|
As fo me, I respect anybody who fought for his country. My bias in World War One aviation is very slightly toward the Allies. I think our hobby is notorious for down playing the role of the French and over playing the role of the Americans. Had the War lasted into the next spring, the Americans would have been more significant. As it was, we barely had a chance to develop a few veteran pilots before it was over.
My Maternal Grandfather was born in 1897 in Philadelphia of German parents. German was his first language. He served in th US Navy before, during and after World War One.
He fought the U-Boats and was involved in rescue operations for their victims. His German language skill was responsible for earning him a stripe when, at the end of the war, he was the only sailor in his squadron who could act as a translator for a surrendering U-Boat crew. Though a Catholic, he would later develop a knack for speaking Yiddish, which was always useful in North East Philadelphia in the 1960s.
He was a good kind man, but he would revert into a beligerant 20 year old Machinist Mate First Class if somebody suggested that he was German. That was not a good thing - the old fellow boxed as a heavyweight and was the wrong guy to tick off - even in his seventies.
He tried to rejoin the navy for the Second World War, but he worked in a war related industry and they wouldn't let him leave. So he became an Air Raid Warden and tended bar at the Soldiers and Sailors Club, where his boxing skills and China Station tattoos let him double as the bouncer.
My Paternal Granfather was much older. He was born in Glasgow in 1875, immigrated to Philadelphia, worked in the shipyards and played in a band. In 1915, he enlisted as a bandsman in the Canadian forces, but did not serve in France. When the Canadian authorities discovered his age, he was discaharged, returned to Philadelphia, and went back to building ships. He liked to point out that during his service the Germans never tried to attack Montreal.
Tom
|