Old Military Photos from Hunttalkers

We only ran buttoned up when we had to for training or were off trail driving over / thru the trees. The risk of a widow maker hurting some was too high. Otherwise with all those hatches open it wasn’t bad.

We had this beast too, nothing in the Army’s fleet that it won’t pull out of the worst situation.
I was in 3650th Maintenance Company training at Dugway, Utah when one of these overturned. They needed the big cranes to lift them off the bodies. Not a purty sight. I had to take pictures and do the LOD investigation paperwork while my LT wrote it up in draft form for me to do the formal paperwork. The driver and crew chief was partially ejected. Not sure how it flipped. That part went to higher ups to do a more detailed investigation.
 
I found a picture of my father when he was in the Filippines in WWII. I didn’t even know this picture existed until I saw it in the school where he was a kid and they had pictures of all the servicemen that served from Musselshell, Montana….

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My Uncle Lee served in the US Army in northern Africa. My dad and mom, with a family of boys, moved to Portland to work in the shipyard building military landing craft boats during WWII. My dad was a welder and my mom was "Rosie the Riveter" and also a welder.

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What a coincidence; in addition to helping build a high tension powerline across NY and most of New England to an aluminum plant, working at Laurinburg-Maxton Airbase where they trained glider pilots for the invasion, my Dad was a welder on Liberty ships in Wilmington, NC.
 
Received a pretty cool gift today , a bronze plaque my grandfather picked off the boat that he served on in Korea. He recently passed away peacefully at the age of 92. He served in Korea and Vietnam before retiring from the Navy. He was extremely proud of his service and made sure the last song to be played at his funeral was that dreaded Navy song.

Such an incredible generation between him and his brother (GREAT uncle Bob). He always made sure I emphasized the great. Uncle Bob served in WW2 (Pacific), Korea, and Vietnam. Even at a young age I was always fascinated with listening to them talk about their service time in different conflicts. Eventually, the tide of time turned and they were very interested and intrigued to listen to me and my buddies as we spoke about our time in GWOT and deployments.

Finally got the headstone set for Grandpa at the National Veterans cemetery in Kansas. He loved the Walnut Valley in south Central KS and that's where he'll rest. Uncle Bob got his wish after his passing and is in great company in Arlington.



My grandfather:

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My GREAT uncle Bob:

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The plaque:

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Found this in my mom's desk the other day. It's my dad circa the late 70s early 80s in Germany. He joined in 1969 did two tours in Vietnam and was in the first gulf war before retiring as a sergeant major. I'm gonna find some more next time I'm at her house.20240919_161146.jpg
 
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Got an envelope of pics dad had kept and big sis sent me last week. On the bottom of the stack was a bloody moldy envelope with a faded polaroid inside.

The 909 boat.

Tied to a barge unloading body bags and into a slick. Big black man at the helm, m-16 pointed out. The Chief.
The pair of RayBans and a helmet manning the duece was me.
"No one gets near the boat while we unload" ,was the order.
The stern half gone. Battle colors flying, blackened.
We finished unloading and as I handed the bowline to our sister boat, the "spook" who was with the Marines handed me the pic.
"For the Chief", he said.

No photos ever made it home from the "Ghost Fleet", that I know. All mail was opened and edited.

When we got back to the "Fleet", the Chief was ordered onto a chopper flying out and his 4th and final tour was over.
I was promoted to COB and the 909 was back on patrol a week later, like new.
I stuck the photo in the bottom of my seabag and forgot about it.

My dad didn't.

Sat. I put the pic inside the old envelope and in a new one and sent a note to his daughter, a retired Rear Admiral.
For "The Chief" ,1973. Mission accomplished. Patrol over, back at base.
The best Man I have ever known.

Enough said. Still Kicking.
 

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