War stories

[minux]

Valid point, MInux. Certainly, neither dad nor my grandfather ever elevated war or boasted about their exploits. The terror and sheer stupidity and inhumanity of it was all too clear from what little they did tell.

I consider myself lucky, I can't think of anything worse than fighting in the old trench warfare style, but they did it for god and country without hesitation. Can you imagine our call up today? The young punks I see around wouldn't last a night without mummy let alone having to fend for themselves in the toughest environments imaginable. Where did our honour go?

What sort of idiot asks a soldier or even ex soldier that. What do they expect you to say? "Oh yeah man tonnes. Was just non stop"

It comes up as soon as anyone asks what I did in the army...I got so tired of it that I now tell people I was just a cook. Much easier.

 

[hi_ryder]

i was all set to go in the US marine corps in early 2001, failed an asthma test. guess it wasnt meant to be, doing time on the prison island instead. my best friend got through, did 2 years in iraq. keep in touch here and there, hes a career military man now and is always busy. also keeps his war stories to himself. (aka staff sergeant Rojas)

my brother did 4 years in the army, 2 active in bosnia (1995-96), 2 in germany. then after that was up did 8 years in the national guard. hes told me bits and pieces but keeps most of it to himself. his basic training stories are very entertaining, drill instructors were madmen...

granddad did a bunch of years in the navy on a destroyer and served in the korean war. alot of his stories involved him stitching up sailors after alcohol fueled punch ups lol. (at least those are the ones i heard) he was one of the ships medics. he met my grandmother after the war, she was a nurse. he retired after selling pharmaceutics for like 35 years. (schering company, yea he petaled drugs)

i hold current and prior service people in high esteem, thanks to all you who have served. especially those who gave all...

 

[sleek_vp]

well i dont realy know much about storys in my family in those times but my great grandfather served in gallipoli from 1916-1918 as a weapons carrier (found his info on ancestry) and fell of a horse and broke his hip and had a limp for the rest of his life. i got his army hat handed down to me which i wear on anzac day and an original family portrait of him his brother and his mum and dad the day before he got shipped of from brisbane in 1916- still in excellent condition. my pop (his son) didnt go to war as he was a farmer in kingaroy at his familys farm but i asked him if he would've served he said- if need be not by choice- i watched a documantary about australia before and after ww1 and it was devastatiing then ww2 came only 21 years later. pop said everyone was scared and very weery, we got it pretty fkn good in this day and age.

 

[Full Spectrum]

My nephews took me to the 1000 steps kokoda track memorial walk in ferntree gully. btw beautiful memorial great atmosphere people are so respectful and appreciative their.

Up we bolted in 10 min, down we ran. Up the longer track and down we ran. Afterwards we sat down sore toes mud everywhere moaning at how hard that was - then we paused a moment to reflect. How hard was that really?. We weren't getting shot at night and day carrying 40+kg of weight on our backs eating mud having all types of things crawling in on and around us. Nope. we have it pretty cushy don't we.

 

[JMP]

I can understand some peoples views on not talking about their experiences. My missus grandfather was MIA at one stage after his plane got shot down and he never spoke about it, he took all his experiences to the grave with him. In a way I think that's sad because we should all know what our troops went through so we can fully understand and appreciate everything they have done for us as far too many take the past for granted

 

[Jesterarts]

I dont know a great deal of my family during the war being I am from Poland.

What I do know is my great grandfather and grandmother were part of the nderground resistance operating just outside Warsaw. Both were captured and promptly executed at a wall were kids now play downball.

My grandfather was in the polish army, though by all accounts he wasn't very good at it as he kept getting shot. 9 times from memory.

Heard some stories, though I imagine they were quite watered down seeing as I was quite young.

 

[minux]

well i dont realy know much about storys in my family in those times but my great grandfather served in gallipoli from 1916-1918 as a weapons carrier (found his info on ancestry) and fell of a horse and broke his hip and had a limp for the rest of his life. i got his army hat handed down to me which i wear on anzac day and an original family portrait of him his brother and his mum and dad the day before he got shipped of from brisbane in 1916- still in excellent condition. my pop (his son) didnt go to war as he was a farmer in kingaroy at his familys farm but i asked him if he would've served he said- if need be not by choice- i watched a documantary about australia before and after ww1 and it was devastatiing then ww2 came only 21 years later. pop said everyone was scared and very weery, we got it pretty fkn good in this day and age.

Hey buddy, just so you know, Gallipoli (dardanelles) went from April 25 1915 to Jan/Feb 1916. Just thought I'd let you know in case you weren't sure

 

[minux]

I can understand some peoples views on not talking about their experiences. My missus grandfather was MIA at one stage after his plane got shot down and he never spoke about it, he took all his experiences to the grave with him. In a way I think that's sad because we should all know what our troops went through so we can fully understand and appreciate everything they have done for us as far too many take the past for granted

My wife knows everything I went through, she has my psych case file from the ADf etc. It helps her deal with a few of my issues lol. I just think thats the only one that needs to know.

I dont know a great deal of my family during the war being I am from Poland.

What I do know is my great grandfather and grandmother were part of the nderground resistance operating just outside Warsaw. Both were captured and promptly executed at a wall were kids now play downball.

My grandfather was in the polish army, though by all accounts he wasn't very good at it as he kept getting shot. 9 times from memory.

Heard some stories, though I imagine they were quite watered down seeing as I was quite young.

Man, Kayes family is polish, when they fled Poland in WW2 her mum was just a baby and her father was captured and executed also, I know it was not far from Warsaw. Knowing the size of the resistance in various operational areas chances are our families knew each other!

 

[c2105026]

My great grandad (Grandma's father) was on the western front, he was an Englishman who enlisted with the Australian army. He got shrapnel in the arm. That and who would be classed these days as PTSD greatly contributed to his alcoholism. In WW2 he was an air raid warden their house had a bomb shelter for the neighbourhood.

My Grandad was in the airforce as a plane mechanic in QLD in WW2. His service records suggest he was a scally-wag. My Granma was one of the many women mobilised for the war effort, she was in a meatworks. We reckon she had a boyfriend/fiance who went off and never came back (She got real emotional Anzac Day, and she got married quite late for her generation, and we found an engagement ring in her stuff that was unaccounted for...) Not sure what my Nan did WW2 (I think she was one of the first female science teachers in NSW), but my Pop was a farmer (i.e. essential services), and he was an air warden. Oddly enough my Pop never liked Jews.

My Dad just missed out on being a Vietnam conscript. He was born 27 April 49 at 11.56pm, they were calling for 28 april 49. OTOH he was at Uni at the time, so it meant he would have been made officer, and they had enough officers anyway, so he may not have been called up officially....

I and my brother have no war experience. Personally, I am a bit of a pacifist. I would only ever join the defence forces if Australia was under definite and clear danger.

 

[JMP]

My wife knows everything I went through, she has my psych case file from the ADf etc. It helps her deal with a few of my issues lol. I just think thats the only one that needs to know.

I can understand that and respect your choice, personally I think too many people now a days don't appreciate what our service men go through nor treat them with the respect they deserve.