Richard thanks for the heartfelt feelings of a true "Sailor" and your words
should be heard by the world. I myself spent twenty years in the old canoe
club, did two tours inland Viet Nam. I currently have two sons (both Chiefs)
serving on active duty. My wife KATE is a veteran along with her father who
was the CO of the USS TALLADEGA during WWII and was on the USS MISSOURI as
part of the Chiefs of Staff for the surrender of JAPAN. I have been an
American Legion Post Commander and a District Vice Commander. I will let you
go and again THANK YOU for posting this!!!
Have a happy VETERANS DAY & GOD BLESS AMERICA!!
KATE & GARY "DOC" BALES USN/RET
richard.arnold@juno.com wrote:
> A re-posting of my essay from last year....
>
> *****
> We're active duty, volunteers, draftees, reservists, and guards members.
>
> We've served in peace and in war, in the freezing cold and broiling heat,
> dug foxholes, slogged through mud, moved materials and supplies through
> gunfire, walked point in a free-fire zone, jumped from a perfectly good
> airplane into a hostile area, experienced the peculiar hell of standing
> watch when it's perfectly quiet, and donned protective masks and
> bio-chemical protective gear when the alarms go off.
>
> We've been in combat zones for month and years at a time, and served our
> country for entire lifetimes. Sometimes those lifetimes were short.
>
> We've seen the balloon go up, and deployed on a less than a moment's
> notice. We've watched our families grow up without us, lost our families
> because of our service, and our families sometimes lose us.
>
> We've been sent on combat missions and peacekeeping missions, and train
> constantly. We drive tanks, ride in infantry vehicles and trucks; we fly
> planes, pilot ships, and hump rucks. We shuffle papers, move supplies,
> turn wrenches, target guns, and perform medical services. We gather
> intelligence, drop bombs, shoot missiles, run commo, and form perimeters.
>
> We kill the enemy. We may not want to, but we do what is necessary to
> accomplish our mission: To be prepared -- at all times -- to protect the
> interests of our country. And we do this so that you never have to face
> the horror of taking a life, or seeing a friend die, or place yourself in
> harm's way.
>
> We give our lives.
>
> We've seen the world change because of our efforts, and been slighted
> because of those efforts. Some have said that idealism is dead, that in
> today's pragmatic times, folks are too practical to sacrifice for a
> concept. We do. In peace and in war, we do.
>
> Sometimes we're remembered and thanked; given a parade, a flag, or a
> salute on special occasions, or on holidays. Sometimes we're an
> inconvenience; more often, and worse, we're taken for granted, as a
> constant. We don't expect gratitude, we don't need to be glorified or
> pitied, we don't seek special honors. We do what we do out of love for
> you, our country.
>
> We've earned respect, and simple acknowledgment of our contributions.
> Please remember us daily. If you can't or you won't, and we're forgotten
> until the next holiday rolls around, we'll still be here.
>
> We'll still serve. It needs to be done, and someone has to do it.
>
> And we believe.
|