Arlo and Janis by Jimmy Johnson for May 08, 2022

TOTALLY AWESOME!!! CHEERS TO WHAT YOUR DAD DID JIMMY, & WHAT HE WENT THROUGH.

Actually, Mine, too.

Thanks for sharing. I feel the same way. My Dad was still in the fight. He was serving on subs in the Pacific and made 13 war patrols (42-45). The US sub-force had some of the highest casualty rates, losing around 20% with 52 boats still on patrol. They were also responsible for over half of all shipping losses by Japan.

Thanks for sharing. I am also the offspring of a WWII veteran. My mom served in the army during WWII. She drove trucks and spent time in the Philippines and Australia.

Thank you Mr. Johnson for remembering. We’ve all been here before. My dad was 4F but his brother was at the Battle of The Bulge. One brother-in-law was island hopping in the Pacific, and the other was on Corregidor and suffered all that entailed. Every family we grew up with had similar stories but they are important to remember. Again, thanks JJ.

Sadly there are less than 200,000 WWII veterans still living. If you are lucky to know one of these great Americans please let them know how much they are loved and appreciated. And please document their stories,

My grandparents fought during World War II.

They ended up getting a divorce.

Papa Bunny fought in the liberation of the Philippines, and his unit was preparing to invade Japan when the war ended. Later he discovered his division was a diversionary force to distract the defense from the spearhead. He hated talking about those years, Mom told us of his nightmares. Right there with you JJ, and miss ya Dad.

Thanks for the service of all. Hardly enough to express my gratitude, but all that I can do from afar.

Let me comment on the sorrowful state of support our government provides our Veterans. When comparing all of the funding for the military (i.e., jobs in each Congressional district) to the funding for our Veterans with visible and invisible disabilities, it is shameful. Veterans commit suicide at double the rate of the rest of the population and the divorce rate is upwards of 80%. We need to support the 1% who serve and risk all far better than we do.

Big day tomorrow too. The Soviet (oops Russian) Victory Day Parade. Mr. Johnson stated he had admired those parades back in the day if memory serves.

My Dad was a Navy Corpsman who ended up attached to a Marine Squad in the Pacific. No wonder he never wanted to talk about his “island hopping days”. He went through hell so we didn’t have to.

My Dad was in the Navy and trained aircraft mechanics. His brother went in on D-Day, but would never really talk about his war experiences at all. My Uncle’s (Moms side) experiences sound more like Jimmy’s Dads. He had to jump off the Susan B. Anthony troop ship before it sank on D-Day, only to be put on Normandy beach in his skivvies. He also was an combat engineer and fought through five battles. They were part of the greatest generation and it saddens me to see what is now happening again in Ukraine.

That was My father In Law 1st division all of that plus having a mine under his jeep blow up . came home got married an lived under the bed for many months . and Then gave me My wife Thank You Al Ramacci .

From the Son of a WWII Vet, Thank You…….

My Uncle was at the Battle of the Bulge. He was with the group that went in afterwards…Prayers for Ukraine.

My father was in the Navy. Flight mechanic. Two uncles on my mothers side, went ashore in Normandy one was in the Battle of the bulge. An uncle on my fathers side flew in Britain in a B-17. I had his flight jacket when I was a kid with the bombing raids printed on the back. I wish I knew where it twas today. I think them and all the Vets.

My father-in-law, Pacific island hopper, lived with us the last four years of his life. The highlight of those great four years for us was when we took him to the WW2 Memorial in DC. He was the only veteran on site that day, and all of the other visitors thanked him for his service.

I had an uncle in the Battle of the Bulge. part of the 99th Battle Babies. He made it home. And another uncle that was par of the the 3rd. Killed the day before the Bulge started. Bless you for the memories!

Nice tribute to the WWII vets, thank you all.

My father was 4F during WWII because he’d had polio as a baby. While he’d recovered completely, they wouldn’t take him but he still reported every three months because he was desperate to serve and every three months, they turned him down. I still have all the notices. So he worked at the Willow Run plant assembling the B-24 bomber engines and my mother was a Dyno tester. It’s how they met. My parents are both gone now. My father in law was in the Pacific on a ship. He doesn’t talk about it at all. He turned 96 last month. My mother’s three out of four brothers who served (the fourth was too young) survived Europe. One was in a German POW camp and escaped. The other two never talked about their experiences either. No, while there are those in our current generation who have that mindset, there are too few. You’ll never again see that kind of commitment to our country and it both saddens and frightens the heck out of me.

Grandpop was Fifth Infantry. His driving skills kept him out of much of the combat, but he had amazing stories. I started writing them down way too late..

My Dad was the youngest in his family and served during the Korean War (infantry) but his brothers were all involved in WWII in one way or another: His oldest brother was in the navy. As coxswain on a landing boat during the invasion of North Africa, he was coming along side the troop ship to pick up a second load of men when the ship either struck a mine or was torpedoed. It nearly rolled over on top of him. Later, he was assigned to a mine sweeper where he cleared mines off the coast of Okinawa Japan in preparation for the invasion. Another of my uncles was captured during the Battle of the Bulge and spent time in a German POW camp. We still have the telegrams to my grandparents from the Army – starting with the “Missing in Action” notice, through the “Prisoner of War” notice, and finally the telegram notifying them of his release. My grandparents had a rather significant tab run up with the local grocer due to their large family. When word got out that my uncle was MIA, the bill was found in their mailbox marked “Paid in Full.”Another uncle served in the Army Air Corps as a clerk in the States.Finally, Uncle Leo was in the Marines. By the time he was old enough to join, they were training him in the mountains of Northern California for Winter Warfare. The government strongly believed that as soon as the war with Germany was over, the war with the Soviet Union would begin. In typical military fashion, after all that winter training, when his transfer orders came through, he was to be stationed in North Africa. That never came to pass though as the war ended before he ever shipped out.

Dad was serving in China, providing radar and weather information to the Army Air Force bringing supplies over the Hump, bombing Japan, and supporting the drive to dislodge the Japanese from the occupied islands.

Thank you for sharing that! Your father was a hero and national treasure!

My dad was in front of the German offensive in the Ardennes forest. He was injured but made it back home. If not for the grace of God, I and my siblings would not be here. Thanks for remembering JJ.

Wow, great comments today!

Amazing, brave men. We owe them all more than we can imagine. Thanks to your father!

My father had a brother and a brother-in-law in the war, the former at D-Day and the latter with Patton. Both made it! Eternal memory to all who served!

Those who returned from WWII active combat were mostly scarred for life, some literally, others psychologically. While it is important to document the experience of those who survived, many don’t want to talk about it.

This is presented vividly in the excellent 1946 film “The Best Years of Our Lives”.

I am still struck by the incredible desperation of WW2: it would determine whether fascism would be the dominant form of government in the world.

Thank you for the reminder, JJ!

One of my favorite arcs was when Arlo’s father was reminiscing about the time he had to shoot a German soldier in a him-or-me situation. He made the comment to Arlo, “you can’t imagine the people who aren’t here”. No, we can’t, but we can be thankful for those who are.

In a town not far from here, Bedford Va. Population 3000 in 194419 boys were killed in just a few minutes at the start of D Day. They are known as the Bedford Boys.

My paternal grandfather was a combat engineer with the Army Air Corps. He was already in uniform when Pearl was hit. He was actually on his way home on leave when the announcement came to return to base. He told two stories about his time in WWII, both humorous. He was a member of the FBI (Forgotten Bastards of Iceland) and spent two years there. Until the day he died, he kept a promise he made in Iceland. He never, NEVER complained about being cold. He’d say unless you’d been there, you didn’t really know what cold was. Over the years, I’d taken care of many a Bulge veteran who were the exact same way with regards to the cold. I’ve inherited his complete military file and his FBI certificate. They’re among my most prized possessions. My other grandfather didn’t go in until the draft caught up with him near the end of the war. He was part of the Army of Occupation.

there are millions of people that never were.

The 3rd ID had a vey distinguished history during WW2, but Normandy was not part of it. They were involved in the invasion of Southern France which occurred a little later in August. Lots of heroes in that Division.

Thank you Father for his Service! Thank you for remembering such an important day!

They were the generation of Americans who gave so much for peace in Europe. Only tohave Easter Europe given to Stalin. Churchill named the action the birth of the IronCurtain!

Several years ago, we went to Normandy, and its current state is so peaceful that it is difficult to imagine what it was like for the men running off the landing craft directly into the gunfire. Then we went to the American Military Cemetery and it became all too clear what it was like.

My Dad was Canadian Army (RCASC) and spent every day of WW2 in the thick of things from the western front. My Uncle, his brother was there (PPCLI) starting in North Africa and coming in through Italy when they were able. They never did meet in Europe. Both survived to come home and live long lives.

My dad was over there as well. He was a POW in Germany.

Must be something in the ventilation system this morning. I have to keep wiping my eyes as I read the comments.

My father served in North Africa, then on to Sicily and finally was in Italy when the war in Europe ended. My father-in-law, a few years younger and an immigrant from Panama, was on a troop ship headed for the invasion of Japan when the war in the Pacific ended.

The Greatest Generation…

There are not enough words to thank our brave soldiers who fought WWII. They literally saved the world.

My father was a WWII vet too. I wasn’t born until after the war, but the funny thing is that those years appear less remote and historically distant in time the older I get.

Roger all that. My grandfather was an Army colonel in Europe (don’t know where exactly) and my father was with the Army Air Corps island hopping. Thanks to all those brave men. Especially the ones who didn’t come home.

My dad served in the army the South Pacific theater. He talked very little about it. My wife’s dad served in the Coast Guard from California to Alaska. Again, had either of them not made it through the war, neither of us would be here.

Hats off and heartfelt thanks to all who served.

First, Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms! Second, from one Combat Engineer to another, please pass along my thanks to your Dad for his Service, Commitment, and Sacrifice. And for making it home safely so that we can all enjoy Arlo and Janis!

Thank you for his service.

I missed out on being a baby boomer because the Army Air Force sent my dad to Seattle to pick up new airplanes and fly them back to the war zone. With typical military efficiency, that meant that he was there for 10 days waiting for them to be ready. As a joke, he had sent my mom a wooden fertility necklace that he had picked up in the south seas, because she had told him that they waited through the depression, then the war, and if they waited until the world was a fit place to bring a baby into, they would never have one. My mom found out he was in Seattle when he called, drove from Chicago, and I was born nine months later, in April 1944. Most family’s most prized family jewelry is jeweled. Ours is a slab of carved wood.

Thanks for the memory JJ

Kudos to your father, Mr. Johnson! May his memory always be honored.

Dad was a Navy airplane mechanic, who flew recon missions on a ten-man-crew seaplane. It dipped and crashed. Nine died, one permanently injured. Dad the sole unscathed survivor. He never told his children this. Miracle we’re here, indeed.

EXACTLY!

My father was 4F too. One of my uncles was on a destroyer in the Pacific. Another uncle was with the Merchant Marines sailing supplies across the Atlantic against the wolf pack german sub teams. After the war my father went to Alaska and worked on the DEW Line. He was very proud of that since he was unable to serve.

And my father-in-law stormed Omaha Beach at Normany while our family doctor, from our small Ohio town, was the MASH commander at Omaha Beach.

My father fought in Okinawa during WW 2 and my mom survived Nazi occupation of her town in Italy during that war. My mom talked about a bomb dropping by her house just after she walked in the door and being strafed by an airplane as she took milk to the dairy. Either of my parents could have been killed, but they lived through it all. I know how it feels, Jimmy. We are lucky to be here.

My dad served on a destroyer escort in the Pacific during WW2. He said the most fear he ever felt was when his ship was under attack by kamikazes. That strategy of sending their own pilots out to face certain death was the last desperate resort for Japan’s warmongers. Ours and all future generations owe our very existences to all those brave men who went into battle and fought [and died] fearlessly for the preservation of freedom for the entire world.

BB-36 Nevada. 3 1/2 years without seeing home. Atlantic, Pacific and Med ribbons. Dad was there for them all. Fortunately, I got a few war stories before he passed.

My father was an Island hopping marine in WW 2I was lucky to only go to Panama during the Viet Nam era. Served at the tropic test center where stuff was tested for Viet Nam.

My dad was in the Second Armored Division. From Bastogne to Berlin. He passed away at nearly 101 years of age on July 4, 2020. 75 years to the day he entered Berlin.

Thank you for his service.

Sad to think how many people aren’t like because their ancestors didn’t come back

Mr. Johnson, Thank you for remembering and Thank Your Father for his service! With out him and other like him, who know where we would be.

Thank you, Mr. Johnson, for your service and sacrifice.

On this day in 1943 my uncle returned to Espiritu Santo after a bombing mission and shared a “beer” with other pilots in the Officer’s Club. One of his buddies was a guy by the name of Eugene Roddenberry. On this day in 1945 my father, no relation to that uncle yet, flew his B-29 on a mission over Japan. Other relatives fought on the fronts and worked in defence plants at home. The two most talkative were a Marine sniper and a submariner. On the submarines when under attack from the surface they had to be as quiet as possible and give no other sign of their presence lest a depth charge come their way. They used empty food cans instead of the heads. I learned early on to never say “I gotta use the can” in front of “Unca Frankie.”

My dad grew up in Australia and joined the US Navy when he was old enough, so he could get his citizenship. He was at Pearl Harbor, and when he got out of the hospital, he was offered a spot on a fleet that was going to Oz, so he could visit his family. He said he decided not to because he would have had to sleep in a hammock, and he still wasn’t completely recovered. All four ships were sunk in the China Sea. He spent the rest of the war as an ABATU, training men to go overseas.

The generation JJ is writing about was the greatest generation. There is a reason they were known as the greatest generation: we must remember that.

Thank you. My Dad was in a Tank Destroyer unit in Patton’s 3rd Army. He was in the Battle of the Bulge>

My two older brothers were in it. One in Europe the other in the Pacific, both came home.

My Dad was about to be sent to the Pacific with his air crew when they had physical exams, and discovered that he had a hernia. He was held back for minor surgery, and a substitute went in his place with the crew. Their plane was shot down with no survivors. Dad spent the rest of the war in stateside assignments, and I never heard that story until my mother told me after he died. My brother and I were born because Dad had a hernia and didn’t get sent overseas. I respect all of those who went, whether or not they came back, and those who served in the States.

My late father was only 5 when the war broke out and my country was not directly involved yet. My French grandfather, in turn, had been deemed unfit for duty in WWI, and was too old to fight in WWII. His family, however, was heavily affected by the German occupation. They still had heartbreaking memories to share many years later.

May dad was WWII and Korean wars. Mine was Vietnam. I echo the sentiments, thank you for remembering; most people don’t.

I remember a great number of war heroes who said that they were not heroes. They said the real heroes did not come back.

J.J.: I recall that one of your strips described some of the bad times that he had after he came back. I pray that your dad finally found peace in this world before he left.

It is cartoons like this that makes Arlo and Janis my favorite. Thank you Jimmy, and thanks for all the comments and memories from all the other readers.

God I hate Jimmy Johnson. I give zero fucks about his dad in WWII. His job is to entertain me, and he too often doesn’t take it seriously.

The Soviets have even more right to celebrate this day than we do. They broke the Nazi back at Stalingrad and Kursk. I know this is is cold blooded, but our fathers (mine included) did the mopping up. D day and the war on the western front was nothing compared to the bloody bloody slaughterhouse of the eastern front. Having said this I do not mean to denigrate the sacrifices or the heroism of our troops or our Allie’s on the western and Italian fronts.

Oops, I meant Russians, not Soviets. Although as an old cold warrior I frequently mix them up since they seem so similar recently.

Third Herd!!!! Hooah!!!

My dad was on the USS Stockham, and was on the USS Farragut before that, which was sunk while he was on it. A horrific experience for an 18 year old. Yes, I’m glad that ‘we’ made it! Thank you, Mr. Johnson!

My Dad was in the Royal Navy escorting convoys in the North Atlantic. His destroyer was once ordered to attack(!) the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. (Fortunately the battleships failed to make the rendezvous…) On another occasion their convoy was diverted to stop them running into the Bismarck. He was invalided ashore when his ship was sunk with all hands. Battle of the Atlantic Sunday was last week, they are remembered…

Love and appreciation for the “Greatest Generation.” <3

You have every right to be proud of your father, Jimmy! ❤️❤️❤️ My father was also in WWII.

At my parents’ wedding, my mother’s brother thanked my father’s brother for saving his life. The former was going to be in the army attacking Japan. The latter was one of Oppenheimer’s men.

Monday May 9 is when the Russians celebrate victory. I wonder what Putin will do in Ukraine.

my father was in the artillery fighting in Italy before D day. A shell hit their emplacement and he was buried alive. if not for his best friend, who dug him out, I wouldn’t be here to enjoy Arlo and Janis.

My father flew bombing missions over Germany in WW2, and again in Korea. His sacrifice for his country (Canada) is why he will always be my hero.

I only met him a few times. Uncle Jake, he was tall well built and had a healthy laugh.He joined the army during WWII. One day I heard my father telling my mom, “Jakewas killed at the Battle if the Bulge.” I suddenly heard his laugh in my head. I ran to the bedroom buried my head in the pillow and cried!

Wow, Jimmy. We salute your father for his bravery and sacrifice. Truly the FINEST generation.

I know how Arlo feels. My paternal grandfather was part of the motor pool attached to Patton’s Army; my father was born in 1951.

This is one of my favorite Arlo and Janis strips ever.