Veterans Day...

Sister Betty wrote about WW11....The 'big one' as Archie Bunker called it.


We 4 sisters lived with Daddy at different times in his life. But the Daddy I knew hated war. I remember watching the 6 o'clock news with Daddy during the Vietnam war. Daddy said..'If I had a son going to be drafted into this war I would do anything I could to send him to Canada to keep him from going to war'...But wait...Vietnam was just a 'conflict' ...right..


I asked Mom why Daddy enlisted. She said there was a drout that year and the crops were ruined. Daddy went into town to buy groceries and the town was just women, young kids, and very old men. Daddy felt bad and enlisted right then.  Chuck enlisted with him...They probably went to town together. Patsy said Dad enlisted because he knew he was getting drafted and did not want to be a foot soldier.  I choose to believe Mamma...


Daddy told me they has a Sargent...or perhaps it was even a higher rank...but his men hated him...one night they were fired upon by the Japs...The Sergent was killed. Daddy thought one of his own men killed him...I am sure my Daddy did not shoot him but I am also sure he knew that the American did kill him.


I remember Daddy speaking of the famous picture of the flag being planted on the hill...Daddy said that was all a hoax...The service men he served with could have cared less about planting a flag...They were just worried about staying alive.


He also said after the war was over the American service men took Japs captive and brought them back into camp...Then there was a rule the American  soldiers had to share their water rations with each captive they brought in...Daddy said no one brought captives in after that..making me think they just killed them the spot.


Daddy also said many times the people in the Army are mainly the poor under class people.


Daddy said when things were rationed in the states many of those things were plentiful where he was at. Mom used to save her rationing stamps to send Daddy cigarettes. Cigarettes were plentiful where Dad was at. He tried to tell Mom this in many letters but they were censored and these letters often arrived with lines cut out of them...Finally he told Mom he had quit smoking and she quit sending Cigarettes then.


When he got out he was dropped in 29 palms. He hitch hiked home and made it in a day or so. He said service men would be picked up by anyone then and he made it home as quick as he could have driven it himself.


I also remember after Daddy got home Mama said he had a lot of issues. jumpy and mad a lot.


When the Korean war started Daddy said he and Charge was in Dad's bottom field working. He said Betty Lou came running across the field. She had got a letter from the State Department saying Charge had to report back to the service. Daddy told her to calm down. They were not going there. She said they would have to go. Daddy kept telling her no, they would not go. Finally she said well what are you going to do if they come for you...Daddy said,"We have guns."


Daddy hated war and in his last few days of his life I think he relived many things about his war life.  None of the memories seemed pleasant.