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Jerry
Jerry SuperDork
11/11/15 6:18 a.m.

Didn't see anything already, so here's a thread where you post (almost embarrassingly) old photos of yourself or loved one in the military. ...and maybe local deals to be had.

Myself, mother and step-dad on a dependents day cruise, ~1989 or so. USS Theodore Roosevelt. (I was crouching down, they are/were wee people.)

Probably not partaking in any Veteran's Day deals myself, never felt like waiting in line 1-1.5hr for a free $15 meal.

TRoglodyte
TRoglodyte SuperDork
11/11/15 6:27 a.m.

This is gonna be good....

914Driver
914Driver MegaDork
11/11/15 7:39 a.m.

Forgive the quality, there were no pixels in 1972. This is a digital of a hard copy.

Receiving my Dolphins from the Captain, nuke fast attack boat.

Making new friends in Valparaiso Chile. Spent the day with these ladies and their family; nice picnic on a hillside with local foods and lots of home made pear wine. It was very good!

KyAllroad
KyAllroad SuperDork
11/11/15 8:16 a.m.

<img src=" photo image_zpsrf89qdm3.jpg" />

19 year old me boarding the freedom bird to come home after Desert Storm.

Duke
Duke MegaDork
11/11/15 8:24 a.m.

I don't have any online photos of my Dad at Canaveral with the USAF missile program during Korea, but some are great - particularly one with him in fatigues wearing his gas mask and a broom at present arms.

I never served, but I want to take this moment to comprehensively thank all who did, both my friends and and the millions who I've never met. Thank you.

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
11/11/15 8:24 a.m.

Before this goes too far, just wanted to say thank you.

Yes, post away!

Kia_Racer
Kia_Racer Dork
11/11/15 9:01 a.m.

Thank you to all who served, both in combat and out.

Service is service no matter what you did in the military!

92dxman
92dxman Dork
11/11/15 9:39 a.m.

I don't have any photos nor have I served but a huge thank you to anyone past/present who has served in any branch of the forces

Keith Tanner
Keith Tanner GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
11/11/15 10:17 a.m.

My father-in-law saw some action in Vietnam, but you'd never know it. I'm not even sure his daughters realize it. It's not something he talks about. His son just retired from the Army and is still in the reserves - again, you probably wouldn't know.

Veterans Day has a different flavour in Canada and much of the rest of the world. It's not so much "thank you for your service" as "never again". The day is more to reflect on the folly of war and remember those we lost. It's known as Rememberance Day, which pretty much sums up the difference.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

aircooled
aircooled MegaDork
11/11/15 10:28 a.m.

Step father (30 years navy), being a hot shot fighter pilot (note black eye) on the deck of a carrier, probably early 50's, maybe off of Korea.

Here is him years later talkin' planes and the military:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Wg1dZ1lY6JE

This is him getting blown up (the room is destroyed a few scenes after this) in the movie Task Force (they filmed it on his carrier)

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Cdx76XTZiHA

speedman
speedman New Reader
11/11/15 11:17 a.m.

Just wanted to say Thank YOU for your service.

No matter what branch of the service, whether American , Canadian or British. Thank you for all you have done, and continue to do.

For those who have lost loved ones Thank you for their love of liberty and their unselfish sacrifice for these great lands we are blessed to live in and for the freedoms we enjoy.

Thank you.

Gary
Gary Dork
11/11/15 12:24 p.m.

This is another great thread. I spent six years in the USAR in the seventies, but don't have any photos. (And I didn't do anything to merit any praise or thank you for it). But I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you and your loved ones for your service, and especially those who served in combat zones!

wbjones
wbjones MegaDork
11/11/15 12:48 p.m.

another … no photos available .. to the best of my knowledge there are no pic anywhere (other than cruise books) of me while I was in the Navy

Woody
Woody GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
11/11/15 1:15 p.m.

Dad, 1951

 photo Air Force Near Senaca Lake 03-04-19510001_zps4jpypuey.jpg

The Hoff
The Hoff UltraDork
11/11/15 1:18 p.m.

My mom and dad when they joined the Navy in 1969-

madmallard
madmallard Dork
11/11/15 1:27 p.m.

Pardon the threadjack,

but if any veterans could point us non-veterans to some groups or websites they know of or have helped them before that are for helping veterans, especially those of us with more time than $$, I think many of us would be interested.

Sometimes its hard to cut through the noise of information on a websearch...

mapper
mapper Reader
11/11/15 1:39 p.m.

In reply to madmallard:

I just found out about this organization and will be running in their Atlanta 5K on Saturday. DAV.Org

Looked them up here: Charity Navigator

They seem to be better than Wounded Warrior at actually helping disabled vets.

Steve USAF 87-93

KyAllroad
KyAllroad SuperDork
11/11/15 1:49 p.m.

In reply to madmallard:

I'm not a fan of most charities due to their self serving interests. (WoundedWarrior is a prime offender)

If you live anywhere near a VA you are more than welcome to volunteer to help out. If you want to push a wheelchair around or help someone eat a meal. If you like to drive, contact the DAV and see if you can help out driving people to their appointments. Lot of good works to be done out there.

Thanks for taking an interest.

rob_lewis
rob_lewis SuperDork
11/11/15 3:23 p.m.

10556342_10202149062843096_7611383240584418478_n

My Dad while he served in Viet Nam.

Interesting that I rarely heard stories of that time, but he's told my son a bunch of them. I guess he didn't want to remind me because he was gone a lot when I was growing up. It's cool to hear his stories, now that I'm older.

Thanks for your many years of service, Dad.

Teh E36 M3
Teh E36 M3 SuperDork
11/11/15 9:33 p.m.

My office, so glad to be back at it after several years behind a real desk.

Happy day to all, glad to be a cog in the machine.

GeddesB
GeddesB GRM+ Memberand New Reader
11/11/15 9:38 p.m.

Green Ramp, Pope AFC, NC Late '80s. Waiting to load and jump. In the foreground is my reserve.

Jim Pettengill
Jim Pettengill HalfDork
11/11/15 10:16 p.m.

One of the nation's largest and most "hands-on" veterans' service organizations is the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. The Elks have more than 2000 local lodges with almost 1,000,000 members, and one of their most important national programs is veterans service (others are youth activities and drug awareness). Contact your local Elks lodge or go to the national website (www.elks.org) to learn more. The Elks organized the first mobile field hospitals in WWI (later became MASH units), built and equipped the first veterans hospital after WWI and gave it to the Federal government (which became the first VA hospital), and has done thousands of more projects on the local and national level. If you want to be directly involved in assisting and thanking our veterans, look into the Elks - a great organization. My wife and I are both very active, and glad of it. We're doing a fundraiser this Saturday that should raise about $1000 for our nearest VA facility - this in a town of 900 residents.

The Elks are actually responsible for Veteran's Day (formerly Armistice Day) being November 11th. At the termination of hostilities of WWI, General Pershing was given authority to determine the time and date of surrender. Pershing was an active Elk, and the Elks hold the hour of 11 o'clock as the hour of remembrance of those members who have passed away. Pershing selected the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in remembrance of all those who fell during the war - not just Elk members.

Wayslow
Wayslow HalfDork
11/11/15 10:30 p.m.
Keith Tanner wrote: My father-in-law saw some action in Vietnam, but you'd never know it. I'm not even sure his daughters realize it. It's not something he talks about. His son just retired from the Army and is still in the reserves - again, you probably wouldn't know. Veterans Day has a different flavour in Canada and much of the rest of the world. It's not so much "thank you for your service" as "never again". The day is more to reflect on the folly of war and remember those we lost. It's known as Rememberance Day, which pretty much sums up the difference. In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.

Number 2 Daughter is attending Ottawa U and took part in the Remembrance Day service at the National War Memorial. She then placed her poppy on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I've raised good people.

Javelin
Javelin GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
11/11/15 10:41 p.m.

Trying:

I bought an iced tea at Applebee's and sat at the bar talking to other Veterans, it was awesome. I met a Master Chief from the USCG who was on terminal leave and spent 14 years in the area I'm from in Florida.

slefain
slefain UberDork
11/12/15 9:52 a.m.

Not to drag things down, but possibly the best thing my Dad got from being drafted was being eligible for internment at Georgia National Cemetery. The military covered all his cremation costs and worked directly with the funeral home. We went to visit Dad earlier this week and it is absolutely beautiful there. A comparable private cemetery would have been a fortune and probably nowhere near as nice. Dad loved the mountains, so he gets to look out over north Georgia. Dad used to joke that the Army owed him two years of his life back, but we thought he'd call it even now that the Army has to take care of him forever.

So ask your loved ones about using their Veterans benefits for their final resting place.

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