They are all heroes, but they are just like you and me...


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Posted by John K. Seidts on Friday, May 15, 2009 at 13:33:45 :

In Reply to: At least he didn't throw them away. posted by Chriscase on Friday, May 15, 2009 at 09:53:15 :

Some facts that most people don't know about WWII vets. First, most of them were draftees. After Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt signed an order forbidding voluntary enlistments for the duration, so most of the soldiers who fought were drafted. Nearly 1/3 of them were rejected after drafting for medical reasons, so the ones who served were in the top 2/3 of the population health-wise. The average age of the WWII soldier was 26, among the oldest average ages of the 20th century's wars. Their enlistment was for the duration of the war, plus 6 or 9 months, so some of them fought from 1942 to 1945 in combat. What that meant was the soldier went to war until he was killed or wounded- that or the end of the war was the only way he got home. When the GI went through basic training, it was with the unit he would go overseas to fight with- there were no training centers like we have today- so the soldier trained literally with whom he would fight. Basic training lasted from 8 to 15 weeks. During this time, the men were tested for aptitude and sent to technical schools if meritted- all training materials were written on a 5th grade level so anybody could read what they were being given for training. The brightest were pulled out and offered free college education through programs like the Armed Services Training Program, or ASTP, for later commissioning and complex technical training.

The problem with the army in WWII was that the casualties were much higher than expected- combat units were supposed to have sustained 10- 15% casualties but actually took nearly 90% killed and wounded. So by the end of WWII, almost all pilot training programs, ASTP'ers, and rear echelon units (like the 92nd AAA Group) were stripped of personnel to make more front-line soldiers. The training varied with who went overseas- some had complete infantry training but most were shown how to fire an M-1 rifle and taken to their foxhole for on-the-job training. The units were so short that in a segregated US Army, African-American soldiers were offered the chance to fight on the front line- they had to take a bust to private to get the job, and 2221 volunteered anyway. Soldiers usually were able to stay in combat for 110 days before they lost their combat effectiveness- if they weren't wounded, most of the ones who survived stayed in combat for at least 6 months. During the Battle of the Bulge, cold weather clothing was held back to enable more food and ammunition to be brought to the front- so 44,000 soldiers got frost bite to the point that they had to be evacuated. Most of those who got trench foot, a destruction of foot tissue from repeated exposure to cold and water, were in so much pain that they had to crawl back to the aid stations- there were so few litter bearers and so many critically wounded that they didn't have time to move wounded who were able to crawl. These are just a few stories, and there is much more to be told.

My Uncle Stephen Mendrey is buried in Lorraine Cemetary- he was killed in the 10th Armored Infantry at a considerably quiet time during the European offensive. My Uncle Frank Karkosak served as a medic in the 83rd Infantry Division- when he died, a retired Judge called from the midwest to let Frank's son know that his father was the bravest men he ever saw in combat- running into a field to care for wounded while the shooting was still going on, the Germans and Americans finally stopping when he started giving aid. I own and fly a 1944 Stinson L-5E that went to Europe at the end of WWII, and every time I fly it, I thank God that I was able to know some of these great people, and that our life is better because they lived.

If you want to read more about these heroes, I recommend Steven Ambrose's "D-Day" and "Citizen Soldier," and Cornelius Ryan's "The Longest Day" and "A Bridge Too Far." Some of what I have written here came from those books.



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