Veterans Day - Armistice Day - Remembrance Day

[CarlS]

Where ever you are, what ever service you wore a uniform in, whatever your nationality, I salute you and thank you for your service to your nation. I know we have a number of vets here: Geoff587, Dilligaf, The Seeker, Joao, Kevin, Simmer, Bear, Shyguy, Fuzzy, Kenny Nichols, GrandPaul, Gary and Doug. Forgive me if I have omitted your name; I did this from memory. If I did omit your name, please post. Those who have donned the uniform have a bond that transcends nationality and geography. You put your lives on the line; you have my respect.

 

[Rocky]

:y115: :y18:

 

[MaeLyneS]

As a mother of solders and as the wife of a soldier, I salute all veterans of all services and nations. Thank you for what you have done. I also thank the families who supported them, who endured loss, who worrried, and who sacrificed along side of their veteran. God bless you all.

 

[grandpaul]

Here, here.

Thank YOU, Carl, and your absolutely fine family, for proudly dedicating yourselves.

U.S.N. '75 - '75, proudly served.

Dad, U.S.N., 1940 - 43, R.I.P. '07

son, Kevin, Army, 1st Cav, deploying to Mosul next month, 2nd deployment.

 

[The Seeker]

I echo Carl's sentiments and salute all veterans and active duty. I'd like to add a salute the families of those service people too as they endure as well....especially those who've experienced the loss of a loved one.

By the way, my Son Ian is stateside now and will probably be leaving the Marine Corps near the beginning of the new year. We recently received a letter from a collection agency addressed to him saying he owes local municipality wage and school taxes for two of the years he was in Iraq (with penalties and interest). They want him to prove he wasn't living here in order to clear-up this mess, but he has to do it in 30 days. Bureaucrats!

 

[The Seeker]

Dear Madam,

I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle.

I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save.

I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.

Yours, very sincerely and respectfully,

Abraham Lincoln
Executive Mansion,
Washington, Nov. 21, 1864

 

[jmv2006]

Armistice Day or Wapenstilstand here in Belgium is a National Holiday.

 

[CarlS]

Paul, I apologize. I knew you were a vet. I will edit your name into the original post. Thank you for your service

 

[DaveM]

I echo the same sentiment's as all the above thank you all :y18:

 

[grandpaul]

Carl, no apology necessary, AT ALL.

 

[CarlS]

Paul, Kevin will back on our prayer list. Mae Lyne's son, Anthony, is scheduled to deploy again to Iraq in January.

AJ, I'm glad to hear that Ian is not going to be going back and I wish him the very best.

 

[Gary]

Forgot me. I had an all expenses paid one year trip to Vietnam courtesy of the U. S. Army with all the bullets I could stop with my body at no charge.

I was looking a buying a new Springfield M-14 today (composite stock $1,500) and was recalling that while all the movies and such show soldiers with Colt M-16s, I never saw a single M-16 in the year I was there. M-14s, M-1 Carbines, BARs, and 1911 45s. At least we didn't had those awful Canadian reloads with the 5% failure rate.

Ended up with 7 medals, 3 ribbons, 3 battle stars and one scar and a permanent hate for all Asian people.

 

[CarlS]

Gary, now I remember that you are a Viet Nam vet. We had discussed that before. I apologize and I will edit your name into the first thread. Thank you for your service.

I prefer the M-14 to the M-16 and always have. I would like to have an M-14. I had an AR-15 and I sold it.

 

[otherwise]

[quote author=Gary link=topic=2449.msg16985#msg16985 date=1226444518]
Forgot me. I had an all expenses paid one year trip to Vietnam courtesy of the U. S. Army with all the bullets I could stop with my body at no charge.

I was looking a buying a new Springfield M-14 today (composite stock $1,500) and was recalling that while all the movies and such show soldiers with Colt M-16s, I never saw a single M-16 in the year I was there. M-14s, M-1 Carbines, BARs, and 1911 45s. At least we didn't had those awful Canadian reloads with the 5% failure rate.

Ended up with 7 medals, 3 ribbons, 3 battle stars and one scar and a permanent hate for all Asian people.
[/quote]

When Australia had troops in Vietnam, the draft overlooked me (it was a birthday ballot). A few years later I joined the Army. For family reasons my service was short, therefore I never came under fire. I have life long friends who did serve in Vietnam. My grandfather was captured at Fromelles on 19th July 1916 and was held as a POW at Dulmen, he didn't get home till 1920. Other family members also server in The Great War, WW2 and Korea. We in Australia including my family respect what has been done for us.

The point is my Grandfather survived the horror of Fromelles (look it up), he and others survived as POW's, but never had the hate that you show in your post. If you hate "ALL" Asian people because of a bad experience with those you dealt with back then, it is not healthy for you to carry that.
My friends and I stood in silence at 11 AM yesterday for 1 min, we remembered ALL of those that have fallen.

 

[The Seeker]

[size=12pt]Good People - Those Canadians[/size] :y115:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De2wciCy07U

 

[CarlS]

Hear! Hear! I have worked with the Canadians, the Australians, and the New Zealanders. Great soldiers, all.

 

[Doug]

Did my time in the SAAF when it was generally disapproved of by the rest of the world.
Dad was Royal Navy '39-'45. Both Grandads were British army '14-'18 although one would prefer to be referred to as Scottish. He did get out early though,got a piece of schrapnel in his head in 1917 and got sent home!

 

[jmv2006]

[quote author=Doug link=topic=2449.msg17035#msg17035 date=1226498846]
Did my time in the SAAF when it was generally disapproved of by the rest of the world...
[/quote]Join the Club!
I did my war time in Angola (1969/71) where I flew many missions in coop with the SAAF and in Mozambique (1972/74) where I flew many missions in coop with the RhAF. From 19 to 24 years of age I had no clue of what was a "just" (if ever there was one!) or "unjust" war. My aim was not to kill the so-called enemy but to avoid by all means that my Pals got killed.
I did what was at the time "my duty" as a Portuguese Air Force pilot without asking many questions (even to myself!)
Since then I visited Angola, Mozambique and South Africa where I have many friends who once where my enemies. No hard feelings - let alone hate - whatsoever! :y18:

 

[CarlS]

Doug, thank you for your service. And I thank you Dad and Granddads for their service. I will edit your name into the first post.

 

[Gromit]

Carl, this thread you started is an honorable one that has been deplorably "hijacked" . Thanks Carl for remembering those who have fought and died for their small patch of green so that I can have a field of green. My mother of 86 did her time in the RAF in WWII and she's proud of it. My great aunt was part of "le resistance" and WWI and proud of it too. Without these 2 formidable old ladies and thousands more like them, I wonder where I'd be today.

So thanks for the respect of Remembrance and to the rest..................take this to the political forum please.

:y120: :y67: