I don't normally feel compelled to write things on Reddit, but thank you for sharing this. My Papaw was in the USAF in PNG too, as an arterial gunner for this plane. Not long before it was deployed on a bombing mission, he was shot in the leg by a crew member who was cleaning his gun while loaded, and had to be hospitalized, therefore not being able to take part in the upcoming flight. His leg was mangled, and he dealt with issues his entire life because of it, but if it hadn't happened, he wouldn't be here and neither would I. The war in general, coupled with his injury, and his time on the boat taking him back to the US (which lacked supplies, the men on board practically starved coming home; according to my great aunt, there were doctors waiting for them when they came into port, and when one saw my Papaw he said, "Dear God, what have they done to you?") caused him to rarely speak about the war as well. My great aunt also told me that upon his arrival home, he took all the letters he and his brothers wrote to his mom during their time overseas and burned them, so we don't really know too many details about what he experienced.
I really appreciate you sharing this, my Papaw also wanted to go on with life; he also had six kids, then 11 grandkids, and a life after the war, but the issues with his leg would have always been a reminder of what he went through. His experiences made him who he was, which also impacted my mother, which also impacted me, and it's nice to have a little bit of history of someone else who was in the same place during the same time; I feel like it gives me more insight to one of the many wonderful men in my life. So, thank you very much :)
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I don't normally feel compelled to write things on Reddit, but thank you for sharing this. My Papaw was in the USAF in PNG too, as an arterial gunner for this plane. Not long before it was deployed on a bombing mission, he was shot in the leg by a crew member who was cleaning his gun while loaded, and had to be hospitalized, therefore not being able to take part in the upcoming flight. His leg was mangled, and he dealt with issues his entire life because of it, but if it hadn't happened, he wouldn't be here and neither would I. The war in general, coupled with his injury, and his time on the boat taking him back to the US (which lacked supplies, the men on board practically starved coming home; according to my great aunt, there were doctors waiting for them when they came into port, and when one saw my Papaw he said, "Dear God, what have they done to you?") caused him to rarely speak about the war as well. My great aunt also told me that upon his arrival home, he took all the letters he and his brothers wrote to his mom during their time overseas and burned them, so we don't really know too many details about what he experienced.
I really appreciate you sharing this, my Papaw also wanted to go on with life; he also had six kids, then 11 grandkids, and a life after the war, but the issues with his leg would have always been a reminder of what he went through. His experiences made him who he was, which also impacted my mother, which also impacted me, and it's nice to have a little bit of history of someone else who was in the same place during the same time; I feel like it gives me more insight to one of the many wonderful men in my life. So, thank you very much :)
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