Memories of the Forgotten War

[Josh]

I've been teaching a unit on the Korean War this week, and it got me thinking about some of the stories my grandpa Charlie shared with me later in his life (he passed away a few years ago). Some of the stories were humorous, like this one, and some were difficult for him to share. I'm trying to commit some of them to writing, so here's my first stab:

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Grandpa Charlie once told me how his unit was ordered to destroy a distillery. Before carrying out their task, however, the boys thought it would be a fine waste to let all the alcohol perish in the flames, so they spent the night prior getting jollified. It just so happened they found themselves right next to the local peanut crop. The peanuts were still a bit green, but they seemed the perfect compliment to their stroke of good fortune.

The party must have lasted well into the night, because by the morning everyone was sick as a dog- the green peanuts had turned on them. When the “Boss” (as grandpa called him) called the puking, motley crew to attention, he cussed the whole lot of them out. And the main culprits were doing extra guard duty before the next night was up.

[Josh]

How many of you have relatives that served in the military during a war? Did they ever talk with you about their experiences?

[michelle]

My grandfather was in the military during WWII. I do recall an amazing story that he told me. I can't remember the exact name of his position, but he was part of an airplane crew that was testing the accuracy of some new technology for dropping bombs on targets. As he and his crew were walking out to the plane when a Lieutenant called my grandpa into his office. The team went up without him. A couple of hours later my grandpa heard that while the team was in the air the pilot was doing some showboating and their plane crashed with no survivors. I was in high school when he told me that story I remember thinking that divine intervention could be the only explanation for my grandpa not dying that day. And if it weren't for his CO, I would not be here today.

[marc p]

Both of my grandfathers were in WWII, and my dad was in the Vietnam war. My dad had been drafted, and chose to be a conscientious objector, and would not carry a weapon. He endured a lot of ridicule for his faith, and his personal convictions.

My dad would share anecdotes with us kids when we were younger. He shared everything from how he cut his lip jumping over razor wire and hitting the one he hadn't seen overhead while fleeing for his life from the Vietcong, to how they would be so hot and sweaty that his whole platoon would just go out and shower in the rain whenever it would rain because they didn't have showers. they would try to be as quick as possible because they never knew when the rain would stop, and sometimes they just had to wipe the soap off of themselves with their towels. When we were a little older, he told us how he would go out on the helicopters to pick up injured soldiers and they would just grab whatever pieces they could and try to put the right people back together when they got back to the base. He also delivered babies the size of his thumb.

My dad experienced these things when he was 19 years old and recalls feeling really disconnected from his friends who didn't go to the war when he returned. They all thought he was a hero. He just wanted to forget about it.

[Josh]

You know, that's powerful that your family members shared some of those stories with you all.

Most of my grandpa's stories weren't anywhere as humorous as the one I started the thread with. Even that one ended with the postscript that that CO ("a real SOB") had been responsible for wiping out an entire village because it was harboring suspected saboteurs. Grandpa relaying this extra information in such a deadpan, ominious, matter of fact way. It brought the humor of the story to a screeching halt.

[rose]

My Grandfather, who lived in former Yugoslavia at the time, went to prison in the late 40's for 5 years because he would not carry a gun while in the army. He wasn't in the army by choice and it was against his religious convictions to have anything to do with a weapon. My Grandmother had to raise their 1st son all by herself for those 5 years. I cannot imagine what that must have been like, and I wonder sometimes what I would do with my religious convictions if I was put to the test???

[Alex]

I had a grandfather and a few great-uncles in WWII.

My father fought in Vietnam. He doesn't talk about it.