To all our vets and their families. We LOVE you and thank you for your service! This week's honorary "Mr. Two Bits" is UF ROTC officer candidates from the four military branches.....
It was my pleasure...and most of your parents paid for my experience so when you see them, thank them. I had a great time doing so!
Had two Uncles who served in WW2. One lost an eye during the Battle of the Huertgen Forest. My other Uncle's wife's brother was killed during the Anzio landing in Italy. My Dad served for 22 years in the Army. Mostly served in Viet Nam. 82nd Airborne, Green Beret, 7th Special Forces. He passed away at the age of 45 from throat cancer, May 1977. Agent Orange? Who knows but GOD. I totally respect anyone who served, is serving, or will serve, to keep us all safe and free. May GOD rest their souls of the ones that have passed. Glad Coach Billy is establishing the annual tribute to all that served. GO GATORS!!!!
To the civvies, you're welcome! To the lifers, thank you! I tell you, I was so happy to take a cruise when I got out and just be a passenger instead of working my way across every time
yes, thank you to all for remembering us. Wishing a very blessed Veterans Day to my fellow vets as well.
Happy Veterans Day and thank you for your service! To civilians - saying thanks one day is not enough! One of every 10 homeless people in our country is a veteran. PTSD, drug addiction, isolation, and many other factors bedevil our veterans. Getting healthcare for burn pit victims was way too hard and we grossly under fund treatment for veterans returning from action. Please find an organization in your community to support. Here is one that I believe in. https://www.thesheepdogprogram.com/
SeabudGator - I have long suspected there are very good reasons that our veterans are "Bedeviled". Once a military person gets past the spit and polish, the parades, the impressive military hardware ............... there is reality. It's not talked about much. Movies of course glorify and showcase ultra-violence associated with the military, but military members are often haunted by many things: The rigors of surviving boot camp and being "accepted". Being a stranger in a strange land. Being a hostile "occupier". Seeing fellow soldiers, often friends, hurt or even killed. Witnessing or being part of "Collateral Damage". Seeing societies "torn-apart" by war. Then of course there are the "situations". What do I mean by that: Some examples: The Battle of Long Island Battle of Fredricksburg or Gettysburg The little Big-Horn Kasserine Pass Corrigador Iwo Jima Chosen Reservoir Hamburger Hill And many others where the US did not "win" a particular battle. Anyone that thinks for 1 second that their life would not change INSTANTLY once bullets and explosions happen and comrades fall is probably fooling themselves. There are very difficult and terrible situations that combatants face even if not hurt / wounded in action. Weather, lack of sleep, hunger, disease, moral, treatment by other soldiers......... it's a long list. Nor does a soldier necessarily have to be in combat to get hurt physically or psychologicly. Training missions and helicopter rides result in many injuries and deaths. It's not an easy profession and Americans seem to forget about our soldiers once the ticker tape parade is over. Our legislative bodies have done a poor job in supporting our men and women in uniform in many respects: Substandard health care at the VA's, lack of support with jobs and careers ............... There is a very good reason 1 in 10 veterans are sick or homeless.
Gatorhead, all of that is a true and a moving record of the struggle. However, many, many more veterans - the overwhelming majority - return and just go to work, raising families, getting involved in their community, doing their best to build the sort of nation that they stood to defend. I say this not to diminish the struggle of many brothers and sisters-in-arms, but to praise and appreciate the ones that have undergone all the things you listed - and more - yet have risen above them, scarred or marked perhaps, yes - but ultimately overcoming them and leaving them as memories.
Thank you to my fellow veterans! I served in the US Army Reserve, and twice in the US Air Force (once enlisted and once commissioned). The command I served in was carved out in the US Space Force after I retired.
Orlando- based Homepage | Camaraderie Foundation is geared to “healing the hidden wounds of war” for not only military but also the families of 9/11 wars. Free services for those who served and their families. FYI - the largest concentration of post 9/11 vets is in the I4 corridor from Tampa Bay to Daytona.
Served 6 years four in the USAF. Served 01/57 thru 07/59 in Athens Greece. Wife and I were 18 years old just married 12/56. We felt like we were on a 2 1/2 year honeymoon at taxpayer expense. Will celebrate our 66 th wedding anniversary in a few weeks. My how time flies.
