My grandpa Butch (1920-1996), real name Stanley Zobel, was one of nine children born to a family in Fertile, Iowa. Four of the six boys served in World War II, and they all returned home. I’ll tell you about Butch another time, but today I want to talk about my great-uncle Floyd, the youngest and the only one of the nine siblings still living.
Floyd served in the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 11th Airborne. I’m going to link to some videos below, but because Floyd’s tone is so humble in those videos, you may want to read this about the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment to fill in some of the blanks and to get an idea of the magnitude of the events recounted.
511th Parachute Infantry Regiment memorial in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, in the United States. Photo: Tim Evanson via Wikimedia Commons
Floyd’s granddaughter interviewed him on video about his time in the service, and then Floyd’s son-in-law posted it online in 2009. If this was done as a school project, kudos to all teachers that offer alternative methods of studying history.
This interview is 30 minutes long and is posted at www.youtube.com. There are three separate videos, each 10 minutes long. Here are links for Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3. The video is very well done and includes photos, film clips and maps.
The comments on each of the three videos are also interesting, so make sure you scroll all the way down. These are from people who are interested in the history of this unit and who have family members who served with Floyd. These comments illustrate the close and lasting bonds of those who serve together.
So if you are interested in the “Greatest Generation”, please take the time to listen to my great-uncle Floyd. We don’t always have the opportunity to hear accounts from someone who was there.
Coincidentally, there was a Zobel family reunion in Lincoln, Nebraska this past weekend. Although I was unable to attend, I understand that the potato dumplings were plentiful and that Floyd is still spry and funny at 93.
My son Adam was at the reunion with my grandparents Dick and Bonna and he was absolutely thrilled to meet Floyd. Adam has had a passion for all things WWII for years and getting to meet a veteran was a dream come true for him.
I’m so happy that Adam could meet him. Floyd is so much fun to talk with. It’s been years since I’ve seen him, but he was always so easy to be around. Hope Adam had a chance to watch the videos.
Thanks for sharing!
I am Floyd’s oldest daughter, Michelle. Thank you for posting this! He is an amazing man. I’m proud to be his daughter. Hope to see you at a future reunion!
Hi, Michelle, thanks for commenting! Although I haven’t seen your dad in years, I remember that I could always count on him for interesting conversation.
Hope to see you at a future reunion, and thanks for reading!
It’s certainly interesting to listen to Floyd’s experiences since I’m his great-niece as well and really hope that I can eventually meet him. I look forward to the day you write about Grandpa Butch as well.
Hi Emily,
So glad you enjoyed it! I understand you’ve done some family research at Ancestry.com, so hope we get a chance to talk about that soon. I’ working on the story about Butch.
Thanks for commenting!
Cathy