The Showers
Unfortunately, I do not remember which island this story occurred on.
Smitty did not write home about his experience with the showers. .. BUT,
He was coming back into camp after having a nice cold shower. He walked back with a towel wrapped around his middle and held it closed with his left hand. The jungle appeared quiet except for the buzzing of the insects whizzing around him. [The New Guinea “salute” is said to actually be the act of swatting the insects!)
He said, “You know how annoying just one mosquito can be when it’s hovering by your ears. This was like a swarm and I tried like hell to use my right hand to swat them away from my face. When I began to approach our tents there was not one man to be seen and I couldn’t imagine where they all went. As I got closer I could hear the G.I.s yelling and they were waving their arms as they crouched in their tents, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. Besides, I was too preoccupied with swatting the bugs that seemed the size of half-dollars.
“When I got back to my tent complaining about how aggravating the bugs on the island were, I asked them what all the hooting and hollering was all about. All they kept doing was checking my skin and asking if I was alright.
Somebody yelled, ‘Those were no jungle bugs — that’s shrapnel!’ When they discovered that I had been hit, someone happily said that I could put in for a Purple Heart.”
After a good laugh between Dad and I, I asked if he ever put in for the medal. He laughed again and said that he was too embarrassed. “For one thing I felt stupid for not realizing what was going on and second, I didn’t want to be grouped into being one of those guys that put in for a Purple Heart every time they nicked themselves shaving. It would be like taking something away from the men who actually did get wounded and deserved the medal.”
CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE.
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Military Humor –
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Farewell Salutes –
John G. Bock Jr. – Lincoln, NE; US Navy, WWII, PTO, Seaman 2nd Class # 3167160, USS Oklahoma, KIA (Pearl Harbor)
Martin Gelb (101) – Brooklyn, NY; US Army / OSS, WWII, ETO
Carl H. Graham – Hackensack, NJ; US Navy, Korea, USS Boyd & Yarnall
George Grater – Hoboken, NJ; US Army, Korea, 1st Lt.
Charles E. Hiltibran – Cable, OH; US Army, Korea, Cpl., 1/32/7th Infantry Division, KIA (Chosin Reservoir)
Thomas A. Lipscomb Jr. – New Orleans, LA; US Army, Korea
George J. Palermo – Chestnut Hill, PA; US Air Force, Korea, Cryptographer
George Psihas – Detroit, MI; US Army, West Point Class of ’51, Korea, M1 Abrams Tank trailblazer
Donald Rumsfeld – Winnetka, IL; US Navy, pilot / Congressman, NATO, White House Chief of Staff, Sec. of Defense
George R. Russum – Lake Worth, FL; US Navy, USS Forrestal
Calvin Shepherd – Inkster, MI; USMC, WWII, PTO, Montford Point Marines
Francis W. Wiemerslage – Chicago, IL; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO, Sgt. # 16146369, B-17 ball turret gunner, 549/385/8th Air Force, KIA (Dresden, GER)
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From the US Navy helicopter crash off Mexico
James P. Buriak – Salem, VA; US Navy, Helicopter crewman 2nd Class
Sarah F. Burns – Severna Park, MD; US Navy, Corpsman 2nd Class
Bradley A. Foster – Oakhurst, CA; US Navy, pilot, Lt.
Paul R. Fridley – Annandale, VA; US Navy, pilot, Lt.
Bailey J. Tucker – St. Louis, MO; US Navy, Corpsman 3rd Class
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DON’T KNOW HOW I MISSED THIS DRAWING OF SMITTY’S FOR LAST WEEK’S POST
( I’M CLAIMING A SENIOR MOMENT…)
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Posted on September 6, 2021, in First-hand Accounts, SMITTY, WWII and tagged 11th airborne, Army, family history, History, Military, Military History, Pacific War, Shower, Smitty, WW2, WWII. Bookmark the permalink. 136 Comments.
Forgot “Sad Sack.” So enjoyed it years ago, like Beetle Baily before Mort gave it up. Your posts are good reads. My son very much into WWII and after, understands the sacrifices, I think he misses he didn’t serve a tour. But he remembers his grandad (WWII) vet and hip pop (‘Nam) and respects not the wars, but the sacrifices and the grit of those who served. I’d put him onto your blog, but he’s a busy young man with now a life of his own. Thanks for your work.
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I am so glad you are enjoying the posts and feel it is good enough for your son to read. I understand how life gets in the way, so I will not expect him to get to as many posts and you have.
Have a great weekend!
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Your father was very lucky, GP. Those bugs must have been pretty bad to get confused with shrapnel!
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He said he wasn’t really paying attention and he was quite used to the bugs being annoying.
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Thanks for your like of my Revelation 21 post; you are very kind.
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You’re welcome.
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WWII left its mark on two of my uncles. One was serving in Darwin, Australia when it was bombed and the other served in New Guinea. What he saw had to be drowned in drink for the rest of his life. My dad was fortunate as he was assigned to be warden for the city I grew up in organizing civilian defense in that area. Soldiers were camped around the town and trains were essentially for their own army use.
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Yes, your Dad was fortunate. Your uncle on the other hand went through hell on earth. I’m very sorry to hear he did not recover. Thank you for telling us about your family.
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Reblogged this on quirkywritingcorner.
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Thank you, Connie. I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
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I said it before, but it’s just so awesome you’re doing this, the ‘Farewell Salutes’ are admirable, & those Military Humor memes are a treat near the end. Also, it’s neat to learn bits of your dad’s personality. So cool of you to share all that you choose. The research & editing must be a %&$@#!
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haha, that’s why I had to cut down to one post a week! Thanks for the compliments and I’m very glad you’re enjoying the blog, but it was Dad’s personality that deserves all the credit!
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Reblogged this on Momentary Lapse Of Sanity.
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Thank you.
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