THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE

[Knife Lady]

^^^ Jetgirl says it best for me. Being an Army Brat and seeing how it affects the whole family while my dad was in Vietnam or Korea or wherever he was at that we could not join him was very hard on my mother and us kids. WE did worry all the time if he was going to come home alive and well or what condition would he come home in. We were blessed with his safe return and his well being in tact.
I have met many military men and women in my lifetime and they all have seemed very proud to be serving our Country.
Thank you and especially a big THANK YOU to my Dad who served for over 23 years.

 

[Panama]

THANK YOU to all Veterans

If you see a Veteran thank him/her, or even do this if possible.

One day my wife and I were in Nashville eating lunch, when a Veteran and his wife came in and sat down to eat. When our waitress brought us our check, we quietly ask for theirs too, as we walked by their table, we stopped, shook his hand and thanked him for his service, then we quietly paid the bill for theirs and our meals on our way out.

It was such as small thing, but if it made them feel as good as it did us, just giving back so little, it was more than worth every penny.

 

[raggedoutcummins77]

Thank you all for your service and commitment to this country i work with a lot vets at the postoffice i just would like to thank all the men and women and to my gpaw and uncle for there service

 

[japartridge]

Thank you all fine men and women who sacrifice their time, families, and in some cases their lives to keep the rest of us safe!

Thank you for your service.

 

[Chefcook]

 

[7th Stepper]

The Military

The average age of the military man is 19 years. He is a short haired, tight-muscled kid who, under normal circumstances is considered by society as half man, half boy. Not yet dry behind the ears, not old enough to buy a beer, but old enough to die for his country. He never really cared much for work and he would rather wax his own car than wash his father's; but he has never collected unemployment either.

He's a recent High School graduate; he was probably an average student, pursued some form of sport activities, drives a ten year old jalopy, and has a steady girlfriend that either broke up with him when he left, or swears to be waiting when he returns from half a world away. He listens to rock and roll or hip-hop or rap or jazz or swing and 155mm howitzers. He is 10 or 15 pounds lighter now than when he was at home because he is working or fighting from before dawn to well after dusk.

He has trouble spelling, thus letter writing is a pain for him, but he can field strip a rifle in 30 seconds and reassemble it in less time in the dark. He can recite to you the nomenclature of a machine gun or grenade launcher and use either one effectively if he must. He digs foxholes and latrines and can apply first aid like a professional. He can march until he is told to stop or stop until he is told to march.

He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation, but he is not without spirit or individual dignity. He is self-sufficient. He has two sets of fatigues: he washes one and wears the other. He keeps his canteens full and his feet dry. He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth, but never to clean his rifle.

He can cook his own meals, mend his own clothes, and fix his own hurts. If you're thirsty, he'll share his water with you; if you are hungry, his food, He'll even split his ammunition with you in the midst of battle when you run low. He has learned to use his hands like weapons and weapons like they were his hands. He can save your life - or take it, because that is his job.

He will often do twice the work of a civilian, draw half the pay and still find ironic humor in it all.
He has seen more suffering and death then he should have in his short lifetime. He has stood atop mountains of dead bodies, and helped to create them. He has wept in public and in private, for friends who have fallen in combat and is unashamed. He feels every note of the National Anthem vibrate through his body while at rigid attention, while tempering the burning desire to 'square-away' those around him who haven't bothered to stand, remove their hat, or even stop talking. In an odd twist, day in and day out, far from home, he defends their right to be
disrespectful. Just as did his Father, Grandfather, and Great-grandfather, he is paying the price for our freedom. Beardless or not, he is not a boy. He is the Fighting Man that has kept his country free.

He has asked nothing in return, except our friendship and understanding. Remember him, always, for he has earned our respect and admiration with his blood. And now we even have women over there in danger, doing their part in this tradition of going to War when our nation calls us to do so. As you go to bed tonight, remember this shot...

A short lull, a little shade and a picture of loved ones in their helmets.

BRAVO!!! This is the most well spoken and sincerely heartfelt post I've read so far! By saying this, it does not take away from anything anyone else has said, it just adds a perspective that most haven't though of or about. Well done, well done indeed!
With Respect,
7th Stepper

 

[starbreather]

To all service men & women active, reserve, & retired I would like to thank you for your time & dedication to preserve our countries freedoms. May the lifestyles we have choosen continue & not be taken for granted. Again thank you.

 

[Leo]

Thank you to all Soldiers. A special that you to those who came back in a way that cannot be fixed. Living each day trying to overcome makes you a hero each and every day in my book. God Bless you

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Thank you to all.

A special thank you to my childhood friend, Lt. Col. Nathan "Nate" Crum, 29th Infantry Division, Maryland National Guard. Those that listen to WIBC may recognize him as the son of "Doctor Dirt", Dick Crum.

 

[lrahm]

Thanks to all of those who served. You are number 1 in my book.

 

[jblomenberg16]

Thank you to all who have served, and are serving.

 

[buffalo-springfield40]

thanks to my dad..both my brothers..and to my buddies who have served..are still serving..and to the few who never made it back...RIP Stanley...we still got your back..and to all on this site who have served...thanks for your bravery and sacrafice..god bless you..and god bless america!!

 

[roisigns]

Thanks to all vets.