Honor Flight DFW profiles trip #9

Richard was a freshman at Central High School in Memphis Tennessee on December 7, 1941. The next day, America declared war on Japan.

He joined the Army and was inducted on June 15, 1943 at the young age of 18.

Richard was sent overseas to the European theater of operations. He was assigned to 1^st Platoon, K Company of the 409^th Infantry Regiment of the 103^rd Infantry Division. This division was called the “Cactus Division.” It was activated on November 15, 1942 and was sent to Europe on October 6, 1944. It saw combat for 147 days in places like the Rhineland and Central Europe.

Richard participated in the rescue of the American divisions that were being decimated during the “Battle of the Bulge,” in the Ardennes Forest.

He has written extensively about his service in Europe during this time. There is an especially poignant story of Christmas 1944. He and some buddies were in a farmhouse in an area called Alsace-Loraine. There was another farmhouse across the way where a French woman and her baby lived. Richard and the other soldiers in his squad heard the baby crying from inside the farmhouse. The Americans walked across the road and offered their meager “C” and “K” rations to the French woman and her Mother. Richard also offered some new white t-shirts to the family in an attempt to keep the baby warm. The French family, who at first reluctant to let the American’s in their house, kissed the soldiers and accepted the gifts.

As the American’s walked outside into the frigid winter air, the coldest in decades, nobody said anything but all of a sudden the squad started singing “Jingle Bells.”

Richard of course has always remembered this Christmas. No doubt the French family does too.

Richard remained in Germany after the surrender and was a member of the army of occupation in that country. He thanks God each day for his happy family and for his life in the United States. He has never been afraid since the war, and thinks of every day as a gift!

He was discharged on March 30, 1946 with the rank of PFC. He had been awarded the Combat Infantry Badge, Expert Rifleman, and the European Theater Ribbon.       

Honor Flight dfw profiles trip # 9

Fred was at home in Dallas Texas on December 7, 1941. His wife had just returned from church when they heard the news that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Just over a month later, James joined the Army on January 22, 1942 at the age of 22.

After basic training, James was sent overseas to the Pacific theater of operations. There he joined the 43^rd Infantry Division, the “Winged Victory Division.” This division was activated on February 24, 1941. It went overseas on October 1, 1942 and was in combat a total of 370 days.

James was a part of the Tank Section, 743^rd Ordinance Company. He was the ranking non-commissioned officer and directed all phases of the tank sections operations.

He participated in five island invasions. These included Russell, Rendova and New Georgia of the Solomon island chain, which included Guadalcanal.  He also is a veteran of the landings at Atapi, New Guinea and Luzon, Philippines.

His most memorable wartime experience is when he went on a Navy rescue mission on November 11, 1943. He went up in a PBY Catalina flying boat as a gunner. He was present when the rescue plane set down in the Pacific to rescue a B-24 Liberator crew that had went down. He was also present, this time on land when his unit helped liberate the P.O.W. camps at Santo Tomas, and Camp O’Donnell in the Philippines. There James helped liberate some of the emaciated survivors of the infamous Bataan Death March.

James said that he really matured during his time in the military. He received the Asiatic-Pacific medal with four stars, the Good Conduct medal, and the Philippine Liberation medal.

He was discharged on August 28, 1945 with the rank of Staff-Sergeant.    

V-Rod, Electra Glide and Springer

My 2009 V-Rod Night Rod

1960's Rockers at The Ace Cafe London

I was at this famous motorcycling mecca in September 2005. A bucket list thing of sorts for me.

Honor Flight DFW trip #9

WIlliam was still in high school when the war started. On that Sunday December 7, 1941 he was taking a Sunday drive with his dad when word of the attack on Pearl Harbor came over the radio.

On May 6, 1943 at the age of 18 William joined the Marines. After basic training he began advanced training and became a member of the Marine Corps Parachutists. Eventually he was assigned to the headquarters company, 27^th regiment of the 5^th Marines. Later during the Iwo Jima campaign and the occupation of Japan he was in the headquarters company of the 2^nd Marine Division.

William says that his experience during WWII caused him to learn discipline and matured him to such an extent that it has lasted all of his life.

He was discharged on May 6, 1947 with the rank of Sergeant.

Honor Flight DFW profiles trip #9

Ralph was already in the US Army on December 7, 1941. He was in the Infantry and stationed at Camp Forrest in Tennessee. He had joined the Army on March 5, 1941 at the age of 19.

His job during the war was that of 1^st Gunner, squad leader of a mortar unit, section leader and platoon sergeant.

Ralph was assigned to Company I of the 132rd Infantry regiment of the famed Americal Division. The Americal Division was formed on May 27, 1942 in New Caledonia. This division was in combat for 600 days in campaigns such as the Northern Solomon Islands and Southern Philippines.

His wartime experiences included the assault n Mt Austen on Guadalcanal and leading recon patrols in the dense jungles of Bougainville.  

Ralph was awarded the Bronze Star for his heroic action during combat in April 1944 on Bougainville against the Japanese.

He attained the rank of Staff Sergeant and was discharged in June, 1944.  

Honor Flight profiles trip # 9

Evan was an 18 year old civilian on December 7, 1941. He was living in El Paso, Texas.

He joined the Army Air Corp on February 22, 1943 at the age of 19.

After basic training, Evan was shipped overseas to England. He was assigned to the 668^th Squadron of the 416^th Bomb Group of the 9^th Army Air Force.

As a Corporal, Evan’s jobs included that of an aircraft armorer, bomb loading and machine gun maintenance.

Some of most memorable war experiences included D-Day mission, missions supporting American units during the Battle of the Bulge, V-E Day and of course V-J Day. Evan was greatly relieved when the Japanese surrendered. He was at a disembarkation point at Marseilles France waiting to be shipped to the Pacific. Instead the ship took him to Boston!

Evan took advantage of the GI Bill to attend dentistry school at Northwestern University.

He received six battle stars on his European Campaign Ribbon. The 416^th Bomb Group received a group citation for taking out the last bridge used by the German army fleeing from the Allies in the Falaise Gap in Normandy France.

Evan was discharged on October 15, 1945.

Honor Flight DFW profiles trip #9

George was a student at Texas A&M College when the news was reported that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

He reported for active duty on June 5, 1943 at the age of 18. After basic training, George was shipped overseas to the European Theater of operations.

George was assigned to Company C, 1258^th Combat Engineers Battalion of the 3^rd US Army. This was General George S. Patton’s command.

He saw combat as a line sergeant in several major river crossings in the march across Europe to eventually take Berlin. These included the rivers Saar, Meuse, and the Rhine. Each of these crossings was significant in that Germany considered these barriers to be major obstacles for the Allied Armies. Some thought that the Allies would never be able to cross these rivers since they were so heavily defended.

George’s most memorable experience was when he had the opportunity of attending the Nuremburg war crime trails after Germany surrendered.

George was awarded the European Theater Campaign ribbon with three battle stars. He also stated that his wartime experiences matured him greatly, giving him leadership abilities that helped him later in life.

He was discharged on May 23, 1946.

Yep

Rolling Stones 2012

Here is my number 2 band of all time. Seen 'em 9 times since 1975. Last time in NYC at MSG in January 2006. They still have one more tour in them I think, for their 50th anniversary. Heres hoping!

Haunted

Good selling point...or not??

Louisiana 2012

Bikers Prayer

Been neglecting placing pics of interesting things on this blog as of late. Here is one. 

Arkansas 2012

Rode Hwy 9, twisties thru the Ozarks recently. Fun and makes you realize why you ride!

Beach Boys 50th

Saw the Beach Boys 50th anniversary concert recently. Brought back memories of Southern California, both real (that I've experienced) and imagined...

Honor Flight DFW profiles trip # 9

John was still in high school on December 7, 1941. That day, when the Japanese started the war by the surprise attack on the US Pacific fleet, John was living in Granville New York.

He reported for basic training in the Marine Corps on August 16, 1943 at the age of 18.

After basic training John was shipped to the South Pacific. He was assigned as an anti-aircraft gunner. He participated in the Palau Islands campaign. Among the islands in this chain was the island of Peleliu, the scene of savage fighting between Marines and the Japanese.

John says that his experience in WWII caused him to grow up in a hurry. He also found out that there was a big-big world outside of his hometown of Granville, New York!  

He was discharged as a Corporal on February 8, 1946.

Honor Flight DFW profiles trip # 9

James was studying for a Monday morning pop quiz on December 7, 1941. He was a student at the UT Galveston Medical branch. Eating lunch in his fraternity house that day he heard that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor. The next day war was declared on Japan.

He was inducted into the US Navy in October 1943 at the age of 22.

James served his internship at NAS San Diego. Later while at Pearl Harbor, he was one of only twenty doctors who were interns outside the continental U.S.

Eventually James was assigned to the destroyer, USS McCaffery, DD-860.At one point James was the surgeon responsible for four different destroyers.

James’ most memorable wartime experience was when his ship was hit by a typhoon in the Pacific. Another time his ship was involved in a firefight with Chinese communists in a Chinese harbor.

James was discharged from the Navy on September 9, 1946. He has said by that time he felt like he was really cosmopolitan, a real world traveler!     

Honor Flight profiles trip# 9

William had joined the Army and reported for basic training on December 23, 1939. He was 23 years old. On December 7, 1941, he was stationed at Camp Murry Washington. He was in the 153^rd Infantry Division at the base.

He eventually found himself in the Aleutian Islands. He was an MP and also an infantryman on the islands of Adak, Umnak, and Kiska. These islands were cold and windy most of the time. When it wasn’t snowing, it was raining. When the weather became somewhat warmer, the runways and base caps became seas of mud. It was a remote outpost but an important one. The Japanese had landed on several islands at the start of the war in an attempt to secure their northern flank. The US Army and Navy finally pushed out the Japanese and the Americans began building additional runways and improved living conditions for their military personnel stationed there.

William’s most memorable experience was when a Japanese Zero fighter flew over the base on the island of Umnak. He and many others grabbed whatever weapon that was near at hand and shot at the enemy plane. It’s not known whether the plane was actually hit.

William made a career out of the Army, retiring at the age of 47 on March 31, 1963. He had attained the rank of E-6 Sergeant.

Profiles Honor Flight DFW trip # 9

Eldon was a freshman at Northwestern State College in Alva Oklahoma when he heard the news of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

He joined the Navy and reported for basic training in October, 1942 at the age of 19. Soon he found himself in aviation training to become a naval aviator.

Eldon had a long career in the Navy. He served in the Atlantic and the Pacific theaters of war on the USS Tarawa, CVA-40 during WWII. He served in various air groups including bombing squadrons. In fact one of his most memorable experiences actually happened during the Korean War. He had been called back to active duty like so many thousands of WWII veterans to fight in what is now called “The Forgotten War.” He had to ditch his dive bomber in the cold waters of the Pacific off the Japanese coast. Luckily he was picked up and survived the ditching.

He served in the Navy until 1965. During that time he was based at NAS Ellyson Field, Pensacola Florida, and was the senior officer at the US Naval Academy on a chemistry committee.  He also did research and development on propulsion systems for missiles and space vehicles for NASA.

Eldon received many awards including several Air Medals for his service in WWII and Korea.  

He was discharged after a great career on August 31, 1965 with the rank of LCDR.

Honor Flights DFW Profiles trip # 9

Melvin remembers that he was working in a grocery store making $1.00 an hour that infamous Sunday, December 7, 1941. He also remembers singer Ernest Tubb singing “Walking the floor over you,” on a nearby radio.  Suddenly the song was interrupted by an announcement over the radio that Pearl Harbor Hawaii had been attacked. His and the rest of America’s life was never the same again.

He was inducted into the US Army on September 19, 1942 at the age of 20. After basic training, Melvin was sent overseas and served with the 20^th Army Air Forces in the Pacific.

Melvin worked on the island of Guam, and was a Corporal in the shipping and receiving section as a clerk.

One of Melvin’s most memorable experiences was when he was on-board a troop ship at the end of the war. The Captain of the troop ship noticed a Japanese destroyer rapidly approaching. The Captain hailed the destroyer and informed the Japanese Captain that the war was over. Luckily, the Imperial Navy officer believed the troopship Captain and ordered his ship to follow the American ship to the nearest safe harbor.

Melvin believes that his wartime experiences helped him including his knowledge of business management helped him through a lifetime of entrepreneurship.

He was discharged on February 6, 1946.