WWII Veteran

[Baxter6551]

Today I was having lunch with my wife and another couple at our local Longhorn celebrating a couple of birthdays. I saw an elderly gentleman with a walker going past our booth and noted his WWII Veteran baseball hat. When I got up to use the restroom I saw he was having lunch alone. As we were preparing to leave I approached him, rendered a salute, and thanked him for his service. I asked about his service and he said he had been in the Navy. He volunteered he was 100 years old, had been married for 72 years before his wife passed 2 years ago. He said he lived alone (son a mile away), drove his car and handled his own finances. He said from the waist up he was still going strong but the legs were tired of supporting him. Our group talked with him for a few minutes while I found his waitress and paid his check. She said he comes in for lunch 2-3 times a week and if a customer doesn't recognize him and pay his check, then the restaurant staff takes care of it. It was truly an honor for me to meet him. So few of the veterans from this era left.

**Edited to add:

My father was Army 39-45. He enlisted before the war obviously and by 1941 was a buck Sgt company clerk in Fort Drum NY. His CO thought he was Officer material so sent him to OCS in Grinnell Iowa. From there he went to the pacific as a "special services officer" responsible for setting up entertainment from troops but also was a top secret courier. He was a 1st LT by end of the war. He died in 1983 and I never really talked to him about the war. Sure wish I had.

I had another member (Beemerguy53) ask for the restaurant location so he could contact them and arrange to pay for some more of this veterans meals. Don't know if it's permissible to post here, but I will PM the info on the restaurant if anyone else wants it.

Edit 12/2 - Beemerguy53 told me he called the restaurant and spoke with the manager who sold him a gift card the restaurant will keep and use towards the Veterans meals ! Excellent!

 

[CALREB]

My Dad was a Navy Veteran. 1941-61. He would have been 100 this year also, but passed in 2004. These gentlemen are becoming a rare breed. So glad to hear that people are showing them respect. Will adjust my tip next time I am at a Longhorn. Thanks for the story...

 

[two-bit cowboy]

Good for you.

We're losing the "Greatest Generation."

Worse, we're losing what they did for us.

All Hail the Vets who saved our Republic. Then and now.

 

[Onomea]

Well done, Baxter. Thank you on behalf of us all.

 

[Rudi]

Good on 'Ya! We are in great need of more men like him/them.

 

[Old 44 Guy]

You did just fine, Baxter. Good on you. All of my WW2 friends are gone, had many with great stories. Wish I had recorded them. I was in during the Korea thing but stayed state side, so no stories from me.

 

[chief38]

Great call Baxter! Not many left from that era - nice report. Growing up I tried to talk to my Dad, neighbors and relatives who were in the armed Services during WWll but none of them really shared their stories. Yea, just surface stuff, but never got into any in depth conversations of specific instances. My Dad would always change the subject. Many of them were also injured - again, no one liked to talk about that either.

 

[Rustyt1953]

Dad never knew he was part of the greatest generation until he read it in Brokaw's book in '98.

 

[TXBryan]

Our local Lions Club sponsors an annual Veteran's Day lunch always set for 11:00AM on November 11. Been going on for over 20 years and this year we had over 50 veterans including one WWII veteran. He is 102 and an Army combat vet who fought in Italy, attained the rank of Captain, and wears a small CIB on his lapel. Typical of his type he is modest to a fault.

Our small community, like many other small towns, seems to have provided fighting men and women in unusually high numbers for our meager population. Our town even has a MOH recipient, the first Marine awarded the Medal of Honor during the Viet Nam war. He's from New York City but settled here some years ago.

A good friend from church, a Viet Nam Vet, expressed disappointment when he recently had someone anonymously pay for his lunch because he did not get a chance to thank them. I offered that a "you're welcome" would have been more appropriate as paying for his lunch was "the thank you." He hadn't looked at it that way. Amazing humility - typical vet.

Bryan

 

[Krogen]

Uncle Joe was WWII Army. He talked to me once about it. It was at Mom's urging. So the kid knows . . . . It pained him and he never talked about it again. I always thought he was an enlisted man, he never said otherwise. I didn't know differently until his funeral. Uncle Joe was a Lt. Colonel.

To all of the armed forces, and particularly to my Uncle Joe: Thank you from the depths of my soul for doing what you did for us.

 

[Baxter6551]

Text moved to original post.

 

[Greyman50]

Like many here my Dad and all uncles were in WWII. All Officers and 1 Md in the Pacific. Md would rarely talk about his service, his LST got sunk. My Dad was in Italy and his brothers in France, Belgium and Germany. They all actually got together in Switzerland when war was over.
Have not seen a WWII Veteran at our VFW or around here. Would surely Thank them and pay their tab wherever. We Owe them Everything for what we have.

 

[PALADIN85020]

This old guy and I became fast friends after the pastor at our church suggested I get to know him.

Dick flew P-47s in Europe during WWII. He also became a gun collector after the war. He is pictured here with me in DC where I was his guardian during an Honor Flight.



Dick passed away a few years ago and willed me the Walther PPK he carried for personal protection during the war.

I miss him a lot.

John

 

[cherrypointmarine]

Myself and the Tuesday range crew were at lunch a couple of weeks ago . In walked this guy with another man with him . The older guy had a WWII Veteran hat on . After we finished we went over to say hi . We're all vets so we thanked him and talked a bit . He was a bomber pilot over Europe , then did 20 years in the USAF . After that an airline pilot . To look at him you'd say mid to late 70's . He told us his secret is to stay busy and keep his mind active . We said goodbye and paid for his meal , least we could do for a member of that great generation .

 

[Sistema1927]

I have pastored the same church since 1989. When I first came we had a good number of WW2 veterans. Over the years I have buried every one of them, the last about five years ago.

It was an honor and privilege to know each and every one of them.

 

[hivel37]

Several uncles were WWII vets. One was stationed on Ascencion Island
out in the Atlantic between Brazil and Uganda. A fuel stop.
Another was drafted at age 36, trained as an MP and
rode trains moving Japanese-Americans out of California.
Regrets about not talking more to those guys.

 

[anoblefox]

My FIL was a WW2 veteran, and he will be 101 years old tomorrow! I will be calling him late morning, since he no longer gets up early. He used to shoot skeet with Robert Stack and Burgess Meredith; my wife was there during that particular shooting event. My FILs neighbor was Charlie Buck and I still have the knife that was engraved by him when we went to the factory.

 

[Onomea]

...I had another member (Beemerguy53) ask for the restaurant location so he could contact them and arrange to pay for some more of this veterans meals. ...

Very classy guy, Beemerguy53. Well done!

 

[Tom S.]

Just to add a little levity, my father had an uncle who lived in the same town as my dad. Each winter, Dad and his wife would head south, but my step mother's large family would look in on Uncle periodically to make sure he was doing OK. Like the gentleman in the OP, Uncle Walter lived a long life, passing just shy of his 102 birthday. Anyway, the town they lived in had no mail delivery so Uncle Walter drove to the post office 6 days a week, plus to the store when needed. When Dad returned one year from their winter hiatus, Uncle Walter told dad he wanted to look at new cars. Uncle Walter was 98 and his car, a Buick, was 20 years old but only had 40,000 miles on the odometer. My dad asked why he wanted to look at new cars and Uncle Walt said "Because there is something wrong with mine - it keeps jumping over curbs."

Uncle Walter stopped driving shortly afterwards...

Thinking of both Uncle Walter and the gentleman mentioned in the OP, just think for a moment of the changes they saw over their lifetimes. They went from candles and kerosene lamps to electrification, coal to natural gas, horses to self propelled carriages. They witnessed two world wars, the great depression, the communications revolution, medical miracles and a host of social changes - both good and bad. I wish I had spent more time with both my Dad and Uncle Walter to talk to them about their lives and I cherish the stories they did tell me.

 

[RT44nut]

I'm sure reading these posts make a lot of us remember special heroes we knew. I grew up in a small town with several vets that as a young person didn't realize what they had witnessed. Daddy died when I was young and Mama married a WWII vet that served in the 82nd. Never thought about what a target a paratrooper was until I saw the scar that went from his belt and across his chest. He said it was 3 days before it was stitched up and another round had gone through his K rations! John Mims, one of General Patton's jeep drivers ran a little jewelry store in town. I didn't have a clue until years later. Another gentleman that I cut his grass told me he was in the Calvary and the best day he remembered was when the army quit using horses. He asked me if I ever thought about what a large target a man was on a horse in the middle of an open field. I wish I'd listened more and taken notes. I would like to be able to say a special thanks to all these men as well as the women who made it possible for them to serve.