Any Vets Wanna Share a Thanksgiving Story?

Free Republic ^ | Nov. 22, 2001 | IronJack

[IronJack]

I'm always interested in the stories vets have of their "holidays" on the job. Any of you ground pounders, fly boys, salts, or jarheads got a tale to share about a Thanksgiving you spent in uniform?

[IronJack]

Ditto for yourself. In fact, in keeping with the spirit of the holiday, I think every American should give thanks for the selfless men and women who give up a part of their lives to "walk their watch on freedom's wall." Many of the things we give thanks for today wouldn't exist without their sacrifices.

[JoeSixPack1]

All these stories are great! One after another, makes me so proud to call Thanksgiving an American Holiday of Thanks!

But what I am really really really looking forward to is the "NEW YEARS EVE stories!!!!!

Gobble-Gobble and a "Thank You" to all of you that had to give-up this day to serve our USA.

[SAMWolf]

I guess the tides of time have washed away the details

Same here,

Fort Leonard Wood - 1968

Phouc Vinh Vietnam - 1969

Song Be Bridge Vietnam - 1970

Heilbronn Germany - 1971

[Mark17]

I don't remember most of them, but I know where I was. 68-69-Mt Home AFB, Idaho. 70-Bien Hoa Air Base, Vietnam. 71-79-Laughlin AFB, Tx. 80-83-Mainz-Kastel, Germany. 84-87-Travis AFB, California.

[IronJack]

Not all resort areas, I suspect.

[Mark17]

Not all resort areas, I suspect.

Ah, no, not all. I survived, however.

[Libloather]

Any FReepers with kids in the military? I've got stories...

[IronJack]

Bring 'em on ....

[Libloather]

Hang on. I'm thinkin' about another thread...

[Paulus Invictus]

How' s about Spam on rice, over cooked by Japanese cooks with no clue. Dear Old Harry Truman cut our rations way back in1945-47 and we ate what was available. I lost 25 pounds on the Nipponese rations in just six months and when I left I weighed 100 pounds soaking wet.

Harry S ( as we called him--say it fast for the real essence of his name) cut the military to the bone, just in time for Korea. Many of our military in Korea, some were my buddies, were cut down or captured during the first month of that "police action." They might have been saved with better armor, equipment, artillery, planes, ammo and training. Our CO told us we had to get used to being ignored by the pols in DC. He was right!.

We made aerial maps of Korea (just in time) and the guys in our unit there knew the commies were going to attack two years before it happened. No one paid attention to the troops. It wasn't PC to talk about another war so soon after WW II.

We never seem to learn the lesson of staying prepared and Klintoon's devastation of the military after Desert Storm was just another treasonous example of dumocrap idiocy.

[clintonh8r]

My sister and her husband were stationed at the hospital in Heilbronn in about 1974-76.

[IronJack]

I guess one thing we can be thankful for is that at least we have a president with a brain and some respect for our fighting forces. Of course, it's a lot like hitting yourself with a hammer; anything is better by comparison to Clinton's goons.

[IronJack]

Did the ward nurse let you play with the color crayons again? Well, isn't that nice of her, with it being a holiday and all. Don't get yourself too excited or you'll be in restraints when they serve the turkey.

[cibco]

You gotta share ...

Just finished a bit ago.

It's pretty simple. Just cut the meat into strips. The most important part is to trim the fat and grissel off. Then soak your strips in your favorite sauce overnight. You can use your imagination on what to use for the marinate. The next day the strips are ready for the dehydrator. Use your judgement on how long to heat. I usually let it go about 12 hrs. I then turn over the strips and rotate the trays. The remaing heating time is determined by what consistancy you want in your finished product.

Hopefully, I will have another subject tomorrow to use some different sauces on. Hope this helps ya. :0)

[Vetnet]

November 1976 I was a loadmaster on a C-141 flying out of Yokota Japan headed toward Seoul, Korea when my eardrum burst due to foolishly flying with a cold and I ended up spending the Thanksgiving holiday in the Osan AFB hospital.

I always flew with a special blend of market orange-spice tea for those long hauls across the pond (Pacific)On Thanksgiving day, I asked the orderly to brew up my whole batch of tea for everyone and they all agreed it was the best treat they could ever imagine.

Funny how you forget about those things until years later. All those stangers were drawn so close together over a cup tea and then we never heard from each other again.

Oh well, Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

[clintonh8r]

Thanks for the thread, happy Thanksgiving and ...

SEMPER FI!

[blam]

Ha, ha. Super. Thanks.

[woodrow_6]

We were in a HURRY. My squadron was VA-15 out of Cecil Field in Jax. It's 1980, a few days before Turkey day. My ship was the big bird farm, Indy, out of Norfolk. When we set sail, it was unusual, because for days, there were no sorties. We just steamed to the Cape of Good Hope and around the horn we went. I never seen seas so rough. We put 16 point tie-downs on the birds and busted our butts to get below. Back home, Reagan was getting ready to settle in at the White House. Our CO finally told us where we were going. Persian Gulf. There were 50 held hostage in Iran. We were going to be on station if there was any funny business. The scuttlebutt was that the hostages would be released the very minute Reagan took office. Up on deck, the Phantoms, Prowlers and Corsiar II's were getting ready. I was a lowley plane captain for an A-7 squadron. Thanksgiving and Christmas came and went. All my nights looked alike "on station". UGA became national champion and Hershel went down in the record books. I wore my UGA sweatshirt for 3 days. Other "brown shirts" hated me. All I could think about was "God's little acre", I called home. Home, Cochran, Georgia. I sure wanted to be there. Then we got word. THE word. The hostages were coming home.They had been transported to somewhere in Europe. Then it hit me. I was a tiny, tiny part in a very big picture. The next day, when my bird flew, it was the shiniest in the sky. I made sure of it.

[VOA]

the Marines...(big snip)...devoured the good ole American junk food in about 45 seconds!

bump and thanks from a grateful civilian to all the vets (and current duty) folks
who've lived those holidays far from home.

PS: McDonald's Quarter-Pounders with Cheese, Fries and Coca-Cola got me
through college (college cafeteria was usually closed when I got out of my science
labs two or three times a week!).
Whenever I hear someone bad-mouth McDonalds...they get on the fightin' side of me!