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0Scarlett_nidiyilii
Guest
My grand-dad’s CO was Jimmy Stewart.
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Tis_Bearself
Patron
My dad also enlisted after Pearl Harbor. His older brother who was considered the brains of the family decided to enlist, so of course my dad had to tag along and do whatever his brother did. They figured a draft was coming, and it was better to enlist early and pick your service branch. They both chose the Navy. Dad got assigned to the medical corps because he had a high school diploma. His brother ended up part of a flight crew on Torpedo Squadron 8 that was filmed by John Ford and then all killed at Midway except for one pilot. Dad’s brother got the Distinguished Flying Cross posthumously. Dad ended up as a sole surviving son.
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RolandThompsonGunner
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Much respect. It’s been so long since we’ve fought a peer that we forget how costly it is.
Tis_Bearself
Patron
Yeah, the sheer number of deceased military at places like Midway, Pearl Harbor and Normandy are almost incomprehensible to people today. I remember reading and hearing about how families lost three or four sons.
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Tommy999
Guest
My father-in-law was a sergeant in WWII and fought in Battle of the Bulge. His company captured and frisked a Nazi SS officer during that battle who claimed at the time that he didn’t have any weapons on him. He was lying.
My father-in-law took the pistol from him and kept it for posterity, sending it back to the states in the mail to a sister for safekeeping.
He didn’t like to talk about the war much, as it generally brought back tough memories for him, like the death of friends and fellow soldiers. However, I was able to coax that story out of him when he was in his late 80’s.
The best part was at the end of his story, he smiled and asked me, “Do you want to see it?”
He went into a storage closet and brought it out and let me touch and handle the vintage German pistol.
My father-in-law took the pistol from him and kept it for posterity, sending it back to the states in the mail to a sister for safekeeping.
He didn’t like to talk about the war much, as it generally brought back tough memories for him, like the death of friends and fellow soldiers. However, I was able to coax that story out of him when he was in his late 80’s.
The best part was at the end of his story, he smiled and asked me, “Do you want to see it?”
He went into a storage closet and brought it out and let me touch and handle the vintage German pistol.
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Pattylt
Guest
My dad enlisted in the army air corps and was stationed at Pearl Harbor just after the attack. He was supposed to go into flight training but they had too many to honor his request. So, he switched over to the army and was a signal corpsman…this sis why he was stationed at Pearl Harbor. He had to deal with all the Morse code transmissions and could even “speak” Morse code…using dah’s and di’s to speak it.
His brother, my Uncle went into the Navy and served in the Pacific theater. He would never talk about those experiences except to my dad as they both shared some horrors. My Uncle did have several medals from his service but I have no idea what they were.
By the way, they were from Dayton, Ohio.
His brother, my Uncle went into the Navy and served in the Pacific theater. He would never talk about those experiences except to my dad as they both shared some horrors. My Uncle did have several medals from his service but I have no idea what they were.
By the way, they were from Dayton, Ohio.
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Irishmom2
Guest
You can look that up online if you are interested, @Pattylt. I found my dads records, well, what wasn’t burnt in a fire at the VA years ago… 
Don’t ask me how I did it, but I even corresponded online with someone that said yes, he should have received a POW medal. He didn’t. So I got one online, I don’t care that it didn’t come from the government.
Don’t ask me how I did it, but I even corresponded online with someone that said yes, he should have received a POW medal. He didn’t. So I got one online, I don’t care that it didn’t come from the government.
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Pattylt
Guest
I.did.not.know.that!
My uncle never married and it would be interesting to know where he served and his medals!
My uncle never married and it would be interesting to know where he served and his medals!
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Irishmom2
Guest
You can start here!
www.archives.gov
Pretty sure that is what I used.
Military Awards and Decorations
How Do I Request Military Awards and Decorations? Important information for Next-of-Kin Cold War Recognition Certificate The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) does not issue service medals; that is a function of each military service department. Requests for the issuance or replacement of...
www.archives.gov
Pretty sure that is what I used.
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on_the_hill
Guest
In 1998 I was able to request a Purple Heart for my grandfather, a WWI vet, because it wasn’t awarded until 1932 and was made retroactive.
That year he was also awarded the French Legion of Honor, which France gave to all living veterans of the Allied Expeditionary Forces for the 80th anniversary of the war’s end.
After he passed away the medals came to me.
That year he was also awarded the French Legion of Honor, which France gave to all living veterans of the Allied Expeditionary Forces for the 80th anniversary of the war’s end.
After he passed away the medals came to me.
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Odilon
Guest
Neat rosary. As for a WW2 experience story, my Dad was a U.S. Navy Seabee who served in the Pacific area of operations. He came down from Canada at the age of 22 (He had dual citizenship) and joined the Navy in 1943 in Laconia, NH. He was sent to Camp Perry Va. for recruit training and then was sent out to California for further training before shipping out.
While in California his unit supplied the Color Guard for various functions around the Los Angeles area, and he also visited the famous “Hollywood Canteen”, dancing with some of the most popular starlets of the day. He then shipped out and served in New Guinea, The Philippines, and a few other small islands. His unit was scheduled to be an early participant in the invasion of mainland Japan and he and his buddies breathed a sigh of relief when the war ended because of the two atomic bombs.
He finished out his overseas tour as part of an occupation force in China of all places, finally returning back home to Montreal, Canada where he met my mother (who was his sisters friend) at his homecoming party and because of that meeting here I am writing this little piece on his WW2 experience. He lived to the ripe old age of 90, a hard working man who took good care of his family.
While in California his unit supplied the Color Guard for various functions around the Los Angeles area, and he also visited the famous “Hollywood Canteen”, dancing with some of the most popular starlets of the day. He then shipped out and served in New Guinea, The Philippines, and a few other small islands. His unit was scheduled to be an early participant in the invasion of mainland Japan and he and his buddies breathed a sigh of relief when the war ended because of the two atomic bombs.
He finished out his overseas tour as part of an occupation force in China of all places, finally returning back home to Montreal, Canada where he met my mother (who was his sisters friend) at his homecoming party and because of that meeting here I am writing this little piece on his WW2 experience. He lived to the ripe old age of 90, a hard working man who took good care of his family.
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RolandThompsonGunner
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The rules used to be so much more lax. War trophies are the best.
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tafan2
Guest
I am not for sure that rosary is completely original. My understanding of all US issued service rosaries is that the center piece was always the same. One side should have an image of Mary, the other side has an image of Jesus carrying the cross. From what I can tell, the crucifixes apparently varied when they were issued. It should be in the range of 16-17 inches long. Yours looks like it might be a silver plated version. The rosaries were typically made of “gunmetal”, and distributed through army chaplains. However, the government did make silver plated ones specifically for chaplains. Yours looks a shiney enough to be silver, if it is not, I would be skeptical if it is authentic at all. The wire connector between the pull chain beads and centerpiece/crucifix should be a solid soldered ring, that is another question mark about the rosary you picture.
The US government did not produce any rosaries for service men in WWII, only in WWI. Although there are stories of chaplains giving them to soldiers in WWII. I can only assume the army had a large surplus at the end of WWI and it was used during WWII.
ruggedrosaries.com makes a good replica (not the correct centerpiece) or lenght, but still good and very, very durable which I use for my everyday rosary. I am notorious at breaking rosaries, and in general I do not like rosaries made of rope. But this replica one has lasted me almost two years. Which I would have never believed before I bought it, considering my history of breaking rosaries.
Hope this info helps.
A few years ago I found an authentic WWI rosary on ebay and got it for $75, when it arrived it was the real deal. I have been looking off and on the last year or so, wanting to buy one for a good friend of mine, but they are always two or three hundred dollars.
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tafan2
Guest
Here is a WWI service issued rosary on EBAY that I believe is authentic. Note the cenerpiece, it is for sure the correct one. The rings are not soldered, which the one I had seen in the past did have them soldered. Perhaps I am mistaken about them being manufactured that way.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/BEAUTIFUL-...498183?hash=item2d0f2345c7:g:TzUAAOSwdPle7glC
Another one
https://www.ebay.com/itm/SCARCE-CHA...540301?hash=item1f09b0610d:g:FVUAAOSww0ZeIL9Z
And here is one that confuses me. It is obviously old, and all the patina on the various parts match, but I have never seen the centerpiec of a service rosary that looks like this on, and the material looks like a different brass alloy than gunmetal. But the French also issued rosaries to soldiers from the mid to late 19th century through WWI. I also believe the Austrian-Hungarian Empire did so. Wonder if it is one of theirs.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/WWI-MILITA...457178?hash=item1a9be26cda:g:6SUAAOSw1nZdkVI9
https://www.ebay.com/itm/BEAUTIFUL-...498183?hash=item2d0f2345c7:g:TzUAAOSwdPle7glC
Another one
https://www.ebay.com/itm/SCARCE-CHA...540301?hash=item1f09b0610d:g:FVUAAOSww0ZeIL9Z
And here is one that confuses me. It is obviously old, and all the patina on the various parts match, but I have never seen the centerpiec of a service rosary that looks like this on, and the material looks like a different brass alloy than gunmetal. But the French also issued rosaries to soldiers from the mid to late 19th century through WWI. I also believe the Austrian-Hungarian Empire did so. Wonder if it is one of theirs.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/WWI-MILITA...457178?hash=item1a9be26cda:g:6SUAAOSw1nZdkVI9
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tafan2
Guest
One final note on the type of metal. From what I once read, the Army issued a request for the rosaries from several companies initially and various metals were submitted with the initial lots. After that the Army standardized on the specific gunmetal alloy they wanted. So it is possible there are ones around that were different brass alloys, but were not what was finally approved by the army.
I did a lot of research on these at one point, and a couple of the web sites that had really good information seem to be no longer available. I will try to find some references again when I get a chance.
I did a lot of research on these at one point, and a couple of the web sites that had really good information seem to be no longer available. I will try to find some references again when I get a chance.
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