Please remember that Memorial Day means more than just a three day weekend

BDx13 - 5-27-2005 at 02:06 AM

Regardless of your opinion of America's involvement in global conflicts over the years, please take a moment to remember those, both military and civilian, whose lives have been effected by war.

paul nastyGAMC - 5-27-2005 at 03:40 AM

cheers to you big duane!!i guess sometimes, things can be put into perspective for me. thank you. i guess as hopless as things are here for me, there is always hope.

CR83 - 5-27-2005 at 08:30 AM

That is awesome. I know people have different views of the Military but those folks are in harms way for us.

jonnynewbreed - 5-27-2005 at 09:12 AM

That is a sad photograph. I'm not anti troop just anti war.

clevohardcore - 5-27-2005 at 06:12 PM

Life is never easy to sum up in any photo or book. It's impossible. War or no war or whatever your stance. That could be you. That could be your relative. that IS someones relative. It is a fact of life that fighting exists. U.S. Military officers are fighting for us. No matter what your views their life is on the line every fucking day. Remeber them at your party or if your like me and have to fucking work remember them. Not a specific individual just every officer defend your freedom. From 1776 to 2005 and on.

paul nastyGAMC - 5-27-2005 at 06:22 PM

i really really like most everybodys post on this board. you are all uplifting people in a shallow peice of shit that is this world. in a time of lost friends, fucked up ex girl friends, and nervous breakdowns, you people have helped more than you even know,
cheers

crazyfists28 - 5-27-2005 at 06:29 PM

thats one depressing photo, and dont worry, while everyone else is bbq'ing, i'll be working a sixth day this week for pepsi supplying the fun for you all...

Discipline - 5-27-2005 at 10:57 PM

Nice call Duane. Too many people forget where holidays come from. I find too many people in Canada have no respect for rememberance day when it comes around every Nov. and it makes me sick. I'm no fan of war, but these holidays have nothing to do with Bush or the middle east. People need to think about all those who died to protect the freedoms that far too many people take for granted.

As an example, on Rememberance day you are supposed to stop for a minute of silence at 11am. A few years back when I was a manager at McDonalds i told my boss that I didn't care if we were busy I was going to stop and pay my respects to those fallen in war for ONE FUCKING MINUTE. He said I couldn't because customers were in a rush. I didn't care and come 11:00 I stopped and bowed my head. I had customers in line yelling at me to take their orders and threatening to make a complaint to head office. When the minute was up I calmly told people why I had stopped and some understood. Most didn't. They couldn't be bothered to take ONE FUCKING MINUTE out of the year to pay respect. Fuck them.

KyleOz - 5-27-2005 at 11:20 PM

What kills me is cleaning the gang grafitti off of the war monuments all summer.

People have no respect.

Johnnynewbreed pretty much covered how I feel too.

BDx13 - 5-30-2005 at 08:08 AM

Since the birth of the United States of American on July 4, 1776, no single generation of Americans has been spared the responsibility of defending freedom by force of arms. More than 42 Million American men and women have served in time of war...more than a MILLION have purchased freedom with their lives. Below are statistics from the US Department of Veterans Affairs detailing the war service and sacrifice of America's sons and daughters.

Todd - 5-31-2005 at 09:29 AM

Thanks Duane. I hope someday i become as nice a motherfucker as you are. I teared up all weekend watching the memorial stuff. There is nothing more frightening to me than the idea of running toward people or things that are trying to kill you, whether you're a cop, a fireman, or a soldier. It makes me feel better about humanity when I see "ordinary" people doing extraordinary things, like fighting for me so that I can sit in my house and be a dick on the Thorp board. I tried to enlist after September 11 as a medic but they wouldn't take me because of my mental health "issues". Man, am I an asshole...

BDx13 - 5-31-2005 at 10:12 PM

Our family has a very active military history, but that was not anything I ever wanted anything to do with. I am grateful to those in the military who have the balls to do what they do, cause god knows i don't think i do.

Todd - 5-31-2005 at 10:20 PM

I wanted to try to put back together the men and women who had the sac to stand up and fucking fight. I don't give a fuck if you're american, iraqi, or from mars, if you have the guts to fight to the death, you're ok in my book. i sent you a u2u

viva hate - 6-1-2005 at 11:44 AM

i think this is the best thread.

clevohardcore - 6-1-2005 at 12:20 PM

I think of all wars the U.S. has fought it's amazing that WWII had the most casualties. It's a realistic issue when you make weapons like jet fighters, submarines, machine guns and other mass killing weapons that more and more people will die. Especially when they have to be on the frontline of fire like they were. I am worried about North Korea and what they are capable of.

BDx13 - 5-29-2006 at 09:43 PM

lest we forget.

clevohardcore - 5-29-2006 at 10:37 PM

I marched in our memorial day parade as a AuxilarySheriff Deputy. it was hot as fuck and I carried a M1 rifle. Fucker was heavy, but it felt really good being apart of it. Alot of people turned out.

barc0debaby - 5-29-2006 at 10:55 PM

From my great grandfathers tour in WW2. He's still going strong, but time is definetly creeping up on him. We get breakfast everyweek or so if possible.

BDx13 - 5-29-2006 at 11:22 PM

barc0debaby, thanks for posting those pics.

clevo, glad to hear you enjoyed the parade. were there many old timers in attendance?

upyerbum - 5-30-2006 at 07:55 AM

That is a wicked picture, it says everything. Everything that is wrong with our society.

Voodoobillyman - 5-30-2006 at 08:17 AM

Just another reason why you guys rule so much. Trust me, as a member of the military and a veteran of foreign war I can speak for others like me when I say we appreciate the fact that what we do is appreciated. Thank you again. And always remember the sacrifice of those over there right now as we speak (or type) struggling to survive on a daily basis with things like the births of their children and such happening back here while they do their job.

clevohardcore - 5-30-2006 at 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by BD
barc0debaby, thanks for posting those pics.

clevo, glad to hear you enjoyed the parade. were there many old timers in attendance?

^^^^^^^^^^^ Ya their were many old timers and they were all dressed in lodge uniforms or wearing some sort of Military badges and hats. It was great. People were saluting me when I should have been saluting them. Now that I look at it as I was saluting them. The parade was for them. I understand what it is they were doing. It was a rally cry for fallin comrads and the ones who survived. It was for our country. People were crying, and most were smiling. It warmed the heart, and felt good to participate with the Sheriff's department.

On those pictures those were great.

moron - 5-30-2006 at 11:07 AM

It's fleet week here, and my sister and her family came down here on Saturday from CT. We wanted to check out some of the ships in the harbor, but we go there just as they stopped letting people on the ships for tours. We went on the USS Intrepid instead. It was lots of fun, and I hope to check out a few of the ships later this week.

BDx13 - 5-28-2007 at 08:19 AM

This is from yesterday's Philly Inquirer

---
Head Strong | Unexpected Memorial Day lesson from decorated Marine

By Michael Smerconish

I thought I had a great idea for a Memorial Day Weekend column. I believe that the men currently fighting in Iraq are an unheralded bunch no less deserving of our thanks and praise than those of the so-called greatest generation who fought World War II.

My plan was to contact some of the highest profiles of that generation and see whether they agreed. I had in mind men like Bob Dole, who, as a member of the Army's 10th Mountain Division, tried to rescue one of his platoon's radio men while fighting in the hills of Italy, and almost paid with his life; or "Wild Bill" Guarnere of Easy Company, a D-Day hero immortalized by historian Stephen Ambrose in his book Band of Brothers.

I hoped they'd share a few stories, praise fellow soldiers, and offer a word of remembrance.

That was the plan. Except I never got past the first interview.

I started and ended with Jack Lucas. Lucas became known to me when I visited the USS Iwo Jima last October while she sailed in the Persian Gulf. I was a military tourist, and on landing aboard ship by helicopter, I found myself on what's called the Jack Lucas Airfield. Naturally I inquired: Who is/was Jack Lucas? Well, shame on me for not knowing his story.

Jack Lucas remains the youngest recipient of the Medal of Honor since the Civil War. Today he is 79. But he was recognized for his conduct at age 17. Lucas finagled his way into the Marines when he was just 14 by forging his mother's signature on the consent papers. Six days after his 17th birthday, he threw himself on top of two grenades to save three fellow Marines. He was one of 22 Marines to receive the Medal of Honor for service at Iwo Jima.

"I was fortunate that one was a dud. The other tore me up pretty bad but I survived it, and so did the three men who were with me, and they enjoyed a full life," he told me this past week. When the war ended, and his body had healed, Lucas kept a promise made to his mother upon enlistment: He returned to high school (ninth grade), now sporting a Medal of Honor and driving an Oldsmobile convertible!

All of which is column-worthy in itself. But things got even more interesting when I said to him: "You know, Mr. Lucas, we think of you as a member of the greatest generation, and as I become more familiar with the gentlemen who have given their lives in the war in Iraq, I believe that they, too, are a great generation."

As expected, Jack Lucas agreed with me. But then he offered a 10-minute discourse on Iraq, which was not what I expected from this larger-than-life Marine.

He began by reminding me that, in the Second World War, 400,000 young men lost their lives and an additional 900,000 were wounded. He thought that was a horrible price to pay, but necessary because we'd been attacked. Vietnam and Korea, by contrast, were wars that were "really not necessary" but were "brought upon us by politicians who thought we needed to go to war. We were not attacked.

"Each life given for America is most valuable, and most precious, and I do not want to put that down. But for comparison, consider the viciousness of World War II: We lost 5,320 men in the first two days of combat at Iwo Jima. And in just 36 days, 6,820 men killed at Iwo Jima and 19,000 wounded. Just 36 days.

"In Iraq, we are going on five years, and lost 3,300 men and 25,000 wounded. So you see the difference in the violence of the war."

On Iraq, Jack Lucas was just getting started.

He recognized that Saddam Hussein was a dictator, albeit not one who attacked us, and who possessed no weapons of mass destruction.

"We have gone in and caused our young men to lose their lives.

"Our men are very precious, and we don't need to be losing lives for something we should not be in the first place: Iraq."

Lucas bristled at the notion that Iran may be a future point of conflict, and argued that if we'd kept Saddam Hussein in power, he'd be dealing with Iran, and we wouldn't have to.

He told me about a trip he'd taken to Bethesda Naval Hospital, where he saw young men with no arms and legs: "It makes me sick." He deemed it "heartbreaking" and "unnecessary."

"We should have gone into Afghanistan with sufficient troops, and got bin Laden, and wiped out al-Qaeda, and crushed the Taliban," he said, before finally pausing to catch his breath. When he did so, I remembered the initial purpose of my call.

"Mr. Lucas," I said. "Do you agree that the service of these men is no less noble than your own?"

"You got that exactly right," he said with authority. "And I do not want to equate it otherwise. Everyone who serves this great nation, in peacetime as well as wartime, are our most noble young people, and we do cherish them, and want to look out for our young men.

"And when we want to get them out of harm's way, people want to call us 'liberal' or 'pantywaist,' and I ain't never been no pantywaist, but I want my boys out of Iraq."

Lucas' message for Memorial Day?

"Just remember all of the young people who lost their lives in this great country, everybody, and bow your heads, and think about them, and inscribe their names on your hearts."

All the while Lucas spoke, I was thinking of a friend who told me that wars are fought by people who are infinitely wiser and braver than the people who start them.

DaveMoral - 5-28-2007 at 11:01 AM

^Wow.

You know, I'm a cynical bastard. Especially when it comes to warfare. Even WWII these days. Politicians sometimes do shit because they deem it necessary. Hitler was an evil that had to be destroyed... but look what we got after? The threat of nuclear annihilation from the "good guys" of the same said war.

Especially wars after WWII I'm skeptical about it. No, not skeptical, I down right refuse to believe that the Iraq war is about my freedom, neither was the first Gulf War, nor Vietnam or Korea. The troops, God bless 'em, believe that I'm sure. Go into it feeling that way. But we can't say that Bush initiated the Iraq War with our best interests in mind.

Mad respect to all our brothers and sisters who fight and die... for this country and for others. How many people fight because their country is invaded by a foreigner? How many Afghans fought and died when our's invaded? How many Iraqis are doing that right now? It's so easy to paint the "enemy" as evil and necessarily wrong... it certainly makes folks feel better... but Goddamn it they're just kids too fighting to protect all they know. Their politicians fucked them just as much as our's fuck our troops.

I appreciate the guys that put themselves in harm's way like that. I hate the government that calls the shots too much to do it, that's for damn sure.

upyerbum - 5-28-2007 at 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by BD
wars are fought by people who are infinitely wiser and braver than the people who start them.

That about sums it up.

I was talking about this on my way to work today. How the responsibility lies with the citizens of every nation to ensure that the wars we send our young people to fight are just and warranted. They defend our freedoms but they also put their lives in our hands.

JawnDiablo - 5-28-2007 at 11:48 AM

i"m glad BD reposts this each year.
People need to remember its not just another day off with pay.

newbreedbrian - 5-28-2007 at 12:41 PM

that was an amazing article duane, thanks for posting that. i wish more people were intelligent enough to realize being against the war in no way means i don't feel for the people putting their lives on the line every day. and jeff is right, that line is perfect.

clevohardcore - 5-28-2007 at 02:09 PM

Beautiful day. Just got back from the Parade march for the Sheiffs Department. Alot of people turned out. It was very nice.

Murk - 5-28-2007 at 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DaveMoral
I down right refuse to believe that the Iraq war is about my freedom, neither was the first Gulf War, nor Vietnam or Korea.

tireironsaint - 5-28-2007 at 04:06 PM

That's a fantastic article, thanks BD.

Discipline - 5-28-2007 at 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by juandiablo
i"m glad BD reposts this each year.
People need to remember its not just another day off with pay.

Siczine.com - 5-28-2007 at 05:25 PM

I support this thread 100%

MyOwnWay - 5-29-2007 at 09:51 AM

This weeked got me thinking of those who are attending family gatherings (as I did), and enjoying the time. While others are mourning the loss of a relative or an old friend. I always try to celebrate memorial day. Be thankful for those who gave their life to try and preserve the good nature and who put their lives in harms way so America could find a brighter day than the one before.

But year after year I find myself saddend. It reminds me of how self absorbed we are. I love the United States. I absolutely love this country. But I look around at how we as people treat each other, and what our government is doing to us now (what we are allowing), and the echo of a nation that they fought for all those years ago, its dying. It really saddens me.

BDx13 - 5-26-2008 at 12:26 PM

that picture still chokes me up, three years after the original post.
damn, that's a strong image.

clevohardcore - 5-26-2008 at 12:28 PM

Ya me too.

Old soldiers prepare for a fading away

BDx13 - 5-26-2008 at 12:29 PM

A Southwest Phila. VFW post faces what could be its final Memorial Day commemoration.

http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20080526_Old_sol...

By Martha Woodall
Inquirer Staff Writer

The big Memorial Day observance at the Anthony and Harry Faustino VFW Post 6621 in Southwest Philadelphia once drew 50 veterans, women's auxiliary members, and their families to a prayer ceremony, a parade to Mass at the now-closed Our Lady of Loreto Catholic Church, and a party with games, prizes and hot dogs for the young ones.

But this morning's modest Memorial Day ceremony may be the post's last.

Commandant Frank Gagliardi and Ralph Christy, the quartermaster, will mark the day by bringing the post's big wreaths decorated with flags and red-white-and-blue plastic flowers down from the second-floor meeting room and placing them in front of a soldiers memorial across the street.

The post, which World War II veterans established on April 17, 1946, and which once had more than 130 members, has dwindled to 18. Most, like Gagliardi and Christy, are older than 80. And they have decided to sell the building at 61st Street and Grays Avenue where they used to gather for pinochle and gin rummy and to drink and socialize at the 18-stool bar.

"Right now, I've been doing all the work," said Gagliardi, a retired Westinghouse engineer who still lives next door - in the house where he was born - and who takes care of the post. "I can't do it much any more. I'll be 85.

"At least I can go up and down the stairs," he added with a laugh.

"There are only three or four of us in the area," said Christy, a retired hospital food-service director who worked at Aramark for 38 years and who now lives in Clifton Heights. "It's a shame, but it's the way life goes. You can't stick around forever."

The club's demise reflects the shrinking population of World War II veterans nationwide. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has estimated that of the 16 million men and women who served in the war, 2.8 million were alive in September, including 160,953 in Pennsylvania and 82,566 in New Jersey.

By this September, the department projects the number of veterans will have dropped to 141,265 in Pennsylvania and 72,065 in New Jersey.

The Faustino VFW Post is named for two first cousins from the Southwest Philadelphia neighborhood who died during World War II.

Army Pfc. Harry F. Faustino, a former manager of a Gray's Ferry nightclub, was wounded four times during the 10 months he spent in Europe in 1944 and 1945, before he was killed in France on March 15, 1945, according to newspaper accounts from the time. He was 27 and had been awarded the Purple Heart with three oak leaf clusters and the Silver Star. The clippings did not provide information about Anthony Faustino's death.

Gagliardi, who enlisted in the Army in March 1943, became a platoon staff sergeant. By the time he was discharged in September 1945 he had been awarded a Bronze Service Star for each of the five major campaigns fought in Europe, a Silver Star, a Purple Heart with two oak leaf clusters, and a Combat Infantry Badge.

Christy, who has known Gagliardi since they were boys together on 61st Street, served in the U.S. Navy as a first-class commissary steward for the Navy's amphibious forces in Europe.

Although the post membership roster included some veterans from the Korean War and a few from the Vietnam War, Christy and Gagliardi said most members were World War II vets. Their numbers started to decline in the 1980s and early 1990s.

"We didn't get any of the Gulf War veterans," Gagliardi said. "From that point on, we started to lose membership. When I say lose - from death."

The building is not listed with a real estate agent, but he said that people know it's available.

After the post bought the former sandwich shop for $11,000 in the 1950s, he said substantial renovations were made, including putting in tile bathrooms, wood paneling and drop ceilings, and installing a custom-made bar.

Gagliardi, who spent 37 years designing steam turbines at Westinghouse's plant in Essington, drew up the plans.

During a tour yesterday, he pointed out the jukebox in the bar. It still works, he said. And though it has some songs from more recent decades, including 1976's "Disco Inferno" by the Trammps and the Spinners' 1980 version of "Working My Way Back to You," the play list leans toward classics by Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett.

Gagliardi reached into a closet and carefully unfurled the post's blue-and-gold banner with golden fringe.

"This is our flag," he said. "It's a beautiful flag. We had this one made. I forget how many hundreds of dollars [it cost]. We did everything right."

He added: "I don't know what we're going to do with this stuff. You spend a lot of money on it, but nobody wants it."

Another post, he said, has expressed interest in the soldiers memorial.

"We're not the first veterans club that closed down," Gagliardi observed. "I feel bad, but it happens."

On Memorial Day, a wounded vet's journey back

BDx13 - 5-26-2008 at 12:31 PM

http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20080526_On_Memo...

By Michael Vitez
Inquirer Staff Writer

Raymond D. Hennagir tightened the screws of his prosthetic legs yesterday and adjusted the suction pump so they would fit snugly. Then the Marine corporal from Deptford, injured last summer in Iraq, stood and walked.
He stands 5-foot-9, the same height he was before he was blown up. He says he can walk now for 16 minutes, and he's down to using just one cane. He's determined to shed that one, too, as his balance improves.

Hennagir has also, in the last few months, skied in Vail, Colo., driven a BMW 650 with hand controls at a performance-driving school in South Carolina, been pushed in New York's St. Patrick's Day parade in his wheelchair by another Iraq War veteran who lost both his legs, and been treated to a week in Disney World by the New York Fire Department.

And on June 8, he's getting married.

"Everything's going great," he said yesterday over breakfast at a diner in Woodbury.

Nearly a year has passed since June 16, 2007, when Hennagir, a combat engineer, stepped on an improvised explosive device near the end of his second tour in Iraq and lost both legs above the knee and four fingers of his left hand.

The young Marine spent July and August convalescing at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., but his goal the entire time was to heal enough to be able to return to Camp LeJeune, N.C., by the end of August, when his platoon was coming home form Iraq.

He felt he had let them down by being injured, and wanted to be there to greet them. He made it, and his story was chronicled in The Inquirer.

He has been living at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, since September, getting therapy every morning. His spirits are good, his convalescence progressing, and he has decided, he says, to become a fourth-grade teacher.

"I want to move back here," he said. "My dad has been looking around for a house for us to buy. Then I'd like to go to college and become a teacher."

Hennagir said he will marry Sherri Baskerville, his girlfriend for about six months before he was injured, in a small ceremony at Walter Reed. He plans to adopt Baskerville's daughter, Kelsey, and was wearing a "World's Greatest Dad" T-shirt yesterday.

Hennagir still keeps up with one good friend from his unit in Iraq, but most of his closest friends now are fellow injured veterans whom he has met and bonded with at Walter Reed. One of them, Kevin Hardin, 22, an Army medic for a platoon of tanks in the First Cavalry, drove Hennagir and Baskerville to South Jersey for the holiday weekend.

Hardin was injured when a rocket hit his humvee, "went through me and out the other side." His hands and arms were disfigured and four pieces of shrapnel have lodged in his brain.

"I had taught them everything I know medic-wise," Hardin said of his squad. "I'm just glad they paid attention because it paid off that day."

Hennagir and Hardin are among the 30,112 members of the U.S. military wounded in Iraq, according to Defense Department figures released last week. At least 4,080 military personnel have been killed there.

Neither Hennagir nor Hardin, during an interview at the diner, said they had special plans for Memorial Day, other than to relax and enjoy family before returning to Walter Reed for therapy tomorrow.

Repeatedly at the diner, guests and waitresses thanked them for their service to their country. The two men said they get that a lot, and don't mind it at all, in fact appreciate it.

Hennagir and Hardin said they still support the president and the war. When asked about the president's loss of support in the polls - primarily because of the war - Hardin expressed their position best: "Let somebody else try being president for a day. He's doing a great job."

Hennagir added: "Every president gets hated by the end of his term."

Later in the day, as he stood on his new legs at Baskerville's home in Westville, Hennagir pulled up his T-shirt and revealed a tattoo under construction on his back. He came up with the idea, and already has endured about 10 sittings, with three more to go.

The tattoo will depict him and fellow combat engineer Scott Norris in a cloud of smoke, getting blown up by the IED.

In the sky above them, on one side, will be the angel of death coming in to sweep them away. On the other side, in the sky, will be four angels in chariots coming to rescue them. Norris was also badly injured in the explosion and is recovering in Texas.

"The tattoo is a memorial for my Alive Day," Hennagir said. He explained that many injured Iraq war veterans call the day they were blown up their Alive Day.

"It's like a second birthday," Hennagir said. "They shouldn't have made it but they did."

joemaconmovies - 5-26-2008 at 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BD
that picture still chokes me up, three years after the original post.
damn, that's a strong image.

that's my first time seeing it and i'm not sure why. but thanks for posting this BD. that and you've posted some great/wise comments in this thread as i've read through it.

Murk - 5-26-2008 at 04:31 PM

i wish i could see my friend again...

http://www.wowt.com/news/headlines/3939636.html

http://www.ketv.com/news/9792648/detail.html

Quote:

Priscilla Debro said her son chose to go to Iraq to let others stay home with their families.

"'Mom, I'm going because there are other men who have families.'

BDx13 - 5-26-2008 at 04:39 PM

sorry for your loss, murk.
from the photo in the first link, germaine looked like a fun guy.

are you in touch with his family at all?
all the best to them from the thorp board.

barc0debaby - 5-26-2008 at 11:18 PM

It means alot to see you guys showing love. Especially for someone like me who has a serious inner struggle going on as far as moral and political views. I feel like a tool everytime I turn on the tv and see the bullshit these politicians and bloodsucking corporations ruining the country, or hear some jerkoff high ranking officer giving us a generic speech about terrorists hating our freedom. But when regular everyday people just say a simple thank you that shit nearly tears me up and puts things in perspective.

joemaconmovies - 5-27-2008 at 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by barc0debaby
It means alot to see you guys showing love. Especially for someone like me who has a serious inner struggle going on as far as moral and political views. I feel like a tool everytime I turn on the tv and see the bullshit these politicians and bloodsucking corporations ruining the country, or hear some jerkoff high ranking officer giving us a generic speech about terrorists hating our freedom. But when regular everyday people just say a simple thank you that shit nearly tears me up and puts things in perspective.

i tend to agree with you and it's hard to forget that people like voodoo aren't in charge and are just following orders and doing what they're told. he doesn't want to be there. he has a wife and kid and now a baby on the way. that's who we thank. not those who send our boys/girls off to die while sitting behind a desk but those that put their life on the line every single day they are over there. never forget that man.

Voodoobillyman - 5-27-2008 at 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by joemaconmovies

Quote:

I don't want anyone thinking I am some kind of pawn, you can keep that shit to yourselves. I have been around the block long enough to know theres more to it than that. I am not some mindless drone serving the "Evil Administrations Corporate Interests".
I do what I do for personal reasons. Although I do agree the powers that be have made poor decisions, i find it hard to consider myself a tool when I deploy to a region of the world that has just seen apocolyptic like disaster and we are there at the behest of those same leaders to simply transport life saving supplies in and wounded out to one of our floating hospitals. Remember, not all we do is war Barcode, just ask any sailor that responded after Katrina. Alot of younger sailors I have spoken to that have been involved in emergency response humanitarian assistance type missions have a whole different view of what it is they do and who it is they do it for. I hope you are able to experience something that gives you the much deserved self worth of serving in the US Navy and leaves little doubt about your choice to serve. I do understand the inner struggle, I dealt with mine in my own way and not everyday is a bed of roses as you and I well know. Try to find some nobility in it, it's their, forget those ignorant FTN types that close off to it right away and get one track minded about it all. Much love to all who serve in any branch of military or public service.

joemaconmovies - 5-27-2008 at 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Voodoobillyman

Quote:

Originally posted by joemaconmovies

Quote:

I didn't mean to imply that you were a mindless drone. Only that you are not the one over there making the big decisions. I meant no offense by it man. I'm sorry if it came off that way.

Voodoobillyman - 5-27-2008 at 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by joemaconmovies

Quote:

Originally posted by Voodoobillyman

Quote:

Originally posted by joemaconmovies

Quote:

I didn't mean to imply that you were a mindless drone. Only that you are not the one over there making the big decisions. I meant no offense by it man. I'm sorry if it came off that way.

Not at all Joe, this was for my shipmate Barcode.

joemaconmovies - 5-27-2008 at 10:24 AM

ok

upyerbum - 5-27-2008 at 05:00 PM

I'm a bit late, but hat's off (literally) to all you men and women in uniform. I've lost 6 friends in Afghanistan to date. This shit's real, and it ain't gonna' go away. Stay safe.

BDx13 - 7-12-2008 at 07:22 AM

interesting article about the search for dead soldiers in eastern europe:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080712/ap_on_re_eu/east_europe_...

moron - 7-12-2008 at 07:59 PM

I found this video on youtube, and this seemed like the appropriate thread in which to share it. It's of a vet who visited the South Vietnam National Military Cemetery in 1994. My Dad and I went there on our trip. He made a point to visit the cemetery to honor all of the South Vietnamese soldiers who died, and because he's upset over the cemetery's condition and he feels that those soldiers deserve better. We took photos when we were there, but they don't do it any justice compared to this video.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZufxFbLH5BE

BDx13 - 5-31-2010 at 01:41 PM

man, that photo still gets me every time.

Discipline - 5-31-2010 at 02:20 PM

A great thread to bring back!

BDx13 - 5-27-2011 at 02:22 PM

can't believe this thread is six years old.
that photo in the first post still gets me every time.

this monday, please consider observing memorial day by....
- visiting cemeteries and placing flags or flowers on the graves of our fallen heroes.
- visiting memorials.
- flying the U.S. Flag at half-staff until noon.
- flying the 'POW/MIA Flag' as well.
- participating in a "National Moment of Remembrance": at 3 p.m. to pause and think upon the true meaning of the day, and for Taps to be played.
- renewing a pledge to aid the widows, widowers, and orphans of our falled dead, and to aid the disabled veterans.

BDx13 - 5-27-2011 at 02:23 PM

^ ha! i just realized i wrote the same thing about that photo last year

Discipline - 5-27-2011 at 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Discipline
A great thread to bring back!

Spoiler - 5-27-2011 at 09:37 PM

I do now,and always will support our troops...regardless of who our Commander and chief happens to be at the time. Bless you all,and you're family's. Thank You all from the bottom of my heart for the sacrifices you make daily for my freedom. I Salute you. God Bless America.

Colin - 5-29-2011 at 12:00 PM

cheers to this thread....

sentrand - 5-29-2011 at 12:44 PM

thought i would post a few pics of my dad from vietnam. he was taking supper out to the troops in the field when the vehicle hit a landmine. he broke his back and legs 3 others were hurt as well and one was killed.

clevohardcore - 5-29-2011 at 12:59 PM

Have a safe Memorial Day!

BDx13 - 5-30-2011 at 12:32 PM

great photos, sentrand

necrobutcher - 5-30-2011 at 12:55 PM

In the past year, there have been three deaths that make this year's Memorial Day more somber than usual:

Richard Winters
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Winters

Frank Buckles (last living American WWI combat veteran)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Buckles

Claude Stanley Choules (last WWI combat veteran in the world)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Stanley_Choules

BDx13 - 5-30-2011 at 01:00 PM

photos from life magazine

http://www.life.com/gallery/26692/arlington-cemetery-hallowe...

'One Memorial Day weekend, in 2007, I took my family to Arlington,' photographer John Moore told LIFE.com, talking about this almost unbearable picture. 'I went to photograph, but also just to visit, having covered so much war over the years. Mary McHugh had lost her fiancé, Sergeant Jimmy Regan, in February 2007 to a roadside bomb while he was in Iraq. She and I spoke about Jimmy, and about some of the places in Iraq he and I had both been, although we'd never met.