Monday, August 17, 2009

good talk

I'm tired of Criticizing you Guys. An older guy who was Friend of Mine in my Youth had a Brother, his only Sibling, on the Submarine USS Bonefish which was reported "Missing" during WW II. But yes, they do know what happened to it. Apparently they told the families that the Submarine was Missing and presumed Lost and made no attempt to later say what Actually happened. A very Successful Hunter, the Bonefish sank 31 Enemy Vessels, it had gone into the Harbor of Toyama Wan in Japan and had sunk a Japanese Transport. But the Japanese weren't as Toothless as they had thought and Before they could get Away they Themselves were Sunk. There's a Memorial at Pearl Harbor to the Dead Submariners of WW II, it Says that they're on "Eternal Patrol." My Friend's Brother's Name is Listed there. People these days make a Big Deal out of Somebody Dying, my Friend just Stated matter of factly what he had been told had happened to his Brother. A Friend of Mine back in Akron's Mother's Brother was a fighter pilot in the Pacific and his Family was also told that he was "Missing." They also made no Big Deal about it, he had been "Missing" for 30 years and it's not like they Expected Him to Come Walking Through the Door Sometime. My Friend was the Oldest of 6 but was that Rarest of People, Somebody who had no lst Cousins, even I have 2. His Father was an only child as was my Father and his Mother had a Brother, her only Sibling, but he died Young. At St. Sebastian's to be One of 6 was Common, to be One of 10 wasn't Uncommon. I Used to Really Like to Talk to these Old Birds who had been in WW II. I can't do it anymore as They're Usually Dead but I'd Hear Some Stories. This One Guy who had been in the Battle of the Bulge told me that he Saw these French-Canadians Hang these 2 Young German Soldiers by their, uh, Midsections. He said they bent over 2 Young Trees, tied the Germans to them and Let Them Fly. He said that he thought that they died Pretty Quickly. No doubt "the Metis." The Guy telling the Story wouldn't have known the Metis from the Petit. The Metis were part French and part Indian, they Rebelled during the 1880's and fought a Number of Battles with the English, they were Rough People. They hung their Leader at the Mountie Post at Winnipeg, where I've been, they have a nice Mountie Museum there.

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