Salute to FReeper Veterans; Check in!: THREAD #4

self | 11/10/11 | Righ

[RightOnline]

[Note to all: I've finally resurrected what was a tradition here for several years on FR....the "Veterans' Check-In". Much has happened since I started this...twelve years ago. Three of my five sons are now veterans, including a Bronze Star-winning Stryker platoon leader in Iraq back during the 'surge' days (FReeper "Future Snake Eater"), a combat videographer who jumped in so young I had to sign papers to allow him to serve, and a 'grunt' from Ft. Polk who just got back from Afghanistan). God bless them, God bless you all. I've included the original text from all those years ago here.]

While splashing some coffee into my eyes in a feeble attempt to wake up (early plane to catch this AM), I still wanted to take a moment and express my...and I'm sure "our"...appreciation to all of you veterans. We salute you on this Veterans Day for your sense of duty, commitment, honor, and sacrifice. Whether you served in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq, or any number of other "hot spots" around the globe, may we offer our thanks and deepest respect for what you've given and helped to protect.

May God in His Heaven bless all of you, and just know that many, many of us remember. You will never be forgotten.

Take a moment and "check in" here, all you vets. It's your day. Those of us who served during "peacetime" especially salute the combat veterans; those who survived the bullets and incoming and left so many close friends behind. A special prayer to all of you today.

[PzLdr]

Served a tour on the DMZ in Korea, 1968-69 with 3/23 Inf., S-3 of a MACV team training ARVNs on M 48A3Cs, 1971.

CPT ARMOR
MACV 1971

[KitJ]

Don’t sell yourself short, Allegra. You’ve got more time downrange than any ten of us... :)

[cd jones]

us navy - ‘63-’67
usaf - ‘71-’75

[phormer phrog phlyer]

80-86: USMC Flew CH-46’s in HMM-365,-266 and did a Med cruise on the USS Inchon (LPH-12)

87-08: USNR Flew SH-3 and SH-2, mainly from FF (Knox class) and FFG (Perry class). Lots of other stuff. Last tour (06-08) was a year in the IZ in Baghdad working on Patreaus’s staff doing private sector development, it was the most challenging and rewarding thing I did in my military career.

[Allegra]

Aw, thanks. :-)

But I never served in the military.

Those folks do the heavy lifting and sacrifice a lot more than I do.

[KitJ]

Thanks, RO.

U.S. Army, Retired (1985-2010)

1st Armored Division
8th Infantry Division
11th Armored Cavalry Regiment
2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment
10th Mountain Division

Iraqi Freedom
Enduring Freedom
Iraqi Freedom

Thanks all for your service, sacrifice and support!

“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.” - George S. Patton

[The Black Knight]

Staff Sergeant, US Air Force, currently stationed at Fort Bragg, NC. Checking in.

[floralamiss]

Sheana, thanks for posting the link to the list of restaurants offering free meals to, and in honor of, our Vets.

Veterans, don’t y’all forget to get that coffee perking hot, and pick up your FREE Krispy Kreme donuts in the morning!

[Rembrandt]

San Miguel NavCommStaPhil, RPI 8/68 - 1/70; majority of the time TAD in DaNang, SVN. Prior to San Miguel beer being ruined by pasteurization - best beer in the Universe!

[infowarrior]

SSG infowarrior, Regular Army 1973-1987 reporting in!

the infowarrior

[ForGod'sSake]

Another ditty-bop! '66 - '70 in Okinawa and Karamursel, Turkey. That makes three of us on FR that I'm aware of; although I believe the other one was Army. At the time Karamursel was home to a new fangled development in antennas, affectionately referred to as the elephant cage. You likely remember them.

I honestly don't know how you were able to last as long as you did in the field unless you spent most of your latter years in supervisory positions. I lost about 25% of my hearing after roughly three years of chasing dittys, but I also rode a one-of-a-kind position for about half that time.

[5th MEB]

GOD—CORPS—COUNTRY.
USMC 1968—1972
SEMPER FIDELIS

[atomic_dog]

USN 1974-1993. Mustang. Seaman Recruit to Lieutenant.

USS William R. Rush (DD-714)
USS Greenling (SSN-614)
USS Los Angeles (SSN-688)
USS Omaha (SSN-692)
Naval Submarine Training Center Pacific
USS Harold E. Holt (FF-1074)

[My hearts in London - Everett]

Checking in for my twin daughters who are both on their second enlistment in the Navy as ISs. Heather has served in Somalia and Afghanistan and is now at ONI. Brianne participated from Naples, Italy in Odyssey Dawn. So proud of both of them!

[JoeProBono]

[RightOnline]

Thank you....yeah, it was something. I even saw his retirement paperwork. He made MSgt. in 6 years flat....then stayed MSgt. for the next 14 years until he retired (no super-stripe ranks yet back then; he went as high as he could go). Amazing.

[RoadGumby]

My dad: BMC USN and Coast Guard

Me: MM1, USS Bergall (SSN-667)

My son: STSSA, A School, Groton

[Joe 6-pack]

Sounds like your boyfriend is some kind of stud!

[Ax]

We had one of those "new fangled" antennas at San Vito, Italy. I had a lot of buddies who served on Okinawa and at Karamursel. Just went to a civilian reunion two weeks ago near Cape Coral, FL. A couple of the guys were Karamursel vets. In earlier reunions, we told a lot of war stories, but nowadays we mostly compare surgical scars, what meds we're on and talk about grandchildren.

I'm almost 70 now and really don't have any hearing issues yet, surprisingly.

[M Kehoe]

All gave some, some gave all.

U.S. Army, 1975-1980, Big Red One, 509th/SETAF, and Quartermaster, Ft. Lee.

May God bless the United States of America.

5.56mm