Silverfox,
My husband is also a Vietnam vet, he experienced what you did.

Is he bitter about what he endured at times, oh yeah !
But is he proud of what he did for our country ? OH YEAH ! Big time.

And I'm proud of him, and sing his praises about his service every time I get.

Vietnam, although not a "declared war" was a war none the less.
Be proud of yor service, you did America proud !

Nuff said

 

Yo, we should hang out or somethink this summer whem I get back to Ft. Hood.

Thanks for all the support guys

 

God bless all of our service men and women, past and present. They have my gratitude, respect, and admiration.

Please remember in your prayers my good friend SSgt. Dan Chuey, former Marine, now serving with the Air Force National Guard in Iraq. He's an SP (Security Police) and does base security for the Army units that police the town and countryside. Their guard towers routinely get shot at by amateur snipers, and they occasionally suffer rocket attacks. Of course, he has it better than the Army guys that are patrolling, so I guess they all need our prayers.

It disgusts me to think that there was a time that people that would call themselves Americans (I wouldn't) could spit on troops and call them names. I remember when I returned from deployment in Saudi Arabia. The post commander was there to greet us. The news was filming. They had a band playing. You would have thought that we were conquering heroes. We didn't even serve in a combat zone. Not a shot was fired. I feel a good bit ashamed that guys like Bill, and many others never got the homecoming they deserved. I wish I could have traded them.

 

Bill, I understand where you're coming from sir. My father was a .50-cal door gunner out of a UH-1 FROM '68-'70... Flew 64 sorties and managed to come home unscathed, thank God.

But he has always told me about the horrific treatment he and other soldiers received when the cam "home" to Cali, and were promptly spit on and harrassed.

He likes the newfound patriotism the nation got immediately following 9-11, but, like you he can't help but feel bitter.

God bless you sir

 

Bill, as you see, being 54, grad in 72, by the time my 18 months of training was up, it was late 74. Scheduled to go, but Nixon saved my butt. I realize what you are talking about, and will never forget...thats why its so important for me to recognize these kids today...less we forget...Doc

 

i went to the court house and got my (great uncles) Os Hyde's discharge papers .
he was in Pattons tank unit in Africa as a mechanic... thought that was cool , granny's brother helping Freedom Ring.

 

For those who severed... may they never forget we're behind them

 

My brother is currently on his 2 trip in Iraq as a Ranger. Also did 3 trips to Afghanistan. I'm retired AF and did 3 trips to the sand box during the 1st Gulf War. God bless all that have served and are currently serving!

 

Thank You, proud to have served 23 year Navy ( Nam Vet) and Coast Guard. I pray for those serving now all over the world and the safe return for those serving in combat.

 

The way I see it is FREEDOM IS NOT FREE, IT IS SIMPLY ON LOAN. Unfortunately throughout the history of this great nation brave young men and women have had to make the ultimate payments on that loan.

A giant THANK YOU to all who have served and all who currently are.

 

Thank you Master Chief....

 

For all the posts, THANK YOU.
May all the troops in harms way make it back home safe and in one piece.

I retired after 30 years in the Navy and in retrospect, enjoyed most of that time.

 

Subject: WHAT A GREAT RESPONSE!!

Luke AFB is west of Phoenix and is rapidly being surrounded by civilization that complains about the noise from the base and its planes, forgetting that it was there long before they were.

A certain lieutenant colonel at Luke AFB deserves a big pat on the back.
Apparently, an individual who lives somewhere near Luke AFB wrote the
local paper complaining about a group of F-16s that disturbed his/her
day at the mall. When that individual read the response from a Luke AFB
officer, I hope it stung quite a bit.

The complaint:
"Question for Luke Air Force Base:
"Whom do we thank for the morning air show?
Last Wednesday, at precisely 9:11 a.m., a tight formation of four F-16 jets made a low
pass over Arrowhead Mall, continuing west over Bell Road at approximately 500 feet.
Imagine our good fortune! Do the Tom Cruise- wannabes feel we need this wake-up call, or were they trying to impress the cashiers at Mervyns early bird special? Any response would be
appreciated."

The response:
Regarding "A wake-up call from Luke's
jets" (Letters, Thursday): On June 15, at precisely 9:12 a.m., a
perfectly timed four-ship flyby of F-16s from the 63rd Fighter Squadron
at Luke Air Force Base flew over the grave of Capt. Jeremy Fresques.
Capt. Fresques was an Air Force officer who was previously stationed at
Luke Air Force Base and was killed in Iraq on May 30, Memorial Day. At 9
a.m. on June 15, his family and friends gathered at SunlandMemorial
Park in Sun City to mourn the loss of a husband, son and friend. Based
on the letter writer's recount of the flyby, and because of the jet
noise, I'm sure you didn't hear the 21-gun salute, the playing of taps,
or my words to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques as I gave them
their son's flag on behalf of the President of the United States and all
those veterans and servicemen and women who understand the sacrifices
they have endured. A four-ship flyby is a display of respect the Air
Force pays to those who give their lives in defense of freedom. We are
professional aviators and take our jobs seriously, and on June 15 what
the letter writer witnessed was four officers lining up to pay their
ultimate respects. The letter writer asks, "Whom do we thank for the
morning air show?" The 56th Fighter Wing will call for you, and forward
your thanks to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques, and thank them
for you, for it was in their honor that my pilots flew the most
honorable formation of their lives.

 

FOLLOW UP STORY:
This exchange of letters to the editor was published in the Arizona Republic newspaper in June, 2005.
Luke Air Force Base is located west of Phoenix near Glendale, Arizona.
The original complaint letter was published in the newspaper on June 23 and was written by Tom MacRae.

The response that is included in the eRumor was penned by Lt. Col. Scott Pleus, the commanding officer of the 63rd Fighter Squadron at Luke, and published on June 28. In it, he explained that the flyby was in honor of a fallen airman, Captain Jeremy Fresques, who died in Iraq.

McRae wrote a follow-up letter to the newspaper that was published on July 9 in
which he apologized for his original complaint:

I read with increasing embarrassment and humility the response to my
unfortunate letter to The Republic concerning an Air Force flyby
("A wake-up call from Luke's jets," Letters, June 23).

I had no idea of the significance of the flyby, and would never have
insulted such a fine and respectful display had I known.

I have received many calls from the fine airmen who are serving or have
served at Luke, and I have attempted to explain my side and apologized
for any discomfort my letter has caused.

This was simply an uninformed citizen complaining about noise.

I have been made aware in both written and verbal communications of the
four-ship flyby, and my heart goes out to each and every lost serviceman
and woman in this war in which we are engaged.

I have been called un-American by an unknown caller and I feel that I
must address that. I served in the U.S. Navy and am a Vietnam veteran. I
love my country and respect the jobs that the service organizations are
doing.

Please accept my heartfelt apologies.

Tom MacRae, Peoria.

 

I just wanted to say, Thanks for all the support you guys give us. I just wish that the rest of the U.S. was so thankful, but then again, they think freedom is a right. They have no idea the amount of lives that were lost in order for them to be able to voice their opinions.

Thank you, to all the Veterans before me that led the way and gave me the inspiration to become a Soldier and continue the fight for freedom in the Armed Forces of the Greatest Country in the World, The United States of America. Once again, Thank You.

 

I was not thanked for my service until 36 years after the fact. It came from another vet and it came from this forum. Didn't really realize that I cared until then. Didn't do it for the thanks, but the thanks was nice, if a little late.

I make it a point to thank every service man that I see. Still got a poppy hanging from my mirror. Got to thank a WWII vet personally when I put my money in his bucket. Old, bald, gimpy knees and all, he still liked to know that someone appreciated his service from 60+ years ago.