Happy Veterans Day!

Grow up this is a knife forum find a military forum. 300 remove this post. Served in the muck and mud, friends died in the muck and mud, friends came back all crazy from the muck and mud.

MAKE LOVE NOT WAR
 
Well, what a deal. I grew up a Air Force kid. As a 10 year old , at a small base, pre- Nam, I was allowed to roam with my BB gun shooting pigeons out of the tops of the hangars. The parachute shop even made me a small uniform with one stripe. My nick name was 'Little Chief' in reference to my fathers rank of Master Chief. During WW2 he was in the navy on a PBY out of Fla. flying grids looking for german submarines in the Gulf. The war was ending and the crew had never dropped a bomb when they came upon a burning hulk of a non-USA cargo ship. The pilot radioed to the crew, prepare for a bomb run, everyone cheered. The run was made and both bombs missed. On return the entire crew was confined to quarters for three days for wasting bombs.
That was my fathers total shots fired in anger. From then on he was a full time reservist keeping them flying. He retired with ruined knees from pounding the tarmac for 30 years and limped for the rest of his life. Never a complaint. I went on to serve the US peoples wearing a badge and a gun on my hip for 28 years. I was not a service person, but walking up on a duck blind with 5 duck hunters with loaded 12 gauges to check their license, it sometimes gave me the feeling that I was in a fight for the citizens of the country. A fight to insure the resource and enforce the common law of the land.

No, I was not and am not a service veteran, but I will always believe my father was even if the two bombs missed. So several of my coworkers and friends served in the muck and mire of Vietnam. Some older coworkers were taken prisoner in WW2 for years and one manned a machine gun in the freezing nights of Korea as massive waves of warriors in the dark came forward to kill them. I listen to them tell their tales and not one showed me any disrespect for not serving in the military. They understood my service, and always said how lucky I was to not have experienced the hell or the possibility of it .

I have talked to bertl a lot, as he values 300's. Not once has he ever stated anything shaming our great country. I read thru this thread and I believe it is as much about the precise definitions of history as anything. Bert is a history buff. I think I can live with the discussions of definitions and no matter what his service status was, would tell him he was lucky to not experience the next thing to hell or feel the heartache of seeing the folks carried on litters that someone supported from the rear. I have learned as my hair turns white (or falls out) to give folks a break till you know all the facts and even for good citizens who did not serve. As hope you would of me.

300Bucks
 
TY 300. I was taken a step back when my post was questioned about being a Happy Veterans Day and what was happy about it.

As the thread moved along the difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day became apparent. Its clear as day what the two days stand for. Period.
 
so yesterday was the day but today is the observed day..........for govt workers, post office workers and bankers to get their day off.....too much too soon?:)
 
Thanks to all that served our country in any shape or form as a Veteran. I do my part when I can just like 300 to serve our country, but without people in the service our freedom is at jeopardy, so I appreciate all that everyone has done. Keep on waving old Glory and lets work together to keep this nation the greatest one on God's green earth.

I don't believe Bertl was trying to insult anyone, as 300 said, he is a man of history and just wants to make sure our history isn't forgotten in this stupid technology driven social media puke society we all have to put up with now...…

I'm always a day late and at least a dollar short
 
I would like to say, I don't look down on anyone that didn't serve in the Military or Public Service. My problem with bertl was that he stated, in a roundabout way, that unless you were a combat Veteran you really weren't truly a Veteran... I had a problem with him saying that because he hadn't, or has admitted, serving anyone or anything for this Great Country called the United States of America. Without the people NOT on the battlefield, there would be no battlefield or any way to get to it...
 
LOL I had to work also but many people took the day off and good for them, The boys would have wanted it that way. BTW I had a great day attending a WW1 100th year celebration in my old home town and learned about the history of the 101 Yankee Brigade from BG Greg Smith and COL Brett Conway both from the Yankee Brigade and some personal stories from vets who served in WW2, Korea, and Vietnam and not one of them spoke about themselves, not one. It was an honor for me just to be in the same room as these guys. I sat at a table with two Daughters and looked at scrapbook pictures of their farther an Air America Helicopter pilot who was one of the first to start the evacuation of Saigon, very likely his chopper in that Famous embassy rooftop picture they said as they explained to me about the markings on the fuselage. He died years later in a chopper crash fighting forest fires out west, just another selfless act of bravery that was and is repeated every day by vets. To end it all the town and the local vets designated my old home town street in my father's name for devotion in donating his time to rally the retired troops at the VFW and muster up the funds to build a Proper Vietnam memorial to replace the small plaque that stood before it with a monument to be proud of and soon as it was designated he started his final piece of work, a promise he made to some friends who didn't make it back home from Korea and that promise was that they will never be forgotten. The day he got to unveil the monument that he helped obtain funds for and designed himself had to be the proudest day of his life and I could see a huge weight getting lifted off his shoulders because he had finished his mission and fulfilled his 40 year promise to his fallen friends. Due to complications from PTS "They don't call it PTSD any more" father passed away surrounded by friends,family, and his extended family the Metrowest Marine Corps League and local vets who stood at my mother's house and the veterans park as an honor guards. They brought her home cooked meals and made sure she was ok with money till benefits kicked in which took quite some time. The local vets also sponsored my son for a special program with the Mass State Troopers and helped in finding him some book tuitions for college. Just another selfless act that vets do for their brothers and others every day. If anyone thinks I'm a troll or would care to look at the park my father and MCL designed you can Google Moran Park In Natick Mass and Thanks again to that serve. P.S. bertl I for one forgive your ignorance. I wasn't so great with war and it's history until I realized how important these dates and events are to us as citizens of the United states of America.
 
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