Veterans ' It's a little late but

butchb243 · November 13, 2002, 07:23 PM

I thought there just might be some here that would like the e-mail I got today.

> A great piece from a great American.

>

>

> What is a Veteran?

>

Some veterans bear visible signs of their service: a missing limb, a
jagged scar, a certain look in the eye. Others may carry the evidence inside
them: a pin holding a bone together, a piece of shrapnel in the leg - or
perhaps another sort of inner steel: the soul's ally forged in the refinery
of adversity. Except in parades, however, the men and women

who have kept America safe wear no badge or emblem.

You can't tell a vet just by looking.

What is a vet?

He is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi Arabia sweating
two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carriers didn't run out
of fuel.

He is the barroom loudmouth, dumber than five wooden planks, whose
overgrown frat-boy behavior is outweighed a hundred times in the cosmic

scales by four hours of exquisite bravery near the 38th parallel.

She - or he - is the nurse who fought against futility and went to sleep

sobbing every night for two solid years in Da Nang.

He is the POW who went away one person and came back another - or didn't
come back AT ALL.

He is the Quantico drill instructor who has never seen combat - but has
saved countless lives by turning slouchy, no-account rednecks and gang

members into Marines, and teaching them to watch each other's backs.

He is the parade - riding Legionnaire who pins on his ribbons and medals
with a prosthetic hand.

He is the career quartermaster who watches the ribbons and medals pass
him by.

He is the three anonymous heroes in The Tomb Of The Unknowns, whose
presence at the Arlington National Cemetery must forever preserve the memory
of all the anonymous heroes whose valor dies unrecognized with them on the
battlefield or in the ocean's sunless deep.

He is the old guy bagging groceries at the supermarket - palsied now and
aggravatingly slow - who helped liberate a Nazi death camp and who

wishes all day long that his wife were still alive to hold him when the

nightmares come.

He is an ordinary and yet an extraordinary human being - a person who
offered some of his life's most vital years in the service of his

country, and who sacrificed his ambitions so others would not have to

sacrifice theirs.

He is a soldier and a savior and a sword against the darkness, and he is
nothing more than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the finest,

greatest nation ever known.

So remember, each time you see someone who has served our country, just
lean over and say Thank You. That's all most people need, and in

most cases it will mean more than any medals they could have been awarded or
were awarded.

Two little words that mean a lot, THANK YOU".

>

> "It is the soldier, not the reporter,

> Who has given us freedom of the press.

> It is the soldier, not the poet,

> Who has given us freedom of speech.

> It is the soldier, not the campus organizer,

> Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.

> It is the soldier,

> Who salutes the flag,

> Who serves beneath the flag,

> And whose coffin is draped by the flag,

> Who allows the protester to burn the flag."

>

> Father Denis Edward O'Brien, USMC

>
Hope you will Remember.

**4V50 Gary** · November 13, 2002, 07:38 PM

It's never too late to thank a Vet. I do everytime I meet one.

Blackhawk · November 13, 2002, 07:57 PM

I don't like the "poor baby" slant of this so here are a few additions:

He is the award winning author who exposed the organized treachery of the media in covering his war.

He is the Congressman who tirelessly works to better the lives of everybody.

He is the lawyer who works for free because his clients have no money but a big need for his services.

He is the judge who sees through the frauds and charlatans who ask him for somebody else's money.

He is the doctor who spend years patching up wounded servicemen before resuming his private practice.

He is the dentist who served in the little building right next to the field hospital.

He is the inventor with 24 patents for products ranging from engines to life saving bio-medical machines.

He is the entrepreneur who started and runs a business that employs 17,000 people.

She is the head nurse at your local hospital.

She is the Chief of Surgery of your regional hospital.

He is your stockbroker at Smith-Barney officed in your bank's building.

He is the director of the Flight Safety International simulator center that trains all the airline pilots you fly with to handle emergency situations.

He and she are the heroes who gave up years of their lives getting peculiar military training and serving you in strange places all over the world under varying degrees of unpleasantness for reasons not explained so you could live in a country feared by its enemies.

If you want to honor a veteran, be an honorable, productive citizen so you can be successful and happy. Good citizenship honors all veterans.

November 13, 2002, 07:23 PM	#1
butchb243 Senior Member Join Date: June 17, 2002 Location: Somewhere between Texas & heaven Posts: 182	Veterans ' It's a little late but I thought there just might be some here that would like the e-mail I got today. > A great piece from a great American. > > > What is a Veteran? > Some veterans bear visible signs of their service: a missing limb, a jagged scar, a certain look in the eye. Others may carry the evidence inside them: a pin holding a bone together, a piece of shrapnel in the leg - or perhaps another sort of inner steel: the soul's ally forged in the refinery of adversity. Except in parades, however, the men and women who have kept America safe wear no badge or emblem. You can't tell a vet just by looking. What is a vet? He is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi Arabia sweating two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carriers didn't run out of fuel. He is the barroom loudmouth, dumber than five wooden planks, whose overgrown frat-boy behavior is outweighed a hundred times in the cosmic scales by four hours of exquisite bravery near the 38th parallel. She - or he - is the nurse who fought against futility and went to sleep sobbing every night for two solid years in Da Nang. He is the POW who went away one person and came back another - or didn't come back AT ALL. He is the Quantico drill instructor who has never seen combat - but has saved countless lives by turning slouchy, no-account rednecks and gang members into Marines, and teaching them to watch each other's backs. He is the parade - riding Legionnaire who pins on his ribbons and medals with a prosthetic hand. He is the career quartermaster who watches the ribbons and medals pass him by. He is the three anonymous heroes in The Tomb Of The Unknowns, whose presence at the Arlington National Cemetery must forever preserve the memory of all the anonymous heroes whose valor dies unrecognized with them on the battlefield or in the ocean's sunless deep. He is the old guy bagging groceries at the supermarket - palsied now and aggravatingly slow - who helped liberate a Nazi death camp and who wishes all day long that his wife were still alive to hold him when the nightmares come. He is an ordinary and yet an extraordinary human being - a person who offered some of his life's most vital years in the service of his country, and who sacrificed his ambitions so others would not have to sacrifice theirs. He is a soldier and a savior and a sword against the darkness, and he is nothing more than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the finest, greatest nation ever known. So remember, each time you see someone who has served our country, just lean over and say Thank You. That's all most people need, and in most cases it will mean more than any medals they could have been awarded or were awarded. Two little words that mean a lot, THANK YOU". > > "It is the soldier, not the reporter, > Who has given us freedom of the press. > It is the soldier, not the poet, > Who has given us freedom of speech. > It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, > Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate. > It is the soldier, > Who salutes the flag, > Who serves beneath the flag, > And whose coffin is draped by the flag, > Who allows the protester to burn the flag." > > Father Denis Edward O'Brien, USMC > Hope you will Remember. __________________ If you ain't free, you ain't nothing. Shoot low sheriff, they're riddin' shetlands! Save your confederate money boys the south is gonna rise again!

November 13, 2002, 07:38 PM	#2
4V50 Gary Staff Join Date: November 2, 1998 Location: California Posts: 13,263	It's never too late to thank a Vet. I do everytime I meet one. __________________ Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. *Molon Labe!*

November 13, 2002, 07:57 PM	#3
Blackhawk Senior Member Join Date: November 4, 2001 Posts: 5,053	I don't like the "poor baby" slant of this so here are a few additions: He is the award winning author who exposed the organized treachery of the media in covering his war. He is the Congressman who tirelessly works to better the lives of everybody. He is the lawyer who works for free because his clients have no money but a big need for his services. He is the judge who sees through the frauds and charlatans who ask him for somebody else's money. He is the doctor who spend years patching up wounded servicemen before resuming his private practice. He is the dentist who served in the little building right next to the field hospital. He is the inventor with 24 patents for products ranging from engines to life saving bio-medical machines. He is the entrepreneur who started and runs a business that employs 17,000 people. She is the head nurse at your local hospital. She is the Chief of Surgery of your regional hospital. He is your stockbroker at Smith-Barney officed in your bank's building. He is the director of the Flight Safety International simulator center that trains all the airline pilots you fly with to handle emergency situations. He and she are the heroes who gave up years of their lives getting peculiar military training and serving you in strange places all over the world under varying degrees of unpleasantness for reasons not explained so you could live in a country feared by its enemies. If you want to honor a veteran, be an honorable, productive citizen so you can be successful and happy. Good citizenship honors all veterans.