Imagine a military recruitment program like the Brits had just prior to WW1. Neighborhood men would take the King's shilling, and serve together in the same unit. Of course when WW1 came along, entire neighborhoods were wiped out in a single day of trench warfare. There's a reason you see so many "Great War" monuments in England.
Here's to the Bedford boys. A Co, 116th In, 29th Div, H-Hour D-Day, Dog Green Beach, Vierville exit 1. 19 out of 34 lads from a single hamlet in VA died in minutes. As with the Brits, Regional recruiting is both a strength and heartbreaking...
They had to cross up to 250 yards of gravel into the face of 3 major defiladed emplacements equipped with an 88mm AT, 50mm AT and a tank turret. The current caused nearly all of the first wave LCA's to drift left and land on the wrong beach. A Co had the misfortune of landing right on target and all alone.
SPR's Cpt Miller, (Tom Hanks) lands in the 5th wave, behind the entire 1/116th Rgt, into the slaughter of Dog Green...Those troops with the Blue/Gray shoulder patches are the 116th.
James Brooks - As you mentioned, whole British neighborhoods and districts of ‘Pals Battalion’ volunteers were wiped out in WWI. Many of them died on the first day of industrial slaughter known as The Battle of The Somme. One of my Dad’s friends’ father was a survivor of one of Manchester’s numerous Pals Battalions. At my state school, whole classes were lost in the trenches of France; their class photographs forever wreathed in black bunting. One of my school chums was shocked to learn that his grandfather’s best friend had ‘won’ a Victoria Cross while they were together in France. His grandfather once quickly corrected him by saying: “No lad, my mate earned that Victoria Cross the hard way.”
CDR Salamander - My Mum's youngest brother was Killed-In-Action in 1951 during a desperate hold-at-all-costs action over a muddy crossroads near a small Korean town. My Korean wife and I visited the site nearly 25 years later and the town was fairly large. The local Koreans had erected a small memorial at the site of the fighting - it was beautiful and well-tended. When my wife went to a local florist, everyone wanted to know who 'the foreigner' was at the memorial. When my wife told them that I was visiting where my uncle had died, people quickly came to join us. Soon, the mayor and the city council, along with a very old man came to join us. The old man's family owned the land where most of the fighting occurred, and had witnessed the fighting as a youngster. Various fighting positions, some with rotting sandbags, still littered the site. The old man explained that his father had told him to never forget, and to never fill in the fighting positions - this was sacred ground... My wife and I ended up having a wonderful dinner late into the night with the mayor, selected guest and the old man. We learned that every April the local school children and the town have a small ceremony at the site, thanking 'the strangers' who came and saved them from the Communists. I think my uncle would have been pleased to see what his sacrifice accomplished.
When I travel rural England, or France, I am always struck by the weathered granite Obelisk in the center of every small village listing the names of the honored dead from the "Great War"
My family is scattered to the 4 winds. A few cousins have the scoop on our family history here in America back to the 1700's. I don't know of any Flowers or Evans' antecedents dying as a Serviceman in wars but 2 served in the Revolutionary War, 1 was killed trying to stop Rebel foragers stealing local cattle in Tennessee during the Civil War, my dad and 6 uncles served in WWII, dad and 2 uncles served in the Korean War, 8 of my generation served in the Vietnam Era, 3 of us in the war itself, 2 of us served in Desert Storm. One of my son-in-law's was a career sailor, 3 of my foreign born brothers-in-laws were sailors, 4, 26 and 31 years service; 1 a Vietnam vet and 1 Desert Storm. We were extraordinarily fortunate to have no war dead.
Good Morning CDR Salamander, Mississippi, you say…
My Aunt taught Weather at Kessler Air Force Base! I was sent to my Aunt… 1974!
My memories are etched in my brain!
I love Mississippi! Thank your for sharing! Nurse Jane
" We few, we happy few, we band of brothers. For he to-day that sheds his blood with me, Shall be my brother."
Henry V- William Shakespeare
Imagine a military recruitment program like the Brits had just prior to WW1. Neighborhood men would take the King's shilling, and serve together in the same unit. Of course when WW1 came along, entire neighborhoods were wiped out in a single day of trench warfare. There's a reason you see so many "Great War" monuments in England.
Here's to the Bedford boys. A Co, 116th In, 29th Div, H-Hour D-Day, Dog Green Beach, Vierville exit 1. 19 out of 34 lads from a single hamlet in VA died in minutes. As with the Brits, Regional recruiting is both a strength and heartbreaking...
They had to cross up to 250 yards of gravel into the face of 3 major defiladed emplacements equipped with an 88mm AT, 50mm AT and a tank turret. The current caused nearly all of the first wave LCA's to drift left and land on the wrong beach. A Co had the misfortune of landing right on target and all alone.
SPR's Cpt Miller, (Tom Hanks) lands in the 5th wave, behind the entire 1/116th Rgt, into the slaughter of Dog Green...Those troops with the Blue/Gray shoulder patches are the 116th.
Cross Channel Attack.
https://history.army.mil/portals/143/Images/Publications/catalog/7-4.pdf
Absent Friends...
James Brooks - As you mentioned, whole British neighborhoods and districts of ‘Pals Battalion’ volunteers were wiped out in WWI. Many of them died on the first day of industrial slaughter known as The Battle of The Somme. One of my Dad’s friends’ father was a survivor of one of Manchester’s numerous Pals Battalions. At my state school, whole classes were lost in the trenches of France; their class photographs forever wreathed in black bunting. One of my school chums was shocked to learn that his grandfather’s best friend had ‘won’ a Victoria Cross while they were together in France. His grandfather once quickly corrected him by saying: “No lad, my mate earned that Victoria Cross the hard way.”
Timely and thought provoking; thank you. War is costly.
The link for “Grand monuments” is broken. What monument is it?
Iwo Jima monument.
The Wayback Machine has it archived: https://web.archive.org/web/19990220120751/http://www.webtravels.com/iwojima/
BTW, the Iwo Jima link is dead. The Wayback Machine has an archive of the site, however: https://web.archive.org/web/19990220120751/http://www.webtravels.com/iwojima/
Too bad the people who should read this will never see it.
Every name has a story.....
....Memory Eternal! 🕯️
CDR Salamander - My Mum's youngest brother was Killed-In-Action in 1951 during a desperate hold-at-all-costs action over a muddy crossroads near a small Korean town. My Korean wife and I visited the site nearly 25 years later and the town was fairly large. The local Koreans had erected a small memorial at the site of the fighting - it was beautiful and well-tended. When my wife went to a local florist, everyone wanted to know who 'the foreigner' was at the memorial. When my wife told them that I was visiting where my uncle had died, people quickly came to join us. Soon, the mayor and the city council, along with a very old man came to join us. The old man's family owned the land where most of the fighting occurred, and had witnessed the fighting as a youngster. Various fighting positions, some with rotting sandbags, still littered the site. The old man explained that his father had told him to never forget, and to never fill in the fighting positions - this was sacred ground... My wife and I ended up having a wonderful dinner late into the night with the mayor, selected guest and the old man. We learned that every April the local school children and the town have a small ceremony at the site, thanking 'the strangers' who came and saved them from the Communists. I think my uncle would have been pleased to see what his sacrifice accomplished.
Thank you for sharing that, Henry.
Any conflict involving the National Guard/militia could also have multiple casualties from the same location.
When I travel rural England, or France, I am always struck by the weathered granite Obelisk in the center of every small village listing the names of the honored dead from the "Great War"
Thank you for posting CDR Sal. Thank you also for the reminder of what is truly important. Let us not forget.
Sad but heartwarming stories nonetheless. Thank you for sharing!
My family is scattered to the 4 winds. A few cousins have the scoop on our family history here in America back to the 1700's. I don't know of any Flowers or Evans' antecedents dying as a Serviceman in wars but 2 served in the Revolutionary War, 1 was killed trying to stop Rebel foragers stealing local cattle in Tennessee during the Civil War, my dad and 6 uncles served in WWII, dad and 2 uncles served in the Korean War, 8 of my generation served in the Vietnam Era, 3 of us in the war itself, 2 of us served in Desert Storm. One of my son-in-law's was a career sailor, 3 of my foreign born brothers-in-laws were sailors, 4, 26 and 31 years service; 1 a Vietnam vet and 1 Desert Storm. We were extraordinarily fortunate to have no war dead.
Kinda' amusing in a way. Some of the most vociferous posters remain silent on such an important yet non-contentious subject.
May the Memories of our Fallen Comrades be eternal in the Eyes of the Lord!
Annual remembrance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70Ikj1hZDnw&list=RD70Ikj1hZDnw
Walmart has Memorial Tables set up this weekend. Stop by and Remember them.