Come on guys, it's Veterans day

23 years ago, in Saudi Arabia ...

My grandfather's plane in WWII with my grandmother's likeness on the nose:

My grandfather served in both Asia and Europe. As he once joked, he was the soldier-tourist.

Father, navy. Step father, navy (a few pics):

Carrier deck (not sure what the black eye was from):

Flight school:

dyintorace wrote: My grandfather's plane in WWII with my grandmother's likeness on the nose:

That's awesome......so romantic that he did that, and that the relationship lasted.

Adrian_Thompson wrote:

alfadriver wrote: Adrian- for you, this is Armistice day.

Keeping it simple for the natives All though elementary school we would have an assembly and a minute of silence at Eleven minuets past the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. This was very very real for us growing up. Almost everyone wears a poppy in the UK, I'm surprised it isn't more popular here.

it was when I was a kid ….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKaKGko8ma8

I've found that the US and Canada/Britain view Nov 11th very differently. The message in the US is one of celebration of those who serve in the armed forces. In the Canada, the message is "never again". Even the name is different, Remembrance Day vs Veterans Day.

Why poppies?

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

JoeyM wrote:

dyintorace wrote: My grandfather's plane in WWII with my grandmother's likeness on the nose:

That's awesome......so romantic that he did that, and that the relationship lasted.

I must now build that kit!

I'm on here:

No pics for me, but wish I did have something to share.

My grandpa, my biological father, my step-dad, my father-in-law, and my brother all served in the Navy.

My best friend is in the Army, has done two tours in Iraq and two tours in Afghanistan.

My friends on active duty don't photograph well.

pinchvalve wrote: My friends on active duty don't photograph well.

They also don't qualify as veterans yet, although... by the dictionary definition it seems like they should.

Keith Tanner wrote: Even the name is different, Remembrance Day vs Veterans Day.

We have Memorial Day for that. Sort of. Except the "Never Again" part.

Javelin wrote:

JoeyM wrote:

dyintorace wrote: My grandfather's plane in WWII with my grandmother's likeness on the nose:

That's awesome......so romantic that he did that, and that the relationship lasted.

I must now build that kit! I'm on here:

Thanks for your service! I've built the kit and have 2 more unbuilt, just for safe keeping.

I'm in

Here's my Grandfather. WW2, Korea, and Vietnam. All in one enlistment

Here's me doing some "posing" in the Second gulf war. Same branch of service, working on an EA-6B Prowler while deployed on the USS Constellation CV64. (Neither myself, the Prowler, or the "Connie" are in service any longer )

I've never missed anything the way I miss the sea.

JoeyM wrote:

dyintorace wrote: My grandfather's plane in WWII with my grandmother's likeness on the nose:

That's awesome......so romantic that he did that, and that the relationship lasted.

I loved that his plane was turned into a kit! And it was great seeing them married so long. No unlike other very old couples, they died within 3 months of each other, one at 87 and the other at 89.

Dad drove and later was a tank commander in one of these, an M-48-A2 "Patton" from 1958-62. ...4th Armored Division, Fürth Germany.

Nothing like being at sea. You've seen the stars when you're well away from the city? Imagine no city for thousands of miles! It looks like you are on a ball of mud trucking through a Universe chuck full of stars.

Oh, wait .......

In reply to 914Driver:

Absolutely agreed! I miss the sea badly. Your pic is funny, one of my most common duties was escorting those things to and from open sea.

Couldn't ask for a better job with a better group of people, nor a better country!

I'm gonna leave this here--because its just a cool shot. BB64 USS Wisconsin

slantvaliant wrote: 23 years ago, in Saudi Arabia ...

Blows my mind that the Gulf War was that long ago. I remember being in an ice fishing shack when I heard we'd gone to war. I was.....9? 10?

I just wanted to say thank you for your service to everyone past, present, future who has served. I had a grandmother in the army and grandfather in the navy in WW2. Had a great uncle who served in Korea and multiple cousins who served in Iraq and other places abroad. Also one of my best friends growing up is currently enlisted and stationed down in North Carolina.

I heard about the Doolittle's Raiders this morning. Mind-blowing stuff to say the least.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2500051/Hundreds-attend-Remembrance-Day-funeral-Bomber-Command-veteran.html

I don't know why this bothers me, but I tear up every time I explain it. Like now

At every major War, they take one kid who is so disfigured and messed up that he cannot be identified. He is put into the Tomb of the Unknown.

Somewhere, be it Iowa, Maryland where ever, a Mom can sit back and say "That's him. He's home."

Damnit! Blubbering like a school girl, WTH?