Veterans Day...

[Member 53328]

And on that note happy 244th Birthday to all the Marines here! Semper Fidelis. 244 years of winning.

 

[PenTurner]

I was in the navy on Submarines from 1980 - 1986. No combat for me either, just alternated 3 months under the ocean, and three months on shore.

 

[bbbass]

Yup, you can tell a Chief or SNCO by the permanent crooked fingers in their coffee cup hand ... LOL. Familiar with all three of those A/C. I worked on CH-46, UH-1N and lastly EA6B beauties. It is interesting, the Naval Air Station I was at for a long while after we had transitioned away from them the Navy still had their 46s for SAR aircraft. Was very common to have me over there working on the Gray/Orange aircraft we no longer had at that Station. But still, it never occurred to me to swap over to the Navy for reenlistment.

I did the same as you, got out after 8 tried to come back in and was offered E4, no guaranteed duty station and could not go to a different MOS. I just could not envision walking around with as many chevrons as hash marks. Should have talked to my shipmates in the Navy for certain.

Semper Piratus Shipmate!

Love the Vertol!!! USCG didn't have them unfortunately, but I spent a lot of time admiring them during 4 yrs of working wildfires with a comms trailer we provided. Everybody got excited when told a Vertol was coming in!! I have some pics of a few nice firefighting helos I'll PM you later after I get my rear outside to clean up more of the damn leaves. Of course there were a few for real Hueys among the various wannabe dual blade rotor helos, but all those guys that fly and drop water on fires are very talented pilots in love with their airships.

Prowlers... Wow, love those!!! descendents of the Intruder.

SemperFi my brown shoe Brother!!!

 

[bbbass]

I was in the navy on Submarines from 1980 - 1986. No combat for me either, just alternated 3 months under the ocean, and three months on shore.

Thank you for your service! From documentaries and from my oldest brother's experience, sub duty is not easy! You deserve to be honored for your service!!!

 

[gmerkt]

Every year, my granddaughter Katie's school has a Veteran's Day assembly. She has invited me to attend every year she's been there. There are always a few doddering old guys like me from the Vietnam War era, sometimes a younger dad who is serving. This year, Katie called me because their teacher wanted them to make a list of all the veterans down through time in their family. So I spent a half hour on the phone with her, listing the ones I was aware of. Back to Nicholas De La Vergne who was in the NY Militia during the war of 1812. But tonight, I was doing more research and found several who were in the Revolutionary War. Names like Josiah Cutler, Ezra Warren, Jr. and Elkanah Danforth. All on my mother's father's side. I didn't look up Cole on my dad's mother's side. They were Loyalists who had to move to Canada shortly thereafter. But Daniel Cole came back to the US in 1862 and enlisted in the Regular Union Army. Which was a bit different at the time, as the vast majority of Union soldiers were from the various state militias. Dan Cole was in the US 14th Infantry, "The Right of the Line," a highly decorated outift which was selected to be the lead regiment in the Grand Review of the Armies in Wash. DC in May, 1865.

Many people don't know this but after the Civil War, most Union soliders were granted a pension. For being in the war, not for having served a specified period of time as later developed. Supporing veteran pensions was a big issue for politicians in the years following the Civil War, many of whom themselves had served. A big chunk of federal government expenditure for several decades after the war was paid out in veteran pensions.

 

[oremike]

I was haze Gray and under way '75-'79 in this part of the Navy:

 

[BPOR11]

Time marches on, of course, and lessons of history are forgotten

The curse of humans... damn the curse.

 

[BPOR11]

I never saw combat either. I worked on the planes that dropped the ones nobody talked about some place nobody talked about.

I thank God for the ones that did the heavy lifting.

 

[CountryGent]

 

[Caveman Jim]

 

[guntinker]

I do think that Happy Veteran's day is appropriate. The original day was Armistice Day to commemorate the ending of WW1. After WW2 it became a holiday for all the boys who went off to war.

 

[Spitpatch]

While it would seem that Veterans are finally receiving a very small portion of the recognition that they deserve (noticeable when compared to the entirely negative climate when I mustered out), in actuality much of what is seen is "cheap" and of little real effort: window dressing instead of things of true substance.

An example close to home illustrates this in a graphic nutshell regarding my employer: When this fashionable wave of "new appreciation" became all the rage, my employer announced with great bravado that in recognition toward Veterans they would graciously grant those employees Veterans Day off!

The Veteran availing oneself of this "generous gesture" must announce his intent 30 days in advance and will not be paid.

To my knowledge none of us has taken them up on their expression of "appreciation". Why? because we know the burden of our doing so (at least in my case this is true) would fall entirely upon the co-workers (the "soldiers in the trenches") rather than the employer (the "politicians sending us to battle"). It costs them nothing and our "brothers in arms" must pick up the slack if we don't come "up to the line".

 

[tac]

So, let me get this right. In order to commemorate a National Day of Remembrance, one that pays tribute to a few million American who have fought for, bled for and died for their country in the last 150 years or so, you have to give 30 days notice, and forfeit the day's remuneration.

If my employer had made such an offer, I would have printed out the Oath of Allegiance on fine quality paper, and nailed it to his office door. I'd rather have nailed it to his forehead, but I'm a kind, caring and compassionate man at heart, even if that heart is made of purest flint.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

So some funny questions today at school ....
( We are actually having our Veterans Day Assembly on Tuesday the 12th )
I teach in a elementary school...so some of my answers are tailored to that age group....

I was asked :
What branch I served in...
( The Army )

What I did...
( I jumped out of planes and helicopters , checked things out that were on the map and looked for the bad guys...)
I am not going into just what a LRRP / LRSD Unit actually does with a group of elementary school students .

Why did you jump from planes and Helicopters....were they broken...?

Did you fight in any wars...?
( Yes , I have four combat tours )

Oh did you know my Grandpa...He was in the Army too...?

Was WW1 a tough war...?
Fun stuff.
Andy

 

[HA556]

Why did you jump from planes and Helicopters....were they broken...?

Did you fight in any wars...?
( Yes , I have four combat tours )

Oh did you know my Grandpa...He was in the Army too...?

Was WW1 a tough war...?
Fun stuff.

Gotta love 'em Andy!

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Gotta love 'em Andy!

Very true...and they are both a lot of work and a lot of fun.

But...being a Army Veteran teaching in a Navy town is a bit like being back in a LRRP / LRSD unit...
Like I am a 100 miles behind "enemy" lines...

Just kidding for all you Navy Veterans out there...To me it don't matter what branch you served in or what your job was...I simply respect the fact that your served...
Andy

 

[KKG]

Thanks Andy and Right Back at ya!!! Mike

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Thanks Andy and Right Back at ya!!! Mike

Thanks Mike...hope you have a great day on the 11th...
Andy

 

[HA556]

ust kidding for all you Navy Veterans out there...

No worries, I balanced it with 8yrs Army and Natl. Guard.

 

[zimm]

FSB ( Field Station Berlin\Teufelsberg) - 1988-1992
Always On Watch