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A father and son, both of the 191st Tank Battalion while attached to the 45th Infantry Division at Anzio, bid farewell to each other

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January 28, 2021, 12:47 PM
BamaJeepster
A father and son, both of the 191st Tank Battalion while attached to the 45th Infantry Division at Anzio, bid farewell to each other


I love this photo and had never seen it before. It was posted on a great FB group called WWII Uncovered. They post a lot of obscure photos from WWII that I've never seen before. Here is the story behind the photo:

quote:
A father and son, both of the 191st Tank
Battalion while attached to the 45th Infantry Division at Anzio, bid farewell to each other on March 6, 1944.

Pvt. William R. Loop (left) of Binghamton, N.Y., bids farewell to his father, Cpl. Roderick R. Loop, also of Binghamton, who is leaving Italy for a tour of duty in the United States. Both father and son enlisted together in the Army, and served in the 191st Tank Battalion. Cpl. Roderick served with the 124th Inf, 31st Inf Div, in WWI. Both father and son returned to the United States after the war.

William continued his military career during the Korean War. He was awarded the Korean Service Medal with five bronze stars, and the Combat Infantry Purple Heart Distinguished Unit Citation. Before retiring in 1989, he had been employed by Watson Manufacturing, Dawson Metal, and Jamestown Metal Corp.

He was a member of the Samuel Derby Post 556 American Legion, Frewsburg, and the Jamestown VFW. William was a lifelong resident of New York and passed away on December 19, 2008 at the age of 84.

Roderick, also a WWI veteran, returned to New York after the war. Corporal Loop was honored with the Silver Star for his bravery during the war. He passed away on March 5, 1969 at the age of 73.



“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”
- John Adams
January 28, 2021, 01:02 PM
mrapteam666
Thanks for posting
That is really interesting
That is hard core also
January 28, 2021, 01:04 PM
Skull Leader
Wish the shot was a little wider.
January 28, 2021, 01:28 PM
OcCurt
So many such photos and stories have been lost to obscurity. Some will be re-discovered and shared. Most will be lost forever, which is truly a shame.

Thanks for posting. I for one, love reading these little pieces of history.
January 28, 2021, 01:31 PM
Rev. A. J. Forsyth
Most impressive.

My Great Uncle had a brother who was killed during the landings at Anzio. My father got all of his service records and awards replaced after they were lost to time.
January 28, 2021, 01:51 PM
bcereuss
Anzio is where Eric Waters (Roger Waters’s (of Pink Floyd) dad) was killed.
January 28, 2021, 02:43 PM
BamaJeepster
If I'm doing the math correctly and they signed up early in 42, the father would have been 45 or 46, signing up as a private after having served in WWI. He would have been 48 in the photo with his son at Anzio in 1944. The son went on to fight in Korea as well. That family certainly did their part.


“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”
- John Adams
January 28, 2021, 07:48 PM
cas
When I was growing up, I knew a man who ended up on the same transport ship as his father, sailing to the Pacific in WW2. Unlike this story, they were estranged and hated each other. He said they fought the whole way there (literally, fist fights).

An interesting man. After getting out of the Army, he joined the Navy and became a diver. After that, went into law enforcement and was a US Marshal.


_____________________________________________________
Sliced bread, the greatest thing since the 1911.

January 28, 2021, 07:58 PM
PASig
quote:
Originally posted by bcereuss:
Anzio is where Eric Waters (Roger Waters’s (of Pink Floyd) dad) was killed.



When the Tigers Broke Free

It was just before dawn
One miserable morning in black 'forty four
When the forward commander
Was told to sit tight

When he asked that his men be withdrawn
And the Generals gave thanks
As the other ranks held back
The enemy tanks for a while

And the Anzio bridgehead
Was held for the price
Of a few hundred ordinary lives

And kind old King George
Sent mother a note
When he heard that father was gone

It was, I recall
In the form of a scroll
With gold leaf adorned
And I found it one day
In a drawer of old photographs, hidden away

And my eyes still grow damp to remember
His Majesty signed
With his own rubber stamp

It was dark all around
There was frost in the ground
When the tigers broke free
And no one survived
From the Royal Fusiliers Company Z

They were all left behind
Most of them dead
The rest of them dying

And that's how the High Command
Took my daddy from me