I Have No Heroes In My Family (Memorial Day Thoughts)

FP

[Focault's Pendulum]

I never served. Given the chance to do it again, I would.

My Father served. He lived on a glacier during much of WWII. He had three stripes on his sleeve. He was one of many nameless military who worked on the Alkan Highway.

My Godfather survived...several first landings in the South Pacific...he would never give me details.

My brother served in Berlin during the sixties...he came back broken from having served on the Wall.

No one in my family were heroes.

[OREALLY]

9/11 showed America the truth about hero's. Every man, woman and child who reached out and helped their fellow Americans, without thought of reward. There are many ways to serve our country, not just the military. God Bless our troops and "all" who serve this great country. God Bless Freepers too because they refuse to by silent and will not give up the fight for freedom.

[centurion316]

My father and I were professional soldiers. He a veteran of WWII and of Vietnam. My combat service was in Vietnam. We were both wounded in action, both decorated for valor and both received the Combat Infantryman's Badge. We were not heros. We both knew a few, but we knew many more who did like us: simply served. They were soldiers and they did their duty as many who served before and after us have done.

But, remember, Memorial Day is not for those who served, it is for those who fell. Remember them, my friends, remember them.

[TEXOKIE]

Thank you for the great suggestion, cajun-jack.

[HitmanLV]

My dad was drafted in July, 1945. He did his basic training and became an MP, serving in the south.

The Japanese surrendered shortly afterwards.

I always kid him that there was a connection between him becoming a GI and the Japanese saying 'No mas!!!' ;-)

My dad's tenure in the army finished a year later. He says he had fun in the service - made lots of pals, played lots of cards, and got out of the NYC region for a while. When called, he served. Everyone was proud of him then, and we are now.

Oh, and he is a hero to me and all his children! :-)

Not a war hero, but

[Jay D. Dyson]

Outstanding suggestion, Cajun-Jack! And I've been meaning to clear out some of my bookcases of late too (got the spring cleaning bug). Thanks!!

-Jay

[TEXOKIE]

Bump to your post 21

[75thOVI]

"Duty is the most sublime of words.
No one can ask more,
You should never wish to do less."
Robert E. Lee
Gen CSA

[BeAllYouCanBe]

I was a helicopter crew chief in Vietnam flying hueys made of aluminium cheaply. I flew on the left door holding a machine gun and most people in the Army called me a "gunner". The statistics say that 40,000 were trained as crew chiefs and a smaller number made it to Nam.

Fear of a machine that had 12,000 moving parts and flew into danger was constant. Mistakes in maintenace was the greatest danger and I was in charge of maintence.

Medals - really meant nothing!

[VOYAGER]

My Godfather survived...several first landings in the South Pacific...he would never give me details.

My friend I believe heroes are made not born.

Having served on an amphibious ship for 2 years and had a hand in landing many a brave Soldier and Marine on hostile beaches in the Pacific from Okinawa Shima, Japan to Leyte, P.I. with Lingayen Gulf, Luzon P.I. campaign in between I saw nothing but heroes scrambling ashore to do a horrible job with nothing between them and the murderous ememy fire but their duty and their desire just to survive!

They were mostly kids and are my heroes whether dead now or alive.

As far as your father's and your brother's service to their country as being insignicant don't you believe it for I believe that any one who became a hero in actual combat would have changed places with your father or your brother in a New York minute when the bullets started flying.

So we come full circle heroes are made not born!

I thank them for their obedience to their oath to our wonderful country, God Bless America and her protectors who are you father, your brother and every other American service person who answered the call to arms without questioning why they serve where they served!

[judicial meanz]

My brother served in 13 months of hard combat as a rifleman in the USMC in Vietnam, was combat wounded and was my hero growing up. Now he is a coach for a HS football team.When he was recovering from his last combat injury with us at the VA near our home in 1969, I learned how much I loved him and how much of a difference he had made in my life.

My father was wounded so badly in WWII he ended up being out of action for 9 months. He started an Electrical contracting company and ran it for 43 years after this happened, in spite of serious disabilities.At age 78, he just kicked cancer, smokes a half dozen cigars a day, and cusses a blue streak. Everyone I know loves him for his humanity and soft heartedness towards children and animals.

My grandfather was wounded in WWI as a Marine in the battle of Belleau Wood. He hated mud for the rest of his life, and he died right before I went into the military. His last words before I joined were "come back with your shield or on it". This spirit was common in the men of that time, who fought a then-unknown enemy and routed them with sheer valor.

One of my best friends volunteered to do one more strategic patrol in 1980 before his EAOS expired. He had a wife and two kids. He died on that patrol at age 26, a man who had given a little over 6 years of his life towards freedom, and never knew the outcome of his selfless courage and determination to preserve our country and way of life.

Those guys are my some of my heros. I served too, and continue to serve. I hope some day I measure up to half of their shoes.

[strela]

They will gladly accept them with an adoration of you that even you haven't see from your wife since your honeymoon.

You mean they'll point and laugh like my ex did?

Seriously, this is a marvelous idea. Recorded music on cassette is a biggie as well.

[Focault's Pendulum]

well my friend, if you truly want to be a hero, as commander of the local DAV chapter here in my hometown, i can offer these words of advice. What will truly make you a hero, go thru your library and gather all the books you either didn't like or don't want to ever read again.....all your reader's digest condensed volumes and any magazines you don't need in your "throne room" any more and take them all to the nearest V.A. hospital. They will gladly accept them with an adoration of you that even you haven't see from your wife since your honeymoon. If you have an extra few minutes, just ride the elevator up to the room floors and go room to room and shake hands with a few of the guys and say "thank you"....you will see faces light up brighter than the north star on Christmas eve....you dont have to be a "hero" to be a hero.

I might have thought to put this thread up with sarcasm tags....that those who lived through hell are indeed heroes. You...my friend.have given it a perspective, I failed to take into account. Thank you, for reminding us of others who should not be foregotten.

[js1138]

Cam Rhan Bay, perhaps?

[SSN558]

"To every Veteran...Thank You."

Your thanks are accepted. Don't ever call me a Hero it is not all it is cracked up to be, I dispise that term. Jessica Lynch has been called a hero, the truth is that she is just a broken girl and may never speak about the exploits that she was a part of.

[overlord]

For Hilda Blum, (nee Kopp), WAC with SHAEF in England and France in WW II; Leo Blum, infantryman in France in WW II; John J. Koller, 1st Sgt. USMC, WW II, Korea, Vietnam.

The honor roll is always personal. For the pain you have endured, for the suffering you have witnessed, for the courage you have shown, Peace.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

All my family were heroes

[RedBloodedAmerican]

No, last name is not Dalmer.

[wrbones]

My family is a relatively small one and it's service to our nation can be readily (but painstakingly!) traced on the net. We have served from the days of the Colonial Army to the present, with members from one branch of the family or another leaving a continual, almost unbroken, record of military service to our present times. Some were decorated heros and advisors to those in D.C., one was even a General, most of the rest of us were 'plain' riflemen and grunts. Many who serve in the Armed Forces of the United States can say the same or more. My story is not all that unusual.

We have participated in nearly every major historical event in our nation's history, from our immigration in 1710 to becoming pioneering plainsmen and partaking in both gold rushes to becoming city founders and serving as local politicians.

In my direct family, I have two brothers who served in the Army and one besides myself who served in the Marine Corps, an uncle who fought with the Army in Europe during WWII, two cousins who served with the Air Force during VietNam, and my father served with the Air Force during the Korean War. We have members of the family buried in National Cemeteries from coast to coast, including a few in Arlington. As long as there is a United States to serve, there will be members of my family to serve it. We are generally a family of patriots and believers in freedom.

Having said that, looking back upon my own run of the mill service in a 'peace time' Marine Corps, I have to say that anyone who served in the military in any capacity, whether burning shitters, swabbing the deck, or charging the beach is someone to be shown respect and given our gratitude.The sacrifices are incredible and cannot be truly understood without having BTDT.

To those civilians who appreciate that sacrifice, I thank you. Your thanks mean more than can be said or told.

To those who wish to become more actively involved in 'service'to, or attempts to help Veterans, there is political activism on behalf of Veterans as well as service locally, as has been suggested in an earlier post. But, mostly, just a 'Thank you." and a "Welcome Home." is enough to bring tears to the eyes of many who have served.

[rontorr]

some things that I have done that make me feel real proud was to help a few guys that I became friends with in the late 70s, 80's and until even now get rid of, with the help of our Lord,(my Buddist wife hates it when I talk like that) the, lets just call them demons for lack of a better word, that have been haunting them since the fight they were in, a lot of them are still living in places like Thailand, and some are still(or were) officially MIA. What a hero really is , is a person who does things for others with out thinking of themself first