tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post2651243440299393328..comments2024-03-28T15:54:43.848-07:00Comments on Chant du Départ: RememberOldAFSargehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-34570794655681741922019-11-12T05:25:44.433-08:002019-11-12T05:25:44.433-08:00I say thank you every time I visit Arlington. Some...I say thank you every time I visit Arlington. Some gave all...OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-88150851280229912902019-11-11T22:34:06.945-08:002019-11-11T22:34:06.945-08:00Wow PA, great comment. I know what you mean about...Wow PA, great comment. I know what you mean about being almost embarrassed to be thanked. Yeah, military life can be exciting as all get out and we loved it, but not everyone can do it, especially the deployments and the whole "risk of death" thing. So I guess that's why we're thanked. And Naval Aviation is one of the better jobs. Those guys on the ground, the ones coming home with PTS, I really feel for them. And it's wonderful to be thanked, which is 180 out from my Dad and F.I.L. when they returned from Nam.Tunahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04930237104692982421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-54348071456453251152019-11-11T18:49:27.505-08:002019-11-11T18:49:27.505-08:00Heh.Heh.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-82053719652955425732019-11-11T18:24:07.219-08:002019-11-11T18:24:07.219-08:00Now you are making me blush.Now you are making me blush.Well Seasoned Foolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16670165728759453075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-23272396901480100942019-11-11T14:48:14.738-08:002019-11-11T14:48:14.738-08:00Amen!Amen!OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-73880355849038661002019-11-11T14:46:23.892-08:002019-11-11T14:46:23.892-08:00Roger that.Roger that.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-32833599285064982352019-11-11T14:43:16.875-08:002019-11-11T14:43:16.875-08:00Such a great post and lineup of great comments! &q...Such a great post and lineup of great comments! "If you too could pace" is a great concept to think about, today of all days, and it's echoed in the comments above. I know a lot of folks who feel bad for not having served, and as you folks so aptly point out, it is and always has been a team effort. Yes, there are noloads around, and there seem to be a heck of a lot of them in the meejah, but they're in the minority. And living here in America, they have a much better chance than many around the globe to grow up and shed their noloadism. That's an astonishingly cool thing if you think it through. All thanks to America. Like some veterans I'm always a bit embarrassed to be thanked for my service, and that's because my secret is that while I was conceptually doing it for the nation, only later did I really come to understand I was doing it all for myself at the time. I was chasing the rush and the coolness and the thrill for me-me-me. In a happy coincidence nearly all of what I did supported and defended the Constitution, so I lucked out! And I'm happy it all came together that way because I didn't really habla Constitution until well into my 40's. Slow to mature (still waiting...). What the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution make clear to me is that it's a team effort, again nicely covered in post and comments here today. So when thanked, I like to say thanks in return, and point out that it is in fact a team effort and no one has anything to apologize for. If we were all in the military, who would make and pay for the boolets and beans and all the helos I trashed while adventuring? In my mind, this is foundational truth. Veterans don't make America free, Americans make America free. So thanks to one and all on this beautiful day!<br /><br />That concept presents a tough dichotomy to navigate for many, and I understand that, particularly in the sense that many of us Veterans had experiences which are simply not available outside the realm of military service. It's a simple fact, and many of those experiences are seen to be vital to the nation in a way that other experiences are not. This isn't so, at least not in the way some people fear, but I suspect that only someone who's had the experiences can fully believe that they are important, but no more or less important than the experience of any other American who does the day in, day out job of being an American.<br /><br />Nevertheless, there is a day set aside to honor Veterans, Just as there is a day set aside to honor Veterans who fell in service. This is right and proper and a treasure. Because of that dichotomy of experience, there are things which nearly every Veteran struggles with and which non-Veterans can't quite grasp. The honor given we Vets on those days helps in ways that, again, the non-Vets can't really understand. But it's such an indescribably nice thing that so many non-Vets do for us that it's very, very humbling to me.<br /><br />So to each and every American, Happy Veterans Day and thank you so much for what you do for our America. To my brothers and sisters, thank you for your service. Know that you are loved and cherished.PrairieAdventurehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06466447251827774900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-10602140744866536782019-11-11T14:10:38.106-08:002019-11-11T14:10:38.106-08:00Humility from himself, and respect from us!
Humility from himself, and respect from us!<br />Tunahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04930237104692982421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-78846248355214218252019-11-11T13:32:14.398-08:002019-11-11T13:32:14.398-08:00True, but WSF is like a lot of vets, humble and pr...True, but WSF is like a lot of vets, humble and proud to have served. It is what a citizen does (or should do).OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-1759841145279368612019-11-11T13:31:15.604-08:002019-11-11T13:31:15.604-08:00Yup.Yup.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-57073127349535219912019-11-11T13:30:58.514-08:002019-11-11T13:30:58.514-08:00👍👍OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-42997531181012158732019-11-11T13:30:43.375-08:002019-11-11T13:30:43.375-08:00Time marches on, whether we're ready or not......Time marches on, whether we're ready or not...OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-32475950549541812002019-11-11T13:10:02.377-08:002019-11-11T13:10:02.377-08:00WSF- but it doesn't deserve any less respect t...WSF- but it doesn't deserve any less respect than a career combat vet either. The wounded warriors and the ones who paid the ultimate? Ok, they get more of it, but respect all around. Nobody is measuring appendages around here.Tunahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04930237104692982421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-10713282987160283902019-11-11T13:05:07.020-08:002019-11-11T13:05:07.020-08:00The support we Vets get these days is extraordinar...The support we Vets get these days is extraordinary, but we have to support each other even more. Civies just can't fully understand and guys like Fred need not only a sympathetic ear, but a familiar one.Tunahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04930237104692982421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-76613948596866386942019-11-11T13:02:05.664-08:002019-11-11T13:02:05.664-08:00Yeah, what Sarge said!Yeah, what Sarge said!Tunahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04930237104692982421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-72586416561012726112019-11-11T13:01:22.979-08:002019-11-11T13:01:22.979-08:00Anyone know the name of the last veteran of The Gr...Anyone know the name of the last veteran of The Great War? I just read about him today. His name was Frank Buckles. Frank died in February, 2011 at the great old age of 110 years old. Now, we're running out of WWII vets. There are many still living, but a 16-year-old who enlisted in 1945 would be 90 years old this year. The Greatest Generation is losing something like 350 vets a day. <br />Tunahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04930237104692982421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-75099381962779030072019-11-11T11:53:12.114-08:002019-11-11T11:53:12.114-08:00'Twas an honor and a privilege.'Twas an honor and a privilege.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-18608455876155214662019-11-11T11:52:33.262-08:002019-11-11T11:52:33.262-08:00Good point Beans.Good point Beans.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-20017630924218323232019-11-11T11:52:05.102-08:002019-11-11T11:52:05.102-08:00Remember the Siege of Vienna!Remember the Siege of Vienna!OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-55908805669506772002019-11-11T11:51:37.010-08:002019-11-11T11:51:37.010-08:00We are of like minds on this.We are of like minds on this.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-52777691644633929332019-11-11T09:32:19.457-08:002019-11-11T09:32:19.457-08:00Thank you all, you veterans, spouses, dependents, ...Thank you all, you veterans, spouses, dependents, for serving and putting up with the serving. Beanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15293778848879361153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-19595860629931821562019-11-11T09:31:20.573-08:002019-11-11T09:31:20.573-08:00You veterans speak a different language than stand...You veterans speak a different language than standard civilians. Just being in the service changes you, especially if you've served outside CONUS. So you and Fred are on the same wavelength.<br /><br />Fred may need to check out his local VFW or American Legion. More people who have the same basis of thought and experience that can allow them to truly understand each other.Beanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15293778848879361153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-38995887331894230392019-11-11T09:26:17.515-08:002019-11-11T09:26:17.515-08:00May Poland be the beacon of freedom and strength i...May Poland be the beacon of freedom and strength it has always been.<br /><br />Too many times Poland has saved Western Civilization, with very little praise or notice at all.<br /><br />Up the Winged Hussars!!!Beanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15293778848879361153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-72710361610876910972019-11-11T09:24:15.744-08:002019-11-11T09:24:15.744-08:00Me too. But then again, I'm a bit of an antiq...Me too. But then again, I'm a bit of an antiquarian.Beanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15293778848879361153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-9667571146203778692019-11-11T08:49:47.733-08:002019-11-11T08:49:47.733-08:00Well done. Let Fred know we care.Well done. Let Fred know we care.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.com