My Daddy's Medals from WWII came in the mail today

[john14_18]

My Daddy was in the Army from 1933-1954. He fought in WWII and Korea.He was a tank commander in the 2nd Armored Division and retired as a M/SGT. He died in 1969, when I was 16 years old. He would never talk about the war, never. He kept his original medals in a footlocker and to my knowledge, never told anyone about them or showed them to anyone. One time when I was about 12 years old, he had his footlocker open and I saw the Silver Star he had been awarded and asked him how he got it and he said " I was doing my job".
Over the years, the medals were misplaced and about a year and half ago, I contacted the National Personnel Records and they sent me his military records, which was 112 pages. They also said they would send me duplicates of his medals, which I received today . One of the many battles he fought in was the Battle of the Bulge, and was in Normandy 3 days after the Allies landed. I never realized what a brave man he was. But he, likes hundreds of thousands of other young men, in their eyes,were just " doing their job".

I hope no one thinks I am bragging because I didn't do anything to brag about, but I am so proud of my Daddy for what he did and men like him. I have attached a page that describes how he got the Silver Star and a list of his citations and I encourage anyone that is a Veteran or a family member of a Veteran to order their Military records because it is amazing what you will learn.

 

[Ole Joe Clark]

You are not bragging, you are giving credit to your Dad for defending our freedom. He, your Dad, made you justly proud of him, even though he would not talk about his service.

God bless his memory, thank you for sharing it with us.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

 

[Rustyt1953]

That is a fine tribute to your dad and makes us proud of him as well.

As Woodrow Call said: " Splendid behavior!"

 

[sheepdawg]

Most war vets that saw action won't talk about it. My dad wouldn't talk about the fighting part, he had nightmares about it. He'd open up about all the other stuff including the P.O.W. camp he spent over a year in. Be proud of him as i am of mine and don't be afraid to let everyone know it.

 

[les.b]

Yes...we are all proud of you father!! Thank you for sharing with us.

Best Regards, Les

 

[Lee Barner]

that is why they are called "America's Greatest Generation". thanks for sharing. lee

 

[Onomea]

That citation is impressive. A courageous man, your daddy, for sure. You are right to be very proud of him.

 

[Redbert31]

Thank you so much, John14_18, for sharing with us all the great courage and character your wonderful Dad possessed. Through you, we thank your Dad for his service so many years for our country. My Dad was in the Navy in WWII and talked sparingly about his service and also received some medals which were lost before he married my Mom. I have his honorable discharge. How would I go about requesting his service records and duplicate medals? He died before I was 25 and I'm now a senior citizen and I'd love to receive this information to share with my children and grandchildren which he never lived long enough to meet. Thank you, Linda (Redbert31)

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[WardenRoss]

Thank you for posting this. You should be proud. Your Dad was a great American!

I need to do the same for my Dad's records and medals. He was in both WWII and Korea.

I will see if I can figure out how to request this from the information that you provided.

 

[Watchdog]

I can only imagine how proud you are. Looking at that collection and reading the citation put a lump in my throat. Thank you for sharing those.

 

[meaneyedcatz]

America is great because of the sacrifices of men like your father.

 

[eb07]

American Badass. I am thankful for men like him. They allowed me to enjoy the freedoms I have without having to hide from nazis or japs to do it.

 

[rwsmith]

I think that you Father....

I think that your Father would have rathered that you didn't brag about it. They speak for themselves.

 

[BaldEagle1313]

Tried ordering Dad's. The reply was that his records were lost in the 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center.

I don't even know where I would start to try and find his records from Canada.

 

[britbike1]

Men like that are the reason we're not eating sauerkraut with chop sticks. This country was built by people who would rather get hurt than give in. When they were younger nobody would dare take a knee in front of them, now that they are older I still don't think it would be a good idea.

 

[vigil617]

You probably know that your dad's Silver Star is the third-highest award for valor in the U.S. Army. 2nd Armored Division had 2 Medals of Honor, 23 Distinguished Service Crosses, and about 2,300 Silver Stars for the entire war. Your father was in very elite company, and you rightfully should be proud of him. As an NCO, he was part of the backbone of the Army, and as a tanker who survived against mechanically superior weapons of the Germans, he was both a fortunate and a talented professional. When you read about what the 2nd Armored "Hell on Wheels" Division did at the Battle of the Bulge, you will understand the important role your father's unit played in blunting and turning the German offensive. I am sure he saw a lot that he would never want to talk about over so many years of war. You honor his memory by keeping it alive for your generation and those of your family's to come.

 

[kmyers]

Fine way to honor your dad. Often the better stories of men who served and did their job are those that few will ever learn the story. One of the books both my brother and I liked to read and learn the history was Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors about the battle of Samar and the task force Taffy 3. That was because our dad was on the escort carrier Gambier Bay which was sunk during the battle. We learned that after researching his service days and learned some of his record. Taffy 3 was recipient of the Presidential Unit Citation and he also received a Bronze Star with V and Purple Heart.

 

[fordson]

No brag on your part, just fact. Your father, from reading his SS citation, was quite a soldier. You are justly proud of him. Thanks for sharing.

 

[john14_18]

I can't thank all of you enough for your kind words. Today has been a very emotional day for me. I just hope this country never forgets what my Daddy and countless numbers of other men and women like him did for this country and the over 400,000 that died for it in WWII alone. But, as I look at what is going on in this country today, I have my doubts.
I have sent PM's to those that requested how to start on getting the service records because I wasn't sure if I could post the link on here. If I can help anyone with the process of obtaining the service records or citations, please PM me.

Again, thank all of you for your kind words and sharing your thoughts and experiences.

 

[Golddollar]

Thank you for your dad's service.