My father was a WW II vet and died in 1986 in a VA hospital. I have made it a point to thank every person I meet that served our country in the military. I've done this in person, over the phone, and over the computer. I've been surprised by the reactions.

I can remember one particular tough looking marine who, when I thanked him for his service in 'Nam, started crying because no one had EVER thanked him since he got out of the Corps. Two weeks ago, I was talking to a black gentleman who was in the Army, and was injured during his tour of duty. I said to him "I just want to thank you for your service to our country.". He got a stunned look on his face and it took him a few seconds to respond. He said "You know, in 24 years, I've NEVER had anyone thank me."

During the Vietnam war, returning soldiers coming into the states in California, were advised to change out of their uniforms and into civilian clothes, to avoid walking through the airport in their uniforms, because so many people would accost them and call them "baby killers".

I just wanted , since this IS Memorial Day, to take this space to send a heartfelt "Thank you" to each service man, service woman, and to the families of veterans of all wars, living and dead.

I think our country owes a giant debt of gratitude to our Vets, and that sometimes, our government falls down on the level of support our Vets deserve.

So, on this Memorial Day, regardless of political sentiments, a hearty thank you, and feelings of respect and honor for you guys and gals.

God Bless You All !


~CodeWarriorz Thoughts

I was hoping you would do a Memorial Day thread. (You are so much better at such things than I.)

...to those who serve, and sometimes have to die to preserve our freedoms!

Salute!

Thanks Shmoo!

~Code

Well said, Code.

Thank you, servicemen! Amen. Especially to those fighting the terrorists -- a vile enemy who won't play by any civilized rules. May they be "blowed up real good". (a little SCTV lingo)

We should make a special effort to thank those we encounter who have served. If they have not received a thankful, that is shameful, but perhaps the most prevalent sin of all is ingratitude.

should be "received a thank you," not a "thankful" oops

Happy Memorial Day!

Code no Thank You. To all of you not back in the world today, be safe and Thanks. To our men and women in the service Thank You. I'll be going to the VA hospital today to visit our men and women there. Have a Happy and Safe Memorial Day.

Thank you Hawk, and God Bless You. More of us should do just that, because, hospitals can be a depressing and lonely place...especially the VA. Have a safe and good day one and all.

my father lied about his age and joined the army when he was 16. He served in occupied germany for about 2 years in WW II. He died in 1982 of cancer still a relatively young man. I don't think anyone ever thanked him for his military service.

thanks for your efforts code.

Thank you Capt, and we as a nation suffered a great loss when your father passed. God bless you my friend!

Posthumously, thank you for your service sir.

I called my stepfather this morning as I always do, and since he is a WW II veteran as well, thanked him for all he did to keep our nation free.

~Code

but we also GAINED from that great loss

NEVER FORGET IT

When I see on the news that 10 or 15 or 20 of our soldiers died, I don't think of them as statistics, but realize that these are 10 sons or daughters or husbands or brothers or uncles, and that the loss of each one of them, leaves a giant whole in a family that will never be filled, a hurt that will never go away.

If we think of our losses in terms of them as PEOPLE and not just uniforms that are no longer moving..
http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20050527-054830-9592r
"WASHINGTON, May 27 (UPI) -- As Memorial Day approaches, at least 1,647 names of U.S. service personnel have been added to the rolls of those who gave their lives in service to the country in Iraq since the war's start in March 2003. At least 1,264 were killed by hostile fire.

The vast majority -- all but 109 of the 1,264 -- died after May 1, 2003, when U.S. President George W. Bush declared an end to major combat operations.

At least another 12,600 people have been wounded, about half of whom were too grievously injured to return to duty within three days, according to Pentagon statistics.

In Afghanistan and other Operation Enduring Freedom battlefields since October 2001 there have been 187 killed, 75 of them by hostile fire. There have been 159 wounded and returned to duty and 311 injured seriously.

More than 700,000 troops have rotated through Iraq or Afghanistan over the last four years, one-third to one-half of that total more than once. Army soldiers put in yearlong deployments and Marines serve for seven months at a time in country. Some forces are tapped for longer and some for shorter deployments. The military is trying to maintain a 1-1 ratio of time in the combat zone to time back home for training and rest.

The latest casualty from Iraq was announced Friday: A Marine was killed Thursday by a rocket-propelled grenade in Operation New Market, an offensive comprising about 1,000 Marines launched in Haditha in western Iraq, a way station on what the military calls a "rat line" of insurgents, weapons and funding connecting Baghdad to Syria across the unruly Anbar province.

At least 50 U.S. troops have died in May 2005, making it one of the bloodiest months for U.S. forces since the war began. A Web site that tracks official government releases about war casualties, icasualties.org, puts the number of U.S. dead in May at 67.

The last week marks the sixth consecutive week of increasing U.S. casualties, a reflection, according to the military, of the pressure they are putting on the Iraqi insurgency. They point out that enemy casualties are much higher, although exact numbers are hard to come by.

U.S. deaths in Iraq have spiked around key battles and significant dates in Iraq's occupation. In April 2004 there were two uprisings, one in Fallujah and one in Najaf. Battles there cost the United States 135 troops, and coalition partners -- primarily the United Kingdom -- another five. In November 2004 another battle waged in Fallujah to wrest it from insurgent control resulted in 137 U.S. deaths and four British deaths.

Violence spiked again in the weeks preceding the historic January 2005 election of a national assembly, claiming 107 Americans, 10 British and 10 other coalition soldiers. The level of violence dropped in the following months, but the May totals bring it back to an average of two to three U.S. deaths a day.

All told there have been at least 180 coalition casualties, according to icasualties.org.

The same group estimates that for every U.S. troop killed in Iraq in May, 4.6 Iraqi security force soldiers died. They are increasingly the targets of car bombs and enemy attacks.

According to the Pentagon, roughly half the deaths are the result of improvised explosive devices -- either roadside bombs or car bombs. Pentagon doctors also report because of improvements in troop and vehicle armor and battlefield medicine the number of those who die from their wounds is down from previous conflicts."

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