Salute to Veterans

[Teal 37]

USAF 1964-1976; USAFR 1976-1997

4 yrs Missle Launch Officer
2 1/2 yrs C-130 Airlift pilot throughout SEAsia
23 yrs C-130 Hurricane Hunter pilot

Proud to have served.

[CAP Producer]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmX6TAvUfMA

[meganite]

Those who serve in the military guard the spirit of America as much as they guard its borders. You are the invisible steel that strengthens the otherwise fragile concrete of this edifice. Thanks to all for your service. We would not be here without you. 

(Sorry if the concrete bit didn't make sense... I studied architecture, it made sense to me  )

[FlyTiger77]

(Sorry if the concrete bit didn't make sense... I studied architecture, it made sense to me  )

Thanks for your kind words and the concrete bit made perfect sense.

[RickFranz]

Thank you each and everyone of you for posting. 

[AlphaSigOU]

U.S. Air Force, 1985-86, Spangdahlem, Germany (AFSC 622X0 - cook).

[bosshawk]

Cook: the rest of us couldn't have made it without you.

[Gunner C]

1975-1977 SF Radio Operator, 19th Special Forces Group (Abn)
1977-1978 SF Engineer, 5th Special Forces Group (Abn)
1979-1982 SF Engineer, 39th Special Forces Detachment (Abn)
1982-1983 SF Engineer, 5th Special Forces Group (Abn)
1983-1985 SF Engineer/SF Intel Sgt, 7th Special Forces Group (Abn)
1986-1991 Detachment Exec Off/Commander/S2/S3, 7th Special Forces Group (Abn)
1991-1995 Operations & Intelligence Development Officer/Advanced Skills Development Officer, Special Warfare Center and School

Iranian Revolution
European Counter Terrorism
Central American Campaign
Drug War - Bolivia
Operation Blue Spoon (Just Cause) - Panama

[SarDragon]

Bump.

A Veteran is someone, who at one point in their life, wrote a blank check payable to the United States of America for an amount up to, and including, their life. Regardless of personal political views, that is an Honor and there are way too many people in this country who no longer remember that fact.

See also here and here.

[Garibaldi]

In my travels, I've had kids come up to me while I was in my CAP uniform, sometimes at the behest of their parents, to thank me for my service. I politely tell them thank you, but the real thanks belongs to...that guy/woman over there. They're the ones who are doing the job you should thank them for.

Occasionally, an adult will do the same. It embarrasses me that I never served chickened out of serving, and therefore I feel completely inadequate to receive those thanks. I very politely tell them that I am a civilian, and I tell them, if no AD or veteran is around, that I will pass along their thanks.

So, on behalf of all those who have thanked me, I pass along those thanks to you, veterans past and present.

[manfredvonrichthofen]

Kevin, I have had the same thing happen, I don't know how many times. I do the same, and one time, only once, I had someone respond with an answer I didn't expect... He told me he knew good and well who I was, and that he appreciated what Civil Air patrol does, in WWII we took care of the coast, and now we take care of those who are lost and injured, we help those who cannot help themselves. To him we are as important as the armed military. This was the greatest Thanks I have ever received.

Though Civil Air patrol is not celebrated today, take note that what we do is important. We have been thanked, by those we have helped. Be proud of the services you do provide.

[Sapper168]

US Army and Reserve 1994-2002-  combat engineer 12B

[krnlpanick]

I would like to share a story from memorial day this year. I had the honor of being present and part of the memorial day ceremonies at Fort Logan National Cemetery here in Denver this year. An elderly woman came up to me half-way through the ceremony and thanked me for my service. I explained to her that I was only a civilian and in the Civil Air Patrol. She told me that she knew exactly who I was and that CAP had been responsible for saving her brother's life when they were teenagers. She also told me that I should *never* downplay the CAP's service to our country.

Another story. Last week I was at the 7-11 when I ran into a retired AF Major in the store. I thanked him for his service as I always do and he noticed the radio in my car. When he asked about it, I explained that it was a CAP radio. He then surprised me by thanking *me* for my service. I was stunned and respectfully thanked him but explained that I was just a civilian. He explained to me that he was very familiar with CAP and had been friends with a lot of CAP members while he was AD. He said to me that just because I was a civilian, serving in a civilian organization that we were still part of the Air Force and that we deserved the same respect for our service as he did for his.

The moral of this story is that when someone thanks you for your service to our country I believe that yes it is important to explain that we are not the Air Force but accept their thanks. Our service to our country is important and saves lives too. We help to educate young men and women to be better citizens, a good share of them will end up joining the military when they are of age. We aid in the war on terror and the war on drugs. We take an active role in disaster recovery operations. We help with rescue efforts and locating lost souls. We train adults and kids to become leaders. Our core values mirror the USAF, Integrity, Volunteer Service, Excellence, and Respect. We are the Civilian Auxiliary of the United States Air Force and when we shrug that off because we don't want to be thought of as a wanna-bee then we go against our very own core values.

I would like to personally thank every man and woman that has served our country in times of peace and in times of war in the armed forces of the United States. I would also like to thank every man and woman who has served their country in the Civil Air Patrol.

[Stonewall]

Grandfather (mom's side): US Army - Private to Colonel (no college), WWII, Korea. Still kickin' at age 98.
Grandfather (dad's side): US Army - Sergeant, 29th ID, Normandy.  Passed in 1997 (while I was deployed with 29th ID to Bosnia)
Dad: US Navy - Commander, Vietnam. 1964 to 1984 (USNA c/o '64)
Uncle:  US Army - Staff Sergeant, Vietnam.
Uncle:  US Army - Colonel, Desert Storm.  1972 to 1997
Sister: US Army - Specialist, Cold War.
Wife: Air National Guard - Technical Sergeant. 2003 to present.
Me:  US Army -  Corporal, 1991 to 1995; Army National Guard - Staff Sergeant, 1995 to 2001.  Bosnia.
       Air National Guard - Master Sergeant, 2004 to present.  Afghanistan.

[Cliff_Chambliss]

US  Army 1968-1992
Major Assignments
11th Armored Cavalry Regiment
2d Armored Cavalry Regiment
3d Infantry Division
504th Military Intelligence Brigade

[Ford73Diesel]

USCGR 2009- Present. Machinery Technician. Deployed to Kuwait 2012, and that's about it....

[Camas]

US Air Force 1962-65 service at Hamilton AFB CA and Albrook AFB Canal Zone (Panama).
US Army 1967-69 most of that time in Vietnam. Left service as a SGT E-5.

[umpirecali]

Our cadets honoring local fallen veterans at a ceremony yesterday:

[Devil Doc]

USN 2005-2007 HM3 FMF Corpsman
2007-2008 USNR(Left due to VA Disability)

Uncle US Navy 1988-Present SCPO Gas Turbine System Technician
Step Grandpa(Dad Side) USMC Vietnam
Grandpa(Mums Side) U.S Army WW2

Had family in the Civil War, WW1, WW2, War of 1812, and the Revolutionary War. Not the same last name of course.

[LegacyAirman]

1975-1985 ANG 304X1 (Nav-Aids in E.I. Sq.)
1985-1987 AFRes. 431X1C (A-10 Crew Chief)
1988-2006 AFRes. A113X0C/1A1X1 (W/C-130E/H/J Flight Engineer)
2006-2008 CAP-USAF Reserve Assistance Program