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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2014 9:34:58 GMT -8
Korea is certainly not forgotten in my family, either! But it is often called that. My dad and I went back to Ft. Carson in September and visited the museum they have there. As you work your way through the displays, the first you see is WWI, then WWII, then Viet Nam, then Afghanistan and such. So odd, Korea is distinctly missing from the displays, and this is where a lot of soldiers trained before being sent there. There was an image on display near the front desk of the 8125th that my dad was a part of, with all of the guys and their dogs... But there is not yet a display section in the museum devoted to Korea. Hmph. Linda, It might be because the Korean War is not over.......they just have a cease fire......a very long cease fire with each side primed to start shooting again. Michael
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Post by SeaRat on Nov 12, 2014 10:02:41 GMT -8
Korea is certainly not forgotten in my family, either! But it is often called that. My dad and I went back to Ft. Carson in September and visited the museum they have there. As you work your way through the displays, the first you see is WWI, then WWII, then Viet Nam, then Afghanistan and such. So odd, Korea is distinctly missing from the displays, and this is where a lot of soldiers trained before being sent there. There was an image on display near the front desk of the 8125th that my dad was a part of, with all of the guys and their dogs... But there is not yet a display section in the museum devoted to Korea. Hmph. Linda, Maybe the U.S. Army at Fort Carlson doesn't want to remember, but there is a Korean War Museum. Check it out. There is also the War Memorial of Korea, in Seoul. I would urge you and your Dad to go to Seoul to see what was accomplished by his service. I think you will be well-received. John
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Post by SeaRat on Nov 12, 2014 17:54:18 GMT -8
I'm going to keep this thread alive a bit longer. Yesterday, I did go up to the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial near Portland, Oregon. For me it was a 9 mile bicycle ride, up into the Portland Hills from Beaverton, and a significant elevation gain. Not only that, but t here was a pretty good wind, gusting between 35 and 50 miles per hour. I rode "Silent Wind," my recumbant bicycle which handles wind very well. No trees had been blown over, although there were a lot of small limbs. When I got up there, there was no formal program going on--that's saved for Memorial Day. But on Veteran's Day, I make it a habit to get up there, and go around the curved walkway as it ascends the hillside. This foot path takes a right turn, then goes over a bridge that spans the entryway. It then ascends to the first granite wall, where the first names are engraved. Each granite wall spans three years. As I got to the first one, I took off my bicycle helmet, hood and cap I used to get there (it was pretty cold), and put on my beret. I then saluted the marker, and walked to the next one with my bicycle, and again read the inscriptions, looked over the names for someone familiar, and saluted. In the 1967 at 1970 eras, I found several names from my North Salem High School class engraved, and again rendered a salute to each granite engraving. As I was going up, there were children rolling down the hillside, their laughter echoing throughout the memorial and I thought, "How appropriate that we have children using this wonderful memorial to play, be happy, and enjoy themselves." This is exactly what each and every name on that wall fought and died for, that we could live in peace, and our children could play without fear. The last granite wall was left for those still missing, the MIAs of Oregon. Hopefully, they will be found and accounted for in the near future--the U.S.A. continues to search for those MIAs to bring closure to their loss and to their families. I completed my walk around the memorial, stowed my beret and got my hood, bicycle helmet, and gloves back on, and headed down the pea gravel trail, out past the Oregon Forestry Museum, past the Children's Museum, and up toward Skyline Blvd. There was a Starbucks at the top, and I stopped to find their bathroom (a necessity) and to get a "tall, tepid, chai tea latte" with a bagel and cream cheese. I ate and thought about my experiences of getting back to the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, and how wonderfully lucky I am to have gotten through that era, to now be retired and more relaxed than before, and to have such a wonderful family. Many, many people were not so lucky, and I had just witnessed those engraved names of the ones who gave all for their country during that time. It was appropriate that I rode my bicycle up there, and it took nearly an hour and a half to get there uphill and against a blustery wind. But going to the Oregon Vietnam Veteran's Memorial should involve some small sacrifice of time and energy to get there, to honor those who fought and died while I lived on, to carry on their memory. I finished my bagel and tepid sweet tea, got on my bicycle and headed back, downhill this time. I was home in about half an hour, as I was going downhill and with the blustery, sometimes 50 mph tailwind, my bicycle descended very quickly. In the evening, I looked over my e-mail and found a message from Troy Cubberly. Troy is the son of one of the pilots, Major Robert L. Cubberly, who we pulled out of North Vietnam after their USAF F4 Phantom jet fighter, Falcon 84, had been shot down. We had made the rescue relatively easily, without resistance. But Troy has been in contact with our crew ever since the late 1990s. Obviously, this is one of the benefits of being in USAF Rescue, bringing home those who otherwise would be lost. Here is what Troy had to say: Later in the evening, I had a long chat with my brother, Bill, who also calls me on Veteran's Day each year. "You're the only one of us who's a Veteran, so Happy Veteran's Day" he said. We caught up on our activities, and had a great time, although Chris said I was too loud and she had to close the door as she was sleeping upstairs. So Veteran's Day was really special to me yesterday. John Oregon Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, Memorial Day, 2014 (much less activity yesterday).
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Post by nikeajax on May 25, 2015 8:59:30 GMT -8
My wife and I have been helping John with his book as it's important for people to know what happened and why people did what they did.
John, this song reminds me a lot of what you wrote...
Jaybird
Here are some more lyrics by Big Country, "Remembrance Day", as well as the song:
In your fine green ware I will walk with you tonight In your raven hair I will find a Summer night
Upon far flung soil I will run you through my head In my daily toil All the promises are said
I know the weary can rise again I know it all from the words you send
I will go, I will go I will leave the firelight I will go, I will go For it's now the time is right
I will sing a young man's song That you would sing On Remembrance day I will be the sacrifice Bells will ring On Remembrance Day
I must leave this land And the hunger that is here But the place I stand Is the one I love so dear
Like a flower in some forest That the world will never see I will stand so proud For I know what we can be
I know the weary can rise again I know it all from the words you send
I will go, I will go I will leave the firelight I will go, I will go For it's now the time is right
I will sing a young man's song That you would sing On Remembrance day I will be the sacrifice And bells will ring On Remembrance Day
This day I will remember you This way, I will always return
And I will sing a young man's song....
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Post by nikeajax on May 25, 2015 9:02:19 GMT -8
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sidm
Pro Diver
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Post by sidm on May 25, 2015 18:56:33 GMT -8
A lot of these posts are old, but it's good to bring them up now and then. Today is Memorial Day which is different than Veteran's Day. Most people don't know the difference. Memorial Day is for remembering those who did not come home from the battlefields. Like SeaRat, I visited the Oregon Viet Nam memorial and made the same walk up the path. found the names of several friends from my OSU days whom I did not know were killed, and for years had from time to time wondered what they were doing. Now I know. The list of names of friends who died in combat would be very long and I'm not going to put it here. Memorial Day is a nice remembrance at the National level, but I think about those guys every day. My service, 22 years, was without combat. However among friends and relatives there are many, many combat vets. A great-uncle served in France as an infantryman in WWI and as an Air Corps officer in WWII. He went on to make a career of the military. My Mom's brother was on the California on Dec 7th. He actually did some shallow water diving during the initial salvage at Pearl Harbor, but was then assigned to the Astoria, which was also shot out from under him. From there he was sent to the North Atlantic, then the Med for the invasion of Sicily, then back to the Pacific in time for the typhoon at Leyte Gulf. My dad flew in B-17s out of Grafton Underwood in England. He got there late in the War after working in ship yards in Portland, so did a lot of flying but very few combat missions. My older brother his year tour as a transportation officer in Viet Nam. The greatest generation? A good question, but I'll have to admit, that generation probably faced the greatest challenge of any I can think of. Maybe they weren't the greatest, it could be argued, but I am glad they were as good as they were. Think of that the next time you're walking through a shopping mall.
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Post by nikeajax on May 26, 2015 6:53:56 GMT -8
Sid, thanks for the, education, but, it was my intent that Searat-John would share something with the rest of the forum that he shared with me. Honestly, I do know they are two different days...
Jaybird
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Post by SeaRat on May 26, 2015 7:36:40 GMT -8
Jaybird and others,
Okay, here goes. I received a PM over the weekend that I didn't know whether I should share, but think now that it would be okay to do so. What we need to realize is that these posts are available to searches, and someone found it. I'll stop and lot the message speak for itself:
I responded on the PM with this:
The middle photo was taken at Kunsan Air Base, Korea in 1969, and not Vietnam, but it shows me with the maroon beret GG mentioned in his PM.
I did take Silent Wind (my recumbent bicycle) up to the Oregon Vietnam Veterans' Memorial yesterday, and stayed for the entire ceremony, the reading of over 800 names of Oregonians lost and MIA in Vietnam, and the speakers for the event. The photo above that I included in my response is from last year, as I did not take photos yesterday, electing to simply participate and stand in honor of those fallen.
So far, GG has not responded to my PM.
John
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Post by nikeajax on May 26, 2015 9:13:55 GMT -8
John, thanks for sharing that with us--really! I hope that this helps both you and GG get some closure for something that is still perplexing to nearly everyone still... SIGH!
A while back, I had an acquaintance named Chang: he was a Chinese American man. He'd come into the coffee shop that I was working at. I was fortunate to have him share a little bit of himself with me. During WWII he was in the USN and served on a submarine in the Pacific. All of the combat vets I've met all have a particular energy to them, he certainly had it: it's not something I can quantify. Perhaps it's certain melancholy in their eye's, even while smiling, or maybe it's a disconnect. The strangest thing is that I seem to find them somehow and make a slight connection that they latch onto. The funny thing is I've had vets ask me if I was ever in the service, and most of them are surprised when I tell them I wasn't: again, this isn't something I can explain...
Jaybird
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Post by SeaRat on May 27, 2015 7:40:47 GMT -8
Jaybird,
The reason you make those "slight connections" is that you listen very well. Many people lack the ability to listen to people. For you, this is an art.
Thanks,
John
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Post by nikeajax on Nov 10, 2015 14:01:14 GMT -8
I am in possession of my wife's father's uniform he wore immediately after WWII, this is an occupation-uniform, the red shields on the cap and epaulettes are the signifiers thereof: 71st Infantry US Army uniform "The Red Circle" 71st Infantry on right shoulder Purple Heart (right side of uniform) he refused to tell anyone how he got them, not just one! Bronze Star en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze_Star_MedalGood Conduct American Defense Europe-Africa-Middle Eastern WW II Victory Army Of Occupation National Defense Service Medal Here is Grampa Fred's uniform: and the disturbing discovery: This uniform has blood stains on it, as to where they came from and what kind of blood, I have zero idea... Another odd thing about it was there were two different cords on the campaign hat, the gold infantry cord that you see in the image, but there was another, a red and white one, which is for hospital-corpsman: I really need to learn more about these two guys: dementia has set in on the only people who would know first hand I wear a campaign hat for hiking and I put the corpsman's cord on it, just so that I can remember to remember... While cleaning out my mother in law's house we found a whole lot of pictures of "Doughboys": en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DoughboyMy wife could not identify who they were either: it was making me really sad that we had them and those people were being lost to time... Jaybird
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Post by SeaRat on Nov 10, 2015 15:15:35 GMT -8
Jaybird, Take a look at this searchable database. You may be able to get a citation for his experience. It would also give you a unit he was with, and that could lead with a bit of detective work to the identity of those people in the photos. These units have a presence on the web, and perhaps on Facebook, and would welcome seeing these photos too. www.omsa.org/photopost/search.phpJohn
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Post by nikeajax on Nov 10, 2015 15:25:32 GMT -8
Thanks buddy, will do!
JB
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Post by SeaRat on Nov 10, 2015 17:03:25 GMT -8
Jaybird,
I also have a feeling that the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star were connected to one event.
John
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Post by nikeajax on Nov 10, 2015 17:53:36 GMT -8
John, yeah, there is little doubt in my mind there As I told you a while ago in an email, I saw a picture of his platoon, there was a black guy in it: I only bring this up because you only hear about the segregation during WWII! My mother in law said that he was a real bad @$$ too: apparently he liked to shave his head and smoke marijuana. My father in law, I was told, was the mascot: he was the youngest, and was a little chubby Sicilian American kid, and was very handy with a BAR Jaybird
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