These are the Stories of the Lives & Experiences of members of the Greatest Generation from Saugerties

The Veterans of World War Two 

Scroll down to the Veteran you are looking for

  • The Battle of Bihain, Belgium - Clifford Snyder

  • A Night Patrol - Clifford Snyder

  • The History of the USS Hornet CV-12 - Dominick Giarraputo

  • Captured Japanese Flag - Dick Whitaker & Tom McCarthy

  • Articles by Richard Whitaker

  • Glasco Young Man in Battle - Nicholas Ascienzo

The Battle of BIHAIN, Belgium 

Clifford Snyder, 2nd Platoon, C-Company, 330 Infantry, 83rd Div  

Map of the Battle of Bihan Belgium
Battle of Bihan
General orders #222

A Night Patrol 

Attempts to capture the Rhine River Bridge
Battle of Bihan
Story of the Battle of Bihan
Day after 2 weeks of combat in the Hartz mts

The above picture was taken the day after the squad had left from two weeks of combat in the Hartz Mountains. The war in Europe would end just two weeks later. Cliff was squad leader at this time as the previous Leader Don Battershell had been sent back just prior to entering the Hartz Mountains due to damage to his feet by frostbite. Cliff is the first man on the left in the front row. 

VJ Day at the Rec Center in Passeau, Germany
Attempts to capture the Rhine River Bridge

Dominick A Giarraputo QM3 USN  

History of the USS Hornet CV12 during WW2
History of the Hornet CV12
History of the USS Hornet CV12
Presidential Unit Citation tp the USS Hornet
Help with the movie Prince in the City
Dominick A Giarraputo QM3 WW2 era Photo

Taken during WW2 

USS Hornet CV12 under attack during WW2
USS Hornet CV12 attack in WW2
Dominick & his grandsons

Dominick & his Grandsons 

Splash down of a Japanese aircraft shot down by the USS Horent CV12 during WW2

 "A Kamikaze just misses USS Hornet. This picture was taken on the USS Hornet (CV-12) off Okinawa during April 1945 by Photographer’s Mate 2/c Paul D. Guttman, and it was definitely not taken with a telephoto lens! The black specks visible in the midst of the blast aren't flaws in the film, they're bits of shrapnel from the exploding plane. Paul was knocked unconscious by the blast, and came to later, in sick bay. He wasn't even aware that he'd taken this picture until sometime later, after the film was developed!" "The other carrier visible in the background, wreathed in smoke from the firing of her own AA guns, is supposedly USS Intrepid (CV-11) [(?)]."

USS Hornet WW2
Storm damage USS Hornet CV12

Shown here after weathering a typhoon on June 4–5, 1945. She continued on despite the damage and when it was too dangerous to launch over the bow, she backed into the wind until there was enough wind across the deck to safely launch planes. Compare these photos to those of Wasp (CV-18) and Bennington (CV-20).

1000 ton License issued to Dominick Giarraputo

Richard Whitaker Fox Company 29th Marines Sixth Marine Divison 

Dick Whitaker & Tom McCarthy
Eileen & Dick Whitaker 2012 Cruise
Dick Whitaker Bio
Our Minute with death
Richard Whitaker 1944 & 2012
Dick Whitaker on his first Liberty in China
A Volunteer Remembers by Dick Whitaker
To my Comrades in Arms
Tent mates in

 Lieutenant Colonel Nicholas P Ascienzo USAF Retired

 From the B-26 Marauder over the Salerno Bridgehead during WW2

to the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress - 22 years 7 months of Service

 
Nicholas Ascienzo at the Salerno Bridgehead during WW2