It's Memorial Day again

M60

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This weekend, we'll all eat, drink and socialise. To my brothers and sisters, both in and out of harms way and to you veterans, who've invested of yourselves, in the freedom of our Nation and to the men and woman, who have gone before us, I'll take time to remember all of you this weekend and tip a glass in gratitude, for your service and your contibutions to America's continued safety and indipendence. God bless and keep you all.
 
Its unfortunate the real meaning of Memorial day has become so bastardized ..... It has become more about Sales at your local mall, or cars sales, celebrating the start of the summer season and less about honoring the dead. Least I remind, that the Celebration of the living is Veterans day so lets remember that.

So enjoy the company of your family but remember to bow your head and lower your flags and remember the dead.

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After seeing what has happened to our country in the last several years, I’m beginning to wonder if what I did was even worth it. How do other vets come to terms with it? What about our loved ones and past relatives who gave the ultimate sacrifice. I truly hope they didn’t die in vain.
 
After seeing what has happened to our country in the last several years, I’m beginning to wonder if what I did was even worth it. How do other vets come to terms with it? What about our loved ones and past relatives who gave the ultimate sacrifice. I truly hope they didn’t die in vain.
Things tend to come full cycle. Things look a bit dark and gloomy for us now. It's ok. We've all seen dark and gloomy before, along with you. We're fed, watered, have a roof over our heads, we're armed and for the most part, no one is shooting at us. We've seen worse days than these. Dems won't be in charge forever and better days are coming. Just imagine where we'd be, if our forefathers had not done, what they did. We're on our way to being forefathers my friend . You can be sure,that what you did was worth it and thanks for doing it.
 
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After seeing what has happened to our country in the last several years, I’m beginning to wonder if what I did was even worth it. How do other vets come to terms with it? What about our loved ones and past relatives who gave the ultimate sacrifice. I truly hope they didn’t die in vain.

It was worth it.

You don't join to support RINOs or any other kind of politician, or any particular law or policy or faction. You sure as hell don't join to support any political party. You don't even join to support your fellow Americans, a lot of whom are wayward souls who don't understand the importance of their vote.

You join to support the Constitution, and that's ALWAYS worth it. It needs support. It needs to be protected, fought for, even died for. And it's important enough that good people WILL die for it; you don't see people lining up to die because they want it gone.

Take comfort in that. Nobody who serves honorably wastes their time, in the broader sense.
 
After seeing what has happened to our country in the last several years, I’m beginning to wonder if what I did was even worth it. How do other vets come to terms with it? What about our loved ones and past relatives who gave the ultimate sacrifice. I truly hope they didn’t die in vain.

Please stay positive my friend. Your efforts, along with the efforts of millions others who fought for this country were NOT in vain. The dream will stay alive as long as there is just one left who remembers.

It's now our job to keep the dream alive in the hearts and minds of those who follow us.
 
I am almost 73 now, and each Memorial Day gets harder to cope with than the last one.

The guilt of my survival never goes away.......it just gets worse every year.

 
I am almost 73 now, and each Memorial Day gets harder to cope with than the last one.

The guilt of my survival never goes away.......it just gets worse every year.

You deserve to find peace, I hope that you do.
 
The guilt of my survival never goes away.......it just gets worse every year.
Amen brother.

Walt bought a house next door to me years ago. The bumper sticker was USMC. I asked if he was a Marine, he said yes. I told him I was 4 years USN and could live with a Marine.

That first summer he was here, 4th of July weekend around 1980 something, I was sitting at my kitchen table with Walt and 4 friends. As Walt chatted with my friends, he looked at me and said, "This is the first time I have ever sat at a table with 4 Vietnam vets."

The older I get, the less friends I have. God bless them all. Out of those 5, two are left.
 
Amen brother.

Walt bought a house next door to me years ago. The bumper sticker was USMC. I asked if he was a Marine, he said yes. I told him I was 4 years USN and could live with a Marine.

That first summer he was here, 4th of July weekend around 1980 something, I was sitting at my kitchen table with Walt and 4 friends. As Walt chatted with my friends, he looked at me and said, "This is the first time I have ever sat at a table with 4 Vietnam vets."

The older I get, the less friends I have. God bless them all. Out of those 5, two are left.
I know the feeling. From my area, 6 guys joined the Corps. Jerry and Billy were KIA in Nam. Billy went on patrol, just after receiving a dear John. When the SHTF on that patrol, Billy did a walking asssault, with his M16 and a magazine with 20 rounds. That's how we lost Billy that day. One of the guys, that were on patrol with Billy that day, told Dick what happened to Billy and how he died. I went through boot camp on the buddy system with 2 of them and Bobby, who lived 3 doors from me as kids, greeted me on hill 881, when I stepped off of the chopper in Nam. What a suprise that was. Bobby died of agent orange cancer a few years back. Wayne, one the three of us, who joined together, died of agent orange cancer a couple of years after Bobby. I'll mention here, that Bobby was offered a battlefield commision, to the rank of second Lt., that he refused. I'll bet that would suprise the judge, that gave him the choice of joining the Marine Corps, or going to jail. That leaves Dick and I. Dick was hit, on three ocassions in Nam and has had surguries on and off, his whole life as a result. 27 suguries in total. He overcame agent orange, bone marrow cancer some years ago, had a serious stroke and has cancer again and is now in a nursing home, as result of dimentia. He's not strong enough for radiation, so he gets chemo, to shrink the tumor. In the end, chemo will cease to work. I don't know, how much longer, my friend Dick can last, under his circumstances. When Dick is gone, I'll be standing watch alone once again, thinking about the other 5 Marines from home and if Maura takes my guns, I'll stand watch with my K-Bar I guess. Like skysoldier and smokey seven are saying, it surely makes you think.
 
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I've maintained contact through the years with a bunch of my fellow Dustoff pilots, crewchiefs, and medics, of which not one of us isn't afflicted by either cancer, ischemic heart disease, diabetes, or booze. Four have died from cancer or heart disease, a couple from booze, and the remainder have basically disassociated themselves from communication. We're becoming extinct and while those with whom I still have contact are happy to be alive, life for some has become a struggle. Yup, it surely makes you think.

Memorial Day is one tough day remembering those of didn't make it. Not just Vietnam but all past wars. It's disheartening to know that today's average citizen (non-Veterans) sees Memorial Day as the day that summer begins, sales abound, and cookouts are the highlight of the day. I'm not sorry that it's supposed to rain tomorrow.
 
I know the feeling. From my area, 6 guys joined the Corps. Jerry and Billy were KIA in Nam. Billy went on patrol, just after receiving a dear John. When the SHTF on that patrol, Billy did a walking asssault, with his M16 and a magazine with 20 rounds. That's how we lost Billy that day. One of the guys, that were on patrol with Billy that day, told Dick what happened to Billy and how he died. I went through boot camp on the buddy system with 2 of them and Bobby, who lived 3 doors from me as kids, greeted me on hill 881, when I stepped off of the chopper in Nam. What a suprise that was. Bobby died of agent orange cancer a few years back. Wayne, one the three of us, who joined together, died of agent orange cancer a couple of years after Bobby. I'll mention here, that Bobby was offered a battlefield commision, to the rank of second Lt., that he refused. I'll bet that would suprise the judge, that gave him the choice of joining the Marine Corps, or going to jail. That leaves Dick and I. Dick was hit, on three ocassions in Nam and has had surguries on and off, his whole life as a result. 27 suguries in total. He overcame agent orange, bone marrow cancer some years ago, had a serious stroke and has cancer again and is now in a nursing home, as result of dimentia. He's not strong enough for radiation, so he gets chemo, to shrink the tumor. In the end, chemo will cease to work. I don't know, how much longer, my friend Dick can last, under his circumstances. When Dick is gone, I'll be standing watch alone once again, thinking about the other 5 Marines from home and if Maura takes my guns, I'll stand watch with my K-Bar I guess. Like skysoldier and smokey seven are saying, it surely makes you think.
Just want to say, from a civilian, you and your brave friends have my sincere condolences and my children have been taught respect for young men going off to unknown battlefields also. Never forget.
 
Keep in mind the families of those lost as well.

A few years ago, a soldier from Western Mass came through Barnes Air Base. We all lined the street to salute the hearse as it passed. For an instant when the limo went past, I caught sight of this soldier's wife, a young girl maybe 23 at most. If I could do art stuff, I would have immortalized her face in that 1/2 second she passed and named the work "Heartbreaking grief". I'll never forget the pain I saw in that instant.

Servicemen sign up and know the risks, they'd even laugh at dark humor about their loss. Families tend to be forgotten, and their sacrifice goes on.
 
After seeing what has happened to our country in the last several years, I’m beginning to wonder if what I did was even worth it. How do other vets come to terms with it? What about our loved ones and past relatives who gave the ultimate sacrifice. I truly hope they didn’t die in vain.
We can't get despondent, they win. This country was politically messed up in the 30's, the 60's and 70's, and now. The war against leftist tyranny is raging, don't lose hope. Vote, and find your voice, and do whatever you can to elect people who love our country vs those asshats who hate it and want to ruin it. I think the great awakening has happened, and unless the Communist Progressive Democrats can pass laws in the next year to allow cheating during elections, they are on their last legs. Support Patriots in all states who are running if you can. This is far from over. The same people who volunteered on December 8th, 1941, to sacrifice everything to stop leftist fascism we are still those people. The same people who put everything on the line to throw off the yoke of the tyrant King George, we are still those people. Everyone in the world wants to come here, to the USA, because we are those people, because they want to be free. You can't throw in the towel, that is what the enemy of all that the USA represents (leftist, Progressive, Communist Democrats can't win this war). They have been fighting it a lot longer, but we will rise up and remove the tyrants once again.
 
We can't get despondent, they win. This country was politically messed up in the 30's, the 60's and 70's, and now. The war against leftist tyranny is raging, don't lose hope. Vote, and find your voice, and do whatever you can to elect people who love our country vs those asshats who hate it and want to ruin it. I think the great awakening has happened, and unless the Communist Progressive Democrats can pass laws in the next year to allow cheating during elections, they are on their last legs. Support Patriots in all states who are running if you can. This is far from over. The same people who volunteered on December 8th, 1941, to sacrifice everything to stop leftist fascism we are still those people. The same people who put everything on the line to throw off the yoke of the tyrant King George, we are still those people. Everyone in the world wants to come here, to the USA, because we are those people, because they want to be free. You can't throw in the towel, that is what the enemy of all that the USA represents (leftist, Progressive, Communist Democrats can't win this war). They have been fighting it a lot longer, but we will rise up and remove the tyrants once again.
Praise the lord and pass the ammo. We're gonna be here for a while.
 
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