Attention on Deck!!!! (uh oh, there's an "O" in the building, we have to behave now!)WELCOME ABOARD!!! Finally more VP Navy in the house! I won't hold that Skinny Dragon thing against you! VP 6 "Blue Sharks" Crew 9 (double Alpha) F/E....

 

Most of the time you squids make no sense. Why can't you have regular ranks like the rest of the military?

 

Almost as bad as the Air Force...

 

Yeah, I know. Staff Sergeant at E5? Come on.

 

You know, come to think of it, the Army is the odd service out. All the other services have their own rank structure and the Navy & Coast Guard makes them the only two services where the ranks match!!! Even the Marines are different from the Army!
(Don't forget, I was dual service, Navy then Army. SSG permanent and often "Acting" Lt.) They tried for several years to get me to go to OCS but apparently all of those 4 letter words that the Navy Chief Petty Officer taught me worked to keep me in the NCO ranks.

 

Bah, everyone copied the Army and Navy is all. They were the originals.

 

Now that is an irrefutable point that can't be argued. But there again, they didn't have airplanes in 1776 either!

Besides, my partner in a "base defense" hole in the ground was a Marine and I was darned happy to have someone crazier than me in the same hole!

 

Nice to know you remember the "Skinny Dragons", and good to hear from another VP'er; oh, and don't be concerned about an "O" in the house, I'm just an old Ford truck enthusiast these days. 1976 F350, supercab, 460/C6.

 

Heh! Not that I was heavy on fraternization - but on the Nimitz there was a Lt. Smith in charge of GSE who was a long time hotrodder, and the first thing the MMCO who came aboard for the cruise (CDR Conners) did was put a picture of his Harley Davidson on his desk.

It was no accident we wound up in the same watering holes when we pulled into the few ports we did. Lt Smith came back from leave at one point and blamed me and a P.A.W. catalog I showed him on the ship one day for having to spend his entire leave stuffing a brand new crate motor into his wifes ride. ~ I think it was one of their blower engines too.

 

I'll be the third non-vet to just pop in and offer thanks to each of you for your service.

I come from a family of veterans. My dad was Army during the Korean Conflict, as were two of his brothers. One of his brothers was Navy during WWII, and another was Marine Corps during WWII as well. Not sure of their ranks or MOS right off the top of my head aside from my dad, who was motor pool/transport. I have a number of close friends who have served with many having spent time in the "Sandbox" since 1990 til now.

In the here and now though, I've gone beyond just saying "thank you" and have invested in putting hands and feet to helping those vets out there who have material need or struggling with post-war issues. I believe "thank you" is great, but real help is better for those who are struggling.

 

Thank You sounds bitchen in a review, but dollars, cents, and survival are totally different.

Most people at work in many places are idiots.

VETERANS are not

~ Just saying.

ANY vet is mission oriented, and will dial into what the company is supposed to do.

Edited by OP 9May15: Reason? I thought I sounded like a bombastic clown.

I think a lot of workplaces these days leave a lot to be desired. Even in the military we can often find ourselves in a workplace we just don't like for one reason or another.

 

Thank you for your support.

This doesn't have anything to do with need but, I often see vets wearing caps with their service designation. I try to shake their hand, when appropriate . At times I buy their table's lunch or dinner... if I can catch it in time. I always do this anonymously.

The first time my youngest saw me do this she gave me a BIG hug when we got out to the truck and told me how proud she was of me for doing that.

The second time she witnessed it, a young Marine came into the restaurant , in Full Dress with what looked to be Mom, Dad and a sister. We were just checking out and I had the waiter add a $50.00 Gift card to my tab and to give it to the Marine after we left. When we got to the truck my daughter told me she knew I was going to do something as soon as she saw me watching them be seated.

The seeds we plant today.....

 

US ARMY....1982-85....US ARMY Reserve...1985-1987.
Not a very adventurous tour, though parts of my unit at Fort Campbell went to Granada and the Sanai Peninsula... and I was at Camp Casey in Korea when that East German dude made a break for freedom at the DMZ. I was just glad to have gotten an honorable discharge at the end of it all......

 

Hey Rog, haven't heard from you in a while.

Far as honorable discharges - what the NAVY doesn't know, it is much too late to charge me with.

 

Hello

Not military but I would like to thank all that served for there service to this country and the people who live here. (Including the ungrateful people who don't deserve it .)

Without you this country would be another Russia , China or North Korea.

I would also like to thank All your Brothers and sisters that never made it home and made the ultimate sacrifice to provide the freedoms that we enjoy.

For all the people who enjoy the freedom that is provided by our military next time you see a service member past or present thank them for there service and all they sacrificed for you.


Scott