On Veterans Day Patch Readers Share Photos, Stories Of Those Who Served In Their Families

RESTON, VA — My father Philip O'Connell served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was deployed to the South Pacific, overseeing an anti-aircraft gun crew on Fiji.

My Dad didn't talk a whole lot about his military service. One memory was about how he was inducted into the "Order of Neptune," when the ship he and fellow soldiers were in crossed the equator. The ceremony involved getting dunked with sea water by a sailor wearing a mop on his head.

Another memory was about being woken up in the middle of the night by the sound of falling fruit that was being dropped on his tent by Fijian monkey-faced bats.

My Dad's brother Charlie flew a Navy blimp during WWII. His job was to spot enemy subs as he escorted ships out of San Francisco harbor. Their sister Maureen also enlisted in the WAVES.

My Mom's brother James Jones was a naval aviator in the Pacific. He once had to bail out of his fighter and wait to be rescued from a tropical island. To kill time, he made a hula skirt for my Mom out of parachute silk.

My Mom told the story of meeting my father for the first time outside of church one Sunday morning. He'd just come back from the war and was wearing his uniform. After they were married, they moved to Indiana and my father earned a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Notre Dame — paid for by the GI Bill.

My parents and their siblings all came of age in the 1940s. Growing up in Brooklyn, New York during the Great Depression, none of them envisioned pursuing a career in the military. But like others in their generation, they answered the call when they were needed. By the grace of God they all returned home safely to raise families.

I just wanted to share their stories and my father's photo on Veterans Day.

Patch reached out to its readers on the Neighbors app, inviting them to share photos and stories of the veterans in their lives as a way to honor them on Veterans Day. Below are some of the submissions.

I've had 11 members of my family serve in the Armed Forces. This is my father. He also served in WWII. I wish I knew more about what he did during his service, but I do know that he spent some time in the Aleutian Islands.

He was a steadfast presence in our lives, grounding us, and helping us to learn how to live an honest and forthright life. He was a wonderful man who I treasure. He passed at the age of 60 in 1980 — way too young. I miss him to this day.

So many nurses offered their service to the military that the local hospital in their home town of Charleston, West Virginia ended up being very short of staff. My mother and grandmother both volunteered with many of the ladies in town, to help out and do whatever they could at the hospital.

During WWII, it was a group effort for the common good. I remember my mother telling me that she would go around to gather milk and egg rations that people weren't using, and she would make sure women with young families would get them.

Everyone pulled together, everyone supported others who had someone serving, everyone stood up to the plate to do their part. Truly the greatest generation. Happy Veteran's Day to all who have served us.

Talmage Edward Newton (Ted). I am afraid he died so young — I was a sophmore in college at the time — I never took the time to really sit and ask him about his experiences, like I would do now. I don't even know his rank, and I'm not sure how to find out. I do know he was an officer of some standing.

One of their temporary stops for the Army was in Natchez, Mississippi, and, according to Mom, only the higher ranked officers and their wives got to stay in this wonderful old antebellum mansion whose owner opened her extra rooms for the cause. I don't know if you are looking further than the Veteran, but here is a picture of my Mom in her nurse's aid uniform.

They were married just prior to him leaving, as so many couples did at the time. There is an urgency with love under those circumstances. ... I'd give anything to be able to go back and simply watch them be together. My Dad and Uncle (Mom's brother) were best friends at Riverside Military Academy — that's how he met my Mom. My uncle served in the Army as well and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. Thankfully, they both made it back.

— Ami Bresson, Fairfax City

My father was a pharmacist mate in the Navy who also served in the Pacific during the War. I recently gave a Navy bell he had, his Navy uniform and many period pictures to the Palm Springs Air Museum which plans an exhibit. Otherwise, I'd post pictures here. He retired as a pharmacist after 30 years in Baltimore. My Mom is still alive. They were married for 60 years. She's now 94.5 years old but is quickly declining.

— Joanne Aaronson, Reston

My dad Paul T Frazza Jr. is shown here in 1943 as an Army private in the Signal Corps in the Philippines. He and his friends enlisted immediately after the Pearl Harbor attack.

After serving he continued to lead by example with his volunteerism with our church, our schools, and for the last 20 years of his life, as the chaplain of his American Legion Post 53 in New Jersey, where he led the annual Poppy Drive and made military ceremony arrangements for local veterans when they passed.

One endeavor of his really stuck with me though. During the first Gulf War, he badgered his Post members at multiple meetings until they relented and dipped into the Post reserve funds and bought diapers and baby formula for local low-income families of servicemembers deployed overseas. He was a true believer that you were either part of the solution, or part of the problem.

— Luke Frazza, Reston

My Dad, Harvey Lester Nichols Jr. served in World War II. He was in the battles/campaigns in Algeria, French Morocco, Tunisia, Sicily, and Normandy. He had eight brothers and sisters — his brothers all served in the military. Our extended family of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins lived in the Centreville area for generations. At different times, the Nichols family lived at Cabell's Mill, Mount Gilead and several of the houses that now comprise the Centreville historic district. Thanks for the opportunity to honor my father on Veteran's Day.

— Brenda Nichols Snyder, Fairfax City

My dad was a son of Polish immigrants who settled in Yonkers, New York. He jumped into the fight early joining the Royal Canadian Air Force. He flew north Atlantic patrol. As Great Britain was short of pilots, my dad moved to the RAF and became a spitfire pilot. He had five confirmed kills in the Battle of Britain. When the U.S. joined the war he became a B-17 pilot. He had his left hand severed during a crash landing returning from a mission. Though they were able to partially fix his hand he was no longer active as a pilot. He retired as a major and was a pilot instructor.

— Nick Forrest, Fairfax

If you have a story or photo to share, post it in the comments below or email it to michael.oconnell@patch.com.