POW story of my father

[highnote]

This article appeared in a local Ohio newspaper about my 80 year old father.
There were some interesting things I didn't know about his time as a POW during WWII in Germany.
Most striking was that of 1500 prisoners taken from his convoy only 30 or 40 survived.

Makes me really appreciate what he did for me.

http://www.hypernormal.com/html/JOE/Swetye%20-%20Article.jpg

[Rpd]

There are so many amazing stories regarding what our soldiers have and do endure.

You should be rightfully very proud.

[so.cal.fan]

That's an amazing story, JS.
My father was also in the Battle of the Bulge.....he was shot between the eyes by a German soldier, the Americans that picked him up, thought he had died as he collapsed, with blood spurting out of the middle of his forhead....they dumped him in the back of a truck.........it was then noticed he was still breathing.
He woke up in a hospital with part of a bullet still lodged in his brain, he carried that fragment until he died in 1991 at the age of 74.
I think you should get a petition to your congressional representives, your father should recieve a promotion along with a large pension increase.
My father got a pension from the Gov. until the day he died.
He was a 1st Lt. when he was in the Army.......promoted all the way to LT Col. when he passed.
Your brave father should get the same.
Please write to your congressman and your senator!

[highnote]

What's also amazing, is that so many of his generation VOLUNTEERED to go fight!

[highnote]

SoCal,
That is an incredible story about your father. Simply amazing.

Thanks for the idea of writing our congressman. I'll speak with him and my family about it at his 80th birthday party next month.

People from Veteran's Affairs (I think ) fought for him for 10 years to get his POW disability. He finally got it when he was 70 something. So that has been good. He should have been getting his whole adult life, but he was too proud to accept it.

John


Originally posted by so.cal.fan
That's an amazing story, JS.
My father was also in the Battle of the Bulge.....he was shot between the eyes by a German soldier, the Americans that picked him up, thought he had died as he collapsed, with blood spurting out of the middle of his forhead....they dumped him in the back of a truck.........it was then noticed he was still breathing.
He woke up in a hospital with part of a bullet still lodged in his brain, he carried that fragment until he died in 1991 at the age of 74.
I think you should get a petition to your congressional representives, your father should recieve a promotion along with a large pension increase.
My father got a pension from the Gov. until the day he died.
He was a 1st Lt. when he was in the Army.......promoted all the way to LT Col. when he passed.
Your brave father should get the same.
Please write to your congressman and your senator!

[Shacopate]

It's a shame that this mans service was not given the due respect that was clearly earned.

The fact that you're proud without bitterness says alot.

[GameTheory]

Originally posted by swetyejohn
What's also amazing, is that so many of his generation VOLUNTEERED to go fight! That has to be the most staggering difference between the generations. There were lots of young people who were not fit for the Army for one reason or another at the time, and actually committed suicide over the shame of not being able to go fight. I'm saying such shame is good, but that just shows you what the culture was like. Can you imagine that happening now?

[stuball]

Please tell your father that there are many of us out here that
really do appreciate what he was forced to endure ..

He should be getting what he was promised and I think it should be pursued as compensation....Please keep us posted if you can..
He will forever have my admiration and respect...

Stuball

[Dave Schwartz]

John,

A great story of courage. Thank you for taking the time.

Out of curiosity, could you tell us a little about the man your father has been these years? I am betting he has been a man of honor.

Regards,
Dave Schwartz

[Pace Cap'n]

I would like to add my word of thanks and appreciation for your fathers' service to his country. Were it not for them and their fellow soldiers, we would be speaking German now.

What an ordeal that must have been for Mr. Swetye. From my military experience I know that most all of us feared capture much more than death.

And what good fortune for so.cal.'s father. A one in a million.
I'm sure he was one in a million for you, too.

When this thread gets a goodly number of replies, as it should, perhaps you, John, could print it out and present it to your dad as a small token of our appreciation.

With greatest respect,
Steve

[Dave Schwartz]

SCF,

I just realized that I had not read your post.

I echo Pace Cap'n's sentiments: An awesome story.


Dave

[doophus]

swetyejohn,

Your dad's quote, "In life, it is not too often that you get credit for everything," is, of course, very astute and quite profound.

His service and refusal, until recently, to accept the POW pension speaks very loudly about your father's integrity.

Relay to him my very humble thanks, please.

SoCal,

What a story! A posthumous thanks to him and the thousands like him.

[so.cal.fan]

You guys would have liked my Dad.
He passed away in Febuary of 1991 at Arcadia Methodist Hospital.
He had been to Santa Anita daily for most of the meet.
We saw him the night he passed away, he was in fine spirits and we were discussing how tough of a meet we were having at Santa Anita.
The last thing he said to me was " do you think we are EVER going to cash another bet at Santa Anita" ? I said, nope....we laughed......
Always liked to look at horses in the paddock, used to drive 100 miles to and from Del Mar during the summer meet, from Arcadia several days a week to bet horses, rather than go across the street to simulcasting!
Drove to Hollywood Park every day of their meet as well.
His army pension helped in retire in his fifties and play horses up to the end.......
John S.....please follow through with checking into your father's pension.......for all you know, he may be due a large sum of back payments.

[highnote]

Originally posted by Dave Schwartz
John,

A great story of courage. Thank you for taking the time.

Out of curiosity, could you tell us a little about the man your father has been these years? I am betting he has been a man of honor.

Regards,
Dave Schwartz

Dave,
Thanks for the kind words.

You are absolutely right. He was and is a man of honor. Raised 6 kids and made sure we all got a good education.

He has always had very high moral standards. He made sure we knew right from wrong. When we did something wrong, believe me, he let us know it. According to my mother, when I was about 2 years old I was misbehaving on a family vacation. He spanked me. Funny, he never laid a finger on me again, but I feared him ever finding out I did something wrong.

When I was about 14 my mother caught me drinking. I begged and pleaded with her not to tell my father. :) Letting him down would have hurt me more than any punishment he could have given me.

He is a musician and loves the big band sound. He played clarinet in various American Legion Marching bands. Always marched in the 4th of July parades and played in the evening concerts.

He was self-employed. Made ceramic artware (flower planters) for florists. There is a pretty good ceramics industry in south eastern Ohio -- lots of clay in the ground. He had very high standards for his products. When we would visit florists throughout the midwest on our summer vacations, if he or my mother saw a piece of his pottery in the flower shop that wasn't up to his standards ( a hairline crack or a chip) he would replace it -- even if the florist said it wasn't necessary.

He is an all around good guy.

Thanks for asking.

Regards,
John