Hello from Canada!

[ambulnick]

What do you do then for a living Lee?

The current generation of the forum software that is being used is by far the best that I've seen (despite its flaws)!

[Linda]

Well thank you for the compliments on our forum Lee, bet our webmaster Operations SGT will be happy to read that

[Batchelor]

Nick, I'm a Technical Communications Writer. We prepare document procedures, user guides, edit and design Web sites, and edit technical articles. My speciality is medical editing, since I have a background in pathology. I was in business for 25 years prior to now and have semi-retired into this new role. Work is a little scanty at the moment thanks to the world economics, but it is picking up. Hence, my comment about how nice this site is.

My URL is: http://thetechnicalwriter.ca
........Lee

[padraigmc]

Lee , damn shame about the way your father and the other vets were treated, though in fairness during WW2 the Canadian's fought hard with the British to have ALL their aircrew commisioned as officers to try and get away from the class based system that meant a pilot couldnt socialise with some or all of his crew while on their bases...and with organistions such as the Maple leaf legacy vert actively working towards photographing every Canadian war grave of WW1 & WW2 at least those who died back then wont be forgotten

Frisco, Fascinating story....have come across a site that honours the Irish who fell in American service ;

http://www.soundoferinradio.com/theycam ... eland.html

There is one lad listed there from near to where i live but despite our best efforts we havent been able to find his grave ..yet !

With regards to your comrade from Armagh , if you want to let me know his details we might be able to find out something at this end...its only a wee bit up the road !

[frisco-kid]

Paddy, thanks for the kind words and the link to a great site.

Don't know many details about my friend. I knew him as Jim Burke, but could have been James or Seamus. He was about my age and lived with his family in Baltimore. I don't remember, or if I ever knew, how old he was when they immigrated. I do remember that he enlisted rather than being drafted. I'm sure he eventually returned to his family in Baltimore rather than Ireland. It's hard to say how long he stayed in the hospital while they repaired his face. Not a big deal. Like I said, I just hope Life was good to him. Thanks.

[Batchelor]

Thanks for the kind thoughts, Paddy. The Canadian government has treated its vets like trash, at times.

To further slap its vets in the face, I believe it was about 1985 or so, the Canadian government decided to award every Japanese citizen $10,000, who was ever detained in a Canadian internment camp just after Pearl Harbour. Perhaps we were wrong to detain these people, but the "Empire" had just destroyed half the U.S. navy at Pearl, along with many lives. How else could we have reacted?

Meanwhile, our troops who were the "guests" of the Japanese in their POW camps, along with their very careful observance of the Geneva Convention, received nothing for their twisted and broken bodies when they walked down the gangplanks. Why weren't these brave (and broken) souls awarded $10,000 each? I would have gladly seen my tax dollars go to them. As far as I'm concerned, our government just gave them one last beating.

It's a fact that more humans have been killed and persecuted by governments, then have died on the battle field........Lee

[GySgtMJones]

Lee,

Sorry to hear how bad your country’s servicemen were treated. I agree completely that a Country should and must show full appreciation for its citizens who serve! The internment camps were bad, it is true. But as you stated, one has to remember the time and what was going on then. America had hers also. Still, how many people have thought about what would have happened had the camps not been established.

I remember a story about a Chinese actor in Hollywood at the time, he was a very familiar actor during that time. He was forced to walk around every where with a sign on his chest which read, “I am a Chinese!” He made the sign himself and wore it because he was constantly being threatened by non-Asians because they thought he was Japanese. The times, they were harsh and not a nice time, still…who attacked whom?

Lastly, yes, why not “take care” of our returning POWs! After all, haven’t they already paid a high enough cost to serve their country! Forgetting to take care of them is simply…a disgrace!

[Batchelor]

Totally agreed, GySgtMJones! Those were desperate times, calling for desperate measures. That's an amazing story about the Chinese individual who had to parade around with his nationality in full view. Another monument to man's stupidity.

On a different note, I wonder how many folks on this forum have had the privilege of meeting Major Winters? Based on the interviews at the beginning of the Band of Brothers series, it would be amazing to sit down and just listen to the stories of the fine men from the 101st. I'm very impressed the way Tom Hanks and Steven Speilberg handled the production. It leaned more towards a docu-drama. There were no blond haired strapping hunks, who saved the world from the enemy, single handed. These were your everyday men who were asked to finish a fight they didn't even start.

I once had a customer in my former business who was on the "other side." He spent most of his war years at the Russian front with the German army. Like me, he enjoyed a good Single Malt and offered to spend an evening with me and tell me his story. Like an idiot, I never took him up on his offer. I'm sure his stories would have been as just fascinating as those of Major Winters' men. Let's face it, most of their guys were there under the same terms. They too would have much rather been home raising a family, to be sure.

Best to you.....Lee

[GySgtMJones]

Lee

I will consider this to be a safe assumption that everyone on this forum would love the meet Maj. Winters. But he has earned his privacy!

Sounds like you missed an excellent chance to hear from the other side

Maybe you will find some Vets in your area that you might be able to talk with, good luck!

Semper Fi

Gunny

[Batchelor]

Hi again, Gunny!

Yes, Major Winters has earned his privacy. Suffice to say he and his men are much admired.

I did miss a great opportunity, for sure. My next door neighbor is from Germany but was only 14 when it was all over. He missed the Hitler Youth by about two months. He and his parents resided in a small village about 150 miles north-east of Berlin. He has told me some amazing stories of survival, mainly after the Russian invasion. Still, that's not the same as being on the Front. All the same, you get an appreciation of what the ordinary German citizen went through. In many ways they were just as terrified as the U.S. and allied soldiers........Lee

[GySgtMJones]

Lee,

I can imagine your neighbor has a lot of interesting stories of trying to survive under Communist Rule. I don't think it was easy!