Today is Veteran's Day

[Shepherd]

To all my fellow Vets: Thanks, and I'm glad you made it back to the world.

Romans 13:4
4. For he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.

 

[wanttaja]

A Scottish military toast to my fellow veterans:

Here's tae us!
Wha's like us?
Damn few — and they're a' deid!

Ron Wanttaja

 

[Sac Arrow]

Likewise.

I do feel a little bit weird about it though. I grew up in a military family, and it's just what we did. A job. A career choice. I didn't hump a 16 with a Starlight scope through the woods at night out of a sense of patriotism, I did it out of a sense of professionalism.

 

[Jumpmaster]

We all served for different reasons, in different eras and branches of service. But no matter when you served or the reasons therefore, all deserve the respect and gratitude of this great nation.

 

[Matthew]

I'm not a vet, but I grew up as an Army brat. A lot of the GIs I grew up around were, in many ways, big brothers.

Happy Veterans Day, guys.

 

[RJM62]

Likewise.

I do feel a little bit weird about it though. I grew up in a military family, and it's just what we did. A job. A career choice. I didn't hump a 16 with a Starlight scope through the woods at night out of a sense of patriotism, I did it out of a sense of professionalism.

For me, it also was just what young men did after high school. I signed up before I even graduated. Practically all the men in my extended family through and including my parents' generation served. That includes five uncles who served in WWII and one who served in Vietnam. My dad also served, but being the youngest of his siblings, his tour was during the peace immediately following Korea.

Of my generation, however, only one cousin and myself served; and none from the generation following mine have shown any interest in signing up.

We all served for different reasons, in different eras and branches of service. But no matter when you served or the reasons therefore, all deserve the respect and gratitude of this great nation.

In my opinion, just taking the oath is an act of heroism.

Rich

 

[Sundancer]

"Here am I. Send me."

 

[jspilot]

Everyday should be Veterans appreciation day but I’m glad we have a holiday to acknowledge the amazing accomplishments, sacrifices and loss of our Veterans.

My Grandpa served in the Korean War and I’ve always respected him for that. He’s since passed and lies in rest in Calverton National cemetery. I usually try to go flying around Veterans Day and I fly over the cemetery and rock my wings several times as a salute to those Vets no longer with us. Weather did not cooperate this year but I’ll still do it when I get the chance!

 

[cgrab]

Every year my veteran friends gather at my house for a celebration and we thank each other for their service and I always offer a special thanks to all my heroes that are gathered and their husbands.

 

[Ted]

For me, it also was just what young men did after high school. I signed up before I even graduated. Practically all the men in my extended family through and including my parents' generation served. That includes five uncles who served in WWII and one who served in Vietnam. My dad also served, but being the youngest of his siblings, his tour was during the peace immediately following Korea.

Of my generation, however, only one cousin and myself served; and none from the generation following mine have shown any interest in signing up.

It was always interesting to me that in my family, military service was something we didn't do. My uncle was drafted (would've been mid 50s era) but he took the option of mostly on reserve and I'm not sure if he even ever went overseas. Never mentioned it and I don't think he even had any of the items issued to him still, at least I never saw any reference. None of my cousins joined. I came close to joining but was convinced otherwise by the girl I was dating at the time. My grandfather was of an age where he would've been drafted for WW2, but he was a bit on the older side and was involved in research that was deemed critical so he was exempted from the draft. The only person in my family who served (other than my uncle, who I don't count) was my cousin's wife, who was in the Air Force.

We'll see what my kids decide when they come of age.

 

[gkainz]

Thanks, Shepherd. To you and the rest of my brothers and sisters in arms here - hand salute - and thanks for your service.

 

[Zeldman]

Likewise.

I do feel a little bit weird about it though. I grew up in a military family, and it's just what we did. A job. A career choice.

Same here. I was looking for some adventure. I don't even raise my hand or stand up when asked if there are veteran's in the room. I was too young for the southeast Asia excursion, but I made it to Central America and an island in the Caribbean. At the time it was suggested we don't wear uniforms off base.

 

[SkyDog58]

I graduated from high school a couple of years after our involvement in Vietnam ended but I recall very well how poorly people treated the veterans from that era at the time.

I enlisted in the Army several years later for three years and then got out. This was before all of our escapades in the sandbox. When I got out, no one seemed to give a damn that I was a veteran and in many ways I thought that was cool. I served, I did my job, I did it well, I got paid to do so. Just as with any other job I had before or since, that was all that mattered to me.

Now, everyone wants to make a big deal out of anyone being a veteran even the vets themselves. Everyone especially those who did not serve seem to really think it necessary to always say “thanks for your service” when they learn you are a vet.

What really bothers me though is when I hear someone who did not serve say something like some Hollywood bimbo did recently which was along the lines of “thank you for serving so we don’t have to”. What a freakin condescending *****.

I have a friend who is also a veteran and whenever we go out to lunch he always asks for a veteran’s discount. He does this all the time whereas I have never done so.

Now, I hope we never go back to the Vietnam era treatment of our military and our veterans but I’d like to go back to the quiet service era that I served in. It seems more dignified to me.

Now, I do believe that veterans who were disabled as a result of their service deserve the best care we as a nation can provide but for those of us who remained undamaged by our service, I believe the pay we received is both thanks and compensation enough.