I would like to take a moment to say Thank You to all the Veterans out there. Who have helped protect the right for all of us to participate in this Wacky hobby. I hope for You and Yours to be Truly Blessed. Thank you. Craig "This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave." —Elmer Davis "Honor to the soldier and sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country's cause. Honor, also, to the citizen who cares for his brother in the field and serves, as he best can, the same cause." - Abraham Lincoln
“It is the Sailor, not the minister Who has given us freedom of religion. It is the Soldier, not the reporter Who has given us freedom of the press. It is the Airman, not the poet Who has given us freedom of speech. It is the Marine, not the campus organizer Who has given us freedom to protest. It is the Airman, not the lawyer Who has given us the right to a fair trial. It is the Soldier, not the politician Who has given us the right to vote. It is the Sailor, Soldier, Marine 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.”
Indeed yes. I would name and thank all the folks I know here to be veterans, or currently serving, but I feel I will come up short of the true number. So thank you all, today and every day.
As a cold war era veteran, my sympathies go out to our current and recently active duty and reserve guys and gals (and their families) for having to endure the past 12 years of BS that today's politicians keep sending them too over and over again in endless rounds of deployments. It just pisses me off that the ivy league corporate funded law degree'd politicos running this country (that wouldn't know true public service if it bit them in the ass) have the power to commit troops to battle (and you can bet THEIR kids aren't counted in those troops). Military service should be a requirement for president and congress IMO. Else, if something is truly that important for national security, require the draft to ensure adequate force levels. THAT would make our leaders think twice before so casually jumping into these conflicts.
Heh....my favorite "sea story" from my time on the SSBN: We were on station, doing our usual "4 knots to nowhere" patrolling the box, waiting for orders to start (or finish) WW3 when Desert Shield, and then Desert Storm started. My main concern was whether the events in Kuwait would delay our return to port. So we finally pull in, and I call my Mom for the usual "I'm back". She's freaking out about the war and my potential involvement. I had to explain to her that "I'm on a BALLISTIC MISSILE SUBMARINE. If they decide my ship has to go to war with Iraq, we can do it without leaving Charleston." "Man Battle-stations Missile for Strategic Launch. Launch One. Launch Two. Secure from Battle-stations. War will be over in about 19 minutes (flight time)..."
LOL! Reason I went GSM instead of nuke (which the recruiter was pushing hard for). Just couldn't FATHOM being packed away in a steel tube for six months.
