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My Dad during WWII


I Hate Moths
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Dad jumped around a bit during the war. OCS, Army Air Corps, and ending up in the 13thAirborne. I joke now that he was like Forest Gump, he was everywhere.
This is my Dad

Dad gave me his jump jacket and pants around 1985. I never knew they existed, even after all the snooping around i did in his stuff over the years.

I don't know if this is Dad being dragged or one of his buddies.

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Dad was a rigger and often bragged that with all the parachutes he packed, there was never even one complaint.

He also graduated from aircrew training. That's him above the green arrow.

Dad was also learning to fly, and i have his log book.

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Dad was also training to fly. I don't know which of these planes he flew. His log book states, Make and Model Interstate SIA
Engine Continental 65 hp. From 12/28/43 to 1/18/44 he flew eleven times, a total of about ten hours. This was in Manhattan Kansas.

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Dad was a rigger and often bragged that with all the parachutes he packed, there was never even one complaint.

 

I had to chuckle when I read this. That "never had a complaint" is also an old parachute rigger joke along with "if you parachute don't open bring it back to me for a replacement free of charge".

 

Here is a page on Parachute Riggers that I put together years ago for the Quartermaster Museum. Before 1951 all parachute riggers were trained by the Infantry School, after that date the Quartermaster School trained them:

 

http://www.qmfound.com/aerial_delivery.htm

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Great site Kevin ! I've bookmarked the site for future reference. Have you ever wondered what it,s like growing up hearing Blood Upon The Risers over and over again. It may have seriously affected me :lol:

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  • 2 weeks later...
I Hate Moths

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Below is my dad with my uncle Sonny. (Howard T Sullivan) They met in Hamburg shortly after VE day. What are the chances of that ! All i know about uncle Sonny is that he fought in the Battle of the Bulge.

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Great site Kevin ! I've bookmarked the site for future reference. Have you ever wondered what it,s like growing up hearing Blood Upon The Risers over and over again. It may have seriously affected me :lol:

 

 

No, but ask my kids :lol: And he ain't gonna jump no more!

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I Hate Moths

Here is Dad's sweetheart back home.

Mom

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This is my dad"s brother Paul Sullivan

He dropped out in the 9th grade to enlist.

He once told me that he was 17 years old, in Shanghai and second in command on his ship.

post-7425-1325512808.gif On the back "USS LSM 461 Korea 1946"

 

This is my Grandmother writing a letter to one of her 3 sons during the war.

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I Hate Moths

Dad was offered an immediate furlough to train as a paratrooper, after completing his aircrew training.

I guess any chance to go home outweighed any risks. The Western Union telegram asks my grandmother for $100. The receipt is also shown. I ponder now how much money that was at the time.

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I Hate Moths

This is great stuff. Thanks for sharing. Its gotta be nice to have such a record of his service!

 

Thank you

Here are the actual orders of reclassification.

 

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I Hate Moths

Here are Dad's Rigger and parachutist certificates, also a recorded message sponsored by Pepsi-cola.

I remember listening to this record when i was a kid. There are stress cracks in it now, and will not play.

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Dad was a rigger and often bragged that with all the parachutes he packed, there was never even one complaint.

Indeed, something to brag about!

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I Hate Moths

Looks like Dad is wearing buckle boots.

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Castle ? Can someone ID this one. My guess is somewhere in Germany.

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Unknown Paratrooper

C-47 Q9

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Castle ? Can someone ID this one. My guess is somewhere in Germany.

attachicon.gifcastle re.jpg

 

 

It looks like the Nibelungen Tower at the end of the Rhein River bridge at Worms, Germany.

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I Hate Moths

 

It looks like the Nibelungen Tower at the end of the Rhein River bridge at Worms, Germany.

I think you have it. It looks like remnants of the bridge in the water.

 

Thank you

 

Very Nice Photos of your Dad's Military Service ;)

and Thanks for Sharing them with us Very Interesting.

 

My pleasure

 

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