I’m a Falklands veteran and I remember in the late 60’s and early 70’s going to the British Legion with my dad (national service). Always full of cigarette smoke, the place was full of WW2 veterans. Many with limbs missing and the odd eye missing. But no one stood out because they had all served (and suffered) together. A unique generation. Sadly missed.
Hi Julian, They were the best of the best. When I was growing up, they were people who were largely well used to retired life. I was very lucky to grow up around them, while I was born later, I had a mother working day and night in a care home, the place was almost a second home to me. I wish I could meet them again but I count myself lucky to have met them already. I hate having my photograph taken but I was at Duxford a few years ago and I was fortunate enough to meet one of (if not the) last Poles who flew in bombers. Needless to say, that picture I had with him is one of my most treasured possessions. While we only had a very brief conversation, it's something that I'll always cherish. What really I wanted to say (more than anything) though was thank you. The Falklands, I find, is something I don't think we commemorate enough in Britain. Being sent to the other side of the world and doing the incredible job that was done, you're all heroes to me. Your collective sacrifice liberated the people of the Falklands, while ensuring an end to dictatorship in South America, while in Europe we didn't really experience the aftermath of that, it meant democracy was brought to Argentina. I hope you get to read this as I've never actually had the opportunity to thank someone like yourself in person. For all the many veterans of the second world war I've been fortunate enough to meet, I've never met any of the Falklands liberators. Thank you.
A few years ago I got to meet and befriend an ex German soldier. He was 93 at the time. He invited me to his 100 birthday which I attended. He told me stories of being in the regular army assigned to France and was trained as a radio operator and finally sent to Russia in 1944. He was captured in transit and was in the Soviet prisons for several years. He survived and immigrated to Canada. He lived to 102 and passed away in 2021. Herman may have been on the wrong side but was just a pawn in the big picture. He lived a long and productive life with no hate. I am a Canadian of Italian ascent and he treated me not as a stranger but as a friend.
Many millions were or recruited to the German infantry as we no it as Wehrmacht Due to propaganda they were told that everyone else was the enemy that wanted to invade Germany and knowing what the Russians were like they thought to defend their homeland Well there is so much that was involved to get so many to take up arms But if people look into it properly they would find out that millions didn abide by Hitler's idea and orders and gave up there weapons and surrendered Also to say Russia had over two hundred and fifty thousand german prisoners that surrendered and the Russians killed either by slavery or execution 99% of them Only untill now no one talked about what they got up to And the Italians But all people can think about the 2nd world war was that all german troops were the same. And that is in correct
I attended a Consolidated Air Force Show near Harlingen, Texas years ago, where restored WW2 airplanes were flown in from all over the world to be viewed by the general public. I was asking an American CAF guy about the difference between a Messcherschmidt ME 109, a BF 109, and a BE 109 airplane, and he advised me to ask the elderly man standing next to him, who had been an aircraft mechanic for the Luftwaffe during the war. The old man told me more than I even wanted to know about the subject. These two guys were standing there drinking beer and discussing piston rings and spark plugs, but had been expected by their governments to help kill each other 70 years ago. It was a really moving experience. No hard feelings. No hate. Just two old mechanics talking about technical headaches during their hitches in the war. It is real sad that politics can turn potential friends into bitter enemies. What is even more amazing that these guys could forget the hate and become friends again.
I remember when the last World War One veteran died and now I may witness the World War Two veteran to pass. Thank you Dr. Felton for bringing these people to us to remember while still with us.
What is breaking my heart is that the Korean War veterans are 90 years old or more now, and they STILL haven't been recognized much, in America or Britain. We have 10 years left to get their stories before they're gone. Time to REALLY step it up.
While not famous my dad who turns 97 this month, reached LtCMDR, as an engineer on Liberty ships in the Merchant Marine. He was on the skeleton crew of one of the ships scuttled as breakwater at Normandy, went through the worst North Atlantic storm where some Liberties broke in half. He was in the 1st convoy up the Scheldt Estuary, being involved in rescuing another ship that hit a mine. He resigned his Naval Reserve Commission just before the Korean War, while other engineers were called up to serve mostly on destroyers. I am very lucky to still have him.
How interesting - the service and sacrifices of the merchant mariners are certainly not recognized in a way that do them justice. Do you know what ship and/or beach/Gooseberry he was on outside Normandy? One of the ships sunk in Gooseberry 5 outside Sword was the SS Dover Hill - I believe that in the same string of ships was an old battleship that had a skeleton crew on it.
My Father, Captain R M Browne, served in the British Merchant Marine, in WW2, as Captain, on convoys, mostly from Canada’s or the eastern US. He met my mother while in Montreal. I came along in 1952. He worked in shipping his whole career.
My dad also served, in the Philippines and the occupation of Japan. He was already 18 at the beginning of 1945 when drafted while in the second half of his final year of high school. He could have gotten a deferment, but "didn't want to miss the War". He used to retell his Philippine and Japanese experiences to me. He liked to repeat his stories, unlike other veterans, since he was not involved in combat. My dad's unit was practicing for the amphibious invasion of Japan until one day someone announced to their gathering that "they dropped a big bomb on Japan, the War's over!" Missing him since he passed away in 2007.
It is with sadness to say that Hershel "Woody" Williams has died today in the early morning of June 29, 2022. He was the last living medal of honor recipient of WW2. Rest In Peace Woody.
Dad was a combat Mustang pilot with the 359th FG. I am extremely proud to be his son. While dad died at the age of 93 in 2017, 13 of his roommates didn't survive the war. They are all my heroes. Mark thanks so much for creating this very strong and vital video.
It was 1993 and my 2nd year as a radio personality when I had the extreme honor of interviewing one of the last WW1 veterans. He was 14 when he joined and was in charge of a donkey bringing ammo to the front. These WW2 heroes are passing every day. Last year at the VA hospital I was getting a hip replacement and while recovering I watched Saving Private Ryan. A nurse came in and mentioned there was a retired General on the same floor that was there on D-day. Very humbling.
I just hope we can start telling the Korean War vets' stories before it's too late. They're just a few years younger than the World War II heroes and most of them have been tragically overlooked.
@@maximusextreme3725 I wished I could but he was in the last stages of dementia and being violent towards the nurses. The nurse told me kindly that they understood and it's not his fault he was behaving that way. They were all very respectful of who he was and not Judgemental about his current condition.
One of the saddest thoughts ever since I was a child is the idea that I'll likely live to see the last of the Greatest Generation pass on. I'm beyond thankful for the projects so many are undertaking to interview those left to immortalize them and their stories. My grandfather who landed on Utah Beach unfortunately passed well before I was born, and the details I know about his service are sadly few and far between. I'm grateful that I now possess his Bronze Star along with the 98k rifle and Walther P38 pistol he brought back, both still functioning. I'd give anything to know the story behind their acquisition.
While you will witness the passing of the Greatest Generation you can take solace and comfort in the fact that you're surrounded by the goofiest generation now though. The Zoomers!
Yes my convictions are the same it is very very sad to know that they will all pass in the somewhat near future and even more sad when the last one of them goes...my great uncle was a combat engineer on Omaha who lived through it every June 6th I get worried about him and what's going through his mind
Remember that men and women from the Silent Generation died in Korean. Baby Boomers died in Vietnam. Generation X and Millenials fought for decades in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Way too many from each of those generations never returned. Some came back broken, and therefore could never truly leave those places. I express my gratitude to everyone who went through such awful experiences.
my grandfather is 96 still alive. the last living ww2 vet in his small town Georgia. fought his way across the pacific and had just recently opened up more about stories. gonna be a sad sad day when he goes.
If your grandfather’s 95 - he would’ve only been about 18 (maybe 19) at war’s end. And 14 or so when Pearl Harbour happened (I’m assuming you’re American). If he “fought his way across the pacific” as you say - it would’ve been as a 14-18 year old. Highly unlikely
@@jodietherese9984 he is 96 he was in the pacific towards the end of the war you are right. he was originally trained on long toms at fort sill ok but the war in Europe ended so the threw him in the infantry and shipped him off. he was one of the first to land in japan after the bomb was dropped. so yeah not across the pacific i guess but saw some stuff towards the end.
@@jarrett728 - amazing how that generation just adapted and got on with the job. Your Grandad going from being trained on Long Range Artillery- and then thrown into the infantry in a totally different environment says so much about that generation. I’d be so proud if I were you (which I’m sure you are). One of my Grandads was a “Rat of Tobruk” - a very interesting, vital battle of WW2. Also my Mum’s Stepdad fought at Kokoda. As an 18 year old machine gunner. Another vital battle fought at the same time your blokes were fighting at Guadalcanal. A generation like that will never be seen again
My dad is 96. He arrived in Normandy in August '44 and was part of "Monty's" push through northern France until he was wounded by mortar fire in the Netherlands. He has the Legion d'Honneur.
Have you ever contacted memoirs of ww2? That's their RU-vid channel and they have a link where you can fill out so they can interview him if he's interested and comfortable talking about his experience.
@@MORE_BEANS_PLZ He's not interested in talking about himself which is normal for his age group. I got him the Legion d'honneur, which is a great honour in France, but he just laughs about it.
Pass on our thanks from all those who are the future generations now and to come. He might not think it and some might not know but he is an actual hero and we are all grateful
Woody is awesome. I’ve been to a couple of his talks. Every single one of those guys are so humble and none of them consider themselves heroes. They all say the heroes are buried over “there”. Any chance I get to listen to their stories I am all eyes and ears open and mouth shut. The whole lot of them were all tough as nails.
I grew up in the St Sava parish area of Milwaukee and knew several Serbian men and women who were Yugoslav partisans. one in particular with whom I worked was a partisan at 14 years old. an amazing man, amazing life. Sadly he passed 11 years ago.
@@berndblabla4249 Yes hero’s. If it weren’t for them you probably wouldn’t be on RU-vid right now and you’d speak German. That’s if the nazis didnt gas you by now
As a 18yr old young man in 1986, I trained at a local VA outpatient clinic in Sacramento, California to become a Pharmacy Technician. While on a break to smoke a cigarette, I ended up meeting an old veteran who was also smoking..we ended up talking for a bit and found out that he was a WWI vet that served in the trenches. He described what it was like going through a poison gas attack..it really shook me up! Not too long after meeting him I quit smoking cigarettes and have not regretted it since. He's story is still with me to this day 36+yrs later and after serving in the U.S. Army shortly after meeting him, I myself became a disabled US Army Veteran and now I have 2 wonderful boys 12 & 17 and great wife who is from Nagasaki, Japan for the last 28yrs! Today I realize just how blessed I was meeting that man and how much that talk we had effected my life for the better all these years later. You never know how a simple talk with a stranger at the right time can change your life in profound ways! God bless ALL THE VETERANS that have served as well as those currently serving to protect ALL the countries around the world!! Thank you so much for for your service and sacrafice!!
My father served in the Royal Navy from 43 till 47. Sadly he died in 1973. Out of a sense of pride, I wear his medals every remembrance Sunday. I have marched with the "old boys many times". So sad there aren't any left. I still feel proud having marched with them and really enjoyed listening to all their stories and recollections of what they all went through. 👏👏👏
I wear my grandfather's US Army Air Force unit patches on my jacket for Memorial Day here in the States. Tech. Sgt. Glen Dame. Served 42 -45. Always remember!! 🇬🇧🇺🇸
5:35 the last Medal of Honor recipient from WW2 is sadly about to pass. I found a article posted today about him and how is now hospitalized and living out his last days, and I recognized his name, because of this video. You will surely be missed Hershel Woodrow Williams. Thank you for serving our country!
I wish I could talk to Allied soldiers who invaded the beach of Normandy I wanna ask them what it felt like and what was going through their minds, the first time I saw that scenario in a video game I was instantly obsessed with World War 2, it was Horrifying to me as a kid but at the same time mind blowing and surreal, I couldn't believe something like that actually happened.
My dad was a WWII veteran. He enlisted the day after Pearl Harbor. He was quite an unassuming guy. He never wanted or asked for any credit for the things he did all those years ago. The majority of those guys were just doing what they thought was right and expected of them.
You said it right, "they were just doing what they THOUGHT was right". Just as a fly thinks with its "brain". But raping, stealing and is killing in their minds yes, because they thought it.
@@agnivabanerjee3983 The comments like his are everywhere on youtube, just unfunded and without any evidences of their claims. Anyone can say what they say.
Both of my grandfathers, who both served in Burma passed in the mid 80`s, I was just a kid then and never got to talk to them about their experiences, however, my uncle, who I was close to served in the British Army from 1953 until 1968 and then fought from 1971 until 1980 in the Rhodesian Bush War I did get to talk to during his two year steady decline due to cancer in 1994/95...I learned a lot and will always be grateful that he recognized my passion for war history and that he needed to talk to someone that was a bit clued up and passionate about a subject he knew much about...and, that I was able to help him offload some things that were weighing heavily on his conscience before he passed over and went on to wherever it is that we go to when we depart... RIP Dave, it`s been 27 years now but I still miss you and our little chats about adventures in soldiering...
Thank you for this. My father was a combat engineer, flamethrower, demolition guy. He saw combat at Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan and Tinian in the 2nd Marine Division Ordinary men did extraordinary things.
As an 18yrs old sailor, my father served on a submarine at the Battle of Jutland in 1916, and was never the same again. I was born to him and mum in his middle age. He lost two brothers on the SOMME, He had a surviving brother, Uncle TED, who lived to be 100yrs old, was a recluse who would talk only to my elder sister
You have done your job but have also done something extremely special for future generations with this video. You have bought to life the men and women of a generation we could not comprehend but we are grateful for. Thank you
One of the great moments in my life was when I met Richard Cole, Doolittles copilot. I didn't take much of his time there were a lot of people waiting in line to meet him. I didn't ask him a lot of questions though I had buckets of them. I said the most important things I could possibly say to him in my heart. I said thank you and God bless you. I did however get his autograph. He was a very gracious gentleman. He was surprised I didn't have a lot of questions I was going to pepper him with, I just enjoyed the moment when I got to shake his hand. I did get to speak to some b-1b pilots. They were looking at the plane. And I talked to them about the b-25 taking off from Yorktown class carrier. I explained to them the size difference between a Yorktown and A Nimitz. I told them that the main left gear had to run down a yellow pages line on the deck so that the right wing would not strike the island. I explained that if the tire came off the yellow line too far to the left the plane would drop off the deck into the gun tubs and go over the side. They looked at that plane again and you could see they're thinking holy cow! And one day went up to Richard Cole you could see the glow of respect coming off these men as they realized how nearly impossible it was to fly that mission. I really enjoyed talking with the b-1b pilots. I had experienced something with a b-1b that was kind of funny. A bunch of us were on boats on memorial Day rafted up and having breakfast when a b-1B pulled up vertical over the top of us! We never heard the plane coming but we sure as hell heard it going to afterburner as it pulled up! This wasn't far from McConnell Air Force Base. The greatest hero that I ever met that was a World War II veteran was my dad. He passed away in the year 2001. Dad joined the army in 1939 lying about his age to get in. He was in armor when they were playing around using cars with tank signs painted on them. Dad went from an E4 to an E7 by 1942. He was in 2nd Armored Division however before they deployed for Operation torch he was pulled out of the division along with a lot of NCO'S and officers to form the cadre of the 6th Armored Division. 6th Armored Division was a follow-on division at Normandy landing D-Day + 26. He was part of the breakout at St Lo. My dad fought his way across France and into Germany, helped liberate the concentration camp Buchenwald, and then fought all the way to Prague Czechoslovakia. Yes ultimately he is the greatest hero ever in my view, but he was my dad also.
My Dad was a WWII Veteran too. A friend of his was a B-17 pilot. Dad lived in Meas Arizona and out a Falcon Field the Commemorative Air Force (Used to be The Confederate Air Force) would fly in their flying B-17. Dad took him out to see the plane. While taking the tour Nagle couldn't stop crying he was so over come. The Greatest Generation. By the way I got to see the USS Nimitz in dry dock before its commissioning at the Portsmith Naval Ship Yard.
You have every right to be proud of your father. My dad was a WW2 vet also. He told me lots of stories of his service. I miss him a lot, but know that I will see him again someday.
It brings tears to my eyes thinking about what we owe to these brave people. Sometimes, I look at what is happening in the world, and I wonder if we are grateful enough for the sacrifices made by earlier generations. We do not seemed to have learned from their experiences. Bless them all, living, and especially the dead, who made the ultimate sacrifice, giving up their future, for my present. Thank you all of you. Thank you Dr Felton for uploading this amazing video.
Back in 1976, I met one of the last surviving US veterans of the Spanish-American War (1898), Roy Hall. He was a quiet, soft=spoken gentleman -- a man of few words, but polite. RIP.
It's also wholesome that some of the former enemies during war are friends now, like one American and German veteran. Sons of Patton and Rommel are also good friends today.
In his eighties I accompanied my dad to an appointment with a specialist. As the doctor came in he said, “Hello, Mr. Hentges. That’s a German name isn’t it?” My dad answered yes. The doctor asked, “Have you ever been there?” My dad said “Just during the war.” The doctor said he “was in the war, also, but on the other side.” They both nodded, and then the appointment began.
I still talk to 99 Year old German Günther Tlotzek who served in the 23rd Infantry Regiment 11th Division of the Wehrmacht who fought on the Eastern front for 4 years It is nice to ask him questions that history books can't answer Just like this channel, so much history that the brain just can't keep up.
I sure miss my old man - he was an RCAF heavy bomber pilot (Halifaxes), stationed in England. His younger brother was also a pilot (Lancasters), and was shot down, killed, and is buried in France. Untreated PTSD is awful.
Incredibly personally detailed stories that bring me to tears. What an enormous amount of research has gone into this. Thank you. My own father fought in the last two years of WW2 as a teenager.
It’s important to remember these gentlemen’s stories. To honor not only them but their fellow servicemen/women’s legacies who fought along side with them. That’s the beauty of History.
My great uncle is about 97 years old and is probably one of the last B-17 navigators still alive. I really respect him and I am trying to spend as much time with him before his last days.
My grandfather would be 110 this year and he was drafted at 30 years old. The first 10 years or so after coming home he couldn't tolerate sleeping in a soft bed and slept on the floor. He also always had to have a light on at night while sleeping. He said he spent too much time in the dark during the war .
My grandfather passed away in April this year. He was 101. He was an ambulance driver in Gander, Newfoundland. I only got to hear a few stories of war time and he was a great comedic story teller. As we all with his generation, our family saw the end of an era with his passing. One could hope and work towards never having to engage in such war.
I'm stunned. These were some amazing stories, and given the context of "last surviving" I was immediately struck with the sobering thought of all those who have passed on whose stories we will now never know. Your profession is a noble and necessary one, Mr. Felton. Thank you for all your hard work.
Another great video from Mark. My grandfather was a private in the US seventh army and would be 105 years old today. He met up with his brother, who was in Pattons Third Army, in Heidelberg in 1945 and they played music for soldiers and generals as they had played before the war. They got home in Feb 1946 after 2 years away.
My grandafather was part of the fourteenth army that engaged with the Japanese forces in the Burma theater during the Japanese invasion of India. Fought alongside the british forces under the command of one General Slim, he always told us stories about the war and how the Brits and Indian troops fought alongside each other like brothers. Sadly, he passed away in 2017 due to old age and health issues at the age of 94. His last wish was to commemorate his fallen friends who never really got their due respect because of how the war was covered in the media back then. RIP K.K. Malik 16 August 1923 - 17th March 2017
Thanks for sharing. My paternal grandfather was also in the Fourteenth Army in Burma! 2nd Battalion, The Suffolk Regiment. He also told me so many hair-raising stories of fighting the Japanese at Imphal and Kohima. He died in 2013 aged 87.
These are wonderful people. My dad was one of them. He served in the ETO with the 104th Inf Div; the "Timberwolves". Thank you Dr. Felton for the wonderful story!
We are losing our direct connection to the greatest generation, my step-grandfather was an anti-aircraft gunner, he was a kind sweet gentle humble man, I miss him dearly. I grew up hearing heroric stories, brave actions, and tales of valor all from a generation of people who owed me nothing, but to whom I owe everything.
Bus trips in France as a kid, everyone else was a WWII veteran. Which I thought was incredible. More so though was getting of the bus and meeting what were then among the last WWI veterans. Their stories were fascinating. To me they felt like they were from an era of armoured knights on horses.
A member of Easy Company came to my store in 2016, he was 96 at the time. He parachuted in on D-Day exactly as the TV show Band of Brothers depicts. He told me how he jumped something like a dozen missions and survived a glider crash in Germany that killed several other on board. Got his autograph. I met one other WWII veteran in fairly recent times who, believe it or not, was making money hauling metal as a side buisness as late as 2019. He was 96 and had been a ball turret gunner on a flying fortress. He told me how scared he was every time he went up and about one time a German fighter plane came so close he could see the pilot. The only other WWII veteran I talked to about the war in recent times (maybe 2011 or so) was one who fought the Japanese in the Pacific. I don't remember which island he was on but he told me he was the flamethrower operator and he flame-throwered some Japanese tunnels and he could hear them screaming as they burned alive. He also saw the Japanese running while their bodies were engulfed in fire. I don't know why or how we got on the next subject of 9/11, I guess maybe he brought it up, but he told me, and his wife was there to reiterate, that their son had been in the World Trade Center on 9/11 and as an employee of Cantor Fitzgerald was incinerated when the plane struck his office directly. Some other WWII veterans I only remember fleetingly from my early childhood. My neghbor, my friends grandpa, there were many. My friends grandfather was a Marine on Iwo Jima and lost a kidney and his left ear in a grenade explosion. He also would always tell a story of how he was once cooking bacon in a skillet one morning when their group got attacked by a group of Japanese. The bacon was about to get swept up by the advancing Japanese and he didn't want to lose the bacon so he bravely turned back and in a hail of enemy bullets retrieved the bacon and brought it to safety. He survived that encounter unscathed but got yelled at by his superiors for doing it.
I met an old Veteran, a woman, standing outside the VA hospital in NYC. We were waiting for the bus and began talking. I was surprised to hear that she served in the Army during WWII, as no one really ever talks about the women who served during WWII. More surprising, she said she participated in a special Army program that taught woman in the military, to be paratroopers. She said she did several jumps before the Army canceled the program. Has anyone ever heard of this before, women paratroopers in WWII?
The OSS had female agents trained to parachute into Europe. Poland had a trained group of parachute nurses established in 1919. The United States started in 1942 and there was even a movie made…
I recently attended a meeting with other hunters from Germany and met a 96 (or older, not sure anymore) years old man who actually was the oldest member of the group. When we, as a group, met again some weeks ago we got informed that he died and held a minute of silence. It was then told that he was one of the men who rescued Mussolini in 43`. Sadly I dont know his name anymore. I guess he was one of the last people who took part in the operation.
Dude, that means he was an SS paratrooper who served under Otto Skorzeny! I don’t know if he was one of the genocidal ones but nevertheless that’s super interesting!
@@ramblinnernd5905 Well, yes, I think so. I obviously never talked to him about it and so I wont be the judge about that. But I guess you just get to meet such people sooner or later, they have to live somewhere.
@@ramblinnernd5905 Most Waffen-SS members were soldiers, nothing more and nothing less. The Waffen-SS had entire divisions that were never recorded as having committed even a single war crime. And the regular German army had plenty of units that did. So in summary, the SS and regular German army were on roughly equal footing. War crimes and mass murders were only committed by a relatively small percentage of German forces. Most had nothing to do with it. And did you know that the allies committed many war crimes as well?
My Dad is the last member of his WWII Regiment. The 508th Medical Collection Company a MASH Unit. He served in France, Holland, and Germany. He came close to being killed in a rear action at The Remagen Bridge when a ME 262 looking for the bridge to bomb missed the bridge because of a low ceiling and heavy overcast day and shagged the bomb on a Circus Tent with huge Red Crosses on it sending blood plasma bottles flying everywhere and it just missed my father. First time he ever heard of a Jet Aircraft. He said he thought is was thundering.
Imagine, setting people on fire for 4 hours straight with many trying to kill you by any means. How anyone can live with those memories is beyond me. Also, shoutout to Friedrich Grade, former lead Engineer of U-96 immortalized in the novel "Das Boot", alive today at 106 years old.
I had thoughts of L.A. Noire listening to that… being a flamethrower operator must’ve been the most intense, terrifying, painful experience on the battlefield
I'm surprised and happy to see that Clearence "Bud" Anderson is still alive. I read his memoirs back in the 90s. " TO FLY AND FIGHT: MEMOIRS OF A TRIPLE ACE". By Bantam War books. He's Chuck Yeager's war buddy and best friend.
My dad made nine jumps with 82nd Airborne in '45. He would be 101 had he lived to this day. He died of a heart attack at the age of 54 in 1975. Greatest man I've ever known--best friend I've ever had. He was pastor of Union Grove Baptist Church in New Market, Alabama when he died.
Outstanding video, Mark. My papa, who died 12 years ago, was in the US navy during the war. I knew many veterans over the years, have read hundreds of books about the war, and think that I have a pretty good understanding about this great and tragic drama. The passing of these men into history brings about certain sadness. One thing that always strikes me is how young these men were at time. Think back to the time when YOU were 17 - 21 years old and be honest with yourself; could you have done it? These were truly remarkable men. Your channel is very, very good.
Playing with my friends less than 20 years after the end of the war, we would always play what we called "guns". What we were really doing was memorializing all our fathers who served in the war. We knew they had done something great, not because they told us, but because schools were still teaching the greatness of America's contribution. Each of us kids would pick a person or unit that we represented when we played guns and, although we were all Yanks, the most coveted unit was the British Commandos. THAT we learned from our fathers.
I spent many a day playing "guns" in the early 1950's. We lived in a housing project reserved for widows and wounded Vets. My dad was a SBD2C Pilot on the Bunker Hill CVA 17. He survived thje Kamikaze attack and sailed on BH ferrying returning Warriors after the war ended. He sadly died flying back seat at a Navy Day air show in Oct '45.
@@macnasty7605 I can't speak for the others, but my father was drafted, even though he was working for an aircraft manufacturer. He said that when he got his military footgear, he had only owned four pairs of shoes in his life. He and his classmates used to carry their shoes over their necks and put them on when they got to school
Oh this yanks at the heart strings Mark! My daddy was there at Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, he served the US for 30 years as a proud member of the Navy. Like many men that day and for the next few years he saw a lot of horror. Like many men in those days he was told "to suck it up" and they did. Like many from that era they reached the breaking point of what is now called PTSD and they chose to leave us. He left us when he was only 47, 2 days after his 30 year mark and 2 months before he was to retire. To hear about these men and women in this video still feels like they should be young. That I shouldn't be 68 already and that it shouldn't be coming up on August 15th again so soon, that it shouldn't be 55 years. To ALL veterans, gone so long now, recently gone or going soon, deepest thanks for giving your all then and still today. Allies in life and in death no matter your age or gender!
My Great Nalí Man (Grandpa) was a Navajo Code Talker Veteran from the second batch of Code Talkers in 1942. He severed 1942 to 1946 in the Pacific Campaign. Interesting, he never mentioned to his family about being a Code Talker. Turns out, the US Government demanded our Code Talkers to keep silent about the code till 1968 when it became declassified. My family never found out till in years when our Navajo President Recognize all the Navajo Code Talkers with Gold Plaques for the 1st batch and Silver Plaques for the 2nd Batch. I still wish I knew before his pass in 1999 to hear his experience as a Code Talker. Unfortunately our last Code Talker passed away in 2021 leaving an end of the Original Code Talkers.
My dad was a B17 ball turret gunner on the Black Thursday Schweinfurt Raid. He would have been 100 this month. Came home after 13 missions..........not a scratch and all of his original crew survived the war.
I'm turning 26 this year and my fathers 83. He wasn't a veteran or anything, but he was a kid during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines. It always surprises people whenever I tell them my father was almost killed by a Japanese soldier for annoying them. (Kids being kids and all). Post-war, his father (my grandfather) was commissioned along with an Italian sculptor to build statues for Quezon City Memorial Shrine, using leftover American artillery equipment to hoist them up the tower. He has countless stories about how our family made it through the war, so if you have any living relatives, I urge you to let them open up to you about it. You can always find interesting stories about them.
You're so right. In 1970, I volunteered for a 3 month, counter-insurgency stint as LMG #1 in the Namibian/Angolan border area. I did this every second year for 12 years. Although I no longer remember dates, locations, incidents and accidents, some memories remain vivid and I can clearly remember sounds and (among other things) the smell of dust, diesel, gun-oil and smoke. I have shared some of my experiences with family & friends, but not my motives or the causes of my PTSD, which are of both military, social-work and related origin. :) There are a trillion shocking stories out there that will remain untold.
This makes me beyond depressed. There was a veteran that would come into my line at work. He participated in 4 key Pacific Theater battles of WWII, including Batan, and Okinawa. He had shrapnel from a Japanese soldier still lodged in his thigh and pelvis. We would talk about his service whenever he came through, and he very much was still proud of his work during the war. Unfortunately, sometime in the past few months, I believe he passed away, since I stopped seeing him at work in a long time. He told me he saved a “sword, a few guns, flags, and things”. Many of my relatives served during WWII, all have died.
My grandad was artillery in London during the blitz. All my family was Eastenders. He passed when I was 13 years old. I would have loved to heard his stories
I’m lucky to remember the Veterans marching proudly on Memorial Day. I’ll never forget two old men meeting in a budgens supermarket who recognised each other from the war. That was 1991.
My grandfather served in WW2 and passed away in 2013 at 94. He was a prisoner of war by the Germans for almost 2 years. I still have his prisoner of war ring and medal.
My friend Tony P from Ann Arbor fought at Pelallieu, he passed away about a year ago at 100. Great man, an honor to have known him and his wonderful wife.
Since the last Great War veteran died, the attitude of many in my generation was "it was ages ago, why do we make such a fuss?". Most of us had never met a Great War veteran, but I'm grateful to have met a few in my lifetime. I hope that attitude isn't adopted when the last Second World War veteran passes away. (Edit: I never met a Great War veteran, I meant Second World War veteran)
My college-aged students were born after 9/11. To them the 1990s is ancient history. They’re shocked when I tell them all four of my grandparents were born in the 1800s, and I had a great uncle in WWI.
I remember watching the cenotaph service in the mid-80s as a child - ranks of WW1 veterans still matching past and legions of WW2 veterans, many yet to retire! Didn’t appreciate how fortunate I was to witness this at the time.
My father William E. Fabian joined the U.S. Navy after we were bombed at Pearl Harbor. He put in his hitch on an LST running troops and artillery across the English Channel for most of the war. He just died this last Sunday, June 5, 2022. He was 97.
This upload meant a lot to me as my Dad, and many of his cousins who served and survived the WWIi. They served in the US Army, Army Air Corps, and Navy. They were lucky to all survive the war and lived a long life raising their family. As far as I know the last to pass was in 2012.
My father served in the US Navy in WW2 and never talked about his service. I was a teenager when he died in 1971. Sometime in the 1990s my mom floored me by mentioning during a conversation that his ship was torpedoed. That's about the only detail I know about his time in the Navy.
Excellent once again Professor Felton. As for statistics, here in the United States; they estimate we're losing 1,000 WW2 veterans daily, my late father being one.
when I was young I had the honor to know many WW2 veterans and several WW1 veterans. Good men every one. My father chief among them was a bosun boat handler for the Guadalcanal landings (USS President Adams) and several other Pacific actions finishing his 7 years in the Navy in late 1946 aboard the USS Randall. Sadly he passed in 1981.
2 days after my father became 18, the germans capitulated. But in the meantime nothing is left in his head that he could tell me about. All that is left is what I can tell him about what he did. He was in the Hitlerjugend as all others were, and was manning Flak guns. It was in what is now Poland, and I think he said the guns were modified captured russian guns. As he said, they never hit anything except a german plane. In the very last days, he was to hold up the approaching russian tanks as "Volkssturm" with the notorious Panzerfaust. They had dug a row of small ditches, and when the tanks came, he looked left, all empty, he looked right, no one there, so he let go of his Panzerfaust and ran. I have to admit I do not remember how he managed to come from Schlesia in the east in US captivity, but I remember he told that he was held captive in the open field POW camps in Bad Kreuznach. He also told about the horrible conditions there. He said that he was let out because they did not think he'd survive the dysentery he got there. I know that is nothing special, no heroism, nothing, but this is about the last time someone will hear about this story. It will be lost with me. And at least here is a place where people are interested in history. I have to think about what I do with the diaries of my grandfather, he wrote a continuous diary from about 1917-1967, in principle a historic document. But handwriting in Süterlin is really tough to read...
Diaries are a great source for historical works. I had a professor who wrote a book based on simple 17th century household inventory list. I am sure that (future) students/professors of early modern German paleography could do a lot with your grandfathers diary. I would suggest to contact such a faculty to see the possibilities of having it translated. Good luck.
I used to work at a frame shop and a guy came in seemed agitated. His father just died and he wanted to frame his picture along with his medals last minute for the funeral service the next day. One of the medals was a silver star his father earned shooting down multiple (if memory serves me right 3 kamikazes) attacking his ship as an AA gunner onboard off of Okinawa. We went all out framing them and it looked great and got it done by the next morning. When he came back to get it he was moved and we refused any payment.
Wow! Thanks so much for this. We are about to lose a good few hero's all in one go it would seem (roughly same age) and the very last of their kind. I am so glad I had the chance to learn about them while they are still with us. Thanks Mark.
I am 25 Years old, and i still remember as a child seeing many Veterans with my own eyes living in my City, but as the time passed, sadly so did them..Then i saw many Veterans of the Red Army in the Red Square and in every Victory Parade at the TV for Years, only in the last 2 Years there were less and less Veterans and it is very sad we get to see this and to loose such a Heroic Generation. But yet, their Heroism pass on, and we must not repeat what happened in the past.
My godmothers great uncle was a b-24 pilot and flew many missions over Germany and France during the war. He lived a long and fulfilling life and passed away back in 2007.
BEING BORN 7YRS. AFTER THE WAR,MY FAMILY AND MY WIFE FAMILY CONTAINED MANY VETS .MY MALE TEACHERS WERE ALL VETS ALSO. I KNOW MANY VETS DURING MY LIFE,THE STORIES THEY TOLD ME ARE WHAT YOU READ IN BOOKS.THANK YOU FOR HONORING THEM WITH YOUR VIDEOS. GOD BLESS YOU AND ALL VETERANS EVERYWHERE FROM ALL WARS.
I remember clearly thinking as a kid - these WW2 vets will just be around forever. Feels like I blinked and now they’re nearing 100 years old. Incredible sacrifice.
My father had a friend who’d been a Wehrmacht major on the Eastern Front. He went into captivity when Von Paulus surrendered what remained of the 6th Army at Stalingrad, managed to survive nearly 10 years in Stalingrad before being released. He and his wife never had any children of their own, and somehow “adopted” my dad. On his second tour of Germany, he took us to meet the Major and his wife. They looked at us (me, my brother and sister), looked at each other and said, “Look, we have grandchildren now!” I remember a sweet too-soon-old man who seemed to carry lollipops on him at all times (his wife was clearly his supplier, btw), but he’d been to hell and back again. My dad said his war stories were horrors. Other than the circumstances of his release and repatriation to Germany, he simply didn’t talk about Siberia. He’s gone now, hopefully to a peace he never truly had in his life.
