Happy Veteran's Day

[FX]

THANK YOU ALL !!!!!

Shawn

[carpedium]

Ditto on that!

[ray koziatek]

OOH-RAH,brothern jarheads

[skipper19]

Thanks for protecting our freedoms vets :!: Your service to our country is celebrated and respected today...go forward and be proud...

Mark

[reel drag]

Semper Fi.

[muskybob]

The Soldier

He was getting old and paunchy

And his hair was falling fast,

And he sat around the Legion,

Telling stories of the past.

Of a war that he once fought in

And the deeds that he had done,

In his exploits with his buddies;

They were heroes, every one.

And 'tho sometimes to his neighbors

His tales became a joke,

All his buddies listened quietly

For they knew where of he spoke.

But we'll hear his tales no longer,

For ol' Bob has passed away,

And the world's a little poorer

For a Soldier died today.

He won't be mourned by many,

Just his children and his wife.

For he lived an ordinary,

Very quiet sort of life.

He held a job and raised a family,

Going quietly on his way;

And the world won't note his passing,

'Tho a Soldier died today.

When politicians leave this earth,

Their bodies lie in state,

While thousands note their passing,

And proclaim that they were great.

Papers tell of their life stories

From the time that they were young

But the passing of a Soldier

Goes unnoticed, and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution

To the welfare of our land,

Some jerk who breaks his promise

And cons his fellow man?

Or the ordinary fellow

Who in times of war and strife,

Goes off to serve his country

And offers up his life?

The politician's stipend

And the style in which he lives,

Are often disproportionate,

To the service that he gives.

While the ordinary Soldier,

Who offered up his all,

Is paid off with a medal

And perhaps a pension, small.

It's so easy to forget them,

For it is so many times

That our Bobs and Jims and Johnnys,

Went to battle, but we know,

It is not the politicians

With their compromise and ploys,

Who won for us the freedom

That our country now enjoys.

Should you find yourself in danger,

With your enemies at hand,

Would you really want some cop-out,

With his ever waffling stand?

Or would you want a Soldier--

His home, his country, his kin,

Just a common Soldier,

Who would fight until the end.

He was just a common Soldier,

And his ranks are growing thin,

But his presence should remind us

We may need his like again.

For when countries are in conflict,

We find the Soldier's part

Is to clean up all the troubles

That the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honor

While he's here to hear the praise,

Then at least let's give him homage

At the ending of his days.

Perhaps just a simply headline

In the paper that might say:

"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING, A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."

Author Unknown

[muskybob]

Armed Forces Birthdays

Q: What are the official birthdays of the armed services?

A: U.S. Army - 14 June 1775

U.S. Navy- 13 Oct 1775

U.S. Marines- 10 Nov 1775

U.S. Coast Guard- 28 Jan 1915 (Its predecessor U.S. Revenue Cutter Service was established on 14 Aug 1790.)

U.S. Air Force- 18 Sept 1947

http://carlisle-www.army.mil/usamhi/FAQs.htm#Army_FAQs

[muskybob]

The Vet

They soar in jets above the land,

They sail beyond the seas.

They march across the desert,

They crawl between the trees.

No matter what the role they play

Each chooses to protect The lives of all Americans.

For this we owe a debt.

Today, and every single day

'Til each returns safe and sound,

Please say a little prayer with me

For the troops: air, sea, and ground.

God Please... Grant them courage,

When times seem bleak.

Grant them strength, When they feel weak.

Grant them comfort, When they feel all alone,

And most of all, God, Please bring them all home.

Author Unknown

[Ray]

Thank you for all that have served and those that are.....you are appreciated!

[windburn]

SALUTE!!!!!