Veterans Day food for thought

[DaveS]

Veterans

Some veterans bear visible signs of their service: a missing limb, a jagged scar, a certain look in the eye.

Others may carry the evidence inside them: a pin holding a bone together, a piece of shrapnel in the leg - or perhaps another sort of inner steel: the soul's alloy forged in the refinery of adversity.
Except in parades, however, the men and women who have kept America safe wear no badge or emblem.

You can't tell a vet just by looking.

What is a Vet?

He is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi Arabia sweating two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carriers didn't run out of fuel.

He is the barroom loudmouth, dumber than five wooden planks, whose overgrown frat-boy behavior is outweighed a hundred times in the cosmic scales by four hours of exquisite bravery near the 38th parallel.

She - or - he is the nurse who fought against futility and went to sleep sobbing every night for two solid years in Da Nang.

He is the POW who went away one person and came back another - or didn't come back AT ALL.

He is the Quantico drill instructor who has never seen combat - but has saved countless lives by turning slouchy, no-account rednecks and gang members into Marines, and teaching them to watch each other's backs.

He is the carrier pilot landing on a rolling, pitching, heaving flight deck during a rain squall in the pitch-black night of the Tonkin Gulf.

He is the parade-riding Legionnaire who pins on his ribbons and medals with a prosthetic hand.

He is the career quartermaster (Army Supply Corps) who watches the ribbons and medals pass him by.

He is the Army Ranger who humps endless miles of burning sand for three days with no sleep or food and very little water to designate targets for laser guided bombs or swims through a disease infested swamp and crawls over poisonous snakes under the cover of darkness to conduct intelligence on a foreign government hostile to our own and our cherished way of life.

He is the three anonymous heroes in The Tomb Of The Unknowns, whose presence at the Arlington National Cemetery must forever preserve the memory of all the anonymous heroes whose valor dies unrecognized with them on the battlefield or in the ocean's unless deep.

He is the old guy bagging groceries at the supermarket - palsied now and aggravatingly slow - who helped liberate a Nazi death camp and who wishes all day long that his wife were still alive to hold him when the nightmares come.

He is an ordinary and yet an extraordinary human being - a person who offered some of his life's most vital years in the service of his country, and who sacrificed his ambitions so others would not have to sacrifice theirs.

He is a soldier and a savior and a sword against the darkness, and he is nothing more than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the finest, greatest nation ever known.

So remember, each time you see someone who has served our country, just lean over and say Thank You. That's all most people need, and in most cases it will mean more than any medals they could have been awarded or were awarded.

Two little words that mean a lot, "THANK YOU".

[Saltheart]

Great post. Thanks

[JohnR]

He is the old guy bagging groceries at the supermarket - palsied now and aggravatingly slow - who helped liberate a Nazi death camp and who wishes all day long that his wife were still alive to hold him when the nightmares come.

Yes - thank you

[Goose]

Thanks Dave.

[Fishpart]

Thanks Dave, we all needed that.

[Brooksie]

Great post.

I am a firm believer that all American men should serve at least 2 years in the Armed Forces. It changed me for the good. I served after the gulf and got Veteran status even though I didn't fight.

[DaveS]

I am a Vet and proud of it. I served in the US Army from July 1985 till May 1991. My MOS was 11B (infantry), I attended numerous schools including US Army Airborne school, Ranger course (class 4-86), Air assault school, PLDC, AMTU Sniper course, SERE course, and JWTC course just to name a few. I served with A Co. 3/75th Rangers during Operation Just Cause and with BCo. 2/325th Inf. ABN during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, earning Combat Infantrymans badges from both campaigns. I come from a background where all men in my family have served in the Military. MY grandfather on my mothers side served with the German Wermacht during WWII, fighting on the Eastern front, France, and finally in Germany surrendering to American troops during the battle for ther Hurtgen Forest. He later immigrtaed to the USA and served in the US Army during the Korean War. My Father came to USA from Lithuania in August 1950, and by January 1951 was serving in the US Army in Korea, where he was awarded 1 Broze and 1 Silver Star for actions against Chinese forces, finally returning to USA in May of 1952 after suffering permanent damage to his legs from sharpnel. MY Uncle Victor was killed at Con Thien Vietnam in 1968. He was a Navy corpsman, and while attending to several US Marines wouded in heavy fighting, he himself was shot several times but continued to give aid to the wounded Marines. He was awarded the Navy Cross posthumously. I wish I could have met him. When I decided to join the Army, my father wanted to break my legs lol, but after a few days he calmed down and explained to me what it meant to be a soldier, the sacrifices I would have to make, what it was like to see your friends die in front of your eyes, etc. I told him that I felt it was my obligation to my country, it was the least I could do to try to repay all the families who lost husbands, fathers, brothers, who died to give us security and freedom. This Veterans Day, I am making a trip with my American Legion post to Washington DC, to pay honor to all vets, both living and dead who gave all they had for this country. Thank you to all my fellow brothers in arms for doing what you did.

[shore manic]

DAVE, you are so right on!!! you never know who served (our) country.ya almost brought me to tears being an x semper fi for me the service ended to soon. medical probs. disrupted my career. blew my knee out as one of those instructors at parris island in 75 as the pull out from saigon was just starting. what can i say,maybe i saved some lives, not proud of this subject but #^&#^&#^&#^& happens(john or salty don't omit) thanks! and we as americans can only follow what our chief wants to accomplish. i loved the marine corps.unfortunately i was asked to leave! the most devastating thing that has has happened in my life.i'm still the guy that says what I_F.i've never beeen really happy again unless i'm just fishing. kind of strange isn't it, well life is like a box of a choclates" you never know what you're gonna get!!!!!! sorry i missed you guys and gals at HOOTERS! SEMPER FI! and hope all your days are the best!!!!!!!!

[Brooksie]

US Army 19D Cav from 95-98

[fishsmith]

USN QM2(SW) 1990 - 94

[Fish_n_Dive]

This is a great post and a great way to remember the vets.

[Goose]

USMC 1987-1991 m o s 1187 (engineer) 87-89 French Creek Camp Lejeune NC, 89-91 Camp Hanson, Okinawa Japan. Got married and waited for wife to return from desert storm. Stood at 29 palms CA till 1993 waiting for my wife to be discharged. Semper FI

[Slipknot]

Thank You Vets, all of you.

Dave, I see you were in the Rangers about the same time as my brother.

[Basstime]

Well said Dave. Thank you to all Vets out there.

[Clammer]

Thanks Daves===if people only stop to take the time and T H I N K //////////////////////

I<m printing your post just to have and remind me of some of the REAL things /////////////// thankyou <mike

[nor-easter]

Thanks Dave.

Mar 57-Mar61
USAF-SAC 100 Bomb Wing
Peace through Strength

[TheSpecialist]

Dave this post is awsome. I will also be printing up 2 copies. One for my wife's grandfather, he was an Army Corpsman in WW2. He was in Africa, then Italy, he was there for Pattens apology.

I will also give a copy to my brother in law, he was 82nd Air Assault.

[shore manic]

this might explain the fish trip when ya came home with coyote after hand combat with a ferocious animal!you are the champ of the 4 leg tourney.but in my mind you are the real champ in the 4 leg tourney.(coyote) yikes!!!! what's the real story cause we've never heard it.

[Carl]

Thank You to all of you veterens who have posted here, for those who have not, and most of all for those who cannot for their most supreme sacrifice.

Carl
USNR 1992-

[Fishpart]

Spent 8 years in the US Army Engineers 21B. 88-94 as an Army Deep Sea Diver with 8 months in the Gulf waiting for the need to open up a seaport in the north. Then spent a year with 20th Eng Bde (ABN) at Fort Bragg.

I really enjoyed the time I spent in the Army, and this place is the first opportunity I have had to enjoy the same "togetherness" that had been missing till I got out.

[MountainBreeze]

USAF 6/87 - 6/91

Crew Chief / "Rotor Head"
Sikorsky MH53J Pave Low IIIE


(Hope you don't mind the pic but I just dig these birds!)

Sembach AFB, Germany
RAF Woodbridge / Bentwaters, England
Kirtland AFB, NM.

Regards,
Rob "Spanky"

[Fisherwoman]

I want to thank all of the men and women who have served this country in the past and are serving it now. I could never imagine what it has been for all of you. I tried to join the Air Force when I was 18 but was rejected due to a weight problem. Was a real shame as my test scores were very high, but it wasn't in the cards for me.

In my mind you are all the real hero's of this world no matter what time in history or in the future that you have or may serve. My heart goes out to all of you, and this is a wonderful post full of the great reminder that Veteran's day is not about "another day off work" to so many people who can't even relate to reality.

Thanks so much for keeping this country free!!!!

[striperjerk1]

Thanks Dave,
USN 68-71 crash&rescue NAS OCEANA.

[Jimbo]

Thanks. That was a great post. I think as a country we really don't make enough of an effort to appreciate the sacrifices veterans and all former military have made on our behalf. So thanks again to you all. I also don't think our schools do enough to make kids learn about the past in this vein; and to many Veteran's Day is just another day off from school. So on Monday, before my kids can use the PC for their own enjoyment, I have requested they send your post to at least 10 of their friends and ask them to send it to 10 of their friends, etc.

[JohnR]

Excellent and moving thread - thanks again

[chubsdad]

thanks dave. you make me rember alot of freinds i made and lost. U S N 1982-1986 USS SHREVEPORT-LPD 12(MS 2) GOD BLESS OUR SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN

[Bob Senior]

Naval Airforce, AT2-Aircrewman, VP-45 ASW and air survaillance, Guantanamo Bay seaplane base, Cuban Missile Crisis

Best years of my life!

I think the biggest problem with kids today is that they don' t have to go through boot camp any more!!! That, and they don't go fishing enough!!!!

[Katie]

For the food-i'm not sure what its called but it looks like this.