Today is a day of rememberance. I'd like to take
this opportunity to say Thank You to all our
brave World War II Veterans. God Bless You and
God Bless America.

Barbara

Frank & All of our service vets


God Bless you all. You gave us freedom.
Barbara

Thanks to both of you Barbara girls.. I really appriciate that..I know that you guys mean it from your hearts.

AWWW! Babcia where are you..?? A lot has happened and I have a lot to tell you. BUT?? <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Frank,

This seems a good time and place to ask: a friend mentioned that his dad (WW II Era) and I (Vietnam era) share some of the same opinions and perspectives of the military, and his dad is a non- combat vet as well.

Have you noticed differences between opinions of combat and non-combat vets, and if so, what were they? I am thinking of atitudes toward the miltary, toward the obilgation to serve, toward being a veteran, and perhaps even in politics. Thanks for your thoughts.

Kai

Kai,
I just wish that I were more qualified to answer your question.. I am probably the oldest guy in here.. (79)..And all that I have is 9 yrs of schooling.. I am a product of Polish immigrants raised during the great depression..We did not have the luxury of a higher education..In order to survive we all had to work.. But no on ever complained.. My Parents loved America. We never had much, but what we did have was ours .. My parents told stories of their opression in Poland.. They never owned anything.. Here according to them, they found the promised land.

In 1941 when America was attacted, there was a great sense of Patroitism. Every body wanted to go. Not to go was a terrible let down../ You were considered 4F..( Unfit for Service ).No body wanted to be 4f.. There was a lot of pride for one to serve his country. Little flags with stars were displayed in home windows to signify how many loved ones served from that family.. A gold star told of a love one that perished.. We considered the war as a just cause.

I never noticed a difference between combat and non combat men, other than we knew that to non combat men had it made. We all had to go. We all were assigned to a role where were of more use.

After WW2 things started to change.. Vets started to go to college under the GI bill.. We all begab to prosper.. AMERICA WAS ON A ROLL. The American became a much wiser person.. We started to ask why?? WW1 was the War to end all Wars../WW2 they said never again..We believed that.

We protested Korea,,A police action ( Bull [censored])
Vietnam.. Preventing a Domino affect( Bull [censored])
Kosovo,,Another Police action.. ( BULL [censored])
Iraq,, HA HA yea sure,, I want someone to tell me why.
Old men make wars and young men have to die... FOR WHAT?
WW2 Was a Just war.. We were attacked.

Ok Kai you just an opinion from one of the masses. It is up to you young people to tell them.. NO MORE.

I hope that I made some sense... Frank
<img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Frank, I hear you loud and clear.

I am a Viet Nam veteran. Most nonsensical war the US had ever fought.

I believe that it was DeGaul that insisted on the entrance to Paris. Eisenhower was having a hard time keeping his cool with that arrogant idiot of a French president.

There were many in the US government that didn't want to treat the French as allies. They wanted to consider them as Nazis as the Vichy were. However, diplomacy as it was back then, the French were considered allies. DeGaul was allowed to enter Paris first and the rest is history.

In regards to Viet Nam. I made a promise to myself that if, in the lifetime of my son becoming eligible for the draft and we were fighting another war like Viet Nam I would personally take him to Canada.

Enough said. <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

Hi All !!

I've been away for a long time due to illness. They say that bad things come in 3's well that's
what happened to me.
#1 - laser gall bladder surgery
#2 - lung problem - from years of smoking - didn't show up until after surgery.
#3 - while recouperating from above, broke right
foot.

I've been staying with my Mom for a while now until I can get around on my own. Hubby travels
a lot and we also have a lot of stairs in our home so it is easier to stay with Mom since her
home is on one level and she loves taking care of
me. I still have a cast on my right foot for another 3 weeks or so. I still get very tired quickly and have a hard time breathing deeply, but I'm getting better each day. I have a breathing exercise I have to do every hour and
afterwards I'm exhausted, so I don't use the computer very often when I'm home, usually only
for the weekend, today I'll be going back to Mom's for the week, hubby drops me off on his way to work.
Take care everyone and I'll check back here on
Friday when I return home again.
Barbara

Sketter Kai, Jaga
As long as I am on this anti French kick,allow me to tell of more incidences.

Operation Torch,, The invasion of North Africa... Vichy France.
The French opposed the allied landings.. They scuttled their navy to prevent it from falling into Allied hands.
Then they claimed that they laid down their arms
so they could join the Allies...Bull [censored]. The cowards surrendered.. They are good at that.

January 1945.. The Battle of the Bulge,,Along with WACHT On the Rhine,,, Hitler launched another attack calle South Wind..This was an attack of northern France's Alcace and Lorraine Regions.. Since thwe Northern front was under pressure from the Germans,, Eisenhower told the free French forces to protect that region..DeGaulle refused.. He claimeds that he did not want to damage Alcace.. Eisenhower countered, that he would sernd American Troops to disarm the French. Reluctantly DeGaull relented..

These are the stories coming back to the American troops up North.

Then there was Bernard Montgomery.. He wanted to be Supre Command of the whole Northern Army.. Eisenhower threeatened to quit.. Montgomery backed under pressure from Churchill..His apology to Eisenhower was I REMAIN YOUR HUMBLE SERVANT

Things quieted down.. We went on to victory... The rest is history Frank
<img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Barbara,

I am sorry to hear about your illnesses. I had no idea you had to suffer so much. I hope that your cast will be removed soon. Please take your time, you will be in my prayers!

Frank, John,

you are both heroes, we well as the soldiers who participate in the present war. It does not matter whether the war had more or less significance, at least Vietnam war was purely ideological and not for oil. You served your country rather than hiding in the bushes and this is a real courage.

All USA veterans are heroes, as they prevent wars from speading to or intensifing over here by fighting it over there.
Vietnam War was partly economic and partly ideological. War profiteers made big money, and Vietnamese mafias struggled to wrest economy away from Western interests.

The strangest thing is that I don't hold any grudges against the Vietnamese.

My impression of the country is that it is very beautiful and so are the people.

John,

you are unusual. You know, my father in law was also in Vietnam, as a airforce pilot. But his attitude is very different. He holds grudge - maybe not against Vietnamese, because he did not have too much personal interactions, but against all these liberals and communists... here in the USA.

It is very courageous from you to say that you do not believe that Vietnam war made too much sense, yet - to be a part of it.

My mother was always on the American site - in spite of our mass media which were so much against it. Officially we were always supporting the partizans.

I guess, the truth is somewhere between both sites. As I said before, at least Vietnam war was purely ideological.