OT::Thanks to all our Vets.

[skiezo]

Thanks to all who served in our armed services.
Lets hear from you with branch of service,years in and anything else you would like to add.

I did 8 years in two different time periods. '81 to '85 and '90 to '94.
I was in the 1st 75th Ranger Battalion and was a combat medic.
I was in Kosovo,Somalia,Ivory Coast,Central America,Bolivia plus a few places that I am not at liberty the discuss because we were not really there.

Have a great day to all and thanks a veteran.

[superbowlpats]

Thank you and all that have served / are serving. :beer:

[weisan]

90-93' 40th Armored Regiment, staff sergeant

No thanks required, for me anyways, just doing my duty. :D

But it's nice to have a day off on Veterans Day, looking forward to doing a short ride in the morning, picking up my oldest daughter from her dorm on campus to go for lunch, and then taking the younger ones go camping later in the afternoon...:hello:

:beer:

[roguedog]

+100x

Thankful for all we have here in the U.S. and the freedoms we take for granted.

[ColonelJLloyd]

Thanks for your service, all.

[bthornt]

USAF 1974 to 1978 AFSC 20350 Cryptolinguist (Attended Defense Language Institute West Coast, Korean Language Training)

Stationed at Osan AB, Korea, 6903 Security Squadron

Wasn't motivated by anything but the chance to get the hell out of my hometown and get the GI Bill so I could go to college. Best decision I ever made. I learned that it's important to be respectful and responsible.

[RobJ]

Utmost respect and thanks for those who served our great country and those currently serving! Our freedom is from your dedication.

"Land of the free because of the brave"

[parallelfish]

Army Security Agency 1970-1972. Remote listening post (TUSLOG DET 4) on the dead volcano overlooking Sinop Turkey.

Weekly low level MIG overflights, but could never quite get a rock high enough.

[Elefantino]

What pains me on this Veterans Day, and every day, is the shameful way we have treated our vets in the last 35 years, and particularly in the last 15. I don't know how many of them are real, but people holding "homeless veteran" signs are all over the area. That should never, ever happen.

We are so comfortable with our cell phones and our Netflix that we have become numb to the fact that we have men and women fighting every day in harm's way. War used to be about shared sacrifice. Not anymore. Now war is something held at arm's length. Shared sacrifice? Now we wage war and cut taxes. We don't see the flag-draped caskets at Dover anymore. Even when we did, we shook our head, said that was sad, and then moved on to our next bit of comfort.

I have never served in the military. But I am a keen student of history, particularly military history. I have spoken with veterans, at length, from all wars from WWI on. I have tried to understand as best as a feathermerchant can what it means to be in battle, but even then I can only hear, not feel or see.

Those who have felt, and who have seen, deserve our most urgent care and compassion. And, above all, our profound respect.

[azrider]

What pains me on this Veterans Day, and every day, is the shameful way we have treated our vets in the last 35 years, and particularly in the last 15. I don't know how many of them are real, but people holding "homeless veteran" signs are all over the area. That should never, ever happen.

Hear hear.

Thank you to those who've served.

[bking]

I add my thanks to all the men and women of our armed forces, not just for what they've done and do for this nation, but for the world.

[ptourkin]

My 2 ¢ (it's political)

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMrRHwgAakg/

USN 1982-1989, USNR 1990-1992

[SpokeValley]

Thanks are absolutely unnecessary, but greatly appreciated. I feel privileged to have served and I wish my fellow vets all the best on this day.

US Army, 1973-76, Spec. 4, 1st Infantry Division, 2nd Artillery Battalion, Baumholder, Germany. Trained as a field artillery crewman but they found out I could type and made me a supply specialist.

I'm technically a Viet Nam era veteran, no combat though.

This is TMI, but I joined because at the time, I was a 20 year old total goof off. I worked at a Jack-In-The-Box, playing in a band on weekends, essentially broke, and had recently learned the meaning of "enforced academic withdrawal" at junior college.

I remember watching tv one night, likely stoned, where I saw an add for the "New Army" where they were offering $3,000 enlistment bonuses.

I decided something had to change and enlisted.

Most positive and impact-full decision of my life. Zero regrets.

The best bonus was that my alcoholic Dad (a WW2 vet, Navy) stopped drinking on the day I enlisted and remained sober until he passed in 2012. He told me that "You were making a positive change in your life so I wanted to do it too."

[Repack Rider]

Once a year I dust this off, admire it for a moment, reflect on the experience, then put it away again and go on with my life.


http://i419.photobucket.com/albums/pp271/repackrider/Miscellaneous%20images/discharge_zps39maolu7.jpg (http://s419.photobucket.com/user/repackrider/media/Miscellaneous%20images/discharge_zps39maolu7.jpg.html)

[shovelhd]

Thanks are absolutely unnecessary, but greatly appreciated. I feel privileged to have served and I wish my fellow vets all the best on this day.

US Army, 1973-76, Spec. 4, 1st Infantry Division, 2nd Artillery Battalion, Baumholder, Germany. Trained as a field artillery crewman but they found out I could type and made me a supply specialist.

I'm technically a Viet Nam era veteran, no combat though.

This is TMI, but I joined because at the time, I was a 20 year old total goof off. I worked at a Jack-In-The-Box, playing in a band on weekends, essentially broke, and had recently learned the meaning of "enforced academic withdrawal" at junior college.

I remember watching tv one night, likely stoned, where I saw an add for the "New Army" where they were offering $3,000 enlistment bonuses.

I decided something had to change and enlisted.

Most positive and impact-full decision of my life. Zero regrets.

The best bonus was that my alcoholic Dad (a WW2 vet, Navy) stopped drinking on the day I enlisted and remained sober until he passed in 2012. He told me that "You were making a positive change in your life so I wanted to do it too."

That's the best Vet story I've ever heard. Thank you and your father for your gift to the country I love.

[MattTuck]

Thank you, indeed.

[biker72]

US Navy 1956-1959 ET3
One year of school and two years aboard a WW2 vintage destroyer DD 732.

[572cv]

Veterans' Day in the US is held on the old Armistice Day, on which WW1 ended, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918. My grandfather was Field Artillery in that war, which did not end all wars. So, we continue to need our military, and our service men and women.

Thank you to all for that service, and for the reflections you have shared this year, as has been the case over many years on the Paceline.

[MattTuck]

Question for Veterans, and other people who might know, is there a way to get the military records of a Veteran? My Grandfather, who died this past year, enlisted during WWII. He did his training, and had many stories about his journey from the east coast to the west coast, on a transport train. Through the mountains, they routinely had to stop for long periods of time because the brakes would get over heated and glow. He made his way to San Francisco, where he boarded a transport ship (most likely for the invasion of Japan) and sailed out to sea underneath the Golden Gate Bridge.

The day the ship crossed the International Date Line, the Japanese signed the surrender papers, and he spent his enlistment in the Philippines, basically decommissioning the war. Easier to float a bunch of tanks and trucks out into the ocean and sink them, than to bring them home.

Anyway, he once told me the name of the transport ship, and I have since forgot it. I can't ask him anymore (obviously), so I was curious if that information is archived somewhere that is publicly available. I'd very much like to know it.

[gdw]

You can get your grandfather's records from the National Personnel Records Center in St Louis. A Google search should turn up their email and mailing address as well as the form or information they need to process your request.

Army, 11B, 2/504 and 1/505 82nd Airborne. 1981-83, recalled in 1984 and 1985.

[93legendti]

what pains me on this veterans day, and every day, is the shameful way we have treated our vets in the last 35 years, and particularly in the last 15. I don't know how many of them are real, but people holding "homeless veteran" signs are all over the area. That should never, ever happen.

We are so comfortable with our cell phones and our netflix that we have become numb to the fact that we have men and women fighting every day in harm's way. War used to be about shared sacrifice. Not anymore. Now war is something held at arm's length. Shared sacrifice? Now we wage war and cut taxes. We don't see the flag-draped caskets at dover anymore. Even when we did, we shook our head, said that was sad, and then moved on to our next bit of comfort.

I have never served in the military. But i am a keen student of history, particularly military history. I have spoken with veterans, at length, from all wars from wwi on. I have tried to understand as best as a feathermerchant can what it means to be in battle, but even then i can only hear, not feel or see.

Those who have felt, and who have seen, deserve our most urgent care and compassion. And, above all, our profound respect.
+1

[93legendti]

You can get your grandfather's records from the National Personnel Records Center in St Louis. A Google search should turn up their email and mailing address as well as the form or information they need to process your request.

I did this last spring for my Dad's records. That's how we found out he was awarded the Bronze Star. He never told us.

Anyway, it takes about 2 months...

[Ken Robb]

Active duty US Army 1966-69. Enlisted as a Private, came out 1st Lt. Met a lot of good people and I'm still friends (long distance) with several of the ones still living. :-)

[Peter P.]

Thanks are absolutely unnecessary, but greatly appreciated. I feel privileged to have served and I wish my fellow vets all the best on this day....

What a great story.

I'm a vet as well; USAF August '78-82, Security Police, AFSC 81152.

[majorpat]

USMC 1992-2000 tank officer -2d Tank Bn, 24 MEU, Marine Barracks Gitmo
USMCR 2000-2005 8th Tank Bn, 2d Tank Bn, 5th Marine Regt Iraq 2003
Took a break then:
2010-now USAF joint terminal attack controller (JTAC) and air liaison officer 274th ASOS

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[fourflys]

Thanks to all those that came before me, your sacrifices paved the way for much of what I enjoy now.

US Coast Guard, 1993-present
Master Chief Corpsman/Command Master Chief currently in Norfolk, VA.

Chris

[93legendti]

USMC 1992-2000 tank officer -2d Tank Bn, 24 MEU, Marine Barracks Gitmo
USMCR 2000-2005 8th Tank Bn, 2d Tank Bn, 5th Marine Regt Iraq 2003
Took a break then:
2010-now USAF joint terminal attack controller (JTAC) and air liaison officer 274th ASOS

Sent from my Lenovo TB3-730F using Tapatalk

How is your hearing?

[Don]

US Army 1956-1957, Army Reserves 1958-1961. Active Duty with 2nd Armored Division, 7th Army, Troop Information and Education, stationed in Germany.

Proud to have served.

[majorpat]

Actually, my hearing is not too bad, my vision is worse. My uneducated guess is too much time straining on night vision and looking through sights.

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