Couldn't agree more. That generation started Hot Rods as we know them today. I thank all Veterans for my Freedom.
Amen to all of the above. If you know a vet be sure to thank him. Without their service this country wouldn't be what it is today and for sure hot rodding would NOT be the same. Frank
The older you get the more you appreciate what those before you have done. That can apply to hot rods as well as a bunch of brave guys hitting the beach in France back in 1944. Thanks
Sadly these guys are leaving us at an alarming rate,,,,,,,If you know one of these vets,,,,thank them,,,from one era to another! HRP
When I was a young kid, my next door neighbor asked me if I knew where he was on this day 22 years ago (I was six at the time that he asked me). When I said I didn't, he told me a very short, matter of fact story of D-day, and never mentioned it again. It wasn't until years later that I found out what a bloodbath it was, and how he beat the odds by living through it.
Your'e right 41. A lot of these fellas are the guys lolife describes as "lard-***es" (see below) in the "Future of drag racing" thread" "went to the California hot rod reunion for the last time last year, and the future of drag racing is that ***** with the siren in the kids wagon at the finish line, and of course all the lard-***'s with the golf carts." I was one of the "lard-***es" at the reunion last year. I missed D-day, by several years, (it was just about a month before I was born) but I served from '62 to '65. Time and medical problems make it damn tough to handle the heat and distance at Famoso. The carts are evil expensive, but its almost impossible for us "seniors" to get around a the big facilities without them . For instance, I have heart issues, and my pal has a real bad back. This **** adds up over the weekend, and its damn nice to be able to ride around instead of hoofing it all the time. I know many of the real drag racing legends that attend the CHRR - and other nostalgia events, are in the same boat. Lots of them did participate in WWII. Many are in their 70s, and several are in their 80s. Its fun to be young and full of piss and vinegar, when everything's going your way - and most of us "greybeards" don't begrudge you the joys of your youth - but stop and think before you spout off about the "lard ***es". They're not all "gold-chainer" types who are just lazy and have a pocketfull of money. For those of you who think like lolife, I'd ask what good is wanting to commend the old timers for the sacrifices they made in the past (mostly for your benefit, BTW), and then putting them down just for the crime of growing old? Believe me when I say, your day will come. All this will look different from the other side.
i'll see a D-Day vet tonight at a meeting i have. pretty sobering to think about... i'll be spending some time in my WWI-WWII room tonight contemplating the jar of Omaha Beach sand i have fore sure. it was given to me in '99 and it still smells like the ocean when you open it.
Ditto to all above. My dad was a WWII Vet. USAAF. The thing that most people don't think of is that they weren't these 45 to 65 year old guys who went and done it, they were mostly 17 to early 20's. Think back to when you were 19 or 20, can you imagine youself in a Mustang or B17 heading out over foreign countries to kill "them" and not knowing if you were ever going to set foot on earth alive again in a few hours ? Or landing at the Normandy slaughter at 18 years old ? They were far less than most of our ages. Not much more than high-schoolers. You went from boy to man in very short order. 99.9% of kids today couldn't muster what it took. .
d-day was a an allied victory against the Nazi's , in Great Britain we have remembered this for the last 60 odd years, MY Dad told me he remembered the aircraft flying over his house, starting first thing in the morning and at 6 at night still going all with the black and white stripes and as a kid thinking "sumats going on!" He lived through the blitz including Nov 14th 1940 when Coventy was effectivley eliminated as an industrial centre and the landscape here changed for ever. Where I now live only one house was ever hit by bombing and that was my house, destroying the blacksmith's workshop, the bombing pattern can still be seen accross the fields though.
Its a shame, all the hype about 666 and no hype about 6644. Salute to the boys in the sand on Normandy and Iraq. :salute:
The best homage that we can pay to veterans is to stand behind our troops that are fighting the same fight today. Standing strong against those who would do us harm, and standing for the flag that is the symbol for all that have fought and died so that we may carry on. Amen, and may God bless my uncle who stepped on a land mine in North Africa.
It's not P.C. to be patriotic anymore......on the other hand if it was "gay marriage day" or some **** like that you would never hear the end of it.
I agree. I have the upmost respect for these men and women during WWII, before, and on. Those fighting on the front lines and those back home doing what they can for support. Alot of great men from WWII help shape Hot Rodding after the war, look em' up, you'll be surprise. God Bless those that served in the past and today. Here's a link of photos of this historical day: http://www.britannica.com/dday/browse?browseId=237179 US Navy 1991-1999 Ken
My late Uncle Ernie was in D-day in a later wave so he didn't bear the brunt of the ***ault. But he did land in North Africa and told me of the horrific scene on the beach which thankfully he made it through okay. I think about him and the others that endured that horror and I'm thankful that I do not have to because of them. Hats off to the Veterans. Stu
According to my Grandpa, he didn't have the "stones" either. He was a Tank Scout with the 2nd Marines and made Beach landings at Tarawa, Saipan, and Tinian. One time I asked him where the engine was in the Higgins Boats, and he immediately said, "Toward the back. I remember it because I tried to crawl under it on the way to the beach at Tarawa" He never made it to the Beach at Tarawa anyway. His job was to place small, anchored "Floats" to mark underwater artillery craters so the Tanks wouldn't fall off into them as they unloaded. He said he marked two holes, then a shell of some sort blew up about 10 feet from him. Underwater concussion knocked him unconcious, and cracked some ribs. He said if it weren't for another Marine holding his head out of the water, he would have drowned.
for the marines, this is also the 88th anniversary of belleau wood, i believe. i think lead elements of marines moved in on the 5th, but the real ***aults began on the 6th.
Exactly my sentiments! Only heard it mentioned once on the radio today. My dad was in the Pacific theater, USAAF. An uncle in the 101st Airborne. Another uncle was a tanker. My hats off to all of them and all that served, then and now! Especially now. jerry
My Dad lives with me now, he's 86 and a vet from WWll when i was a kid i lived with my Grandparents during WWll and can vaguely remember when my Dad came home. I also remember the Flag we had in the window showing we had someone overseas, it had a V for Victory on it.
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