Was looking at some Veterans web sites and found this......... "A veteran - whether active duty, retired, national guard, or reserve - is someone who, at one point in his or her life, wrote a blank check made payable to The 'United States of America' for an amount of 'up to and including my life.'" (Author unknown)
I started this because our 20 year anniversary of the ground war of the Gulf War is almost on us . On Feb 12th , 1991 around 5:15 my artillery battery sent our first live rounds down range at our enemies , well adjusted and on target . It does not seem that it has been 20 years have gone by . All my Marine Corps buddies have been posting a flurry of pictures of us back then , with several of me and it seems odd looking at the pictures of the young 22 year old in those pictures .
veterans If old men, like the Senate and the House, had to be on the front line of each war, we would never have another. We all thank you for your service! I am no hero. I never heard a shot fired off the rifle range in 22 years. -- bob John Robert Franks, CW2 (Ret) Physician Assistant Company C (MED) 230th Support Battalion 30th MECH INF BDE North Carolina Army National Guard Goldsboro, NC
Epitaph on an Army of Mercenaries These, in the day when heaven was falling, The hour when earth's foundations fled, Followed their mercenary calling And took their wages and are dead. Their shoulders held the sky. suspended; They stood, and earth's foundations stay; What God abandoned, these defended, And saved the sum of things for pay. -AE Housman
That was outstanding. Thank you, Ashlar, and the rest of the veterans out there for your service and love of our country. At family get togethers, we always ask my father-in-law to lead grace. He's a Korean War artillery veteran, a 50+ year Mason, and one of the most outstanding gentlemen I have ever met. At Christmas dinner, when it was time for grace, he instead pulled an ancient piece of yellowed, typewriter written "onion" paper out of his pocket. The page was almost ripped through at the creases where it had been folded. He read "A Korean Christmas". It was to the same rhythm as "A night before Christmas". It was so moving that tears were just pouring from my eyes, and I don't cry (except when Kevin Costner get's to play catch with his Dad at the end of Field of Dreams). I'll try to get it copied so I can share......
I have a different form of that , it is called "A Marine's Christmas" . Sends chills down my spine every time I read it .
A KOREAN CHRISTMAS CAROL...................... 'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the tent was the odor of fuel oil - the stovepipe was bent The shoepacks were hung by the oil stove with care in hope they'd issue each man a new pair. the weary GIs were sacked out in their beds, and vision of sugar-babes danced through their heads, When up on the ridge there arouse such a clatter (A Chinese machine gun had started to chatter). I rushed to my rifle and threw back the bolt, The rest of my tent-mates awoke with a jolt. Outside we could hear our Platoon Sergeant Greenlaw, A hard little man with a little pot belly. "Come Yancey, Come Vito, Come Cockrill and Watson, "Up Miller, Up Couser, Up Esler and Olson". We tumbled outside in a swirl of confusion, so cold that each man could have used a transfusion. "Get up on that hilltop and silence that Red. "And don't come back till you're sure that he's Dead". Then, putting his thumb up in front of his nose, Sergeant Greenlaw took leave of us shivering Joes. But we all heard him say in a voice soft and light: "Merry Christmas to all -- and may you live through the night." Author Unknown....................USMC 50/54 This was on the internet. I don't know that it's exactly the same as what my father-in-law presented. Of course, I don't have two bottles of red wine in me right now. Also, he was Army, not Marines....
Thank you to all of you veterans. I love the quote about the blank check, one of my favorites about the military.... I don't know if any of you have heard about the GM of California's project in 2009. Its took veterans of WWII to DC for free to see the new monuement. I think this is an awesome idea and am currently trying to figure out a way to do this but include all veterans. YouTube - Operation Greatest Gift
Google "Honor Flight" & "Veterans Airlift", there are those kinds of organizations springing up all over. It is much easier to add-on to an existing organizatiom than start another one.
Thanks! We have a member of our lodge here who is real sick but very active in the VFW. A couple of us talked and wanted to set this up as an honorary program in his name. It isn't a big deal though, we just thought it would be a great jesture.
Your Lodge could sponsor your local program in his name. In Wisconsin, the volunteers pay $500 each to go along and help, my friend Walt started VAC & he is always looking for funding,
