Roll Call: Honoring Military Members & First Responders on Gator Country

5th ID, yes, at Ft Polk. The beret flash was from the cav troop in the 82d Airborne when it had the Sheridans. My 1SG was a Senior Jumper who'd spent years at the 82d. He made me remove my Gator Raider flash and put on the red-over/white cav flash. I often risked ass-chewings by wearing it in the field but in this case I was an OPFOR Bn CO fighting a Bde TF training up for NTC so it was allowed! Mind you, this is pre-Shinseki (actually, Ric was my first Squadron CO), back when the armor community was arguing the black beret (worldwide beret color of armor/recce) should properly be with us, not the Infantry slobs.

 

My father served in the Army during World War I. He spent time with Black Jack Pershing chasing Pancho Villa around the Texas border near El Paso, and was later wounded in northern France by German machine gun fire.
My oldest brother served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, and was onboard in Tokyo Harbor when the armistice with Japan was signed. He survived the war only to die Christmas morning 1946 in a collision with a train in Tampa. I never met him because I was 9th in a family of 10 children.
My youngest brother was with the 101st north of Da Nang. He passed away in 2015 from the effects of Agent Orange age 64. I also had a nephew that never made it back from Vietnam (alive) in 1967.
I was U.S. Navy from 1968-1972 as a SK3 aboard the U.S.S. Hector AR-7 and then the U.S.S. Mars AFS-1.
A distant cousin Ensign Worth Bagley was the only Naval Officer killed in the Spanish-American war. His statue still stands in the courtyard of the State Capital in Raleigh N.C.

 

THANK YOU to all our veterans and their families....we love and respect and above all.....are GRATEFUL for your service and sacrifice!

At Walmart earlier this week I was headed to the self-checkout and noticed a man in front of me kinda hunched over a bit wearing a ball cap and pushing his cart with a younger female escort and I was thinking to myself "That looks like a military veteran."

I went about my business and as I was finishing up they went by and I was able to see his "Honor Air" ball cap so extended my hand and said "Thank you for your service!" Boy did his face light up! Korean veteran and he proceeded to share a few stories about me in historical nature. I told him about my folks and my Mom who also took an Honor Air flight.

I see veterans every day and always make a point to connect and let them know they are loved and appreciated.

 

One of my brothers volunteered for the draft since he knew it was coming. He was in Korea the same time that you were. He was infantry and spent his time in the DMZ.

 

Same here phatGator. I was in A company 3rd battalion 23rd infantry division of 2nd division. Stationed at Campp Greaves I/2 the time and another base the other 1/2.
Our unit has actually had a couple of reunions around Murphy NC until COVID. Plans are in the works for another one before we all - you know.

 

Just got home from scouting the Tallahassee National Cemetery in anticipation of my father’s graveside to be held later this month. He passed away Thanksgiving weekend at 99 years and 11 months, which I have mentioned before. He was Army Air Corps ‘45 to ‘47. Served the whole active duty time in Germany “cleaning up the mess,” as he put it. Got out for a few years and reupped in the USAF for 20 more years ‘51 to ‘71. Found his stack of DD214s last week. He didn’t talk much about his time in but the 214s tell a lot more than I knew. WWII Victory Medal and WWII Occupation Medal along with a stack of the usual meritorious service and good conduct and expert marksman medals and OLCs. No really serious medals, but thanks for your service just the same, Poppa Don.

 

WE love and thank you!

 

I salute all the great men and women that served in the military of our great nation.... My oldest brother Army vet... my dad Air force vet... and my 3 uncles, two fought in WWII, and one in the Korean War. All honorable men.

 

We were soldiers once...and young.

 

4 years USN (‘85-89), then 22 years as a Coast Guard JAG after going to UF law (‘94-2016). Operation Earnest Will (reflagging and escort of Kuwaiti tankers, Persian Gulf, 1987

 

I never served but had family that did.
2 Uncles that served in the Army, in the ETO, during WW2. The oldest Uncle's Wife's brother was killed in action during the landing at Anzio, Italy. My other Uncle had an eye shot out in the Battle of the Huertgen Forest. They both survived the war. Their youngest brother was in the post WW2 Air Force. He was a mechanic for jets.
My Dad served in the Army for 22 years, 82ND Airborne, Green Beret, 7TH Special Forces. Survived Viet Nam but passed in May '77 from cancer, was only 45 years old. Before he retired, 1970, he was injured in a bad parachute training exercise, at Fort Bragg, NC. It was a mass jump and when he was coming down, another Paratrooper's 'chute deployed open directly under him, his 'chute then never deployed fully and he came down really fast, THANK GOD, it was a low jump. He broke the bones in his feet and shins, had to stay in Walter Reed Hospital for about a year for recovery. The rest of his life he had to wear lower leg braces and special shoes.
I salute and thank all of the Veterans here, past, current, and future as YOU ALL keep our country free and the greatest place to live! GOD BLESS YOU ALL!!!!

 

What unit were you in?

Was the water jump part of the Phanton ABN unit in Florida?

 

Look at that uniform!
I like the meme that says if you wore this, it's time for a colonoscopy.

 

Loved all 10 years (now that I'm done)

 

Woodlands for the W. None of this digital stuff. I still have a few sets of trousers I still wear for yard work. One special pair with a nice rip in the butt from the fins on a mortar round catching the flap on my rear pocket.

 

Thank y'all for your service.

PS: paging:
@uftaipan
@CaptUSMCNole
@NavyGator93

 

My dad was a USAF bomber pilot in the Korean Conflict and also flew KC-97 mid-air refuelers after the war. My brother was a USAF aerospace engineer launching military satellites. My son was a Marine and served two tours in Iraq during the war. My brother-in-law was a Marine who was XO at Cherry Point and served in the first Gulf War. My grandfather enlisted in the Army for WW I, but, was released 3 months later when the war ended. My uncle and cousin were both pilots during the Vietnam era. And, my wife's cousin was a CO and an AV-8B Harrier pilot for the USMC. Her uncle was also a Naval Aviator.

 

Fellow Coastie 2002-2024

 

In case you missed it........

 

Hopefully not while the mortar round was "splash - over" in-bound. LOL.

And disagree RE Woodland. Cammies or OG107 Jungles / slash pockets were the best uniforms EVER! That is a hill on which I will die.