A huge thank you to all that have served and are currently serving. To my dad for his 25 years and to my grandfather for his 30 years - I love you more than I can ever express.
For everything you all do, everyone you sacrifice spending time with, for missing holidays, birthdays, births of your own children and all the little things too, for putting your country before your well-being, for seeing things happen that you may never be able to forget, for dealing with the shellshock once you get back home, for living in tents in the desert months and even years at a time, for giving up all the daily shit, tech crap and so on we all take for granted, for all these things and the ten thousand more I could list, today we honor you all even though we should everyday. Today is your day. May you all return home safe to the ones that are waiting to see you step off that bus and into their arms. To the Vetrans and active alike, we love you, thank you and miss those that are still "over there".
One of my friends had this video posted on their facebook, I thought this would be a good place for it.
Thanks to all who serve and have served. My grandfather was on a ship in WWII sank by the Japanese. He returned home and spent nearly 30 years as an engineer in the Chicago Fire Department. Here's to you Gramps......
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.wasecacountynews.com/news.php?viewStory=6853" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.wasecacountynews.com/news.php?viewStory=6853</a> A cool story from my hometown newspaper about a homeless man finding a Purple Heart on the side of the road and returning it to the family of the soldier killed in Korea.
My grandfather served 20something years in the Army spanning WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, retired a Master Sergeant. Dad and uncles are all Vietnam vets, serving with the Army. So me? I joined the Corps. Oorah and Semper Fi to all the Marines serving our country overseas, and everyone else thanks too, I guess (kidding).
My grandfather served in the time after WWII before the Korean War. He was in the Corps. of Engineers and was apparently a nasty shot with a rifle. He has a few medals from Germany for various feats of rifle shooting. The rest of the time he spent building bridges and blowing them up. I had one uncle who stormed Normandy and earned a purple heart in the French hedgerows when his group left the protection of armor to scout ahead and got caught caught between hedges by a german machine gunner. They lost 8 guys and my uncle took a round through the thigh. My rugby team is comprised of 50-60% soldiers from Fort Stewart and the Hunter Army Airfield. I'm close friends with a bunch of the guys from the 175 Ranger Battalion. We lose a lot of guys to Afghanistan and Iraq every season and I think we currently have 15 guys overseas with A and C companies. A close friend (read-older brother that I never had back home) for the past 3 years, Zac, is currently up at Fort Bragg getting ready for SERE school. He'll be SF by Winter 2011 and I can't even imagine what he'll be going through. He brought me into the Aryan Freight Train (couple of the nastiest German/Irish players I've ever seen.) and kept me going straight until he moved on. Thank you Zac. And you're still a fucking dickhead. To everyone else, I say thank you wholeheartedly.
My two grandpas were in the Army. My dad was in the Air Force. Two brothers are in the Air Force. I would serve if I were able to but unfortunatly my heart condition doesn't allow me to. I wish our millitary were like Starship Toppers, that way I could serve. I completely agree with something Tom Brokaw said about the generation in World War 2 was our greatest generation.
I will continue to support Marine aviation and the requisite self-protection systems that bring great people back to their families. I always pray for Peace, so thank you for enduring war. Also, a special shout out to my civilian team that leaves tomorrow for Afghanistan. That's a special type of commitment that I'm too big of a pussy to assume. A great display of dedication to ensure the gear we equip our troops with is up and running!
As someone who has neither the courage nor discipline to give himself in service, I cannot begin to express the thanks I have for those willing. I may disagree at times with whether or where you should be fighting, as you may or may not as well, but to those who are fighting, I am sorry for your anguish, envious of your camaraderie, and sympathetic to whatever hellish situation you may have to bravely deal with on a day-to-day basis. Soldier on, and I hope your experiences embolden your spirit rather than deflate it. To those having trouble now back from deployment, know we are here to listen even if we cannot understand. To families of those who've given their lives, know your family members' sacrifice is appreciated and that the senselessness of loss of life in war is not lost on us. War is hell, and while sometimes necessary, I think those of us who only read about your job forget the brutality and monotony of what you do. Thank you.