Sunday night went to Biba’s for a quick dinner. It was crowded and I’d just been seated when I saw and older couple come in, I went and told the waitress I’d give up my table for them. Instead they ended up joining me. He’s 92, she’s 90, they’re from central Washington.
As we’re chatting, comes out he’s a retired Army type. And fought at Salerno and Monte Cassino as part of the 36th Infantry Division! The stories he told had me picking up my jaw on a regular basis… Fighting Panzers on the plains at Salerno, then the 88s going to Monte Cassino. He said the thing he hated most was the 88s… Apparently they were the ‘most feared’ single gun.
Especially when they WALKED and fought from hilltop to hilltop down to Monastery Hill. He said they couldn’t dig foxholes, it was too cold and rocky, and they were exposed to fire from surrounding high points the entire time.
He said the ravines had mines, booby-traps, and ‘other’ crap in them, so they were out. And to add insult to injury, he said he’d never been so cold and wet in his life.
I ‘think’ he said he’d gotten a ‘few’ purple hearts out of that campaign, and he went on to serve in Korea, and retired after one tour in Vietnam…
His wife was a ‘Rosie’, and worked at Boeing on the B-17s. Her most salient comment was “Somebody had to do it. And we were ‘somebody’.” Quite the couple, and still pretty spry for their ages.
Actually probably in better shape than I am right now… Sigh…
WWII, Korea and Vietnam. Damn, talk about the right stuff! Hate I missed that dinner!
Wow is right.
That is a WOW moment. I personally love conversing with older veterans and do it on a very regular basis. For what you were willing to do for them, I stand up and salute you on that one. I am fortunate to actually know one of the last original Merrils’ Marauders and to hear his stories, it does make your jaw drop, btw, my brother is dating his daughter and she could have done better. LOL.
When I meet and talk to people of WWII and Korea, what they went through makes my accomplishments and experiences in life seem so trivial. Saying thank you is just not enough but to do more would embarrass them. I hope you at least paid for the dinner.
Wow indeed.
Growing up, our neighbors (and this is the rural Georgia use of the term) had their Grandpa move in.
Come to find out, he went up Pointe-du-Hoc with a BAR across his back.
Always fun to talk to. Kinda bummed he passed away before I finished Ranger school.
Always love the Elders stories, so humbling. Ordinary people doing Extraordinary things…
Awesome. Sounds like you had a much better dinner than you had planned
I wish I had been there to hear the stories.
Father-in-law Joe (1st Inf., WWII) also HATED the 88s. Aside from their AA and anti-tank roles the Nazis would shoot them at anything big enough to warrant a round. NEVER take cover near anything larger than a Jeep.
Hey Old NFO;
Dang, you had a good time. I like talking with older vets, they usually have an interesting mindset and to sound corny, we also honor then by following in their footsteps. That generation is called the greatest generation…I don’t know if succeeding generations would have done what they did. I do believe part of the greatest generation is that they survived the great depression, the weak ones were gone already, the ones that were left were made of steel.
Quote of the year right there:
“Somebody had to do it. And we were ‘somebody’.”
Sarge, Out
Great story!
I would have loved to been there to hear his story
Yep, still VERY interesting to run into someone with those experiences. The scary part though is that a bunch of US are getting close to being those ‘older veterans’ 🙁 And probably the majority of us don’t have nearly as many ‘interesting’ tales to tell.
Did we get his name and number?
All- Thanks for the comments. I did buy dinner, and no I didn’t get their number.
Posted from my iPhone.
Great story! You stand out as the gentleman in that story for offering up your table. Can’t count the times I thought of a way to handle a situation like that – AFTERWARDS! Would have loved to have sat and listened to both of them.
Hat Tip!
Charles
As a Texan, you may be interested to know the 36th Infantry Division was from the Texas National Guard. At Camp Mabry in Austin, Texas, there is a nice museum that does a few reenactments and has a “hands on history” day once a year.
The movie The Story of G.I. Joe has a great segment in it of the fight around Monte Casino as told from Ernie Pyle’s viewpoint. The rain, cold and mud in the movie are just as your vet described it.
All- thanks for the comments!
Posted from my iPhone.
WOW! reading about your experience meeting the elderly couple was a bit jaw dropping for me. That is the kind of stuff they don’t print in text books.
Seniors brother’s girlfriend’s father was an original Merrill Marauder. We sat one night around a picnic table listening to his stories…pretty amazing stuff.
JUGM- They truly are special people. I was honored to have them join me.
Great story – the upside to business travel.