Lest we forget

[Darren Henry]

Remembrance day is upon us again---I'd humbly request that even if you choose to work today (it's not a stat. holiday in Manitoba but most places are closed 9-1 and many of us just don't go to work) that you take a moment to appreciate the sacrifices made to create the way of life we take for granted and the efforts that have been required to safegaurd it.

We must remember ALL  who have served on our behalf, from WW1 right through Korea and as recently as Afghanistan.  Like the bumper sticker says; freedom is not free.

I heard a padre once mention what many of us overlook---We all think of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, but what of those young men and women who came home a different person from an ordeal like that. Shattered limbs, PTS disorder, mental health issues etc... I've heard more than one vet say that the dead were the lucky ones as there hell was over.

At the rising and the setting of the sun---we will remember them.

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

I was going to start a Veteran's Day thread, remembering all of those who gave everything.  Our WWII Vets are going fast, theirs was such a noble sacrifice. 

Veteran's, when and where did you serve?

US Army, Ft Lee Virginia, 1975-1977

Virginia

[kodydog]

[Darren Henry]

Our WWII Vets are going fast

our federal government has minted a lapel pin and written a certificate of appreciation for surviving WWII vets.
there were a couple presented at the Royal Canadian legion yesterday and one at the army , navy, and air force club.He was 93.

when and where did you serve?

1982-1992 13 field battery,Royal Canadian artillery.
1992-1994  735 comms regt.

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

I thought we had a few more Veterans on here.  They must have been off celebrating our Holiday yesterday.  Hope all enjoyed the day while remembering all that has been given up for us.

Virginia

[gene]

I will add my gratitude to this Subject.

I'm very grateful that the Vietnam War ended before I got out of High School.

gene

PS: We, the human race, either do not learn from the past or we are not capable of learning from the past. The physicist Stephen Hawking said that if an advanced alien race finds our planet they will destroy us. When asked why he would say that, he said that's what we humans do to each other, and there is no reason to think that aliens from outer space would be any different.

[sofadoc]

I'm very grateful that the Vietnam War ended before I got out of High School.

Pres. Ford discontinued draft registration in '75. Carter reinstated it in 1980.  Men born between '57-'59 were exempt from draft registration. I was born in '58.

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

Bob had the last number drafted the year he turned 18 (70).  He had a great recruiter though, which is amazing as often they lie through their teeth to get you to sign (think Private Benjamin--that's about how bad my recruiter was). 

He had been to see the recruiter to see what his options were.  Recruiter had saved a telecommunication position for him and told him that when the letter from the draft board came to absolutely not open it as he had to bring it with him unopened.  Letter came and Bob did as instructed so he went in the Army as a telecommunication spet versus an infantry grunt (where he would have been assigned via his draft number).  He did go to Viet Nam but his position was very sensitive (Top Secret).  They had a helicopter waiting on their compound at all times which would have evacuated them had the compound ever been overrun.  He also had a second set of dog tags that he was supposed to replace his with, if it looked like he would be taken prisoner (like you have time to do that in that situation).  He has a lot of interesting stories and some that he still won't tell me because as far as he knows, the material has never been declassified so he just doesn't talk about it.

He did say that when he arrived back in the States, San Francisco, after his tour was up, it was not like the welcome home troops get today.  In those days, you were required to wear your "Class A" uniform--jacket, blouse, pants and tie for men--when you traveled.  When he deplaned in San Francisco, there was a large group of protestors waiting in the terminal area.  He was spat on and called baby killer and a few other choice words.  No one bothered to ask him if he even carried a weapon (most of the time he didn't).  He holds no grudges and said that had he not enlisted to avoid being a drafted infantryman (very low survival rates), that he would have protested.  He was against the war but was raised to do what your Country told you to do.

I'm very glad that today's soldiers returning from areas of conflict are not welcomed in that fashion.

Virginia

[scottymc]

Darren, did Canada get dragged into ww1 lke Australia and New Zealand?

[sofadoc]

He had a great recruiter though, which is amazing as often they lie through their teeth to get you to sign (think Private Benjamin--that's about how bad my recruiter was).

I'm sure that most recruiters could've very easily had successful careers as used car salesmen.

I was told by a local recruiter that my high school had selected me as the ONLY young man in my senior class who was "tough enough to be a Marine". That kind of BS worked on a lot of guys (not me).

[Mojo]

Marine Corps - 1975 on a 3 year hitch. My feet hit the ground at boot camp and Saigon fell 2 weeks later. Just missed Vietnam. Thankfully.

Chris

[kodydog]

Mojo, in 1975 you must have just turned 18 and fresh out of high school. What an experience.

[Darren Henry]

did Canada get dragged into ww1 lke Australia and New Zealand[/quote]

we were in in Aug.of 1914. I'm not sure about Newfoundland---but they weren't far behind. [they were still a distinct colony until they joined Canada in '49]

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

I'm sure that most recruiters could've very easily had successful careers as used car salesmen.

Too funny!  About the only thing my recruiter said that wasn't a line of hooey was as far as mentally preparing for basic training.  He said to think of the most horrible thing I could imagine and then expect basic to be worse than that.  And that if you can do that, basic will be a breeze.  I was able to do that and while a lot of the women in our company were whining and carrying on about how awful it was, they didn't know if they could handle it, blah blah blah; for me, while basic wasn't a picnic--just not near as awful as I expected it to be. 

Everything else he lied through his teeth.  It is possible though that he didn't know.  Halfway through basic training, the Women's Army Corps (WAC) was officially disbanded and women were part of the regular army.  We quit wearing the Palace of Athena emblem and began wearing the same emblem as our male counterparts.  When I got to permanent party, there were several hundred men in our company (5 platoons) but I was only the 4th woman.  The Army was honestly trying to figure out what to do with us.  By the time I got out of the service, there were probably 30-40 women.  So when my recruiter told me things like, no field duty, you wear civie's to work and yes, he did say that we would have apartments off base he may honestly have not known any better.  My jaw did visibly drop when I saw one of the other women in our unit walk through the door in her fatigues.  She busted her gut when I told her about women wearing civilian clothing according to my recruiter. 

I have never regretted my years in the Army and Reserves though.  Definitely made me a much stronger person and taught me discipline, I saw a lot more of the United States than I would have otherwise and because I was officially a Viet Nam Era Veteran, I got 5 point Veteran's preference which helped me to get more than one job in my career.

Now, off to work I go.

Virginia

[Mojo]

I was actually 17 Ed. My Parents had to sign so I could enlist.

My feet hit the ground at MCRD in San Diego and I thought I was having one of the worst nightmares
a person could have. There is nothing like the hell the Marines put you through at boot camp.

Chris