There will be a memorial formation flight over the Sacramento National Cemetery at approximately 1 pm this Sunday, followed by a flyover of the USS Hornet in Alameda. There will be approximately 20 aircraft. I will be among them.
Memorial Day
- Thread starter Jerry Bransford
- Start date
My Father enlisted in 1939 at the completion of his 4 year college degree in Geology. He could see the war coming and wanted to be part of it.
He joined the Marines and became a marksman in BT. He scored very high in many areas in testing and ended up becoming part of the Admirals Detail and was deployed to Peril Harbor in late 1940. He was on the Enterprise when the Japanese attacked as part of the Admirals staff. He moved to the Yorktown when it was deployed to the Pacific after the attack and saw combat at the battles of Coral Sea and Midway. He was one of the last men off the Yorktown before they tried to salvage it. He went on to Guadalcanal and several other battles in the island hopping campaign all while being on the ship as part of the intelligence group surrounding the Admiral while also manning defensive gun batteries.
In Mid-43 he asked to be transferred to the Marine flight school in Texas to be trained as a combat pilot. He was out and certified on single and multi-engine planes by mid 44... most notably the F4U Corsair and the P61 Black Widow. He was again deployed into the Pacific to fly cover for the bombing of Japan. He recorded 6 confirmed kills in 5 weeks flying cover for the landing on Okinawa. Just weeks before the bomb drop he was deployed with 11 others in P61's to fly night missions over mainland Japan. A few days later they got hold orders... the bombs dropped and it was over.
He ended up a Lieutenant Colonel and was given a path to remain in Marine Intelligence but declined and returned to school in 47 to work on his PhD in Physics. He passed away in 2014 at the age of 95 and is buried in the Veterans Cemetery in Boise Idaho.
He joined the Marines and became a marksman in BT. He scored very high in many areas in testing and ended up becoming part of the Admirals Detail and was deployed to Peril Harbor in late 1940. He was on the Enterprise when the Japanese attacked as part of the Admirals staff. He moved to the Yorktown when it was deployed to the Pacific after the attack and saw combat at the battles of Coral Sea and Midway. He was one of the last men off the Yorktown before they tried to salvage it. He went on to Guadalcanal and several other battles in the island hopping campaign all while being on the ship as part of the intelligence group surrounding the Admiral while also manning defensive gun batteries.
In Mid-43 he asked to be transferred to the Marine flight school in Texas to be trained as a combat pilot. He was out and certified on single and multi-engine planes by mid 44... most notably the F4U Corsair and the P61 Black Widow. He was again deployed into the Pacific to fly cover for the bombing of Japan. He recorded 6 confirmed kills in 5 weeks flying cover for the landing on Okinawa. Just weeks before the bomb drop he was deployed with 11 others in P61's to fly night missions over mainland Japan. A few days later they got hold orders... the bombs dropped and it was over.
He ended up a Lieutenant Colonel and was given a path to remain in Marine Intelligence but declined and returned to school in 47 to work on his PhD in Physics. He passed away in 2014 at the age of 95 and is buried in the Veterans Cemetery in Boise Idaho.
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I have traced our family back to 1630.
We have had family die in the Revolutionary War. The war of 1812. Thr Civil war. WW1. WW2. Mt grandfathers both saw combat in the Korean War and lived. My father did not go to Vietnam due to being the last of our bloodline and not eligible for the draft. He had his personal reasons for not serving. I tried, long story but was medically separated right after basic. I served in LE instead.
I remember and love all who gave all. I truly mean it, and my kids know the difference but…that’s a perfect explanation Jerry. Thank you.
We have had family die in the Revolutionary War. The war of 1812. Thr Civil war. WW1. WW2. Mt grandfathers both saw combat in the Korean War and lived. My father did not go to Vietnam due to being the last of our bloodline and not eligible for the draft. He had his personal reasons for not serving. I tried, long story but was medically separated right after basic. I served in LE instead.
I remember and love all who gave all. I truly mean it, and my kids know the difference but…that’s a perfect explanation Jerry. Thank you.
We have done the same, this is a monument our family had put up after my grandfather passed away, he was a WW2 Seabee. My family has served in every war upto Desert Storm.
My wife’s grandfather passed away on Sunday at 97. To me he was a bonus grandfather and treated me like a grandson. His father died when he was 13, enlisted at 17, flew 50 combat missions in WW2 as a tail gunner, college on the GI bill and then a small business owner. 5 grandkids, 7 great grandchildren. To him, he lived the American dream.
Remembering all those that served and never returned.
This picture always invokes great emotion for me.
This picture always invokes great emotion for me.
I can understand why. The look on the young man's face says it all. I immediately teared-up...
Had to share a bit more. They don’t make’m like they used to. The only reason we have these records is because my MIL tracked them down when he was in his 80s. They were buried in a box in their old house. He did his duty but never wanted to glorify it and whenever we asked him about his service he only talked about his friends who didn’t come back.
Great message @Jerry Bransford . And for everyone who served or is still in the armed forces, Thank you for your service!
Then you have Dementia Joe tweeting "Stay cool", and VP Harris tweeting "Enjoy the long weekend". That is not what Memorial Day is about.
Yeah.... exactly right, but even showing this to a kid is grounds for cancelation these days. However, if you tell them that all of those tombstones were achieved in colonial quests for White Dominance of the world you get a cookie....
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Please join me in a toast to our Veterans who are no longer with us this Memorial Day weekend.
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