Military History

#351
#351
Toujours Pret said:
My cousin is getting commissioned in May as an Infantry Looie, he talked to me about his concern over not getting his branch choices. His first two choices were Infantry and Armor, so I told him he had nothing to worry about. Kind of upset I don't have another Cav guy in a family of Paratroopers and Marines.
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Funny Thing. When I joined, I called my grandfather, who was a retired SF MSG, and told him I had joined the Army and like him was going to be a paratrooper, his reply was "It's about time someone in this family has the stones to jump out of a plane." My father and uncle were both Security Forces in the Air Force during Vietnam. He then called them both and told them how relieved he was that the family name had been redeemed. I wished I could have heard him giving them crap in only the way he could.
 
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#352
#352
Any one know anything about the Texas Arrowhead in WWII? My father was in it, after I was grown and married he told a few stories about the war (he had 7 invasion stars, started in North Africa). I started researching it a few months ago and have found very little on it, but everything he told me has matched up precisely with what I have found.
 
#353
#353
Smallvol#1 said:
Any one know anything about the Texas Arrowhead in WWII? My father was in it, after I was grown and married he told a few stories about the war (he had 7 invasion stars, started in North Africa). I started researching it a few months ago and have found very little on it, but everything he told me has matched up precisely with what I have found.
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I think you are referring to the 36th Infantry Division. I believe it was a TX National Guard unit.
 
#354
#354
hog88 said:
I think you are referring to the 36th Infantry Division. I believe it was a TX National Guard unit.
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Daddy was drafted (the one year stint prior to WWII); he was living in Tennessee, then Pearl Harbor happened a few months before he was to come home and he was in “for the duration”. He had no ties to Texas or any National Guard (born and raised in North Dakota). That said, I believe from the best I can find, somewhere a Texas Division became something else. He always said his group was made up of Southerners (mainly Georgia I think) and Italian New Jersey Yankees. He was the peacemaker/go between for the two groups...Southerners didn’t consider a North Dakotan/adopted Tennesseean as Southern and the Yankees didn’t consider him Yankee. So both sides got along with him. I have his Arrowhead ring; I gave his Arrowhead patch to a nephew.
 
#355
#355
Smallvol#1 said:
Daddy was drafted (the one year stint prior to WWII); he was living in Tennessee, then Pearl Harbor happened a few months before he was to come home and he was in “for the duration”. He had no ties to Texas or any National Guard (born and raised in North Dakota). That said, I believe from the best I can find, somewhere a Texas Division became something else. He always said his group was made up of Southerners (mainly Georgia I think) and Italian New Jersey Yankees. He was the peacemaker/go between for the two groups...Southerners didn’t consider a North Dakotan/adopted Tennesseean as Southern and the Yankees didn’t consider him Yankee. So both sides got along with him. I have his Arrowhead ring; I gave his Arrowhead patch to a nephew.
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Check this out. Your dad may be on one of the rosters.

36th Infantry Division Roster-WWII
 
#357
#357
On Memorial Day (27 May) the ETVMA will once again do its annual "Reading of the Names" at the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial In Knoxville. It is a simple and moving way to honor those who gave their "last full measure" that we may enjoy our liberties and the privilege of living as free citizens of the United States of America.

I will once again (10 or 11 years running) do my bit and stand to as a reader. RS16 are you going to be there?

For a flavor of what can happen there, let's go back to 2013: Tell Them I did My Bit - Memorial Day 2013

If you do nothing else this Memorial Day, do this.

etvma 2019.png
 
#358
#358
OneManGang said:
On Memorial Day (27 May) the ETVMA will once again do its annual "Reading of the Names" at the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial In Knoxville. It is a simple and moving way to honor those who gave their "last full measure" that we may enjoy our liberties and the privilege of living as free citizens of the United States of America.

I will once again (10 or 11 years running) do my bit and stand to as a reader. RS16 are you going to be there?

For a flavor of what can happen there, let's go back to 2013: Tell Them I did My Bit - Memorial Day 2013

If you do nothing else this Memorial Day, do this.

View attachment 206105
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I'll be there.
 
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#360
#360
bignewt said:
How did I not know about the USS Vincennes and how did that not start a war?
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Certainly wasn't the proudest moment in the US Navy. However, remember that the USS Vincennes incident happened a few months after Operation Praying Mantis where we damaged or sunk a majority of the Iranian Navy. They really had no recourse to retaliate. The actual reason for shooting down the airliner was a lack of understanding of the very capable and new Aegis combat system. The watchstanders didn't fully understand the information being presented which led to a gross miscalculation.
 
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#361
#361
OneManGang said:
On Memorial Day (27 May) the ETVMA will once again do its annual "Reading of the Names" at the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial In Knoxville. It is a simple and moving way to honor those who gave their "last full measure" that we may enjoy our liberties and the privilege of living as free citizens of the United States of America.

I will once again (10 or 11 years running) do my bit and stand to as a reader. RS16 are you going to be there?

For a flavor of what can happen there, let's go back to 2013: Tell Them I did My Bit - Memorial Day 2013

If you do nothing else this Memorial Day, do this.

View attachment 206105
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I will be marking graves with flags on Saturday with other members of the local Am Legions, VFW Posts and many others on Saturday for Monday's tribute at Bay Pines National Cemetary in St Petersburg, Fl. All in the area are welcome to share the privilege to honor those laid to rest.
 
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#362
#362
Bought a few books recently, one about Rogers Rangers and one on the Cloudbuster Nine, the Navy pilot baseball team during the 2nd World War.

Boss Lady and I started Band of Brothers tonight, I like to watch it before D-Day. Grandad jumped with the 508 and was captured at La Fiere, so the story hits me in the heart. What brave men.
 
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#363
#363
I'm thankful my son seems to be turning out to be a history nut like me. For our father/son spring break trip he chose for us to go to the NIM and National civil war naval museum in Columbus. We're planning on going with some of his cub scout pack and placing flags at the National cemetery in Nashville this weekend. I did pick up a copy of To Hell and Back by Audie Murphy when we were at the NIM. It's been a pretty good read.
 
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#365
#365
tntar heel said:
I will be marking graves with flags on Saturday with other members of the local Am Legions, VFW Posts and many others on Saturday for Monday's tribute at Bay Pines National Cemetary in St Petersburg, Fl. All in the area are welcome to share the privilege to honor those laid to rest.
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I find that there are a large number of patriotic souls that help with the flag placements, so I volunteer when it is time to remove the flags and put them storage for the next occasion. The numbers that day are few and the process takes a long time. We can't even start until the flags are completely dry to prevent mildew. Please consider helping in that effort.
 
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#368
#368
Historic military ships struggle to stay afloat
Non-profit groups rely on volunteers, many of whom are veterans, to take care of decommissioned and retired naval vessels; insight from USA Today's Chris Woodyard.

 
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#370
#370
OneManGang said:
On Memorial Day (27 May) the ETVMA will once again do its annual "Reading of the Names" at the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial In Knoxville. It is a simple and moving way to honor those who gave their "last full measure" that we may enjoy our liberties and the privilege of living as free citizens of the United States of America.

I will once again (10 or 11 years running) do my bit and stand to as a reader. RS16 are you going to be there?

For a flavor of what can happen there, let's go back to 2013: Tell Them I did My Bit - Memorial Day 2013

If you do nothing else this Memorial Day, do this.
I was reader #44, at 7:45 AM.
View attachment 206105
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#371
#371
Let us pause to remember The Tennessee, namesake for a class of dreadnought battleships built in the 1910s. She was commissioned in 1920, survived the attack on Pearl Harbor, served gallantly in the Pacific theater, survived Kamikaze strike, and was decommissioned in 1947, and broken up in 1959.

[VIDEO=]
 
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#372
#372
SSBN-734 The USS Tennessee
USS_Tennessee_%28SSBN_734%29.jpg
 
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