Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss Stand up and be counted

(this thread is inspired by Svobert's recent confession that he is heading to the Mid-east to protect our country)
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Who amongst this big 'ol Pond Boss family has or is serving in the US military? Let's see a show of hands. Most of you steer clear of recognition and lay low on the radar; the modesty and humility that I would expect of the brave ones that can handle the job. Personally, I'm too big a chicken to handle that type of commitment. I'm not too big, tho, to understand that the sacrifices made by others on my behalf allow me to do the wonderful things in life that I do. I'm also not too big to get teary eyed when I hear of the bad news when one of our nation's best is wounded or fallen.
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So....who are you guys and gals? When did you serve? Years ago, or right now? Of course, this includes the families and their loved ones....tell us about them. Please. I wanna know...we wanna know...stand up and let us count you. We want to know who amongst us to thank for protecting our blessings.

US Army, 4th ID, 1969-1971. It was an honor to serve, no thanks are needed!

God speed, svrobets!

Brettski, I never served but my little brother did. He did 4-1/2 years in the Marine Corps including eight months sleeping on the sand in Saudia Arabia before Kuwait was finally liberated. I am very grateful that he made it back alive, his job as a forward observer was very dangersous, some of the guys he served with did not make it back.

To all those who haved served, Thank You!

U.S. Army, 25th Infantry 1968-1970
My Father, US ARMY Pacific Theater 1941-1945
Shawn, Thanks for your service, stay safe, your pond will miss you.

122nd Fighter Squadron CAMS Ft. Wayne, IN 86-92. Our area of operations was the Middle East but I lucked out and was never deployed there. As I said earlier we missed Desert Storm by 20 minutes. The war ended prematurely.

I can't even touch my dad who was a Green Beret and served in Vietnam and Cambodia. I can't believe he came out of there alive considering the things he's told me. (He never said much orginally but opened up over the years) He did everything from crawling into VC underground tunnels, riverboat, gunman on a chopper, remote camps, POW rescue, and on and on. I guess he had to try everything. He was recommended for a silver star but he turned it down.

My favorite thing is the Super 8 movie he took back in the 60's of the German Bundes Grenches (I think I have that spelled right) troops they were having war games with in Germany. A German foot column passed by within feet as my dad filmed them. The Germans never saw him or his team. What i like about the film is they redezvoused with the Germans before the games began and one of there officers was really cocky when my dad told him to be careful where he pointed his firearm. (It's on the same Super 8 movie. He mocked my dad by acting stupid with it. Of course my dad's team had the last laugh.

Note: I have nothing against the Germans. My mother is German and it was my first language.

U.S.Army 58-62 last 2 yrs in Germany,intended to re-enlist,but had an old sgt.talk me out of doing that. Seems he knew someone who knew we already had "advisers" in Nam. Sure wish I could remember his name to thank him again!

US Air Force Strategic Air Command 1968-71
Father US Army WWII
Uncle US Army WWII Purple Heart, wounded fighting on islands in the Pacific. He was one who carried flame throwers and shot it into caves.

All these guys serving our country long before I was born! I wanna thank you all for the freedoms I have today...

USAF 64-68

I'll ditto CJBS. A big thank you to everyone who has served our country, past or present, and risked harm so that the rest of us are safe.

Svoberts, be safe, come back soon, and God bless you for your service.

U.S. Navy, 1969-1975

U.S.Army Air Corp - 20th Air Force
Pacific Theater Operations
WWII 1943-45

Sister - U.S. Army WWII
Father - U.S. Navy WWI
U.S. Army WWII

FREEDOM ISN'T FREE

US Marines 78-80

Father us Navy 52-55

Son in Law US Navy 2002-present

USN '66 - '69.
Uncle US Army WWII (Germany).

Tom,

Where were you stationed in Germany? My dad and our family were stationed in Karlsruhe and Bad Tolz. Not sure but I think my dad was in an engineer batallion when were were in Karlsruhe. One thing that puts me in stitches is my dad was a naive country boy when he enlisted. At the first firing range he was worried he was going to have to pay for all that ammo he was using up! I think he was already a Sgt. at 19 though.

US Air Force Strategic Air Command - 1957 -1961 Most of the time spent at Forbes AFB, Topeka, KS. -- thankfully during peace time.

Brother: US Army Ranger, Lt. of a Bradley Fighting Vehicle Unit stationed in Germany approx. '89-92/93 & Gulf War Vet.

Myself: 2 years of Army ROTC; didn't get scholarship due to grades; (also, does not count for the puposes of this thread!; almost got to go to Airborne School between freshman and sophmore year of college)

I have deep respect for all of you who served. Thanks.

US Army 87-91

I served during the first Gulf War but was fortunate enough to not have to deploy there. I was in Germany at the time and had my shots and paperwork in order to ship out but was never called to go. I look back quite fondly on my military time, it was great life experience for me.

Both of my Uncles were in the late 50's to early 60's, one was a Combat Engineer in the Army Ed Welch, and the other was an Air Force Bomb Navgation Specialist on B-52's Bernard Welch. Both are Uncles on my Mother's sisde of the family.

US Navy 69-75. Heavy Cruiser, USS Albany. Missile fire control technician. A fire on board kept us from deploying to Nam. How convenient, huh?

FWIW, I have never allowed a person in uniform at a restaraunt pay for their meals. My daughters once asked why a sailor was waving, trying to get our attention once as we were leaving a small town restaraunt, and I told them that I'd paid his families bill. As they started to realize that I had never let them know about this, they started to tear up when they recalled all the other times I had needed to go back into a restaraunt to "take care of something" and that Dad wasn't looking for any glory. I get a large lump in my throat everytime I see someone in uniform and now my children do as well. They now understand the potential danger our military can face at a moments notice and have a very deep respect for that now. My wife had figured it out years ago when she thought we had been billed twice at restaraunts. She started doing the same thing.

Rainman,thats a pretty cool idea.You may have just started a new trend.I think I'll start doing the same thing.If you dont mind me coping you that is.
Ohh,and by the way,although I didnt serve,I'm VERY proud of the 2 sons I have who are.

Tom, hoping to start a trend is the ONLY reason I let my secret out. Be proud of yourself for teaching them! I may have "served" but never felt like it since I never faced any threat, other than my D.I., SSG White. He was one scary hombre!


Edit PS; I always write something like "Enjoy your meal with your family! Your service has provided the safety, freedom, and protection for my family to enjoy ours. Thank you!" or if it's a group of servicemen at a bar or elsewhere... "This night is on me because my freedom has been on you! Thanks! And of course I always do this as I'm leaving so they can't stop me!

Rainman, thanks for fessin up. Some of us served because we were asked to. You may have volunteered as all the young folks alive and deceased now. I wish the protesters for terrorists rights would understand that is it the bloodshed thru the years that has given them this privilage. They should try and protest the government of the people's 'rights' they are protesting for.

Very classy, Rainman.

People sometimes offer to pay for my bill being a police officer in uniform. I always turn it down, but sometimes people like Rainman slip it in without my knowledge and I can't refuse. On those nights when you don't feel appreciated as a police officer it makes you sit back and realize most citizens really do appreciate what you do and that you aren't just some ticket writing jerk.