The old thread got deleted so I'm just gonna make one in memory of Grandpa Joe Thornburg
Grandpa Joe lied about his age and enlisted to fight as a B-17 belly and tail gunner during WWll. He shot down a shit load of enemy planes.
As a gunner he went back and did 2 additional tours after his first, which I guess was unheard of becuase it's one of the most dangerous jobs around.
Crashed landed the bomber and saved the crew's life after it had be shot down during a mission.
His fist were considered a deadly weapon, he was a champion boxer in the Army.
I guess he was considered a great war hero, and even Douglas MacArthur held him in high regard who instructed all officers to not give my grandpa any shit.
After the war he was recruited by the OSS and Stationed in Japan to help fight the Yakuza.
The Yakuza tried to kill him several times, with one of the times he surviving a grenade attack. He had one of very first knee replacements becuase his knee was fucked up from the grenade attack.
Came back to the US and raised family in Alaska. He hunted bear and moose for food.
He took my dad hunting as a boy regularly. My dad would always load his gun for him.
One time they had a bear charge at them while out hunting. Grandpa stood his ground and unloaded the rifle, he had went to load the last round, it wasn't there becuase my dad didn't load the last bullet. The bear dropped dead at grandpa's feet anyways. My dad said he was never allowed to load grandpas gun ever. again.
Later, they moved all over the country for work while my dad was growing up. Was later struck by lightning while working up on the big ass power lines that go from California to Nevada. he also survived that shit.
Died many years later from blood-clots after leaving the hospital against doctors orders.
