[virgil283]

"Anyway, now I’m back in Texas, and OH MY GOD. I am drunk on the smiles and the “hey how’s it going?”‘s from complete strangers everywhere I go. ....the gigantic blooming rosebush that is a country with things like SuperTarget and Lowe’s and Costco and five trillion different kinds of restaurants all in the same two-block radius. ... do you have any idea of the sheer wealth of choice we have here? It overwhelms me. I wandered around Lowe’s with my mom the other day ... and literally could not comprehend what I was seeing. ALL THE THINGS. RIGHT THERE ON SHELVES. ...Oh and I hear folks bitching about the $3.59/gallon gas. Y’all. I know that sucks and I know we have to drive a lot more here but still. My husband back in Italy is paying the equivalent of more than $10/gallon. And don’t even get me started on the difference in food prices over here – for $55, I bought the same amount of food yesterday for myself and my parents that I buy for myself and my husband back in Italy, where that particular grocery list cost me 80 euro every time (about $105). HALF!! What sorcery is this?!?....All I know is I am pretty damn impressed with America right now. ..."...H/T maggiesfarm

[Gaffer]

Now think back four decades or so ago in a war nobody in this country wanted, especially the Bill Clintons, the Hillary Rodhams (before they were famous), the Bill Ayers, the Bernadine Dohrns (when they were famous - for bomb throwing and not being ‘professors’) and think about spending almost 7 consecutive years in different places all over the world, and then you’d really see how much one can miss everything here.

I once had the pleasure to get a training class back in the states at Griffis AFB NY for three days. Do you want to know what everyone wanted me to bring back to our little island? Take a guess....

Can you imagine trying to board a C-130 with eight paper grocery bags of Wonder Bread?

[miss marmelstein]

Nice to have you back in the good ole USA!

[iacovatx]

Cheaper, better, faster-—let freedom ring!

Let’s never give up our love of winning. Let’s never lose the American culture of Davy Crockett, living 24/7 hard work/hard play, and our happy, confident, good nature. That’s what stocks those shelves and makes America a great place to be. It’s what makes Americans fun to be around and inspiring to the world’s people.

I believe it was a Soviet premier who traveled to meet Ronald Reagan and was viewed by the Soviet people on TV. Those people were awe-inspired by the confidence, friendliness, and good power of Ronald Reagan, who represented American culture to the world. Reagan could show the world what it meant to be an American by just greeting someone.

[Windflier]

I’ve experienced that same reverse culture shock a few times in this life, when coming home to the U.S. It can almost be overwhelming to someone who’s been away for a number of years.

[353FMG]

And don’t forget the ultimate Texas friendliness — you can easily get a CHL.

[dragnet2]

Wow...A China Walmart and Muslim owned greedymart on every corner, with cheap foreign and Communist Chinese products jammed to the ceiling...

As our food costs and everything else except wages continue to skyrocket and our dollar becomes worth less and less, you fly around like singing like tinkerbell...

Ya come a long way America

[Old Sarge]

Virgil, welcome home!

I can’t say we tidied the place up for you, but we’ll break out the sweet tea for ya.

[luvie]

Welcome home from a fellow Texan!