Willie, Joe, and Bill in WWII

Apr 13

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A MAN WHO SPOKE FOR THE REGULAR SOLDIER AND KEPT HIM SMILIN’ – BILL MAULDIN!!

PROFILES IN COURAGE

Courtesy of a veteran friend I “met” while on JibJab; a considerable amount of my postings on PWE came from e-mails received from him.

Willie, Joe, and Bill in WWII

Get out your history books and open them to the chapter on World War II.  Today’s lesson will cover a little known but very important hero of whom very  little was ever really known. Here is another important piece of lost U.S. History.

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Makes ya proud to put this stamp on your  envelopes… 

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Bill Mauldin  stamp honors grunt’s hero. The post office gets a lot of criticism. Always has, always will. And with the renewed push to get rid of Saturday mail  delivery, expect complaints to intensify. But the United States Postal Service deserves a standing ovation for something that happened last month:

Bill Mauldin got his own postage  stamp.

Mauldin died at age 81 in the early days of…

View original post 1,037 more words

About GP

Everett Smith served with the Headquarters Company, 187th Regiment, 11th A/B Division during WWII. This site is in tribute to my father, "Smitty." GP is a member of the 11th Airborne Association. Member # 4511 and extremely proud of that fact!

Posted on April 13, 2019, in Uncategorized, WWII and tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. 79 Comments.

  1. aussieian2011 | May 6, 2019 at 8:07 AM

    Excellent re-post gp.
    Great post and a very deserving piece of history that must be remembered.
    Mauldin is the original iconic cartoonist of the war.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  2. Bruce | April 23, 2019 at 8:51 AM

    I love Willie and Joe especially when Maudlin took a swipe at old Blood and Guts.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  4. SCLMRose | April 15, 2019 at 12:03 PM

    I’m starting to read a new book “World War II Letters edited by Bill Adler” and here is an excerpt from the first letter from Iwo Jima dated March 12, 1945 from Capt. Louis F. Laun:
    “Well, I guess I’ll catch up on my beauty sleep – hope we get off this dusty rock of sulfur flames soon – that bottle of champagne you’re saving would look pretty good right now. Room service is lousy on this place, and with the water shortage I’ve not bathed since Feb. 18 and have shaved twice. Yoicks – I look like something out of Mauldin.”

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  5. OIKOS™-Publishing | April 15, 2019 at 9:28 AM

    Very inspiring, GP! Thank you for sharing! MIchael

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  6. kkessler833 | April 14, 2019 at 8:08 PM

    Great, inspiring post!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  8. Aviationtrails | April 14, 2019 at 2:03 PM

    Just remarkable. Thanks for reposting GP, something I’d have missed otherwise.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  9. pvcann | April 14, 2019 at 11:10 AM

    Well deserved honour.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  10. equipsblog | April 14, 2019 at 8:39 AM

    Wonderful post, GP. I don’t know who was weeping more–me or the clouds on this damp, misty morning.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  11. weggieboy | April 14, 2019 at 7:14 AM

    A lot can be endured if you can occasionally laugh about things! Mauldin definitely made that possible for a lot of combatants in the WWII.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  13. doesitevenmatter3 | April 14, 2019 at 3:29 AM

    Thank you for sharing the post, GP! Reading it brought tears, and smiles! What an amazing man! It is an honor to read this tribute in his honor!
    ((((HUGS))))

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  14. Sheryl | April 13, 2019 at 10:55 PM

    I enjoyed the article, and it was fun to see a few of Bill Maudlin’s cartoons.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  15. Curt Mekemson | April 13, 2019 at 3:17 PM

    I really enjoyed the post, G. Maudlin had a true genius in capturing the lives of soldiers, and adding an element of humor, which is a spark we can all use. Even more so on our darkest days. Eisenhower obvious understood that when he backed Patton off with “Mauldin draws what Mauldin wants.” It reminds me of why I have always liked Ike. –Curt

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  16. E. Michael Helms, writer | April 13, 2019 at 1:35 PM

    Great post, and so well-deserving to the memory of Bill Mauldin. Among my hundreds of books, there is a first edition of “Up Front.” It’s printed on cheap, thin paper (I assume because of war rationing of some sort). The dust jacket is mostly intact. For its age, it’s in good condition. It’s one of my prized possessions. About a year ago I bought a copy of “Willie and Joe Back Home.” Just wanted to see how the two fared after the war. 🙂
    –Michael

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  17. Gypsy Bev | April 13, 2019 at 1:24 PM

    How important he must have been in the lives of the men to give them a reason to smile or laugh under dire circumstances. Wonderful article.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    • GP Cox | April 13, 2019 at 1:46 PM

      You said it, Bev. Many officers tried to have him stopped, but the higher echelon knew what the cartoons meant to the men and they weren’t about to stop him. Morale HAD to be kept up year after year!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  18. Tom Darby | April 13, 2019 at 12:52 PM

    I have a paperback copy of Bill Mauldin’s Army. One of the most important books in my library!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  19. Don Ostertag | April 13, 2019 at 12:41 PM

    Another reason they have called that generation ‘the Greatest’. Thanks GP

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  20. Sheila Clapkin | April 13, 2019 at 11:38 AM

    Willie, Joe and Bill
    Food for thought
    And movie making.
    Great Sharing

    Sheila

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  21. shoreacres | April 13, 2019 at 10:36 AM

    Thanks for directing us to that great post. I left a comment there for him, too.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  22. fragglerocking | April 13, 2019 at 9:38 AM

    Another one that made me cry 🙄 left a comment there too.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  23. Kayleen Reusser | April 13, 2019 at 9:08 AM

    Everyone had a part in the war. The only part I dispute is if today’s history school books have an entire chapter in WWII. From what I’ve been told, there is only a paragraph. I realize this is an unintentional comment, just wanted to make people aware. I worked in a middle school library and heard this from co-workers. Too bad if it’s true.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
    • GP Cox | April 13, 2019 at 1:39 PM

      I have been hearing from teachers on up into the college level and it seems you’re right. History has been taking a backseat and in some cases, phased out. They just don’t get it or they were taught history incorrectly.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  24. PARTNERING WITH EAGLES | April 13, 2019 at 9:01 AM

    Thanks GP; I have an entire page of reactions to this posting which I’d made on Jan 31st 2016.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  26. SCLMRose | April 13, 2019 at 8:22 AM

    What a wonderful post! Thoroughly enjoyed it. He deserved to have his own postage stamp.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  28. bereavedandbeingasingleparent | April 13, 2019 at 6:57 AM

    What a wonderful person. That’s a side of war we hardly ever hear about

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
    • GP Cox | April 13, 2019 at 7:01 AM

      Humor was extremely important (and still is) in the service. That’s why the higher echelon would override officers who became offended and wanted Mauldin to stop doing the cartoons.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply
  29. Cape Cod Curmudgeon | April 13, 2019 at 6:55 AM

    This one made my day, GP. “Bill Mauldin’s Army” was bedside reading throughout my childhood. My brothers and I could recite Willy & Joe lines for hours on end. (Or so it seemed).

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply
  30. ekurie | April 13, 2019 at 6:52 AM

    Hard to read through tears! Great post, thanks.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  31. The Muscleheaded Blog | April 13, 2019 at 6:47 AM

    Mauldin was a great illustrator and is remembered quite fondly !

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  32. beetleypete | April 13, 2019 at 6:41 AM

    That’s a great article, GP. I left a comment on PWE.
    Best wishes, Pete.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  33. GP Cox | April 13, 2019 at 1:34 PM

    I don’t really know what’s all going on right here.

    Like

    Reply
  34. GP Cox | April 14, 2019 at 5:59 AM

    Thank you very much!

    Like

    Reply

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