Today while shopping at a local grocery store I happened to catch a glimpse of an old man shopping with his wife. He was wearing a World War II hat that he seemed to wear quite proudly. His hands were shaking and it appeared that he may be suffering from Parkinsons Disease.

So I decided to approach him and thank him for his service to our country and to the world. I could tell he was happy that someone had taken the time to speak to him as did his wife. He served in Iwo Jima and Guam and told me of how they would clear underground tunnels of the hiding Japanese. One such tunnel he jumped down into and came upon a room with soldiers one at a desk and the others scattered around as if frozen in time. All were dead he says from poison gas.

One other time he said they captured some Japanese soldiers and they didn't know the war was over. They expected to be killed, and the Americans said no, then they thought they should be taken prisoner to which the Americans troops said no again that they were being sent back home to Japan. He said the Japanese didn't believe them until they radioed their commanders back in Japan to assure them.

A story from a World War II veteran in his 80's who entered the war as a high school dropout at age 19.

The war veterans are dying fast, soon all will be gone. It was a feel good moment for both of us that I felt was worthy of sharing. Anyone here have any stories to share?

There's new war veterans emerging everyday .

Vets also came from , The Korean War , The Vietnam War, Bay of Pigs Invasion , Grenada ,US Invasion of Panama ,Persian Gulf War , Intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina , Invasion of Afghanistan , Invasion of Iraq , Invasion of Libya .

These men and women should be thanked also .

My father served in The Phillipines at a POW Camp . Many of his friends that he grew up with fought in Normandy during the D-Day Invasion .

A very good friend of mine , his father passed away in March of this year was decorated in WWII with 8 purple hearts !

Thanks all

Thanks, gentlemen, for paying tribute. God bless them all.

My father was in the 509th Parachute Battalion, 82nd Airborne during WWII. He was wounded during the Battle of the Bulge and while recuperating in England he met my mom. To this day I think the Second World War was the most exciting thing that ever happened to him as he still talks about it more than anything else...

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boston2006
Vets also came from , The Korean War , The Vietnam War, Bay of Pigs Invasion , Grenada ,US Invasion of Panama ,Persian Gulf War , Intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina , Invasion of Afghanistan , Invasion of Iraq , Invasion of Libya .

These men and women should be thanked also .

Can hardly imagine any reason why to be thankful for invading for example vietnam...

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boston2006
There's new war veterans emerging everyday .

Vets also came from , The Korean War , The Vietnam War, Bay of Pigs Invasion , Grenada ,US Invasion of Panama ,Persian Gulf War , Intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina , Invasion of Afghanistan , Invasion of Iraq , Invasion of Libya.

And all the other places in the world where wars are raging.

Thanks Sicilian for thanking that particular vet. I have gotten to know an American veteran of the battle of Okinawa. He was a U.S. Army anti-aircraft gunner. The kamikaze attacks, however, were so ferocious that their equipment was destroyed before it could be off-loaded and he was reassigned to the U.S Marine Corp as an infantryman. It was up close combat and extremely brutal.

A very odd thing occurred during this battle after journalist Ernie Pyle was killed. A quick movie was made about him (or documentary, ?) and shown to the troops before the battle of Okinawa was even finished.

The veteran I know describes this strangely ironic ans almost surreal experience of being relieved at the front for awhile and watching a 'war movie' and tribute to Ernie Pyle while the war was still raging a short distance away.

Afterward he returned to the front!

You can not make this stuff up. To me that's the "Apocalypse Now' strange. The cliche of the 'truth being stranger than fiction' is quite true at times.

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shortfatfanny
Can hardly imagine any reason why to be thankful for invading for example vietnam...

The point is to express thanks to those who served, not the necessarily the wars they served in...

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shortfatfanny

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boston2006
Vets also came from , The Korean War , The Vietnam War, Bay of Pigs Invasion , Grenada ,US Invasion of Panama ,Persian Gulf War , Intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina , Invasion of Afghanistan , Invasion of Iraq , Invasion of Libya .

These men and women should be thanked also .

Can hardly imagine any reason why to be thankful for invading for example vietnam...

We're thanking the veterans not the wars

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boston2006

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shortfatfanny

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boston2006
Vets also came from , The Korean War , The Vietnam War, Bay of Pigs Invasion , Grenada ,US Invasion of Panama ,Persian Gulf War , Intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina , Invasion of Afghanistan , Invasion of Iraq , Invasion of Libya .

These men and women should be thanked also .

Can hardly imagine any reason why to be thankful for invading for example vietnam...

We're thanking the veterans not the wars

So we thank the german vets of WW2 who invaded Poland,the Netherlands,France,...,...,as well ?

Although we may disagree with the politics of the wars , their allegiance was to their country , so , yes .

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boston2006
Although we may disagree with the politics of the wars , their allegiance was to their country , so , yes .

Well well - then thanx a lot to Nixon, @#$%& and Stalin (and Ku Klux Klan?)!!
And dont forget the Wermacht and Waffen SS and Gestapo - they did a great job in Poland and Russia, figting for their country,killed millions of communist and Juwes. Of course they should be praised.
What about reading some books about the war in Europe in WW2 my american friends??????

Bo

I,ll better leave this forum, before I,m gonna puke!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2011-04-19 01:54 by hedegaard.

Jesus H Christ - If shortfatfanny can not thank Vietnam vets he/she just doesn't get it. Narrow mindedness looking at things 40-50 years later I do not want to get into it but if you ca not thank a Viietnam vet there really is something wrong with you. Many of the men and women that went to Vietnam thought that the communist threat was real look at it in terms if 1960 and you may if you know any history look at it a little differently. A lot of people that went to Nam did not realize the war was a mistake until they were there for a while or when they came home and found out later that it was not the right thing to do.

Vietnam vets deserve a great deal of gratitude from their fellow countymen especially seeing as most went not of their own free will.

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boston2006
There's new war veterans emerging everyday. Vets also came from , The Korean War , The Vietnam War, Bay of Pigs Invasion , Grenada ,US Invasion of Panama ,Persian Gulf War , Invasion of Afghanistan , Invasion of Iraq , Invasion of Libya . Thanks all

When are humans, especially men, gonna learn that almost ALL WAR is nothing but BIG BUSINESS and makes a few greedy, no morals, super pigs SUPER RICH. All the wars mentioned above were total bullsh*t and didn't solve ANYTHING. A lot of them have to do with the USA becoming the next World Empire (basically already is), or Oil, or revenge on someone who crossed the CIA - Sadam Hussan for example. Man, when are all these war lovers gonna get enlightened? When are people gonna stop believing all the bullsh*t their Government tells them. People never learn until it's TOO LATE.

You people just don't get it .

I don't endorse war nor do the poor saps that did the fighting .

I just think that vets deserve their do no matter when they served . period .

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CrissCrossMind

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boston2006
There's new war veterans emerging everyday. Vets also came from , The Korean War , The Vietnam War, Bay of Pigs Invasion , Grenada ,US Invasion of Panama ,Persian Gulf War , Invasion of Afghanistan , Invasion of Iraq , Invasion of Libya . Thanks all

When are humans, especially men, gonna learn that almost ALL WAR is nothing but BIG BUSINESS and makes a few greedy, no morals, super pigs SUPER RICH. All the wars mentioned above were total bullsh*t and didn't solve ANYTHING. A lot of them have to do with the USA becoming the next World Empire (basically already is), or Oil, or revenge on someone who crossed the CIA - Sadam Hussan for example. Man, when are all these war lovers gonna get enlightened? When are people gonna stop believing all the bullsh*t their Government tells them. People never learn until it's TOO LATE.

If and when you meet an old veteran would you give them a kind word for their service?

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shortfatfanny
So we thank the german vets of WW2 who invaded Poland,the Netherlands,France,...,...,as well ?

You can if you want, but I choose not to. The vets I referred to are liberators of oppressed people. Which doesn't mean that German vets were not men of honor too. However, at the time those men were aggressors, and fighting to overthrow civilized nations. There is more shame to their actions but many were forced to fight against their will for a despot.

On the other hand, those German and Japanese vets have stories to tell that are worth listening too.

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The Sicilian

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shortfatfanny
So we thank the german vets of WW2 who invaded Poland,the Netherlands,France,...,...,as well ?

You can if you want, but I choose not to. The vets I referred to are liberators of oppressed people. Which doesn't mean that German vets were not men of honor too. However, at the time those men were aggressors, and fighting to overthrow civilized nations. There is more shame to their actions but many were forced to fight against their will for a despot.

On the other hand, those German and Japanese vets have stories to tell that are worth listening too.

Sicilian,I wasn´t referring to your first post,which opened the thread,where you
made a very touching description.

I refered to boston2006...and thanks,slew,everything is fine with me.
Let me tell you an experience,when I first visited the states aged 18 in 1982 with a group
of pupils from germany.

We´ve been on the way visiting the statue of liberty when suddenly an old man
asked us where we came from.
I told him and he started to tell us about that he´s been soldier for the us army
taking part in WW2 in germany.

He told a lot about what he´s seen and done...and that back in this time never could imagine any german ever visiting the USA.He told while tears run down his face this war broke him completely but nevertheless he was still proud to be helpful to libertate those german people,those "strange human beings" as he said...
We spent a great time talking with him at the statue...

He is a vet who deserves my honour,tribute and all my thoughts forever.
Narrow minded ? Think about it...

This must be countdown to this thread being closed??

My father served in Singapore in the late fifties. Loved to tell a yarn or three.

"The Korean War , The Vietnam War, Bay of Pigs Invasion , Grenada ,US Invasion of Panama ,Persian Gulf War , Intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina , Invasion of Afghanistan , Invasion of Iraq , Invasion of Libya."

You gotta admit though most of the above were political/financial rather than relief of the oppressed!

mugabe gets away with murder (literally) and we stand by as he's no oil.....

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The Sicilian

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shortfatfanny
So we thank the german vets of WW2 who invaded Poland,the Netherlands,France,...,...,as well ?

You can if you want, but I choose not to. The vets I referred to are liberators of oppressed people. Which doesn't mean that German vets were not men of honor too. However, at the time those men were aggressors, and fighting to overthrow civilized nations. There is more shame to their actions but many were forced to fight against their will for a despot.

On the other hand, those German and Japanese vets have stories to tell that are worth listening too.

Who decides wether a nation is "civilized" or not?

Nothing wrong with your thread, the sicilian - but I just don't think the comparison with the other wars was appropriate at all.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-04-19 16:44 by DandelionPowderman.

Oh man,those where the days.:

236 years ago today, Minutemen from eastern Massachusetts fought in what became to be known as the first battles of the USA's Revolutionary war. I grew up in the town of Acton, MA which was adjacent to Concord, MA which was where, for the first time, British and Colonial militaries lined up and went to battle. If the historical record is accurate, the Minutemen from Acton were the first into the battle and three of them were among, if not the first to fall.

Many of you are asking, "So What?"

The so what is this: For right or wrong, those men responded to a call to serve and they answered yes. This is true for all service men & women to this day. In 1775 when the above mentioned battles took place, there was no USA. They were not called by their federal government to serve. The USA didn't exist until 1776 when we declared our independence.

Throughout history, men & women have been called to serve. Sometimes by a government, a king, a religious leader & sometimes just by their neighbors. As history progresses and communication has become faster and more available, it has become easier and easier for sideline observers to judge and debate all aspects of human interaction, including war. Here in the USA, I believe, we are encouraged to have these debates and conversations although I don't know that that has always been the case and sometimes I wonder if that's even the case currently (that's another topic altogether).

The point I'm trying to make is that, regardless of "side", regardless of "outcome", all veterans (war/non), at some point, chose to serve. They chose to serve and most likely sacrificed some of their personal desires to do so. In my mind, that willingness to endure the sacrifice of service is what I thank veterans for. They either said yes when called or volunteered on their own. As a citizen, I thank all of my veterans and their families for the sacrifices they've made and the hardships they've carried on all of our behalf.

Peace,
Mr DJA

Note: I re-read this before posting and I'm hoping that no one finds any offense. I realize that this thread is WAY off topic and that the specific war/battle I mentioned is most likely viewed differently from east of the Atlantic ocean than it is from here on the western side (in the US at least).

shortfatfanny - Read Mr_Dja's post above it is very insightful. I have friends and relatives that served in Vietnam. Most were drafted into service most came back and some did not. I thank them and any others that served. This is getting too off topic. Another place. Lets go back to the Stones

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slew
shortfatfanny - Read Mr_Dja's post above it is very insightful. I have friends and relatives that served in Vietnam. Most were drafted into service most came back and some did not. I thank them and any others that served. This is getting too off topic. Another place. Lets go back to the Stones

I´ve read it...we simply got different views on this topic.
Agree...let´s go back to the stones...if only we could...

As a U.S. Army veteran of "Operation Iraqi Freedom" and an infrequent poster here, just had to pipe in and appreciate the support shown by some of the users, very proud of helping to support our efforts to combat Al Qaida in Iraq, as well as Afghanistan, and yes, they were in Iraq; and would do it again in a heartbeat, some may remember 9/11/01 and who wanted this fight. (KNOW this is off topic, but HAD to comment).

Very wise words mr_dja. Thank you.

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Keep On Rolling

Thank you for your service Blue.

Thanks for the complement Rolling Hansie.

Also, thanks To ShortFatFanny for the Statue of Liberty story (I forgot to mention that in my previous post). I can only imagine the emmotions that soldier felt as he talked with you and your group. I imagine that contact with you was as much a highlight for him as much as it was for you.

Peace,
Mr DJA

Great respect for the troops, very little for most of the government policies that have put them in harms way, and very little respect for the harsh way vets are treated back home.

Blue - Thank you for your service and I support you and your fellow soldiers effforts

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shortfatfanny

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boston2006
Vets also came from , The Korean War , The Vietnam War, Bay of Pigs Invasion , Grenada ,US Invasion of Panama ,Persian Gulf War , Intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina , Invasion of Afghanistan , Invasion of Iraq , Invasion of Libya .

These men and women should be thanked also .

Can hardly imagine any reason why to be thankful for invading for example vietnam...

That was a political decision that should in no way be held against those servicemen who were just doing their job as a result of that decision.