Posted on 11/11/2003 3:31:06 AM PST by snippy_about_it
Thanks.
At Ft. Campbell Ky. in late July, it's the only way to wear one.
The story is that I was part of the reaction team. We had just been hit with a chem threat and were standing down and taking things off when the chem detectors went off again and OPFOR hit us.
I went charging to the sound of the guns barely able to see through fogged lenses. OPFOR had already retreated (I was on the opposite perimeter at the time they hit). Unable to see, I wandered past our perimeter and found myself on a slight ridge above the OPFORs rally-point.
A 100-round box of 7.62 later the referees declared their entire unit (15-20 guys) wiped out and their mission a failure. My unit S-3 snapped the pic as I wandered blind through the woods before I found the bad guys.
Of course, back then, I told everyone that I had stalked them.
An M-60 and a little luck can do great things. ;-]
Courage, respect and thank you are simple words that sum up what Veterans Day means to me. Each of these words when taken individually represents what every American should think of on Veterans Day.
Reflect for a moment about young men and women packing their duffel bags waiting to be sent to a foreign land far from home. What thoughts must run through their minds in time of war? Certainly one must contemplate will I kill another human being or will I be killed? Will I maim or be maimed? Will I become a POW; if so what horrors must be endured? Will I ever embrace my loved ones again?
Peace keeping missions also pose danger to our military forces. In this scenario we ask our soldiers to use diplomacy keeping opposing forces from killing each other, while leaders of nations hammer out agreements such as border disputes, the language to be placed on treaty agreements and the like.
Even in times of world peace our armed forces must be ever mindful that they can be called into action at any given moment. Surely this knowledge must give them pause to think about military service.
Thousands of men and women served our country in time of need regardless of popular opinion here at home. Call it what you will; police action, military conflict, or war, the fact remains that Americans, generation after generation gave life and limb in order for us to maintain our freedoms. These men and women who served our country so nobly certainly have made this nation the greatest on Earth.
Veterans Day is also a time to remember family members who sacrificed life and limb. In my family, my great uncle paid the ultimate price as a POW on Luzon Island in the Philippines during World War II. Another family member, my grandfather, suffered a leg injury when his ship was bombed, in addition he contracted malaria while serving in Africa also during World War II. Without the actions of brave men and women America would still be struggling to make her mark as a world superpower.
Veterans Day is not a time to remember just the brave men and women who fought in America's most recent 'disputes'. It is a time to remember the blood shed in early American History and how much courage it look for those men and women to stand up and fight for their beliefs. Without the actions of those men and women, America would not be the country she is today. We, as a nation, owe to all these men and women eternal gratitude.
As the flag is raised on this Veterans Day, the last of the millennium, we should not be afraid to stand tall, place our hands over our hearts, and recite in a loud, clear voice, the Pledge of Allegiance. This day holds a special importance in my heart. I am proud to say that I am an American. Finally, when you see a veteran standing or sitting outside a store collecting money we should always donate to their worthy cause and say thank you, for without these people we would not have the freedoms and liberties each of as enjoy today.
In a strange land I was sent, not knowing my fate;
In a pen I was put, and I sat by the gate.
I watched and I wondered, what do I do now;
Then I looked up and saw you, as you walked up with a smile.
We trained and we worked, and I showed you my best;
You rewarded me, and petted me, and I did the rest.
Through trails and paths and roads we did go;
And I was to smell, for traps that would blow.
Many times I stopped you, from ending your life;
From an enemy trip wire, that was set to end your life.
Never have I thought, that we would ever part;
Because of the love, that we had in our hearts.
Oh, I was so proud, to walk by your side;
With all of your friends, and being your guide.
Then one day you put me, back into my pen;
You smiled and you petted me, and said,"Goodbye my friend."
You looked back one more time, and I saw the tear in your eye;
And I knew it was the last, and was your way of saying goodbye.
My life it so changed, when you went back home;
And I stayed behind, to a fate unknown.
Its been over 30 years, since I've seen your face;
But I never forgot you, my friend and my mate.
For you see, my friend I still sit by the gate;
In a place called Heaven, still waiting for my mate.
So please don't worry, I'm waiting by Heaven's gate;
For my best friend, my brother, but mainly my mate.
Author Unknown
Here's my "me and my weapon" picture. This was taken right after we switched from the M-14 to the M-16.
I can hardly see through the tears.
My real weapon was a fuel truck with 5000 gallons of JP4 riding along. I also got to expiriment with liquid oxygen occasionally.
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