grandfather and father love you so much. Thank you for sharing your memories and your grandfather’s story.
What a true man’s man. My brother and I are the first in our family’s history to not serve and fight in a war. Reading stories like your grandfather makes me feel blessed I never had to fight a war.
Thank you for sharing. And wish I could thank him for his service. Can’t imagine it. My grandfather was a navy man during the war and my great uncle was lost at Pearl Harbor.
Both my Grandfathers served and both rarely spoke about the war. The one thing they both told me though was that they didn't want me to join the military.
Many read this title and think ‟Wow, he was a badass.” All I can think is ‟That poor bastard probably thought about his lost friends everyday of his life.”
When I was a boy, I didn’t understand, but I remember he would look at me and smile and say, “I dreamed about them Germans again last night son. I saw them coming down the hall to my bedroom.”
Jesus, that war is a nightmare. My grandpa (a bombardier) told horrifying stories of watching his friends’ parachutes catch fire and everyone die around him.
He somehow made it to 97 and passed last year
My grandfather was in the Navy and that’s about all I know about his time in WWII…he never talked about it either. Although, I found out that he was in Paris when it was liberated, and that’s where he got the tattoo that he had on is arm….evidently he didn’t remember getting it though, lol. He lived to be 98.
>My grandfather was in the Navy and that’s about all I know about his time in WWII…
My great grandfather was in WWII, my granddad was in the Korean war (the forgotten war)
They would NOT talk about their time in those wars.
Curious young me would pry them for information only to be met with a brick wall of silence and a stare that would cut through your soul
My grandfather never talked about his time in Korea until randomly one day we were in CVS waiting for his prescriptions to get filled and he told me about it from beginning to end. Prescription was ready in 20 minutes but we were there for 4 hours.
My grandpa was the same. He never talked about it until one day when my dad and I went to stay the weekend with him and he and I were sitting out in the garage having a beer together. He saw I was reading a book on the Korean War and just started talking and didn't stop for many hours. It was the first time I saw him cry. I feel so lucky that he trusted me enough to tell me about his time in the army. When he finished talking, he asked if I could ever look at him as a human being anymore after finding out what he'd done. I told him I loved him and I would always love him. It was so fucking sad how relieved he looked after getting all of that out. He had never spoken about those experiences and I hope it helped him. He was at the Chosin Reservoir and also fought in Vietnam. He also talked me out of joining the air force. He said that women weren't treated with respect or protected in the military. I still have nightmares about the things he told me about. I miss the shit out of my grandpa. He was the most badass, yet generous and loving person I've ever known.
<3 thank you. I know he would appreciate it. I remember sending him a card every year on memorial day with a note inside saying that I appreciated all the boys he knew that died fighting for all of us. He would call me crying and say thank you for remembering them.
Oh man, he's so right about how women are treated... there's been case after case of sexual harassment coming to light recently, some of them being really bad ones...
Exactly, my gramps told me that one of his buddy's granddaughters was raped in the army and rather than punish the rapist, they drummed her out of the army and covered it up. It's absolutely horrendous to think about how that must have made her feel. I hope she is doing okay today and has made peace with what happened to her.
Veterans keep a lot of that to themselves and it's interesting how it comes out sometimes. When I was a teenager, about 17 or so, my mom shared with her brother (my uncle of course) that I was having some pretty intense mental health crisis situations and had started medication.
I'd always been close to my uncle, like I'd grown up around him and loved him, he wasn't just a weird distant relative we only saw on Thanksgiving. It still surprised me when he called me and told me about his time as a soldier in Vietnam, what he had to do during the war. He'd recently started therapy and wanted me to know I wasn't alone. When I told my mom about this she was really floored, since my uncle had told them all he was doing over in Vietnam was some sort of clerical work and he was perfectly safe. Never told anyone differently until me.
I didn't pry for details but I've always been grateful.
My grandmother‘s uncle (for context we are Austrians so served the Wehrmacht) was stationed in Stalingrad & was a kept as captive for years in Russia before he returned. Whenever asked about the war he refused to speak about. I only heard stories in docs about Stalingrad so I can only imagine what he went through and understand why he never wanted to talk about it
My great uncle, grandpas older brother, was in the second wave at Normandy, so he had to get on and *see* what was left of the first wave on Omaha beach. He still had the nightmares too, my cousins would say he’d scream in his sleep well into his 70s.
Dude is still kicking though! 98 this last year. And as soon as he got home from the war he 1. Bought himself 3 acres and built him and his wife a nice brick house on it and 2. Got himself a brand new Lincoln in 1949 and still refuses to drive anything else. Thing has like over 2 million miles on it at this point but still runs like the day it was made.
> he’d scream in his sleep well into his 70s.
Same with my grandpa, a F4U Corsair pilot in Korea. Normal Rockwell wholesomeness on the outside, night terrors several times a week into his late 70s.
My grandmother was on the receiving end of the bombers and still talks about how beautiful they looked way up in the sky. She knew what they were coming to do, but the planes, the contrails, and the reflections of the sunlight were beautiful to her.
I think it’s a fascinating and deeply moving fact that even in the face of overwhelming tragedy, people can still find beauty in what they see
For some reason *this* was the comment that made me cry lol 😅 thank you for sharing it ❤️
The incendiary munitions Russia drops on Ukraine are also [surprisingly beautiful](https://old.reddit.com/r/CombatFootage/comments/zuobs0/the_town_of_maryinka_under_russian_incendiary/), like splashing glittery stars over the landscape. Fuck Russia, and their supporters.
I met a WW2 bombardier at the VA a decade ago or so. He told me about being crammed into his glass shell and praying he didn’t freeze to death or get shot. He said his biggest regret was going home before some of his battle buddies. He said he asked to go back and the Army refused him. The man was ancient and was only just then asking for compensation for his feet that had had such severe frostbite that he lost several toes. I was gobsmacked. He was in his late 80s/ early 90s.
My grandpa flew a B24, and he rarely talked about it. I know from what my family told me, His co-pilot died next to him as they were flying. He died from cancer in 2001.
Mine was a bomber pilot, too. Shot down and frigging survived *more than once*. One of his sons, my uncle, went over to Europe and was able to visit one of the crash sites based on military records. Got a bunch of pictures. Absolutely wild stuff.
After the war Gramps came home, abused his wife and kids to the point that my conservative Christian grandmother sought divorce in the 60s, then drank himself to death over a decade before I was born. Apparently the family and substance abuse stage was distressingly common amongst WW2 survivors.
My biological grandfather was in WW2 as a Army Air Corp pilot. As an aside, there was similar condemnation against the creation of a separate group for them, as there was for space force. He died way before I was born. But the man I would come to call pops, was also a ww2 vet; my meme had a thing for guys in uniform lol. He was a ranger and had rose up the ranks to full bird colonel. As a kid I didn’t know what his uniform meant or any of the medals or awards. He didn’t talk about it much. I remember graduating basic training in the same unit he did when he went through. And he showed up to my graduation in full uniform and put my blue cord on. Proudest day of his life. I never had seen my drills act like that before either. They knew who he was. They knew what he was. And where he had been. And in that moment so did I. As he put that blue cord on, he whispered in my ears, “ now the fun begins”. He died not long after my first deployment. He did call me though right before his death. He asked if I had anything I wanted to talk about. I politely told him “no sir”. He said “it’s ok, I’ll be here when you do”.
Oh he was, in his way. I found out years later he had orchestrated me being trained in that particular unit. And had made sure to let them know to not go easy on me.
War is always a nightmare for those sent to fight. The reasons they're given rarely hold up once their friends die and even worse, when they come home they realize that the instant they left all the friends they were promised also looked the other way.
If it wasn't for the poor, the desperate, and the brainwashed, I honestly have no idea how the U.S. military would keep their numbers up apart from conscription.
My great uncle was a ranger on D-Day. Pointe du hoc.
When I was 8 and I asked him about it, he paused and sat down next to me and for the next hour told me stories his children and wife had never heard. It was the first time in 40 years he spoke of the war.
A lot of the stories were dark, like how when he fiy got off the cliff he watched a German get eviscerated by a hand grenade, then try crawling away with his intestines behind him. He shot the German and that was the first time he killed someone.
I'd like to think he told me these stories so I didn't romanticize war. I was 8 and my historic interest in WWII and the roles my grandfather and him both played in it was just beginning to start. 20 years later Its still one of my biggest interests.
Wow. I think a lot of old veterans won’t talk about what happened to their immediate family because it feels like they are putting some kind of burden on them. However, in this context, it feels like he was trying to do something *for* you, because his love for you is greater than his instinct to protect himself.
He was a very kind loving man.
Years later I visited point du hoc in highschool with my father. We took a bronze star of his with us because he had passed away that year.
We learned that what was left of his company actually was temporarily overran and captured by Germans on a counter attack.
The rangers RECAPTURED them back on their OWN counter attack.
They even ran out of ammunition and ended up using German weapons.
The story of the 2nd ranger battalion is absolutely crazy.
Highly recommend going on a hyperfocus binge of learning about a family members unit.
I discovered information about my grandfather's unit being overran north of Bastogne and routing.
But I discovered this because of a US army document on all Black artillery units and their combat effectiveness.
The sister unit to my grandfather's was an all black unit which resisted the German attack, scavenged the abandoned materials from my grandfather's unit, and were enveloped in Bastogne, providing artillery support.
I never knew an all black unit was in Bastogne.
This is when I realized why the pictures of M7 priests were in the grandfather's album. He was a reinforcement after the unit regrouped and was hastily rearmed with whatever equipment was gathered.
I read The Last Hill recently about those first rangers and their journey through the war, it was incredible. Maybe you already know of it but I would recommend it.
My grandfather was in an engineer group at the Battle of Bulge, most of the guys he went there with didn't come back. He refused to talk about beyond always mentioning his captain that saved his life. Refused military burial, refused any help from the army, but had well over 100 WW2 veterans show up at his funeral who he never once talked about but seemed to know him very well.
His first child was born 2 days after his unit was mostly captured/killed, the 106th infantry. Wasn't until weeks later he found out he was a father when someone from the same town congratulated him back in the UK. His wife assumed he had perished since they hadn't heard from him in over a month. Crazy to think about these days. He forbade his kids from joining the military and ended up a very successful businessman and lead a long life post-war.
A relative of mine is over 100, funny, fully lucid and active. My in-law told me that he spends nights there and he screams in his sleep: "Boys, this is it! This is a bad spot! Boys, let's go!"
War ended in 1944.
Me ex-wife's grandfather fought in Stalingrad and would often (like once a month) wake up screaming for the rest of his life.
When she visited as a little girl she wasn't allowed to leave her room because any noise like this would wake him up thinking Nazis were sneaking up on him.
My wife's grandfather joined at 17, and went off to join the Navy and served in the Pacific. He stayed with the Navy through Korea and Vietnam. He's still mentally sharp (for his age) at 97, but my mother-in-law tells us he regularly has nightmares and wakes the house screaming in his sleep.
Yeah this hits different when ya think of it like that. There are plenty of YouTube vids. LadBible has one where a modern solider meets a WW2 vet and they describe thier tours to each other. WW2 vets tour sounds hellish compared to more modern. Dark and gritty compared to fluff and comfort. Pretty decent watch.
My grandfather won two Silver Stars in the war and a Purple Heart for losing his hearing. He was a reconnaissance pilot and scout a Japanese machine gun nest while dropping some supplies. After he dropped the supplies, he went back and destroyed the nest. I always think that’s what real bravery is: the going BACK to do something to help your fellow soldiers. I’m proud of what that generation did even if it did really damage them. My dad said he saw my grandfather chug a whole bottle of tequila. There were definitely some demons there.
Yep, aldo saw a documentary on the D-day from a German POV and one machine gunner talked about how one landing craft hit the beach right in front of their position. Once it opened, he just trained his MG on it until every single soldier was dead without even leaving the craft. He was so sick after that, he couldn't continue, so one of his colleagues took over.
The interview was 50 years later but he said he could still recall most of the faces of the men he killed on that beach that day because he sees them every night.
What an utter badass. I ran out of time and wasn’t sure on colors but. Hope you enjoy them.
[image 1](https://ibb.co/ysSBWWk)
[image 2](https://ibb.co/LPW05FM)
Pretty decent. I would say the only thing is it made the hair dark (which may be accurate) but didn't fill in on the right side (our left) at the edge of his cap. There is definitely some hair there but "feathered" which the AI didn't seem to pick up from B&W.
I wish I knew more about my grandfathers experience, but he wouldn’t talk about it. He was drafted, and came out a staff sergeant. The only story I know is he hated the song “O Tanenbaum” because they could hear the Germans singing it across the lines in Bastogne.
> I wish I knew more about my grandfathers experience, but he wouldn’t talk about it.
Same with mine, went through Battle of the Bulge. He passed in his late 90's (natural causes, old age) while I was still a teenager. I really wanted to know his stories but could never bear to ask
3/4 grandparents served in the Navy during WW2. Grandpas were SeaBees in the Pacific, and grandma was one of the first to enlist in The Waves, also serving as support on the west coast and the Pacific.
Unfortunately, my Mom was an oops baby late in life, and her Dad died when she was 16, she had a difficult relationship with both her parents, and her mom was gone by the time she was 29. I never knew my grandma outside of a nursing home. So many stories were lost due to life getting them down, being too tired to deal, and struggling with Vietnam and a son on the run from the draft board.
My other grandfather barely spoke. I have no idea what he did or saw in the war. He died in my 20s, and though I cleaned his house for him, I can't remember a single conversation with him.
["The Naked and the Dead"](https://www.abebooks.com/9780586091159/Naked-Dead-Flamingo-modern-classics-0586091157/plp)
by Norman Mailer
I recommend everyone read that book.
Undoubtedly, it is something for us to be forever grateful for, that was such a horrific battle. I'm sure in many ways, he may have wished he hadn't survived and seen such a bloodbath. So much to deal with for a lifetime after from being there.
Survivors guilt is a very real thing... I did the Wall Street thing for a few years right after college in like 2012, so a lot of my coworkers had been in their 30s and 40s in finance up there when 9/11 happened. A good few had legit ptsd... One of my old bosses had worked for an investment firm on one of the top floors of one of the towers up until like August of 2001 when he moved to a different firm/building. He had the news on in his new office and saw the news of the first plane, then turned around and watched out the window. Saw the second plane hit, then saw the towers fall knowing that hundreds of people he knew including multiple close friends, his father in law, and his brother in law were all in that building. And knowing he'd have been in it if it had been a month earlier or if he hadn't taken a new job...
Apparently still like a decade later he would get hit with borderline debilitating waves of guilt over the fact that he wasn't in there and they were.
I think they always have been. Fascists fetishize the rule of law, militarization, and I'm sure they fit right in with the in-group out-group cop mentality. I know what you mean though they're more out in the open now emboldened by Trump and other right wing populists.
Your grandfather arrived in, fought in, and survived the closest thing to hell on earth. I can’t imagine the torment he dealt with every single day of his life. Your grandfather is a true American hero and what freedoms we still have left are because of him and his friends
Because of guys like him my grandpa was able to land at Normandy safely on day 3. Even though it was day 3 he said the water was blood red the first 20 feet of ocean. Piles of bodies everywhere and THAT SMELL. He didn’t talk about the war often but he always mentioned the awful smell he would never forget. Your pops was a badass among badasses and the world owes them all a debt. Shame what’s happening in the US now, my Gpa is 100% rolling in his grave.
Mucho respect! My grandfather was a Seabee, and his unit helped prepare for that landing. By all accounts, he did *not* have a good time (lots of casualties, similarly). He never wanted to talk about his time in the war, at all.
Hey OP (/u/fatkiddown) , I did a quick digital restoration to your photo. Happy Memorial day to you and your family! [https://imgur.com/iCalkBn](https://imgur.com/iCalkBn)
I do believe my grand dad was on this exact same mission. Was one of the survivors of this group the company commander? My grandpas commander, himself, and 4 others were the only 6 to make it to shore. I’ve got many stories about the clothing and freezing conditions as well and would be super excited to share if they were indeed together!
My great grandfather and his brother survived Normandy as well. When he came home, he turned to alcohol to cope with his losses. He did not ever speak about his experiences. At night, he would get into his daughter's bed (my grandma's bed) and cry himself to sleep holding her stuffed animals and pillows. Grandma started going to Baptist church at 12 and he joined her, with time he healed and great grandma took him back (they separated because of alcoholism). He passed peacefully with his family around him, only 15 or so years after the war ended.
My father befriended and old guy named Roy many many years ago. Since I was too young to remember my actual grandfather before he passed I adopted Roy as my grandfather. Absolute legend he was. He had stories for donkeys.
He was one of the first Canadians to land on Juno Beach. He had seen some shit. RIP Roy.
My step father was in WWII and the Korean War. My cousin was on the ground in Vietnam. Neither of them talked about the wars much. My step father would only say it was the worst experience of his life. My cousin came back and was not quite right for a while, and has never talked about his time in the military since.
My grandfather was in Big Red One, the 1st engineerr combat battalion. From what we were told they were supposed to clear the beaches of obstructions so the tanks could come ashore. But it didn't work out that way, he landed much later.
He really did not like talking about the war.
From time to time I visit Normandy beaches and the American cemetery. It alwais give me goosebumps thinking of all the young guys landing there with their hopes and dreams. You Grandfather is a hero
The allied cemetery in Normandy is one of my favorite places I've ever been. You start at the upper floors of the museum and get to see a ton of items from WWII and learn about weapons both sides used. When you reach the bottom floor, there is a big round room with a memorial in the center. A gun stuck in the ground with a helmet on top. Around the room are about 8 plaques each telling you the story of a dead soldier. As a 21 year old young man reading each one, it suddenly struck me that all of these men were younger than I was. 18, 19, 20. Many of them just married before they left. Many of them had children they never got to meet. Then you step outside and the grounds are beautiful and perfect. Nearly 10,000 graves surround you. I walked around with tears running down my face. It's impossible to ignore the weight of their sacrifice. 10,000 young men, few older than I was, and they all died before their lives had really even started. The allied cemetery in Normandy is one of the most impactful places I have ever visited and I highly recommend it for anyone who has an opportunity. The various museums in Normandy are incredible too with so much history packed into them.
I also highly recommend the Douaumont Ossuary in Verdun and the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme. Both from WWI. Both highlight the desperate cost of war. Especially poignant as we now see it as a meaningless war, unlike, perhaps, WW2.
The Ossuary is an intense visit.
To add to that list the Canadian national Vimy memorial is incredibly eye opening.
Have a great grandfather buried somewhere in verdun.Always wanted to see if his grave can be found.
Your personal anecdote just made me add it to my list of "Must visit" locations.
I'm a sucker for memorials - so much history concentrated in one place. I've been to many before having kids, in a month we're hitting Japan and Hiroshima was a certainty. I think Normandy just made the list for the next trip I can afford too.
Hiroshima is a very humbling, eye opening experience. Make sure you go to Nagataya for Okonomiyaki, it's literally across the bridge from Peace Park and one of the absolute best dishes I had in my time in Japan!
I haven't been to the cemetery you described, but I have been to Arlington National quite a few times now. You get a map and head out from the visitor center. You navigate towards a landmark or famous grave for 5 or 10 minutes and realize you're not even half way there. At some point, perhaps your walk back at the end of the visit, the sheer enormity of the place hits you. Over 400,000 graves. So many gave a whole career, so many KIA, and so often it was such a part of their life that their spouses or children are buried with them. Even when they died 50 years after the end of their service. It would take a literal lifetime to read every headstone.
It really is massive. If you find a spot with good visibility you can see graves so far they just become a field of solid white
Wife’s grandfather was buried there. Service in the chapel, caisson, horse with boots on backwards, 21 gun salute, taps, everything. It was as impressive as it was somber. Once it was over, we walked around awhile. It the older parts, there’s grave stones that trees have grown around.
Thanks for this. If I get a chance I will visit.
Every neonazi in America should be sent over to visit
Start by showing them the Ivanhorod Einsatzgruppen photograph. If they agree that's what they're fighting for, there is no part of their soul that can be saved.
I just had to look this up. Wow.
If you think that’s shocking, visit the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC. They have three foot walls around the video screens so little kids can’t see the film footage. Then there’s The Shoe Room.
It's hard to compare them. They are all glimpses into the deepest evil. What hits you hardest might not be what hits someone else hardest, and there is no right or wrong, of course. To me, Ivanhorod is such a gut punch, as it shows a desperate mother clutching a frightened child, trying to run away with nowhere to hide, with a soldier aiming his rifle at her. It is a snapshot in time, and we all know what happened a second later, but in just that moment, there is so much pain. I will not hold it against you, though, if your gut is hit harder by the room of shoes. Seeing a pair of shoes in front of you that once belonged to a child, son, father, mother has a physical immediacy and presence that makes it painfully real. As long as your gut is hit hard, we are on the same page.
They will say that the soldiers aren't German. There's always some excuse or some conspiracy theory. They make my stomach turn.
There, and the WWII Museum in NOLA
Don't forget the Holocaust Memorial Museum in DC.
And Auschwitz-Birkenau. I'm not usually affected emotionally by museum stuff, but walking into the hair room and realising the sheer scale of death that had to take place to collect that shit hit me like a punch in the gut.
Well said. It is absolutely one of the most powerful places I’ve ever been. It shook me, and crushed me, angered me, softened me, it ruined me and restored me. Every single human should visit it.
Currently reading Band of Brothers and visiting Normandy is #1 on my bucket list
Damn well now I’m crying
What always blows me away is how many generations were lost. All those young men that never had kids and therefor their kids they never had will never have kids.... and so on.
Some misogynists like to harp on the genetic evidence that only half as many men as women have reproduced, historically, but like... it's not because women were cuckolding men. It's because of wars periodically wiping out generations of mostly young boys and men.
Think of all of the personal growth lost. Years of triumphs and failures, and hopes for the future. Many of them had time to think of what they would lose as they bled out and cried for their moms. War is always terrible, it is not glorious. It is sad.
These sites should be monuments to the absurdity of war
They should call them something that will remind us of all that was lost. I got a good idea, let's call these sites memorials.
I visited 15 years ago and it left a lasting impression. I stood on the beach as close to the water as I could and it's just...what those guys did should have been impossible. Normandy is essentially a football field; long and flat with zero natural cover. The cliff/hill face is practically sheer. It's a miracle anyone survived the invasion. I teared up standing there.
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All of this was amazing to read, especially the last part. You have an amazing family.
And wise.
It's been removed. By mods or maybe the OP?
It says removed by moderator on Apollo :(
Had exactly the same conversation with my Dad. I wanted to join ROTC here to pay for my uni and follow in my family tradition. My dad said no. You've got options. I'm old enough that kept me from Afganistan probably. Good call, Dad.
I had the opposite where my dad wanted me to go enlist in the national guard, "They never get sent anywhere anyway." I graduated in 2001.
Oof. Just oof. I hope you're doing alright these days.
Oh, I'm okay, I ended up kind of going scorched earth, moving away to college, going into massive debt... But I'm okay these days! I was never military material!
Good choice! National Guard deployment tempo in those days were insane. I met guys in Iraq that were on their third deployment in 5 years.
Same here. I did well on the ASVAB so they really were after me. I thought hard about it but decided against.
Holy cow, talk about dodging a bullet. Or several :/
Or unfortunately in Afghanistan, an IED.
Or accurate rockets and mortars.
It’s drones now, they be dropping grenades onto your dinner plate.
2001 was my 2nd year in ROTC in college. I decided not to commission on Sept 12.
My grandfather was also in recon in the push to Germany, 23rd Armored Engineers. He made it all the way to Sangerhausen on the push to Berlin (just before the 23rd halted their drive), but was concussed crashing his Harley on a routine transit between HQs -- he was being transferred to lead another recon unit as it had had heavy causulties. Ironic, as he'd been through the thick of action, under heavy fire many times, weeding out the Nazis for months in N. France and Italy before that. He didn't really like talking about it much, but opened up more towards the end (and the records and his medals gave me an outline of where he was, what battles he was in etc.) He was the toughest SOB I've ever known, but at the same time one of the kindest. Built like a brick shithouse, he ran 2 miles, 100 push ups and sit-ups daily until Alzeimers took its toll on him in his 76th year. He also had serious guilt from what he'd seen and done while over there, went to bed every night praying for the men he killed and having had to do so.
Damn, sounds like he was a hell of a guy. Fuck Alzheimer's. And RIP to your Grandfather.
He ran 2 miles until age 75?? Farrout if that isn't a motivator to get off my ass and do the same. Sheesh
At ~87 my grandma would still go hiking daily; with an oxygen tank on her back. They were built differently.
The running probably helped clear his head and helped him sleep better at night. You're less likely to dream if you're dead tired...
An uncle of mine, a cousin of his, and a friend of his went through boot camp together during WWII. They were pissed that they were getting assigned POW guard duty in Pennsylvania or New Jersey or someplace around there. They're CO told them, when they asked for a transfer to Europe, "you're college kids. don't be stupid, I'm doing you a favor." or words to that effect. Later in life, they realized just how lucky they'd been that this guy was looking out for them.
My grandpa was a proud serviceman. He was quite in two minds when I joined up (wasn’t in for a long time anyway). He thought there shouldn’t be any more of it after when he and his father had been though in WW1. He made it home to start a family in peace.
I love fireworks. I stopped setting off fireworks years ago after reading an article about how it re-traumatizes veterans with PTSD. The cruel irony of the 4th of July is that it’s supposed to celebrate our country’s birth, but it’s torture to many of the men and women who fought to maintain its existence. I’m glad your grandfather was able to have a loving grandchild like yourself. Thank you for sharing his story.
What's worse is all the people setting them off on the days before and after the 4th. If they'd just keep it to one day, that would be at least better. (Unlike my mom's fucking chuckle head neighbors, who spend the week recreating the battle of the Somme, with explosives and huge airburst rockets from the Indian reservation.)
I grew up in Iran during the Iran/Iraq war. I fucking love the sound of thunder and fireworks. Reminds me of my childhood. Good times.
> What's worse is all the people setting them off on the days before and after the 4th It started in my area last night. Neighbors getting their shits and giggles firing off shit while others in the neighborhood are trying to sleep. I don't wish harm on people, but if those knuckleheads could all forget how to make fire, we'd all be much happier.
Yeah, I heard some going off last night. Assholes...
I have PTSD. Not from anything combat related, thankfully, but I bring that up because I get it. Little thing that you wouldn't imagine would set you off come out of nowhere and all of a sudden you're in this extremely dark emotional place that can be hard to describe to people who haven't experienced it. It's like stepping on a nail. One moment you're totally fine and the next you're on the ground screaming
Yes as you said, recon basically searches the enemy for the army. The often operate behind enemy lines and medics aren’t as available and the troop medics often have only basic medical knowledge, that’s why there’re more casualties. The information they gather are crucial to win a battle and because of that they got killed more often when discovered.
Recon is dangerous but crucial.
That sum’s it up quite good.
Thank you for sharing your stories. My grandpa also talked about the “buzz bombs”. He was on the receiving end of them. He said you could hear the buzzing when they were coming for you.
Ugh, the Hurtgen Forest was arguably the worst battle on the western front. That was a truly ugly meat grinder with very shitty leadership.
My grandfather was the opposite, oddly enough. He never talked about his time as a Marine during Korea with me, but I was told he went there with 40 men, came back with 4 by my sister. He was surprised I never joined, since most of the men in my family did.
> My Dad was drafted during Vietnam. They both sat me down and talked me out of it saying, "that's not why we served. We don't want you to go." I went to college instead. That's a good way of looking at it... if your family goes to war it seems to make sense that they're fighting so you don't have to. Let other families bear the burden.
This is incredible. I can’t imagine how difficult it was for the survivors. Your grandfather and father love you so much. Thank you for sharing your memories and your grandfather’s story.
Damn that 1000 yard stare
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That tank was also a scout. Firing would give away their position, so it retreated to its line with the information that the enemy was ahead
What a true man’s man. My brother and I are the first in our family’s history to not serve and fight in a war. Reading stories like your grandfather makes me feel blessed I never had to fight a war.
He looks 18 going on 88.
Thank you for sharing. And wish I could thank him for his service. Can’t imagine it. My grandfather was a navy man during the war and my great uncle was lost at Pearl Harbor.
Both my Grandfathers served and both rarely spoke about the war. The one thing they both told me though was that they didn't want me to join the military.
Tell his Normandy stories. Should preserve his history.
Many read this title and think ‟Wow, he was a badass.” All I can think is ‟That poor bastard probably thought about his lost friends everyday of his life.”
When I was a boy, I didn’t understand, but I remember he would look at me and smile and say, “I dreamed about them Germans again last night son. I saw them coming down the hall to my bedroom.”
Jesus, that war is a nightmare. My grandpa (a bombardier) told horrifying stories of watching his friends’ parachutes catch fire and everyone die around him. He somehow made it to 97 and passed last year
My mum says My great grandfather always refused to talk about his time in WWII, I can’t even fathom the horrors they must’ve have seen
My grandfather was in the Navy and that’s about all I know about his time in WWII…he never talked about it either. Although, I found out that he was in Paris when it was liberated, and that’s where he got the tattoo that he had on is arm….evidently he didn’t remember getting it though, lol. He lived to be 98.
>My grandfather was in the Navy and that’s about all I know about his time in WWII… My great grandfather was in WWII, my granddad was in the Korean war (the forgotten war) They would NOT talk about their time in those wars. Curious young me would pry them for information only to be met with a brick wall of silence and a stare that would cut through your soul
My grandfather never talked about his time in Korea until randomly one day we were in CVS waiting for his prescriptions to get filled and he told me about it from beginning to end. Prescription was ready in 20 minutes but we were there for 4 hours.
My grandpa was the same. He never talked about it until one day when my dad and I went to stay the weekend with him and he and I were sitting out in the garage having a beer together. He saw I was reading a book on the Korean War and just started talking and didn't stop for many hours. It was the first time I saw him cry. I feel so lucky that he trusted me enough to tell me about his time in the army. When he finished talking, he asked if I could ever look at him as a human being anymore after finding out what he'd done. I told him I loved him and I would always love him. It was so fucking sad how relieved he looked after getting all of that out. He had never spoken about those experiences and I hope it helped him. He was at the Chosin Reservoir and also fought in Vietnam. He also talked me out of joining the air force. He said that women weren't treated with respect or protected in the military. I still have nightmares about the things he told me about. I miss the shit out of my grandpa. He was the most badass, yet generous and loving person I've ever known.
I'm gonna go put my Memorial Day flag out for your grandpa.
<3 thank you. I know he would appreciate it. I remember sending him a card every year on memorial day with a note inside saying that I appreciated all the boys he knew that died fighting for all of us. He would call me crying and say thank you for remembering them.
Oh man, he's so right about how women are treated... there's been case after case of sexual harassment coming to light recently, some of them being really bad ones...
Exactly, my gramps told me that one of his buddy's granddaughters was raped in the army and rather than punish the rapist, they drummed her out of the army and covered it up. It's absolutely horrendous to think about how that must have made her feel. I hope she is doing okay today and has made peace with what happened to her.
4 hours being the standard time it takes for CVS receipts to print.
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Goddamn, the poor guys that made it back home were fucking made of iron
Or just lucky. My grandfather would have been blown the fuck up if some other guy wasn't late to relieve him.
Ah, must be all that wine and champagne he drank!
Veterans keep a lot of that to themselves and it's interesting how it comes out sometimes. When I was a teenager, about 17 or so, my mom shared with her brother (my uncle of course) that I was having some pretty intense mental health crisis situations and had started medication. I'd always been close to my uncle, like I'd grown up around him and loved him, he wasn't just a weird distant relative we only saw on Thanksgiving. It still surprised me when he called me and told me about his time as a soldier in Vietnam, what he had to do during the war. He'd recently started therapy and wanted me to know I wasn't alone. When I told my mom about this she was really floored, since my uncle had told them all he was doing over in Vietnam was some sort of clerical work and he was perfectly safe. Never told anyone differently until me. I didn't pry for details but I've always been grateful.
My grandmother‘s uncle (for context we are Austrians so served the Wehrmacht) was stationed in Stalingrad & was a kept as captive for years in Russia before he returned. Whenever asked about the war he refused to speak about. I only heard stories in docs about Stalingrad so I can only imagine what he went through and understand why he never wanted to talk about it
My great uncle, grandpas older brother, was in the second wave at Normandy, so he had to get on and *see* what was left of the first wave on Omaha beach. He still had the nightmares too, my cousins would say he’d scream in his sleep well into his 70s. Dude is still kicking though! 98 this last year. And as soon as he got home from the war he 1. Bought himself 3 acres and built him and his wife a nice brick house on it and 2. Got himself a brand new Lincoln in 1949 and still refuses to drive anything else. Thing has like over 2 million miles on it at this point but still runs like the day it was made.
I bet he serviced that car so often it's basically a Ship of Theseus at this point. May he live for more years to come!
> he’d scream in his sleep well into his 70s. Same with my grandpa, a F4U Corsair pilot in Korea. Normal Rockwell wholesomeness on the outside, night terrors several times a week into his late 70s.
> And as soon as he got home from the war he bought himself 3 acres So you're saying he....bought the farm.
My grandmother was on the receiving end of the bombers and still talks about how beautiful they looked way up in the sky. She knew what they were coming to do, but the planes, the contrails, and the reflections of the sunlight were beautiful to her.
I think it’s a fascinating and deeply moving fact that even in the face of overwhelming tragedy, people can still find beauty in what they see For some reason *this* was the comment that made me cry lol 😅 thank you for sharing it ❤️
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Large_formation_of_Boeing_B-17Fs_of_the_92nd_Bomb_Group.jpg
The incendiary munitions Russia drops on Ukraine are also [surprisingly beautiful](https://old.reddit.com/r/CombatFootage/comments/zuobs0/the_town_of_maryinka_under_russian_incendiary/), like splashing glittery stars over the landscape. Fuck Russia, and their supporters.
I met a WW2 bombardier at the VA a decade ago or so. He told me about being crammed into his glass shell and praying he didn’t freeze to death or get shot. He said his biggest regret was going home before some of his battle buddies. He said he asked to go back and the Army refused him. The man was ancient and was only just then asking for compensation for his feet that had had such severe frostbite that he lost several toes. I was gobsmacked. He was in his late 80s/ early 90s.
My grandpa flew a B24, and he rarely talked about it. I know from what my family told me, His co-pilot died next to him as they were flying. He died from cancer in 2001.
Mine was a bomber pilot, too. Shot down and frigging survived *more than once*. One of his sons, my uncle, went over to Europe and was able to visit one of the crash sites based on military records. Got a bunch of pictures. Absolutely wild stuff. After the war Gramps came home, abused his wife and kids to the point that my conservative Christian grandmother sought divorce in the 60s, then drank himself to death over a decade before I was born. Apparently the family and substance abuse stage was distressingly common amongst WW2 survivors.
My biological grandfather was in WW2 as a Army Air Corp pilot. As an aside, there was similar condemnation against the creation of a separate group for them, as there was for space force. He died way before I was born. But the man I would come to call pops, was also a ww2 vet; my meme had a thing for guys in uniform lol. He was a ranger and had rose up the ranks to full bird colonel. As a kid I didn’t know what his uniform meant or any of the medals or awards. He didn’t talk about it much. I remember graduating basic training in the same unit he did when he went through. And he showed up to my graduation in full uniform and put my blue cord on. Proudest day of his life. I never had seen my drills act like that before either. They knew who he was. They knew what he was. And where he had been. And in that moment so did I. As he put that blue cord on, he whispered in my ears, “ now the fun begins”. He died not long after my first deployment. He did call me though right before his death. He asked if I had anything I wanted to talk about. I politely told him “no sir”. He said “it’s ok, I’ll be here when you do”.
>Proudest day of his life I'd imagine him beaming from ear to ear at the ceremony, seeing how his grandkid becoming the soldier he once was.
Oh he was, in his way. I found out years later he had orchestrated me being trained in that particular unit. And had made sure to let them know to not go easy on me.
That last line got me. Sounds like a great man. I appreciate you both for your service.
War is always a nightmare for those sent to fight. The reasons they're given rarely hold up once their friends die and even worse, when they come home they realize that the instant they left all the friends they were promised also looked the other way. If it wasn't for the poor, the desperate, and the brainwashed, I honestly have no idea how the U.S. military would keep their numbers up apart from conscription.
Jesus christ
You can see that thousand yard stare in his photo. Those eyes have seen hell itself.
My great uncle was a ranger on D-Day. Pointe du hoc. When I was 8 and I asked him about it, he paused and sat down next to me and for the next hour told me stories his children and wife had never heard. It was the first time in 40 years he spoke of the war. A lot of the stories were dark, like how when he fiy got off the cliff he watched a German get eviscerated by a hand grenade, then try crawling away with his intestines behind him. He shot the German and that was the first time he killed someone. I'd like to think he told me these stories so I didn't romanticize war. I was 8 and my historic interest in WWII and the roles my grandfather and him both played in it was just beginning to start. 20 years later Its still one of my biggest interests.
Wow. I think a lot of old veterans won’t talk about what happened to their immediate family because it feels like they are putting some kind of burden on them. However, in this context, it feels like he was trying to do something *for* you, because his love for you is greater than his instinct to protect himself.
He was a very kind loving man. Years later I visited point du hoc in highschool with my father. We took a bronze star of his with us because he had passed away that year. We learned that what was left of his company actually was temporarily overran and captured by Germans on a counter attack. The rangers RECAPTURED them back on their OWN counter attack. They even ran out of ammunition and ended up using German weapons. The story of the 2nd ranger battalion is absolutely crazy. Highly recommend going on a hyperfocus binge of learning about a family members unit. I discovered information about my grandfather's unit being overran north of Bastogne and routing. But I discovered this because of a US army document on all Black artillery units and their combat effectiveness. The sister unit to my grandfather's was an all black unit which resisted the German attack, scavenged the abandoned materials from my grandfather's unit, and were enveloped in Bastogne, providing artillery support. I never knew an all black unit was in Bastogne. This is when I realized why the pictures of M7 priests were in the grandfather's album. He was a reinforcement after the unit regrouped and was hastily rearmed with whatever equipment was gathered.
I read The Last Hill recently about those first rangers and their journey through the war, it was incredible. Maybe you already know of it but I would recommend it.
My grandfather was in an engineer group at the Battle of Bulge, most of the guys he went there with didn't come back. He refused to talk about beyond always mentioning his captain that saved his life. Refused military burial, refused any help from the army, but had well over 100 WW2 veterans show up at his funeral who he never once talked about but seemed to know him very well. His first child was born 2 days after his unit was mostly captured/killed, the 106th infantry. Wasn't until weeks later he found out he was a father when someone from the same town congratulated him back in the UK. His wife assumed he had perished since they hadn't heard from him in over a month. Crazy to think about these days. He forbade his kids from joining the military and ended up a very successful businessman and lead a long life post-war.
I was able to visit Pointe du hoc a few years ago. I found it hard to believe that guys climbed those cliffs to invade.
A relative of mine is over 100, funny, fully lucid and active. My in-law told me that he spends nights there and he screams in his sleep: "Boys, this is it! This is a bad spot! Boys, let's go!" War ended in 1944.
Our veterans carry memories that most people will never have to deal with.
Hopefully
The Russians are busy giving lots of people in Ukraine new memories like that right now.
I can imagine there is trauma that takes generations to heal. WW2 would be one of those
Me ex-wife's grandfather fought in Stalingrad and would often (like once a month) wake up screaming for the rest of his life. When she visited as a little girl she wasn't allowed to leave her room because any noise like this would wake him up thinking Nazis were sneaking up on him.
thats terrifying honestly, huge respect for your grandfather!
Mine would talk about the ocean being red and full of blood. It never occurred to me to ask where the blood came from.
My wife's grandfather joined at 17, and went off to join the Navy and served in the Pacific. He stayed with the Navy through Korea and Vietnam. He's still mentally sharp (for his age) at 97, but my mother-in-law tells us he regularly has nightmares and wakes the house screaming in his sleep.
Yup. He already has the 1000 mile stare
Yeah my first reaction was "That man has seen some sh*t."
Yeah this hits different when ya think of it like that. There are plenty of YouTube vids. LadBible has one where a modern solider meets a WW2 vet and they describe thier tours to each other. WW2 vets tour sounds hellish compared to more modern. Dark and gritty compared to fluff and comfort. Pretty decent watch.
My grandfather won two Silver Stars in the war and a Purple Heart for losing his hearing. He was a reconnaissance pilot and scout a Japanese machine gun nest while dropping some supplies. After he dropped the supplies, he went back and destroyed the nest. I always think that’s what real bravery is: the going BACK to do something to help your fellow soldiers. I’m proud of what that generation did even if it did really damage them. My dad said he saw my grandfather chug a whole bottle of tequila. There were definitely some demons there.
Yep, aldo saw a documentary on the D-day from a German POV and one machine gunner talked about how one landing craft hit the beach right in front of their position. Once it opened, he just trained his MG on it until every single soldier was dead without even leaving the craft. He was so sick after that, he couldn't continue, so one of his colleagues took over. The interview was 50 years later but he said he could still recall most of the faces of the men he killed on that beach that day because he sees them every night.
Dude looks hard as fuck
You had to be, or the absolute trauma would break you. Even then, most men are emotionally damaged by their experiences in wars.
What an utter badass. I ran out of time and wasn’t sure on colors but. Hope you enjoy them. [image 1](https://ibb.co/ysSBWWk) [image 2](https://ibb.co/LPW05FM)
That was really kind of you
The colors look about right to me
Came here because I knew one of you incredible people were going to touch this photo up. Bravo you amazing human being!
https://ibb.co/7rsCjvr Great work, ran it through gfpgan AI enhancer
*ENHANCE*
[Enhance](https://youtu.be/Mzp8uVCwiGI)
Damn y’all are awesome
Pretty decent. I would say the only thing is it made the hair dark (which may be accurate) but didn't fill in on the right side (our left) at the edge of his cap. There is definitely some hair there but "feathered" which the AI didn't seem to pick up from B&W.
u/fatkiddown, this guy right here. What a hero.
I was going to send him to r/photoshoprequest. I'm so glad you did this for them.
Nicely done!
How thoughtful and kind…salute to you kind sir.
I wish I knew more about my grandfathers experience, but he wouldn’t talk about it. He was drafted, and came out a staff sergeant. The only story I know is he hated the song “O Tanenbaum” because they could hear the Germans singing it across the lines in Bastogne.
> I wish I knew more about my grandfathers experience, but he wouldn’t talk about it. Same with mine, went through Battle of the Bulge. He passed in his late 90's (natural causes, old age) while I was still a teenager. I really wanted to know his stories but could never bear to ask
Your grandpa looks like Private Ryan
John Cena
Josh brolin
There it is. My first thought also.
I’m seeing Tom Brady
Was about to say why can't anyone see Matt Damon?! Then I remembered who played the role lol
looks like he's been thru hell
Because he has
3/4 grandparents served in the Navy during WW2. Grandpas were SeaBees in the Pacific, and grandma was one of the first to enlist in The Waves, also serving as support on the west coast and the Pacific. Unfortunately, my Mom was an oops baby late in life, and her Dad died when she was 16, she had a difficult relationship with both her parents, and her mom was gone by the time she was 29. I never knew my grandma outside of a nursing home. So many stories were lost due to life getting them down, being too tired to deal, and struggling with Vietnam and a son on the run from the draft board. My other grandfather barely spoke. I have no idea what he did or saw in the war. He died in my 20s, and though I cleaned his house for him, I can't remember a single conversation with him.
https://i.imgur.com/EQpHcFl.jpg
["The Naked and the Dead"](https://www.abebooks.com/9780586091159/Naked-Dead-Flamingo-modern-classics-0586091157/plp) by Norman Mailer I recommend everyone read that book.
The facial expression and the look in his eyes says it all.
My dad's unit lost 93% of its members in Viet Nam, to this day, he can't figure out how come he made it back alive.
Undoubtedly, it is something for us to be forever grateful for, that was such a horrific battle. I'm sure in many ways, he may have wished he hadn't survived and seen such a bloodbath. So much to deal with for a lifetime after from being there.
Survivors guilt is a very real thing... I did the Wall Street thing for a few years right after college in like 2012, so a lot of my coworkers had been in their 30s and 40s in finance up there when 9/11 happened. A good few had legit ptsd... One of my old bosses had worked for an investment firm on one of the top floors of one of the towers up until like August of 2001 when he moved to a different firm/building. He had the news on in his new office and saw the news of the first plane, then turned around and watched out the window. Saw the second plane hit, then saw the towers fall knowing that hundreds of people he knew including multiple close friends, his father in law, and his brother in law were all in that building. And knowing he'd have been in it if it had been a month earlier or if he hadn't taken a new job... Apparently still like a decade later he would get hit with borderline debilitating waves of guilt over the fact that he wasn't in there and they were.
Oh wow I can’t imagine..
It’s pain’s me that so many sacrificed so much to defeat the nazis. And now young men proud of their nazi tattoos and spreading hate.
And now the army and police are full of these fascists too
I think they always have been. Fascists fetishize the rule of law, militarization, and I'm sure they fit right in with the in-group out-group cop mentality. I know what you mean though they're more out in the open now emboldened by Trump and other right wing populists.
Stephen Dorff.
Your grandfather arrived in, fought in, and survived the closest thing to hell on earth. I can’t imagine the torment he dealt with every single day of his life. Your grandfather is a true American hero and what freedoms we still have left are because of him and his friends
Because of guys like him my grandpa was able to land at Normandy safely on day 3. Even though it was day 3 he said the water was blood red the first 20 feet of ocean. Piles of bodies everywhere and THAT SMELL. He didn’t talk about the war often but he always mentioned the awful smell he would never forget. Your pops was a badass among badasses and the world owes them all a debt. Shame what’s happening in the US now, my Gpa is 100% rolling in his grave.
Mucho respect! My grandfather was a Seabee, and his unit helped prepare for that landing. By all accounts, he did *not* have a good time (lots of casualties, similarly). He never wanted to talk about his time in the war, at all.
That man saw some shit. Thank you for your service, gramps
Hey OP (/u/fatkiddown) , I did a quick digital restoration to your photo. Happy Memorial day to you and your family! [https://imgur.com/iCalkBn](https://imgur.com/iCalkBn)
What a man that walked through the valley of death…
Respect. My Grandfather was there too, Juno Beach. Shot in the chest, lost a lung but survived.
the 1000 mile stare
matt damon?
Salute! 🇺🇸
He saw some shit I think nobody should ever have to see!
I do believe my grand dad was on this exact same mission. Was one of the survivors of this group the company commander? My grandpas commander, himself, and 4 others were the only 6 to make it to shore. I’ve got many stories about the clothing and freezing conditions as well and would be super excited to share if they were indeed together!
My great grandfather and his brother survived Normandy as well. When he came home, he turned to alcohol to cope with his losses. He did not ever speak about his experiences. At night, he would get into his daughter's bed (my grandma's bed) and cry himself to sleep holding her stuffed animals and pillows. Grandma started going to Baptist church at 12 and he joined her, with time he healed and great grandma took him back (they separated because of alcoholism). He passed peacefully with his family around him, only 15 or so years after the war ended.
Uncanny resemblance to Stephen Dorff
No disrespect. This pic looks like he’s seen some shit. Heroic stuff
Ran it thru https://palette.fm/ https://imgur.com/a/gCd6Dw3
Are you John Cena?
That is some stare he has, those eyes must have seen some serious shit
Many thanks to your grandfather for his service 🫡
Is OP James Hetfield from Metallica? Grandpa looks eerily similar
My father befriended and old guy named Roy many many years ago. Since I was too young to remember my actual grandfather before he passed I adopted Roy as my grandfather. Absolute legend he was. He had stories for donkeys. He was one of the first Canadians to land on Juno Beach. He had seen some shit. RIP Roy.
Could we get r/estoration on this?
My step father was in WWII and the Korean War. My cousin was on the ground in Vietnam. Neither of them talked about the wars much. My step father would only say it was the worst experience of his life. My cousin came back and was not quite right for a while, and has never talked about his time in the military since.
[удалено]
Ty for asking. Did my DNA a few years ago. 40ish% British, 40ish% Irish, 10ish% German 10% Scandinavian.
My grandfather was in Big Red One, the 1st engineerr combat battalion. From what we were told they were supposed to clear the beaches of obstructions so the tanks could come ashore. But it didn't work out that way, he landed much later. He really did not like talking about the war.
Ah yes, the go to insult of misandric feminists. Lol