Hello All from Brunswick/Frederick MD

I've been lurking here for a few days and have gained an incredible amount of knowledge and resources already. What a nice site you have here! Thanks to all the posters for their input, especially to those who have obviously put a great deal of effort into their research and so freely and eloquently share the fruits of their labors.

My name is Jeff Walker and I'm originally from Brunswick Md, although I now live a little north of there in the larger town of Frederick. For those here who also share interest in the civil war, you will recognize Frederick as the home of Barbara Fritchie and also the nearby Monocacy Battlefield. Those of us from this area have a plethora of historical sites to investigate, with both the Antietam and Gettysburg battlefields within an easy hours drive.


My interests in the 2nd world war have evolved over the years, and the seeds were planted by my uncle who raised me, S. Sgt. Eugene Walker, a veteran of 1941-1946 who died in 1979. Uncle Gene didn't see combat, but he had his Sharpshooter/Rifleman and Expert/Coastal Arty badges to prove he would have been there had the opportunity presented itself.

I also have another uncle, Jake Hollar of Bakerton WV, who served on tin cans in both WW2 and Korea and was a purple heart veteran and survivor of one destroyer sunk out from under him (I'm sorry I do not know the name of her) and have had the privledge of knowing and working for Harry Payne, a B-17 co-pilot who saw service over Germany late in the conflict, and Bruce Porter, a member of the merchant marines who later flew P-51's between the wars. Pastor Jacob Traxler, one of my best friend's father, was in his youth his company's boxing champion and as a frogman on June 6 1944 was a member of an outfit that suffered over 60% casualties.

I thank all of these brave men, some of whom are still with us, some of whom who have passed, for their service to our country.

I will close by summarizing my Uncle Gene's military career, paraphrasing it as he told it to me 30 years ago. He arrived in Honolulu a few weeks after Dec 7. He was assigned to the coastal arty on the island and somehow managed to spend the entire war there. He described his primary responsibilities as maintaining the safety and security of the island via use of the arty. Unfortunately he never got to actively pursue his primary responsibility, as of course the Japs never made it that far east again.

His secondary duties, however are another matter. He claims that he personally saw to it that on the weekends, all excess cigarettes were smoked, all excess booze was consumed, and any single hawaiian girls were kept company.

Then he told me that he was extremely fortunate that those are his "war stories", that many millionss of young men worldwide either did not come back, or if they did they may not have come back whole, either in mind or in spirit.

With that in mind, my heartfelt thanks to all veterans of all wars.

I look forward to reading many shared memories on these boards!

 

Hey welcome its good to have more canadians on the site. How cold is it at your end of nation! We are -23C but -35 with the windchill factor! How about you?

 

Ooops Sorry your not from canada I just read wrong Sorry!

 

No problem about getting the country wrong, you probably thought you saw New Brunswick instead of OLD Brnswick!

Sounds really cold up there, keep bundled up!

 

Welcome! This is a fine place and you have given us a great first post. Pull up a chair and enjoy!

Cheers!

 

Good greeting post mate, welcome.

 

Quite a nice introdcution post! Welcome to this fine place!

 

Howdy Jeff and welcome to the forum. Happy posting.

 

Yeah Great to have your here! And sorry again for the country mess up. Oh and today it is a little bit warmer. Only -23C Today!