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On this Veterans Day, Thank You for your service
At 1100 on the 11th day of the 11th month, the guns finally fell silent, but not before 10 million young men fell, never to rise again, with another 20 million maimed, and nearly 8 million missing, forever. The world got its first look at modern, industrial warfare on a massive scale and turned away revolted. Promised those left behind that this would be it, the war to end all wars.
Someday, perhaps. |
Thanks from this old vet John. It wasn't that long ago that no one paid any attention to us and many scorned us for our service.
It is refreshing to see the guys being appreciated. |
Thanks to all of you veterans who have served and are currently serving! Your service is very much appreciated!
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Remember
Just finished novel about Vietnam by Karl
Marlantes called Matterhorn. A must read for anyone who did not serve in Vietnam. It is realistic and calls up empathy for all those guys who came back injured mentally and physically. War stinks and I will be supporting Wounded Warriors now more than ever. God bless our boys. An Old Navy Man. |
Thank you!
All of our freedoms we take for granted, we can thank are veterans for! I personally never had the opportunity to serve, however I truly respect what are servicemen and women have done for us.
I salute you all! |
happy vets day. thanks to all who served in the past (especially dad) and those who still serve today. we owe you
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Two of Tim Obrien's books: The things they carried and If I die in a combat zone are must reads in my opinion. |
Thanks for your service past, present and future.
-spence |
Thank you veterans. Thank you for fighting for the freedom of my friends and family.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device |
If you ever want to get a feel for what the battle to retake Hue was like read the book "Run Between the Raindrops" by Dye. Nothing I have ever read bring across the experience at the grunt level as this one does.
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Thanks to all who have served this great country
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Thank you all who served. Past and present! God bless you all!:)
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Veteran's Day- between striper talk and scuppers 2 threads 110 views
and 11 responses. Sad, for those not remembered for giving up life and limb so we can live the way we do. :( |
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Nothing wrong with that RRH, but when you have 24 resposes and 323 views
on Weekend Plans and 11 responses and 110 views on Veterans Day ya wonder where the priorities are. Just my observation. |
Sack Lunch
Sack Lunches
I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. 'I'm glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap,' I thought. Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation. 'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me. 'Petawawa. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Afghanistan After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached the east, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time... As I reached for my wallet, I overheard a soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. 'No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to base.' His friend agreed. I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. 'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.' She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. 'My son was a soldier in Iraq ; it's almost like you are doing it for him.' Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, 'Which do you like best - beef or chicken?' 'Chicken,' I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class. 'This is your thanks.' After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me. 'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed me twenty-five dollars. Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand and said, 'I want to shake your hand.' Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said, 'I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.' I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers. Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm. When we landed I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars! Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. 'It will take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You.' Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers. As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little... A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to 'The United States of America ' for an amount of 'up to and including my life.' That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.' --------------------------------------- \\\\\\\\\\\\\ God bless our troops |
Chills - thank you Slip.
These guys and gals may be the next "Greatest Generation". 10, 20 years from now someone will be running for something and will be asked where he was in fall of 2011 and they may replay Occupying somehwere or other. Others will be listing places like Afghanistan or Iraq or some facility or other outside of the contiguous 48. They will have done more or written more and seen more than anyone at Occupy whatever or me behind my computer. We will bee wise to remember that. As they 20 and 30 somethings now return perhaps we will see another Greatest generation. Not trying to pick on the OWS crowd (much, as speaking for myself, I have not done much either) but I ran across this the other day that put an interesting spin. 2011-10-29 | The Chronicle Herald |
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