Windtalker George Smith passes aged 90

As a footnote: I once read a book on the Doolittle Raid in which the author commented that James Doolittle’s family name was somewhat ironic because, on the contrary to “doing little,” the man was actually a powerhouse with a long list of accomplishments in various aviation-related fields, both theoretical and applied. He was, among other things, a test pilot and an aeronautical engineer, a record-setter and a prize winner, with many of these accomplishments pre-dating the outbreak of WWII in 1939 (at which time he was a reserve officer in the Air Corps, having resigned his regular commission in 1930; he returned to active duty in the Air Corps in 1940). WWII added more items to his C.V., the Doolittle Raid being the most famous example but by no means the only one.

@Redleg13A:

Or things to gripe about at least lol…sore backs and sore feet are timeless.

Or, in the case of enlisted men, griping about their NCOs.  In the 1943 movie Sahara, Humphrey Bogart plays a tough, no-nonsense (and occasionally sarcastic) US Army sergeant who’s in command of an American tank in North Africa.  Early in the movie, while proceeding alone across the desert following a hard-fought action, Bogie’s tank picks up an assorted handful of Allied soldiers from a bombed British field hospital: an Englishman, a South African, a British Sudanese, a Free Frenchman, and so forth.  A bit later, two of the enlisted men who are riding on the hull of the tank are having a shouted conversation (because of the noise of the tank engine), and if I recall correctly one of them grumbles, “Why is it that a sergeant is always the same no matter what army you’re in?”

Thank you Toblerone. I mentioned it, as I was sure the British Army did something like that after WW1 and the horrific losses small villages suffered if a battle went badly. I know you can see memorials in little villages and the long lists make sad reading, without a list of names with the same surname.

We are loosing a great many of WW2 veterans daily.  :oops:

Our WW2 men and women are quickly getting thinned out, it’s hard to come to terms with.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2026494/Albert-Brown-Oldest-survivor-Baatan-death-march-died-aged-105.html

All respect to those who died in these valiant wars (whether Allied or Axis) but here we go again with more Nazis. It could happen in the US though. Hate groups are on the rise.

George Tweed is buried at Eagle Point National Cemetery about 15 miles from my house and this time of the year the local press helps remind of his story. 2 links to his story.

http://www.guampedia.com/category/124-world-war-ii/entry/371-george-tweed

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Ray_Tweed