Oh how I hear you.I have tried, but to little or no avail. When war broke out ,My oldest brother Don was drafted. Next, JR (only family were allowed to call him that)inlisted in the Marine "Wake Island Unit". Ken enlisted in the Naval Air Corps, and me in the Army Air Corps. Thanks be to GOD, we all returned home. Jr. was wounded on Bouganville. To this day I have been unable to find out anything more than that. Two sons and a daughter, and that's it.
His eldest son, Donnie, That's all we knew him by, did tell me of an incident years later when he and his dad were out fishing in Frisco bay. Donnie had hooked onto a big one. After fighting for a while he got him up to the boat and asked his dad to get the net deady. when Donnie expected his dad to net him, it appeared that it was a baby shark, and his dad cut the line. Donnie was so mad. He wanted it as a trophy. he never forgave him for cutting the line.
It wasn't till some time later that he told of the incident to a fellow friend and MARINE buddy of his dad. This buddy told him of an assault landing on an island , where his dad and another marine were shuttling troops to the beach and bringing wounded back to the ship. this went on all day. toward evening, Jr said their landing craft was bumping into bodies on the way to the beach. By that time he said the water was red and then the sharks came in. Donnie then knew why his dad cut the line.
I guess the fault could lie with me for not prodding, but how far do you go before you waken things they would rather let sleep. He died a few years after the war, from wounds I believe were related. Being 2500 mile away, I saw him 3 times till his final calling. I was just beginning high school when we saw him off at Union Station. Going off to avenge the men on Wake. I never got to know him. Maybe never will.
chucktoo