Best sticker on your Jeep

JKbrick said:
1924 to 2015 was a hell of a run


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Brief history lesson. 76 years ago (1944) on the 30th day of October: My Grandpa Millard Black “Blackie” and 210 other US soldiers from the US WW-II Lost Battalion were rescued by the brave men of the US 442nd Infantry Regiment (Nisei—Japanese-Americans). "Go For Broke" was the motto of the 442nd, an Army unit comprised of Japanese Americans from Hawaii and the mainland United States. The motto was derived from a gambler's slang used in Hawaii to "go for broke," which meant that the player was risking it all in one effort to win big. For six days, the Lost Battalion was surround by German forces in the Vosges Mountains, France. After five days of battle and a loss of over 800 casualties, the 442nd broke through German defenses and rescued my grandpa and the other survivors of the Lost Battalion. The 442nd is the most decorated unit in U.S. military history for its size and length of service, with its component 100th Infantry Battalion earning the nickname "The Purple Heart Battalion" due to the number injured in combat. I wouldn’t be hear without the 44nd and my grandpa wouldn’t have lived until 2015. Hell of a run indeed. :)


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inlikeflinn said:
Brief history lesson. 76 years ago (1944) on the 30th day of October: My Grandpa Millard Black “Blackie” and 210 other US soldiers from the US WW-II Lost Battalion were rescued by the brave men of the US 442nd Infantry Regiment (Nisei—Japanese-Americans). "Go For Broke" was the motto of the 442nd, an Army unit comprised of Japanese Americans from Hawaii and the mainland United States. The motto was derived from a gambler's slang used in Hawaii to "go for broke," which meant that the player was risking it all in one effort to win big. For six days, the Lost Battalion was surround by German forces in the Vosges Mountains, France. After five days of battle and a loss of over 800 casualties, the 442nd broke through German defenses and rescued my grandpa and the other survivors of the Lost Battalion. The 442nd is the most decorated unit in U.S. military history for its size and length of service, with its component 100th Infantry Battalion earning the nickname "The Purple Heart Battalion" due to the number injured in combat. I wouldn’t be hear without the 44nd and my grandpa wouldn’t have lived until 2015. Hell of a run indeed. :)


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These Jeeps were built for that war and every time I get into the Jeep I think about him.


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My Dad was at midway ,Philippines guadal canal basically all major battles in the pacific . I have the flag that came off his ship from the battle of midway . his Purple Heart and Kamakazi survival pin from the battle of Leyte gulf .
 
inlikeflinn said:
Brief history lesson. 76 years ago (1944) on the 30th day of October: My Grandpa Millard Black “Blackie” and 210 other US soldiers from the US WW-II Lost Battalion were rescued by the brave men of the US 442nd Infantry Regiment (Nisei—Japanese-Americans). "Go For Broke" was the motto of the 442nd, an Army unit comprised of Japanese Americans from Hawaii and the mainland United States. The motto was derived from a gambler's slang used in Hawaii to "go for broke," which meant that the player was risking it all in one effort to win big. For six days, the Lost Battalion was surround by German forces in the Vosges Mountains, France. After five days of battle and a loss of over 800 casualties, the 442nd broke through German defenses and rescued my grandpa and the other survivors of the Lost Battalion. The 442nd is the most decorated unit in U.S. military history for its size and length of service, with its component 100th Infantry Battalion earning the nickname "The Purple Heart Battalion" due to the number injured in combat. I wouldn’t be hear without the 44nd and my grandpa wouldn’t have lived until 2015. Hell of a run indeed. :)


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Great Story...Senator Dan Inouye from Hawaii was in the 442...lost an arm to a grenade, awarded the Medal of Honor, and was a HI senator for 49 years...I shook his left hand on more than one occasion.

We go for broke all the time, brah...(maybe not the best slogan for wheeling though)...
 
inlikeflinn said:
Brief history lesson. 76 years ago (1944) on the 30th day of October: My Grandpa Millard Black “Blackie” and 210 other US soldiers from the US WW-II Lost Battalion were rescued by the brave men of the US 442nd Infantry Regiment (Nisei—Japanese-Americans). "Go For Broke" was the motto of the 442nd, an Army unit comprised of Japanese Americans from Hawaii and the mainland United States. The motto was derived from a gambler's slang used in Hawaii to "go for broke," which meant that the player was risking it all in one effort to win big. For six days, the Lost Battalion was surround by German forces in the Vosges Mountains, France. After five days of battle and a loss of over 800 casualties, the 442nd broke through German defenses and rescued my grandpa and the other survivors of the Lost Battalion. The 442nd is the most decorated unit in U.S. military history for its size and length of service, with its component 100th Infantry Battalion earning the nickname "The Purple Heart Battalion" due to the number injured in combat. I wouldn’t be hear without the 44nd and my grandpa wouldn’t have lived until 2015. Hell of a run indeed. :)


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Cool history lesson. Thanks for sharing. Quite a run indeed!!

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JT@623 said:
My Dad was at midway ,Philippines guadal canal basically all major battles in the pacific . I have the flag that came off his ship from the battle of midway . his Purple Heart and Kamakazi survival pin from the battle of Leyte gulf .
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What ship was your Dad on? Have you read "The Last Stand Of The Tin Can Sailors"? A chilling account of the brave sailors in light cruisers going up against superior Japanese forces - including the battleship Yamato. I believe the Battle of Leyte Gulf was the last major Naval confrontation between opposing battleships. Kudos to your Dad. This battle laid open the Philippines for the invasion and subsequent Battle of Luzon. My Dad was in the 637th Tank Destroyers and took part in that invasion. He would not talk about his experiences in detail. Only once, after carrying my cousin, who was dying from cancer and weighed about 90 lbs, did he open up. Obviously distraught, he said it reminded him of the prisoners they had liberated from some of the internment camps - they were so emaciated he could carry them 2 at a time.

Years later, while working as a pilot for the airlines, I was reading "The Last Stand Of The Tin Can Sailors" in a van on the way to our layover hotel. This led to a "What did your daddy do in the war?" conversation. My co-pilot's father had been in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. I told the only story I knew of my father; at the conclusion, one of the flight attendants turned around, sobbing, and told me her father had been in one of those camps and had told her and her siblings of a "Tank guy" carrying him and others - 2 at a time, loading them on his tank and hauling ass. Her father was no longer living, but I called my dad and she spoke with him for over an hour. I think it gave them both some much needed closure.

While waiting in the gate area for another flight, I noticed an elderly couple - the gentleman was wearing a US Navy Cap with USS Johnston embroidered on the front. The USS Johnston figured prominently in "The Last Stand Of The Tin Can Sailors". The ship was ultimately destroyed with few survivors. I asked if he was onboard at the battle. He stood up, saluted, and said, "I damn sure was". I could feel tears forming at the corners of my eyes. I asked him for his and his wife's tickets and made a call to my office - I was a manager in the Flight Dept at the time - within minutes their itinerary was upgraded to First Class. I wished the was more I could do.

Side note: I had 2 uncles who also served in WWII. One was with the Marines, serving in the Pacific theater until he was severely wounded in a beach assault - he survived. Another uncle was with the 10th Mtn Div in Italy. He was awarded a Bronze Star for his action against German machine gun installations. He was awarded a Silver Star by the Brazilians but the citation gives no details.

I apologize for going on so long, but all who served in WWII deserve to be remembered and honored. No slight to our other veterans, but they truly were - "The Greatest Generation".
 
p38 said:
...


I apologize for going on so long, but all who served in WWII deserve to be remembered and honored. No slight to our other veterans, but they truly were - "The Greatest Generation".
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Well said!

They are the reason that we have the freedom today to do what we do.
 
p38 said:
What ship was your Dad on? Have you read "The Last Stand Of The Tin Can Sailors"? A chilling account of the brave sailors in light cruisers going up against superior Japanese forces - including the battleship Yamato. I believe the Battle of Leyte Gulf was the last major Naval confrontation between opposing battleships. Kudos to your Dad. This battle laid open the Philippines for the invasion and subsequent Battle of Luzon. My Dad was in the 637th Tank Destroyers and took part in that invasion. He would not talk about his experiences in detail. Only once, after carrying my cousin, who was dying from cancer and weighed about 90 lbs, did he open up. Obviously distraught, he said it reminded him of the prisoners they had liberated from some of the internment camps - they were so emaciated he could carry them 2 at a time.

Years later, while working as a pilot for the airlines, I was reading "The Last Stand Of The Tin Can Sailors" in a van on the way to our layover hotel. This led to a "What did your daddy do in the war?" conversation. My co-pilot's father had been in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. I told the only story I knew of my father; at the conclusion, one of the flight attendants turned around, sobbing, and told me her father had been in one of those camps and had told her and her siblings of a "Tank guy" carrying him and others - 2 at a time, loading them on his tank and hauling ass. Her father was no longer living, but I called my dad and she spoke with him for over an hour. I think it gave them both some much needed closure.

While waiting in the gate area for another flight, I noticed an elderly couple - the gentleman was wearing a US Navy Cap with USS Johnston embroidered on the front. The USS Johnston figured prominently in "The Last Stand Of The Tin Can Sailors". The ship was ultimately destroyed with few survivors. I asked if he was onboard at the battle. He stood up, saluted, and said, "I damn sure was". I could feel tears forming at the corners of my eyes. I asked him for his and his wife's tickets and made a call to my office - I was a manager in the Flight Dept at the time - within minutes their itinerary was upgraded to First Class. I wished the was more I could do.

Side note: I had 2 uncles who also served in WWII. One was with the Marines, serving in the Pacific theater until he was severely wounded in a beach assault - he survived. Another uncle was with the 10th Mtn Div in Italy. He was awarded a Bronze Star for his action against German machine gun installations. He was awarded a Silver Star by the Brazilians but the citation gives no details.

I apologize for going on so long, but all who served in WWII deserve to be remembered and honored. No slight to our other veterans, but they truly were - "The Greatest Generation".
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DD 410 USS HUGHES destroyer I know how he felt about our flag and our country I’m glad he’s not around to see what it’s become. My dad is on the bottom left .
 

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p38 said:
What ship was your Dad on? Have you read "The Last Stand Of The Tin Can Sailors"? A chilling account of the brave sailors in light cruisers going up against superior Japanese forces - including the battleship Yamato. I believe the Battle of Leyte Gulf was the last major Naval confrontation between opposing battleships. Kudos to your Dad. This battle laid open the Philippines for the invasion and subsequent Battle of Luzon. My Dad was in the 637th Tank Destroyers and took part in that invasion. He would not talk about his experiences in detail. Only once, after carrying my cousin, who was dying from cancer and weighed about 90 lbs, did he open up. Obviously distraught, he said it reminded him of the prisoners they had liberated from some of the internment camps - they were so emaciated he could carry them 2 at a time.

Years later, while working as a pilot for the airlines, I was reading "The Last Stand Of The Tin Can Sailors" in a van on the way to our layover hotel. This led to a "What did your daddy do in the war?" conversation. My co-pilot's father had been in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. I told the only story I knew of my father; at the conclusion, one of the flight attendants turned around, sobbing, and told me her father had been in one of those camps and had told her and her siblings of a "Tank guy" carrying him and others - 2 at a time, loading them on his tank and hauling ass. Her father was no longer living, but I called my dad and she spoke with him for over an hour. I think it gave them both some much needed closure.

While waiting in the gate area for another flight, I noticed an elderly couple - the gentleman was wearing a US Navy Cap with USS Johnston embroidered on the front. The USS Johnston figured prominently in "The Last Stand Of The Tin Can Sailors". The ship was ultimately destroyed with few survivors. I asked if he was onboard at the battle. He stood up, saluted, and said, "I damn sure was". I could feel tears forming at the corners of my eyes. I asked him for his and his wife's tickets and made a call to my office - I was a manager in the Flight Dept at the time - within minutes their itinerary was upgraded to First Class. I wished the was more I could do.

Side note: I had 2 uncles who also served in WWII. One was with the Marines, serving in the Pacific theater until he was severely wounded in a beach assault - he survived. Another uncle was with the 10th Mtn Div in Italy. He was awarded a Bronze Star for his action against German machine gun installations. He was awarded a Silver Star by the Brazilians but the citation gives no details.

I apologize for going on so long, but all who served in WWII deserve to be remembered and honored. No slight to our other veterans, but they truly were - "The Greatest Generation".
Click to expand...

I appreciate everyone from my grandfathers generation that fought in that war...

You mentioned the battleship Yamato...the Japanese flagship with 18" guns...I dove on that ship in the lagoon of Bikini Atoll, where it sits in 175' of water, upside down. It was sunk during an A-bomb test after the war...it is massive. I remember swimming along this giant pipe heading aft towards the stern; when I rounded the corner, it was then that I realized it was the aft turret gun...
 
Every time I watch a realistic war movie like Saving Private Ryan, Fury, etc, I try to picture myself in the soldiers shoes and it scares the shit out of me. Respect isn't a strong enough word - maybe awe at what they all went through.
 
JT@623 said:
DD 410 USS HUGHES destroyer I know how he felt about our flag and our country I’m glad he’s not around to see what it’s become. My dad is on the bottom left .
Click to expand...

Great picture - a bunch of kids - doing what they did to save this country. A far cry from kids today - they can't function without a WiFi connection, can't tell time on a clock or read cursive, get participation trophies because "everyones a winner", all they know about WWII is the USA dropped an Atomic Bomb on Japan, and think all of us old "capitalists" are criminals for not paying enough taxes.
Listening to a bunch of my relative's kids after a pre-covid holiday dinner, I couldn't stand it any longer and I got up, poured myself a healthy portion of rum, grabbed a cigar, and went outside. My mom asked why I left and I told her my brain just can't think that stupid. She said, "You're getting more and more like your father every day", "And the problem is what?" I replied. I consider that an honor and a compliment.
 
Ddays said:
Every time I watch a realistic war movie like Saving Private Ryan, Fury, etc, I try to picture myself in the soldiers shoes and it scares the shit out of me. Respect isn't a strong enough word - maybe awe at what they all went through.
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Amen to that, brother.
 
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