As We Move Forward…

Courtesy of: “Voice of the Angels”

As we venture back to the past, Smitty’s letters, the Farewell Salutes, occasionally a homeland episode and military humor will be published each week.   My bibliography has grown to 6 pages long; my library has grown considerably since I first chronicled the war., you can see them at Library YTD.

I will be re-blogging  some of my own posts from the Archives – updated since they were first published.

This entire site is dedicated to my father, Everett A. Smith, aka “Smitty”, who served in the Headquarters Company/187th Regiment/11th Airborne Division in the Pacific during WWII and the 11th A/B as a whole; therefore it is only right that I do so.

Smitty never said, “I did this” or “I did that,”  it was always – “The 11th did IT!”

Smitty or Pops

As a member of the 11th Airborne Association myself, I am privy to their newsletter, “The Voice of the Angels,” edited by Joann Doshier, and I will be using quotes and stories from that publication.  Mr. Matt Underwood, past editor and the officers of the Association have been of great assistance to me and I thank them very much for their help.

This website is ever changing and being updated, because further knowledge is always being learned.  Smitty told me and many others, “I try to learn something every day.  When I stop, Please, close the lid.”  I have never forgotten that motto to live by and I sincerely hope you all do the same.

Major General Joseph May Swing, Cmdr. of the 11th Airborne Div.

Please, DO continue to share what stories you know and/or a link to data you’ve uncovered and put them in the comments.  I am afraid no emails will be opened.  If you are not a blogger, you can Follow by clicking the Follow button in the top right-hand corner of each post.

I thank you all for your contributions in the past and hope you will continue to do so.  If you are new to this site – WELCOME!!  We have a wonderful group of people participating here – join them.  Reminder  – help show your support of our veterans .

Please remember that these countries, in the following posts, were in a horrendous war and NOTHING written or quoted here is with the intent to disparage any people or nations.  And, I have tried to limit the amount of gory details without shading the facts.  I hope I succeed.

Click on images to enlarge.

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Military Humor – 

Some definitions you may want to keep in mind:

ARMY – a body of men assembled to rectify the mistakes of the diplomats

DRAFT BOARD – the world’s largest travel agency

MILITARY EXPERT – one who tells you what will happen next week – and then explains why it didn’t

NEW GUINEA SALUTE – waving the hand over the mess kit to ward off the flies

PACIFIST – a person who fights with everybody BUT the enemy

WAR – a time that starts off paying old scores and ends up by paying new debts

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Farewell Salutes – 

William Anders – brn: Hong Kong; US Air Force, fighter pilot, MGeneral, Naval Academy Class of ’55 / NASA Astronaut

Bill Cameron (100) – Vancouver, CA; RC Navy, WWII, ETO, HMCS Kitchener

Gary E. Dunbar – IA & CA; US Navy, Vietnam, gunner’s mate, USS Piedmont, Midway & Enterprise /  Nuclear weapons inspector, Chief Petty Officer (Ret.)

William Russell Enoch – Sunderland, ENG; Royal Air Force / actor

Robert E. Feron – Hempstead, NY; US Army, WWII, Co C/78th Regiment // USMC, Korea, Sgt., USS Midway & Antietam

George Herbert – Fall River, MA; US Navy, WWII, PTO, gunner’s mate 1st Class, USS Oklahoma, KIA (Pearl Harbor, HI)

Gerald Francis Long – MN; US Army, Vietnam

Robert “Al” Persichetti (102) – Rochester, NY; US Navy, WWII, PTO, radioman, USS Eldorado

Robert Ryan Jr. – Coronado, CA; US Navy, Vietnam, A-7 Corsair pilot, USS Constellation & Enterprise, US Naval Academy Class of ’67 / USS Midway Museum volunteer

Robert T. Williams – Skaneateles, NY; US Navy, WWII, USS Midway

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