Tag Archives: WWII

107-year-old WWII veteran finally receives Silver Star

Hooah!

DCG

Last living World War II Medal of Honor recipient passes at 98

Thank you for your service, Woody. RIP soldier.

From New York Post:

“The last living Medal of Honor recipient from World War II — a hero who fought enemy forces with a flamethrower in Iwo Jima — died Wednesday morning in West Virginia. He was 98.

Hershel “Woody” Williams, a former Marine corporal who earned the military’s highest decoration for his bravery in the Battle of Iwo Jima, died peacefully at a veterans medical center, according to The Woody Williams Foundation.

“Today at 3:15 a.m., Hershel Woodrow Williams, affectionately known by many as Woody went home to be with the Lord. Woody peacefully joined his beloved wife Ruby while surrounded by his family at the VA Medical Center which bears his name,” the foundation said in a statement.

Williams was awarded the Medal of Honor after he used a flamethrower and explosives to clear seven concrete bunkers known as pillboxes while under heavy machine gunfire in February 1945.

As all of the men in Williams’ company perished, he kept pushing forward — at one point shoving a flamethrower nozzle into one of the small concrete boxes and killing the enemies inside.

He then refueled his weapon and boldly returned five more times to destroy the remaining pillboxes.

The war hero later said he remembered little from that fateful day and that his mind was “just a blank.”

Read tmore about Woody’s life story here.

DCG

A gin martini a day keeps this WWII vet happy!

Patty looks pretty good for 102!

DCG

Did ‘ya know? Lost US Navy subs & crew are “on eternal patrol”

The other day I read that 52 US submarines and over 3,500 of their crew were lost during WWII. I then found out that those who perished are considered “still on patrol” or “on eternal patrol.”

Pearl Harbor Submarine Memorial

According to the Pearl Harbor Memorial web page, upwards of 55% of Japan’s merchant marine losses were due to American submarines. This came with a high price: The U.S. Navy’s submarine service suffered the highest casualty percentage of all the American armed forces, losing one in five submariners. Some 16,000 submariners served during the war, of whom 375 officers and 3,131 enlisted men were killed.

Here’s a complete list of lost US submarines that are “still on patrol.”

A man by the name of Tim Taylor founded the Lost 52 Project in order to research and locate the US Navy subs that were lost during WWII. From their web site:

“The Lost 52 Project is a long term exploration and underwater archeological project that is documenting and preserving the story of the Lost 52 WWII Submarines, leaving a foundation of knowledge for future generations. Building on our current discoveries, ocean exploration and underwater robotics expertise, our team is organizing, executing and managing expeditions with the goal to discover and survey as many of the lost 52 US WWII submarines as possible.”

Here’s a video of Lost 52 Project’s discovery of the USS Grayback:

Watch family members who lost relatives on the Grayback react to the submarine’s discovery:

Great job Tim Taylor and the Lost 52 Project! You bring great comfort to those whose loved ones are “on eternal patrol.”

DCG