Ilovehimbut Posted December 24, 2009 Posted December 24, 2009 Gunny, frist off I want to say THANK YOU for your service to me, my family, and this great country of ours. My father (and my best friend) is a vietnam vet and I have a profound sense of patratism because of that. Anyway, my question is, I would like to get myself and my children (13 & 9) involved in some way with helping the troops and/or vetrens. They are great kids and I've told them all the war stories and we watch the documentaries and they always ask me what they could do to make a soldiers life better. Any ideas where we could go (we're in Wisconsin) or anyone that I should contact to get the ball rollin'? They are scheduled to go on a missions trip to Guadamala next year, but I guess I would prefer that they do something for our soldiers that are here or returning soon. Any thoughts? And again - THANK YOU for all you've done - it means more to me than you will probably ever know. Take care and have a Merry Christmas!
Gunny376 Posted December 25, 2009 Posted December 25, 2009 Its doesn't have to be anything grandiose, most of us are pretty self supporting, self sufficient. And we're not seeking fame and validation. But it means a lot to us just to have someone walk up to us and tell us "Thanks For Serving" ~ and it means not so much that its a validation of our service? But for our buddies, friends, that we served with that got wounded, or who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. A random letter or card sent overseas means a lot. When your sitting in the extremes of Afghanistan, (the temperature can drop or rise as much as thirty degrees as soon as the sun hits the horizon) means a lot. Your hot one minute or cold the next. Your miserable you've not had a shower in literally weeks, (You take 'spit baths' using your helmet or some other container.) Your eating your 1001th MRE meal. You don't even bother heating them up anymore. Its been raining or snowing for days on end. Your feet hurt, your back hurts from humping a seventy pound pack for miles upon miles. Sand is blowing in your face. Its in your boots and socks. Its in your eyes. You look like you work in a sand factory. Your miserable. You learn to sleep anywhere and on anything. The importance of a clean pair of socks, (Dry socks I've still have serious issues about socks :bunny: ) clean underwear, and never again will you ever skimp on a good pair of boots or shoes. Dental hygiene becomes an important issue in your life ~ because you swear you've got something growing on your teeth that's not suppose to be growing there. You've got your CO and your platoon sergeant all over you. But more importantly you can't let your buddies and friends. Friendship transcends any and all boundaries. There's only one color in the military ~ green. It matters not what your religion, where you came from, where your great, great grandparents came from. Your "work" from "can to can't" ~ sixty, seventy + hour weeks are the norm. If you can get a couple of hours sleep after days upon days without it ~ your a happy camper. Even if it sleeping under a poncho on a rock for a matteres and a pillow with pouring down rain or snow ~ is all good. Any day you've not got in-coming fire ~ is a good day. On days when when your awakened by in-coming fire in the middle of the early hours, and you jump out of your "hooch" (made mostly out of some three walled building withouit a roof, some scrounged plywood or tin roofing with your helmet, flak jacket, boots, and some pink boxer shorts that say "ILNY" and at mail call when you just got a "Dear John" letter from your DGF or wife that tells you ILYBINILWY and that their leaving your for "Jody" along with a letter from some 9 and or 13 year old telling them THANK YOU FOR SERVING! That really brings things back into perspective. "Oh yea! That's why I joined! That's why I'm serving! That's why I'm here! That's why I volunteered for this! FOR THEM! With that said, mind you you've got your percentage of scumbags in the military. So be guarded. There are deviants, child molestors, rapist and muderers in the military. They're scum that are hiding in the military. But most are willing to scarifice their very lives for their fellow citizens, more than willing to lay down their lives for people they don't even know. You might want to get in touch with a local military command. There are officer wives clubs and enlisted wives clubs that put together 'care packages' for the troops overseas. There's a lot of things that they simply cannot get overseas. I don't dip snuff but a lot of my Marines did. They hate the Coppenhaggen snuff that comes in plastic containers and swear by the ones that have cardboard bottoms. You simply cannot get it overseas in the PX. My thing was smoked oysters and some Texas Pete hot sauce. And some Golden Flake potato chips. Along with Golden Flake pork rhinds (not allowed in Arab countries) and "Curly Q's" Some Hills Brothers coffee!
Gunny376 Posted December 25, 2009 Posted December 25, 2009 One of the most veracious times I ever had with Marines was when I had a Marine Lance Corporal say ~ "If you "freaking play that song one more time!" in a HUVEE I'm going to,.......................................... To tell you the truth! I was ready to at least shoot him in the leg! Fourteen hours of Garth Brooks!
Gunny376 Posted December 25, 2009 Posted December 25, 2009 Thanks for caring! Thanks for giving a damn! Paid in full! Just for caring! He' not going to say it! But Lakeside Dreams ~ Just for giving a Damn! Salute Captain! SemperFi!
Gunny376 Posted December 25, 2009 Posted December 25, 2009 Thanks for the tread! Made me think back into a precious day back in Iraq Why I served!
Navin_R_Johnson Posted December 25, 2009 Posted December 25, 2009 Thank you, Gunny. And Merry Christmas!
Author Ilovehimbut Posted December 25, 2009 Author Posted December 25, 2009 Gunny - wow - what a world you must have seen. I know from my dad that Vietnam is a place where he had the worst and BEST of times. I am the only one that he discusses Vietnam with (my dad is my best friend). I know that when I was in my late teens and early twenties, I always used to be amazed when I would think about the fact that when my dad was my age he had already been through a war. And because of the treatment that the soldiers from Vietnam received when they came back (my dad always used to tell me that you changed into your civilian clothes before you got off that plane), my children were taught from a very young age to salute and thank any soldiers that they see. I have always told them that you can disagree with any war but you NEVER disrespect a soldier in doing so! I have been looking for different agencies that maybe we could get on board with, so I will continue my search with some of the places you suggested. I think we will do a little shopping for some socks and basic essentials that we can send to soldiers. I will go and find out what the best way to get them there is. Again, thanks for your stories - brought a few tears to my eyes this morning. Today more than ever I appreciate the sacrifice that our soldiers and their families give. They are the reason I get to sit in my house today and watch my kids open their presents. I think tomorrow we will go to the vetrans cemetary again and place some flags for our fallen. May peace be with you always.
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