My Oldest Son!

[WinoBlues]

Thank you for sharing. Glad your boys are home and safe.

Like you, I have been the warrior and the Warriors Pop. I would do the first many times over, not to do the latter again. Don't know how you did it twice.

My Son (OIF Marine) came by last night to buy the old man a beer. We were talking about the way Vets from my time (vietnam) were treated and how we are starting to see the same negative shift now. As we were talking about how we believe we will be fighting for the next twenty years, his little brothers, 14 & 16 came in. I couldn't get too mad when they started wrestling and broke my new lamp.

Dave, thank you and your boys for your service to our Country.

Many talk the talk, Few walk the walk.

Thank You from the Martinez family.

 

[Winter_123]

Best wishes to you and your son.

Winter

 

[DHK]

Al, FU

Lee R Martinez


ps... ban me if you like.

DITTO! If you don't like it, move to another country.

PIKER!

 

[Mark]

I love this song!

 

[YouGotMyMoney]

Dave, I'd like thank your sons for providing for my freedom and security, so I can sit at home in my pajamas selling insurance.

 

[Frank Stastny]

Jacqueline's son, the one who is here now, wrote this when he was with the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Honor Guard several years ago. I think this says it all!

Most Honorable Moment ​

For the first time swollen with pride.​

All the practice and all the training, it could never prepare me.​

I had the realization of what I truly do for a living,​

As we lay a fallen hero to rest.​

Twenty one gun salute, taps, and the bearers flag fold.​

It all came down to this point. I bring up a hand salute, order down,​

and extend my hands to the flag.​

As I receive the ensign, it was at that instance​

that I knew I was going to be embedded deep into the widows mind.​

For all her years, and all her devotion the last thing she was gonna remember was what I was about to do.​

I walked over to her, dropped to a knee just as a man does to woo his future wife.​

But this was totally different, harder than anything​

but yet performed with the control of the coolest breeze. I looked her into her eyes, and spoke these words.​

on behalf of the president of the United States, a grateful nation and a proud NAVY I present to you this national ensign in dedication to your loved ones service in the United States armed forces.​

As I looked into her eyes I could see the tears fighting to stay within. The trembling of her lips and knew what it was to render honors for those who came before us, fought in true wars, and served their country with the same pride that I then felt.​

By far the most emotional feeling I can remember in a long time, right when I thought everything was hard for me, I came upon this moment and realized the road traveled is nothing in comparison to the path that lies ahead. I WOULD PROUDLY BLEED ON THE FLAG TO ENSURE THAT THESE STRIPES STAY RED!​

FN Todd Drury United States Navy​

Copyright 2008 Todd Drury

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

Al I'm going to have to disagree. It's not up to parents or soldiers to determine if a war is just. When I was in the Marines if I was called to fight I fight - period.

Soldiers could have sat back and said "nah, don't really believe in this Nam thing and I'm not going."

Soldiers could have also sat back and said "Who's this Hitler guy? Never heard of him. Is he attacking the U.S? No? So why are we going again?"

Of course that's EXACTLY what we did - refused to get involved in WWII until the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

However, there's our justification to fight Japan - where was our justification to send troops to fight Germany? I wonder how many lives and how many millions of Jews would have been spared if we had committed in 1939?

But wasn't it all in the end just a waste of our time? I fail to see how Germany directly threatened the U.S.

Again, maybe all the U.S soldiers should have sat back and second-guessed it; "Hitler who?"

Listen, when you're on the field the the coach calls a plan you run the play. Imagine everyone in the huddle going "here's what I think." It's for all the people sitting at home, leaning back in their recliners to second guess every call.

 

[bluemarlin08]

Thanks to all you vets for your service to our country.
Healthagent's response to Al was spot on.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

I'll also add this; we are privy to a fraction of the information and intelligence the President and his advisors have. You think the press get even 1/10th of the information the President has? Try 1/100th.

I was a presidential guard at Camp David - guarded President Reagan and even at my lowest possible level as a guard we were privy to a ton of information that media would never get.

So it's great for bloggers, journalists and other people who don't the faintest idea as to what they're talking about to opine but what they don't have it an iota of the information the military and the President has who actually have to make the decisions.

You're for or against Viet Nam for example? There's probably over 100,000 classified documents no one will ever see talking about why were were there.

While at Camp David I witnessed first hand many, many times reports getting fed a story basically to shut them up. That story obviously was printed as fact when it wasn't even come in missile distance of the actual facts.

 

[LGilmore]

Al, I think you're wrong on this one. HealthAgent does have it right.

The right or wrong of going to war is not subject to the opinion of our armed services. That is not their role. That is the responsibility of our voters to deteremine if a cause is just by electing or tossing out of office those who decide if the cause is just.