Originally Posted by BlueStreak
Folks, Memorial Day approaches and I, for one will be thinking of the War Veterans in my family; My Father, Edward Artuhur Read, my Uncles, Harold Read, Robert Read, C. Robert Wyndham, Benjamin Moody (All USN, WW2) and my brother John Read (US Army, Vietnam.). I also would like to mention the thousands of military folks who continue to serve our nation, at great risk to themselves, overseas, to this day. All deserve our respect and appreciation.
My Dad and his brothers all joined the Navy on the same day in 1939, when Germany invaded Poland and Britain and France declared war. They new it was just a matter of time. Pop went into Aviation maintenance in Jacksonville. When Pearl Harbor was attacked, he and many others were sent to Pearl to help clean up and rebuild. He never saw any direct action, but as he lay on his deathbed my brother and I got to hear the grisly details of what it was like to "clean-up the mess" after the battle.
My Uncle Harold ended up serving in the Navy until his death, by heart attack, in 1974. He wore combat ribbons from WW2, Korea, and Vietnam. He was on the USS Bunker Hill when it was struck by Kamikazes. The man survived three wars only to be done in by his own ticker.......
Uncle Bob Read was a SeaBee. As a heavy equipment operator, he helped build the airstrips in the South Pacific that bombing raids against Japan were launched from. Including Tinian, where the atomic bombs were launched from. He had many stories of working under sniper fire. (And dealing with poisonous snakes. Until his death in 1992, Uncle Bob hated snakes.)
Uncles Bob Wyndham and Ben Moody were both Submariners.
My brother John was drafted in 1968 and served in the infantry in Vietnam.
He rarely speaks of the war, but when he does it's usually because he hears someone say something ignorant and he "schools" them....never a pretty thing. Also we know a couple friends of his who served with him, who say they pretty much caught the worst of it.
I believe we have some veterans here, and I would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to them as well. Especially our combat veterans, Big Bill and JJIII.
(Correct me, if I am mistaken or if there are any others I am not aware of.)
Gentlemen, I salute you.
Dave
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