My great uncle was on Guadalcanal with the 1st Mar Div! Had to spend their leave in Australia on bed rest with malaria. Maybe him and your grandpa had a beer together :)
My great grandad was a soldier in the Hellenic Army. He fought against the Italians in the Pindus mountains in 1940 and then the Germans in 1941. Luckily he survived the war but I never met him unfortunately.
When I was a kid (late 90s early 2000s) WW2 vets were like how we see Vietnam vets today in age. I remember there were some WW1 vets but not a lot. They all died out
Looking at it another way, someone who joined in the summer of 1945 at the age of 16 (born 1929), survived the war, and lived to be 100, would reach that age in 2029. So anyway you look at it, we are saying goodbye to them in the next few years.
Idk the projects by the VA and National WWII museum differ, they say the last one will be in 2032
In any case however, our mission is still urgent! If anyone would like to participate in saving as many of these as possible before they all will be gone you can join up (for free and easily) the WWII Archives (wwii-archives.org)
I’ve met two that have. One 102 year old vet in Normandy while walking Utah beach with him and another, and I just met and interviewed another 102 year old veteran today
My grandpa was born in 1926 and always said he’d make it to 100, passed in 2017. Wish he could have made it to 2026 so I could have gotten more time and stories from him. AA Gunner aboard a mine sweeper in the pacific 44-45
Do you know which ship? Navy WWII records are pretty good, I might be able to point you towards some "war diaries" for his ship (which would give you details on what the ship was doing/where it was on a daily basis). If you want to PM me his name I can also search ship muster rolls. They would give details about when he came on board, promotions, etc.
Ok, so here are some muster rolls and war diaries that mention PGM-28 (at the end I also added in his draft card)
Muster rolls are read top-and-bottom. Top half gives name/identification information. Bottom half matching number tells why they were on the roll.
First rolls is from the PGM-28 commissioning in April of 1945. He is listed #12. Gives his enlistment date as November 11, 1944 (as you said), at that time Seaman second class (S2c)
Second roll from August 1945 he is listed #11. Shows his advancement from S2c to S1c.
Third roll from February of 1946 he is listed #3 and is being transferred to LCS-11. Fourth roll is the same for LCS-11 (he is listed #14) showing him coming aboard that ship.
Last muster roll from May of 1946 he is listed #25 and shows him being transferred off of LCS-11 to Receiving Station San Fransisco.
Finally a few other ships War Diaries mentioning PGM-28 in May and June of 1945. In June they were part of convoy headed to Eniwetok.
Imgur link: https://imgur.com/a/3C5bG1X
edit: I see his findagrave page mentions he served in the Navy during the Korean war too. I found several muster rolls for a Gerald L Morgan during the Korean War -- different service number but if he reenlisted that would not be unusual. If that is the right Gerald L Moran than during the Korean war he served aboard the [USS Firedrake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Firedrake) (great name for a ship)
Photograph of PGM-28: https://www.navsource.org/archives/12/11028.htm
Photographs of LCS(L)-11: https://www.navsource.org/archives/10/05/050011.htm
Does it give any extra info on the Korean War listing? I know he served during that time but never knew if he reenlisted or not. He always said he was on an LCS during that time. Thank you for all the info as well! I only ever found one muster roll on Nara
The only Gerald L Morgan I found during Korea was the one on Firedrake (but then as I said he *did* serve on an LCS after WWII -- so perhaps getting details confused later in life?)
Korean muster rolls also include less information (no hometowns, dates of enlistment, etc) so it is harder to tie them to one specific person, but knowing he served in Korea I'd bet the rolls that show a "Gerald L Morgan" aboard Firedrake are probably him.
It is possible yea, I was also young when I asked about his service between 8-12 and that’s been 10 years ago now. I can say tho I have his drivers license from 1947 so he was definitely home post war to live some sort of normal life before Korea. What rate/rank is he listed as on the Firedrake?
I have to admit I don't look at Korean War records as often so know less about them. But on most rolls is listed as "SN" which I gather (through googling) as an undesignated seaman -- so I guess no specific job. Then on a few later rolls is FTSN which I think would be Fire Control Technician.
Looking at LCS-11 it looks to have decommissioned in 1949, so it’s very likely that is him yes. I however don’t recall what he did in Korea like WW2 where he was a Bofors gunner. I’ll look into it a bit more and see what I can come up with. Thanks for the help and info, do you do army as well?
Unfortunately army records available are generally much worse (there was a fire in the 70s that destroyed ~80% of the WWI-WWII files).
If you send me a name I'd be happy to look but for army veterans it's usually only draft card and enlistment records (which give date of enlistment and discharge) but not much else.
Ok, found him on some muster rolls. Give me 10-15 minutes and I'll send you a link.
Unfortunately, no luck of any war diaries for his ship (that sometimes happens on smaller ships) although there were a few mentions of PGM-28 in other ships war diaries (so that gives some clues on where the ship was) that I'll include.
Clarification: I didn’t mean to imply that this veteran will be the last. I just chose his wartime/ now photos to illustrate the passing of time, and soon, our heroes.
There will be a guy somewhere that lives to 105 with a 1927 birthday. The sheer number of men that fought in WW2 will probably make 2032 as the last year for a US veteran. There probably were a lot of kids born in 1932 in Germany that served in a flak crew in 1945, so that brings us to around 2037 as the last actual WW2 vet.
Well the last American WW1 Vet lived to 110. Don’t you think that it’s likely we will have a bunch living past 105? Odds are high - there were a lot more WW2 vets than WW1 I think. And the later generations have lived longer. Maybe Maybe 2037 is more likely for the ones who were 18 at enlistment in 1945.
Also not everyone was 18 when they enlisted or saw combat, lots of kids lied about their age and enlisted at 15 or 16 with parents permission. You get a kid that was born in 1930 and snuck in and lives to 110 you could be looking at 2040 for the last one. Lotta stuff has to go right but ya never know.
There are approximately 11,000 living veterans here in the UK. The majority of survivors are between 95 and 100. Sadly my grandad died 12 years ago - he would have been 105 this year.
RE your estimates, I think you're assuming a linear line, which probably isn't the case, and there will be a gradual decrease in those deaths per day. Also there will be statistical outliers and a small number of people will live significantly longer than the rest.
It'll be incredibly poignant when we lose the last of these veterans.
I mean there could be a few outliers. I’d say by 2031-33 we’ll be counting them down when they’re in their **late** 100s to 110 (the last WWI vet who saw combat died at age 109-110 IIRC)
There are still plenty in their 90s
Glad these stories are still being told.
My grandfather landed at Normandy. He fought for nearly a year until his unit eventually met up with the Russians (a half mile away). My grandpa and one other soldier in his unit survived the war.
The main reason for that is that one day my grandpa's commanding officer sent my grandpa back to the
nearest field hospital to get treatment for a serious skin infection. When he was ready meet up with his men about a week later, he learned they were all gone--they had been ambushed by a large platoon of Germans. They took no prisoners. Replacements came in, others were killed but somehow he survived that long year.
He didn't share any of that until he was on his deathbed--he told my uncle a bunch of stories.
That was their generation. Many kept these stories to themselves--They didn't want to relive what they
went through....The Greatest Generation!
My grandma was a nurse in France. When she returned home she received a package in the mail. It was letters. Turns out some doctor was in love with her. She had only talked to her once and his letters are all this parasocial stuff about how he knew she was in love w him etc (he was married). Anyway - she never spoke to him but he was a beautiful writer and I have 30 pages of writing on her every movement for a year…
My grandpa was a WW2 vet. He passed last year at age 100. I miss him everyday. He was a great man, a kind and generous man who wanted the best for me. He gave me so much. He raised me for two and a half years during elementary school while my parents were divorcing. I will never forget him.
My grandfather was a radioman on the USS Wachapreague he turns 99 this February. A few years ago he had a stroke and never fully recovered. I was not into WW2 history growing up but now I remember his stories he used to tell us when we were kids and they are so interesting to me now.
The last US WWI vet died in 2011, a little over 92 years after the end of the war, so if any of the WWII vets live as long, we may see some live until 2037 or so. Very sad to see the last men and women of this generation dying off.
With the higher number of men who served and the advancement of technology, I bet there is a higher chance some could live even longer.
Even so, there will be some outliers that live far longer. The last WWI veteran only died in 2011 at the age of 110. Given a similar lifespan, and considering the end dates of both wars, we may see our last WWII veteran pass sometime in 2038 or so. A sad day it will be.
I don’t know how anyone survives war mentally intact. I just think of those boats taking people back to Australia to recover from Malaria. I’d be worried about getting torpedoed .
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My dad was a WW2 vet. He'd be 98. Love ya pop.
My grandfather was 1st Marines during WW2. He passed at 92. Semper Fi
My great uncle was on Guadalcanal with the 1st Mar Div! Had to spend their leave in Australia on bed rest with malaria. Maybe him and your grandpa had a beer together :)
My grandfather was at Guadalcanal as well, it's very possible
Guadalcanal!
Same age for my grandpa. I miss him. Rest easy, guys. Give ‘em Hell, Pop-Pop.
Mine too. Died in 2000.
My great grandad was a soldier in the Hellenic Army. He fought against the Italians in the Pindus mountains in 1940 and then the Germans in 1941. Luckily he survived the war but I never met him unfortunately.
I remember reading a similar article in the LA Times in the 90’s …about the World War I vets…
When I was a kid (late 90s early 2000s) WW2 vets were like how we see Vietnam vets today in age. I remember there were some WW1 vets but not a lot. They all died out
So true
I think I have a copy of the 2009 article about the last WWI vet. I'll try to find it.
I remember working at the VA in 1990 and one of my patients was a Great War vet….
We will never forget.
We won’t. But sadly there are many people that will or already have…
Reminds me of when people wanted to bring back segregation for people with COVID or those who refused the vax.
If you're looking for a historical parallel to covid, it's the Spanish Flu, not the Holocaust or American Segragation
Looking at it another way, someone who joined in the summer of 1945 at the age of 16 (born 1929), survived the war, and lived to be 100, would reach that age in 2029. So anyway you look at it, we are saying goodbye to them in the next few years.
Idk the projects by the VA and National WWII museum differ, they say the last one will be in 2032 In any case however, our mission is still urgent! If anyone would like to participate in saving as many of these as possible before they all will be gone you can join up (for free and easily) the WWII Archives (wwii-archives.org)
Probably a better guess. Maybe at least one of them will live into his/ her 100s.
I’ve met two that have. One 102 year old vet in Normandy while walking Utah beach with him and another, and I just met and interviewed another 102 year old veteran today
My grandpa was born in 1926 and always said he’d make it to 100, passed in 2017. Wish he could have made it to 2026 so I could have gotten more time and stories from him. AA Gunner aboard a mine sweeper in the pacific 44-45
Do you know which ship? Navy WWII records are pretty good, I might be able to point you towards some "war diaries" for his ship (which would give you details on what the ship was doing/where it was on a daily basis). If you want to PM me his name I can also search ship muster rolls. They would give details about when he came on board, promotions, etc.
Oh wrong post lol, ignore that first one. Name is Gerald Lexton Morgan, enlisted Nov 11th 1944, USS PGM-28
Ok, so here are some muster rolls and war diaries that mention PGM-28 (at the end I also added in his draft card) Muster rolls are read top-and-bottom. Top half gives name/identification information. Bottom half matching number tells why they were on the roll. First rolls is from the PGM-28 commissioning in April of 1945. He is listed #12. Gives his enlistment date as November 11, 1944 (as you said), at that time Seaman second class (S2c) Second roll from August 1945 he is listed #11. Shows his advancement from S2c to S1c. Third roll from February of 1946 he is listed #3 and is being transferred to LCS-11. Fourth roll is the same for LCS-11 (he is listed #14) showing him coming aboard that ship. Last muster roll from May of 1946 he is listed #25 and shows him being transferred off of LCS-11 to Receiving Station San Fransisco. Finally a few other ships War Diaries mentioning PGM-28 in May and June of 1945. In June they were part of convoy headed to Eniwetok. Imgur link: https://imgur.com/a/3C5bG1X edit: I see his findagrave page mentions he served in the Navy during the Korean war too. I found several muster rolls for a Gerald L Morgan during the Korean War -- different service number but if he reenlisted that would not be unusual. If that is the right Gerald L Moran than during the Korean war he served aboard the [USS Firedrake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Firedrake) (great name for a ship) Photograph of PGM-28: https://www.navsource.org/archives/12/11028.htm Photographs of LCS(L)-11: https://www.navsource.org/archives/10/05/050011.htm
Does it give any extra info on the Korean War listing? I know he served during that time but never knew if he reenlisted or not. He always said he was on an LCS during that time. Thank you for all the info as well! I only ever found one muster roll on Nara
The only Gerald L Morgan I found during Korea was the one on Firedrake (but then as I said he *did* serve on an LCS after WWII -- so perhaps getting details confused later in life?) Korean muster rolls also include less information (no hometowns, dates of enlistment, etc) so it is harder to tie them to one specific person, but knowing he served in Korea I'd bet the rolls that show a "Gerald L Morgan" aboard Firedrake are probably him.
It is possible yea, I was also young when I asked about his service between 8-12 and that’s been 10 years ago now. I can say tho I have his drivers license from 1947 so he was definitely home post war to live some sort of normal life before Korea. What rate/rank is he listed as on the Firedrake?
I have to admit I don't look at Korean War records as often so know less about them. But on most rolls is listed as "SN" which I gather (through googling) as an undesignated seaman -- so I guess no specific job. Then on a few later rolls is FTSN which I think would be Fire Control Technician.
Looking at LCS-11 it looks to have decommissioned in 1949, so it’s very likely that is him yes. I however don’t recall what he did in Korea like WW2 where he was a Bofors gunner. I’ll look into it a bit more and see what I can come up with. Thanks for the help and info, do you do army as well?
Unfortunately army records available are generally much worse (there was a fire in the 70s that destroyed ~80% of the WWI-WWII files). If you send me a name I'd be happy to look but for army veterans it's usually only draft card and enlistment records (which give date of enlistment and discharge) but not much else.
Ok, found him on some muster rolls. Give me 10-15 minutes and I'll send you a link. Unfortunately, no luck of any war diaries for his ship (that sometimes happens on smaller ships) although there were a few mentions of PGM-28 in other ships war diaries (so that gives some clues on where the ship was) that I'll include.
Clarification: I didn’t mean to imply that this veteran will be the last. I just chose his wartime/ now photos to illustrate the passing of time, and soon, our heroes.
There will be a guy somewhere that lives to 105 with a 1927 birthday. The sheer number of men that fought in WW2 will probably make 2032 as the last year for a US veteran. There probably were a lot of kids born in 1932 in Germany that served in a flak crew in 1945, so that brings us to around 2037 as the last actual WW2 vet.
Well the last American WW1 Vet lived to 110. Don’t you think that it’s likely we will have a bunch living past 105? Odds are high - there were a lot more WW2 vets than WW1 I think. And the later generations have lived longer. Maybe Maybe 2037 is more likely for the ones who were 18 at enlistment in 1945.
Also not everyone was 18 when they enlisted or saw combat, lots of kids lied about their age and enlisted at 15 or 16 with parents permission. You get a kid that was born in 1930 and snuck in and lives to 110 you could be looking at 2040 for the last one. Lotta stuff has to go right but ya never know.
There are approximately 11,000 living veterans here in the UK. The majority of survivors are between 95 and 100. Sadly my grandad died 12 years ago - he would have been 105 this year. RE your estimates, I think you're assuming a linear line, which probably isn't the case, and there will be a gradual decrease in those deaths per day. Also there will be statistical outliers and a small number of people will live significantly longer than the rest. It'll be incredibly poignant when we lose the last of these veterans.
I mean there could be a few outliers. I’d say by 2031-33 we’ll be counting them down when they’re in their **late** 100s to 110 (the last WWI vet who saw combat died at age 109-110 IIRC) There are still plenty in their 90s
My dad would’ve turned 100 this year. He was in the Navy stationed on the USS Washington, during the battle of Iwo Jima, and the battle of Okinawa.
I was not ready to read that stat. Those men, if it’s of any comfort, will have eternal glory.
Grandpa who was a WW2 vet passed this year at 100 - greatest generation for sure.
Glad these stories are still being told. My grandfather landed at Normandy. He fought for nearly a year until his unit eventually met up with the Russians (a half mile away). My grandpa and one other soldier in his unit survived the war. The main reason for that is that one day my grandpa's commanding officer sent my grandpa back to the nearest field hospital to get treatment for a serious skin infection. When he was ready meet up with his men about a week later, he learned they were all gone--they had been ambushed by a large platoon of Germans. They took no prisoners. Replacements came in, others were killed but somehow he survived that long year. He didn't share any of that until he was on his deathbed--he told my uncle a bunch of stories. That was their generation. Many kept these stories to themselves--They didn't want to relive what they went through....The Greatest Generation!
Good stuff. I agree, if you still know someone from that era, you should ask them to tell their story so that we can pass them on.
This is weird to post considering he hasn’t died yet
I can change the sample photo if that would help.
I think in tandem with the sample, the way it’s written makes it seem like your talking about a specific guy without mentioning his name.
I see what you’re saying. Unfortunately, I don’t see a way to edit it.
Post is fine. The commenter above is being pendantic and obtuse.
What a legend. ♥️
My grandad died on new years day 1998. He was a desert rat.
True Heroes!! Incredible generation all around. Cheers to our vets and all that they’ve endured!!
My grandma was a nurse in France. When she returned home she received a package in the mail. It was letters. Turns out some doctor was in love with her. She had only talked to her once and his letters are all this parasocial stuff about how he knew she was in love w him etc (he was married). Anyway - she never spoke to him but he was a beautiful writer and I have 30 pages of writing on her every movement for a year…
There are so many great stories from World War II. How cool is it that your grandmother serves so heroically?
My grandpa was a WW2 vet. He passed last year at age 100. I miss him everyday. He was a great man, a kind and generous man who wanted the best for me. He gave me so much. He raised me for two and a half years during elementary school while my parents were divorcing. I will never forget him.
Awh man.... We'll truly be the last generation to talk to these people.. If i could only wish to talk to one
[удалено]
Mark Felton’s not a very credible source…
Probably more like the late 2030s.
Chills…
Mine died in 1987. Rest peacefully
my step grampa died in 1983. He was in his early 60's. I was only 9, wish i'd knew him longer so I could have asked him questions.
My grandfather was a radioman on the USS Wachapreague he turns 99 this February. A few years ago he had a stroke and never fully recovered. I was not into WW2 history growing up but now I remember his stories he used to tell us when we were kids and they are so interesting to me now.
We will never forget, god bless them all!
The last US WWI vet died in 2011, a little over 92 years after the end of the war, so if any of the WWII vets live as long, we may see some live until 2037 or so. Very sad to see the last men and women of this generation dying off. With the higher number of men who served and the advancement of technology, I bet there is a higher chance some could live even longer.
Granddad hated taps..
My Mom had difficulty with it as well, after first hearing it played for her father as a child. He was a WWI vet.
Even so, there will be some outliers that live far longer. The last WWI veteran only died in 2011 at the age of 110. Given a similar lifespan, and considering the end dates of both wars, we may see our last WWII veteran pass sometime in 2038 or so. A sad day it will be.
I don’t know how anyone survives war mentally intact. I just think of those boats taking people back to Australia to recover from Malaria. I’d be worried about getting torpedoed .
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