Re: SooooOOOOOOOOOO ?

[Bob La Londe <none@none.com99>]

On 6/4/2021 4:51 AM, ABLE1 wrote:
> On 6/4/2021 12:32 AM, Jim Davis wrote:
>> I Don't know much about trailers, trucks and hitches but I share your
>> sentiments regarding all the people who have given their lives for
>> this country and what it is supposed to stand for. People talk about
>> "heroes". Though I did join the US Navy at the age of 17, I never saw
>> any action and actually had a fabulous, experience. It never occurred
>> to me when I enlisted that I might be put in a situation where i could
>> lose my life. I didn't join up out of any sort of patriotism. It was
>> just something that I had wanted to do since I was about 12 years old.
>> .
>> I attained a Atomic top secret clearance and became and cryptographer
>> in communications. We were tracking Soviet submarines off the coast of
>> Florida in the Bahama Island. So I spent about 2 and half years in a
>> tropical paradise. In between tracking submarines I learned to scuba
>> dive, learned spelunking. Represented the US Navy in the world wide
>> spearfishing competition. Learned how to handle and shoot a 45 and M!
>> accurately. Spent a week every couple of months living and sleeping on
>> the beach. Learned to water ski. Spear fished barracuda, shark,
>> tarpon, moray eel, and many kind of edible fish Started a rock and
>> roll band to play for the enlisted men and officers and wound up
>> playing for about 2000 people at a US space satellite success party.
>> Occasionally take a trips to Miami Beach or Nassau in the Bahamas.
>> etc, etc, etc . . . . . . . .
>> So it took a number of years of reading, hearing stories from people
>> who had seen action for me to realize what heroes those are who
>> knowingly go into battle  willing to forfeit their lives for their
>> belief in this nation. I can't estimate how much money I've donated to
>> various veteran causes through the years. I sometime think it may come
>> from a little feeling of guilt because of what I experienced.
>> The men I admire the most are those who fought in WWII. I just can't
>> imagine what they experienced at Iwo Jima and at Normandy. I had tears
>> running down my face the whole time when I visited Normandy. Same when
>> I visited Hawaii USS Arizona Memorial.  I've only watched Saving
>> Private Ryan once and won't ever watch it again. I live near two of
>> the biggest WWII cemeteries. I avoid driving by them because I tear up
>> every time.
>> Heroes ... TRUE heroes.. every one of them.
>
>
> Hi Jim,
>
> I as well signed up at 17 in the US Navy.  I ended up on the 7th Fleet
> Flag Ship off the coast of Vietnam as well as other places.  Loved it.
>
> I don't think that anything I could type would come close to matching
> your words above.  Good job, Thank You for your SERVICE and have a great
> weekend.
>
> Les
>


I may or may not have shared this before.  As most of you know I am a
life long independent biker.  A 99%-er if you will LOL.  I would still
be a biker, and I still enjoy riding for a very short time, but what my
fishing partner and personal physician tells me is likely PTSD from a
BAD wreck in the early 2000s causes me to quickly stop enjoying the
ride.  A short ride into town to visit the post office is fine, but
before I can consider a second stop I find myself headed home on
autopilot.  I can't wait to get the bike back in the garage and shut
down.  I still have 3 bikes, but I have not had one out of the shop or
garage in 3-4 years.

Anyway, some years back a buddy of mine who was one of the chapter
founding members of VNV MC Chapter G (Ghost Chapter) often asked me to
hang around.  I was never a prospect, and was never a prospect for a
prospect.  I wasn't really a hang-a-round either.  I am not qualified to
be a member of VNV MC or Legacy Vets MC.  I just went because my buddy
and I liked to ride together.  Except on official sanctioned runs we
would always run side by side.  On sanctioned runs I had to ride behind
everybody due to protocol or I would get disinvited.  Yes, I had to ride
behind even the hang-a-rounds.  LOL.  One year the Chapter P (could have
been the SA I forget) specifically invited me and a few other people to
ride along for their Memorial Day run.  Basically visiting cemeteries
and finishing off at an American Legion hall.  They wanted us to swell
their numbers for visibility sake.  I figured why not.  Its as good of a
way to honor dead veterans as any, and I would get to spend the day
riding my motorcycle.  I wore my regular warm weather gear.  Jeans, long
sleeve loose fitting t-shirt, and a denim vest with just an American
flag patch and ABATE of Arizona patch ON THE FRONT.  I never had any
patch on the back of my vest.

Slight interlude here.  Recently on social media a few people sought to
preempt "incorrect" ways of observing memorial days with lists of rules
or prejudgments.  I found it to be a little bit disengenuous
judgmentalism.  Kind of like the woke/cancel/sjw culture of today exudes
in abundance.  From what I saw of most older real combat veterans they
will tolerate, except, or even rejoice in any sincere recognition of
those who didn't make it back.  I posted a slightly different, ut
equally accurate version of this story in reply each time I saw one of
those lists.

At our first stop on the Memorial Day run I had a little old lady walk
up to me stick out her hand and thank me.  I'm not a veteran either
combat or otherwise.  I was embarrassed.  I wasn't trying to represent
myself as anything I wasn't but I also didn't want to embarrass the
little old lady.  I st6uck my hand out in return shook her hand and told
her I hope she has a fantastic life... or something like that.

Immediately afterwards I cornered a couple of the old VNV guys and asked
them what I should do in this circumstance.  They said, "Do exactly what
you did.  Don't embarrass the little old lady, and if she has any
questions guide her over to one of the guys you know is a vet.  If
pressed say you are just here to show support."

Now I am sure if I started regaling that little old lady with false
tales of glory and heroism the best I could have hoped for was a quick
invitation to leave, but they had no issue with that little old lady
thanking me.  Memorial Day is not a day to thank veterans.  Its a day to
show appreciation for those who came back in a body bag or didn't come
back at all.  She was doing it wrong, but her intent was sincere.  There
was no need to embarrass her for thanking a living vet or for directing
that thanks unknowingly to somebody who was not a vet.  She couldn't
show the honest appreciation to those in the ground.  Or maybe not to
the extent she wanted to so she showed her appreciation to the living.

It happened a couple more times that day, and I was uncomfortable, but
when I looked around nobody was particularly watching me to make sure I
"did it right either."  I was there to show my appreciation for those
veterans who gave everything, and that was enough.

Remember that those people in the ground here and abroad.  Intact or
scattered with the winds were real people.  Some were assholes.  Some
might have been saints.  Most were just like you, and they gave their
life for you.  They were your mom, your dad, your brother and your best
friend.  Some were tat crotchety guy down the street that nobody liked.
  All of them went to war for you so you could have the life you.  Some
may have appreciated knowing you hang your head in remembrance. I
suspect many really would rather you gather friends and family in the
backyard for a barbecue.  Don't let anybody else tell you how to
remember those who gave their lives for you.  Just remember that they did.

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