My Grandpa was a Hellcat in a Sherman tank wheeling through Germany in World War II. Shermans were death traps for many when battling German tanks. If your tank was hit, it was crucial to get out of it before artillery starting imitating popcorn. This task had an added element of difficulty for my Grandfather because he was so tall. The tall members of a tank team were often forced to lie on the bottom of the tank floor and load the artillery. It was where they could fit, essentially.
As scary and stressful as his tour and Germany was, my Grandfather always slept like a log at night. His buddies would often ask how it was he could sleep so well when they were in the middle (figuratively and literally) of a war. “Well, I think scared and well rested gives me better odds than say scared and drop dead tired.” Gosh if that doesn’t make complete sense. So often when faced with adversity we start falling into patterns or behaviors that actually hamper our ability to deal with these challenges effectively. We let the fear take over and reduce the likelihood of us being able to rise to the occasion. Though I’m not sure how many sheep he had to count to allow his mind and body to slumber, he pulled it off and was rewarded with a quick mind and able body when the time came both were needed.
As a side note, we lose more of our World War II vets with every year that passes. In a decade or so these brave men and women will all be gone. Their stories are incredible. If you have veterans in your family, I encourage you to make yourself available to hear their story. What you can read in a history book is nothing compared to the individual stories of courage, sacrifice and a need to turn a wrong into a right.
My dad often told us stories of his adventures during the war. I now know many of these stories by heart.
My dad’s cousin, my “uncle” Rob, never ever talked about it. Uncle Rob’s kids tell me they wish he had.
We only got my grandfather to talk about his experiences a few years ago. My cousin is doing everything she can to write everything he says down.
It’s amazing, he was in the Korean War, World War II and Vietnam, was highly decorated and doesn’t think his story is remarkable at all. It’s just what he did.
My father doesn’t say much about Vietnam. And I don’t think he ever will.
It puts a lot in perspective.
My Grandfather was interviewed by a college student for a museum piece he was writing years ago. He video taped the interview. I have the tape. My Grandfather has no idea. A war buddy of my Grandpa knew of the tape and pulled me aside to tell me of its existence. I tracked down the student and bought several copies. I’ll share them with my family when my Grandfather passes away. He cries openly in the interview when discussing the death of a comrade and his love of his children. I know he would be uncomfortable to know his family had the tape. It’s so special though. Priceless.
My Grandpa talks openly about the war; however, he leaves out some of the raw emotion that tape captured.
My Grandaddy met my Grandma during WWII. He was stationed in Casablanca, where she lived. My Paw-Paw (gotta love the south!) was active during WWII also and even got a Purple Heart.
I miss them both dearly. I loved hearing their stories.