Memorial Day

[WaddWatsonEllis]

I should put this on every thread I could find ...

Thank you all who walked the walk in popular times or not ...

Whether you served in a hot zone or 'just' talked to a B-52 at Minot on long cold winter nights ...

Like the Bible says, 'They also serve who stand and wait' .... like me ...

[Dr. Bob]

Active duty at Aberdeen Proving Ground and Fort George G. Meade, both in Maryland Mar. 1966 to Mar. 1968.

[Crow Choker]

Amen WaddWatsonEllis. Hats off, thumbs up, thank you, and a debt of gratitude to all who served in what ever capacity to sevice to The United States of America from The Revolutionary War to those in Iraq/Afghanistan. I've attended just about every Memorial Day Service in my hometown since I can remember. My parents took me, my Dad always participated in them, still does. He served in the United States Coast Guard (CGC Ingham) one year before Pearl Harbour and all of World WarII. Several months before Pearl, he was running down German U- Boats at the orders of FDR in the North Atlantic, spent '42 and '43' doing the same(his ship was given credit for sinking the first known U-Boat in Dec '42) and spent '44 and '45 in the Mediterranean and in the South Pacific in support of 11 island invasions. Five in his family served, only he and a cousin came home. One brother was shot down and KIA in a B-17 during the Battle of the Bulge. Another(who was a cousin, but raised as a brother, was shot down and KIA in a B-24 over France. A cousin (brother of the cousin previously mentioned who came home) was shot down in a B-24, made it out of the plane, only to be shot by German infantry while coming down in his parachute, put in a POW camp, and died of infection to gunshot wounds. MY Dad who will be 94 this summer still talks of the terrilbe North Atlantic weather, U-boat torpedoed merchant ships, unable to resuce survivors, playing 'cat and mouse' with U-Boats, the horror of the Pacific Island invasions, etc. He went from defending freedom in 1945 to farming. He still gets out on a tractor once in a while,  still has the patriotism of the WW2 fight and gets 'fire stoked' when he sees those who want to erode the freedoms he and others served for, fought for, sacrificed for, and died for. Stories of my family can be said of of most every family in this country through out US history. If you see a Veteran or any military personal this week-end, no matter when they served or to those still  serving, take a minute to thank them and to all who read this who have served, I thank you. You all are American heros. God Bless America.   

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Crow Choker,

My father was my hero .... he was a pilot instructor in the AAF (Without a Degree, thank you!).

He developed arguably the first aircraft egress door slide after a friend burned in a C-124  ... that was Japan during the Korean 'Police Action'.

Then later he was the logistics officer in Patagonia when the built that navy base in Antartica .... I still have some VCR footage copied from my father's 8mm movie camera of C-124s landing on skiis during the Antartic summer.

While a maintenance officer in McGuire AFB NJ, he flew the Berlin Airlift. When another pilot came over (the only time he would ever talk about his experiences), he would talk about Migs just off his wingtips trying to force him out of the very narrow safe flight plan.

During Vietnam, he was a Red Horse commander, rebuilding Mactan AFB for C-130s ... and it is now Mactan Cebu International
Airport;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mactan-Cebu_International_Airport

[GunClick Rick]

May they rest in piece...SALUTE!

http://sharing.theflip.com/session/84095682faa1fea85500c29e8f242d5a/video/14508983