Roll call of military veterans past and present

1st Battalion 1st Marines RVN 67-68. 42 years ago, as well. Just as young, just as skinny

 

Camp A-421 ...

 

Army artillary 1970-1973

 

US NAVY
USS Dewy DDG 45
1987-1991 Machinist Mate

 

Army Medic, 1984-2003. Panama, Iraq, Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, Iraq part II.

 

Army 67-68 25th Inf. and 199th Inf. Thanks to the ones before me and the ones after me.

 

USN, 1965 to '69, ADJ5 (jet engine mechanic)

 

Viet Nam 68 69 Doorgunner. probably my friends that didn't go to nam were my most influential for the hot rods. Yaah I was plenty jealous when I got back stateside.All those cool new 69 muscle cars. But life is marvelous and all is good on the Texas front.
Hill Rat

 

Shirtless ... "Tropic Lightning" ... cool

 

U.S Army 86-90
11he9 mech tow gunner
1/36 ray barracks Germany
3-9 ft ord California
Just Cause

 

Damn, this was 20 years ago!! Bayonet assault course, you will of course notice the trigger finger..........


Its Ok, because real soldiers arrive like this INTO the battle, we don't walk there.....



Doc.

 

Guys can we take a minute to remember a Regiment brother of mine who gave his life in Afghanistan on the 14th. TPR Jason 'Brownie' Brown. RIP.



(Please note the second pic above is not me, but it is the same equipment we used. Sadly there are no pics of me, and well...... very few of anyone I know doing HAPO, OPSEC I guess.)

Doc

 

USN 1965 - 1994

Boot and ETA School, Great Lakes, IL (65 - 66)
USS Intrepid CVA-11 (66 - 69)
USS America CVA - 66 (70 - 72)
Instructor duty NATTC Glynco, GA and Millington, TN (73 - 77)
USS America CVA - 66 (77 - 80)
SIMA Little Creek (80 - 83)
USS America CV - 66 (83 - 86)
MOTU TWO, Norfolk, VA (87 - 89)
USS Wisconsin BB - 64 (89 - 91)
USS Aurther W. Radford DD - 968 (91 - 94)

A little three month stint repairing comms for Seals in Nam, a little T-Sec support for Marines in Lebanon, drove the ship accross "the line of death" in Libia and played near the "sand box" buring Gulf I, was interesting and would do it all again. Gained an education no amount of book learning will give you. Retired as a CWO - 4 and enjoying life.

 

Hey Doc, what is all that fancy gear on that HALO (your HAPO) jump?

I just don't remember any of that new fangled stuff back in '69...lol

Thanks again to all of you youngin's for serving!


RLTW

 

HAPO, our HALO, 'High Altitude Parachute Operations'.
You rarely open low, the noise of an opening canopy is LOUD and obvious if you're inserting near an opponent, (Politically incorrect to call them enemy anymore!).
That 'Fancy Gear' is now old gear! It's a couple of generations of equipment behind! I don't even know if they are still using what I jumped!!

You will have to excuse my ramblings, I'm rather drunk. Not only did I lose a brother but VA finally decided to pay me today!! Only took 3 years of fighting!!
YAY!!
Hands up who has been fucked by VA??

Doc

(Hey I have not had a drink in almost 10 years, le'mme alone!)

(I still rememberd to spell check!)

 

Sir,
so tell us, who started that fire.

Tim

 

Actualy, thinking about it. That is an older set of equipment than I used. Our air hose came out of the mask at a right angle so it didnt hang out there in space like that one does. Plus he is carrying fuck all in that pack, where are all the other pouches??

Doc.

(Im, gonna' be shot in the morning I know it.)

 

I personally don't care for Veteran's Day, although I like it better than Memorial Day I guess.

The Ol' Man was a Merchant Marine in the WWII. They hauled arms a machinery mostly, had a ship shot out from under him. They decided that he was a veteran in the later '80s or early '90s if I recall.

My granddad was a dough boy in WWI and a CO in Marine County in WWII. Retired a Major worked his way up through the ranks.

Both of his sons were active in WWII; one was a member of Paton's Bastards (a Captain), the other was an M/P stationed in Egypt (Staff Sergent).

All very good men.

 

A-10 pilot. 12 years worth of lighting my hair on fire. Wish I still had the hair!

 

A-10! I Loved you guys almost as much as I loved the Gunships. Nothing like a 30mm cannon or a 105mm howitzer on call. I know you guys saved out arses a few times.
Thank you.
Doc.

 

Doc A good friend of ours was loosing his teeth to trench mouth (brought on by substance abuse I suppose). He was informed that he had no benifits unless his problem was Police Action induced, they weren't even kind enough to call it a war. So he had to pretend to be bongos to get himself admited to the VA Hospital. Then a Navy dentist did the best he could to salvage his teeth. After the dental work was performed he had to pretend to not be bongos to get released.

That's pretty close to being screwed by the VA I guess.

Uh, alcohol gives me nightmares.

 

I served aboard USS Saratoga CV60 73-77, three of my sons are in currently or have served, one currently is a Captain in USAF, one is military police in the Navy, one is out already after serving aboard the John C Stennis CV74, my father was in the navy also, he was on several ships, last one was uss marcus island cve77, my grandfather who i never met due to divorce and adaption, died in action aboard the uss enterprise cv-6 during the battle of eastern solomons, Robert F Read, http://www.cv6.org/1942/solomons/solomons_2.htm
The military is part of our life everyday.

 

Novadude55, I lift my hat to your family's service.

Porknbeaner, It's sad but that is a 'normal' for VA the world over. It's even sadder that one can give so much of their life to a country, and believe me 3 years can be much, much more than a lifetime to the military and still be treated like a second class person.
Respect your veterans and fight for them.
Please.

Doc.

 

Thanks to all you guys. I often wish I would have served my country. You all have my respect.

 

Big Mack, an out spoken voice can just be as important.

Doc.

 

Doc
Life is lived in minutes. You must appreciate everydamned one of them.

Freedom aint free, lift a glass to all that have come before us and all those who will follow.

 

U.S. Air Force F-4 Phantom Radar technician, 1981-1990
1981-1985 Moody AFB, Georgia
1985-1986 Osan AB, Korea
1986-1990 George AFB, California

Best decision I ever made. I was a 17yr old kid who didn't have a clue what I wanted to do with my life. I saw the world and learned a good trade. I'm still working around aircraft, too. Just went over 20yrs with Northrop Grumman and I'll be here until I retire.

 

Great words that I have missed in the last few years, Live every minute?
Shit, just how do I do that?

Doc.

 

One minute at a time. I always tell myself I can make it just one minute more. if its bad right now just wait a minute it will most likely get better.

Sometimes its takes more than one minute but I can make it one minute more.

 

USN 1972-1978 VQ-2 Rota Spain and Patuxent River. One year in USNR

And my wife says "isn't it funny that nearly all the planes you worked on are now in the museum".

Thanks, to all my fellow veterans.