RIP Charlie Trippi
- Thread starter Hungry Jack
- Start date
Yeah. Right after the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor.
RIP. That generation of Americans was rather special. I had the privilege of meeting another football HOFer who lost some years of football to fight in WW2 and was in some serious battles. He had a different air about him, and has always had my respect.
He passed away about 14 years ago and would have turned 100 in 2023. Wow.
He passed away about 14 years ago and would have turned 100 in 2023. Wow.
One of my fellow teachers when I began had played at University of Chicago for Amos Alonzo Stagg. He fought in the Pacific Theatre and contracted sleeping sickness that caused him a lot of issues in later years. Great mind, excellent teacher, great stories, and yes he had that different heir about him. Taught me a lot about life.
My grandfather was also a WW2 vet. He was not a football star (his brother was and almost was able to get a college ride for it) but served the war effort in multiple ways - the Chicago tool and dye factory he worked at was converted to create war supplies for the first couple of years of the war, and he went over when called upon.
He never talked about the real stuff he saw overseas. But he told my aunt he had a hand in cleaning up concentration camps, as he refused to tell his kids or grandkids about it. He would have turned 103 this year if he hadn’t passed away 11 years ago.
I can’t wait to tell my boys about him and that whole generation someday. It sure beats talking about ticktock or tweeter.
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Oh yea: my grandpa had to drop out of school during the Great Depression to work and help feed his family. It pleased him to no end that I ended up in Evanston. His internship advice to me was hilarious, particularly when I landed one in Milwaukee. And he sure loved watching our 2000s offense on TV.
Distant but fond memories. Especially when we had an offensive system that innovated. He loved our old spread.
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The "Greatest Generation" is almost all gone now. The sad part is that the current generation knows very little about them or WWII for that matter. There are some wonderful documentaries on NetFlix about WWII that give some idea of the sacrifices they made and the actual scope of that conflict.
Having visited Normandy recently, seeing the expanse of beach, at low tide, that had to be crossed under fire, makes you appreciate the courage of those men. Utah Beach is now a resort beach. The French guide explained that the US soldiers that landed there, did so, to liberate France and allow a return to normalcy. A sunbathing beach is not disrespectful but a reminder of what the invasion's goal was, The Cemeteries, both American and German, are solemn places. The rows of white crosses in the American Cemetery and the more subdued markers of the German Cemetery are reminders of the cost of war. It seemed that a 1/3 of the German graves were of Polish conscripts forced to fight for Germany, these are the little-known and almost forgotten stories of the war.
Having visited Normandy recently, seeing the expanse of beach, at low tide, that had to be crossed under fire, makes you appreciate the courage of those men. Utah Beach is now a resort beach. The French guide explained that the US soldiers that landed there, did so, to liberate France and allow a return to normalcy. A sunbathing beach is not disrespectful but a reminder of what the invasion's goal was, The Cemeteries, both American and German, are solemn places. The rows of white crosses in the American Cemetery and the more subdued markers of the German Cemetery are reminders of the cost of war. It seemed that a 1/3 of the German graves were of Polish conscripts forced to fight for Germany, these are the little-known and almost forgotten stories of the war.
Doc,
Poignant stuff. And sadly the military cemeteries keep getting filled with war dead.
I would hope that WW2 would be an essential part of any “recent history” course. But it always felt close to me given my grandfather’s service, and having a lot of Jewish friends growing up. It’s frightening that the next generation may not realize how close the world came to being so much worse.
History may not repeat itself but it certainly rhymes…
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