Pop's Vietnam Slides

Battleship Missouri outside Seattle. In mothballs at the time. Since was pulled out and put into commission one more time, now permanently retired. The Japanese surrender in WWII was signed aboard this ship.

Notes:

I'm surprised not more of you have seen "Dad Pictures" from the wars. It sure seemed like many were taken while I was watching. Even discounting the "landscape" and "here are my buddies at the bar" shots there should be many worth scanning and sharing. You should ask.

I did fly with Randy Cunningham many times and took him from a helicopter on the deck of the Connie for a medical exam after he was shot down. Great fellow to be with on a pub crawl and a superior fighter pilot.

People asked what parents should tell children about their war experiences. It would probably depend on the intensity of the experience and the age of the children though I feel the whole truth is probably best in the long run. My own experience from 5000 ft or more was quite fascinating to me and my son and daughter used to solicit stories and to be allowed to watch "cruise slides".

My father was in WW2 and had taken ROTC at Ohio State through both undergrad and medical school. When he went on active duty they were more short of infantry officers than doctors -- so. He seldom talked about his experience, and then only rather peripherally, though we kids all knew he had "battle dreams" which had pretty much died away by the time we were in school. It was only in the last few years of his life that I learned that he was probably the first American on the mainland of Europe, having parachuted into Italy as a liason officer with British Commandos several days prior to the invasion at Messina. Even then he didn't want to give any details.

My son's other grandfather, who spent WW2 photo mapping Greenland and South America from a Catalina was the source of many more stories.