Grandparents bringing a cool guest to Christmas

[yh125d]

I can't wait to sit and chat with this guy

from my grandmothers e-mail: "We plan to also bring a guest, a 91 year old WWII veteran who says he doesn't have anywhere to go to for a family Christmas. He is interesting to talk to and is an active old gentleman. He moved to Cushing last year after living in California since WWII. His mother died when he was 8 and his father gave him and his 5 siblings away. He landed on Omaha beach on D-Day and was wounded in the head in action in July of that year so he has some interesting stories to tell."

I sure bet he has some interesting stories, I haven't even met the guy and he sounds like a guy I'm going to be lucky to have met.


What should I ask him about?

 

[slightlyhuman]

envious.

 

[lxskllr]

Make the most of it. The WWII guys are dying off fast. Soon their stories will only be available in book form. Just talk. It doesn't even have to be about the war. He lived through the Depression, fought in a defining war, and saw the world change so much, it might as well be a different planet. Talk, and listen; especially listen.

 

[BoomerD]

Don't press him for war stories. MOST veterans I've known don't like to talk about what they saw or did.
Just enjoy spending time with a guy who put it all on the line when it counted.

If you're lucky, he'll tell a bit here and there about it...or just about how life and the world have changed in his lifetime.

Keep in mind, not all of us older people think things are better than they once were. Different? Sure...Better? Probably not.

 

[Ichinisan]

Record it for posterity.

 

[foghorn67]

You can probably ask him about military life. Even folks that didn't fight had interesting stories.
Just talking about his generation in general will be fascinating enough.

 

[skyking]

Nice of your grandmother to include him.

 

[Ronstang]

I friend of mine used to own an auto repair shop. He always had people hanging around. One guy was older but I did not realize at the time he as in his 80s, this was around 2002. One day I was talking to him and he started telling me stories of bombing German trains while piloting a P-47 Thunderbolt. I have always been a bigg WWII buff. I started hanging out at my friend's shop more often just to be able to talk with this gentleman. Interesting is an understatement. Hearing things from the mouth of a man who was there dwarfs anything the best of documentaries can convey.

 

[OlafSicky]

What should I ask him about?

Show him the first 15 minutes of SPR with surount sound and see what he says.

 

[CZroe]

Careful. The vast majority of "vets" with "no place to go" have "no place to go" because they are homeless/crazy and most are "vets" because additional sympathy nets them additional hand-outs. IOW: He could be lying like seemingly most homeless "vets."

 

[skyking]

Careful. The vast majority of "vets" with "no place to go" have "no place to go" because they are homeless/crazy and most are "vets" because additional sympathy nets them additional hand-outs. IOW: He could be lying like seemingly most homeless "vets."

wow

 

[foghorn67]

Careful. The vast majority of "vets" with "no place to go" have "no place to go" because they are homeless/crazy and most are "vets" because additional sympathy nets them additional hand-outs. IOW: He could be lying like seemingly most homeless "vets."

I think your parents were "vets".

 

[zinfamous]

Careful. The vast majority of "vets" with "no place to go" have "no place to go" because they are homeless/crazy and most are "vets" because additional sympathy nets them additional hand-outs. IOW: He could be lying like seemingly most homeless "vets."

 

[skyking]

yup, some 91 year old guy "workin the system" LoL!
I really like that homeless part, nothing like taking a little license when needed

 

[lxskllr]

yup, some 91 year old guy "workin the system" LoL!
I really like that homeless part, nothing like taking a little license when needed

Let's assume that's all true. A 91 year old homeless guy would have some cool stories to tell, even if he didn't fight in WWII. He'd be welcomed to my house any time :^)

 

[CZroe]

I think your parents were "vets".

If you are implying that they and I are crazy, I'm pointing out something so common that it is likely (not something "crazy" to point out).

Let's assume that's all true. A 91 year old homeless guy would have some cool stories to tell, even if he didn't fight in WWII. He'd be welcomed to my house any time :^)

What if the stories were about all the other nice people he took advantage of? Would the stories be true? He'd likely just keep spouting made-up vet stories that he has practiced over decades.

yup, some 91 year old guy "workin the system" LoL!I really like that homeless part, nothing like taking a little license when needed

"Taking a little license?"

Not sure what you mean. I didn't imply that the label "homeless" alone was a problem and went through effort to show exactly why it was relevant (you can't deny the "homeless veteran" scam exists). "Homeless vet" is so common not only because some vets have trouble reintegrating in society but also because other homeless see the difference that a sign with "vet" on it makes (same as "God Bless"). FWIW, not nearly all are even "homeless:" it's part of the sympathy scam and one of the big red-flags. Having "no place to go" strongly indicates that this may be the typical homeless scam from a guy who's aware of what claiming to be a vet can get you. I'm just saying that "no place to go" could be code for "homeless" in which case you must consider how few homeless who claim it are really veterans and how many homeless are certifiably crazy (assuming it's true). I saw crazy homeless people having imaginary arguments with themselves on a daily basis in San Diego. It's sad and I respect those with the ability to help those people, but it's also dangerous to invite them into your home.

 

[ThePresence]

My grandfather is 91 and fought in Europe. Was not at D day though, which is probably why I'm here. I have his army uniform from then, in perfect condition. My great uncle just died and he WAS at Normandy.

 

[KeithP]

What should I ask him about?

Why grandchildren don't find their own grandparents interesting?

-KeithP

 

[kmcrowl]

A buddy of mine always had a 4th of July party at his house every year. His grandfather came every year. Two years before he died he started to tell me WW 2 story's at the party. I heard some really interesting stuff.My friends mom said after he left that she had never heard any of this before. I think as these guys get closer to their maker they want to tell someone the horrors of WW 2. Something most of these guys have never done.

 

[skyking]

My dad never did. I learned from what he told an uncle right after the war.

 

[sunzt]

Show him COD and see what he thinks about it.

 

[JulesMaximus]

My grandfather is 91 and fought in Europe. Was not at D day though, which is probably why I'm here. I have his army uniform from then, in perfect condition. My great uncle just died and he WAS at Normandy.

My Grandfather was in the Navy serving in the Med during WWII. He turned 90 this year.

 

[Thump553]

Don't press him for war stories. MOST veterans I've known don't like to talk about what they saw or did.
Just enjoy spending time with a guy who put it all on the line when it counted.

If you're lucky, he'll tell a bit here and there about it...or just about how life and the world have changed in his lifetime.

Keep in mind, not all of us older people think things are better than they once were. Different? Sure...Better? Probably not.

QFT. My parents generation were the people who fought in WWII, very few would actually talk about it. I was very close to one of my uncles (spent several summers working on his farm) and didn't find out till after he died that he fought in the front lines from D-Day through the Battle of the Bulge (after being born a Quaker). He would always evade direct questions about it. Another person I knew was a medic in several Pacific battles, much decorated (the Japanese used to intentionally target medics)-it wasn't until his mid-80s that he would talk about it at all.

 

[highland145]

Would like an update next week.


Know a D Day vet. Still goes to the gym.
http://www.newspaperarchive.com/SiteMap/FreePdfPreview.aspx?img=103892955