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11-06-2011, 09:45 PM
Did anyone see this on 60 Minutes - WOW. This was absolutely an incredible and touching story of 8 soldiers who returned back to Iraq where there lives were changed forever from ambush attacks. This was incredible. I cried for these young men.
Vundy, my friend, I have only heard some of your story, but this made me think of you and some of those friends that you have lost. I want to thank you and all the other servicemen on this site and elsewhere for showing bravery as MEN that keeps me and my family safe each and every day. I am proud of you for what you have given up for ME!
God bless these young men. This story brought to light what not just these 8 men, but countless others have given for us all and receive very very little appreciation. Yeah, we get on here and raise hell about UK Basketball, Steelr Football, Reds baseball, but wow - those young men that we watch on the television are hardly the hero's that are performing with valor and bravery. I dare not say these young men are not afraid of dying, the difference is that they are brave enough to push themselves past that fear to truly do something that means more than a damn score to a basketball game!
:worthy:
Vundy, my friend, I have only heard some of your story, but this made me think of you and some of those friends that you have lost. I want to thank you and all the other servicemen on this site and elsewhere for showing bravery as MEN that keeps me and my family safe each and every day. I am proud of you for what you have given up for ME!
God bless these young men. This story brought to light what not just these 8 men, but countless others have given for us all and receive very very little appreciation. Yeah, we get on here and raise hell about UK Basketball, Steelr Football, Reds baseball, but wow - those young men that we watch on the television are hardly the hero's that are performing with valor and bravery. I dare not say these young men are not afraid of dying, the difference is that they are brave enough to push themselves past that fear to truly do something that means more than a damn score to a basketball game!
:worthy:
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11-06-2011, 09:45 PM
11-06-2011, 09:46 PM
OPERATION PROPER EXIT
For those Wounded Warriors who are thriving in recovery and are capable of returning to theater, this program itinerary stages a meet-and-greet tour to forward operating bases with a group of recovered soldiers. Four specific objectives have been identified:
The sense of brotherhood inherent in today’s military leaves a number of injured soldiers with the desire to return to theater after injury. By having a chance to visit, not only is their desire addressed but they can bring stories from home to deployed troops when they arrive.
Soldiers who have witnessed the injuring of a battle buddy are often times left wondering how the situation turned out both short and long term. Upon the return of fully recovered soldiers, the minds of deployed troops are put to ease when they witness the results firsthand and hear about the journey and outstanding care being afforded to our Wounded Warriors.
The Wounded Warriors will have a most important as well as unique opportunity to see the progress in Iraq that they, through their tremendous sacrifice, helped bring about.
For troops that have been injured in battle, this initiative provides them the opportunity to make a “proper exit” on their own terms as they walk to the aircraft and climb the ramp rather than being medically evacuated. This component has a positively resounding effect in offering closure to that chapter of their lives.
For those Wounded Warriors who are thriving in recovery and are capable of returning to theater, this program itinerary stages a meet-and-greet tour to forward operating bases with a group of recovered soldiers. Four specific objectives have been identified:
The sense of brotherhood inherent in today’s military leaves a number of injured soldiers with the desire to return to theater after injury. By having a chance to visit, not only is their desire addressed but they can bring stories from home to deployed troops when they arrive.
Soldiers who have witnessed the injuring of a battle buddy are often times left wondering how the situation turned out both short and long term. Upon the return of fully recovered soldiers, the minds of deployed troops are put to ease when they witness the results firsthand and hear about the journey and outstanding care being afforded to our Wounded Warriors.
The Wounded Warriors will have a most important as well as unique opportunity to see the progress in Iraq that they, through their tremendous sacrifice, helped bring about.
For troops that have been injured in battle, this initiative provides them the opportunity to make a “proper exit” on their own terms as they walk to the aircraft and climb the ramp rather than being medically evacuated. This component has a positively resounding effect in offering closure to that chapter of their lives.
11-06-2011, 09:46 PM
11-06-2011, 09:46 PM
11-06-2011, 09:47 PM
11-06-2011, 09:47 PM
11-07-2011, 02:12 AM
Thanks man. The real guys who deserve thanks are the ones that aren't here to thank, the ones that have given part of their body, and the guys that came before us. All I have given up is some time and a few shrapnel scars on my ass, hahah. Toughest part is friends dying, guys that have families, when I don't have a wife or kids that need me. It's especially hard when you know a person is the reason they're gone...makes a man want to kill them all. But anyway, I try to thank every Vietnam vet I can, I know how they were hated for just following orders, it was pathetic. I don't think I would've been able to stand by and watch that. They went through hell, even more so than our generation in Iraq and Afghan. I used to think it couldn't get any worse than Afghan, but Vietnam was much worse.
Whenever ya see a Vietnam vet somewhere, try to thank them, or buy them a beer/dinner. They're usually so surprised that they just look at you, don't get offended. They're not really used to it. Try it.
I caught a bit of that part of 60 Minutes, it was good. By the way, that Sgt above me that wrote that was blown up, and he's a combat engineer. Probably out looking for IED's and found one the bad way.
Whenever ya see a Vietnam vet somewhere, try to thank them, or buy them a beer/dinner. They're usually so surprised that they just look at you, don't get offended. They're not really used to it. Try it.
I caught a bit of that part of 60 Minutes, it was good. By the way, that Sgt above me that wrote that was blown up, and he's a combat engineer. Probably out looking for IED's and found one the bad way.
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11-07-2011, 08:49 AM
vundy33 Wrote:Thanks man. The real guys who deserve thanks are the ones that aren't here to thank, the ones that have given part of their body, and the guys that came before us. All I have given up is some time and a few shrapnel scars on my ass, hahah. Toughest part is friends dying, guys that have families, when I don't have a wife or kids that need me. It's especially hard when you know a person is the reason they're gone...makes a man want to kill them all. But anyway, I try to thank every Vietnam vet I can, I know how they were hated for just following orders, it was pathetic. I don't think I would've been able to stand by and watch that. They went through hell, even more so than our generation in Iraq and Afghan. I used to think it couldn't get any worse than Afghan, but Vietnam was much worse.I remember my father in law said when he got back to the states, people were protesting the war and the soldiers as they got off of the planes. I might be wrong, but this time it seems even people that protested the wars(Iraq or Afghanistan), they didn't protest the soldiers, just the war. I know I didn't agree with invading Iraq(whether I'm right or wrong), but I did know we had to go to Afghanistan, but there is no way I would disrespect the soldiers that were at either place. All soldiers, Vietnam and our later wars, were just following orders, it wasn't their fault they were there. My cousins were lucky, they got out in one piece.
Whenever ya see a Vietnam vet somewhere, try to thank them, or buy them a beer/dinner. They're usually so surprised that they just look at you, don't get offended. They're not really used to it. Try it.
I caught a bit of that part of 60 Minutes, it was good. By the way, that Sgt above me that wrote that was blown up, and he's a combat engineer. Probably out looking for IED's and found one the bad way.
11-07-2011, 09:32 AM
I saw this piece on 60 Minutes..wow!!
Some of the Vietnam vets getting home were greeted with choruses of "baby killers"!! Sad and confusing time.
We were flying to California 5 years ago around Christmas time. We made an "unscheduled" stop in Missouri. Picked up about 2 dozen military that were trying to make it home by the holidays. When the rest of the passengers realized what was happening, the whole plane gave them a standing O. I was proud to be a part of that.
Some of the Vietnam vets getting home were greeted with choruses of "baby killers"!! Sad and confusing time.
We were flying to California 5 years ago around Christmas time. We made an "unscheduled" stop in Missouri. Picked up about 2 dozen military that were trying to make it home by the holidays. When the rest of the passengers realized what was happening, the whole plane gave them a standing O. I was proud to be a part of that.
11-07-2011, 10:15 AM
Granny Bear Wrote:I saw this piece on 60 Minutes..wow!!That's what has happened on a couple of flights I have been on. On one of the flights, that had maybe 10 servicemen, the pilot came over the intercom with their names, and everyone applauded them one by one.
Some of the Vietnam vets getting home were greeted with choruses of "baby killers"!! Sad and confusing time.
We were flying to California 5 years ago around Christmas time. We made an "unscheduled" stop in Missouri. Picked up about 2 dozen military that were trying to make it home by the holidays. When the rest of the passengers realized what was happening, the whole plane gave them a standing O. I was proud to be a part of that.
11-07-2011, 05:46 PM
Hell, you won't find many soldiers or Marines, at least the grunts I know, that agreed with invading Iraq. Especially when command makes infantry troops cops, guys that are used to and are paid to shoot people. The ROE went from shoot any hajji that gets close to you, to not shooting unless you get shot at, or a vehicle ignored warning shots. That's tough for guys in a warzone. We only had a plan for killing the bad guys, no plan for after. That's the main reason we disagreed with it, not all the political bull. The truth is, the intelligence was bad, everyone was duped, including our President and our CIA chief. Even Saddam wouldn't admit he didn't have WMD's. But that's a discussion for a different day..
The same problem with ROE(Rules Of Engagement) is occuring in Afghan. Remember the Scout-Sniper Marine, from Kentucky, Sgt. Dakota Meyer? He received his MOH because his friends were pinned down and surrounded in a village about 500m from him, he and his CO called in artillery rounds on enemy positions, but got denied because "it was to close to the village". Got denied by guys sitting in a office drinking coffee, who had no info on the situation besides what the two Marines and soldier were giving them. That is ridiculous, they were given good coordinates, and I fully believe that if they would've given them close air support/artillery rounds on enemy positions, Sgt. Meyer would have his boys instead of a medal.
Watch this video, and read the text. This is the kind of bullshit we have to put up with. Those Afghans came flying around a curve on a motorcycle, which is common for bad guys to blow us up with vehicle-born IED's, and they were shot. There's people that call that murder which is ridiculous. Even people criticize those boys cheering that they killed them. Sorry to break it to them, but everytime they die and we live, there's quite a bit of cheering. These Afghans made the mistake of turning towards these soldiers, I would've done the same thing. If they were ambushing them, and going to kill them anyway, they would've engaged them as soon as they come into view, but they didn't. People calling that murder really get to me. When we kill civilians accidentally, it's exactly that, an accident. No one wants to kill civilians, and they might not show it then, but it'll come back. We don't need to be criticized for every decision we make when it's a matter of living or dying...that causes guys to double-guess themselves, which gets people killed. They have no idea. Just a different world.
This video shows people getting shot. If you don't want to watch it, don't. It doesn't show a close up of guts and all of that, just what happened.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/pho...27/0692075
Read the first comment under the Youtube video, pretty much explains it for me. Also, read the crap Rolling Stones has about it. By the way, the "kill team" that Rolling Stone refers to? They were part of 1 squad in an entirely different units, are they are weak-minded pieces of shit and what they did shows it. These guys, in the video, did the correct thing given the situation they were in.
The same problem with ROE(Rules Of Engagement) is occuring in Afghan. Remember the Scout-Sniper Marine, from Kentucky, Sgt. Dakota Meyer? He received his MOH because his friends were pinned down and surrounded in a village about 500m from him, he and his CO called in artillery rounds on enemy positions, but got denied because "it was to close to the village". Got denied by guys sitting in a office drinking coffee, who had no info on the situation besides what the two Marines and soldier were giving them. That is ridiculous, they were given good coordinates, and I fully believe that if they would've given them close air support/artillery rounds on enemy positions, Sgt. Meyer would have his boys instead of a medal.
Watch this video, and read the text. This is the kind of bullshit we have to put up with. Those Afghans came flying around a curve on a motorcycle, which is common for bad guys to blow us up with vehicle-born IED's, and they were shot. There's people that call that murder which is ridiculous. Even people criticize those boys cheering that they killed them. Sorry to break it to them, but everytime they die and we live, there's quite a bit of cheering. These Afghans made the mistake of turning towards these soldiers, I would've done the same thing. If they were ambushing them, and going to kill them anyway, they would've engaged them as soon as they come into view, but they didn't. People calling that murder really get to me. When we kill civilians accidentally, it's exactly that, an accident. No one wants to kill civilians, and they might not show it then, but it'll come back. We don't need to be criticized for every decision we make when it's a matter of living or dying...that causes guys to double-guess themselves, which gets people killed. They have no idea. Just a different world.
This video shows people getting shot. If you don't want to watch it, don't. It doesn't show a close up of guts and all of that, just what happened.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/pho...27/0692075
Read the first comment under the Youtube video, pretty much explains it for me. Also, read the crap Rolling Stones has about it. By the way, the "kill team" that Rolling Stone refers to? They were part of 1 squad in an entirely different units, are they are weak-minded pieces of shit and what they did shows it. These guys, in the video, did the correct thing given the situation they were in.
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11-07-2011, 05:58 PM
Granny Bear Wrote:I saw this piece on 60 Minutes..wow!!
Some of the Vietnam vets getting home were greeted with choruses of "baby killers"!! Sad and confusing time.
We were flying to California 5 years ago around Christmas time. We made an "unscheduled" stop in Missouri. Picked up about 2 dozen military that were trying to make it home by the holidays. When the rest of the passengers realized what was happening, the whole plane gave them a standing O. I was proud to be a part of that.
This is the reason when I have some anti-war hippie come up to me asking how I can live with myself for killing people, I tell them "Ahh, it's easy. We just kill the babies." Completely freaks them out, lol.
Also, I didn't mean to derail the thread, but Americans really need to support our boys fighting these wars, especially now that we're winding down. We still have 2 or 3 bad Summers left to go through, and we'll go back to 50-70 KIA a month, but that's just how it is. Plenty of people say "I'm against the war, not the troops", but alot of us, including myself, think that if you don't support the job we do, you don't support us. If someone wants to be against the war, that's fine with me. But alot of times people say that, they look down on us. Talk to us like we're less than them, or robots. That's the thing I hate most.
Just support our boys, they don't need it while they're there, but they need it when they get back so that don't lose it on people like I have. Having people think you're a bad person or hate you because you did what you're paid to do is a bad feeling. If it bothers me now, can't imagine what our Vietnam guys went through. Sure wish I could take all that away from them. They lost 10x more of their mind and buddies than I ever will. I usually think of that when I get feeling sorry for myself, gets that out of me real quick.
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11-10-2011, 08:38 PM
Wow, Vundy...quite a passionate post!
I have tears in my eyes, and that's not a usual thing.
My husband served during the Vietnam era. They were in country and getting ready to go out the next morning when several of his friends were having one last night of fun. Two MPs walked in the bar, and asked him if he was "(his name)". He answered yes, and was a little afraid of why they were looking for him. He was just 19. They escorted him out of the bar to HQ to verify his identity. As it turns out, he is the only son of a totally and permently disabled veteran. He was put on a choper immediately and escorted back to the states. Didn't even allow him time to pack. He was able to stay in the military, but never on foreign soil.
Every single one of his unit was killed. It's something that still haunts him nearly 50 years later.
I won't even go into the stories about agent orange. Suffice it to say that I do support the military and the job that they do.
Thank you for your service.
I have tears in my eyes, and that's not a usual thing.
My husband served during the Vietnam era. They were in country and getting ready to go out the next morning when several of his friends were having one last night of fun. Two MPs walked in the bar, and asked him if he was "(his name)". He answered yes, and was a little afraid of why they were looking for him. He was just 19. They escorted him out of the bar to HQ to verify his identity. As it turns out, he is the only son of a totally and permently disabled veteran. He was put on a choper immediately and escorted back to the states. Didn't even allow him time to pack. He was able to stay in the military, but never on foreign soil.
Every single one of his unit was killed. It's something that still haunts him nearly 50 years later.
I won't even go into the stories about agent orange. Suffice it to say that I do support the military and the job that they do.
Thank you for your service.
11-10-2011, 09:03 PM
Granny Bear Wrote:Wow, Vundy...quite a passionate post!
I have tears in my eyes, and that's not a usual thing.
My husband served during the Vietnam era. They were in country and getting ready to go out the next morning when several of his friends were having one last night of fun. Two MPs walked in the bar, and asked him if he was "(his name)". He answered yes, and was a little afraid of why they were looking for him. He was just 19. They escorted him out of the bar to HQ to verify his identity. As it turns out, he is the only son of a totally and permently disabled veteran. He was put on a choper immediately and escorted back to the states. Didn't even allow him time to pack. He was able to stay in the military, but never on foreign soil.
Every single one of his unit was killed. It's something that still haunts him nearly 50 years later.
I won't even go into the stories about agent orange. Suffice it to say that I do support the military and the job that they do.
Thank you for your service.
My prayers Granny. We all thank your husband for his service:worthy:
11-10-2011, 09:34 PM
Granny Bear Wrote:Wow, Vundy...quite a passionate post!
I have tears in my eyes, and that's not a usual thing.
My husband served during the Vietnam era. They were in country and getting ready to go out the next morning when several of his friends were having one last night of fun. Two MPs walked in the bar, and asked him if he was "(his name)". He answered yes, and was a little afraid of why they were looking for him. He was just 19. They escorted him out of the bar to HQ to verify his identity. As it turns out, he is the only son of a totally and permently disabled veteran. He was put on a choper immediately and escorted back to the states. Didn't even allow him time to pack. He was able to stay in the military, but never on foreign soil.
Every single one of his unit was killed. It's something that still haunts him nearly 50 years later.
I won't even go into the stories about agent orange. Suffice it to say that I do support the military and the job that they do.
Thank you for your service.
I'd say that about killed him...he got to leave, bet my life he it was unwillingly, and his guys had to stay behind. Couldn't imagine.
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11-10-2011, 09:53 PM
^^
You got the nail on the head Vundy.
Thanks Dusty...you're sweet.
You got the nail on the head Vundy.
Thanks Dusty...you're sweet.
11-11-2011, 08:03 AM
vundy33 Wrote:Thought so. Had to deal with the same kind of situation. Would've rather died than to deal with that to be honest.
I believe that Vundy.
I believe he felt/feels the same way.
We all have our crosses to bear.
11-11-2011, 08:21 PM
Thank him for me if ya don't care. Like I've said, they make us look like nothing. They were really the first American force to go up against an insurgency...alot of their bad years they went through taught us alot, and really has saved lives since 2003.
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11-12-2011, 10:20 AM
Wow, Vundy....didn't realize you were out of the country!!
You be careful and stay safe!!
My sincere condolences Bob Seger. I'm so sorry about your dad.
You be careful and stay safe!!
My sincere condolences Bob Seger. I'm so sorry about your dad.
11-12-2011, 06:23 PM
Bob Seger Wrote:I lost my dad this week Vundy, who was also a veteran of the Korean Conflict, so you guys, especially right now, hold a very special place in my heart. Thanks for all you do, and I pray you come home safely.
Wow man, I hate that. I got to talk to like 5 or 6 WW2 and Korean war vets...I can kind of relate to the Korean vets especially because they were really forgotten back then to be honest, compared to other conflicts, and that's really how Afghan has been this decade. We're losing our older vets, now is the time to hear what they have to say and spoil them, really. Most served the right way, and lived their lives in a way that I'd like to live mine, honestly and as kind as possible to people.
Thanks for his service, and I'm sorry you and your family had to lose him, lost my dad when I was 16 and I know that doesn't mean all that much. But I really do appreciate what he did.
What was his job anyway? I'm a history buff, and the Korean War really had nearly every job fight, and they fought back in the face of overwhelming numbers of Chinese.
Again, wish I could thank him. I'm sure that if he lost friends in Korea, he's glad to see them now, and family. I know the buds I've lost were closer to me than family.
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11-12-2011, 10:03 PM
Also wanted to say, that for the first time in my 4 years in the Army, I am proud of my country when it comes to a non-military issue. Alot of regular people with no connection to our current war, or past wars, came out to honor the real heros that never came home. It was really a site to see. I was really happy when I saw what they done at Anne E. Young cemetery. Made me forget about all the negativity for once, and really focused people's eyes on our boys that died. Really proud...
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