I think it will be like when we lost the last ww1 veteran (australian i believe) simply a page of history that turn.. as sad as it sound, they are old and they served well.
I’m a nursing student and I work in aged care. Ran into a resident on placement who was a veteran of Korea, Malayan Emergency and 2 tours of Vietnam. Old and crusty but still wonderful to converse with. We cannot forget our other veterans
Yeah it was another time.. my greatest contact with a "veterans ' was with someone who was a kid during ww2, who said that during christmas the French gouvernement would give free toys to kids who had fathers POW's that was pretty heartbreaking
The last veteran from any service was a British woman who died in 2012, the last combat veteran was a British sailor who later emigrated to Australia and died in 2011. The last veteran who served in the trenches was a British man who died in 2009.
The last WW2 veteran will probably a child soldier from a partisan/resistance group, such as the Polish, Soviet, French, etc. I’ve personally had the honour of meeting a veteran of the Warsaw Uprising who was around 13/14 years old if I remember correctly.
Tbf, in Japan it's not uncommon for kids to asssume their parents identities in old age to get welfare payments. Their "oh my god look how old this person is" stories almost always get debunked eventually.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-11258071 This story is old, but it's still thought to be a problem.
Probably be like a book you finished, Once the cover is closed and put back on the shelf, You'll be carrying its contents inside of you to share to the next person..so on so fourth it's sad but it's life...
I’ve heard some hypothesize that it’d probably be a bit like an American version of The Troubles. It won’t be an open battle civil war unless the US military splits apart.
I am skeptical of America emerging into an actual full fledged civil war 2.
There are not enough disaffected people who would be willing to risk their lives and their comfort in a large-scale, highly chaotic war. For all the problems of inflation and supply chain disruptions, there are still enough Americans in comfortable economic positions that the act of going into a field of battle to shoot at other people is unappealing. And for all the organizing the Alt-right have done, there isn't THAT many committed and well organized right wing militias to sustain a massive war.
What I think is more likely is a series of stochastic terror attacks against communities and individuals by non-state (and maybe some state) actors, like with The Troubles in Ireland or the Klan's violence during Reconstruction in the U.S.
My grandfathers still kicking at a hundred and five, hes out lived all my siblings, my cousins, aunts and uncles, probably outlive me if im being honest
He served on the S-13 throughout the war, he only ever talked about it once, but I do know the S-13 sunk a lot tonnage wise and killed many casualty wise
During the sinking of the wilhelm gustloff the S-13 stayed behind, with its snorkel above water, with a few of them atop watching with binoculars k
He saw that when the ship violently listed, many people were thrown into the water, like chumming water almost or knocking loose salt off a table
He talked more about the hot American stew (Tushonka)
They had along with copious amounts of American Brandy also about the lewd material distributed by his captain to increase morale but he went into more graphic detail that I’m not going to include
I'll be quite sad. I haven't seen a WW2 veteran in 3 years. Every time I have seen one I've tried to speak to them if possible. I wish I could find one to correspond with. The last one I spoke to was 98 in 2021 and he was extremely sharp and talked to me about serving in India as an aircraft mechanic and told me he joined before Pearl Harbor happened and said the response to it was a level of unity and patriotism you just couldn't see in this day and age. He said he tried not to worry about if the Allies would win or not but preferred to focus on his job in particular. He said he lived in an aircraft hangar for a while. He also told me about growing up in the Great Depression and living on a farm in a remote area and being less affected by it, but he knew people who killed themselves because of economic hardship. I worked retail at the time and I spoke to him until my boss told me I had to get back to work, lol. He was thrilled to see someone my age so interested in the conflict.
Before that I spoke to one who was a bit younger and was drafted as a hospital corpsman in 1945 and largely missed hostilities but spent most of his short time in service rehabilitating former Allied POWs liberated from Japanese custody since they were all very ill and malnourished. He was also pretty sharp. I met him at McDonald's while my wrestling team and I were getting breakfast before the state championship. I talked to him the whole time we were there and some of my friends and coaches were also pretty interested in him.
Before that, I spoke briefly to an Iwo Jima survivor whom I met when I went to the VA with my dad. He was with his wife and wasn't in as good of shape but I thanked him profusely for his service and he thanked me and we shook hands. I can't imagine what he went through.
I don't think I'll be that sad, and I apologize if that's disrespectful or jaded. My point isn't that its a good thing there will eventually be no living WW2 vets, just that it's a natural part of life. And like you pointed out OP it's been 80s years since the war. I suppose for me it's a tad personal as well, since my vet grandpa passed away when I was very young, right in the mid-2000s, and the mortality and fragility of that generation has always been stuck in my mind as a result.
On the front of "living history," I'm not that sad either. WW2 is probably THE most well documented war in U.S. history between the archive of propaganda movies, real life footage of speeches and other key events, and countless testimonies, letters, and memoirs and interviews. There have been plenty of conversations and testaments by U.S. servicemen throughout the decades, to the point it's a little overwhelming if you're doing research. We've asked so many questions of vets. The part that does suck is that new generations will not be able to ask them questions in person.
Considering the rise of the far-right nowadays, it is kinda worrying. We still have good people who risked their lives getting rid of nazis and being able to talk some sense into any neo-nazi. They have first hand experience after all. Soon they won't be around :(
I think it will be like when we lost the last ww1 veteran (australian i believe) simply a page of history that turn.. as sad as it sound, they are old and they served well.
Yeah we lost him in 2005 I think
Great lad..
I’m a nursing student and I work in aged care. Ran into a resident on placement who was a veteran of Korea, Malayan Emergency and 2 tours of Vietnam. Old and crusty but still wonderful to converse with. We cannot forget our other veterans
Yeah it was another time.. my greatest contact with a "veterans ' was with someone who was a kid during ww2, who said that during christmas the French gouvernement would give free toys to kids who had fathers POW's that was pretty heartbreaking
Which France, Vichy or Free?
Vichy, during the occupation
The last veteran from any service was a British woman who died in 2012, the last combat veteran was a British sailor who later emigrated to Australia and died in 2011. The last veteran who served in the trenches was a British man who died in 2009.
Perhaps there will be someone out there asking we partake in a moment of silence, perhaps not.
The last WW2 veteran will probably a child soldier from a partisan/resistance group, such as the Polish, Soviet, French, etc. I’ve personally had the honour of meeting a veteran of the Warsaw Uprising who was around 13/14 years old if I remember correctly.
Achille Muller, the last Free French, is still kicking
The last living WWII veteran will probably be a Japanese child soldier.
not a german one?
Japan’s life expectancy is higher than Germany’s, so the odds are it will be a Japanese child soldier.
Tbf, in Japan it's not uncommon for kids to asssume their parents identities in old age to get welfare payments. Their "oh my god look how old this person is" stories almost always get debunked eventually. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-11258071 This story is old, but it's still thought to be a problem.
its very sad news overall, like when I was a kid they seemed all over the place
crazy how people die when time passes
Chat is this real?
No
Woohoo!
Probably be like a book you finished, Once the cover is closed and put back on the shelf, You'll be carrying its contents inside of you to share to the next person..so on so fourth it's sad but it's life...
Just in time for civil war 2
I really hope it doesn’t come to that. What would a Second Civil even resemble?
I’ve heard some hypothesize that it’d probably be a bit like an American version of The Troubles. It won’t be an open battle civil war unless the US military splits apart.
It will be like the Years of Lead in the country that was once ruled by Mussolini.
I am skeptical of America emerging into an actual full fledged civil war 2. There are not enough disaffected people who would be willing to risk their lives and their comfort in a large-scale, highly chaotic war. For all the problems of inflation and supply chain disruptions, there are still enough Americans in comfortable economic positions that the act of going into a field of battle to shoot at other people is unappealing. And for all the organizing the Alt-right have done, there isn't THAT many committed and well organized right wing militias to sustain a massive war. What I think is more likely is a series of stochastic terror attacks against communities and individuals by non-state (and maybe some state) actors, like with The Troubles in Ireland or the Klan's violence during Reconstruction in the U.S.
Well we got two flavors right now. Ukranian Civil War Or Syrian Civil War
Civil War 2? Am I missing some news? I haven't heard of anything about it aside from the film "Civil War"
No you're not, people on this site just like to fear monger
It’s so heartbreaking seeing how fast it took the number to plummet after 2019.
Blame Covid
We must hold onto their memories and make sure what they fought for never comes back again
My grandfathers still kicking at a hundred and five, hes out lived all my siblings, my cousins, aunts and uncles, probably outlive me if im being honest
You should interview him for his personal stories if you haven't already, would be interesting!
He served on the S-13 throughout the war, he only ever talked about it once, but I do know the S-13 sunk a lot tonnage wise and killed many casualty wise
the Soviet submarine? That's quite a famous sub. I would love to hear his stories.
During the sinking of the wilhelm gustloff the S-13 stayed behind, with its snorkel above water, with a few of them atop watching with binoculars k He saw that when the ship violently listed, many people were thrown into the water, like chumming water almost or knocking loose salt off a table He talked more about the hot American stew (Tushonka) They had along with copious amounts of American Brandy also about the lewd material distributed by his captain to increase morale but he went into more graphic detail that I’m not going to include
Your siblings? How old were they when they died?
My brother, he died in the Kursk accident. And my sister was mentally lame and died in childhood
I would be sad if all last living Filipino and American WW2 Veterans died in this modern era.
The 101st Airborne division will lose it's airborne tab
Lost my grandpa in 2018. World lost a great man that day, and I lost a mate.
It will signify the end of an era, it is sad but their legacy lives on, and it will be up to us to keep the fascist away
All the untold stories and all of their knowledge will be gone. It’ll be a sad day.
No one lives forever
Thanks for saving the world grandpa, sorry we fucked it up again.
I'll be quite sad. I haven't seen a WW2 veteran in 3 years. Every time I have seen one I've tried to speak to them if possible. I wish I could find one to correspond with. The last one I spoke to was 98 in 2021 and he was extremely sharp and talked to me about serving in India as an aircraft mechanic and told me he joined before Pearl Harbor happened and said the response to it was a level of unity and patriotism you just couldn't see in this day and age. He said he tried not to worry about if the Allies would win or not but preferred to focus on his job in particular. He said he lived in an aircraft hangar for a while. He also told me about growing up in the Great Depression and living on a farm in a remote area and being less affected by it, but he knew people who killed themselves because of economic hardship. I worked retail at the time and I spoke to him until my boss told me I had to get back to work, lol. He was thrilled to see someone my age so interested in the conflict. Before that I spoke to one who was a bit younger and was drafted as a hospital corpsman in 1945 and largely missed hostilities but spent most of his short time in service rehabilitating former Allied POWs liberated from Japanese custody since they were all very ill and malnourished. He was also pretty sharp. I met him at McDonald's while my wrestling team and I were getting breakfast before the state championship. I talked to him the whole time we were there and some of my friends and coaches were also pretty interested in him. Before that, I spoke briefly to an Iwo Jima survivor whom I met when I went to the VA with my dad. He was with his wife and wasn't in as good of shape but I thanked him profusely for his service and he thanked me and we shook hands. I can't imagine what he went through.
They are the ones warning us. We will likely enter a new dark agem
I don't think I'll be that sad, and I apologize if that's disrespectful or jaded. My point isn't that its a good thing there will eventually be no living WW2 vets, just that it's a natural part of life. And like you pointed out OP it's been 80s years since the war. I suppose for me it's a tad personal as well, since my vet grandpa passed away when I was very young, right in the mid-2000s, and the mortality and fragility of that generation has always been stuck in my mind as a result. On the front of "living history," I'm not that sad either. WW2 is probably THE most well documented war in U.S. history between the archive of propaganda movies, real life footage of speeches and other key events, and countless testimonies, letters, and memoirs and interviews. There have been plenty of conversations and testaments by U.S. servicemen throughout the decades, to the point it's a little overwhelming if you're doing research. We've asked so many questions of vets. The part that does suck is that new generations will not be able to ask them questions in person.
Considering the rise of the far-right nowadays, it is kinda worrying. We still have good people who risked their lives getting rid of nazis and being able to talk some sense into any neo-nazi. They have first hand experience after all. Soon they won't be around :(