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| Joined: | Sun Sep 4th, 2005 |
| Location: | Florida &, Arizona USA |
| Posts: | 11288 |
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Ken...You still got the "Right Stuff" Buddy!....it is a honor to have you as my friend and confidanthand6.gif....I'll bet the active duty soldiers of the 16th were as honored having you and your compadres there as you were by being inducted into DMOR.... what a distinquished honor .....Congrats! yourock.gif
Thank you, Oscar and everybody.
...and yes, a major surprise to me was that our admiration of them and their skills was equally, if not more so, matched by their stated admiration of Veterans, especially those who served in Vietnam. We were, without fail, greeted with warmth and affection. Each and every time I thanked a soldier for serving, his response, without hesitation, was something to the tune of, “No sir, we thank you for serving and for setting the high standards for us to follow!” It literately brought tears to my eyes on several occasions…the sincerity was overpowering.
For those of us who were Vietnam Veterans, it was finally acknowledgment that what we did was not in vain…they look to us as examples as to what they are doing. They look to us as those who know what it is like fighting an unpopular war in an unpopular time. They know it can be demoralizing, but our unsung perseverance gives them the moral support they need to go on…to proudly do what is right in a time of adversity. Their continuation of our traditions and their repeated admiration of what we went through is, after 40 years, the best, the finest “Welcome Home” I have ever heard!
Bottom line: I have many, many military medals and badges, but getting to meet with and share experiences with these young men, the finest soldiers in the world, far outshines any award given! Like our very own "murphy j", they are my personal heroes!