THE GREATEST GENERATION

Tom Brokaw (NBC news anchor) wrote a book called “The Greatest Generation.” The book and term were a tribute to the generation that lived through the great depression and then fought in World War 2. My Dad and his 2 brothers were members of the greatest generation.

Before World War 2 they were all into sports. Dad was a swimmer and state champion. Uncle Pat was a wrestler. Uncle Tom played baseball. Dad told a story about he and Pat going to watch one of Tom’s games. They were their just going to give him a hard time. Tom pitched a 1 hitter and hit 2 home runs.

All of the boys fought in World War 2 and saw heavy action. It is a miracle they all made it home. I can’t imagine how my grandparents felt, every time the door bell rang they had to wonder if it was bad news.

Dad enlisted in the Navy when he was 17 (1942). He argued with his mother about going and he finally said you can’t stop me. He was a star swimmer. After the Navy swimming test, he dove off a destroyer and swam underneath to the other side. The Navy asked him to stay stateside and teach others how to swim. He said no. At 17, I was flipping burgers at McDonalds.

Dad was a gunner on the destroyer USS Bristol. The Bristol sailed in the Atlantic as a convoy escort. She then sailed to North Africa in support of operation Torch. Then back to the US and a trip through the Panama Canal. Then off to the Mediterranean for Operation Husky and in support of the Salerno landing.

On October 13, 1943 at 4:23 AM, while escorting a convoy to Algeria, Bristol was struck on the port side by a single torpedo from U-boat U-371. The ship instantly broke in half and sank in 8 minutes. There was no time for life boats so the sailors went into the water. 52 sailors died in the attack, 51 were wounded The survivors were picked up by other nearby destroyers. Dad was picked up by the USS Trippe.

As a surprise Mom requested Dad’s war ribbons and battle stars. She did a needlepoint background and had it framed. Dad earned 5 battle stars. Typical of his generation, he would not talk about the war.

My uncle Pat loved to fly. He enlisted in the Canadian air force so he could fly fighters before the US entered the war. The US wanted him back when we joined the war and promised he could still fly fighters. He came back and was told that he was too big and could not be a fighter pilot. He ended up flying cargo planes over the hump in Burma. “The Hump” considered more dangerous than flying over Europe, over 500 planes were lost. Most pilots flew 100 missions and went home. Pat completed 100 and volunteered for another 100. He was awarded 2 air medals and 2 distinguished flying crosses.

Uncle Tom enlisted in the Marines and fought in the Pacific. Tom served in the 4th War Dogs as a regimental scout. He lost his first dog to combat on Okinawa where he was also wounded. He received a purple heart. He received his second purple heart after being wounded on Peleliu.

My grandmother would not put up a Christmas tree until all of her sons returned from the war. On Christmas Eve near the end of the war Dad and Pat were home but Tom was not. Tom called and said he was on the West coast and should be home in a few days. Soon after the door opened and in walked Tom. Their Mom sent the soldiers out for a tree. They were all in uniform and made a few stops on the way back. Everyone was buying them drinks and they finally staggered home at 3:00 am. They did have a tree.

Thank you Dad, Tom and Pat.