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[bachrocks]

Originally Posted by jdandy

Ivan.......That is a B-25 Mitchell bomber from WWII. During WWII and the Korean War my dad was a B-25 bombardier sitting in the nose of a B-25 for 80+ missions. He was advanced to bombardier instructor and trained many new bombardiers to accurately hit targets long before technology gave us laser guided bombs.

Here's a photo of my dad with the famous fifty mission crush in his hat.



Here's a bird's eye view from a B-25 bombardier's seat.

Dan, that is fascinating. You must be proud of your dad.

Pider, this is an interesting post. I recall seeing many of these in my aunt's garage next door. Here is a small contribution.


I think we now have complement our colloquial "lay pipe" with "thread pipe."


Hey, is this Artemis, perhaps out for a deer hunt?


And lest we forget to entertain our thirst...

Back to Korea:

I used to spend my time in Korea walking around Seoul. I often passed through the War Museum. I thought about several things whenever I was there. At first, I remembered going to Aberdeen Proving Ground as a young boy with my dad. They also had a very cool collection of tanks etc.

I then began thinking about the beautiful and rich Korea I was privileged to live and work in. Of course, I could enjoy this luxury because of the many many people who risked their lives to protect the country, past and present. Being only an hour south of the evil DPRK, this privilege was palpable, especially when the air raid siren would go off. Really, that is the closest to war I ever want to come.


The main entrance.


They even have boats.

After a few years of just walking around the grounds, I began to explore more closely. I then noticed the walls of names of the many who died in the Korean War. Wow, now these unknown persons had names. Somehow, I felt closer to them, their sacrifice, and the great sadness their families must have felt at their loss. Several times, I walked by and I ran my hands over some of the names, and with tears in my eyes--being away for my wife only added to the poignancy--I found myself thanking these individuals.

I lived in Yongsan, the same area as the U.S. army base, and passed by the base all the time. I often thought these soldiers must be happy to be in Korea, not Iraq or Afghanistan. In any case, more people protecting my freedom.

ron


Some of the names of the war dead.