OJR Posted November 9, 2004 Report Share Posted November 9, 2004 WHAT IS A VET? Some veterans bear visible signs of their service: a missing limb, a jagged scar, a certain look in the eye. Others may carry the evidence inside them: a pin holding a bone together, a piece of shrapnel in the leg - or perhaps another sort of inner steel: the soul's ally forged in the refinery of adversity. Except in parades, however, the men and women who have kept America safe wear no badge or emblem. You can't tell a vet just by looking. So, what is a vet? He is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi Arabia sweating two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carriers didn't run out of fuel. He is the barroom loudmouth, dumber than five wooden planks, whose overgrown frat-boy behavior is outweighed a hundred times in the cosmic scales by four hours of exquisite bravery near the 38th parallel. She - or he - is the nurse who fought against futility and went to sleep sobbing every night for two solid years in Da Nang. He is the POW who went away one person and came back another - or didn't come back, AT ALL. He is the Quantico drill instructor who has never seen combat - but has saved countless lives by turning slouchy, no-account rednecks and gang members into Marines, and teaching them to watch each other's backs. He is the parade - riding Legionnaire who pins on his ribbons and medals with a prosthetic hand. He is the career quartermaster who watches the ribbons and medals pass him by. He is the anonymous heroes in The Tomb of the Unknowns, whose presence at the Arlington National Cemetery must forever preserve the memory of all the anonymous heroes whose valor dies unrecognized with them on the battlefield or in the ocean's sunless deep. He is the old guy bagging groceries at the supermarket - palsied now and aggravatingly slow - who helped liberate a Nazi death camp and who wishes all day long that his wife were still alive to hold him when the nightmares come. He is an ordinary and yet an extraordinary human being - a person who offered some of his life's most vital years in the service of his country, and who sacrificed his ambitions so others would not have to sacrifice theirs. He is a soldier and a savior and a sword against the darkness, and he is nothing more than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the finest, greatest nation ever known. So remember, each time you see someone who has served our country, just lean over and say Thank You. That's all most people need, and in most cases it will mean more than any medals they could have been awarded or were awarded. Two little words that mean a lot, "THANK YOU". Remember November 11th is Veterans Day "It is the soldier, not the reporter, Who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, Who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, 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." -- Father Denis Edward O'Brien, USMC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator Posted November 9, 2004 Report Share Posted November 9, 2004 Re: What Is A VET? Very good, touching post........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanH Posted November 9, 2004 Report Share Posted November 9, 2004 Re: What Is A VET? Very good! I agree! Awesome post! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdoc Posted November 9, 2004 Report Share Posted November 9, 2004 Re: What Is A VET? great post! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c_lou Posted November 9, 2004 Report Share Posted November 9, 2004 Re: What Is A VET? Excellent Post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeramie Posted November 9, 2004 Report Share Posted November 9, 2004 Re: What Is A VET? That is a great post! Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted November 9, 2004 Report Share Posted November 9, 2004 Re: What Is A VET? great post Orlan thank you for your service to the U.S. Air Force my friend. (and i'm glad you didn't have to turn the key, and push the button ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted November 9, 2004 Report Share Posted November 9, 2004 Re: What Is A VET? Great post. Thank you to all who have served and are serving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitetailkiller Posted November 10, 2004 Report Share Posted November 10, 2004 Re: What Is A VET? thank you as a vet i got chills cuz it made me more proud of the service i did for my country!!!!!!!! THANK YOU! for posting this,,,believe it or not i will sleep better tonight!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckee Posted November 10, 2004 Report Share Posted November 10, 2004 Re: What Is A VET? "THANK YOU". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Schmeck Posted November 10, 2004 Report Share Posted November 10, 2004 Re: What Is A VET? We owe all veterans a debt of gratitude.............................thank you! Without the blood sweat and tears of our veterans, past and present, our country, and the rest of the world would be considerably less than what it is now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griz Posted November 10, 2004 Report Share Posted November 10, 2004 Re: What Is A VET? Very, very good post.... Thank you!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swamphunter Posted November 10, 2004 Report Share Posted November 10, 2004 Re: What Is A VET? Awesome post!! 5 stars!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texastrophies Posted November 10, 2004 Report Share Posted November 10, 2004 Re: What Is A VET? THANK YOU Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puffy Posted November 10, 2004 Report Share Posted November 10, 2004 Re: What Is A VET? Couldn't have been said any better! Amen Many of my family members and friends have served in the forces during both W.W. to present and I have the utmost respect for all who have given so much for the freedom we all enjoy. PRAISE BE TO GOD TO END ALL WARS ...................................Hunt Smart-Eat-Well ................................ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archerjg Posted November 10, 2004 Report Share Posted November 10, 2004 Re: What Is A VET? Excellent post. Archerjg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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