Are you or have you ever been in the Armed Forces?

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I hear you Les about the hero deal. I think if I was to put a label on you, I would call you a patriot. Fixing s**t under fire is the worst, at least you got recognized for it.

Nice rack!

That I agree with. I would rather be alive then have a silver star, bronze star or medal of honor. Hell Les already has one that I hope I never get and that is the Purple Heart.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

My brother is a 2 tour Viet Nam vet, Silver Star, etc., did some heroic stuff during Tet, 1968, held some bridge by himself overnight, killed something like 40 NVA regs, never got the exact full details. I found out about this from a magazine article and eventually read his citation. He never talks about this, but when I asked him about it he said, "I no hero, I'm a survivor."

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Thats what most of the ones I have met say.

 

[evangilder]

Me too. There are guys that I have talked to that have performed heroic tasks in extraordinary circumstances, but they don't consider themselves heroes. I wouldn't want to be called one either. The problem with the label is that people expect great things out of you for everything once you have that label. To me, a hero is an ordinary man who did extraordinary things in extraordinary circumstances.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Me too. There are guys that I have talked to that have performed heroic tasks in extraordinary circumstances, but they don't consider themselves heroes. I wouldn't want to be called one either. The problem with the label is that people expect great things out of you for everything once you have that label. To me, a hero is an ordinary man who did extraordinary things in extraordinary circumstances.

Well said! When my brother got back from Viet Nam we was a mess and I think hanging the "hero" image on him would of really pushed him over the edge. It took a good 12 or 13 years for my brother to put his "demons" behind him.

 

[evangilder]

Some stuff never leaves, it just softens over time. It took me quite some time to be able to watch fireworks without flinching. I still do, but not as much. The really loud ones get to me still. The piccolo petes are the worst for me though.

 

[trackend]

I'm fortunate that I,ve not had anything remotely like that guys but I remember my old man used wake up shouting out as he kept having night mares that he was in the rafters of a room and the Japs where trying to bayonet him from below and it wasn't until the early 60's that they eventually went. It was strange because although he saw service in Malaya,Sumatra and the Malacca straights he saw a lot more combat in the European theater especially with 3 4 Commando he told me that he believed it was just that he went to the far East after Europe so it ended up being the trigger. All I remember is it use to scare the crap out of me as a 9 year old to hear him at 2 in the morning.

 

[Nonskimmer]

I've been forunate that way too, trackend. To date, I've managed to avoid the fifth floor of the base hospital (the mental distress ward). I pray that it stays that way. There are still a couple of guys from that sub fire we had a few months back who can't quite cope. I don't think they'll ever set foot on a submarine again. I hope for their sake they can manage to eventually put the bulk of it behind them.

 

[trackend]

I tend suffer from clostraphobia so I couldn't work in a sub or below decks to save my life. In an emergency I would be as usefull as a tooth ache.

 

[evangilder]

I applaud anyone who can do sub duty. I'm not claustrophobic, but I couldn't imagine being in an air filled can surrounded by water for that long. I like the sunshine too much!

 

[trackend]

The thought of not having any exits is definatley not appealling to me even the lads in the magazines on the surface vessels had to have someone stationed outside to let them out, and if they needed to flood the mags that was your lot.
cor blimey gives me the sweats just thinking about it.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

SUBS?!?, DID SOMEONE ACTUALLY SAY SUBS?!?! I HATE SUBS!!! - I'M AN EX-P3 MAN - WHERE THE HELL ARE THOSE STINKIN SUBS!

 

[evangilder]

When I was in grammar school, my best friends dad was a P-3 pilot in the USNR. He used to tell us stories about "care packages" that were dropped into the water near Soviet subs with chocolates and other items. I guess they were enticing them to surface.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

YEP - THROUGH THE FREE-FALL CHUTE! Actually it was fun to empty all the trash on the plane after a 9 hour patrol into the free fall chute, fly over a Sovier Trauler, and let er drop!

 

[evangilder]

One of my favorite stories like that from the cold war was an F-=4 crew that intercepted a bear bomber. They pulled up along side and the Russian crew held up a picture of a Russian pin-up girl. Over the radio, the Russian said "This is most beautiful girl in Soviet Union". It was reported that she was not that pleasing to the eyes. The back seater in the F-4 held up a playboy centerfold and said "This is the ugliest girl in America, perhaps you defect, comrade?"!!!

I don't know if it was true or an urban legend. Either way, it's a funny story.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

 

[Medvedya]

Ah, but I have it on my own authority that Russian women are very good cooks. If you're thinking for the long-haul then go East my son!

 

[FLYBOYJ]

HECK WITH THAT - I'LL PUT HER DOWN THE FREE FALL CHUTE!

SUBS - HOW COULD GUYS SAY "SUBS" UGGHHH!!!!

 

[trackend]

HECK WITH THAT - I'LL PUT HER DOWN THE FREE FALL CHUTE!

SUBS - HOW COULD GUYS SAY "SUBS" UGGHHH!!!!

Well if you line up the letters S U B S and pronounce them phonetically you find you say the word subs I shall repeat that for you FLY
SUBS SUBS SUBS SUBS SUBS SUBS SUBS SUBS SUBS SUBS

 

[evangilder]

Ah, but I have it on my own authority that Russian women are very good cooks. If you're thinking for the long-haul then go East my son!

That is true. My wife's grandfather was a Russian immigrant, from the Ukraine. She is a great cook!