Do you know someone who fought in World War II? There probably won't be any left within 20 years

[sonunox34]

The youngest possible WW2 veteran would be 80 years old right now... and this is only if the veteran was 15 or 16 years old during the last year of the war. The median age right now is floating around 86.

[h2][/h2]

[h2]Number of U.S. Veterans[/h2]
16,112,566 Americans were members of the United States armed forces during World War II.There were 291,557 battle deaths, 113,842 other deaths in service(non-theater), and 671,846 non-mortal woundings. As of September 30,2009, there were approximately 2,024,000 American veterans still living.[sup][1][/sup]
[h2][edit] Mortality[/h2]
Approximately 900 American World War II veterans die every day.[sup][2][/sup] The median age for a World War II veteran in February 2007 was 84 years.[sup][3][/sup]


My 86-year-old grandfather served in the Philippines on a Naval boat. I had a great-uncle (rip) who was a sniper in that area as well. Their stories are crazy...

It's just sad that they won't be around much longer. As it said above, 900 WW2 vets die per day. Pretty soon there won't be anyone around to tell the stories.

The main thing I take away from my grandpa's stories is that almost everyone WANTED to be there. It was considered your duty and manly and macho to sign up and go fight the Axis of Evil. There hasn't been another war since then with anywhere near that amount of motivation or voluntary soldiers.

Anyone got any cool stories? Or know any vets?

 

[niketalker23]

I know a few who were aboard the USS Hornet CV-12 during the fight in the pacific..I've actually toured the carrier with them..

 

[king beef]

I used to work with a WWII vet. He passed unfortunately. RIP.


He always used to talk about the fact that he saw things that few people will ever see.

 

[ninjallamafromhell]

My grandpa.  He's got no toes because of frost bite and stainless steel knee caps from trying to take a tank out with a pistol.  They were out of everything else.

He will probably be leaving this world soon

 

[crank lucas]

you're on this little speed boat, smoke, screaming, bullets and bodies dropping everwhere and you're cell door is about to open in 30 seconds

what the hell is going through you're mind?

 

[general johnson]

Yeah, my grandfather, R.I.P.

He worked with explosives and demolition teams in France.

My dad told me that when my grandfather came back home he tried to get on a train and they told him he couldn't get on, but they let German P.O.W.s ride it...

I never really discussed the war with him because when I was a kid I though it would be something that he would not want to remember, but now I wish I had asked him.

He was known in the hood for ko'ing @%$*** who got out of line. I miss him.

 

[thecalculator]

the last real war we fought.

 

[kidfly sniperelite007]

Originally Posted by ninjallamafromhell

My grandpa.  He's got no toes because of frost bite and stainless steel knee caps from trying to take a tank out with a pistol.  They were out of everything else.

He will probably be leaving this world soon

Umm I'm not trying to be funny, but I'm pretty DARN sure you got this from the final scene in Saving Private Ryan fam

 

[36 ounces]

Originally Posted by Crank Lucas

you're on this little speed boat, smoke, screaming, bullets and bodies dropping everwhere and you're cell door is about to open in 30 seconds

what the hell is going through you're mind?

Word to...

 

[calibeebee]

Originally Posted by ninjallamafromhell

My grandpa.  He's got no toes because of frost bite and stainless steel knee caps from trying to take a tank out with a pistol.  They were out of everything else.

He will probably be leaving this world soon

offense but this is the first thing that came to my mind

 

[yoda]

Originally Posted by sonunox34

It was considered your duty and manly and macho to sign up and go fight the Axis of Evil. There hasn't been another war since then with anywhere near that amount of motivation or voluntary soldiers.

This was during the time when men weren't such vaginas.

They get all the respect in the world from me.

 

[nbirn2103]

I know people who were in the 442nd. I wrote my senior thesis on this them in High School. I interviewed many veterans from the 442nd and 100th batallion. They were Japanese Americans who fought for America during World War II. All whom were placed in internment camps (and lost everything) by the US but still fought for America. They had the highest casualty rates of any American units in WWII and are the most decorated unit in US history.

My family was interned during WW II because they lived in the CA. My aunt was born in a camp.

Ironically, the Japanese Americans in Hawaii were not interned even though they were at Pearl Harbor. They were too involved for the economy and held too many gov't position/services.

 

[ninjallamafromhell]

Originally Posted by KIDFLY SniperElite007

Originally Posted by ninjallamafromhell

My grandpa.  He's got no toes because of frost bite and stainless steel knee caps from trying to take a tank out with a pistol.  They were out of everything else.

He will probably be leaving this world soon

Umm I'm not trying to be funny, but I'm pretty DARN sure you got this from the final scene in Saving Private Ryan fam

My grandfather was in the Battle of the Bulge not defending a bridge.

 

[flasheightzero]

my grandpa who just passed a few months ago fought in ww2, took a bullet in the midsection, had a gnarly scar from it

 

[sonunox34]

Originally Posted by Yoda

Originally Posted by sonunox34

It was considered your duty and manly and macho to sign up and go fight the Axis of Evil. There hasn't been another war since then with anywhere near that amount of motivation or voluntary soldiers.

This was during the time when men weren't such vaginas.

They get all the respect in the world from me.

Well, WW2 was a lot better reason to go to war than Vietnam or Iraq. I think that has more to do with it.

 

[jthagreat]

they all get my respect.

 

[Nujavez]

my grandpa Jose... RIP

 

[yoda]

Originally Posted by sonunox34

Originally Posted by Yoda

Originally Posted by sonunox34

It was considered your duty and manly and macho to sign up and go fight the Axis of Evil. There hasn't been another war since then with anywhere near that amount of motivation or voluntary soldiers.

This was during the time when men weren't such vaginas.



They get all the respect in the world from me.

Well, WW2 was a lot better reason to go to war than Vietnam or Iraq. I think that has more to do with it.

I wasn't tryna bring in reasons for why we went to war, but of course thats a reason why.

 

[larryindiana219]

Originally Posted by Yoda

Originally Posted by sonunox34

It was considered your duty and manly and macho to sign up and go fight the Axis of Evil. There hasn't been another war since then with anywhere near that amount of motivation or voluntary soldiers.

This was during the time when men ...

...still trusted their government and bought into the hype... but with the advent of the net and a resurgence of common damn sense, ppl are not as willing to die for colors and symbols they don't actually stand for. Good for them.   That's not taking anything away from those that do serve though. Somebody's gotta keep the world turning, even if why and how it turns is either a mystery or a lie depending on what you hold to be true.

 

[derek916]

i know nothing abut my grandpa other than he worked on a air force base and that white soldiers try to kill him because they thought he was a ***...were chinese






and he refuses to talk about the war so thats the most i'll ever know...sucks because we had a historian who told us how much history is lost because people are just to traumatized to speak about it

 

[what up]

The statistics you posted only tell the story of vets from the United States. Many countries fought in the war - I know Russia had millions of casualities, let alone people who actually served. WWII vets are out there in higher numbers than you think. Even today.

 

[sonunox34]

Originally Posted by What up

The statistics you posted only tell the story of vets from the United States. Many countries fought in the war - I know Russia had millions of casualities, let alone people who actually served. WWII vets are out there in higher numbers than you think. Even today.

But like I said, in 20 years the youngest vets will be 100

 

[hjdm]

My widowed grandaunt living down in Florida lived next door to an old German retiree up until his recent death (R.I.P.

). He served in the Wehrmacht at the Battle of the Bulge. Funny thing was, my granduncle- who died many years back -also survived the Battle of the Bulge, except he was fighting with the American Army.

It's funny how things work out over time... a lot of brave men died on all sides/fronts in that war.  R.I.P. again to all the brave men that fought and died for their countries.

 

[DVMNXK]

WW2 basically shaped the world how it is today, US as the sole superpower...Europe as our "children" (no disrespect).

I find it very fascinating. RIP to all those who fought.

Crazy times.

The wars in our generation were not wars at all.

 

[mytmouse76]

Mr. Tom. I spent a whole summer listening to his war stories. I think he's died since cuz I remember he was really sick. Great guy.