To my fellow veterans....

For those who don't know ...

Memorial Day is for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

Armed Forces Day is for those who are currently serving.

Veterans Day is for those who served and who are no longer active duty.

a reply to: FlyersFan

One of my friends tagged me in a "thank you" post on Facebook. I was like bruh....really?

Good initiative, poor execution.

My tough marine WWII grandfather would cry like a baby at scenes like this....



Problem is, way too many politicians and power brokers can't even summon a tear. I just don't understand how that's possible.

a reply to: Maluhia

I'll take a stab at answering that although doing so goes off topic. The majority of politicos in most countries come from wealthy/advantaged backgrounds. They attend exclusive schools and colleges/universities during which time they intern as political assistants to politicians. By the time they get the obligatory law/non stem degree and become full time politicians they have had absolutely no experience of real life and the day to day struggles that ordinary people face. All this then leads to what you have just alluded to, namely politician that have no intrinsic or empathic understanding of reality and believe they are the only ones whose lives truly matter, hence no tears.

a reply to: Maluhia

This is what people need to see and realize.

I got the dip habit, too, in the Army when my Drill Instructor made me "Field Smoke' a cigarette. It basically means making a tent from a poncho and smoking inside it. I almost choked to death...but lesson learned. Since it was during the Reagan years we spent 2/3 of our time in the field at Ft. Hunter-Liggett with no contact with the world. A 10 can roll of Copenhagen went way further than a carton of smokes.

a reply to: Maluhia

I work for a living. I've had many near-death experiences providing you with reliable power. Where is my parade? I don't really care to have one, honestly. People choose their path in life and that's that. If someone chooses to work in the military and serve God knows what corporate/oligarchy/personal interest, that's their business. If they died, well, that goes with the territory. Live by the gun, die by the gun. I'll fight my own fights. Gone are the days where soldiers really, truly, legitimately protect Average Joe American. Enough with the flag waving. Get back to the states and do productive work. The only vets worthy of this sort of worship are the ones who were drafted into the Vietnam War against their will. Otherwise, it was a choice they made for their own reasons.

a reply to: Guidance.Is.Internal

Cool story man.

Walk in to a VA rehab clinic and explain to them how you work for a living and they don't.

If you die running line, well, it was your choice to do that job. Now that we know what you do for a living, can we complain to you about electric prices? Or whatever power source it is you provide? Complain to you when power is lost?

Back to the "work for a living" quip? I'll just leave this here: video.wosu.org...

a reply to: Guidance.Is.Internal

I work for a living too. I maintain, manage, and fly with 20 million dollar Blackhawk helicopters.

I am crew chief in the Army. I get up at 0400 and don't come home till 1800.

I've engaged in over 150 combat missions. I've watched good men die in those aircraft from enemy fire.

Don't cheapen that sacrifice because you don't like the powers that be. Their families lost husbands, sons, fathers. Don't ever compare yourself to the courage and strength those men had to endure what you could never. You will never believe in something so strongly that you're willing to fight and die for it, and you know it. That's why you and others are in this thread acting like you're better than dead soldiers, and those of us who have to move on with life without members of our second family.

You lash out at what you don't understand, and worst part is that you will never make an effort to understand because you already have you heart and mind made up as to who these soldiers were.

a reply to: Shamrock6

You missed the point. There are plenty of trades where people risk their lives to provide you with something (and of course get compensated in return). Soldiery is no different. It's just another dangerous occupation. The point you make about VA hospitals is exactly what I'm getting at. Hospitals full of men and women who lost their health for no good reason. That is what people should be talking about.

a reply to: projectvxn

We all sacrifice. Some of us risk our lives every day. Some of us work our asses off. Some people go to college to learn things few can comprehend and then apply them to improve the world. Some people go to trade school and fasten steel 100 stories up. Mexican roofers in Phoenix work just as hard as you do. Beyond that, those roofers are actually providing a valuable service. Nowadays, soldiers do not. It's just another bloated bureaucracy serving interests you do not comprehend. I'm willing to die for my family. Does that make me a hero? I'm willing to die to protect that which I cherish. Does that make me a hero? I'm not a hero, nor are you. f you're going to thank a soldier, you might as well thank everyone who made their soldiery possible. In other words, you might as well thank everyone who busts their ass in whatever job they perform to pay for your helicopters.

a reply to: Guidance.Is.Internal

You are so ridiculously obtuse.

We, as soldiers, do the job that we are required to do by the civil leadership of the nation. Granted, its not like I automatically agree with everything we are tasked to do.

Right now my unit is ramping up for DCRF. Its a mission set that includes everything from floods, bad hurricanes, food distribution, response to NBC threats, all of which is here in the US.

We train regularly to respond to deadly threats against the people.

Two days ago we were given a 4 hour brief by JAG on the Posse Commitatus Act and how it applies to us, our mission, and what we are allowed to do and not do. We were also briefed on the nature of our mission.

That mission is that we have 10 hour notice of mobilization. That means we have to be ready to go within 10 hours of being activated. We take this mission more seriously than we did our deployment to Afghanistan. This mission is protection and relief of suffering for the American people. My Hawks can be anywhere in the US with 72 hours, longer if it OCONUS, like Hawaii or Alaska.

That's what I do. I protect the roofers, electricians, and hairdressers. I will forgo sleep, food, and comfort to fly multiple missions in order to ensure that the people affected by natural or man-made disasters are given all the help they need. Its what the people of the US expect of the Army, my unit, my soldiers, and myself. You pay for it. Does the government misuse our capabilities? Absolutely. But do not blame the men and women who have died or been wounded in the line of duty.

To me they are heroes. Heroes to their families for which they have sacrificed so much for. Heroes to their fellow soldiers who learned to love them like brothers and sisters. Heroes to those whose lives are saved by their actions in a war no body likes.

All I ask is that you don't cheapen that sacrifice by sweeping it aside like its comparable to what civilians do here. It isn't. Don't cheapen it by telling me and every other soldier and veteran that we are only worth as much as the taxes collected.

Less than one percent of the population are engaged in the protection of the American people. And less than one percent of each branch is ever directly engaged in combat operations where enemy contact is expected.

That means that a very small group of Americans, like myself, then men who died on Arrowsmith 35, armor, infantry, and SOC ever see the enemy up close. We are the last few hundred meters of foreign policy. It sucks, but we do it because the American people expect us to do that job.

a reply to: projectvxn

I've got war stories, too. It's a job, period. You may think you're protecting those people. I don't think you are. Even if you were directly airlifting them to safety, don't forget who pays your bills. Don't forget that there was some engineer slaving over the code that runs your helicopter's fly-by-wire system. Without them, you wouldn't be able to do what you do. The problem with your mindset is you automatically place your work above all others. It is the pure, unmitigated arrogance of some veterans which I take offense to. You get the parades. We slave away stateside and give you expensive equipment to enjoy. So no, sorry, I'm not going to thank you for your service. Honestly, I intend no offense. I just expect you to act like anyone else who puts their pants on one leg at a time. No better, no worse.

a reply to: Guidance.Is.Internal

My helicopter does not have a fly by wire system.

The job of the military is entirely different than a job in the private sector. Even private military have it better than we do.

We don't "enjoy equipment". We use it for its intended purpose.

We are required to he professional. We live by a set of rules, codes of conduct, and every aspect of our military service is scrutinized, both internally, and by people such as yourself where nothing we do will ever be good enough.

Here's hoping my Hawks won't need to come pull you off a rooftop any time soon.

a reply to: projectvxn

The fly-by-wire comment was simply demonstrating the principle that the military doesn't have the expertise to design these sorts of systems. That's what the defense contractors are for.

Technology wins wars. Always has, always will. The better technology you have, the more effective you'll be at your job. You cannot perform your job without Joe Six Pack and his services. You may think "civilian work isn't comparable" (oh the arrogance), but you're wrong. You can't do what a physicist does and he can't do what you do (probably). Giving you the benefit of the doubt, he can't enjoy a day of freedom without your services. They need you and you need them. You're no better than he is, nor worse. You're not in a bubble. You exist in a complex system of economies, technologies, and skillsets. You are a cog in the mechanism as I am and everyone else who puts in time at a job or business that pays your bills. Don't forget your place, soldier, and I won't forget my place.

If you do come over to rescue me, that's just fine. You're doing your job and I'll be doing mine. And life goes on ..

a reply to: Guidance.Is.Internal

Most of those defense contractors were military veterans.

The military offers many opportunities to people who might be lost in the sauce and need a little structure.

By no means do I believe I am better than anyone.

But it is not true that what I do is comparable in the civilian world as most of us know it.

You're right. I'm not a physicist. My job is applied science and combat.

a reply to: projectvxn

Agreed, the service turns boys and girls into men and women, as do a lot of other professions. My cousin was an aimless youth working at a bagel factory, joined the Army, now he's squared away and owns a big farm. Sometimes all it takes is a kick in the ass ..

a reply to: Guidance.Is.Internal

I didn't miss your point. Your point was poorly made. Instead of sounding like "lots of people have risky jobs" it sounds more like "I work for a living and military members don't" because that's pretty much what you said.

If you can sit there and equate having to sit in traffic for a little bit or skipping Starbucks because the line was too long as being a sacrifice on par with with those who gun in the military, there's no point in even continuing to discuss anything.

Enjoy your frappe.

I have so much respect and awe for people who join the military. Some see war, some don't, but all go in realizing that they could die in order to protect their country. And it isn't about whether we should be at war or not, it isn't about what side is right or wrong. It's about the act...the self sacrifice they make in order to protect their families and fellow countrymen.

And if they should ever see war....it takes much effort to get the sights and sounds of battle out of your head. I don't think you can ever really forget all the horror you see. You can never be who you were before once you have witnessed something like that. I imagine it is very hard to integrate back into society...to pretend that you have not witnessed such things and go back to drinking coffee in the morning and punching a clock to work.. cannot be easy.

I must admit, I have never seen death in such a manner as some of the veterans have..I have never seen someone's last moments on this earth and have to helplessly watch as my best mate dies by my side..No burial, no ceremony, just you and him saying goodbye, then leaving his body laying on the ground as you try to live through the rest of the battle.

And we, the ones who you protect, will never understand..it is something you cannot truly understand until you live it.

But I do understand through talking with some of you here and in real life that you have and are continuing to sacrifice...and I cannot thank you all enough for it..

blend57