Members' stories and support of US service men and women
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One majorly positive thing about UA is they support our troops. Hmm, troop support, my favorite (non-KU) basketball player if he accepts, and no reported child labor scandals. They may soon get my support, but unless they have something with KU on it I’m out.
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@dylans USO/financial troop support is at the summit of our list also. Nephew just retired from NAVY SEALS in March with 22 years Special Ops. Oldest enlisted man EVER to be admitted to SEALS at 32 years old in 1993. JSOC certified BA with a capitol friggin’ B. Over 30 deployments in Mideast since 2001. If you see him in a business suit you’d have absolutely no clue. Chief Petty Officer & SEAL TEAM # 2 Leader UWSDT (under water delivery) for 10 + yrs. Let’s just say Joe likes water . LOL !! You’ve no idea, & then again maybe you do, how long & hard we’ve prayed for his safe return. Godspeed to you & yours & a big HOOYAH !!
My oldest BRO, his father-in-law. 40 years USN, CIA, & DOD Pentagon + 5 more years Charlottesville, VA. Technology Surveillance Center. Gene retired one month prior to 09/11/2001. I spoke with him that evening & he was major pissed the ball was dropped. He served his entire life so that would not happen. He’s buried half a mile from Thomas Jefferson’s family vineyards. Again my friend, Godspeed.
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@globaljaybird said:> Oldest enlisted man EVER to be admitted to SEALS at 32 years old in 1993.
That’s ridiculous! Glad he made it back OK.
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@approxinfinity May be older since then but zero prior.
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Holy cow- have grandads medals from WWII and some info on his service-sounds like there is some major stories here.
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I’m tempted to fork this part of this thread about our families and service… It’s fascinating and I just want to give it a place to bloom and get comments from others… Let me know if you agree or disagree strongly…
Also, let me say KUDOs and sincere thanks to all of you and your families who have given service to the country.
My closest connection is my sister who joined the army after KU.
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Agreed. We owe people who serve so much. I have a little to add- civil war, WWII, and Korean War but I am a lot more interested in other military stories. When we had the military channel and history channel they were my favorites.
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@JayhawkRock78 Dan Carlin’s hardcore history podcast is one of my favorites, and Blueprint for an Armageddon series about WWI really touched me. You can check it out here http://www.dancarlin.com/disp.php/hharchive
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Many thanks-can’t wait to see it- but it will have to wait until tomorrow.
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@JayhawkRock78 I can recall in roughly 2001-02 when my Zenith big screen shot kraps, the best rated projection tv on the KC market was a Mitsubishi. Under NO circumstances would I ever own one, even if free, as they were the manufacturers of some of the engines in the Japanese Zero Kamikaze’s. My wife’s dad, brother in law, & cousin all served in WWII & there was not even a remote chance they would ever come into my home & see that name. Also another of the factories involved in the war effort/slavery employment, survivors of the Bataan death march was Kawasaki, enslaving GI’suntil death. When my then 24 year old boy (10 yrs ago) asked me which garage he could park his Kawasaki crotch rocket ninja, (I’ve three) my reply was simply. put it in the barn And I quote " If you want it inside park it in the chicken barn". What??? No schizz, I wouldn’t even let him leave it on the gravel driveway overnight. And my previous homeowner kept his meat chickens in that barn to keep them away from the predators.
Am I set in my ways? You can bet your flippin life.
On top of that I am Red, White, & Blue all the way through.
And damn proud of it !!
One year later that same boy enlisted in the Marines.
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@globaljaybird
Awesome story!
My dad and his 4 brothers all served. From landing on the beach at Normandy up through the Korean War. My dad was the youngest so he was in Korea.
My God son is a Marine and we are all super proud of him. He is awaiting his first deployment. One of the most soft-spoken individuals on the planet, and the guy you would never want to challenge!
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@drgnslayr Did he/they survive Normandy? Can you share more about them?
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I had one uncle that landed on Normandy. He was not in the first wave that suffered all the fatalities. He said the guys with him were the lucky ones who faced less of a challenge, but soaked up all the glory in France for being liberators. He is long since gone, but I used to get him away from my aunt and he would go on and on about the French girls that were very appreciative of the American troops.
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@drgnslayr I think kids graduating high school should watch “Private Ryan” -It would be nice if they could edit some of the opening beach scene-not sure an 18 year old needs to see all those graphic visuals.
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I think kids need to see just how bad war can be, so they know if they are cut out for it before enlisting. “Saving Private Ryan” really cut to the bone, no punches were spared. Viewers are completely sucked into that scene, so much so that many became ill from watching it. Some of the vets who were there for the real deal had problems watching that scene because it struck too close to home. Kids watching need to know there is a reason it is called “sacrificing for your country” because there is always the possibility they may one day face a situation as grim as our troops faced at Normandy.
I know I certainly appreciate our men and women who serve.
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For what it’s worth, here is what I know about my grandfather in WWII. He served with Merrill’s Marauders behind enemy lines in the jungles of Burma. This group had a high mortality rate. Many had Malaria and dysentery. Of the 2,750 that entered Burma, only two were left alive that hadn’t been hospitalized with wounds or major illness. That unit was given a presidential citation and eventually became the 75th Ranger Regiment.
His medals were passed on to me and include a Purple Heart, Silver Star and Bronze Star. There was a movie made about this group-if memory serves Jeff Chandler starred in it. Unfortunately I never met him but what I’ve read about that unit tells me he/they suffered and sacrificed a lot. They used mules and were not outfitted as they should have been. Rations did not have near enough calories to keep them going.
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Please help with the link-this is a great story of support for our fallen troops.
Great story, never knew this happened, did not hear any news coverage of it.
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Once when I asked my fiend who had been an A & P mechanic for the Marines in Vietnam, about how extensive the training must have been to do powerplant work on the jet engines, his tongue-in-cheek, somewhat dim witted reply was:
“Yep, you bet. Hell, I had to train for almost two weeks just to learn how to sit in the damn ejaculation seat !!”
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As Dan (Larry the Cable Guy) Whitney would say “Lord I’m sorry 'bout that, but that’s funny, I don’t care who you are.”
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@drgnslayr I agree about Saving Private Ryan. Kids today need to see what the “greatest generation” fought through in WWII. I had two uncle’s who survived D-Day and made it home. My dad was with the SEABEES in the Pacific. He also saw Korea and Nam before he retired. My bride will retire from the Air National Guard next year after 30 years of service. I met her when I was stationed at Hurlburt Field, FL, when her unit spent their 2 weeks with mine. She was just a E-2 admin clerk who couldn’t type a lick, but was pretty enough to have all kinds of help in the office. lol She is now a Lt Col and chief nurse in her Med Group in New Orleans. She was in the dome during Katrina; spent the following summer in Iraq where she says she felt like she finally got to feel like she actually contributed and got to care for some of the best troops in the world. She won’t blow her own horn, but damn I’m proud of her so I do. Compared to her and my dad, my 20 years in the Air Force was a walk in the park. Don’t know for sure how this link thng works, but this story has a photo of my bride in the dome. link text
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@brooksmd Good stuff brooks, damn good !! Most will never know or understand & many will not care, as long as their bread stays buttered. While I don’t wish those who have not experienced just what our armed forces go through, I do wish that young men still had to go through the rigors & experience of an induction physical and the awakening that stirred in me when I was eighteen years old. But without conscription, most will never have a clue what serving your country means. Here in honkey tonk middle America we have felt the sting & blade. Thanks for all you & your family have & still do sir. My congratulations & gratitude are truly yours.
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@brooksmd God bless her, she looks exhausted. That was a terrible time in our society - I was very upset with the media at the time. I know things like that have to be covered, but the &%$#ing media wants to make everything into a reality show or sitcom with no compassion for the people going through it or the ones sacrificing their time and energy to help. It’s reality all right, but no sitcom AT ALL.
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@brooksmd Thank you and yours for all they’ve done. The fighting SEABEES is a favorite movie of mine-although that’s one of the few movies the Duke died in.
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Thanks, everyone, for sharing your stories, and for remembering those who bravely serve (and served) so the rest of us can enjoy our lives in safety!
I lost part of my hearing in the Korean War. No… I didn’t serve… I wasn’t born during the active years of the war, but my father served in the Navy (in Korea) and lost most of his hearing from being too close to the big guns on board. My entire life has been spent listening to televisions on full blast, and being screamed at and screaming back because of my dad serving in Korea. I am positive it has contributed into some of my own hearing loss. I now have to do my best to prevent hearing loss of my own son (and soon-to-be baby!) by dealing with my own hearing loss and not letting it continue. As far as I am concerned… the Korean War in my family will end with me! This is a strange story, but it illustrates how war impacts so many people and in unique ways!
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@globaljaybird My brother in law has served two tours in Afghanistan so I know all about praying to get someone home. It’s not like he was sitting in a base either. The wars are different now as opposed to the great wars. Now you have to chose whether or not to shoot the woman or child who is shooting at you or running supplies. You have to go door to door and determine if they are a threat or just a civilian and do it before you get shot yourself. It makes the revolutionary war seem very simple. Line 'em up and shoot 'em.
My grandmother married two pilots from WWII, both of whom lived out their natural lives. One was stationed in Jamaica and loves to reminisce about the War (zero action). The other was shot down 7 times in flying fortresses. 4 times he was the only survivor. 3 times he watched everyone else die on the raft while waiting for rescue. I can’t imagine the horrors he endured, but I’m proud as heck of him.
