Call a Veteran

[Gene Kooper]

tomorrow and say, "thank you for your service!" You may be surprised at their response to your unexpected thank you.

I decided to post this because tomorrow will be the first Veterans Day I won't be able to call my father and thank him for his service. He died peacefully in his home on June 12th at the young age of 101. My Father was an independent old cuss who lived alone, drove everywhere, mowed his lawn, etc. I accept that he has passed, but miss him terribly. Knowing that tomorrow will be difficult, two friends will now receive that call.

I placed a few items and photos about my father's service below. I used the Hidden feature because I didn't want it to distract from this thread's purpose of honoring our veterans. No need to offer condolences; instead, perhaps consider posting a few items about a veteran whose service you respect and honor.

Hidden Content

This board requires you to be registered and logged-in to view hidden content.

[AndyinPA]

Thank you for posting this.

[Volkonski]

Both my parents were WW II veterans. My father was a marine who landed among the first on Iwo Jima and somehow survived. My mother was a WAC clerk/typist.

Unlike some veterans they were both just glad to have survived and seldom spoke of the war or their part in it.

My step father, whom my mother married after my father's death, was in the army and landed on D-Day. Then already a Navy veteran he lied about his age to join the army in WW II.

Mrs. V's father was a Seabee on several Pacific islands. Her uncle was in the army and fought in the Battle of the Bulge.

Looking back, it seemed like all the men my parents age in the town I grew up in were WW II veterans.

[Maybenaut]

Happy Veterans’ Day!

[Gene Kooper]

Thank you for the counterpoint, Maybenaut. From my perspective, this is targeted towards family and close friends. As for my Dad, he appreciated both of his sons calling him every Veterans' Day. If I were a betting man I'd bet that Foggy does the same each Veterans' Day. Saying "thanks for your service" to a casual acquaintance or coworker could easily be taken in the same vein as "tots and pears." My Dad didn't say too much about the war when I was growing up, other than to comment on the disparity between being an officer vs. an enlisted man. The first time I read his war diary was this July when I went through a drawer containing his private papers.

An aside: My Dad told me that he initially believed he was both smart and lucky to be assigned to the gun battery above the bridge. He followed that with, "When I finally realized that the Kamikaze pilots normally targeted the bridge, I didn't feel quite so smart."

My hometown was very similar to yours Volkonski with most of the men being WWII vets.

[Maybenaut]

That was a lovely tribute to your dad and uncle. I deleted my earlier post. I can be a jerk sometimes.

My Dad and three of his four brothers all served in WWII. I have all my Dad’s photos and certificates hanging in my house.

[Gene Kooper]

Being plain-spoken, I appreciate your candor and honesty, Maybenaut. I was too general with the title of the thread for what I ended up writing.

With the OSG spewing his hateful nitwittery all week, I remembered why I so despise the pustule. His statement (finally confirmed by Kelly) that men and women like my Uncle Gene were suckers because they made the ultimate sacrifice, enrages me. Perhaps Gregg will join me in Bedminster for a ceremonial moistening of the grass directly above his skull. Unfortunately, there won't likely be any grass covering his grave, just a 30,000 sq.ft. gaudy gilded mausoleum. The only question for his three eldest children is whether the mausoleum will also cover Ivana's grave.

[Fiascoist]

As said above, both of my parents were veterans of WW2, too. My father, a merchant marine, sailing mainly in between Australia and lots of small islands, delivering foodstuffs to soldiers. My mother was an army nurse on ships bringing back war brides and wounded. The Queen Mary being one of the ships. They met on a ship in the Atlantic.
My mother had a military funeral when she died and we were told they didn't have the opportunity to provide too many women with a military send off. She would have loved it.

[northland10]

I thanked my manager today, a Marine. Then I told him to log off because he was supposed to be on a personal day. I should have used the language a Marine would understand.

Get off the f***** computer and take your f****** day off ya dumb s***.

He would have appreciated that but I have to be measured in bugging him about working at odd times or showing up online on his day off. If I push too much, I will hear no end of hell when I do it.

[jez]

I thanked my manager today, a Marine. Then I told him to log off because he was supposed to be on a personal day. I should have used the language a Marine would understand.

Get off the f***** computer and take your f****** day off ya dumb s***.

He would have appreciated that but I have to be measured in bugging him about working at odd times or showing up online on his day off. If I push too much, I will hear no end of hell when I do it.

Maybe quietly handed him a pack of red crayons with a ribbon on it? I hear red is a favorite of Marines.

All jokes aside, I will be calling my Dad tomorrow to wish him a Happy Veteran's Day. More thank likely will end up in voice mail since he is probably out doing something with the VFW (color guard, I think). And I'll text.

And a Happy Veteran's Day to all our vets out there. Thank you for all you do.

[optimusprime]

Both my mom and dad are veterans. Dad - a Marine Lance Corporal at the time of their marriage (he would retire as a Master Gunnery Sergeant), and Mom - an Air Force Nurse (1LT) who got flight nurse duty and flew wounded military from Okinawa to Hawaii back when Black Nurses were just making their mark in the integrated forces. Vietnam was not how they met, though, and they had to keep a big secret, because Marines were fanatical over that officer-enlisted fraternization of any service. Mom retired as a LtCol and the highlight of her career was the Cuban Missile Crisis. Dad had Korea and Vietnam service.

Dad never really talked about Vietnam. He became a Drill Instructor at both Paris Island and Quantico. He missed going to Montford Point for Boot Camp about two months and was part of the integration of Paris Island for all Marines. Ironically, it was when he arrived at Camp Lejeune that he met mom - she had a flat tire and fate would have it that he drove by...

I am also a vet - US Army. Dad and I always had a bet on the Army / Navy Game: The loser would don the winner's apron on Memorial Day and Veteran's Day grilling and cook the meals. It was a win-win for me if Army lost - I got to hang out with a lot of Marine History and NCOs to learn from PLUS, dad taught me well cooking. Navy had a big long streak of wins and grilling became natural. When I was deployed, he would always save two steaks for me to cook when I returned (if Navy won, or he would grill them if Army won - just he and I)

Dad now suffers from PTSD and dementia. Cooking is well beyond his capabilities. Mom is great and is his caregiver. I live 50 miles away and lovingly tend to him weekly. He may have dementia, but when I bring up the 2nd Marine Div band playing the Marine Hymn on youtube, he stands. When he starts getting anxious and agitated, I find a video of deuce-in-a-halfs or jeeps rolling through the woods and mud and he critiques the drivers. His medals on the wall - he knows their order. Breaks my heart when he looks at his uniform on the wall and asks "who does this belong to?" But alas, the ONE TIME that he knows his son will call is Veteran's Day and, even though I am looking right at him, he will sit by the phone waiting until the ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is over, and receive his call from me (I'll dash over to another room), so he can talk with his son, an Army officer, whom he is proud of. After we finish and I come back into the room - I'm his brother(my uncle)...

[qbawl]

Such a beautiful, and poignant story. Give your dad a salute from this old soldier and maybe a "Semper Fi" also.

[Frater I*I]

Tomorrow is Veterans Day, one of my holy days of the year, and today is also a holy day for me...

It is the birthday of my beloved Corps...

Where I rode around in helicopters [and other vehicles] and learned how to blow shit up [and shoot at stuff]

[Foggy]

Happy Veterans' Day, to those who served.

[Atticus Finch]

U.S. Navy 1973-1977. E-5. Yeoman 2nd Class.
1973-1975 USS Simon Lake AS-33. homeport Rota, Spain
1975-1977 Attack Squadron 87 VA-87
Station: NAS Cecil Field, Florida

[northland10]

Thank you, veterans!!!

[RVInit]

Both my mom and dad are veterans. Dad - a Marine Lance Corporal at the time of their marriage (he would retire as a Master Gunnery Sergeant), and Mom - an Air Force Nurse (1LT) who got flight nurse duty and flew wounded military from Okinawa to Hawaii back when Black Nurses were just making their mark in the integrated forces. Vietnam was not how they met, though, and they had to keep a big secret, because Marines were fanatical over that officer-enlisted fraternization of any service. Mom retired as a LtCol and the highlight of her career was the Cuban Missile Crisis. Dad had Korea and Vietnam service.

Dad never really talked about Vietnam. He became a Drill Instructor at both Paris Island and Quantico. He missed going to Montford Point for Boot Camp about two months and was part of the integration of Paris Island for all Marines. Ironically, it was when he arrived at Camp Lejeune that he met mom - she had a flat tire and fate would have it that he drove by...

I am also a vet - US Army. Dad and I always had a bet on the Army / Navy Game: The loser would don the winner's apron on Memorial Day and Veteran's Day grilling and cook the meals. It was a win-win for me if Army lost - I got to hang out with a lot of Marine History and NCOs to learn from PLUS, dad taught me well cooking. Navy had a big long streak of wins and grilling became natural. When I was deployed, he would always save two steaks for me to cook when I returned (if Navy won, or he would grill them if Army won - just he and I)

Dad now suffers from PTSD and dementia. Cooking is well beyond his capabilities. Mom is great and is his caregiver. I live 50 miles away and lovingly tend to him weekly. He may have dementia, but when I bring up the 2nd Marine Div band playing the Marine Hymn on youtube, he stands. When he starts getting anxious and agitated, I find a video of deuce-in-a-halfs or jeeps rolling through the woods and mud and he critiques the drivers. His medals on the wall - he knows their order. Breaks my heart when he looks at his uniform on the wall and asks "who does this belong to?" But alas, the ONE TIME that he knows his son will call is Veteran's Day and, even though I am looking right at him, he will sit by the phone waiting until the ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is over, and receive his call from me (I'll dash over to another room), so he can talk with his son, an Army officer, whom he is proud of. After we finish and I come back into the room - I'm his brother(my uncle)...

What a wonderful story, thanks for sharing this. And thank you and your family for your service.