IAMA retired Lieutenant Colonel who served in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. AMA (2nd one)

[deleted]

When a airplane flies over , I can't help but look up.

[deleted]

I am 92 now and was 21 when I first went to war.

What do you think about the current escalation on the Korean peninsula?

Kind of makes me sick. That crazy bastard running North Korea has NUKES! You could drop one on St. Paul and it'd kill everyone. It's hard to justify.

What was the "toughest" war you've been through, where you've seen the most stuff happen and what was the worst expirence if you don't mind me asking,

Vietnam.

Kinda of a stupid question but..Would u go back and serve your country again if you were given the chance to do that ?

No, I've had enough. I fought through one, and served through 2. That's plenty.

I don't have a question, but I love when WWll vets talk about their time in the war. I wish I had a grandpa to ask these things about :(

That's why we're here, so ask away :)

What is one story form your time in the military that you think everyone should hear?

On the staff of the Commander in Chiefs Pacific in Vietnam, there were 10 of us who were commanded to attend meetings in the command hall. It had a stage, piano, and some microphones. The president of Australia wad there. There was a man giving a briefing, he mentioned some statistics. He was having a rough time up there. I helped him out after he fumbled with a statistic. It's not a big deal, but I thought it was cool, being next to a president.

I don't mean to be picky, but doesn't Australia have a prime minister?

Yes sir, you are correct, my fault.

During WWII were you drafted, or did you willingly join?

I willingly joined so I wouldn't be put into a bad position.

What is the best memory from your service?

All of the friends I made, they're all pretty good guys. You could leave your money out on the dresser in a room full of 12 guys, and you know it wouldn't be touched.

what is your thoughts on the shift from 30 cal rifles to 556? did people who were serving/fighting through the transition period lament the lack of terminal effect of the new round or were they just glad they were carrying something lighter?

I'm not sure what a 556 is, it must be new.

I would definitely understand if you are not up for this, but I think hearing some more stories from you would be really interesting. Would you be up for sharing your funniest, saddest, and scariest stories from your experiences? Actually, these don't even really need to be war stories. Thanks for sharing with us!

Here's a story: there were 12 if us living in a metal house. We had a big pot belly stove in the middle. A guy thought he was funny, and he dropped a flare through the chimney and the pot belly stove exploded. We didn't hear from him again.

did you feel that WW2 was fought for a sense of patriotism or doing the right thing?

this is what is in the history books now but there is lots of evidence that it was fought over natural resources like every other war in history.

and was it popular or was there a lot of resentment towards going to war since so many people had german ancestry?

Doing the right thing, and self defense. We were attacked by the Japanese, and it scared us to death. It actually hit America. We had to fight for our existence. There was no resentment. If you criticized the war, you'd be shunned by others, and also beat up.

What is your stance on the Second Amendment and what do you think about gun control?

If we could just think of a way to keep guns out of the crazy hands...

[deleted]

I didn't really care during the wars.

If you could go back in time and not join the Army would you do so? And also are you a pacifist now?

I DEFINITELY would have joined, back then. Almost everyone joined. You didn't see many around MN (where I lived) without a uniform.

My grandfather was in the Navy during WW2 and when he was still alive refused to ever talk about the war with us grandchildren, or any of his children for that matter. My dad once overheard him talking about a few things with his mother and in those moments he heard enough that he never wanted to ask about the war. Since you are doing this AMA I assume you are open to talking about the war but is there stories that you have that you have never shared with anybody and never plan to?

Thank you for your service.

Yes, definitely.

How was your experience different in each war?

Well, I was on staffs and servicing for the last two. The Russians got worse as the wars went along.

What type of planes did you fly? And specifically what was your job in each war?

I flew mostly a B-24. I fought in WWII and serviced in Vietnam and Korea.

what does serviced mean?

I was on staff, I was a commander as well. We were responsible for repairing communication equipment.

Have you watched many war movies? If so, which of them are the most authentic in creating the feeling of war?

I do watch many war movies. I'm quite a fan. I can't think of one that sticks out in my mind. One of my favorites is the Great Escape.

Out of the three, which would you say was the most horrific?

WWII. It was so big, and so much happened.

Have you ever been back to where you served? If so, how was the experience? If not, would you like to?

I've been back on the ground with my daughter and my wife. We went to a place where a farmer had a farm right in the middle of a base. He toured us around the base. It was very sentimental and neat.

[deleted]

No, it hasn't bothered me.

Thank you for your service, sir. You mentioned you were a pilot - what did you fly? Did you continue your career as a pilot outside of the military?

I flew a B-24. Yes, I piloted planes, but not professionally.

First of all, thank you for your service.

What units were you in?

What was your Military Occupational Specialty?

What areas did you fight in?

Have any cool trophies (taken from theater) that you would like to share with us?

Did any of your children or grandchildren follow in your footsteps?

When does the Narwhal bacon?

What units were you in?

8th Air Force.

What was your M.O.S.?

Pilot.

What areas did you fight in?

All over Europe during WWII.

Grand/Children?

Yes, one grandson is in the Marines.

[deleted]

I don't know about your family, but I am with mine right now.