Memorial Day - we must honor
- Thread starter KopiKat
- Start date
Well, we had the Greatest Generation, and now we have the Selfie Generation that thinks the world not only revolves around them, but that the world also owes them something.
My Mother taught me at a very young age, I can actually still here her voice say, “Kevin, the world doesn’t owe you a thing. As soon as you realize that the better off you’ll be”.
My Mother taught me at a very young age, I can actually still here her voice say, “Kevin, the world doesn’t owe you a thing. As soon as you realize that the better off you’ll be”.
I was just in New Zealand. In good fun after some NZers were loudly ribbing me about my Southern accent in a taver I said slow down. My dad served in Figi in WW2 and if it hadn’t been for men like he and 4 of his brothers they - and me- might be speaking Japanese. Their eyes widened and then they agreed! They and Australians love Americans - a lot for what our servicemen - did for them. We lost one uncle at age 21. I named my oldest son after him even though I never met him. I think of how all those young men never had a early carefree adulthood like me. Truly a willing sacrifice.
Well said and the Japanese were brutal. We all know the terrors of Germany and their dictator but few people are taught about how barbaric the Japanese were .Especially to prisoners of war. I had a cousin who was a Marine and when he was released from their POW camp he was a skeleton and one of only a very few in his unit who made it out. My wife's father was a sniper in the South Pacific and he came out as a 23 year old man whose life was changed and would never be the same. He became an alcoholic and it killed him. I had four other uncles who served in the Navy in the South Pacific and they were in some of the fiercest sea battles ever fought. Probably the fiercest including Midway. They came back in a little better mental shape than my uncles who were in the Army and Marines. Two of my uncles in the Army never wanted children after their experiences. WWII took some of our best. 7 of my uncles served and 5 received Purple Hearts.
My great-uncle was killed at Iwo Jima. He had been decorated for bravery shortly before.
A great article from National Review about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier:
https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/05/tomb-of-the-unknown-soldier-history/
https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/05/tomb-of-the-unknown-soldier-history/
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Great men that put their Country ahead of themselves.
These are the true heroes, not Lebrun James or any of these other losers making millions in the same Country these men fought to keep that they continue to trash.
This is the problem I’ve had with Muhammad Ali. He’s portrayed as a hero. Well, to me he’s a draft dodger that reaped the rewards from a free Country that he refused to fight for.
He didn’t mind fighting for himself, as long as it made him millions.
The bottom line is that most Soldiers that went to Vietnam didn’t agree with the Government for sending them there, but they did it anyway. They’re the heroes, not Ali.
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How are you so miserable that the only thing you can talk about on Memorial Day is groups of people that you don’t like? It’s ok to show appreciation for one group while not tearing down another.
My dad was in the second wave of the Normandy invasion.
My thoughts today are on a young man that I had in my ROTC squad in high school. Soon after we graduated I joined the Navy and he joined the Army and never returned from Vietnam:
ROBERT CARY MAHAN
Army - PFC - E3
Age: 21
Race: Caucasian
Sex: Male
Date of Birth Feb 2, 1948
From: ASHLAND, KY
Religion: BAPTIST
Marital Status: Single
Vietnam Memorial Search
ROBERT CARY MAHAN
Army - PFC - E3
Age: 21
Race: Caucasian
Sex: Male
Date of Birth Feb 2, 1948
From: ASHLAND, KY
Religion: BAPTIST
Marital Status: Single
Vietnam Memorial Search
I’m not miserable at all. In fact, just the opposite.
This is the perfect day to rip the people in this Country that are anti America and anti Military, but who reap all the benefits of the men and women who died fighting for their dumbasses.
Not sure why you have a problem with ripping these people, because they deserve to be.
http://thewall-usa.com/info.asp?recid=825
This young man is buried with his father, who outlived him by ~ 30 years. They are buried near my grandparents; my grandpa was a WWI vet.
Also near my grandparents burial plot is John W Berry, KIA June 10 1944 as a member of the 101st Airborne.
This young man is buried with his father, who outlived him by ~ 30 years. They are buried near my grandparents; my grandpa was a WWI vet.
Also near my grandparents burial plot is John W Berry, KIA June 10 1944 as a member of the 101st Airborne.
No, it’s not. It disrespectful in fact. Those soldiers who died were fighting for everyone’s freedom and you’re essentially saying that they fought for the wrong people.
Get a life.
Fiji. Dad & 7 unc's served in WW2. A Purple Heart & about 10-12 bronze stars between them including Dad's 3. A gr-gr-granddad killed in CW (Hard to be descended from someone killed in war - most are single or childless.) fighting to end slavery. Great Unc who was serving France in WW1 died there in the Spanish Flu Pandemic.
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My grandfather fought WW2 in Sicily, Italy, and in Belgium against the Germans. He was in Bastogne what is known to us as the battle of the bulge. He never talked about it. But I’ve read that any soldier that was there, whether wounded or not, didn’t leave the battle the same.
My wife's grandfather fought the Germans in France as he was a Sergeant in the French Army. Captured and suffered as a POW but was eventually rescued by the Americans and later brought his family to America to live.
I had a very close family friend that served under Patton through WWII, a grandfather that served on a destroyer in the Pacific that was damaged by a kamikaze attack, and another family member who was an army medic in the Korean war. None of the three would talk about it unless someone asked. I don't think I'll ever comprehend what it's like to go through what they did.
Kev, respectfully: ripping is fine. Just modify the "generation" thing. It's not all or even most (imho).
Our military today is loaded with young women/men who put service above self. (I know that you agree on this.)
My grandfather also served under Patton. He also went on to serve in Korea. I also had an uncle that fought in Vietnam, only time he talked about it was when my grandfather and grandmother died because it brought back bad memories.
My dad was a Marine who survived combat at Iwo Jima. He liked talking about his fellow Marines, and he stayed in contact with a few of them over the years. He went to a couple of reunions, and he liked to talk about the beauty of some of the places he saw in the South Pacific. But when it came to talking about combat, all he would ever say is that he hoped that my brother and I never had to go through anything like that, and to see and do the things they had to do to survive.
Fitting for today and remembering those lost. My grandpa was in world war 2, the other in the Korean War.
This might not be popular on here, but I had a great great great grandfather fight in the CW for the confederacy out of North Carolina.
Why would it not be popular?
Kentucky is still considered the South. If you lived in the South, then you fought for the Confederacy. All that fought were heroic.
Because you know how some people are. I always say, American by birth, southerner by the grace of god
You’re one of my favorites KYNC...and yes, I know how some people are, unfortunately.
My dad served in Vietnam. My mother was a couple of months pregnant with me when he left. I still have the letter he wrote to my grandparents when he got word that I had been born.
My grandfather served in WWII as a civilian. The government sent him to MIT and then off to the Philippines. He worked on the Manhattan Project. When he came home he had literally hundreds of classified documents that sat in boxes in the basement for fifty years until my dad found them and contacted the FBI. Two agents spent several hours at my parents house declassifying them.
My grandfather served in WWII as a civilian. The government sent him to MIT and then off to the Philippines. He worked on the Manhattan Project. When he came home he had literally hundreds of classified documents that sat in boxes in the basement for fifty years until my dad found them and contacted the FBI. Two agents spent several hours at my parents house declassifying them.
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Gross.
Why in the hell would you call all of them “heroic?”
Do you, perhaps, fly an American flag outside your home?
My Uncle Ronnie served in Vietnam.
One night we met for beers, and he told me how it tormented him that he had to kill kids that were shooting at him and his fellow soldiers.
Uncle Ronnie was a funny and talented man. He was uneducated, but smart.
After he came back from Vietnam, he did okay for a few years. However, he became an alcoholic and struggled with addiction for years, before dying of a heart attack in 2000.
One night we met for beers, and he told me how it tormented him that he had to kill kids that were shooting at him and his fellow soldiers.
Uncle Ronnie was a funny and talented man. He was uneducated, but smart.
After he came back from Vietnam, he did okay for a few years. However, he became an alcoholic and struggled with addiction for years, before dying of a heart attack in 2000.
Huh?
I have the utmost respect for the men and women that serve in the military. If that bothers you, then too bad.
Can't change facts. R what R.
DW's gr-grandfather rode in Morgan's Raiders thru southern IN & OH. Was caught by Union troops trying to cross OH RIver southeast into WV & back to KY. Got sent to two Fed prison camps - Chicago & Baltimore - before taking USA loyalty oath & being paroled. Took a lot of crap/abuse from Union troops coming back to Danville area. His name was Jim Russell - her maiden surname.
Go to hell with your self-righteous self. They were defending their homeland from invaders first & foremost. They didn't have to be political to do that. They were going to be abused anyway even if they weren't resisting. Union tore up crap for the hell of it. But that's war. Now their was justification for some of the abuse, but your home is your home.
There would be no USA without southerners. I suppose that would make you happy given how unjust you being this place is.
Thanks all of you for sharing stories of family, loved ones who served our Country bravely and made the ultimate sacrifice for this Great Nation. I don't start many threads, ever. Participate in a bunch obviously. Thank you for allowing these glimpses into very important Memories, of brave people, you (and we) have lost. Those who made that ultimate sacrifice for US.
I really hope you're not referring to all millennials. Maybe you're referring to Gen Z. Because a great deal of us millennials not only fought 2 different wars, but went back for multiple deployments. I went 3 times, and I know people who've done 6. Wars that no one have a **** about after a couple years. One of the most striking things I've ever experienced was coming home on leave after deployment #1 and was stunned that everyone acted like no wars were being fought. Turns out about 1% of the population of America actually served in either war or both.
These guys were every bit as brave as the greatest generation. At least the greatest generation could easily define their enemy and had the full backing of the entire country. I'd imagine every guy I served with would much rather have fought in ww2. Our combat was either being ambushed, getting blasted by an ied, or a combination of both. Then they melted away. Our rules of engagement were overtly strict and killed many of our guys. We would literally pray for a conventional battle, that never occurred. I know their war was much much bigger than ours, with a much better enemy, and being more dangerous. But I swear I'd rather fight that war any day. I have the utmost respect for the greatest generation. My Grandfather served from the liberation of Paris all the way to Germany. But I have the same amount of respect for Vietnam vets, Korean vets ect. Any veteran of a foreign war is the same to me.
We've got brothers killing themselves at the highest rate in military history. And I personally believe it's the multiple deployments. Having to go from on alert 24/7 or you could die, to nothing ***** with your psyche in so many ways. Then having to repeat that process multiple times. Trust me it still messes me up. Losing your guys in horrific fashion, to killing another human being ect just swallows you whole. You lose part of your soul in the process.
Let's not get out twisted either. We didn't start those wars. We didn't make the catastrophically plans that ensured more American deaths while recruiting for AQI with our actions. Of course they couldn't be bothered by what we were seeing ground level. Not until Petraeus did we adopt a strategy that worked far better than could've been imagined. You know, he actually went all around Iraq to listen to what we were seeing. It only took almost 5 years since the war started to actually do it. We didn't start these wars, we suffered the mistakes and still fought our asses off.
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Couldn't agree more about Germany rightly being derided over their horrific crimes, and yet Japan escaping this same thing. The Japanese were far more savage than the Germans too. I think I read that Japan actually slaughtered and killed more innocent civilians than Germany. What they did in China is disgusting beyond belief alone. What they did to prisoners of war is unbelievable. Many people don't know that the Japanese experimented on people even more harshly than Germany.
I'm in no way downplaying what's the nazis did. They deserve everything that's said about them. I just find it to be infuriating that imperial Japan and all their brutality is frequently ignored. Ask soldiers and Marines which enemy was worse.
My wife’s grandfather spent two years as a POW. He was shot down over Belgium and moved to the POW camp made famous in “The Great Escape”.
My grandfather had a more pleasant time. He was the engineer in charge of loading bombs on B-17s in North Africa. One time his pilot buddies asked him to go on an “easy” mission with them. He ended up having to stay up til 5AM due to some issue with a plane, so he decided to pass on that opportunity. The plane he was going to go on was shot down with no survivors.
My grandfather had a more pleasant time. He was the engineer in charge of loading bombs on B-17s in North Africa. One time his pilot buddies asked him to go on an “easy” mission with them. He ended up having to stay up til 5AM due to some issue with a plane, so he decided to pass on that opportunity. The plane he was going to go on was shot down with no survivors.