I joined the Air Force in 1968, was sent to Saigon, Vietnam Sept 1969 till Sept 1970, retired from the Air Force in 1988. I have been found 100% disabled with "Agent Orange", I have heart problems, the back side is blocked up and dead. I will be 67 next month. Thankful I am still alive with my health problems.
A hero is not made, he's born.
His destiny awaits,
'Till fulfillment comes, this hero yearns,
To seek, to serve, to save.
With the courage of a lion,
He defends the cause at hand,
He will take his last breath trying
He may fall, yet he'll still stand.
A valiant soldier completes his task,
Though his tour has been cut short;
A much greater life awaits this man,
As he's greeted by our Lord.
This hero paid the greatest price,
He gave his all for his home land,
As we breathe the breath of freedom,
Let's thank God for this great man.
We will not take him for granted
By forgetting what's been done;
We will wave our flag in honor
For the victory He's won.
For service to his country,
The tenacity he's shown,
God's arms are open, welcoming,
A hero has come home.
I was 17 when we met.He had been to Viet Nam..He was home on leave from a tour in Korea..heading to his next base at Ft. Carson Colorado.I guess i would have to say it was love at first sight. We were married 2 weeks after we first met. Nov 2nd. 1970. That was 45 years ago. He " left " me 10 days after we were married to go to base and take care of paperwork and find us a place to live.
He flew home about a week before Christmas and we spent the holidays there and then the 2 of us flew out together to Colorado.Colorado was absolutely beautiful. We settled in to Army life pretty good. Our son was born there at the army hospital. He had to leave to go to NCO academy at Ft. Belvoir Virginia the day we brought our son home from the hospital.When our son was 8 days old i flew with him back home to Ohio to spend the next 6 months with my family while my husband attended the NCO academy. When our baby was 6 months old we returned to Colorado . We remained there for another 6 months till we got "orders ' for Germany' At this time i knew i was pregnant with our 2nd. child and due to complications i had with my 1st pregnancy we opted for me to go back to Ohio and stay with my family till the baby was born.
When our daughter was 6 weeks old we joined him in Germany. We would go on to be stationed at Ft, Hood Texas and then another tour to Germany.. Thru the years of our Army life we made many wonderful friends..some who we still keep in contact with to this day. The Army life was a good life for us. We speak often of all the good times we had..awesome things and places we saw and the wonderful people we met along the way. The Army was our family for many years. My husband is a proud Veteran to this day.
I was born an Army brat. My father had served in WWII and Korea before I was born. I was twelve years old when he left our family in Odenton, MD to serve with the 11th Armored Cavalry in Vietnam. I remember vividly watching his plane taxi away from the terminal in Baltimore and thinking I might not ever see him again. I remember many times over the next eleven months the fear that would grip our family as news of a soldier losing his life in combat was announced. In 1966-67, the immediate access to news that we have today was non-existent. When we would hear the location of the battle, we would compare it to his last known location and then wait.
As regimental sergeant major, Dad flew many hours in a helicopter with the regimental commander. He took thousands of photos that would be developed as slides. He would send the film back to Momma to have it developed. By God’s grace, he returned. He bought a projector and screen. We would spend hour after hour viewing those slides. There were photos of mud streets in camp, lots of soldiers, beautiful Vietnamese countryside, HUGE centipedes and one photo of a seat in a helicopter with a hole in it. He had been sitting in that seat, had gotten up to take some pictures out of the other side of the helicopter and a round from the Viet Cong had ripped through the helicopter seat. The first time I heard this story, I thanked God for bringing my Dad home to me. Every time I think of it I get chills.
He was a humble man. When we asked what his medals were for his response would be “well this one was for guarding the perimeter and this one was for shining my brass and this one was for brushing my teeth”. He served thirty plus years in service to his country.
I believe there is a need for a retreat for Wounded Warriors. I have been the caretaker for my son SGT. USMC for over 1 yr. I have seen ,heard, and learned that there is a lack of understanding how things work for those who need care and help. My thought is how many of you would be open to go to a place to relax, exercise ,talk, find resources from military organizations ? To be able to let your hair down with your brothers and sisters in arms in a secluded quite setting. Like a weekend with your family, or a guys weekend , or girls weekend, the caretakers weekend! Food for thought. Responses are great!!
My father, George Coleman was captured by the German Army at the Battle of the Bulge. He escaped with others and was reunited with the Allied Forces in April of 1945. He had in his possession a Dollar bill with more than 20 names on it. I found all of those names in the database of POW’s at the Library of Congress. He passed in 1985, and so I’d like to find out if any of those men are still alive. The list of names are as follows; Kincanon-Louis B, Dougherty-Andrew J, Braden-Earl C, Jordon-William C, Hinkle-Raymond A, Watkins-Edwin S, Moore-Charles A L, Brechting-William B, Moon-William H, Tucker-Ottis C, Colarusso-John F, Jordan-Willis R, Koluezez-Harry, Zwolak-George E, Effertz-Edward L, Shoenfeld-Alan J, Campbell-Thurman O, Schluckbier-W H, Knickerbocker-E J, Chambers-Louis J. I would like to talk to any surviving member of this group, or even hear from family members.
I was in the Corps (1966-70). Went to boot camp in San Diego. I then went to "A" school in Millington, Tenn for a year. After school I spent 2 years working on the F-4 at Cherry Point. Then 11 months in Vietnam working on the planes. I was blessed with a fairly easy time while in the Corps. Boot camp was a challenge, but my time in Vietnam was pretty easy. I was on a big base and working on the F-4. Made a lot of good friends and had a lot of good times during my time in the Corps . Semper Fi !
He was a pilot during World II. He flew B-52's and survived to come back home in Ocotillo where he owned and operated a Chevron Station for many years with his wife Velma. A friend of Law-enforcement and he is now resting in peace with lots of memories of good he did in his little home town of Ocotillo. RIP William C. Weaver.
After spending 2 years in the Infantry at Ft Wainwright Alaska I got to my duty station at Ft Lewis.
When reporting for duty the First Sergeant asked me if I was short. I said yes and figured that they were going to give me a bad time before I got out in 1977.
Instead, I got sent to Huckleberry Creek Mountain Training Camp right in Mt. Rainier National Park and became in instructor.
I taught skiing to the troops in the winter and mountaineering in the summer as I wound up my tour of duty.
Truly the best job in the United States Army !!!
I look back on that time as one of the best times of my life. I feel very fortunate to have done it and I am filled with good memories of the place. The people I served there with were a great bunch of men and women. We drank beer talked trash and did everything that GI's do when they are performing their missions.
It was a blast and has served me well throughout the rest of my life.
The life of a Veteran can be a hell on earth
full of Anguish, Pain and Sorrow.
Flashbacks, Nightmares and remembering
all the brothers that have no tomorrow.
In combat your mates were everything
dependable, strong and true.
But when you came home it was hard to express
all the turmoil deep inside you.
War changes people in many ways
brings out their best, their worst and their fear.
When reunited with mates you try to talk
but it always ends up in tears.
The experiences shared on the Battle Ground
can bring down the strongest of men.
The high price of being in the military
means you have to kill now and then.
The psychological effects of war
is where damage really lies.
Physical injuries take time to heal
but when the mind breaks it changes our lives.
If you have never served your country
been in a war zone and had to kill.
Give some thought and thanks to the brave Aussie lads
that put their lives on the line, to protect you.
