Posted on Aug 28, 2014
My Grandfather - before, during, and after being shot down over Nazi Germany.
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I've always found these pics amazing. Talk about PTSD - watch the change in his appearance before and after spending a year in a concentration camp after getting shot down over Germany. He was in his 20's, and if you look at the LT bars, these pics are only a few years apart. He literally goes from 20 to 40 yrs old over a few years.
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PTSD
WWII World War Two
PTSD WWII World War Two
Posted 10 y ago
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Came across this and thought I would add it - my grandfathers death certificate from the Air Force. He died during a test flight when the bomber went into a mountain side in Seattle.
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MAJ (Join to see)
SFC Mark Merino It gives you pause. I flew a few flags in A'stan for the parents of fallen soldiers. One in particular died where I was at and had a kid the same age as my son at the time. I could never explain to the dustoff crew why I needed that flag flown without choking up. Not sure if I ever fully got that story out because the thought of his son being home without a dad killed me.
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And might as well end this thread with this... here's a news story of when his B-50 went down in a neighborhood in Seattle:
http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?displaypage=output.cfm&file_id=3969
http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?displaypage=output.cfm&file_id=3969
HistoryLink.org- the Free Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History
On August 13, 1951, a B-50 Superfortress bomber develops engine trouble immediately after taking off from Boeing Field. The plane glances off the Sicks' Seattle Brewing and Malting Company and slams into nearby Lester Apartments on Beacon Hill, killing 11 people and injuring 11 others. The tragic accident also claims a piece of Seattle's infamous past.
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MAJ (Join to see)
CPT Richard Riley For whatever reason, I felt it important to post this. So many dead never get remembered or recognized beyond the first news article.
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CPT Richard Riley
and you are absolutely right Sir! It takes each of us to recognize and remember those who preceded us, loved ones, friends, family, & battle buddies. I just looked through my F-I-L's Navy stuff a few weeks ago and paused to think about all those navy comments he made. Thank you for the personal peek into the past to honor another of our hero who went before us.
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MAJ (Join to see)
CPT Richard Riley I think it's most important for us as officers to know. To know that actions have consequences. Every young LT should be briefed, graphically, in combat casualties. The best leaders I've ever followed are those who weighed the benefits vs the costs, and then moved forward or retreated accordingly. Soldiers often appear as "assets" on a strategy board, and we forget that there are husbands, wives, kids, and parents all standing behind that "asset".
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CPT Richard Riley
MAJ (Join to see) it SHOULD be a peer-to-peer learning moment. More seasoned officers should teach those finer points. It seems all too easy to slip into dis-associated thinking when it comes to the human factor - and as you put it strategizing the assets. Once you permit the human factor to appear in your thinking those decisions become much heavier. I applaud the thought behind the memory!
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Sir, thank you for sharing such an amazing, and personal part of your family history. There is definitely no denying the difference... of course there was no PTSD then, only 'shell shock' or 'battle fatigue' and it will go away on it's own...just give it time and get back to the front. Right! I'm sure your family would be able to tell a much different story.
We owe so much to those brave men and women who came before us... their sacrifices seem, to me at least, so much greater than ours; and yet our appreciation of that generation seems to wain.
We owe so much to those brave men and women who came before us... their sacrifices seem, to me at least, so much greater than ours; and yet our appreciation of that generation seems to wain.
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