Veterans, off topic

[bubbaqgal]

I wanted to say thank you to all you men and women that have served our country.  Without each of you, we would not have our wonderful country.  I appreciate the sacrifices  you and your families made so that you could fight for us.  Those of you that never went to war, still gave of yourselves for us.  Leaving your families, friends, jobs and lives that you knew, could not have been easy even if it was just to do paperwork in another state or country. I don't say thank you often enough to veterans or people that are currently serving our country.  Today, I want to say thank you and offer my appreciation and gratiitude to each and every one of you.  Those of you that, like me, never served, need to take the time to say thank you also.  Just think, if America was like some of the other countries, none of us could be bus nuts and that is one good reason to say thanks.   THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!  Cat

[jjrbus]

The Buffalo News/Friday, November 12, 1993
Mike  Royko
The real way to honor our veterans:
Deal the cards and pass the tequila
JUST PHONED six friends and asked them what they were doing on Veterans Day.
They all said the same thing:  working."
Me too.
There is something else we share. We are all military veterans.
And there is a third thing we have in common. We are not employees of the federal government, state government, county government, municipal government, the Postal Service, the courts, banks or  S & Ls, and we don't teach school.
If we did, we would have been among the many millions of people who spent Veterans Day goofing off.
Which is why it is about time congress revised the ridiculous terms of Veterans Day as a national holiday.
The purpose of Veterans Day is to honor all veterans.
So how does this country honor em?
By letting the veterans, the majority of whom work in the private sector, spend the day at their jobs they can pay taxes that permit millions of non-veterans to get paid for doing nothing.
As my friend Harry put it:
"First I went through basic training. Then infantry school. Then I got on a crowded, stinking troop ship that took 23 days to get from San Francisco to Japan. We went through a storm that had 90 percent of the guys on the ship throwing up for a week.
"Then I rode a beat-up transport plane from Japan to Korea, and it almost went down in the drink. I think the pilot was drunk.
"When I got to Korea, I was lucky. The war ended seven months after I got there, and I didn't kill anybody and nobody killed me.
"But it was still a miserable experience. Then when my tour was over, I got on another troop ship and it took 21 stinking days to cross the Pacific. When I got home on leave, one of the older guys at the neighborhood bar he was a World War 11 vet - told me I was a s ---head because we didn't win, we only got a tie.
"So now on Veterans Day I get up in the morning and go down to the office and work.
"You know what my nephew does? He sleeps in. That's because he works for the state. And do you know what he did during the Vietnam War? He ducked the draft by getting a job teaching at an inner-city school.
"Now, is that a raw deal or what?"
Of course it's a raw deal. So I propose that Congress revise Veterans Day to provide the following:
     1. All veterans - and only veterans - should have the day off from work. It doesn't matter if they were combat heroes or stateside clerk-typists. Anybody who went through basic training and was awakened before dawn by a redneck drill sergeant who bellowed, "Drop your whatsis and grab your socks and fall out on the road," is entitled.
2. Those veterans who wish to march in parades, make speeches or listen to speeches can do so. But for those.who don't, all local
gambling laws should be suspended for the day to Permit vets to gather in taverns, pull a couple of tables together and spend the day playing poker, blackjack and craps, drinking and telling lewd lies about lewd experiences with lewd women. All bar prices should be rolled back to enlisted men's club prices. Officers can pay the going rate, the stiffs.
3. All anti-smoking laws will be suspended for the day. The same holds for all misdemeanor laws pertaining to disorderly conduct, non-felonious brawling, leering, gawking and any other gross and disgusting public behavior that does not harm another individual.
4. It will be a treasonable offense for any spouse or live-in girlfriend (or boyfriend, if it applies) to utter the dreaded words, "What time will you be home tonight?"
5. Anyone caught posing as a veteran will be required to eat a triple portion of chipped beef on toast, with Spam on the side, and spend the day watching a chaplain present a color-slide presentation on the horrors of VD.
6. Regardless of how high his office, no politician who had the opportunity to serve in the military, but didn't, will be allowed to make a patriotic speech, appear on TV or poke his nose out of his office for the entire day. Any politician who defies this ban will Be required to spend 12 hours wearing headphones and listening to tapes of President Clinton explaining his deferments.
Now, deal the cards and pass the tequila.

[Happycampersrus]

OOHRAH!!!

Mike Royko, you hit the nail on the head man.
Pass the high octane bug juice and deal them cards.


HAPPY BIRTHDAY JARHEADS!!

[Chaz]

You know that perverbial "nail"? He hit it RIGHT on the head!!!

I'm IN, and I quit drinking 20+ years ago!!

Chaz

[Dreamscape]

As a proud Viet Nam Vet I was sad to hear all the negative toward all the Vets returning from fighting. Without the sacrifice of all Vets we would not have the freedom we have. I wish the treatment could have been better. But with all the media hype, it only got worse.

Cheers to all the warriors and their families!!!!!!!!!

God Bless Us All!!!!!!

Dreamscape

[Buffalo SpaceShip]

God bless all vets. You have our undying appreciation and respect.

Let's hear from each of our vets... branch, unit and time served. Stand and be counted... don't be shy. You deserve to be honored!

Hats off,
Brian "never served, but forever in debt to those that did" B.

[Dreamscape]

US Army

E-5

Radio Operator School, Fort Ord California

1969-71

Dreamscape

[Happycampersrus]

Sgt. Dale Waller
USMC, HMM-165 & HMM-262 
June,85-June,91  Desert Shield/Desert Storm



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMM-165

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMM-262

[RJ]

Altho I didn't serve (4-F - bad feet), I am proud that my son is serving:

E-3 Eric Long

USAF

Spangdahlem AFB

Germany

[edvanland]

Ed Vanlandingham
USMC
Sept 1958 to Sept 1962
5th Marine Division, 8th Marine Division and then to San Diego with Headquarters Batallion.
Did not go over seas but did spend 30 Days on a floating garabage scow called the USS Bafield while we were waiting to see how the US would react when told to get out of Berlin. The 5th Marine Division was ready to go anywhere in the world.
Now a memaber of the American Legion and also the American Legion Riders.

[DrivingMissLazy]

Richard Bowyer
A/1C USAF
1950-1954
36 months Japan
Radar Repairman

[jjrbus]

I've been sharing that piece by Mike R for 13 years, just never thought to put it here.

James J Robinson
USMC 1965-1969
Infantryman
2nd Battalion 3rd Marines
VietNam 1967-68
60% disabled

If I had the oppurtunity to do it all over again, I would be a Canadian!!!!!

[skihor]

 U.S.Army 7TH Cav. 1974...
Son currently serving in Iraq (first tour), 423 Transportation Div.
God Bless America

[muddog16]

First things first, JJrbus, I'm not sure what you meant about being Canadian.  Here is some interesting information about Canadians during the Vietnam War. 

10,000 Americans went to Canada to avoid the draft during the Vietnam War!
30,000 Canadians came to America and joined the American Military during the Vietnam War!
10,000 Canadians served in Vietnam during the Vietnam War!

I for one have nothing but the highest respect for our Northern Neighors! On the other hand I wonder how those 10,000 countrymen of mine who fled before serving will feel when their grandchildren ask that question?  Even if they objected to the war, there were plenty of options for them to choose to serve their Country! I guess my point is this, If you left instead of serving that is your choice, "But you have to live with your decisions what ever it was"!

B Troop 3rd Recon Sqdn 4th Cavalry
25th Inf Div
Vietnam 69/70:

[Dale MC8]

Dale Fleener
USAF
A/2C 1957 - 1960
SAGE System Tech