Veterans Day 2010 Thread

[DefensorFortis]

If you enjoy your Freedom, thank a Veteran and post your sincere thanks to Veterans here.

For all the Veterans on AC, you are more than welcome to post any stories of your service here. Thank you to all that served, to all who gave some and to those that gave all. You have the thanks of many generations of Americans and we really owe you big time.

As a personal message, I'd like to thank MickDonalds and PzychoSixx for there service. Hope you have a Happy Veterans Day guys.

[reeter]

My great uncle was a pilot back in the day. Here is a story about one of his missions, as recalled by his son Alan:

Interview Notes with William (Bill) E. Reeter, Lt/Col. Retired, 9/96, (courtesy of Alan Reeter)
The flight consisted of nine B-29’s. Bill led (the) element (and) the squadron commander was on board to observe.
“As we were approaching the target, CAP radioed that MiGs were inbound.”
They (B-29s) were in tight formation at 22,000’. After bomb drop they made a left turn to egress.
“The MiGs attacked just as they rolled out of the turn. I was too busy maintaining formation to look around much. I only saw two MiGs. One was making a head-on pass. I could see a little bit of smoke from the guns. Then one came in from behind. I could hear fire control talking about it. Then there was an explosion and the cabin depressurized. I saw the MiG as it passed in front and turned away.”
One of the shells from the MiG creased the fuselage and hit (above) the navigator’s window and exploded.
“My tail gunner was wounded. He had a slug (29mm?) sticking out of the bottom of his foot. The radio operator and another gunner were hurt pretty bad. Most of the injuries (up front) were from the exploding shell. Pieces of plastic (from the navigators window) were embedded in the squadron commander’s legs. I didn’t know I was hurt until I felt something wet on my neck. When I reached up I felt something sticking out of my jaw. I pulled it out. It was a blue piece of tubing, probably part of the oxygen system. We didn’t have pressurization or oxygen.
“Edwards (the navigator) was the worst off. My copilot went to check on him. He was slumped forward, face down on the navigation table. He (was) alive but his left eye was lying on his cheek. A piece of his skull was flipped back and you could see his brain.
“I told (mission) lead that we needed to descend, but he … wanted us to stay in formation. I don’t remember too much (about what happened) for a while, because of the hypoxia. Large pieces of the rudder, flaps, and ailerons were missing. The gunners reported that fuel was leaking. I asked (?) to check the bomb bay for fumes. The original flap motor (located in the bomb bay) wasn’t explosion proof … When they opened the hatch the fumes were so strong that they immediately closed it.”
It would be a no flap landing.
“(As we approached) Kimpo and slowed down it got a lot harder to control the airplane. A cable to the left aileron was severed. I told the crew that they could bail out, but they didn’t want to. I had two guys who couldn’t bail out, so I had to land the airplane.
“The airplane was pretty hard to control on final. I had in full aileron. Just before touchdown it began to get away (from me), but then it touched down. I was able to taxi off the runway. Fuel was running all over the place.
“People began gathering around the airplane. They couldn’t believe we landed it. When I got outside, I asked where Edwards was. No one knew, so I went back in and pulled him out. He was still alive, but died the next day.”
They took us to the BOQ and to the officers club (and) treated us real well. We got steaks for free.”
For gallantry in action on the Black Tuesday mission, Lt. Reeter was awarded the Silver Star.

[reeter]

By the way, it happened during Black Tuesday during the Korean conflict

[DefensorFortis]

Wow :0 Thanks for sharing that reeter that was intense, God Bless your great uncle. R.I.P. Edwards :(

[Ripcord]

A day to remember friends I loved as brothers who have payed the ultimate sacrifice, and men I didn't know but respect and love just as much as the ones I had the honor to serve with.

every year the veterans that honor us with their presence at our remembrance day parade are fewer and fewer, I notice this as we march off the parade grounds because they line up and stand at attention as we pass, it humbles me that they honor us in this way as I don't feel I have done anything compared to what they went through, out of 6 deployments only the last 2 felt like I was in a war zone.


Lest We Forget.