Happy Veteran’s Day!

[msucolt45 4103]

Thank you to those Surly members who have served and/or continue to serve our country!

 

Thank you also to those that now have their children serving throughout the world today. Thank you also to those of our family members who served in generations past. I appreciate their service with honor bestowed upon them.

 

Hook’em !!!

[OneOfTheOutOfFocusGuys 2100]

 

my dad and 2000 of his closest friends on the bonny dick

 

[Guest Lobo]

I thank each and every one of you.  I am trying to make it a point today to send each of the 15 or so veterans (and a handful still on active duty) in my mom's and father's sides of the family some well wishes and pictures of our oldest at her school's veteran's day celebration.  

But I gotta drop a thread derail here.  My daughter's elementary school asked for photos of close relatives who've served with a little description for a video tribute.  So I gave her a cool pic and rundown of my dad's Naval service.  Between his frigate and destroyer service, he was Morocco, Cuba, and Vietnam.  And the poor lady at the school was just overwhelmed.  Maybe she got bad raw data.  The video was super sweet with great music broken down by branch.  But her data entry was all over the place.  She had guys serving in Korea in 1943.  Grandads in the Air Force in 1938.  Commissioned Officer rates next to photos of folks in enlisted uniforms.  Even had a great-grandpa attending the USNA from 1936-1956 (Super Senior, maybe).  But it was very well intentioned and made my daughter and I swell up with pride.  Then my dad's pops up, gets NCO and years right and most theaters. 

Then, "Cuban Navel Blockade."  I cried laughing, my wife and daughters having no idea why.  My father is dead laughing in his grave.  I'm just picturing his carrier group trying to keep the mid-riffs of saucy Cubana ladies from barring too much skin on those humid Havana nights.  /csb

Thanks for everything fellas.  Wouldn't be here without you.

[WillUSAF 226]

1 hour ago, msucolt45 said:

 

Thank you to those Surly members who have served and/or continue to serve our country!

 

Thank you also to those that now have their children serving throughout the world today. Thank you also to those of our family members who served in generations past. I appreciate their service with honor bestowed upon them.

 

Hook’em !!!

Thank you!!

 

Hook'em!

[OneOfTheOutOfFocusGuys 2100]

2 hours ago, Lobo said:

I thank each and every one of you.  I am trying to make it a point today to send each of the 15 or so veterans (and a handful still on active duty) in my mom's and father's sides of the family some well wishes and pictures of our oldest at her school's veteran's day celebration.  

But I gotta drop a thread derail here.  My daughter's elementary school asked for photos of close relatives who've served with a little description for a video tribute.  So I gave her a cool pic and rundown of my dad's Naval service.  Between his frigate and destroyer service, he was Morocco, Cuba, and Vietnam.  And the poor lady at the school was just overwhelmed.  Maybe she got bad raw data.  The video was super sweet with great music broken down by branch.  But her data entry was all over the place.  She had guys serving in Korea in 1943.  Grandads in the Air Force in 1938.  Commissioned Officer rates next to photos of folks in enlisted uniforms.  Even had a great-grandpa attending the USNA from 1936-1956 (Super Senior, maybe).  But it was very well intentioned and made my daughter and I swell up with pride.  Then my dad's pops up, gets NCO and years right and most theaters. 

Then, "Cuban Navel Blockade."  I cried laughing, my wife and daughters having no idea why.  My father is dead laughing in his grave.  I'm just picturing his carrier group trying to keep the mid-riffs of saucy Cubana ladies from barring too much skin on those humid Havana nights.  /csb

Thanks for everything fellas.  Wouldn't be here without you.

to protect against this, presumably

 

 

 

[Longhornstampede 3191]

Indeed to all my fellow surlyite veterans out there. From this vet, thank you and all your family and friends who have served our great country. 🤘

[NAVY 6762]

Here's my old gray bitch. Miss her. 

[South Austin 52660]

Here’s a picture of my dad being awarded the Silver Star for his service in Vietnam. He decided to make a career in the Marine Corps, and later served in the Persian Gulf War before retiring in 1993. The guy has been my hero my whole life.

Thanks to everyone who’s served, however and wherever.

Edited November 11, 2021 by South Austin

[RPM 26374]

Well, nobody invaded Alaska on my watch.

[OneOfTheOutOfFocusGuys 2100]

2 minutes ago, RPM said:

Well, nobody invaded Alaska on my watch.

looking at cold war maps showing all the runways we had in western AK is really cool.  you can joke about your service but it is pretty bad ass.

[BearSchlong 8133]

To those that served, thank you for your service.

DadofBearSchlong, Americal division, Chu Lai, Vietnam.  He enlisted in the Coast Guard and was sent to the induction center in CA only to be sent back to TX because he was allergic to penicillin.  Then 6 weeks later the Army draft letter came, and the Army didn't care about allergies.

Dad had an axe to grind, so I was actively encouraged to not consider serving - but honestly it's something I regret not doing.

SonOfBearSchlong just returned from a year at Camp Casey, Korea, and starts his new job as a Platoon Leader of medics in the 82nd Airborne this coming Monday.

 

 

Edited November 11, 2021 by BearSchlong

[MaybeACoordinator 8350]

35 minutes ago, BearSchlong said:

To those that served, thank you for your service.

DadofBearSchlong, Americal division, Chu Lai, Vietnam.  He enlisted in the Coast Guard and was sent to the induction center in CA only to be sent back to TX because he was allergic to penicillin.  Then 6 weeks later the Army draft letter came, and the Army didn't care about allergies.

Dad had an axe to grind, so I was actively encouraged to not consider serving - but honestly it's something I regret not doing.

SonOfBearSchlong just returned from a year at Camp Casey, Korea, and starts his new job as a Platoon Leader of medics in the 82nd Airborne this coming Monday.

 

 

My son has been back from Casey and Carroll for about a year now.

Served his term honorably and gtfo but man, I am so grateful for what the army did for him. I wish I'd had the balls to do the same.

 

[RPM 26374]

42 minutes ago, BearSchlong said:

He enlisted in the Coast Guard and was sent to the induction center in CA only to be sent back to TX because he was allergic to penicillin. 

That might have been a good thing. Coasties ran river patrols in Vietnam. 

[TwiceHorn 31646]

Ensign Dad, USNR, ca. 1943:

Torpedo Officer DD-583 USS Hall, at Ulithi, ca. 1944:

Kwajalein, Eniwetok,  Saipan, Tinian, Carolines (Truk), MIndoro, Lingayen Gulf, Iwo Jima, Okinawa.  The last sortie was interdiction of Yamato sailing to Okinawa with a battleship group.  Thankfully, aircraft got her first.

Then for the final four days of WWII, and for about a year after bringing people home, Gunnery Officer AP170 Winged Arrow. http://navsource.org/archives/09/22/092217004.jpg

 

Edited November 11, 2021 by TwiceHorn

[OneOfTheOutOfFocusGuys 2100]

6 hours ago, OneOfTheOutOfFocusGuys said:

 

my dad and 2000 of his closest friends on the bonny dick

 

Very cool picture of U.S. about to waste some fools.  Just saw this for the first time.  Brooklyn Ship Yard.

(1) Reprisal (CV-35) 

(2) Coral Sea, later Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVB-42) 

(3) Kearsarge (CV-33) 

(4) Oriskany (CV-34) 

(5) dad's Bon Homme Richard (CV-31)

and a shit ton of other stuff.

 

[MaybeACoordinator 8350]

A csb from my great-grandfather, shortly before his ship hit a mine off Anzio. He was captain of the poorly-named minesweeper Portent, built in Beaumont. Born in Sabine Pass, my great-grandfather ran away from home to enlist in the Navy in WW1, almost certainly with his father's tacit approval. They were from a long line of mariners. On his return, he became a Sabine / Neches / Galveston ship's pilot, and when the WW2 came along, such men with ship-handling skills were made captains of warships, though not often or ever combat ships.....

anyway, here is his letter:

 

My Darling- We are to arrive about noon in Naples. Our trip has been exciting to some extent, so far we haven't had any air attack, but as we were leaving Oran (Harbor) a Convoy bound for Gibraltar was attacked by a boat and got a ship out of the Convoy. It was a tremendous explosion- this ship was about eight miles away. Two of our destroyers went to the scenes and after a few hours search got the Sub with Survivors, So one more Sub out of way. This trip has been a very thrilling one have had many reconnaissance planes flying reports of the E Boat which is more dreaded than the U-Boat. they are the first boat like our PT armed with Torpedoes -rush in and right out after launching a torpedo. We have six ships loaded with American Troops bound for the front have made good time, they really keep us on the ball keeping (statewise?) and we have to maintain a very fast speed which I like.

 

I just thought I would write a line or so and have a nice long chat with my darling that's why I'm writing to you this lovely evening.

 

Its a beautiful day, wind chilly and sun bright, just the kind of day that makes one feel good. I expect Dorothy and Ed (Green) are packing as this is the 19th and he has only four more days to do and then off. I expect to Miami Fla., to school again. Be sure my darling to let me know where he is going. Hope he doesn't come over here. I wish you could see what I have, how it works- we bought some lighters over in Oran for ship service and I bought one, mine works perfect. Am so proud of myself. You know that lighter Ed Bular gave me never did work and always wanted one and now mine works and I am happy as can be.

 

We won't have but ten hours here in Naples and then leave for Oran again. These troop ships are like tankers, run the soldiers off and dump the baggage then sail. This old news you hear and that I hear comes over the radio is just a bunch of Bunk. Since Thanksgiving I know of five ships that went down and two subs never have I heard that over the radio. It's always peaches and cream. But they never tell how it is, for instance fifty miles from me just got word of an air attack you have to be on the look out all the time for hell might pop any minute. - "Later" we arrived here went ashore and its like the rest if the places being Sunday all places are closed. Bars not open until 4:30pm and we had to be back aboard at 5:00pm. Soldiers every where, Army trucks going and coming the place has been bombed terribly, the people look like the Arab 4. Dirty, Filthy and more childhood beggaring so that is what I saw in Naples. Walked about the city and right in the heart of the City the army is assembling guns to take to the front. I am so damn disgusted wish old Vesuvius would clean the place up. Its interesting to see the old volcano still shooting out smoke after centuries of Burning. One wonders whats down there to make it burn so long- Don't expect Wallace will be with us on the way back- he has to take another Convoy back. Expect I'll just stick around with the destroyers until they get rid of me some place down the line. In fact Fannie I don't care what port - they all look alike and I would give anything I possess to get back to you and Susie.

 

All I can say is this other part of the world is in one Hell of a fix. More is being blown to Hell every day. You should have seen some of the damages to Naples alone. It will be years upon years before it can be rebuilt like it was before the war, then the poverty we will have to feed the world just as sure as can be, expect conditions in Germany, Poland and Russia are awful.

 

I have been told by our officers from the British Army that they haven't had an air raid here now in two weeks and then they got thirteen planes- pretty good shooting don't you think?

 

This part of the World is grand for ones nerves - wish Aunt Blanche was over here , would do her heart good.

 

Honey, when I pulled into Bigerton I found two of my old men from the Cardinal here, one was the tall boy whose people were Mormons. He lived in Texas some place - a fine boy. Then old Cash ,y Gunners wrote, both are fine, Old Cash has a brand new machine gun never been fired with about two thousand rounds of ammunition for one boy am I going to take it. Pretty good play. Pretty for Ed Green to bite his teeth on what say? This gun was taken from one of the Danish outside of Bigerton

 

Will write some more tomorrow you see my love I can honestly say that you are constantly on my feeble mind, Oh how I wish I could see you and tell you instead of writing that I love you. Good night Darling- pleasant dreams

 

Love Your,

Howard

Sunday 19th December

 

X-Mas is just around the Corner- I hope you have a nice X-Mas. I won't.

[msucolt45 4103]

Before the age of e-mails and cell phones, I’d try to write “back home” as much as possible. We’re talking Desert Storm, so technology has really advanced in the roughly three decades since. Mail Call was the highlight of the day, if we had one.

I have shoe boxes full of correspondence to my wife to be and family, as well as those sent to me. We’ve moved to different towns/homes over the years, but we’ve always taken those “cherished” boxes with us. My kids, now in college, always asked why, so I’d just reply that one day we’d all open them up and cry. Of course as time has passed, some of those are from family/friends no longer with us, but one day will be worth reading and hearing their voices again!

Thanks again to all who have served, as well as those family members who have served before you or continue to do so today.

Thank you to our proud servicemen/women!

Hook’em !!!

[Bateshorn 9942]

[sheeeit 129]

8 hours ago, Lobo said:

I thank each and every one of you.  I am trying to make it a point today to send each of the 15 or so veterans (and a handful still on active duty) in my mom's and father's sides of the family some well wishes and pictures of our oldest at her school's veteran's day celebration.  

But I gotta drop a thread derail here.  My daughter's elementary school asked for photos of close relatives who've served with a little description for a video tribute.  So I gave her a cool pic and rundown of my dad's Naval service.  Between his frigate and destroyer service, he was Morocco, Cuba, and Vietnam.  And the poor lady at the school was just overwhelmed.  Maybe she got bad raw data.  The video was super sweet with great music broken down by branch.  But her data entry was all over the place.  She had guys serving in Korea in 1943.  Grandads in the Air Force in 1938.  Commissioned Officer rates next to photos of folks in enlisted uniforms.  Even had a great-grandpa attending the USNA from 1936-1956 (Super Senior, maybe).  But it was very well intentioned and made my daughter and I swell up with pride.  Then my dad's pops up, gets NCO and years right and most theaters. 

Then, "Cuban Navel Blockade."  I cried laughing, my wife and daughters having no idea why.  My father is dead laughing in his grave.  I'm just picturing his carrier group trying to keep the mid-riffs of saucy Cubana ladies from barring too much skin on those humid Havana nights.  /csb

Thanks for everything fellas.  Wouldn't be here without you.

Interestingly, my dad was an officer on a ship (I think it was the Blandy) during the Cuban missile crisis.  13 Days was a pretty good movie about the crisis for those interested.  It is almost impossible to explain what happened in those days to my kids today.  They just can not imagine a world where no one knows anything about what the other side is doing.

[conVINCEd 21474]

Happy Veterans Day to all who served, particularly my two grandfathers who served in the Pacific and are no longer with us.

[FartingMonk 3608]

Don't thank me.   Thank my recruiter

[Sgt Hulk 13928]

20 years and still on the grind

[Mother mopar 3326]

Happy veterans day to all those who have served and still serving. Even the non-Air Force folks. Hung up the uniform myself last month, retired life is good.

Here is my grandfather who served in the Korean war.

[RPM 26374]

Just wanted to pass this along and get your reaction. We have a "Salute to Veterans" poster at work with Pics of Vets in our Department and when/where they served. It's a couple years old and has pics of some people that don't work here anymore. I left their pics because they earned the right. I took it out and displayed it when I got off work yesterday morning. I get to work at 10pm and find the day shift made some adjustments. A person that never served put their pic up and listed "Correctional Officer" as their branch. I'll hang up and listen.

Spoiler

You stupid God damned cunt! Prison guard is not the same fucking thing!

 

[BearSchlong 8133]

I'd track that person down and thank them for their service guarding terrorists at Guantanamo Bay. What? They didn't serve there? Put a big label on that photo that says "stolen valor"

[Sgt Hulk 13928]

10 hours ago, Mother mopar said:

Happy veterans day to all those who have served and still serving. Even the non-Air Force folks. Hung up the uniform myself last month, retired life is good.

Here is my grandfather who served in the Korean war.

Nice dude congrats on retirement. I’m AF as well thinking I have maybe 3 years left max before I wanna roll out 

[Guest Lobo]

15 hours ago, sheeeit said:

Interestingly, my dad was an officer on a ship (I think it was the Blandy) during the Cuban missile crisis.  13 Days was a pretty good movie about the crisis for those interested.  It is almost impossible to explain what happened in those days to my kids today.  They just can not imagine a world where no one knows anything about what the other side is doing.

Though he only peripherally fraternized with the Officers, considering the shitshow they diffused—-there’s a decent chance our Fathers mingled at the same watering hole when that near-disaster had finished.  

[sheeeit 129]

1 hour ago, Lobo said:

Though he only peripherally fraternized with the Officers, considering the shitshow they diffused—-there’s a decent chance our Fathers mingled at the same watering hole when that near-disaster had finished.  

Quite possible.  My dad said the very best port/duty or whatever it is called was Cuba.  

[DallasGatr 216]

Here’s a picture of my dad being awarded the Silver Star for his service in Vietnam. He decided to make a career in the Marine Corps, and later served in the Persian Gulf War before retiring in 1993. The guy has been my hero my whole life.
Thanks to everyone who’s served, however and wherever.

I served in the USMC for 9 years and met 2 Marines with a Silver Star. They simply do not just give that one away. Very impressive SA.

[South Austin 52660]

2 minutes ago, DallasGatr said:

I served in the USMC for 9 years and met 2 Marines with a Silver Star. They simply do not just give that one away. Very impressive SA.

Thanks. I’m sure of my dad had the choice, he’d give back the Silver Star if, well, you know . . . .

[Mother mopar 3326]

Nice dude congrats on retirement. I’m AF as well thinking I have maybe 3 years left max before I wanna roll out 

Appreciate it man, called it quits on my own time and slide into a non-acft mx
job and love it.

Hang in there, it will go by quickly for sure. You'll know when it's time to click the button, that moment of clarity will hit you. It's a great feeling bro.

[RPM 26374]

Found this video shot during the decommissioning of my old ship USCGC Boutwell WHEC-719. They sold it to the Philippines to become part of their navy.

A lot of shit had changed since I was onboard, compartments moved, etc. It had a Mk-30 5" gun mount (I was projectile loader on the gun crew) that was replaced with a Mk-75 76mm. It was all part of the FRAM upgrade the fleet underwent in the 90's that gave a serious updating of weps and ops. Laundry is still in the same place, so I imagine the Armory is still right across the hall. Became pretty good friends with the GMs when I ran laundry. It was a perfect party venue. Too bad we didn't have women onboard at the time. Also not shown are the berthing areas and the paint locker in the bow forward of the anchor locker. Nothing but paint, solvent and loose insulation to stash whatever you might need to. It's a profitable assignment if you have a strong stomach in 30 ft seas.

 

Edited November 17, 2021 by RPM

[NAVY 6762]

Happy Veteran’s Day to all you bad ass mother fuckers! You put love of friends and family above your own safety. Pretty fucking rare these days.

Hand salute! 

[UpperWestside 6192]

I am reading a book right now that focuses on a few of the individual Marines that fought on Tarawa. Reading about them reminds me about the level of sacrifice each of them made to repel Japan and destroy their armed forces completely. That battle was pure hell on earth. I have nothing but admiration for them and everyone else that has served our country.
 

My father was German, but within three years of coming to the states he was drafted to go to Vietnam. He would get his citizenship over there and he was placed in the motor pool. Despite qualifying as a marksman (My dad was a heckuva shot) he was sent to the motor pool where he did what he excelled at unlike any person I have ever met. He received the Bronze Star during his tour, but never said how he got it. He was so proud to be an American citizen and to have served in the armed forces of his adopted country. I will never forget when my uncle died in 2006 and my dad had lost his sight due to a doctor’s tragic mistake, he got up and he saluted my uncle (Also a Vietnam vet that got his leg blown off by friendly fire. Found that out 15 years later.) while they played taps.