Grateful...TET plus 5.5 decades

[Rat187]

Just cruzin in to post 55 years this week we were fighting the 'set-to' of our young lives...lol I see Kim beat to it.

I'm sitting here drinking a 'Gucci' Margarita in a 175 year old Absinthe glass and have been slow cooling Mexican Beef Barbacola for the last 18 hours. I toast a glass to all my Brothers both living and dead, that gave their all for their fellow soldiers. I raise a glass to those that came before and those Brothers that came after, I salute and love you all. Bless the Doc's and nurses that patched us up and eff the effing bean counters that sent back before I was healed....lol A glass to my NES guardians angels that put up with my occasional shite-posting...Respect

 

[M60]

Semper Fi Rat 187

 

[Rat187]

Semper Fi Rat 187

Same to you Pig Gunner...

 

[Palladin]

Thank you for your service. I was 12 in 1968, in May my 19yo brother, stationed on Guam in the USAF would drown. It wasn't a good year for anyone.

 

[Mountain]

By '68 Dad had already flown ~113 combat missions as a pilot for the USMC, mostly out of Ky Ha. His squadron lost 8 guys in combat during '68 and an awful 42 total in '69.

Cheers to all the Tet vets and a huge F-U to Walter Cronkite.

 

[Rat187]

Thank you for your service. I was 12 in 1968, in May my 19yo brother, stationed on Guam in the USAF would drown. It wasn't a good year for anyone.

Perspective, If you got out alive it was a good year.

RE: Your Brother I'm guessing big surf given AF?

 

[Rat187]

By '68 Dad had already flown ~113 combat missions as a pilot for the USMC, mostly out of Ky Ha. His squadron lost 8 guys in combat during '68 and an awful 42 total in '69.

Cheers to all the Tet vets and a huge F-U to Walter Cronkite.

Hey Big Guy ,I raise a toast to you, your Dad and his lost brothers. Especially to the family's of combat vets...as family's like the Vets tend suffer in silence. No one explained that to us for 35 years

 

[Rat187]

My Uncle Howie USN ,circa 1946, photo by Bill Woods. DUWK driver North Africa, Sicily, Salerno, Anzio the sweetest, funniest, man I ever met. Got him his 100% at 80, He passed at 96. He would always end a conversation with me with, "I love you son, but your getting on my nerves"

 

[Mountain]

Hey Big Guy ,I raise a toast to you, your Dad and his lost brothers. Especially to the family's of combat vets...as family's like the Vets tend suffer in silence. No one explained that to us for 35 years

Thank you, though we had a pretty easy go of it. Mom and I lived on my grandparents huge farm while he was overseas, and the massive amount of flight hours he built up in the Corps landed him a great job as a pilot for one of the major airlines in the golden days of passenger flying. For sure the families of his lost brothers suffered. Friend of my parents was KIA and his y widow and young son exactly my age were not as lucky as us.

edit- now I want to have a glass of absinthe, LOL.

 

[76Too]

Hey Rat,

Cheers MF’r! I don’t care what everyone else says about you, you’re a-o-k in my book.

Tip one up for me if can still manage. Call a cab

 

[Rat187]

Thank you, though we had a pretty easy go of it. Mom and I lived on my grandparents huge farm while he was overseas, and the massive amount of flight hours he built up in the Corps landed him a great job as a pilot for one of the major airlines in the golden days of passenger flying. For sure the families of his lost brothers suffered. Friend of my parents was KIA and his y widow and young son exactly my age were not as lucky as us.

edit- now I want to have a glass of absinthe, LOL.

Yes you have my permission, go and sin no more

 

[Rat187]

Hey Rat,

Cheers MF’r! I don’t care what everyone else says about you, you’re a-o-k in my book.

Tip one up for me if can still manage. Call a cab

Go effe yer self I'm celebrating at home

 

[76Too]

Go effe yer self

consider it done, sir!

 

[Palladin]

Perspective, If you got out alive it was a good year.

RE: Your Brother I'm guessing big surf given AF?

Snorkeling

 

[chris_1001]

Cheers!

I was just a random sperm in mid 1968.

 

[Fixxah]

Four in '68. Watched the news every night with my Dad. Meant very little at the time.

 

[Marty McFly]

Cheers!

I was just a random sperm in mid 1968.

And look at you now

 

[Rat187]

My CE sent me this today, it’s mostly true. As I was using The expletive, “blow the effing rocket pods, NOW….” It’s called enlighten self interest

“I will be toasting this weekend as well… somethings we will never forget.
How do you make your margaritas?
Send a pic of the 175 year old Absinthe glass, sounds interesting.
I read the incident report on the 187th site for the umtenth time.
It could have turned out a lot for us all.
You, while wounded and in pain, yelling at the pilots to detach the rocket pod most likely saved all our lives…”

 

[Rat187]

I’m rallying

 

[Rat187]

Spent most of the later part of 68 catching up….

 

[Matt_SERE]

Thank you to the old soul Vets we are fortunate to have here on NES. Bless you all.

I remember watching this in the theater the first week it came out. The vet's were sitting in silence and the young'uns were singing the song. Such a strange dichotomy.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufSGd58gjAM

 

[Rat187]

It’s funny now but in 1989 I talked to my CE for the first time, he told me after they dropped me off at the 12 evac They had to go to the boneyard and pick up two used rocket pods and return to the battle. I felt guilty for the next 30 years until one day I gave him my right seat view….”Rocket pods wire on fire and we’re dead if they press the fire button”

 

[Rat187]

Thank you to the old soul Vets we are fortunate to have here on NES. Bless you all.

I remember watching this in the theater the first week it came out. The vet's were sitting in silence and the young'uns were singing the song. Such a strange dichotomy.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufSGd58gjAM

Well I can understand the silence….lol

 

[76Too]

It’s funny now but in 1989 I talked to my CE for the first time, he told me after they dropped me off at the 12 evac They had to go to the boneyard and pick up two used rocket pods and return to the battle. I felt guilty for the next 30 years until one day I gave him my right seat view….”Rocket pods wire on fire and we’re dead if they press the fire button”

Can you explain this a little sometime, maybe? I celebrated with you remotely tonight with some makers mark and I’m having some difficulty following the story. You have my number if you’d rather tell it instead of type.

Hope you enjoyed your commemorative sir. You deserve your freedom more than most. We can never truly appreciate the sacrifices men like yourself have made. Be well.

 

[Rat187]

Can you explain this a little sometime, maybe? I celebrated with you remotely tonight with some makers mark and I’m having some difficulty following the story. You have my number if you’d rather tell it instead of type.

Hope you enjoyed your commemorative sir. You deserve your freedom more than most. We can never truly appreciate the sacrifices men like yourself have made. Be well.

check PM

 

[Rat187]

Effing light weight…..zzzzzzz

 

[smokey-seven]

Cheers to all the Tet vets and a huge F-U to Walter Cronkite.

Yea, Cronkite contributed to the general population hating the services. He's on my list with LBJ, McNamara, Fonda and Carter.

 

[dustoff22]

Ah.............TET '68.............remember it well...........not much fun.

 

[Rat187]

Ah.............TET '68.............remember it well...........not much fun.

Or sleep

 

[bigbravehog]

Thank you to all for your service

In the 60s and 70s I watched the B52s fly over my home constantly from Westover SAC and dreamed of being a fighter pilot. Sadly, my hearing disability prevented that.
My uncle was a young corporal in a MASH unit in Korea and his stories brought deep horror of war and respect to all who served.