Let's remember our Veterans

[EKorpe]

Eric P Korpe 82nd (ABN) DIV Fort Bragg N.C. 81-83

[ram95]

My hat's off to Jim Mckean F-100 super sabre piloto!!! I was jets, pushing buffs & tankers off the ground at Aguana AB,Guam; Clark AB Philippines: U-tapao Airfield, Thailand: Kadena Air Base, Okinawa; and (freaking Hickam Hawaii - enroute) from 68-73....running the whores every chance I got. How about 14 friking days on and 48 hrs off?!! Then, the cold-war... Lakenheath England fixing F111F's; Ramstein AB, Germany on F4's (do you even know what a friking 'bent-wing MF' is?)...carrying a 75Lb toolbox and a toolbag.

Back then.... if any of you younger folks are reading this... we signed our names on-the-line!! Some of us were gung-ho... some of us were just the last name on the list before the "draft" got our butts and stuck us in the Army. Choice not Chance.. that was the buzz back then (before most of youse were created purposely or by slight error of timing). Yeah... some were just ate up with patriotism and wanted to kill a commie or a gook. Many were like yours truly.... just beating the freaking DRAFT. But, as I said, WE signed our names on-the-line. And, under threat of being sent to Leavenworth KS to split rocks, we fulfilled our obligation. 50 thousand of us didn't make it home.

So, when you think about Veterans.... you need to think about those of us who signed-on-the M-----------g line and fulfilled our promise... to serve faithfully until our discharge date.... or til death-do-us-part.

And so my younger generation friends.... when you read about someone wanting to have their student loan "forgiven" or that they can't meet the mortgage payment that they "agreed" to, OR whatever they signed their name "on-the-line" for.... you take a moment to think about the Vets who FULFILLED their obligations, to keep us a free nation.

Here's a parting thought...As citizens of a great Nation, we need to think hard and clear before we send our military on some mission. In this Country, our Military are not simply 'expendable goods'. When we employ our military, WE are signing-on-the-line that WE will bear the cost of having done so.

Your signature does mean something - don't ever forget it.

Thank you for this opportunity to say this.

Alex

[17W]

Usmc

Brent Backus
United States Marine Corps 1989 - 1996
CH-46E Helicopter Crew Chief / Weapons Tactics Crew Chief
Browning XM-218 50 Cal. Administer of Mayhem