Category: WWII Veteran

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The 79th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor Bombing is this weekend. Dec 7th, 1941

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Time to come out of our bunkers.

This coming weekend is the 79th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl harbor December 7th, 1941. I was only 2 years old at that time so I had no idea what really was going on.

Here is a story by a man who was there that day, and is still alive:

Sterling R. Cale realized something wasn’t right on that fateful morning. He was just 20 years old that day. He was a Navy hospital pharmacists mate stationed there at Pearl Harbor.

He had just finished breakfast when he noticed something happening at Battleship Row. He thought, How come they are bombing the battle wagons? “We don’t train on Sunday!”

While he was watching a plane came by with the Rising Sun on the fuselage. He said, “My God, those are Japanese planes!”

He ran and walked into the shallow harbor waters, to retrieve wounded and dead bodies over the next two hours. He said, “I only picked up 49 people.” He went on to say, “Some of those people were gone already. Some others were so badly burnt the skin would come off of their hands when I tried to help them.

There were others that were tired because they had been blown off a ship, or had jumped and had to get to shore.”

Cale, who is 98, is the last surviving military person from the attack on the Hawaiian Islands. His home is just a few miles from where the attack occurred.

He said, ” It is always on my mind. I know what happened, how it happened, but not whay it happened.”

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I had three uncles who fought in WWII.

One was a Sea Bee. Another was an infantry soldier, and the third was a tanker.

All three had vital things they contributed to the war during their enlistment.

The uncle who was in the See Bees, put in very important bridges and roadways to help our men and women fight the war.

The second uncle was wounded in France. His company was overwhelmed by German forces. He had to play dead, while the Germans came through to check for survivors. If they were still alive they shot them. He was a very lucky hero.

The last uncle was the driver of a tank fighting against the Japanese. He had two other crew members in the tank with him.

One day he had stopped to rest and get some fresh air in his tank. That turned out to be dangerous. A Japanese soldier was near, and dropped a grenade into their tank. The blast instantly killed his best friend next to him, and everyone else was wounded.

He never wanted to talk about it, because he felt he caused the problem by opening his tank up.

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Are you being strong?

Have you had some bad times? Does everything seem to be closing in on you?

You are not alone, my friend. There are over 10,180 veterans in this site who have your back. They care for you and want the best for you.

However, if you are overwhelmed, and frustrated, GET HELP!!

Here is a toll free number for you to call 24/7. When they talk to you it is all free.

There are highly qualified counselors there to help you. They will not hang up until they know you are OK

1-800-273-8255 Option # 1

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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The Battle for Okinawa was Fierce and very Dangerous

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There seems to be no let up in the turmoil we are facing right now.

The pandemic is having its way. The rioting is back, and people are on edge.

The pandemic is spreading very fast. In my home state of Oregon, we have over 1,000 virus cases each day. I am on complete lock down because of health issues, and that goes way back to last March. Nine long months of staring at the walls.

It alarms me that the people are rebelling against their governments, because they do not want to wear masks or go into shut down. They care only for themselves and no one else.

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President Trump is having more troops come home from deployment.

That is very good news for the families. What a great timing for the holidays.

President Trump is in a up hill battle for the presidency. The democrats are all over him to concede. Being President Trump, that is not an option. He is battling until the outcome is really known.

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I thought I would give you another excerpt from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

This is an excerpt about a WWII veteran that lives right in my hometown of Salem, Oregon. This young man (Age 100) has a story to remember. I will share part of it and you will have to read the rest in the book.(This is call a hook. )

I was doing some grocery shopping when I noticed a guy wearing a WWII hat. I said “Thank you for your service.” He acknowledged my greeting, and we went our separate ways. I continued shopping and I saw him again. I asked him were he was while in the service. He said Okinawa. That was one of the hottest fighting spots during the war. We did some more chit chat, and then we parted ways again.

As I left him I woke up and thought, “Why didn’t you ask him for an interview?? I was kicking myself all the way to the checkout. I came around a barrier at the check stand, and there he was!!! I felt then that this interview was meant to be.

I asked him if I could interview for my book. He said, “Of course,” and he gave me his card. His card said Bob’s Hamburgers. I knew exactly what that place was, because I ate at that restaurant every day when I walked home from school.

I asked him where he got that card. He said, “It is mine!” I looked at the card again, and it said Bob Corey. I was speechless! This guy sold me a hamburger every day, and I even remember talking to him a few times. That was over 60 years ago.

We set up an interview and we went on our ways. I met with him at his home, and sat down on the couch with him. He couldn’t hear very good, so I had to speak louder.

I asked him where in Okinawa he was stationed. He said at the ship yards. He went on to say that they unload all the ships when they came in. He was a Captain and was in charge of a group of men who help unload the ships.

I stated that there were lots of bombing going on in that area. He said, “Oh ya, we had to scurry many times, because some of the planes were Kamikaze pilots.”

I asked him. “What was you worst moment?” He said, “I fell off one of the ships between the ship I was on and a barge that was very close. They both were swaying back and forth. I had to swim fast so that I wasn’t crushed.”

I then asked him what was the worst thing about being there. He said, “The never ending bombing. “

He went to share much more, but you be able to read it in the book.

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How you are doing my brother/sister?

We are tumultuous times. It is hard, at best, to cope. ‘

Fear not.

There are over 10,100 veterans here who have your back.

However, if it just too overwhelming for you right now, GET HELP!!

Here is a toll free number for you to call 24/7 and it is free. There are highly qualified counselors there to help you. They will not hang up until they know you are OK.

1-800-273-8255 Option #1

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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The Transition to Civilian Life is Tough For the Military

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Just saw a video about Swedish soldiers in training. They looked awesome. They will be great at helping us defend. They are just one of many allies who are preparing for battle.

This tells me that we are in good shape at this time. We had trouble getting support in the past. Very reassuring.

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There are rumors that President Trump is going to have the National Guard watching polling places. What do you think of that? I am in favor of that after seeing how many cases of fraud and destroying of ballots have occurred already. What ever we can do to have a vailed election.

My state has had mail in ballots for years. Seems to work here, but states that have never had it before have too many chances for mistakes.

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I lost a very close buddy a couple of weeks ago. He was a veteran like me. He was out riding his bike and had a heart attack. The loss is extremely hard. Still grieving over it.

Have you lost a Military buddy? I have lost three total. Each one was devastating to me.

Two were while I was on active duty. I shared these stories in an earlier posts.

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What many of us face when we get out of the military is acceptance. The transition is hard, at best. Some adjust quickly, but others who deal with PTSD, TBI, depression, etc., have a hard time facing the world. It is those that I am reaching out to in my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of life.

I share my own stories, and then relate them to the reader as how to overcome their fears.

One story I shared in the book was about a day I was on Hill 468 in Korea. I was running a line for teletyping. I was to listen to the airways for breaches of security. As I was doing this the light and the equipment started shutting down. I went out and found that the generator was out of gas.

I climbed up on the big generator with a can of gas. Just about when I was finished, I started to fall. I was going to land very hard if I didn’t grab something. Unfortunately what I grabbed, was the manifold of the generator. It severely burnt my hand. I got back into the hut with severe pain. The skin was burnt off of my left hand.

Now what??

I had to continue to monitor the airways. I had to use only my right hand to operate things. My left hand was wrapped in a make shift bandage.

Why didn’t I radio down to the headquarters for help? My military training taught me that I can’t leave my post. Stay there and be strong.

I used that story to reach out to those who face trouble and want to run. Face your problems no matter what.

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Remember:

You are nor alone.

You are not forsaken.

You are not unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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+If you like what you see, please subscribe at the top of this page where it says, “subscribe.” When you do, all future posts will come directly to your inbox. Also, if you know some else who could benefit for the site, please let them know about it. Your comments will not be seen by other people, just me, and I will connect with you to see if you are OK to share it.