Veterans

[Lilith]

I was wondering what you know about the Veterans in your family. Do you have a lot of information about them? Is having a Veteran in your family something you take pride in? How does your family honor or show reverence or respect to the Veterans in the family? If you are a Veteran please tell us what being a Veteran means to you personally.

[Oldfart]

My paternal grand-father was with the Brits in Palestine and Gallipoli in the First War, and his brother was gassed (not fatally, but fucked him up for the rest of his short life) in France.

The rest of mine were either of the wrong generation or in protected jobs.

Vets, men doing a prick of a job for all of us.

[BIBI]

My Mom was in the British Army during WWII. Her primary job was to keep track of air traffic coming in across the English Channel. Her secondary job was peeling potatoes in Kitchen Duty in the mornings that she was late for curfew.....oh the stories she had to tell!

I am very proud of my Mom. She was a pip!

My father on the other hand was did his bit during the war too, in a camp being treated less than human. He would never really speak of it. The fact he survived speaks volumes.

His brother who was 8 years older worked for Radio Free Europe and was involved in all sorts of cloak and dagger stuff in order to get people out of harm's way.

My mom's father, was in the army during the first world war and was gassed which indeed did shorten his life.

My mom's sister worked in a plant that manufactured parts for planes and my grandmother volunteered in making up packages for the troops to be sent to them.

The veterans should always be held with special reference for putting their lives at peril, but the war effort was fought by many and I respect them all.

[BIBI]

Now..that was then and this is now.

The men and women who went to Viet Nam are not seemingly held in the same reference as the people who participated in the world wars.....they should be for no matter what the politics of the situation was at the time these people either volunteered or were drafted to go to fight, to become prisoners of war, to kill and be killed. Most didn't even know why they were there.....They were upon return not given the ticker tape parades or the kudos that they were entitled to. They did what the government deemed necessary for them to do but in the end, backs were turned on them....it is a gross miscarriage of justice for those that served their country and gave their lives up. They are veterans that deserve the same pride and respect afforded to the men and women that participated in the previous wars.......I should shut up while I am ahead for I haven't mentioned Korea yet :)





....or the others

But I think you all can get my drift :)

[Glyndwr]

This is a very relevant question especially over the next few days. I think that younger generations struggle to comprehend the sacrifices that have been made by people over the years in service of their country and continue to do so today in many cases. It is easy if you have a personal reference point eg a family member but not everyone does nowadays. In a way this is good because it means the horrors of war are reaching fewer people.

At the end of the day it's a dirty job but someone has to do it.

[jay-t]

Our family has a long military history that has covered every war or conflict scince the American Revolution. A grandfather that was wounded at Kings Mountain ,a grandfather that was at the Battle of Pearidge,uncles and cousins in both world wars,Korea,Nam ,Desert Storm,Bosnia, to a cousin that has been to Iraq twice.
We are very proud of our history and also know the cost of freedom!!
At our yearly family reunion there is always a toast and a prayer for those that did not come home.
I will never forget what my grandfather told my cousin when he came home from Nam .
"Boy you are a Veteran stand PROUD"

[fzzy]

My father was in the Korean conflict ... he was a Dr. in fact he was the head of the Navy's version of a Mash unit in the Phillipines .... got a purple heart for a shot he took in the backside .... we teased him about that a lot when i was a kid .... I have pics of him in his dress blues (course they are black and white) ... he was a handsome man. My stepfather was enlisted and stationed in Okinawa (sp?) during the Korean conflict .... my uncle served as a pilot in the pacific theatre during WWII .... did some pretty heroic things which earned him the opportunity to be a flight instructor at what later became Miramar (Top Gun) ... unfortunately he died in a flight accident while there .... most recently ... 2 of my nephews have recently returned from time in Iraq .... My brother-in-law was career air force, but never had to serve in any battle situations .... it's honored in my family, but not expected.

[Cjack]

I am a Veteran, (USAF). I was stationed in Spokana Wa, and never left the states. I was assiginged to duty at a radar control center where we tracked all the aircraft coming towards the United Stares from the Nortwest.
I am proud of what I did.

We don't have any special celebration for Veterans day.
:jump:

[bare4you]

My father (God rest his soul) and both of his brothers were Marines in WWII.

I am retired from the Air Force having served proudly all over the world for 20 years. I have dedicated my life to defending our nation here at home as most of you know. My pride in my service to our country happens every day of the year and not just one particular day.

Now my daughter (freshman in High School) is in Air Force ROTC and I didn't even know she was interested.

The one day I remember the most about my dad was the day I got off the plane when I was home on leave from Basic Training. I was wearing my uniform and when I walked into the terminal, he had tears in his eyes when he saw me. He and I never really talked while I was growing up but I knew at that very moment he was the proudest dad in the world. I've never forgotten that day. On the day of his funeral I waited for everyone to leave. I stood before his urn at attention and saluted him with tears in my eyes and thanked him for being my father.

Thanks for the thread. Just by asking the question shows that patriotism is not dead!

[Winston77]

Happy 230th Birthday to all my fellow Marines. SEMPER FI :cake:

[LixyChick]

Dunno further back than my father...

He served in WWII and the Korean Conflict as a "jumper" on ski patrol. He'd (supposedly...cause he rarely talked about it) train "jumpers" and was dropped into places to scout.

The most I know about his service is that he brought back a diamond ring, from Germany, to propose to my mom with!

I sent for duplicate medals (his service records say he deserves some and I never found them in his apartment after he died) and then I moved before they came. Dunno how to go about reordering them now!!!!?????? I was thinking what I asked for was sent to the addy requested and since I moved a month afterwards...the new tenants got them and tossed um for lack of interest??????

I can't say for sure!

[PantyFanatic]

http://www.pixies-place.com:81/forums/showthread.php?t=11589

1961-1965
USA 5th & 10th SFG

[dicksbro]

My dad was a career officer in the Army from WWII until the early 60's when he retired. He'd been in the artillery early in his career, then later part of the signal corps. He retired to Decatur, IL which was his last full duty station. The Signal Supply Center there has since closed becoming a Firestone and later Bridgestone tire plant.

My brother-in-law won the Silver Star in Vietnam. He never really talks about it, but I one time got to see the citation where he crawled out under fire to rescue a wounded member of his unit.

My father-in-law served in Europe during WWII providing maintenance support for front line fighter bases.

Lived most of my first 17 or 18 years on Army bases both in the states and overseas. It was a good life and I had the unusual experience of sharing my ninth grade in Japan with a girl who had been in my first grade class in Germany. :)

[jseal]

My uncles served in the Army during WWII; my father in the Navy. My youngest brother is a Colonel in the Marines, and served in Desert Storm. Vets have earned the respect that sometimes is not extended to them.

[The Shadow]

First tour 1986-2000 USAR Desert Storm

Now a retread on second tour..

[PantyFanatic]

http://www.pixies-place.com:81/forums/showthread.php?t=4762

And I know few came back for a peek this year. ;)



(Getting to be less of us each year. :rofl: LMAO )
*they’ll always make more*