Sad News... Update Post #32...Photos Added Post #47, #61 & #75

[zrinkill]

So sorry Hos

I have no words.

 

[SC Cowboyfan]

So sorry for your loss Hos.
Words cannot express what you have done, good job!

“You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him." ---James D. Miles.

 

[NeonNinja]

Sorry to hear that Hos.

Looking forward to the pictures, etc.

 

[Yeagermeister]

My condolences on the loss of a true American hero

 

[CowboyDan]

I'm late to this thread, but I just want to say sorry for your loss. Sounds like Bill lived a full life, and I'm sure he's happy to have met you and appreciates all you've done for him...from companionship to handling the details after his death.

 

[Signals]

Your a great man, Hostile. I am curtain your character rubs off on those around you.

 

[Hostile]

Okay folks, here are 7 photographs I found when searching for his will, life insurance, and other important info. On the back of the photos there are notes. I am going to share with you what is there.

This first one really thrilled me to find. He told me they had a 40 MM anti aircraft gun that they called "Stinky." He said the smell of the powder and sulphur was overwhelming. Right on the side of the gun it says that this is "Stinky." Bill is on far side of the gun.

Caption on back.

40 MM Anti-Aircraft Rifle
Alsdorf, Germany
November 1944

http://i6.***BLOCKED***/albums/y244/2Hostile/Scan_Pic0003.jpghttp://i6.***BLOCKED***/albums/y244/2Hostile/Scan_Pic0003.jpg


This is not Bill in the Photo. You can see the word Auctung right on the prop.

Caption on back.

Pablo Barrera
German ME 109
Captured air field

http://i6.***BLOCKED***/albums/y244/2Hostile/Scan_Pic0001.jpghttp://i6.***BLOCKED***/albums/y244/2Hostile/Scan_Pic0001.jpg


Check out the bullet holes in this one. Not to mention the completely gone tail rudder.

Caption on back.

Pablo Barrera & Dick Mullineaux
with German FW 109
Shot down by Charlie Company
Weser River

http://i6.***BLOCKED***/albums/y244/2Hostile/Scan_Pic0002.jpghttp://i6.***BLOCKED***/albums/y244/2Hostile/Scan_Pic0002.jpg


In this one Bill is the guy to the far right with something in his left hand.

Caption on back.

1st Squad
German Pill Box in Back

http://i6.***BLOCKED***/albums/y244/2Hostile/Scan_Pic0006.jpghttp://i6.***BLOCKED***/albums/y244/2Hostile/Scan_Pic0006.jpg


This one gives me chills.

Caption on back.

Captured German Tank
Germany - December 1944
Bulge

Yep folks, the battle of the Bulge. He was there.

http://i6.***BLOCKED***/albums/y244/2Hostile/Scan_Pic0004.jpghttp://i6.***BLOCKED***/albums/y244/2Hostile/Scan_Pic0004.jpg

You all know what this is. The writing is faded out except the word "9th", but it is clear they marched into Paris.

http://i6.***BLOCKED***/albums/y244/2Hostile/Scan_Pic0005.jpghttp://i6.***BLOCKED***/albums/y244/2Hostile/Scan_Pic0005.jpg

In this last one Bill is in the 2nd row, 2nd from the left.

Caption on the back.

C Company
1st Platoon 239th
March 1945
Rhineberg, Germany

http://i6.***BLOCKED***/albums/y244/2Hostile/Scan_Pic0007.jpghttp://i6.***BLOCKED***/albums/y244/2Hostile/Scan_Pic0007.jpg

 

[Faerluna]

Wow! Thanks for sharing those. If you have more, I'd love to see them. Black and whites are such a crisp piece of history.

 

[Route 66]

Sometimes I wish I could just jump into those pictures and go back in time for a bit.

 

[Hostile]

Sometimes I wish I could just jump into those pictures and go back in time for a bit.

That's a cool way of thinking about photos.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Just had the chance to see these for the first time.

Honestly I'm just speechless.

WOW.

 

[JohnnyTheFox]

Those are amazing pics. The german tank is huge..its no wonder our shermans were no match.
Im sure the lord has a special place for a special man like Bill.

 

[silverbear]

Bill died at 6:15 PM Arizona Time. I just got back from the hospital picking up his personal things and saying my goodbye.

May he know a soldier's rest, he's certainly earned it...

I'm deeply sorry for your loss, old friend...

 

[silverbear]

At times you come off as a hard *** on this forum and we've had some disagreements but from everything you have shared with the board about your personal experiences I can honestly say that you come off as great person that anyone would be fortunate to know.

I've never met Hos, but he's a friend of mine... I'm quite proud to be able to say that...

 

[CowboyMcCoy]

Bill died at 6:15 PM Arizona Time. I just got back from the hospital picking up his personal things and saying my goodbye.

I do have some photos to scan and post. I promise you will like them. I will get to it tomorrow.

The hospital gave me an inventory of his belongings. They didn't indicate he had any money. Just a wallet that had a Visa card. He had quite a bit of money in there. So my wife and I counted it and we put it on the belongings chart. While I was looking through his wallet the first card I pulled out was my business card. It has to be 9 or 10 years old. I can't believe he has kept that card in his wallet all these years.

I had to tell the neighbors before I went down to the hospital to do this. A lot of tears shed. We all genuinely liked this good man.

Wow, doesn't sound like you were entirely too close with him... one of those compassion from a distance things. May his soul rest in peace.

Great photos.

 

[Illini88228]

Wow, doesn't sound like you were entirely too close with him.

I didn't get that impression at all. What makes you think they weren't close?

 

[Hoofbite]

Wow.

The picture of the tower is pretty awesome.

I've literally stood in that exact spot. Pretty crazy.

 

[CowboyMcCoy]

I didn't get that impression at all. What makes you think they weren't close?

Eh, I didn't mean it the way it sounded now that I look at it. i once grew up around a great guy who had MS. However, he had family around when he died--just not good family, and just not around him when he died. They just left him to rot and whither away as MS is a crippling disease.

So, I grew up knowing this great guy in a wheelchair. He taught me algebra that I couldn't do now if I sat for 3 hours trying to figure it out. But he had me making As on tests and could only write with his left hand. He was right handed, naturally.

He would drink a beer with me. But only a couple. He did other things to ease is pain and shaking of his limbs.

But I could only get so close to him. His family was always around. His son did unspeakable things to his own crippled father. I've never been a saint in my early adult life, but this guy was just evil.

Nonetheless, the family moved away. But I ran in to their daughter on occasion. I always asked about Bob. He was the only one in the family I really liked. He was truly the only one who had a kind soul and was a genuine human being. He was also a veteran, although he didn't talk much about his duties other than he was a rather high ranking official.

I admired him because he started out as a janitor and ended up with a PhD in mathematics and then became ill shortly after.

As I said, they moved away and I always asked about Bob. He was always "doing well". Well, I found out that wasn't the case when he came knocking on my door asking me to help him get his keys to his own van, because his wife had them. And he didn't want to live in the nursing home.

I had an argument with his wife and told her I would call the authorities for abusing him and not giving him his keys. I verified that he could still drive and he had a handi-capped equipped van, which SHE wanted to take from him. They had two additional vehicles, mind you.

In any case, I resolved the matter to Bob's favor and mediated with the family.

But then I lost touch until I heard he later died in a nursing home.

I would say I was close to him. But so much time passed that I couldn't say I was close enough to him. In hindsight, I kinda wish I had done more for the guy. He had the misfortune of belonging to a family who didn't know what compassion was and in the end I found out that his wife was swindling him out of his veterans paycheck....

But I lost touch with the guy for at least 7 years. And when I found out he died, his funeral had already been held. But that day, I still took a drive by his house to recall old memories.

So, no, I wasn't close to him at the time of his death. We have busy lives. But I was sad he died under those circumstances. And I considered him a friend even though if you ever asked me about him I would definitely hold him in high regard as a friend... but like I said, it was compassion from a distance, as much as I'd like to say I was really close to the guy. That just wasn't the case.

Dealing with loss for me is the hardest thing in the world, especially when I always feel like I could have been closer to someone I loved and lost.

 

[CowboyMcCoy]

I've never met Hos, but he's a friend of mine... I'm quite proud to be able to say that...

Me too. Not sure if it's mutual or not.

On a side, when my uncle from Tucson died Hostile was helpful in helping me find things to do in Tucson. My uncle was a good man, but he wasn't very nice to the rest of the family. However, I know he was a shrewd business man. Or at least that's how he appeared outwardly. One thing you couldn't take from him is he worked hard. But, bear, he had a framed picture of himself shaking hands with George Bush Sr. So political discussions get sort of out of hand, even with my cousins now.

I guess what I'm trying to say is Hostile (his internet handle) is a genuine guy and in spite of some stark differences has always erred on the side of compassion.

As humans, that's all we can really do.

 

[YosemiteSam]

Great pictures. Just seeing those makes me wish I had got to meet him and ask some questions.