V-E Day 69 years ago

Hats off to the Greatest Generation--69 years ago, on May 8, was V-E Day. I have that day's edition of my hometown paper, the Record-Argus, and in our town of under 10K, to that point we had lost 35 native sons, a big loss no doubt repeated in towns and cities across the nation. One posthumously was awarded the Medal of Honor, an enormously rare honor. Hats off to those lost, those who were there, and their families.
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Sorry...I thought this might show up in "Off Topic", although I did not see that as a choice when I posted. Can a moderator assist? Thanks.
My dad was in the "forgotten war"---India, China, Burma. He would always correct me by saying----"No, we were the generation to which great things happened".
I think the "Off Topic Chatter" tag will take care of the category. Will give it a try anyway.
Actually the history of the American automobile market is very interesting 1946-1955. Maybe the topic will morph into that.
My maternal grandpa was in the Aleutians for much of his service - I suppose his V day is a few months off. Never could get him to give me any stories from the war, but I don't think he saw combat. A brave generation indeed, but not to denigrate them, I don't see others serving with less valor under identical circumstances. Like Shifty says, the circumstances were unique.
69 years later, we still maintain an expensive and omnipresent de facto military occupation in "E" that we can't afford, while many of their ordinary working people live in conditions and with benefits not obtainable by their American counterparts.
As a kid, or even a teenager, I had no interest in all the WWII vets all around me (my Dad enlisted underage but was found out and reenlisted a year later, after the war had ended). I realize now what a colossal undertaking that war was. I know "Saving Private Ryan"'s story is dramatized some, but sheesh, that first twenty minutes makes you feel like you are there. I keep having to tell myself I'm only seeing a movie and special effects. That was supposedly the biggest invasion in the history of the world. I remind myself that we're not talking ancestors from a couple hundred years ago; we're talking fourteen years to the month from when I was born. As Eisenhower supposedly told the men, "Failure is not an option". I simply can't imagine the scale of anything being done like that today, or the joint feeling of "pitching in" that most people had then. Can you imagine not being able to buy a car for four years? Neither can I! Our local paper lists all the liquor stores that were closed to honor the day. I can't imagine that happening again either.
Four miles south of our downtown area was the Shenango Personnel Replacement Depot, where about 900K soldiers were as the last stop before being sent to Europe. My Studebaker dealer friend told me that wherever he used to go to NADA meetings, where he'd have his name tag with hometown on it, people would come up to him and say "I went through the Shenango Depot there".
Speaking of my Studebaker dealer friend, I was very happy to visit the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend last weekend and in the "Club" room, on the Studebaker Drivers' Club bulletin board, was an 8 1/2 by 11 color photo I'd seen before, of my hometown dealer from 1958 with a green Studebaker pickup up against the building with the Mercedes tri-star neon sign in the showroom window plainly visible. I emailed his wife to let them know and she said he'd be happy about that.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Shenango
For young people today, that generation might as well be in the distant past - I doubt most under 30 have firsthand exposure to vets.
The MB-Stude idea is kind of relevant - to think that a mere decade after the victory, those once defeated slowly entered the US market. A generation later, the impact would be significant.
When we were in Italy in 2010, our tour made an unannounced stop at the Florence American Cemetery, which moved me greatly. I heard a twenty-something bimbette in our group say, "Isn't there something like this at Gettysburg?". I wanted to reach out and slap her across the back of the head! LOL
Merely conjecture on my part, but I think somebody at Studebaker saw the possibility of M-B filling in the gap after real Packards were no longer available.
BTW, I can remember a handful of WWI veterans from our town, but none were related to me. One was my best buddy's grandfather.
I've long thought the Packard - MB comparison had at least a little merit. Somewhat conservative style/image wise, but with technical prowess. MB is a much more diverse player globally, but in the US market, there are similarities.
I knew of a WWI vet who lived a few blocks away when I was a kid. I remember he died in 2000 at the age of 102.
We were in London for the 50th anniversary and the vets there were starting to get up in age. Our relation here mustered out of the Air Corps when hostilities ended, and he's "just" 88 now.
I do think the sense of service those guys had just isn't here today, in a general sense...hell, the public's sense of service and duty just isn't there. MHO only.
Coincidentally, I just finished reading 'The Monuments Men'. It provided an additional perspective on WWII in Europe. I'm sure the movie will be more dramatic.
The movie didn't seem to get very good reviews, but we enjoyed it.
It is kind of cool to see a WW2 themed film that isn't about [non-permissible content removed], and IMO, the political m.o. therein.
http://www.stripes.com/iwo-jima-survivors-gather-in-washington-to-mark-anniversary-of-bloody-wwii-battle-1.330589
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Sadly, we have somewhat-equivalents of those Axis nations today - only today, some are masked under commerce, as money heals all wounds.
My guess, only that, is that for every Pearl Harbor survivor who drove a Japanese make later, there were probably three or four who wouldn't touch one. Of course, I could be totally wrong about that.
There were also vets who liked quirky odd cars or low running costs. My grandfather, who was in the Aleutians, would later have both a Toyota and VW, and a NUMMI Nova, if that counts as half a Toyota
I think today is also the 50th anniversary of RFK's assassination - the year the US might have nudged closest to some kind of revolution in the past 150 years.
I don't think people in the military today get that same sense of clear vision and purpose. I know when I was serving in the 1960s (with no particular distinction), I had no idea of why, other than it was my obligation and my time to be there.
In today's professional army, I think it's more like a career opportunity--that's how you justify it.
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He and his mom are still planning to visit Columbia University in July - the head coach of the football program has been in contact with them and he will be attending their summer football camp.
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But, he's leaning more towards West Point now.
What's interesting is that my dad grew up just a few miles away, in Peekskill, before moving to CA when he joined the Navy.
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I remember hearing about the 44 consecutive losses at Columbia. He sees football as a means to an end - not a lot of call for 5'10", 170 pound DB's in the NFL.
He's also being recruited by a local school - University of San Diego. Plus some D2 and D3 schools, as well. But, USMA is at the top of the list.
(well, in reality, Annapolis is at the top, as his paternal grandfather went there. But, they haven't contacted him, as of yet)
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I am reading Martha MacCallum's book about her family's experiences in WWII. The stuff from Midway and Japan are particularly excruciating. And there is evidence the bad stuff was known and condoned right up at the top--including the Emperor, who was Emperor until 1989. Amazing.