Family History Tales

[radx]

My grandfather faught the Japanese during ww2 along side American Paratroopers and with the British Commandos. He was a Bren Gunner.

My great uncle was KIA during WW2 as a pilot for the RAF somewhere in Europe.

Most recently my distant cousin was KIA in Iraq via IED. He was a recon dude.

[roland]

All that are little stories [franckly I didn't read all yet]: do you have an ancestor that had eaten his colonel ? I'm sure not. Me yes
He was in the Napoleon army in Spain and got prisonner by .. the British I don't remember in witch battle (what the Brits were doing in Spain, I don't know too, may be were pissing Napoleon off, as if he didn't had enough problems with the Spaniars but that is an other story) So he was prisonner with his group and was sent on a tiny Island: Cabrerra. and they forgotten them ....... Once the prisoners eat everything on the island, they started to die of starvation. After the war, when each camp had to release there prisonners, the Brits had there memory refreshen by the French about those prisonners and they rushed to the island. Most of the prisonners were dead and, since there had been acts of canibalism and since my ancestor survived, in the family, we say he eaten his colonel
All that is true, there was a book about it where my family name appears.
bloody Rosbif..

Next time, if you're nice, I'll talk to you of my ancestor that had eaten the Elephant of the Vincenne zoo near Paris

[memphiz]

The Selective Service System can't draft foreign nationals in the US on student visas into the US Military. The story is Bull****.

Im not going to argue with you at all, I respect your opinion.

But I was watching a show on the history channel called "Canadians in Vietnam" and alot of Canadians who were living in the US got drafted. Many were students.

But then again the 'official' number on Canadians who served in Vietnam doesnt exist

[HavocIRL]

My grandfather was in the LDF(Local Defence Forces) during WW2. He was taking part in a training exercise with no live ammo on him when a German plane crashed down near where his section was training. The officer, eager for medals, ordered them over to the wreckage whereupon(In my grandfathers words) a giant blonde haired, blue eyed luftwaffe pilot stepped out of the wreckage. He took a step towards them and looked at the men around him with their weapons(Without ammo) pointed at him and then quick as a flash drew his pistol. The men in the section were just about to dive for cover when he flicks the pistol around and hands it to the officer who was a bit shocked at the sight of it. The German was imprisoned for the rest of the war. My grandfather told me that the pilot settled in Ireland after the war but I'm not sure whereabout.

His brother, joined up with the British army. he fought with the 50th division in Normandy. While clearing out a farm house a few miles from the beaches, his platoon were attacked by some Germans. After a short fight the Germans waved a white flag. My granduncle and another chap were sent forward to capture them while the rest of the platoon covered them. All the Germans came forward at once except 2 who were behind the main group. As my granduncle moved toward them, one of the men leaned forward to reveal a machine gun strapped to his back, the other man pulled the trigger and sprayed the two soldiers. However the man with the machine gun leaned forward too far and ended up shooting both soldiers in the legs and shins. the British Platoon returned fire and killed both the Germans.

The other guy was wounded and evacuated. My granduncle got one of his arteries severed and lost a leg. Luckily the field hospitals at the beaches were only 10 mins march from the front so he didn't die.

[11F5S]

The Selective Service System can't draft foreign nationals in the US on student visas into the US Military. The story is Bull****.

Im not going to argue with you at all, I respect your opinion.

But I was watching a show on the history channel called "Canadians in Vietnam" and alot of Canadians who were living in the US got drafted. Many were students.

But then again the 'official' number on Canadians who served in Vietnam doesnt exist

To get drafted you had to be registered, anyone on a VALID student visa was not required to register with the SSS and therefore wouldn't be drafted.

Perhaps they were not on valid student visas, or they were students in the US on resident visas; perhaps they wanted to serve so they registered or perhaps they were ignorant of the laws. Maybe they flunked out of school and didn't want to admit it to friends and family. There are many reasons...hell they may have enlisted and told people they were drafted.


ALIENS ** REQUIRED TO REGISTER?

Lawful non-immigrants on visas (e.g., diplomatic and consular personnel and families, foreign students, tourists with unexpired visas (Forms I-94, I-95A), or those with Border Crossing Documents (Forms I-185, I-186, I-444). No

Permanent resident aliens. Yes

Undocumented (illegal) aliens. Yes


NOTE: Immigrants who did not enter the United States or maintained their lawful non-immigrant status by continually remaining on a valid visa until after they were 26 years old were never required to register. Also, immigrants born before 1960 who did not enter the United States or maintained their lawful non-immigrant status by continually remaining on a valid visa until after March 29, 1975 were never required to register.

[memphiz]

The Selective Service System can't draft foreign nationals in the US on student visas into the US Military. The story is Bull****.

Im not going to argue with you at all, I respect your opinion.

But I was watching a show on the history channel called "Canadians in Vietnam" and alot of Canadians who were living in the US got drafted. Many were students.

But then again the 'official' number on Canadians who served in Vietnam doesnt exist

To get drafted you had to be registered, anyone on a VALID student visa was not required to register with the SSS and therefore wouldn't be drafted.

Perhaps they were not on valid student visas, or they were students in the US on resident visas; perhaps they wanted to serve so they registered or perhaps they were ignorant of the laws. Maybe they flunked out of school and didn't want to admit it to friends and family. There are many reasons...hell they may have enlisted and told people they were drafted.


ALIENS ** REQUIRED TO REGISTER?

Lawful non-immigrants on visas (e.g., diplomatic and consular personnel and families, foreign students, tourists with unexpired visas (Forms I-94, I-95A), or those with Border Crossing Documents (Forms I-185, I-186, I-444). No

Permanent resident aliens. Yes

Undocumented (illegal) aliens. Yes


NOTE: Immigrants who did not enter the United States or maintained their lawful non-immigrant status by continually remaining on a valid visa until after they were 26 years old were never required to register. Also, immigrants born before 1960 who did not enter the United States or maintained their lawful non-immigrant status by continually remaining on a valid visa until after March 29, 1975 were never required to register.

Thanks for clearing that up.
My uncle told me when he was in highschool he had a couple buddies go down to the US and joined the Marines to fight in Vietnam.

[memphiz]

Moms side:
Father-
Joined the Royal Canadian Engineers in 1939, served in the 10th division Overseas Contsruction Coy. Basicaly digging trenches, building railways etc.. Served until 1945, left the army and became a carpenter and lost 2 fingers, Died in 1962. My mom was 4 at the time.

Mother-
Born in Scottland, and left for England in WW2 to be a nurse. While in England there was a bombing raid done overnight and the next morning when they went to see the damage outside her apartment building they found an unexploded bomb sitting in the courtyard.

Anywho, they met in England, then came back to Canada after the war to start a family etc..

Dads side:
Grandpa-
Joined the Winnipeg Grenadiers and was shipped off to defend Hong Kong in 1939. Was held as a POW by the Japanese for 4 years. Was rescued by the USMC in 1944.

Uncle (grandpas son)-
Joined the RCAF in WW2 and wanted to be a pilot, btu couldnt see well enough. Decided to be a door gunner, but was to big. SO he joined the logistics and bought and sold stuff for the Air Force.

My mom also had an uncle who was blown up by a land mine (was thrown at him) and another uncle was robbed and murdered on a ship in ww2.
I also have a great great great grandpa who served in the B69 1st Company Battery of the Belgian army.
http://img23.exs.cx/img23/6587/Haegeman.jpg

[EvanL]

My family history is a very interesting one.
My moms side especially.
On my moms side, i have great great great great relatives that were killed in the french revolution. I am also related to a Pirate named Bluebeard. He killed his wife and children and a whole bunch of other people and then fled to the seas or something. Thats why they say all the boys (hellians as my grandma called us) in my family are cursed. Criminalism runs in my family. Uncles in jail. COusins that spend most of their time in and out of jails.
But me i have avoided all of that fun stuff.

Ok but for military history on my moms side. Her grandfather didn't serve in WW1 because he had 14kids to look out for. French Canadian families are too huge.
Her dad i have talked alot about on this site. He served in the Lake Supperior Regiment throughout the whole war. He fought all the way from Normandy up Belgium, into Holland, and then penetrating into western Germany. He came over from the U.K. in the early 30s and moved to Bigger Saskattchewan, and rode the rails throughout the depression, hanging on to the bottoms of railcars for days even. They actually got kicked out of their village in England because my greatgrandfather was apparently a drunk and criminal. (hence the cursed part)His family paid for them to move across the pond.
My mom had about 2 cousins who served in Vietnam in the 60s. One who lost a leg an arm and an eye but other than that was fine. And another who came back unscathed but suffered serious PTSD and his life was ****ed forever.

My dads side.
The Lloyd family in medevil times took Cardigan Castle from the Earl of Pembroke who later went on to conquer Ireland.
Both of my dads grandfathers fought in WW1 for the British.
And his father was an engineer for the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers in India during WW2. He contracted Dysntrey* while in India during the war. Ive posted some pictures of him on the site a while back.
After the war and my dad and aunt were born they moved from the UK to Canada and he took up a job working for Chubb.
My dad didn't serve in the military but instead decided to go into Journalism and did that for a good 15years before turning to foreign affairs, and has since left and took up a job with the Canadian INternational Development Agency.

Thats about all i know for now.

[walford]

My father was an NCO in the 535th US Army Engineer detachment and participated in the construction and maintainence of the worlds 1st floating nuclear power plant [regardless of what the Russians might say] the MH-1A Sturgis. She powered the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal from 1968 until decommissioned in the mid-1970s.
http://www.almc.army.mil/alog/issues/SepOct01/MS684.htm

[-=TFN=-Karab]

My father is currently serving in the US Army. When he was 18, he was on a bus to Boot Camp (USMC) one week after school was out. After a few years of service he got out. Tried to get a job. Figured military was much better. Joined the National Guard for college cash. Slapped him into a tank without any training--- he did fine. Got out of that. Then finally joined Active in Army. I won't give too much specific detail about his position-- but he's got a G-3 position working here at the USASOC HQ at Bragg Given 20+ years to the country and has loved it all. PCSing to McDill AFB for a higher position for USSOC this summer(rather than USASOC). WOOT! Florida here I come!!

Three of my uncles (on my father's side) have served in the Army. Two of them got out, one of them is still in (last time I checked) as an Infantryman for the Army.

One of my cousins just got out of the USMC after being deployed to Iraq twice and Haiti once. Had his finger sliced off from his machete while sheathing it (disrupted sheath). USMC pays him medical pensions for the faulty equipment. But he said it severed all the nerves and he didn't feel a thing-- they sewed it back on. His wife doesn't like it (USMC life) so they moved back to Oregon to take care of their newborns. He was stationed here at Lejeune.

Another one of my cousins is currently serving in the Navy. I have hardly ever talked to him-- living the life of an Army Brat doesn't keep you close to home-- so I don't know exactly what he does. He joined up about two years ago.

My mom's side of the family... All the males have served in their Army because Korea (South) has cumpulsory service for all "normal" males. None ever stayed in it for longer than the required service time however.

Back to my father's side... Our first ancestor to arrive in North America came from Germany (I suppose for search of work). He arrived in the mid 1700s. What's BEAUTIFUL though is that he served on the Colonial side against the British as a 1st Lieutenant during the War for Independence We have his service number and everything--- it's in the 3000s (I'd rather not put up the number because I don't want any psychos to look it up and find out our family's last name-- nothing personal ). Which is something we all admire. He was one of the first three thousand or so to serve this country. I guess it is in our blood to be patriotic.

And now... I'm going to carry on the legacy. I figure as soon as I get out of High School-- I'll either go to college on an ROTC scholarship (no, I don't have high hopes-- I'm rather a very intelligent kid.... in the top of my class) or join up and go Infantry my first three years. What I do is undecided as of yet. But, a friend of mine (who is in the Army currently) said "Go Infantry your first three years because then when you switch MOS's everyone will think you are hardcore." I love this country, I love this military, I want to be a part of it.

[wiking]

This is a story i've heard from my sister.

A girl in her class had a grandfather or great grandfather who was planning to emigrate to the US in the early 1900's.

He got a ticket, sailed to england to board a ship, but managed to miss it.
He was of course very angry about this, spending lots of time and money just to miss the bloody boat.

He turned out to be one of the luckyest men in the world, the ship he missed was the Titanic.

As far as i know he canceled his plans to move to America and stayed in Norway.

[barake]

my grandfather was at midway just before the battle. he was drug all over the pacific during WWII installing and working on sonar and radar stuff, which was pretty new back then. came home and worked on pinball machines, and later arcade machines till he died about 15 years ago. his ship was sunk in the coral sea. not many people survived, they were in the water for 3 days, and there were sharks. sharks on tv or movies would cause him to have bad dreams for weeks.

my two uncles were both in vietnam, my dad had an existing foot injury and he couldn't sign up. my oldest uncle has all kinds of interesting stories. he was a radio operator on a ship, and spent a ton of time on land, too.

a few years ago my cousin joined the army, and ended up in the rangers. he has since been discharged. he is not in good shape, mentally, anymore.

both sides of my family fought in the civil war, and some are even famous. i need to look up info on them sometime.. should be interesting.

[Dexx]

My grand father was born in 1916 and joined the Wehrmacht in 1936 after being mistreated by his employer and couldn't find another job. He served in the 487 Inf Reg/ 267 Inf Div( http://www.feldgrau.com/InfDiv.php?ID=178 ) from Belgium over the Channel Coast in France , the battle of encirlcement of Minsk and Byalistok to Moscow with the 4. Panzerarmee in late 1941. He got the Iron Cross II and I. Close to Moscow he was taken POW by the Russians. He once told me the story of this event: He was hiding with two other soldiers in a field. Then a Russian unit came out of the blue and began shooting at them. One of the soldiers ran away and my grandfather didn't know what then happened to him. He and the other one threw away their rifles and gave up. Standing there, the Russians came over and gave the other soldier a headshot. Then he was taken POW until 1950. He once told me that he didn't wish his worst enemy to endure the time of being a POW in Russia; must have been horrible. Another thing what stayed in my mind was that he said he lost the best years of his life in the war/Russia.

His brother served in Norway. When he should be transferred to Russia the plain crushed and he died.

My grand grandfather served in WW1 and got instantly killed by a headshot at Verdun.

[wiking]

Great story Dexx, your grandfather was lucky to be one of the few who made it back. Who did his brother serve with, and where in Norway was he based?

This is the story of the grandfather or great grandfather of a girl who went to school with my sister.

while he was young he made plans to emigrate to america, he saved up money and bought a ticket. He got on a boat to England where he was to board a ship bound for America.

Unfortunately he managed to come in just a little bit to late and missed the boat. He was pissed as hell, alot of time and money had gone into this trip, and now he missed the ship.

In hindsight, he was among the luckyest buggers in the world, the ship he missed was the Titanic. I assume he went home to norway and stayed here.

[RSK]

Both of my grandfathers were about 13 to 15 years old when the war ended in 1945. They lived around the city of Knin in the province of Dalmatia, Yugoslavia.

Upon the occupation of Yugoslavia by the Axis Dalmatia was incorporated into the Independent State of Croatia.
http://www.pavelicpapers.com/documents/isc/index.html

Upon the establishment of the ISC mass murder and the Ustasa program of genocide against Serbs, Jews and Gypsys began thankfully my grandparents survived the Ustasa slaughter of 1941-1942, mostly thanks to the Serbian Chetnik Uprising of 1941 against the Ustasa.
http://www.ravnagorachetniks.org/istorija_e_2.asp

My greatgrandfathers from my fathers and mothers sides were both Chetniks in with the Dinaric Chetnik Division under the command of Duke Momcilo Djujic who was under the command of allied General Dragoljub Draza Mihailovic in Serbia.

As Chetniks with the DCD, my g. grandfathers helped establish a safe area for Serbs of Dalmatia, Lika, W. Bosnia from further Ustasa slaughter.

But,as you can read on http://www.ravnagorachetniks.org/istorija_e_2.asp the DCD was attacked by Communist bands under the command of Josip Broz Tito.

With the backstabbing actions of G. Britain giving aid to the Communists my Grandfathers in the DCD retreated to Italy and further into the free world. Settling in England and Canada.

As for my grandfathers they stayed behind in 'occupied' Yugoslavia under Communist rule not being able to get good jobs or security because their fathers were Chetniks and fought on the allied side.

Picture Links:

One of my g. grandfathers
Standing Top Right:


My Great-Grandfather from my mothers side in the middle:


DCD Commander Vojvoda "Duke" Momcilo Djujic:
http://www.pogledi.co.yu/galerija/dcd/vojvoda/index.php

Officers and Guerills of the DCD:
http://www.pogledi.co.yu/galerija/dcd/vojnici/index.php
http://www.pogledi.co.yu/galerija/dc...nice/index.php


Cheers!

RSK