A salute to all you vets out there. State your name rank and service record.

[Pop]

Since it is Memorial Day weekend, I salute all us vets. Not just the latest ones but all those of us that may have not been so hailed at the time of our service.
I enlisted on delayed entry in January 1969, went to basic after graduation from H.S. Spent 4 years in the Air Force and left the A.F. As a Sargent in 1973. Every base I was stationed has since closed. Make you want to say Hmmmmmmm.
Fall out! Light them if you got them.
Sgt. pop

[Murray]

Which raises a question of what do people consider a Veteran, here (Oz) a veteran is someone that went to a combat or active zone, otherwise you are an ex serving member of the ADF. So you can be a Veteran of Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam, Korea, WWII etc etc. It seems in the US its a little more broadly defined.

[Frulk]

Murray. Just to clarify. In the USA Memorial Day is to honor those that DIED in the service of our country and Veterans Day is to honor ALL who SERVED (regardless if they participated in direct combat or were forward deployed into a theater of operations). 

[Sasquatch Jim]

  I first served in the army in feb 1962.  I was sent to Germany first to a demolition platoon and later to the 32nd armor,
Elvis Presley's old outfit 2 years after he left it.  I came home in 1962.
 In March of 1972 I entered the US Coast Guard.  I served aboard six ships and two small boat stations.
 My ships operated from the bering sea to Antarctica all over the Pacific, Indian, and Antarctic oceans along the west coasts of North, Central, and South America, and throughout much of the pacific islands in the North and South Pacific Oceans.  I also served in a law enforcement office in Cleveland Ohio.  I retired out as a Chief Boatswains' Mate Sept. 1991.

[oldbike54]

 Pop , this is Memorial weekend , the day for honoring our war dead . We normally do this on Veterans day , more appropriate for those of us still living . Good idea , maybe try again on Vets Day .

 Oh , and some of us are in either the witness protection program , or are wanted by the police , so we might be a bit shy .

 Dusty

[Stevex]

In UK all ex Forces are classed as Veterans, regardless of where or when they served.

[ejs]

An Norwegian veteran is a person that have served in foreign country for UN or Nato..
 

[drbone641]

Murray. Just to clarify. In the USA Memorial Day is to honor those that DIED in the service of our country and Veterans Day is to honor ALL who SERVED (regardless if they participated in direct combat or were forward deployed into a theater of operations).

  What he said.

[Bill Hagan]

An Norwegian veteran is a person that have served in foreign country for UN or Nato..
 

As we all know, that can be pretty dangerous duty.   

But, some of your troops are fairly smart paraders.   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX6eWJfJtxk

Bill

[TOMB]

TOMB
USAF 1966-1970  E4 Sgt

TOMB

[jcctx]

USAF~~'61--'64.  Am named after a maternal uncle who was KIA a year and a half after I was born  (in  France, 1944). My dad earned a bronze star in that same war. Two paternal uncles served in the pacific. They truly are the GREATEST generation!!

[gerryp]

TOMB
USAF 1966-1970  E4 Sgt

TOMB

Tomb.

Hey! Me Too!!

Where were you stationed?

I was stationed at Pope AFB, NC.  779th Tac. Airlift Squadron.  Flew all over the place in C-130's.

Regards,

Gerry

[KiwiKev]

  I first served in the army in feb 1962.  I was sent to Germany first to a demolition platoon and later to the 32nd armor,
Elvis Presley's old outfit 2 years after he left it.  I came home in 1962.
 In March of 1972 I entered the US Coast Guard.  I served aboard six ships and two small boat stations.
 My ships operated from the bering sea to Antarctica all over the Pacific, Indian, and Antarctic oceans along the west coasts of North, Central, and South America, and throughout much of the pacific islands in the North and South Pacific Oceans.  I also served in a law enforcement office in Cleveland Ohio.  I retired out as a Chief Boatswains' Mate Sept. 1991.

Hey did you get down to McMurdo
Station ? I was over the hill at Scott Base in 71/72


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[TOMB]

Jerry P I was stationed in Texas for 21 months that includes basic training tech school at  Amarillo Rd  Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth then I went to Thailand stationn' at NKP which didn't exist until after 1975 that's a long story talk to you later about it and when I came back I was stationed at Fort Walton Beach Florida Eglin Air Force Base to an aircraft sheet metal
TOMB i

[Sasquatch Jim]

 Hey Kiwi Kev, Yes I was in McMurdo for a while.  One day I walked over the hill to Scott station.  Scott was much better built and more comfortable.  McMurdo looked like a cheap mining village in those days made of Plywood boxes of sandwiched styrofoam.  Scott was new made with modern synthetic materials.  At Scott You could hardly see anything above the snow and ice but after you went through a thick door and airlock you found yourself in a beneath the surface underground city of tunnels and rooms all connected.  You did not need to be in the outside weather to go to any part of the base.  In McMurdo, you put on your heavy gear just to go from one building to another.
 I was there early 87 having spent Xmas at Palmer unloading cargo.  At McMurdo we towed in a cargo ship with supplies and after it was unloaded took it back out to open water.  Then we brought in the ship that provided a years supply of fuel and took it back out.

[Pop]

Since I breached edicate in Memorial Day, let me straighten it out. In the 60's my home town was a small farming community. We lost 6 to the Vietnam "conflict". Their names are unimportant to you , but I remember and knew all of you. Eternal peace.

Pop
Is that better?

[oldbike54]

Since I breached edicate in Memorial Day, let me straighten it out. In the 60's my home town was a small farming community. We lost 6 to the Vietnam "conflict". Their names are unimportant to you , but I remember and knew all of you. Eternal peace.

Pop
Is that better?

 Sorry if you misunderstood Pop , I was only pointing out that Veterans Day is for all of us , Memorial Day is for those that didn't come home . No disrespect meant , we just normally do this on Veterans Day . Vets make up a significant percentage of the membership here .

 Dusty

[Bill Hagan]

Since I breached edicate in Memorial Day, let me straighten it out. In the 60's my home town was a small farming community. We lost 6 to the Vietnam "conflict". Their names are unimportant to you , but I remember and knew all of you. Eternal peace.

Pop
Is that better?

Since you ask, yes.

No one sinned, but it is recurring issue, and needs an occasional, diplomatic reminder.  I thought dusty handled the matter in a commendable way.   

Most of us here who are of "that age" have similar experiences and recollections of a troubling time.  My own almost exactly mirrors your own.

In the 60's, my hometown, too, was a small farming community. We lost several more than six over the course of '64 - '75 to the Vietnam war. Their names are not unimportant to me or anyone I know.  I did not know all of them, but I knew most who did not come back.  One died on his first day back ... in a car wreck with his girlfriend.  Whew. 

Best wishes from the wet top of Virginia,

Bill

[vstevens]

Vince stevens
RP1, USN
USS HALSEY CG23 1979 - 1983
4th marine tank battalion (reserves) off and on over a few years

Went back into the reserves for the "new" education benefits.  During my active duty time, The GI bill provided very little in the way of education benefits for a sailor making a few thousand dollars a year.  After Reagan was elected, pay started to rise a little but I got out before the Montgomery GI bill became law.

[KiwiKev]

Hey Kiwi Kev, Yes I was in McMurdo for a while.  One day I walked over the hill to Scott station.  Scott was much better built and more comfortable.  McMurdo looked like a cheap mining village in those days made of Plywood boxes of sandwiched styrofoam.  Scott was new made with modern synthetic materials.  At Scott You could hardly see anything above the snow and ice but after you went through a thick door and airlock you found yourself in a beneath the surface underground city of tunnels and rooms all connected.  You did not need to be in the outside weather to go to any part of the base.  In McMurdo, you put on your heavy gear just to go from one building to another.
 I was there early 87 having spent Xmas at Palmer unloading cargo.  At McMurdo we towed in a cargo ship with supplies and after it was unloaded took it back out to open water.  Then we brought in the ship that provided a years supply of fuel and took it back out.

Hi Jim,

Yeh the base was well thought out, the passageways between huts weren't heated but gave shelter from the weather so no need to rug up.

We still had huskies at Scott Base, they were great for recreation but were taken out a few years later. Greenies objected to killing one or two seals over the season to supplement their food.

We had officer status at Mac town so could mingle with all levels over there. Made some good friends but drifted away once we came home.

Two coast guard ice breakers came down during the summer to break out a channel for supply ships. We were lucky enough to go out on one while the other broke some ice alongside for us to watch. The Maumee I think was either a supply ship or oil tanker.

I worked in the post office as a radio technician, we had a better radio circuit back to NZ than the McMurdo guys back then. Lots of Americans came across to call home, before the advent of satellite comms.

Things have changed a lot since then, many more home comforts now.

Kevin


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[unclepete]

While stationed at Ft. Jackson for infantry training I had the privilege of serving with the Honor Guard for a military funeral in the hill country of North Carolina .
The young soldier had been in Vietnam just a couple of months before he got killed .
Small town football star , loved by everyone ; the whole town was at the funeral . 
We did the 21 gun salute , folded the flag and gave it to the young widow who was about six months pregnant .
The bugler played Taps from just over a small rise and as the sound drifted in softly everyone cried , all the civilians anyway .
I don't remember the name of the young soldier or the name of the town , but I do remember the men I served with in 2d platoon Charlie Company 4/21 Americal Division 1970/71 .