Veterans Day

My Dad, home on leave with his parents, probably around 1942?



My paternal grandfather was too old to serve in World War I. I've written before about how my maternal grandfather, and all four of my maternal grandmother's brothers, were in World War I, but they were on the other side.

 

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On the war memorial of my village there are 26 names for WW1. The whole village population in 1911 was 330.

 

Amazing lineage of patriot's.

 

My father and many of my uncles served in WWII. I was in the Medical Service Corps during the Vietnam conflict; but due to various circumstances, I never made it to Vietnam. But I lost too many friends and colleagues to Vietnam ... and unfortunately, it's aftereffects after they finally made it home.

Visiting the Vietnam Memorial in DC is a heartwrenching experience.

 

You're welcome.

 

The main reason I do not want to go see it in person. Too many memories captured in that black granite.

 

I did 12 years on active duty; the first four years in the Marine Corps and then immediately did eight more years in the Army, and the Gulf War was my combat time, too (1st Infantry Division).

I remember the first time anyone ever thanked me for my service - it was many years later, when I was a mailman. One Veteran's Day, I was emptying one of those big blue "outgoing mail" boxes you find on street corners, and an elderly man came up to me and asked if I was a veteran. I said yes, and he simply said, "Thank you for your service" and walked away before I could say anything. I almost started crying on the spot. My reaction shocked me almost as much as his kindness had.

I have ancestors who served in the Civil War, WWII, Vietnam, and my son did his combat tour in Iraq in the mid-2000s. I have a ton of respect for the combat veterans who served before I did - they were excellent teachers.

 

In the UK, Remembrance Day marks the commemoration of the Armistice ending the First World War in 1918.

Here's a video from 2014 on the 888,246 ceramic poppies at the Tower of London. Since then, the poppies are in the process of becoming a permanent exhibit at the Imperial War Museum in Manchester.

 

Here's my best I WANT YOU pose


I got fat over quarantine so my jawline can no longer cut through wood

 

I have military service since WWI (great grandfather) and WWII (grandfather). My dad managed to miss the Vietnam war by just a hair. He was in college and NROTC at the tail end of the conflict.

He told me in college he was bummed out he wasn't at war. He later realized that USMC helicopter pilots (which is what he became) tended to have a life span of less than 30 days, and should he have gone he probably wouldn't be around anymore.

 

Here is a picture of me somewhere off the coast of Africa about 7 years ago.

 

Coast guard?! I was trying to get into NOAA for a hot minute. I always liked the blueberry uniform

 

God Bless You Vets.......

 

Naw, Navy. Our coveralls are/were not as nice as the Coast Guard's.

 

Considering I’m going to navy OCS at the end of the month, I feel like I should start practicing my uniform recognition...

 

Thank you to all who have served!

 

Lol. Probably wouldn't hurt. We don't wear those types of coveralls anymore. Something about "made out of material that is not flame retardant enough and instead will melt to your skin" blah blah blah

 

“Safety” LOL

 

Indeed. We owe them a great deal for their service to our country. I, for one, will never forget them.........

 

There's a decent movie about the Sullivan brothers ("The Fighting Sullivans"...I think it is) and the why of the Act regulating the who and how many of a family can serve at one time...shows up on TCM every so often). The brothers were all assigned to the same ship in WWII and all perished together when it was sunk. Am going from memory on this so may be off on a detail or two. Thanks to all veterans, including my two career-Army sons still serving.