For Those who fought for it
FREEDOM
Has a taste the protected
Will never know
Picture Taken at the 50th Annual Veterans Day Parade At The Erie County Fair in Hamburg, New York, August 2000
There were 175 American & 2 Canadian Flags in this massing of the colors
These are the real heroes, the "Gold Star Mothers" of our Troops, taken on the same day
"It is the soldier, not the reporter, Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet, Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier, Who salutes the flag, Who serves beneath the flag, And whose coffin is draped by the flag, Who allows the protestor to burn the flag."
Father Denis Edward O'Brien,
USMC
"The following letter is from a Marine in Viet Nam to his parents. A remembrance to all who have answered their nation's call.
THEY'RE REAL CHAMPIONS
"...Just imagine, most of the guys over here are 18 and fighting to make it to 19. The average age of the combat soldier in many units here is 18 1/2. And what a man he is. A pink cheeked, tousled haired, tight muscled fellow who, under normal circumstances, would be considered by society as half man, half boy, not yet dry behind the ears and a pain in the unemployment chart.
"But here and now he is the beardless hope of free men. He is, for the most part, unmarried and without material possessions except possibly for an old car at home and a transistor radio here. He listens to rock 'n' roll and 105 millimeter howitzers.
"He just got out of high school, received so so grades, played a little football and had a girl who promised to be true. "He has learned to drink beer because it is cold and it is the thing to do.
He is a private first class, a one year military veteran with one or possible three years to go.
"He has never cared for work, preferred waxing his own car to washing his father's but he is now working or fighting from dawn to dark, and often longer.
"He still has trouble spelling and writing letters home is a painful process. But he can break down his rifle in 30 seconds and put it back together in 29. He can describe the nomenclature of a fragmentation grenade, explain how a machine gun operates and use either if the need arises.
"He can dig a foxhole, apply first aid to a wounded companion, march until he is told to stop, or stop until he is told to march. He has seen more suffering than he should in his short life. He has stood among hills of bodies, and he has helped to build those hills. He has wept in private and in public and has not been ashamed at doing either, because his pals have fallen in battle and he has come close to joining them.
"He has become self sufficient. He has two pair of fatigues, washes one and wears the other. He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth, but not his rifle. He keeps his socks dry and his canteen full.
"He can cook his own meals, fix his own hurts and mend his own rips - material or mental. He will share his water with you if you thirst, break his rations in half if you hunger and split his ammunition if you are fighting for your life.
"He can do the work of two civilians, draw half the pay of one and find ironic humor in it all. He has learned to use his hands as a weapon and his weapon as his hands. He can save a life or most assuredly take one.
"He is now 19, a veteran and fighting to make 20 ...""
Some veterans bear visible signs of their service: a missing limb, a jagged scar, a certain look in the eye.
Others may carry the evidence inside them: a pin holding a bone together, a piece of shrapnel in the
leg or perhaps another sort of inner steel: the soul's ally forged in the refinery of adversity. Except in parades, however, the men and
women who have kept America safe wear no badge or emblem. You can't tell a vet just by looking.
So Really What is a vet?
He is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi Arabia sweating two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carriers didn't run out of fuel.
He is the barroom loudmouth, dumber than five wooden planks, whose overgrown frat-boy behavior is outweighed a hundred times in the cosmic scales by four hours of exquisite bravery near the 38th parallel.
She or he - is the nurse who fought against futility and went to sleep sobbing every night for two solid years in Da Nang.
He is the POW who went away one person and came back another - or DIDN"T COME BACK AT ALL.
He is the Quantico drill instructor who has never seen combat - but has saved countless lives by turning slouchy, no-account rednecks and gang members into Marines, and teaching them to watch each other's backs.
He is the carrier pilot landing on a rolling, pitching, heaving flight deck during a rain squall in the pitch-black night of the Tonkin Gulf.
He is the parade-riding/marching Legionnaire, DAV, VFW, Jewish/Catholic War Veteran Or any other Veteran Organization member who pins on his ribbons and medals with a prosthetic hand.
He is the career quartermaster (Army Supply Corps) who watches the ribbons and medals pass him by.
He is the Army Ranger who humps endless miles of burning sand for three days with no sleep or food and very little water to designate targets for laser guided bombs or swims through a disease infested swamp and crawls over poisonous snakes under the cover of darkness to conduct intelligence on a foreign government hostile to our own and our cherished way of life.
He is the two anonymous heroes in The Tomb Of The Unknowns, whose presence at the Arlington National Cemetery must forever preserve the memory of all the anonymous heroes whose valor dies unrecognized with them on the battlefield or in the ocean's sunless deep.
He is the old guy bagging groceries at the supermarket - palsied now and aggravatingly slow - who helped liberate a Nazi death camp and who wishes all day long that his wife were still alive to hold him when the nightmares come.
He is an ordinary and yet an extraordinary human being - a person who offered some of his life's most vital years in the service of his country, and who sacrificed his ambitions so others would not have to sacrifice theirs.
He is a soldier and a savior and a sword against the darkness, and he is nothing more than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the finest, greatest nation ever known.
So remember, each time you see someone who has served our country, just lean over and say Thank You. That's all most people need, and in most cases it will mean more than any medals they could have been awarded or were awarded. Two little words that mean a lot, "THANK YOU".
"One Veteran's Wife Said"
Last week I posted a Veteran's Day message. All I wrote was the first paragraph, I only passed along the real message, because it was beautiful and I am proud to be the wife of one who served his country. Some of you posted the message to other lists and some passed it along to friends. Thank you for your part in honoring our Vets. The response was overwhelming and equally touching, and there wasn't one flame! There were a lot of simple "thank yous". Because these messages came from you, from your hearts, I want to share some of them. Some made me cry, all of them warmed my heart.
Put together, these messages form a diary of our lives and give us something we wish Grandma had kept.
Thank you all.
Betty
"You have made my day. I am going to print this out and take it with me when I go to Marine Corps League Honor Guard practice tomorrow nite. My Marine brothers will enjoy reading your note. We are practicing for the Veteran's day parade on the 11th."
"Thank you. I forwarded this to my brother- my hero who fought a non-war. The lump in his throat will be as big as the one in mine."
"Good for you! So few of us take the time to remember and if you like me, the family historian/genealogist, find many of our folk who served in all the wars and in each generation find a namesake who died in the war of that time, it makes it all the more worthwhile to give them their due on their day Veterans' Day!
Thanks for taking the time to make us remember as we delve behind that misty curtain that holds the answers to all our pasts, there will be veterans there in nearly every family tree holding up a branch which makes United States what we are today!"
"that is beautiful !!!!!!!!!!!"
"THANK YOU for the touching Veterans Day message. I served from 1974 - 1978. I never left the United States. I didn't see Vietnam or Korea or any other exotic parts of the world. I didn't get to come home with a chestfull of medals. When I did come back to Ohio, nobody had a candle in the window for me. But I served. And I'm glad I did. If I had it to do all over again, I'd do it all over again. I'll have my flag flying and I'll say a prayer."
"My son was in Desert Storm and now he is in Bosina. His wife and two very young daughters miss him very much and certainly will at Christmas. People say we need more heroes; we have a lot of them right now!!! And, they are following a very long tradition of heroes. Some have just been looking in the wrong places."
"Thanks for sharing that message with us. It is so true. I personally spent 21 years in the Air Force and had 114 combat missions in the fun place called Viet Nam. I had it easy compared to some of the older guys that fought WW2."
"Absolutely beautiful! Makes me proud to be a sister, daughter, granddaughter, great-granddaughter, and 2nd - 5th great-granddaughter of my folks
who all served in the military down through history."
Signed
"An Army Brat"
"Well said!!! Anyone who has a problem with your posting isn't too much of a human being, let alone very much of an American!!!"
"As a 12 year Marine Corps Veteran I thank you for this reminder. I will always remember the friends that I lost when a terrorist's bomb ripped apart our lives in Beirut, Lebanon. Nor, will I soon forget the look of fear in the eyes of surrendering Iraqi soldiers who were basically left to die defending Sadam's pride. There are haunts that will live within me forever, but there is also great pride that will overcome these torments. Again, thank you!"
"Thanks for that Remembrance to our Vets. I come from a family of Vets and husband too. We can never appreciate them enough."
"Thanks for the "What is a Vet?" that was forwarded on to me. Too bad everybody can't remember and respect our vets and our country!"
"I am not on the list, but your message was passed along to me. I want to thank you for posting it so that my friend could pass it along to me. It is a keeper!"
". . . .as a young person(36) who spent 11 years in the military, didn't go to Desert Storm but spent many a night on guard duty in Germany during the campaign, I'd like permission to place that on my web page"
"Thanks for sharing the nice piece on what is a Vet. Having a daughter in the Army and a son in the Marines, it touched me."
"Thank you for taking the time to remember the veterans of our wonderful country. I am married to a veteran and it is wonderful to see that people really do appreciate what he gave for his county. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."
" In these times of relative peace for us, we all need a reminder of the sacrifices of many of our ancestors. I appreciate your posting."
"Thank you for sharing that. It was wonderful. I'm going to pass it on to all of my friends! I may even try to read it, if that's okay, at a Veterans program I'll be helping my DAR group to do. If anyone flames you for something like that they need to be banned!"
"Thank you for the remembrance. My family has a long line of Vets. (many generations). Many different wars. It is truly a day to remember."
"Thanks very much!!!!!! From a Vietnam Vet."
"As a veteran, I can only respond to your letter of remembrance and the thank you, with "I'm sure you would have done the same in my place". The thing I feel has generally been ignored on Veteran's Day is the remembrance and thanks to those civilians who suffered, supported, assisted, etc. any and all military efforts. Aunt Sally lost her first husband and two brothers in WWII. She raised her 2 sons alone in the early 40's before marrying a returning soldier in 1945. She worked 50+ hours a week for 3 years as a welder and assembler at the Willy's plant in Toledo, OH building military jeeps. She stood on the shore of Lake Erie for 4 hours twice a week, as part of the Civil Air Patrol, looking for enemy planes that never came. When rationing was in effect, she gave her gas to her sister who also worked building jeeps, but lived much farther away. She gave everything on every scrap drive to collect metal and other recyclables. She worked with a church group to package and send donated items as care packages to the war front. She wrote one letter each day to a different soldier or sailor that she didn't know, just to tell them the news from home and that we all cared. Sally died a few years ago and only the close family knew she was more than just a housewife. She never put her life on the line, but she certainly was a Veteran in my eyes. So please remember all the Sally's on Nov. 11 each year, because without them this country would not have survived."
"THANK YOU. I am with great pride forwarding you complete message to other lists I belong to."
"I personally thank you. I am sure your Ohio Valley sailor thanks you as well as a couple of Ohio veterans who are friends of mine. 22 years active service and retired from the Marine Corps gives this right to back you!!!!And thanks again from all of us veterans..............AND if it does anger them.......well tough cookies!!!!! Your freedom of speech is protected by what all the veterans have done......"
"I just wanted to thank you for posting the Veteran's Tribute. I have two sons, both of whom were in the Persian Gulf, and lost one close friend in Viet Nam, and continue to wear a POW bracelet for another friend. Thank you for reminding me, and everyone else."
"I appreciated the sentiments expressed greatly. Here in Australia we remember reverently November 11th each year - known here as Armistice Day. Our major remembrance day takes place on April 25th (ANZAC Day) when all who served in two world wars, Korea, Malaya, Vietnam and the middle east are accorded the homage due them."
"My father fought in Italy in WWII. One year, not too long ago, I sent him a thank you card for having sacrificed to give us all a better place to live. I don't think anyone had ever thanked him before. Thanks for sharing. :)"
"Thanks. World War II Vet 1943-1946, Korea 1950-51. Like the Civil War veterans and others or lives will soon be history, but we were active parts of great events. Nothing like a couple of veterans getting together and swapping war stories."
"What a beautiful thought!!!!!! . . . . Today some people do not remember the important things---to busy---don't care---not important to their own lifestyle. I remember---put my flag out and tears come to my eyes when they play TAPS and I'm not ashamed to admit it."
"Thank you sincerely for causing us to remember on November 11th 1998. I was at Wheeler Field Airbase, In Hawaii, on 7 December 1942. and after that one day of War, met and married my wife, and mother of our 5 children, the following August in Hilo. 56 years ago but seems like yesterday. Thank you again."
"Thank that Marine for me. 73's"
"Your article made me cry. My father was one of those veterans - WWI and WWII - he would agree with you 100%. Thanks for reminding those who need it. I remember him often as he left me many great ones to savor - along with the wish that all those who've lost loving parents have - that I could give him just one more hug. Thanks."
"Your words about What is A Vet was beautiful. I have a page at my site called Memorial Day Every Day. I would love to add What is a Vet. . ."
"I had my dad who was a tech sergeant in the war and just because he never fired a gun didn't mean he didn't do his part."
" Just read your Veterans Day Tribute on the Missouri Site. A profound thanks from a Vet"
"Thank You!!!!!!! That is a very beautiful thought, we all need to thank all the Armed Service personal for the job they are doing. If it was for these and those in the past, we would not have the privileges that we have today. Again Thank You, . . . . ( daughter of two Vets)"
"I am on the Missouri-L mailing list. . . . posted your wonderful message from the Ohio Valley mailing list to the Missouri list and I was soooo impressed with it. . . I have had many in my family who served in the military in the past, as well as right now with one son in the Navy and another son in Navy Reserves, so your message really hit home with me. I belong to a ladies group on the net and will be making a webpage for our ladies to visit that will honor our vets. I would very much like to post your message on this page."
"I have just received a copy of your beautiful reading about Veterans and I must thank you for it. It is beautiful. In fact, it is almost a prayer. I have forwarded it to almost everyone I know - plus have made a copy to keep, plus a copy for a friend and for my minister. Peace and my blessing"
"Thank you for sharing your heart felt opinion on Veterans. Anyone who needs to be reminded of the contribution of veterans should go and experience "Saving Private Ryan." In this age of technologica warfare here in the USA where our troops can just go in and clean up, and with all of the cyber games that make children think that war is "cool" there is a need for such reminders as you shared with all of us. Thank you!
I served in the USNR as a flight student during the Vietnam "war" and was discharged because there were too many flight students and not enough housing and airplanes. I am not sorry. But I did serve and place my life in the machinery---I lucked out. I still saw and knew many who suffered, including my best friend on earth, who had post traumatic shock disorder and finally killed himself in 1996 after becoming tolerant to all of the prescriptions they could give him. War is hell. Each day is a gift. And we should all fall to our knees and thank God that there are those generous, courageous and moral people on earth that will fight to the death and will suffer for family and country . . . ."
"Thanks for your kind words. It WAS a noble cause."
"AMEN"
"Many thanks for posting the words by which we should all remember our Veterans. I vividly remember returning from Vietnam to scorn, suspicion, and outright hostility. I was one of the lucky ones, returning with all of my arms, legs, and eyes. But like many, there are scars inside that don't show. How different our return was compared to how I remember the return of Veterans after World War II. Even if they had been cooks, clerks, and mechanics, they were ALL welcomed home by a grateful nation. Most had endured hardship, inhospitable climate, and a long separation from their loved ones. And our nation recognized their sacrifice. It is so sad that most of our citizens under the age of 40 have no idea of the sacrifices made by our veterans, and their contribution to our freedoms, and the freedom in many areas of the world. When so many hold veterans in contempt, I am most pleased to see your posting. God bless you!"
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