From me and mine, to you and yours: thanks for your service and sacrifice. Without you and those like you, the simple things we take for granted might not be possible.
Enjoy the day, and know that you are VERY much appreciated.
Dp

Thanks!

1973 USAF George AFB, CA. "A Loooooooooooooong time ago"!

Thanks,
Disabled VietNam Vet, USMC Retired

BJ my memory is going, no actually gone, so I can't remember. Is that a "D"?

Were you the Stick or the WSO?

Thanks for the well wishes and I extend the same to all my brother and sisters that have served. Lat, he was a security specialist in the AF. Very highly trained people that will make you wish you never crossed the lines around the flight line on an airbase!

Well, thanks. 3.25 years in the USAF, but I never thought I did anything special.

1962 - 1965

My vehicle back then didn't get the best fuel mileage.

An M109? That's also what I was driving.

US Army 1971-1973

Thanks. I talked a little about Vets' day on my radio show today, and it dawned on me that I've been home from Vietnam for 42 years and it's only in the last four or five that people have started saying "Thanks for your service." Doesn't matter to me one way or the other, really--I didn't expect a parade, and I don't believe they're giving any thought to what they're saying. It's just an expression, like "have a nice day," that's caught on and is inescapable. I didn't have any bad experiences when i ceme home, even though I lived in San Francisco and Berkeley. But the change in public attitudes is interesting.

Ahh...after taking a closer look I now see the rifle and what looks like a SP badge of the era. All part of the team.

Quang Tri Viet Nam. 5/4 arty. 70-71.

65 to 69. 68, 69 Da Nang, Quang Tri, Dong Ha, 3 LZs, Pho Bi then off to Udorn Thani Thailand. Like a different life time ago.

I beleive, it was a D/E model, one of the last ones made. Mostly we had F4-C models as the bases main mission was to "train other nations pilots" and it was only a "C" priority base. LOL, I WISH, I was a lowly Security Specialist/Police, it's hard to see the "M-16" I'm carrying and the big old style box type radio. We also had the "last" active squardon of F-105 Thuds which to replaced by the "brand new F-15 Eagle", (yes, I'm wayyyyyy old)!

"Old"??

As an intern at a high school honors program in 1956, I was testing refraction in F102 and F106 radomes at Convair in San Diego. We plotted the refraction by hand using graph paper, and I did square roots on a Marchand square root electric calculator where you waited about 30 seconds for each calcualtion as the wheels in the machine whirled and ground away!!

No "lowly" about it. Although you may be "old"

One of the things that has bugged me over the years is the misperception of each person's importance in the scheme of things. As it pertains to the military we pay a lot of publicity and attention to the spear point. But that point wouldn't be a weapon and for sure wouldn't get on target if it weren't for the shaft. One of the times "getting the shaft" is a very good thing, eh?

As countless people have discovered over the generations logistics rules warfare. Over and over again it is demonstrated that the country with the greatest productive industrial capacity combined with their citizen's determination wins the war. They may lose a few battles along the way. But, in the end they win the war.

So, whether you are the medic, the cop, the supply clerk, or even the person back home who mined the material for the bomb or who grows the food to feed the war effort you are equally responsible for the success or failure of the military mission. Although we may get entangled in legal niceties about who is and who isn't a combatant or non-combatant, in truth, all are combatants and are part of the effort to stick it to the opposing side.

I made darn sure the Canadians didn't invade us. Not on my watch.

And even though I might have been sent into battle, the biggest conflict I took part in was finding a parking place at Walter Reed. My thanks to the combat veterans in particular.

Well, Da**. I'm sure glad that the First Sergeant and I found that old T-34 (or as it T-33) plastic cockpit canopy at the base scrap yard and had the troops turn it over and make into one large aquarium in my 3428th TTS squadron's Day Room, or we NEVER would have never won that cold war.

Just kidding - thanks for the nice post.

U.S.N. 58 - 62 -- Newport R.I. -- My thanks to all the guys who were in combat

wpt

Surprise call from a grandson: "Thank you Grandpa for serving . . . "
Survived 2 wars; WWII as a kid in Belgium, occupied by the Nazis and starved for 4 years. We were all skin 'n bones. Dad and 2 older sisters sent forced labor to Germany. Hid out 2 jews during part of the war and helped out with the resistance (kids made great messengers).
Came to the US in 1947 at age 14 1/2 and weighed a then "hefty' (?!) 60 pounds.
Joined USAF in 1952 and spent time in the Korean War; this time at the other end of the gun. Damn cold place at 40 below zero.
Yup, it's all been a long time ago.
Make all our politicians serve in the present wars and future conflicts/wars/police actions.
PEACE!!!

Tomorrow morning 14th November will be the "Official" Remembrance day in the UK. It is only in the last 10 years or so that the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month has taken any significant place in the remembrance.

But every City, Town and Village has it's own War memorial and at 11 am there will be a service to honour the dead.

I normally go to Eastbourne and time a ride to get to the service but tomorrow I may have to make it to my local town.

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When conflict appears imminent the amateur think about tactics. Professionals think about logistics.