My Grandfather - before, during, and after being shot down over Nazi Germany.

2014-08-28T19:39:41-04:00

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.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 28 at 2014 7:40 PM

2014-08-28T19:40:45-04:00

Here's a pic of his group while in the concentration camp.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 28 at 2014 8:03 PM

2014-08-28T20:03:47-04:00

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member That is just so awful.

Response by MSG Wade Huffman made Aug 28 at 2014 8:49 PM

2014-08-28T20:49:15-04:00

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.

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Aug 29 at 2014 3:08 AM

2014-08-29T03:08:41-04:00

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member Thank you for sharing this personal family account. I can't even fathom what kind of hell that must have been to experience.

Response by SGT Richard H. made Aug 29 at 2014 8:49 AM

2014-08-29T08:49:24-04:00

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member My Great Uncle (my Dad's Uncle) was shot down in Germany and stayed in a camp for 2 years (give or take, as he put it) I believe he said he was the Navigator on his B17. My first thought reading this was wondering if they ever met. (slim chance, I know) Anyway, my point was going to be that he didn't talk much about the time after the crash. He would talk about flying, bombing, and just about anything else....but the time in the camp was generally a pretty big hole in the conversation. It really wasn't until I was older that I realized that detail. (he passed when I was around 22).

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 29 at 2014 9:49 AM

2014-08-29T09:49:07-04:00

I'm of Russian descent. Both of my grandfathers fought in WWII. One died during the war, the other during post war complications some 10 years later. My one grandma suffered a blow to the knee from a nearby factory explosion. War is an awful event and I can empathize with your ancestry

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 31 at 2014 12:49 PM

2014-08-31T12:49:27-04:00

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.

Response by SPC David S. made Aug 31 at 2014 1:04 PM

2014-08-31T13:04:29-04:00

Hey MAJ thanks for letting us see your photos and yes they are amazing. Truly the Greatest Generation. Much respect for you grandfather's service sir.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 31 at 2014 1:31 PM

2014-08-31T13:31:56-04:00

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

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.

Response by SSgt Tim Ricci made Sep 5 at 2014 12:24 PM

2014-09-05T12:24:22-04:00

Wow! Again, WOW!!! Very Interesting! Mine was Infantry in WWII but never shared "Stuff" with me until my return from DS/DS. The last few years of his life I learned alot of the Horror that he went through, I am glad that he chose me to confide in after all those years!!