"Pop" Gittleson Issues Beyond Palo Alto, posted by Walter_E_Wallis, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on May 28, 2007 at 7:04 am
August 10, 1950, "Pop" Gittleson was the first man in my unit killed in our first fire fight, along the Naktong river. Pop was a veteran of WWII. He was 27 when he died.
Posted by Walter_E_Wallis, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on May 28, 2007 at 12:38 pm
Anon, look at the nighttime picture of the Korean peninsula on the net. Pop and I fought for the light in the South [portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff.] The North Korean dictatorship has killed and starved to death far more people since then than were killed in the war. Wars are bad, but there are worse things than war. [Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]
Posted by Mary Carlstead, a resident of the Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood, on May 28, 2007 at 1:13 pm
There are still many WWII, Korean and Vietnam veterans in Palo Alto. Some of the WWII, now in their eighties and nineties are: 1) Former councilmember Ned Gallagher, a young marine lieutenant, who went down with the USS Houston in the Java Straits, January, 1942. Swam to shore into the arms of the Japenses Army. Spent the rest of the war in prison camps, much of it in Japan. 2) Stewart Greene, a B-24 bomber pilot whose plane was shot up over the Pacific, most of the crew killed, he brought the plane back to an island. 3) Art Adams,US Army, was only eighteen when shot at the opening of the Battle of the Bulge, had unbelievable deprivation in German prison camps, shot again in the famous Patton-engineered escape in the spring of 1945, liberated, and sent to a hospital to recover - to be prepared for the invasion of Japan. He's written a book "A Young Man Goes to War". Fascinating. 2 purple hearts, POW medal. 4) Capt. Carl Bunje, USN, helped to liberate his own mother from a Japanese internment camp! Was in the battle for Manila and Morotai. 5) Capt, George Galvin, US Army 8th Tank battalion ( with Patton) 2 purple hearts , 2 bronze stars. 6) Major Elsie McGinnis Trojak, (will be 91 next week) - US Army nurse, China, Burma, India. and husband Emil, USN radio tech, South Pacific, Guadacanal. 7) Paul Vavuris, US Army 823rdTank Destroyer, 30th inf. Div. SGT. Normany, Ardennes, Central Europe, Rhineland. Purple heart, Bronze star, French medals. (Met his brother during the Battle of the Bulge.) 8) Al Stura, US Air force, South Pacific 9) Jack Morrisey, US. Navy, Lt. Cmdr., survivor of the USS Block Island, Battle of Okinawa. 10) Ann Masik, US. Navy Nurse Corps 11) Bill Pounders, US Army, 104th Div. Netherlands, Belgium, Germany 12) Larry Ryan (Stanford professor emeritus) 1st USMC Western Pacific, 2 purple hearts, wounded Iwo Jima. Above information taken from the World War II 50th anniverary multi-faith memorial, 1985. Many since that time has passed away. But the above still live right here. The list of Korean veterans , now in their seventies, is very long. Thank you, and God Bless You all always. Do YOU readers have an American flag flying today?
Posted by Craig, a resident of the College Terrace neighborhood, on May 28, 2007 at 5:31 pm
I would like to mention my Dad. His Mechant ship (Hobbs Vicotry) was sunk at Okinawa April, 1945, by kamikazee attack (13 killed). I was raised in a town that had many WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam veterans. This is your day, guys. You earned it.
To the several Gold Star moms I knew, I shed a tear with you today.
Posted by eric, a resident of Mountain View, on May 29, 2007 at 9:42 am
Yes, anon, we SHOULD say a few words about them. All of them. Honoring a single fallen man is every bit as important as honoring them all, perhaps more so.
(anon, I was willing to write off your first post as a "doesnt get it" remark. Not the second one. Go away)
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