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My Pop


This is a picture of my father's unit when he was a soldier in World War II. He was part of the 1st Armored Division (Old Ironsides) which, after crossing the ocean on the Queen Mary, trained in Northern Ireland. Before receiving orders for deployment, the unit posed for this photo that now hangs in my mother's foyer. I have always found it captivating--young men looking clean and fed and dry, and safe. They wouldn't look like this again for a few years.

Old Ironsides was deployed in North Africa and were some of the first American soldiers to see actual combat. They also fought in Italy and France, and they were a pivotal part of the battle at Anzio. My father didn't talk about the war very often except to swear about Paton and wish he had been assassinated by the soldiers who hated him. He liked to tell the story of driving a tank across the desert with German aircraft overhead, and his tank jumped its track. According to the story, Paton abandoned my father and his tank buddy and drove off to safety. With bullets flying, the two men were able to get their tank back on track and in working order, but they never forgave their commander for leaving them for dead.

Here is a photo of my father on KP duty, an assignment he received quite a bit. I have posted this photo before, but I think it's worthy of being seen again.

Comments

Neponset River Bridge Dig said…
Great photos Robyn. That one of your Dad's unit is very striking, a real American story. I am always humbled by stories like this and reminded of the great sacrifices people like your dad made during that time in our history.

thanks so much for sharing this Robyn.

Have a great day :))

Ahhh I finally beat dive being the first to comment!!!
8:43 AM
Gina said…
I know that it is the Marines who say "No man left behind" but I would expect more from a commander.

Great photos!
11:00 AM
peahen said…
Thanks Robyn, it's stories like that which put your own worries into perspective, isn't it?
12:08 PM
dive said…
Ah, Paton and his lust for glory.

Those are lovely shots, Robyn. I particularly like the one of you Dad doing KP. He looks cool.

Tank campaigns in North Africa; Anzio, Italy, France … Wow! That brings back all the glorious stories I loved when I was growing up.

Sigh. In those days America went to war for a noble reason. And what heroes they were.
A big thank you to your Dad and his buddies.
2:43 PM
Scout said…
Rich, do you think they really were the Greatest Generation? I tend to think they were.

Gina, you would expect more from a commander, but I have always wondered if that story was completely true. With my father, you couldn't be sure.

Peahen, my worries just don't compare. I'm glad.

Dive, my father did like to look cool. He was very particular about his mustache, even during wartime and KP duty. Heroes can still be dashing, evidently.
7:28 AM
Cheltenhamdailyphoto said…
Well done Rich.

This is a great portrait of your father, don't think i've seen it before.
8:02 AM
Neponset River Bridge Dig said…
Robyn -in my life time to date, I would say they were the greatest generation. As they the people who sacrificed pass on, we as a nation tend to forget their service. Just like the civil war veterans on both sides should never be forgotten nor should the lessons learned from it.
10:46 AM
Anonymous said…
Love this Robyn.
This is what makes history live again.
9:41 PM
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