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john in la

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What part of in La do you not understand
Do you know/related to anyone that has died while serving in the military.

I only know one. A track team and class mate of my oldest son. He was in the marines aboard a ship; working on a (I want to say tank but dont really remember) piece of equipment when the equipment fell overboard and went to the bottom of the ocean with him still inside I really dont know many details and was afraid to ask his parents about it.

While many of my relatives have served I have been lucky to have never lost one in the military.
 
My Late Uncle was 22 Years of age.
When the Allies (Canadians )landed (WWII)on a beach in Italy, they were hit with heavy machine Gun fire. He was machine Gunned to death.
He had survived North Africa.

My Uncle was one of Ten children.
Of the ten children, four were sent to Europe, and their Sister was stationed in Canada.
By the time the war ended, three more brothers had been called in for medicals, but the War was ending and they were not sent overseas....1946.
My family was from a small rural farming area in North Western Alberta Canada.

My Late Grandfather has two brothers buried in Canadian Military Cemeteries In Europe.
They were killed in Europe in WWI

Bob..
 
Uncle Norman died in Vietnam. He was a Navy Corpsman working in a hospital. Died in a Jeep wreck. He was two years away from retiring. RIP and Thank you all who made the sacrifice. Michael (US Army Retired)
 
A friend from high school became a pilot in the Canadian armed forces. He was a Captain at 27, and died with his crew when there helicopter went down in a severe snow storm, while doing a search and rescue in Alberta, Canada. Two of my Great Uncles were gassed in France during WW1. While they lived to return home, they both passed from lung damage from the Mustered gas attacks they endure during the battle.
 
My Dad went into town with four of his cousins in 1943 to join the Marines. Those five represented four different farming families in our area. They had grown up together doing farm work and playing baseball. They were probably pretty sure they could help bring the war to an early end. All four of his cousins were signed on as Marines, but Dad was turned down. I don't know why, but possibly because he was the youngest in the group, and the only son in his family. Anyway, two weeks later, Dad went back to town and joined the Army. He served in the Phillipines and New Guinnea. All four cousins were killed in action in the South Pacific, one at Tarawa. Each of their families became gold star families and were provided with new houses-a noticeable thing in that small community. Dad died in 2005, and I think he always felt deeply the loss of those four.

Butch
 
I lost four good friends in Nam. A RFEO two Pilots and a guy from my home town. Noris and I knew each other on the ship. For about two months. Before he died in a fire.
 
A cousin of mine's first husband died in Vietnam, was from my wife's hometown of Franklin,VA. Saw his name on the Wall when we went to D.C. in 2016. Anybody watch the PBS Memorial Day concert last night? a very good production. We try to watch it every year.
 
Lost a classmate in Beirut, Lebanon. He was a US Marine. I knew 3 or 4 from my hometown that died in Vietnam. Had a Great Uncle killed in France in WW1, he served with the famed Dixie Division, US Army. Several relatives killed in earlier wars.
 
Grandpa often told the story of how he and his cousin Paul had to register for World War I. Grandpa wrote down that he was a farmer while Paul wrote he was a farm laborer. Grandpa got to stay home but Paul had to go overseas to fight. The family was thrilled the day that the armistice was signed because Paul would be coming home, but had not received the news yet that he was killed a few days before. He was buried in France, later the government provided for the mothers to go over and visit their sons graves.
 
I've known several marines who were killed in aircraft accidents. These include two Cobra pilots who flew into the Persian Gulf at night; it's believed they thought an Iranian radar had locked on to them and the pilot in command became disoriented when he attempted evasive maneuvers while wearing night vision goggles. (It was later discovered the radar warning was probably an accidental lock-on from a friendly ship.) I had shared a stateroom with one of them just a few weeks earlier.

Five marines were killed in France when their Huey flew into a cable. One was a good friend, <a href=https://www.wpsdlocal6.com/news/service-sacrifice-marines-legacy-lives-on-through-love-of-flying/article_5ba41890-3c93-11ea-a677-07ac3f66b0db.html>Lannie Good</a>. Again, low altitude night flight using NVGs.
 
Great Uncle died in WWII over the Pacific, his plane and body was never recovered. Several other family members have fought in every war the US has been involved in, but Tom was the only one to not come home.
 
My wife's uncle went down on the ship. A Japanese plane flew straight down the smoke stack. They lost alot young guys that day His name was Frank Skotzke. RIP. His ship was the ST. LO
 
One of my first cousins never made it back from Korea. He was captured and put in a Chinese/North Korean POW camp where he died. His remains were DNA identified and returned home to us here in Minnesota a couple of years ago. Tom in Mn
 
A neighbor boy about 10 years ago in afganistan. Two cop cars pulled in to the yard, shortly after, the rest of the family showed up. I remember my Ma saying that aint good . An IED got him. SAD Bill
 
I have a great uncle buried in France. Died of pneumonia at an Army hospital during WWII. He had a twin brother stateside.

My great-grandmother spoke of an uncle of hers that died in WWI, but I know little of that story. She likely knew little of the story, she was born in 1912, so would not have been very old.
 
As far as U.S. servicemen, I had a cousin who died stateside from burns he got while serving in Vietnam, and an uncle on my father's side was killed in Italy during WW2.

Both of my parent's families (Polish and Hungarian) immigrated to the U.S. in the late 1800's and the early 1900's. Those family members that stayed in Europe- adults, children, civilians, servicemen and
even a few partisans- were all killed during WW2.

Although not a blood relation, my mother had a boyfriend in the U.S. Army who proposed to her before he left for England in 1943 but his bomber was shot-down over Germany a year later and she never saw him again. After the war she met and married my dad (4F/2C), so I'm not sure how to feel about that one.

She kept all his letters and the pictures he sent back in a scrapbook that my sister still has.
 
Lost a cousin in Viet Nam. Larry Busik, lost on a combat patrol in 1968. I always go to the wall when I go to DC.
 
My uncle Charles Bausch who died when the B52 he was in crashed at Clingmans Dome east of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, June 12th, 1946
 
Boy down the road from our farm was MIA in Vietnam about 1970. They just found his remains and brought him home , maybe 5 or 10 years ago.
 
2nd Lt. Dickie Flattery, killed while leading his platoon into combat in Vietnam. He and I were childhood friends through our local 4-H clubs. I can still see his 1959 Chevy convertible sitting in his parents driveway while he was in Vietnam, and for a while after he was killed.

Navy corpsman Roger Olson. He and I went through junior high and high school as classmates. He went into the Navy and I worked at a flower shop delivering flowers to pay for my community college. I will never forget delivering funeral bouquets to the mortuary after he was killed by shrapnel while working on shore in Vietnam. What I remember most was setting the bouquets by his casket and looking at him under a glass panel covering the casket, wearing his dress blues and white gloves.

Lavern Pinky Peterson. Another junior high and high school classmate, he was killed in some sort of accident during basic training. Ive never been abel to get details about the accident, but I remember him as a nice kid.
 
Only know last name in both cases, first is a cousin to a former pastor, last name Tegtmeier gave his all in Vietnam. Second a brother to my daughters best friend from college, last name Geist I believe his all was given in Iraq. We became pretty good friends with their family while tailgating at Kansas State football games.
 
I posted this same note in Big Tee's post today and then saw this thread so will add it here too. A bit of a Canadian connection from me today on your Memorial Day. In 1957 or thereabouts, a family moved into our area up here in Canada. The dad was a Baptist Minister (I thought he was in the oil business at the time but he wasn't), not exactly sure how he ended up way up north with the church. His son Billy chummed around with me and a few other friends for the 2 or three years they were here before they moved back to the USA. Funny little guy, always laughing and having a good time, fun to be with. Years later in '67, his obituary was in the local paper, I suspect maybe a relative or one of his dad's congregation did that. Anyways, I always think of him on your Memorial Day ..... Rest in Peace Billy. Here's a link below about him ....
Untitled URL Link
 
I had a cousin on my mothers side that died in Vietnam. Was suppose to be killed by shrapnel from a mortar. I don't know if I ever met him. They lived a long distance away and I was very young when he was killed.
 
a good friend from high school another guy form same class guy from class ahead of them. 1 guy had married before he left for Nam she never remarried. That's all I want to say about that.
 
I have two wall rubbings within reach of my chair ,lost in nam. One was a pilot shot down very early in the war. He is on 1E -47 on the wall. Other is on 42W line 38. I also have my little sister's MIA bracelet she wore for years, LT Larry Stevens - 2-16-69. WAS A BAD WAR !!! joe
 
We had a young man from our rural township who was killed in Viet Nam. He was Dale E Wayrynen, he threw himself on a grenade to save his company he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously. His dad was a POW during WW II,he also had a brother that served in Viet Nam. His dad was my bus driver for a time and his mom was one of my Sunday school teachers. They were a great family.
 
While in the Navy, stationed in Iwakuni Japan, in 1967 our patrol squadron had 12, P3 lockeed Electra's. A good friend of mine lost his life when the plane he was on crashed into a mountain. Killing the whole crew. My next door neighbor was killed then his plane crashed off the carrier he was landing on, Around 69. All gave some, some gave all. Stan
 
My cousin was in the Marines in Viet Nam. Had 3 days left on a year tour, came home in a body bag. It was June of 67 0r 68, I can't remember. My dad who was in WW II had a cousin that was shot down in Germany and died. My Uncle, dad's brother, was a B17 pilot in WW II. He flew 50 missions and lived to be 92.

DWF
 
A high school classmate and a neighbor kid. The neighbor kid was
younger than me but my parents played cards with his parents.
 
The young man from your area was related to my wife. The young man's father and my wife's father were 1st cousins. I made the picture below during a vacation trip to Minnesota in 2006. Picture was made in McGregor, Minnesota.
cvphoto127069.jpg
 
Interesting that your wife is related to the Wayrynen's, they are one of the few Finnish families that i'm not related to in our rural community. One of Dales 2nd cousins and myself are the sexton's at the cemetery where he's buried, we had the Color Guard there today and will go pickup the Veterans markers and flags later in the week.
 
My cousin was a passenger in a convertible. He was in the backseat, probably leaning forward. The driver went off the edge of the pavement and lost control. My cousin was thrown out and he was run over by the tire. He died at the hospital. I answered the phone and took the message. It was about 68 or 9. I don't remember which base he was stationed at, but he had been going to an engineer.
 
Interesting for sure. I questioned my wife just now about her relatives in Minnesota (we are in North Carolina), but her knowledge and memory of such things is not good. I will have to contact her mother in Minnesota about where my wife's father and mother's family were living in the late 1920's and 30's. We drove by the area in 2006 when I made the picture in Mcgregor. We stopped at the church seen in picture below. It is where my wife's parents are to be interred. Wife's father's family name is Saari. I will be contacting you through personal e-mail.
cvphoto127071.jpg
 
Wow! My mothers family lived a couple miles east of that church. They lived close to the Saari's. We buried a uncle of mine there last week and i mow the area around the church where it's too rough for the lawn mowers, i mow that with my 4610 ford & a rotary cutter.
 
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