World War II documents

[Ysabel Kid]

My grandfather served in the US Army during World War I. He was a "long boy", firing the mortars of the day (which were long, not short like they were in WWII and beyond). His oldest son, my uncle, served in World War II in the US Army, 29th Infantry Division, 116th (Stonewall Brigade - Hobie knows this one well ). My Dad wasn't old enough to serve during WWII, but served in the occupation of Germany after the war. My uncle recently discovered some family paperwork that belonged to his Dad, and asked me if I wanted them. I sure did!

The first was given to my grandfather during WWII when his son was fighting in Europe. This was an award from the Philadelphia Council of Defense:



The next is a big one. My grandfather worked on a little project some of you may have heard of called the "Manhattan Project". This certificate came from the War Department.



I thought you fellas may enjoy seeing these.

[FWiedner]

Never seen one of those or any documentation for service working on the Manhattan Project.

That's just cool.

[Hobie]

Thanks for sharing!

Yes, I know a little something about the 116th Infantry Regiment...

[Ysabel Kid]

Thanks for sharing!

Yes, I know a little something about the 116th Infantry Regiment...

Just a little!

[Ysabel Kid]

Never seen one of those or any documentation for service working on the Manhattan Project.

That's just cool.

You'll enjoy this then. I've had his pin from the project for decades. These were awarded afterwards, as you can imagine.

[Rusty]

YK, if you're ever in the area of Oak Ridge, TN there is a muesum there where they have all kinds of memoribelia dealing with the project. They might like to have pictures of those if you were willing for them to have them.
For those that don't know the history Oak Ridge was a town that was built during WWII for the sole purpose of designing and building the Bomb.

[Ysabel Kid]

YK, if you're ever in the area of Oak Ridge, TN there is a muesum there where they have all kinds of memoribelia dealing with the project. They might like to have pictures of those if you were willing for them to have them.
For those that don't know the history Oak Ridge was a town that was built during WWII for the sole purpose of designing and building the Bomb.

Thanks Rusty - I'll have to check into that!

[Chris83716]

VERY cool.

Chris

[Blaine]

I can sense the pride radiating from you.....

[DBW]

Cool stuff.

My cousin has the originals of the following documents awarded to my maternal grandfather. My grandparents lived in the small town of Ede, Holland which is near Arnhem, where the Allies fought for control of the bridge over the Rhine. My mother was a young girl when the Germans invaded her country. My grandparent's home was surrounded by five other homes. Three of those were occupied by Nazi sympathizers. During the course of the war my grandfather was a part of the Dutch resistence. At times the family was required to quarter German soldiers. Anyways, my grandfather did what he could to help Allied soldiers escape back to England during those times while doing all he could to take care of his wife and three children. My mother is the sole remaining member of her family. She's 85 and living in Victoria, British Columbia. She and her family barely survived the war because of food shortages.





As an aside, my father spent two years in a Japanese prison camp when the Japanese invaded the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). I was raised to never trust government. If I'm still alive when it all comes to an end here in the US, I hope I can live up to the standards my grandparents and parents set. Time will tell...

[gamekeeper]

Interesting documents and I sincerely thank everyone who received them for their service.
Special thanks to DBWs grandparents for helping the Allies at great risk to themselves.

[guido4198]

Very cool...
I had no idea there were such documents, pins, etc. distributed re: the Manhattan Project...!!!
Much of my life, it has been treated like something America should be ashamed of instead of being DARN PROUD OF IT for the accomplishment and the LIVES SAVED.
Thank You.

[Rusty]

We have friends that live in Oak Ridge, Tn where the research for the bomb took place. I was told that the Gov't went across the whole country and found an area they thought would be the most suitable for what they wanted. They then went to farmers that owned the land and told them the Gov't needed the land for the war effort. They bought the farmland from them and built a whole town from the ground up that would house the research workers and their families. They wanted the families there so there would be no need for them to travel and it would reduce their contact with the outside world thus making it more secure.
The last time we were there they still had concrete emplacements on either side of the road with machine gun fixtures still visible in them. Our friends told us that the city council was talking about removing them because they didn't like the message they sent. I asked them, but what about the history they represent? He said they weren't concerned with that.

[Ben_Rumson]

Coll items all the way round.... I note the "Manhattan Project" document is dated the day Japan got its' first installment from the "Manhattan Project".

[Ysabel Kid]

Coll items all the way round.... I note the "Manhattan Project" document is dated the day Japan got its' first installment from the "Manhattan Project".

Yep...

[RIHMFIRE]

wow.... fascinating piece of history....
thanks for sharing this....

you need to frame and display them in your man cave!