[daisyscarlett]

I just love it when we have new photos. Thanks to all in Group 10 who served. Billie, thank you for presenting them so well.

dakine: Lovely photo of your wife with our wonderful President.

Auntbee: God Bless your nephew who is on Active Duty and in Harm's Way.

MilitiaMan7:Congratulations on your very fine 20 years of Service is the USAF and thank you.

AlasBabylom: One of our very own past FR's Finest Profilee...Thanks again for a very distinguised career in the USAF

Joe Brower: Congratulations to you. Another Marine. We luv our Marines.

Temple Owl: Great photos of you and the Missus from WWII. Wow! What a patriotic pair. It was worth the wee bit of time and effort it took for us to get your photos. lol...

aomagrat: What a proud Navy vet you must be. Congratulations and thank you for your service on all those wonderful ships and especially your service during the Gulf War.

Dutchess-I hope you are going to make a stop at your parent's home on the way back from your Library Vacation so you can show your Dad his photo...If you do, please give him a hug and a big thank you for his service.

MeeknMing: Congratulations and thanks to your Dad for his Air Force Service. Please tell us more about him today....

[Billie]

You're so thoughtful to make a special point of addressing each of them individually, daisy! Have also added it to the original FR Finest (Veteran's Day) thread, so am up to date there, too! Yahoo! (Sometimes I've forgotten to add it to that thread right away!)

[Joe Brower]

Thanks, daisyscarlett, but I can't claim to have been a Marine. I was a Navy doc who did manage, through happy circumstance, to work with the FMF during my entire enlistment. Being an avid hiker, camper and shooter, it was great to have Uncle Sam foot the bill for everything!

Being a squid and not a grunt also made it twice as satisfying when I would consistently outshoot those fine individuals with their own weaponry. Of course, all the money I made off bets made on the firing line was usually recouped by those after-hours poker games... $;-)

[MeekOneGOP]

dakine: Lovely photo of your wife with our wonderful President.

I noticed that right away when I first saw the pic. My eyes went right to Prez Bush, then to her. What an honor for them both! (And what an honor for my Dad's picture to be next to that!)

MeeknMing: Congratulations and thanks to your Dad for his Air Force Service. Please tell us more about him today....

I am really happy to have Dad added to the Military photos! Thanks!

Dad retired in 1975 from the USAF, as a Master Sergeant. He worked on the flightline in what they called "Crash Control". That means "Fire Department". He was a Fireman for 26 years.

He went in the AF in 1949 and was first stationed in the Aleutian Islands - a Radar Site I believe. (Watchin' those Ruskies, I'm sure!). Mom & Dad married in 1951. They met because my Mom's family knew my Dad's Uncle and they happened to meet there at Uncle Elish's (sp?) house.

My younger brother and I were born in the mid-50s. One year after I was born in San Marcos, Tx (Gary AFB), we started moving around. First stop was Panama. My brother was born there.

We have lived in Texas, Panama, Idaho, Washington State and The Azores, Portugal. Dad did isolated tours in Goose Bay, Labrador, Thule, Greenland and MacTan Island, The Phillippines. As a family we have been to Germany (sans moi), Spain, and Athens, Greece. When we were in the Azores, my brother had braces. Mom and Dad alternated every 3 months flying to Germany to have him serviced for his braces. (I never got to go - Wah ! lol).

I wouldn't trade military life and all the moving we did for anything. When I was a kid, we knew a lot of military families. We were all in the same boat, so to speak. When a civilian kid would ask if I hated moving all the time, I remember thinking: "Huh, doesn't everyone do this?" LOL! (Oh, btw, how many people do you know that has the seal of the Department of Defense on their H.S. Diploma? hehehe).

Dad retired from the Air Force (Carlswell AFB, Ft. Worth, Tx) on a Friday, and started his civilian job on the following Monday. He was an inspector of fire protection water sprinkler systems for Grinnell.

They moved out to East Texas (Quitman) in 1978 and he worked for Tyler pipe for ~15 years and then retired from there. He lives about 10-15 miles from where he was born. They say that you can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy. That's my Dad!

Top, 2nd from the left is my Dad (John P. Meek), USAF Retired, 1975.

[Temple Owl]

Thank you for your patience. I repeat, You and Billie are just lovable.

[aomagrat]

I appreciate the work you do here too!