22 May 2025 Garand Picture of the Day

[Mark in Rochester]

Squad Group - Czechoslovakia July 1945 79th Infantry Division

[Bob Womack]

Safe! The war is over.

Bob

[browningautorifle]

The war is over

Yes! And then Korea...

[fboyj]

The smile of survivors

[Bob Womack]

My father was in the Navy in WWII. After his discharge in '46 he went to college on the G.I. bill and began dating my mother. On the 24th of June, 1950 they went on a youth group camp-out in Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains, girls and guys in separate tents.. That night, my mother nearly froze with her two blankets so he lent her his Army surplus goose down mummy bag and he froze that night with her two blankets.

And now, to the point of the story: The next morning they were up early, starting fires and gas stoves for breakfast when a park ranger came by and said, "Grease up 'yer shooting irons, boys. There's a shooting war in Korea this morning." That was June 25, 1950. For some reason my father wasn't called back to serve so he was able to complete his education, marry my mom, and start a life.

Bob

[Mark in Rochester]

my uncle Henry got the call for the Korean war - he was the lead navigator for his B29 Squadron in WW2 (8th Air Force, 316 Wing) - Being a metallurgist working on naval gun barrel production he was allowed to remain a civilian

[oldfoneguy]

My 96 year old Uncle Vinny recounts his stories from time to time. On the just past anniversary of VE day I asked him if he participated in the celebration. He said no that they actually kept them back in school until the parents picked them all up because the streets in Manhattan were insane. He was 16 at the time.

When the announcement of hostilities in Korea came, he and all his friends from the neighborhood got together and went to a recruiting office. They all joined together but the Sargent there told him no we won't need you this is only going to last a few weeks. He was the only one in the group who was married and had a kid. At 21 he was also a partner in a successful business the Sargent was aware of. He ends the story saying none of them came back, how every day is a gift and that Sargent saved his life.