" The Bravery, Spirit of Freedom, Love of Liberty and Sheer Valor that burned in the breasts of our founding fathers, is alive and well today, in the men and women who are are Soldiers, Sailors and Marines" -Dale Vincent-
Loyalty and Respect are not purchased and owned for a lifetime, they are earned everyday.
I just got back from dinner at Applebees' Restaurant where veterans and active duty military eat free today.
My granddaughter is home on medical leave for a broken wrist from the Army.
They sat in the car (it was cold and rainy) while I stood in line for 45 minutes. I actually know one guy in the line. We had worked together as Veterans Representatives for the State of Oregon. I also had a great time talking to other Vietnam Vets, several Marines and one Navy Corpsman attached to the Marine Corps 1st Recon in Vietnam.
I had a great time. I and my granddaughter both felt honored, and I know the other vets did as well.
Thank you to all of you here who wished us a good Veterans Day.
And a special "Thank You" to the folks at Applebees Restaurants.
I just got back from dinner at Applebees' Restaurant where veterans and active duty military eat free today.
My granddaughter is home on medical leave for a broken wrist from the Army.
They sat in the car (it was cold and rainy) while I stood in line for 45 minutes. I actually know one guy in the line. We had worked together as Veterans Representatives for the State of Oregon. I also had a great time talking to other Vietnam Vets, several Marines and one Navy Corpsman attached to the Marine Corps 1st Recon in Vietnam.
I had a great time. I and my granddaughter both felt honored, and I know the other vets did as well.
Thank you to all of you here who wished us a good Veterans Day.
And a special "Thank You" to the folks at Applebees Restaurants.
Semper Fi,
Dale
I recently finished reading 'Stolen Valor', a 600 page book with little bity print that deals with posers and wanna-be's as well as PTSD and Agent Orange. By page 100 I was beginning to doubt I was ever in Viet Nam. By page 200, I was ready to run naked down the street, screaming that I was never in the Marine Corps. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it.
I too went to Applebee's yesterday for a free meal. Though it was in my wallet, no one asked for verification of my veteran status. My eyes wandered the room as I ate and I wondered what percentage of those chowing down were really vets and how many were pretenders.
I'm still trying to decide if come Monday, I'll join the crowd at Golden Corral
Semper Fi Marine. Wishing you and yours the very best there is to be had.
Forged on the anvil of discipline.
The Few. The Proud.
Jerry D.
This country has become more about sub-groups than about it's unity as a nation.
"The #72 pattern has got to be pretty close to the perfect knife."
--T.J. Murphy 2012
Thanks to all that have served,I travel a lot and when I met up with guys & girls in the service in the airport I always try and thank them for their service,THANK YOU!!!!!
Jerry,
The thing that upsets me about a book like that is the very premise that valor can be stolen.
I worked in a VA Vet Center for 4 years and I worked with veterans as a Veterans Representative for the state of Oregon for another 6 years. Believe me I have seen PLENTY of posers and I was able to document that they were posers because I could access their records.
The only thing the posers steal is their own integrity, dignity and honor.
The poser is the looser, no one else.
A book like Stolen Valor casts dispersions on all who served honorably and even caused you to doubt your own integrity.
That, IMHO, is just wrong, even if every story in the book is true.
No one steals my valor by claiming to be something he is not.
All he does is forfeit his own honor.
I remember when that book was being written and all the witch-hunts that were going on surrounding it.
A lot of decent honorable veterans were accused of being frauds, men whose records I could access and verify their stories. But the people writing the book did not care how many honorable veterans they hurt with their accusations, half-truths and outright lies.
For that reason I choose not to validate their efforts by reading their book.
I am no hero, just a Marine who fixed the equipment we used around the F-4 Phantoms.
It would me give no thrill to tell stories about something I didn't do, but apparently some people do enjoy doing just that.
They are the looser in that case, not me, not you.
We did the job the Corps gave us. There is honor enough in that for me.
No one can add to it, no one can take from it
orvet wrote:Jerry,
The thing that upsets me about a book like that is the very premise that valor can be stolen.
I worked in a VA Vet Center for 4 years and I worked with veterans as a Veterans Representative for the state of Oregon for another 6 years. Believe me I have seen PLENTY of posers and I was able to document that they were posers because I could access their records.
The only thing the posers steal is their own integrity, dignity and honor.
The poser is the looser, no one else.
A book like Stolen Valor casts dispersions on all who served honorably and even caused you to doubt your own integrity.
That, IMHO, is just wrong, even if every story in the book is true.
No one steals my valor by claiming to be something he is not.
All he does is forfeit his own honor.
I remember when that book was being written and all the witch-hunts that were going on surrounding it.
A lot of decent honorable veterans were accused of being frauds, men whose records I could access and verify their stories. But the people writing the book did not care how many honorable veterans they hurt with their accusations, half-truths and outright lies.
For that reason I choose not to validate their efforts by reading their book.
I am no hero, just a Marine who fixed the equipment we used around the F-4 Phantoms.
It would me give no thrill to tell stories about something I didn't do, but apparently some people do enjoy doing just that.
They are the looser in that case, not me, not you.
We did the job the Corps gave us. There is honor enough in that for me.
No one can add to it, no one can take from it
Just my 2¢.
Semper Fi,
Dale
Dale,
Since this is a knife forum and not someplace for a couple of old Jarheads to be yakking back and forth, send an email to me at my public address [email protected] and I'll return my private address so we can continue this discussion offline. I'm not going to try to change your mind but I would like to present a different perspective if you're open to that and interested.
Forged on the anvil of discipline.
The Few. The Proud.
Jerry D.
This country has become more about sub-groups than about it's unity as a nation.
"The #72 pattern has got to be pretty close to the perfect knife."
--T.J. Murphy 2012
to all the vets on the site and all over the world, HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY!!!!! 
!!!
