[OneHope]

Today is Remembrance Day in the British Commonwealth countries. A time to remember the fallen soldiers who died fighting in the great wars of the last century.

I think it would be interesting to find out who had relatives who fought in the world wars and what they did.

My grandpa fought in the second wold war. He landed at Sicily and fought up through to Germany. Afterwards, he stayed in Germany for a few years as a police officer.

[SccHarpGirl]

My grandfather and grandmother were in WWII. My grandfather was in the airforce, and my grandmother a nurse. They were both stationed in Burma, which is how they met. After the war my grandfather joined the airforce and ended up serving the USA for many years, including working during the Berlin Airlift immediately following world war II.

My other grandfather fought in the Korean war, but he doesn't like talking about it so I do not know too many details.

[Ryan Freeland]

My dad is in the Air Force. My Great-Grandfather was killed in WWII.

[JBanana]

I think that's cool that Rememberance Day is the same day as Veteran's Day here .

My grandpa fought in WWII. He lied about his age and entered the army at 15. However, he didn't get to fight. He was a cook.

My mom had several uncles who fought in WWII. I have no clue what they did. I think they all were stationed in the Pacific.

[Grasshopper359]

My family is steeped in military service - right back to the Battle of the Boyne. But we'll start with WWI, since that's when Rememberance Day was initiated. Two great-grandfathers fought in WWI, one with the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry, at Ypres, Amiens, Arras, the butchery of the Somme, where 76 000 men fell the first day, Paachendaele, Pursuit to Mons, Scarpe, etc, etc, etc. The other fought with the King's (Liverpool) Regiment, at Cambrai, Arras, Scarpe, and the Hindenburg Line. More butchery and pointless loss of human life at the hands of Sir Douglas Haig and Sir Julian Byng, that pair of murdering b-----s. My grandfather was a RCEME Rat mechanic during WWII. He'd done his infantry course and his advanced infantry course with the RCR, then his supervisor found out that he had been a mechanic in the civilian world, so he was transfered over to RCEME, since he was already trained in the trade. My great uncle was a pigeon (I forgive you, great uncle Ed), and more of my extended family served with regiments such as the Brockville Rifles.

Which brings me to...Me. I'm a RCEME Rat mechanic (though I started off in the Infantry) with the 5é Bataillon des Services du Canada, based at Valcartier, Québec. I'm looking at possibly being deployed to either Haiti or the Sudan, when 1 R22R goes next summer. I know that there's been a mission authorised, since people in support trades are walking around with "ESN" (Elément de Soutien National - National Support Element - provides support only for expiditionary [deployed] units) on their rank slides (flap with rank insignia and unit identification that hangs on the front of the combat shirt), but they're not saying where yet. And I'm pretty sure that I'll have a stint with ISAF for OP ATHENA in Kabul before my time here's done. Probably when 12 RBC goes in 2007.

[PaidInFull]

One of my Grandfathers was a Captian in the US Army during WWII, I had an Uncle in Vietnam, a great Uncle in WWII stationed in France (he fought in Operation Market Garden which was a disaster thanks to the British), and my dad just retired from the Air National Guard.

[beanbag]

I believe my mother's uncle fought in vietnam. they don't really talk about his past, and I didn't meet him until I was 16, so I'm not sure. my dad's cousin was in vietnam, but he rarely talks about his time in the service. my uncle was in the air force, but there weren't any wars going on when he was in the service, and my other uncle was in the iran-iraq war, but that obviously isn't a world war.

[PaidInFull]

Originally Posted by beanbag

I believe my mother's uncle fought in vietnam. they don't really talk about his past, and I didn't meet him until I was 16, so I'm not sure. my dad's cousin was in vietnam, but he rarely talks about his time in the service. my uncle was in the air force, but there weren't any wars going on when he was in the service, and my other uncle was in the iran-iraq war, but that obviously isn't a world war.

Yeah my uncle passed away earlier this year, he was in vietnam and never talked about it.

[beanbag]

Originally Posted by PaidInFull

Yeah my uncle passed away earlier this year, he was in vietnam and never talked about it.

yeah. it's interesting. I've never ever heard him talk about vietnam. you wouldn't even think he had been in the service he talks about it so rarely. I guess there is something about that war that the hippies were justified in protesting, because I don't think I've heard one veteran talk about it.

[bread man]

We tried to have a minute's silence in the library, but the friggin' library ladies wouldn't shut up, even after the bell went for the minute of silence. I don't like the library ladies much. Rude women.

[SageMenno]

My great-grandpa and two great-uncles on my mom's side fought in WWII. I have never heard any of my great-grandpa's exploits, but my great-uncle Butch was chauffeur to General (later President) Dwight D. Eisenhower, and my great-uncle Charlie was part of the crew that bombed one of Hitler's residences (not sure where it was). That's all I can remember.

[FTS]

Originally Posted by OneHope

Today is Remembrance Day in the British Commonwealth countries.

Not in New Zealand.

I'm not sure if I've had any relatives fight in any wars. My grandfather was exempt from service as he had appendicitis and had to have his appendix out.

[Grasshopper359]

Originally Posted by PaidInFull

Operation Market Garden which was a disaster thanks to the British)

Not really. The final descision to go ahead with the operation was made in the US. The Battle of Arnhem may have succeeded, had Montgomery and Bradley cooled it and waited for Antwerp to open up, but both assumed that the Germans were on the run (which they weren't), and wanted to try to make a push right for Berlin. They constantly nagged at Eisenhower for more supplies, which left less for the Canadians trying to secure Antwerp, which was to be the main port of supply to move in supplies and heavy armour. Up until that point, the only docks that they had close by were the improvised ones that they had set up at Cherbourg during the D-Day invasion, and these were unsuitable for large trucks and tanks. They also had no way to move heavy equipment, because they had bombed all the railway lines prior to D-Day to prevent the Germans from moving their heavy equipment in to push them back and retake the foothold that had been gained. But both Montgomery and Bradley assumed that the Germans were on the run, and wanted to continue the pursuit. They wanted to cut off the 15th Army's retreat so that they wouldn't be able to reinforce the main body of troops defending the Rhineland, which, once overrun, would pave the way for a charge straight to Berlin. Because of Montgomery and Bradley's demand for supplies, the Canadian advance to capture the Westerscheldt was slowed, and 80 000 German soldiers made it through the gap. RAF reconnaissance flights had also alerted High Command to the presence of armour, numbering a corps in strength, at Arnhem, just 15km from where the British 1st Airborne Division was to drop. At that point, the plan should have been scrapped, because it was unworkable, overambitious, stupid, and rushed, but it was ultimately Washington that told Eisenhower to go ahead with it anyway.