Happy Veteran's Day
 

I would like to offer my sincere gratitude and thanks for the service of all the Veterans who read this. Your sacrifice for me, my family, and my country is not in vain. It is not unseen, unnoticed or unappreciated. You each gave so I could have, and I thank you. I offer you my sincere and profound thanks.

I only know of a few of you by name and I will mention them here. This forum is mostly anonymous, and so I know only a little about some of you. Certainly there are Veterans to whom I owe a debt but will not be named here, either through my forgetfulness or my ignorance. If you are not named for any reason, please feel free to identify yourself to me publicly or privately and I will add your name to this list. If you wish to accept my thanks, and the thanks of my family anonymously, that is your prerogative.

I send my thanks to:

My Dad, W
My Father in Law, F
My Uncle, G
My two Brothers, C and B
My cousin, S

Also to lookout123, Urbane Guerrilla, NICOTINEGUN, busterb. I know I'm omitting some names, but I am still thankful to you, even if you're a lurker and don't have a name here. You have a name in my heart and in the hearts of everyone I know. I thank you.

Very sweet gesture, BigV. I second this emotion.

:us:

Thanks

I'd like to add my thanks to those given by BigV.

It seems strange to have reached the age of 58 and yet never to have had to participate in any form of warfare - to have had the ability to choose an uninterrupted career over service in one of the forces. When you consider the number of wars that occurred during the 100 years before I was born, the absence of any involvement seems all the more remarkable. I wasn’t even required to undertake National Service, as that obligation ended before I reached qualifying age.

It is hard therefore to really understand the atrocities of war, what troops in battle had and have to face. It’s all too distant.

Armistice day, as today is called here, is more about the veterans of the First World War, the end of which it commemorates. Amazingly there are still surviving soldiers alive today – even one ex-soldier aged 107, who joined the War in 1914 when it began and served and survived the whole bloody conflict.

The reason I started my cycling trips to France was to visit the battlefields and museums of the Western Front. To try to understand and appreciate the atrocious conditions and horror of the trenches that was faced on a daily – more likely hourly basis.

Visiting the areas and witnessing the evidence of life and conditions does bring this home. Not that it could ever be possible to really experience this, but then, from what I have learned, I wouldn’t want to. Who could want to face the smell of death as a part of every waking moment, to have ones skin crawling with lice, rats scurrying endlessly around, feeding off the remains of severed limbs (quite likely and suddenly, all that remained of a colleague who had been conversing with you only a few minutes earlier), to be required on command to go ‘over the top’ and to run towards a faceless enemy and against its relentless machine gun fire, to face the burning of your lungs and to fight for every breath as mustard gas is spread into your ranks, to live in mud and stagnant water, to suffer feet that swelled inside boots, becoming so swollen that you could not remove your boots even if you wanted to, to hear the cries of comrades wounded and slowly dying, as much from infection in their wounds as the wounds themselves, lying in shell holes just a short distance from your trench, yet unreachable.

I have placed a link here to Hill 62 and Sanctuary Wood, a battleground to the east of Ypres where there is a small but remarkable museum - remarkable for the collection of facts and evidence it has gathered. Compared to the clinical aspect of many museums, this rather basic looking hut holds some of the most compelling and horrifying detail - mainly through the 3D images mentioned on the linked page. There are other links from the initial page, many of which are to my mind very moving and appropriate to the remembrance of Armistice Day.

Veterans of any war have faced conditions if not exactly the same then just as horrific as those I’ve described above. That they did so and by doing so secured the freedom and lasting peace we have enjoyed since is more than any man should ever be expected or asked to do. But they did it and that is why they should and will always be remembered. How can we who have benefited from their devotion ever give adequate thanks for what they achieved for us.

I regret that in my short time here, I have not come to know the names of those of you in the Cellar who have served your country, and in conflicts far more recent than I have described, but you have my lasting respect and appreciation that you have been willing to back your beliefs with your lives and by so doing have made our lives all the more secure.

Thanks, indeed, to all who have served.

you're welcome. wish i could do more.

regret to say that this will be my last veterans' day in active service. :sniff:

sad but true, after thirteen years i am hanging up the boots, turning in the gasmask, and relinquishing my status as a dumb enlisted puke (that one is for you, tw).

i just don't have the time to dedicate to that which i love anymore. i have exactly two more active duty days to serve out and then i will enter the realm of the has-beens.

BigV - thanks for the thanks, it has been my immense pleasure to be a part of the US armed forces. i've been around the world and have had the sand of a few deserts in my teeth. i've held a few weapons, pulled a few triggers, lost a few friends, spent a few sleepless nights, and shed a million tears - and i'd do it all again. the DOD has given me far more than i could ever give back. i would not be 1/100000000000000th of the man i am today without the lessons i have learned in service. i only wish i could stick around to learn more. and for one of the few times in my life, i am 110% sincere. thank you all for trusting me all for all these years.

Thank you, V; that is most kind, and I offer the thanks of my Information Tech First Class, USN, Retired wife as well.

Cryptologic Technician (Interpretive) First Class, USN, but just ex-.

You are more than welcome, BigV. People like yourself are the people who make this country great. It is not imperative that you serve in the armed forces to serve your country. Cheers on the attitude.
My only regret is that I can't do it again. Although I'm out of uniform now, I, like yourself serve my country each day that I'm blessed to enjoy.

Thank you, capnhowdy.

I'm sorry I forgot your name on the list (really forgot, I *knew* you were a Marine; I've commented on it before :smack: ), please accept my apologies and my sincere thanks.

not a prob, BigV.
Without the support of citizens stateside this Marine (and many others) would have never came home.
Altho I deeply appreciate it, I wasn't looking for recognition. My point is that we are ALL Americans and we all serve our country in some way. That is what makes US the strongest team on the planet. ie: without the Yin there is no Yang. You get my point.
...and we all say together: God Bless America!
:us: :grouphug:

And although veteran's day is past, the gratitude I have toward all our vets, living and dead, is still present.

Thank you Capn Howdy, Busterb, Lookout, UG. as well as:

Sam Wilson, E9, US Army, 30 years, veteran WWII, Korea, and Vietnam
Ronald Maracle, E5, US Army, Canadian Mohican Indian, Gulf War Vet who saved the lives of 5 Americans during Desert Storm
Chauncey Pierce, E8, 20 years, US Army, getting ready for deployment to Iraq in the next two days

I honor you all 365 days a year and my prayers go with Sgt Pierce that he may return safely home to both his country and his wife and two sons.

Veteran's Day is here again.

As in years past, I have a debt of thanks I wish to pay. To the veterans in my family and my direct acquaintance:

My Dad, W
My Father in law, F
My Uncle, G
My brothers, C and B and S
My cousin, S

To my friends here in the cellar who have served:

lookout123
zippyt
Urbane Guerilla
busterb
TheMercenary
fargon
NoBoxes
capnhowdy
BigSarge
regular.joe
130load

I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your service to our country. Your work makes my way of life possible. Your defense of our country may sometimes seem like a thankless task. I thank you now.

Our world is full of dangers, made safer by your individual and collective efforts. I would not want your job, but I'm glad you're doing it. You may only hear from me once a year, but I sincerely hope I'm coming through loud and clear. It will be a Happy Veteran's Day for me if you know how much you're appreciated.

Thank you all.

seconded and I'd like to add a few friends & family who served/are serving. To all of our veterans - a heartfelt thanks.

Thanks !!

Definite thank you to those who have served and are currently serving. I know 5 people, a couple close friends, who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan post 9/11 and I'm always glad to hear they've come home safe. A couple of these guys have been in positions that take some serious guts to be in. One is an Army .50cal gunner in an M1 tank platoon on his second tour getting sniped at. The other is a Marine MP who pulled convoy escort duty early in the Iraq war and then a second tour right after with a newborn baby back in the states. He didn't talk much about his convoy ambush battles, but he did show me a shrapnel scar and hinted that he ran out of ammunition at one point and had to use his knife on a guy... The things these guys get put through that we rarely hear about astounds me and I really hope Code Pink keeps their damn mouths shut tomorrow out of respect for these men and women.

I add my heartfelt thanks to all who have served!

I'm glad to see this public thank-you note here, and I add my pixel salute to veterans and military members. Also worth noting are the spouses or significant others who support the military member's decision and takes on running a household, including kids, pets, in-laws, etc., during a tour of duty. Thanks to those who serve, and those who 'only stand and wait'.

A dozen years living with an active duty sailor and I had never heard of Semper Gumby! :biglaugha

Thanks to all who served -- everything we have, we owe to you.

Thanks to all you taxpayers who made it possible...

...and China.

Thank you once again, V. X-Lydia, my loving wife and a Navy retiree, sends her thanks also. It's good to see this old thread again. You may have established a Cellar tradition. (This has, after all, been done at least once. ;))

?????

May I include my dad in The Royal Gloucester Regiment who saw active service in WW2 and famously and heroically Korea. My kid brother in the same regiment who served with great personal courage in Northern Ireland. My uncle who was lost in the Med, May 1941 when HMS Goucester was bombed off Crete. My great uncle lost on the Somme and who was never found. My older brother Tony lost in the Falkland war, a hero.

And the vets here and serving everywhere, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Thanks to all for the nice words. And I would like to extend to all my fellow Vets the most sincere thanks for yours and your families sacrifice to service. I know that in my 20+ years of continual active duty my family made great sacrifices for our future. We made it. And thanks to all, esp the families that had some of the greatest burdens of maintaining the home and keeping things moving forward during our deployments. Keep your thoughts and prayers in mind and consider those soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who are still deployed overseas on missions that are demanded of our nations. Same to all of our overseas friends in the Cellar. Your vets are in my prayers as well.

I leave you all with this....

“In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.”

Here's another poem we had to memorize when I was in the 1st CAV:

Halfway down the trail to Hell,
In a shady meadow green
Are the Souls of all dead troopers camped,
Near a good old-time canteen.
And this eternal resting place
Is known as Fiddlers' Green.

Marching past, straight through to Hell
The Infantry are seen.
Accompanied by the Engineers,
Artillery and Marines,
For none but the shades of Cavalrymen
Dismount at Fiddlers' Green.

Though some go curving down the trail
To seek a warmer scene.
No trooper ever gets to Hell
Ere he's emptied his canteen.
And so rides back to drink again
With friends at Fiddlers' Green.

And so when man and horse go down
Beneath a saber keen,
Or in a roaring charge of fierce melee
You stop a bullet clean,
And the hostiles come to get your scalp,
Just empty your canteen,
And put your pistol to your head
And go to Fiddlers' Green.

And on a final note I leave you with this story of a fallen Marine from Iraq. Moving to anyone with a heart.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/new.../final-salute/

http://www.photojournalism.org/2005/...t/stories/BOS/

:sniff:

I'd also like to extend my gratitude to Cellar dwellar Tobiasly. Maybe he just never got around to visiting us again after his tour was done, but I have a sinking suspicion he's sacrificed more than we can dream of repaying.

tobiasly.com His last entry was in May of this year

Thank you veterans.

I enjoyed the day off.

But seriously, I have the utmost respect and admiration for our veterans' service.

As Chris Rock said "Cause I ain't fightin'"

He is not listed.


http://nwi.com/databases/iraq/


Unless he used a different first name than Toby. 32 Dead with last name of Johnson.

http://nwi.com/databases/iraq/?appSe...91131192463661

Thanks folks

'Tis Remembrance Sunday today in the UK.
Two minutes silence at 11.00, although it will be repeated on the 11th, which is officially Remembrance Day. The closest Sunday is always used for the ceremony, which would otherwise bring London to a standstill. The Queen and her family, the politicians and representatives of the Commonwealth all lay wreaths. Then there is the march past of servicemen and women and civilians representing certain groups (charities who work with the armed forces etc).

Watched it all and cried. Even more poignant this year because of the many deaths in Afghanistan. Some widows and children walked in lieu of those who died in action, wearing the medals of the deceased. Of course it's invitation only (9000 people file past the Cenotaph) but it's still hard to see the occasional kid.

I'm not into this "people who serve are heroes" idea. People who serve are brave, but they are normal people. But then I watch something like this and that bravery means so much more to me. And beyond that I am reminded that service people deserve respect and gratitude.

Mum has agreed we'll make up a shoebox this year. Can't be as much as last yeat (when I was still working) but someone serving will get something from us.

I'm asking again re Big Sarge. Anyone with contact details, can you let me know? I'll send you MY details to pass on to him if you prefer, so you know I'm not a stalker. He gave me his address & email and I lost them. And I feel rotten because I promised to keep in touch. I just want him to have (another) friendly contact from here.

Another Veteran's Day is upon us.

Though the years wind down, my gratitude for your service is undiminished. You do me, and our country, a great service, and I am thankful. Your work individually and as a cohesive organization is an integral part of our martial nation. While I find war regrettable, I accept that it exists, and that we fight. I do not like it, but I'm glad I have you and your brothers and sisters in arms to count on to do it. You may feel your efforts are thankless--I assure you they are not. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you one and all.

Thank you to my family members who have served:

My Dad, W
My Father in law, F
My Uncle, G
My brothers, C and B and S
My cousin, S

Thank you to my friends here in the cellar who also have served:

lookout123
zippyt
Urbane Guerilla and Mrs UG
busterb
TheMercenary
fargon
sexobon
capnhowdy
Big Sarge
regular.joe
130load
CzinZumeret the elder and his sons and uncles
Tobiasly

I offer you my deepest and sincerest gratitude.

Your welcome, BigV. Thanks for noting. Altho not a pleasure, it was my duty and I'd do it again if needed. Thank YOU for being a patriotic citizen. People like you who stop to think where freedom actually comes from are the real backbone of this great nation. God bless you. God bless America. Ooh rah!

FWIW ... He is fine and dandy in Indiana...


Yeh, thanks to all of you for all you've done. Good job Big V.

Tanks V

While we're at it, thanx to Grendel T. Troll too. 2 hitches Army, and during a shooting time too -- Mrs. UG (aka X-Lydia) and Grendel T. both have the SW Asia Service Medal.

Happy Veteran's Day.

That sounds so insufficient. Happy? Veteran's Day? It's Veteran's country. We're a martial nation, born from warfare. Without veterans it's unlikely we'd be here at all. Have a happy day, thanks for your service. So trite, so inadequate. But still true. I do wish happiness for each of you. I am thankful for your service. I don't like war, no one does, but the necessity of war I must sometimes accept, however reluctantly. And those who serve, who sacrifice, who toil and fight and die, your work has helped produce our great nation. For that I am happy and thankful.

My thanks to you all.

In my family:

My Dad, W
My Father in law, F
My Uncle, G
My brothers, C and B and S
My cousin, S

Thank you to my friends here in the cellar and elsewhere who also have served:

lookout123
zippyt
Urbane Guerilla and Mrs UG
busterb
TheMercenary
fargon
sexobon
capnhowdy
Big Sarge
regular.joe
130load
CzinZumeret the elder and his sons and uncles
Tobiasly
Grendel T. Troll (by way of UG)
Karin RP
Steven R

The list of my acquaintances who have has grown only a little, but by appreciation remains unchanged. You have my deepest and sincerest gratitude. Thank you.

Well done V.

Thanks to all you military folks.

:notworthy

post
 

I only know of a few of you by name and I will mention them here. This forum is mostly anonymous, and so I know only a little about some of you. Certainly there are Veterans to whom I owe a debt but will not be named here, either through my forgetfulness or my ignorance. If you are not named for any reason, please feel free to identify yourself to me publicly or privately and I will add your name to this list. If you wish to accept my thanks, and the thanks of my family anonymously, that is your prerogative.

I send my thanks to:

My Dad, W
My Father in Law, F
My Uncle, G
My two Brothers, C and B


_______________
atif

Happy Veteran's Day.

A very abbreviated post, in no way proportional to my gratitude.

This has been a very stressful week for me. But I hope you'll overlook my tardiness. Thank you all for your service.

Hello friends.

Happy Veteran's Day.


My heart, my heart is filled with gratitude for your service. I can *not* thank you enough. My head is kind of fucked up today. I won't pollute this post with my own personal shit.

Goddamn it. You know who you are. And if you know me, you know my thanks are sincere. If you don't know me, fuck....

It's not about me. I thank you from the bottom of my heart, truly, for your service.

Thank you.

You too, sexobon.

:angel:

Attachment 62345

I like that one.