The FReeper Foxhole Remembers the First Special Service Force - Feb. 3rd, 2003

http://www.armyhistoryfnd.org/armyhist/research/detail2.cfm?webpage_id=392&page_type_id=3 ^

[Jen]

Good to see you Spookie! I've missed you so much!!!

[SAMWolf]

Thanks Jen, I posted the names and pictures at the Canteen the other day.

[GailA]

Today's graphic

[pgobrien]

SAM, Thanks for the great tribute. My father is one of the remaining veterans of this unit. He was with them from Helena to Ville Neuve then back to the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, then finally the Princess Pat's. He was close friends with Tommy Prince and often comments that Prince was even more heroic than people knew. Brave men that volunteered for suicidal missions. Great work SAM!

[SAMWolf]

You're Welcome.

Thanks for sharing about your dad with us, pgobrien.

Thank your dad for his service for me. Remember his stories and pass them on, they deserve to be heard and remembered.

[SAMWolf]

Afternoon GailA. We always look forward to your graphic of the day.

[Jen]

WELCOME DryLandSailor to the FReeper Foxhole! I've put out a Welcome Mat for you! (We don't want dirt tracked into our Foxhole. *snicker*) I'm looking forward to meeting you and reading your posts. Dive on in and tell us a little about yourself.

OLA, would you like to explain your relationship to our new FReeper FRiend? :-)

[Jen]

Are you and your dad aware of the Veterans History Project? It's a Library of Congress effort to collect and preserve audio- and video-taped oral histories, along with documentary materials such as letters, diaries, maps, photographs, and home movies, of America's war veterans and those who served in support of them.

[Jen]

I'll never get tired of seeing eagles and our beautiful Stars and Stripes! Thanks so much Gail for your lovely graphics each day. They brighten up our spartan little Foxhole!

[SAMWolf]

You been out recruiting?

[Jen]

Nope, but OneLoyalAmerican has!

[brownie]

As in all things conservative, while I have no problem with companies giving extra benefits to support families (such as maternity, paternity leave, or in-house child care), I don't believe the government should be passing laws in this area. While I agree that families are important, families were around before government. What governments need to do is not provide incentives for families, but simply not penalize people for being in a family. And, of course, government should not pass legislation which hurts the concept of family or undermines the value of family, such as allowing same-sex marriages, etc. However, none of this contradicts what I stated in my post. Family is important, but that does not mean that government should take away from me to support your family.

[singletrack]

Thanks Sam for posting this,my Dad was a member of the Force ( I'm Pgobrien's brother ).Its great seeing some recognition for these guys finally.Dad is an American who ran off to Canada pre-Pearl Harbour because " I thought the whole thing would be over and I'd miss it".We still tease him about running off to Canada when the war broke out.He faked his ID, and was accepted in the Canadian Army at 16 years old.Basically he was an American in the Canadian Army, serving in a Canadian unit, under an American command.When the Force members came home after the War no one had heard of them and LOTS of people said they were liers.Not too many said it to Dad twice.There was something during the war called Special Service that was like a USO type thing, singers,dancers etc.Dad has said that they were always getting asked at hospitals or MASH "how do you guys keep getting hurt?". Took awhile for the Force members to realize they were getting confused with Special Service.Pretty hard to take I'd bet.The First Special Service Force will go down in history as the first modern commando unit.Small, highly trained,fast and versatile.We ( Freeper Pgobrien,and our families) are very proud of what our Dad was a part of.Thanks for posting this.I'll print it out and he'll get to read this.

[Jen]

Hi Brownie, I think your post was intended for someone else on a different thread.

[Jen]

Thanks to both of you for your posts about your dad's service in the Special Service. God bless him and y'all too!

[brownie]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!

You're right.

Brownie

[Jen]

It's OK, it happens to me quite frequently for some reason. (The Foxhole ping list probably.) I enjoyed reading your post and I agree with your comments. Have a good day and thanks for dropping in to the Foxhole - even if unintentionally! ;-)

[brownie]

Oh, I lurk in the foxhole quite often. I'm a vet of both the Army and the Navy.

[cavtrooper21]

Great post! Thanks SAMWolf.