FiddleMaker Loc: Merrimac, MA

My brother died in 2013 at the age of 67 as a result of agent orange from spending 2 tours in Viet Nam back in the early 70s.

usnpilot Loc: Ft Myers Fl

I’m sorry for your loss.

Spectre Loc: Bothell, Washington

Just got back from DC. Arlington and the Wall were tough times. Respects to 26 fallen air crew members.

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Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

Thank you for posting that. I was in Vietnam, '68--69, and '71--'72. And no one said thanks. I was asked by the pastor of a church how I liked being a killer of women, children and old people! I was tempted to ask him if he'd like me to demonstrate on him how I feel. I had to bite my tongue and keep my fists in my pants pockets. Again, thank you for this honor.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Thank you, and the same to you.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Most of the "wars" the US has fought since the founding have been done without a congressional declaration of war.

Paladin48 Loc: Orlando

Paladin48 Loc: Orlando

blackhorse 1-7

Sunday afternoon, December 29, 1968 when the C-141 landed at Dover Air Force Base bringing back guys from Vietnam. We were in the forward section of the airplane. The guys in the back were all dead. There was no greeting, no thank you, no "what can we do for you?" We waited for taxis to take us to Philadelphia and watched as an Air Force guy drove a fork lift back and forth from the rear of the airplane bringing out the dead guys. No honor, no flags, no bands, no nothing....just a fork lift drive to the back of a truck and then to the mortuary.....one hell of a welcome home.

Paladin48 Loc: Orlando

Paladin48 Loc: Orlando

That was no pastor of any church I would be affiliated with. You demonstrated more restraint than I ever would.
Thank You for your service.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Thank you.
I applied and got 20% disability for diabetes and have appealed once and got my disability upped from 20% to 40%. My son and his buddies in his Army Reserve Civil Affairs unit think I should be at 100% due to connected complications from my diabetes which they did accept as Agent Orange connected. But my addiction is food and sedentary habits so I am obese and they deny the connections because I could have the same problems just from the weight.
I have a friend who was a computer tech with the 101st and he got 100% on appeal - but he also saw a lot of action as part of the perimeter reaction force in a base camp that got attacked on a regular basis. I on the other hand was one of those people always arriving after the shooting or leaving just before the shooting started, except on 3 or 4 occasions (one of them I was convinced and reported it as such that the bunker position doing most of the shooting was just freaked out and the so called "muzzle flashes" they were shooting at were their own bullets and tracers ricocheting off rocks (I had a clear view of the area and that is all I saw), when they were ordered to cease fire everything got quiet but they still insisted they had seen muzzle flashes.

tracs101 Loc: Huntington NY

Ditto! USMC

Alafoto Loc: Montgomery, AL

I have a 40% rating for a leg wound. It is such a piddling amount to have nearly lost a foot. I didn't apply for any compensation until injuries from an accident forced me to retire before I intended to. So many never made it home that it seemed a bit dishonorable to whine, but with a drastic reduction in income prudence took the place of pride. Keep after em until you get what you were promised when you took the oath.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

My step father developed Type II diabetes while in the Navy in WW II. They gave him 100% disability and a medical discharge. Different times, different thinking.

I was reluctant to apply for the same reason. I was an REMF, those guys were grunts, who was I to ask for the stuff they had earned? But a few friends and the wife talked me into it.

I had planned to teach until age 70 to see our youngest graduate from college. But when I was 62 I was going through some major problems with my diabetes, Atrial fibrillation and asthma. They were interacting and creating real problems. I spent 3 weeks in the hospital during intersession break (taught at a year round school and my track had 2 months off during summer and right after New Years-our school day was almost 2 hours longer to get the same amount of class time in a year). My wife spent 6 months talking me into retiring since I already had enough years in for the max pension and a $500 a month "longevity bonus" for teaching several years beyond. Well one morning in April I got sick on the way to work, pulled over, threw up and drove on to the school. When I walked into the office the Principal was standing there. I looked at him and said "I am retiring on the last day of the semester, June 30th." He smiled, congratulated me and told the office manager to put the paperwork in my mail box as soon as the morning rush was over. That day I told all my friends on the faculty and all my students I was retiring. By the time I drove home I was already feeling better and my stress level was down about 90%. The students started planning last day "pot lucks" signed letters etc, passed the word to others who had been my students and told me not to bother trying to enforce the no parties, no food in the classroom rules because they weren't going to listen to me on the 30th. On that day it was an endless stream of junk and snack food, juice and soda, former students dropping by to say goodbye etc. The phone system got a workout with students calling other teachers to tell them they were in my room and not absent. Then they cleaned up without being told and some offered to help pack my stuff and carry it to my car. Others ran paperwork to offices for me, got signatures and brought it back so I could turn it in and check out faster. The last day before Summer break and several stayed to help after school.
That last day was 11 years and 5 days ago. I still miss being with students and presenting lessons and the talks with other teachers in the faculty break rooms (yes, conservatives, liberals and radicals of all types got along and were friends who could agree to disagree). I do not miss the paper work, meetings or commute.