The FReeper Foxhole Celebrates Veterans Day - November 11th, 2003

various

[snippy_about_it]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.


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U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues

Where Duty, Honor and Country
are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.

Our Mission:

The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans.

In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support.

The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer.

If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions.

We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.

To read previous Foxhole threads or
to add the Foxhole to your sidebar,
click on the books below.

Veterans Day



To our veterans - Thank You


Veterans Day

A day set aside to honor our country's living veterans. At the Foxhole honoring veterans is a major part of our mission.

Whereas we will not forget those who died or our POW/MIAs, and course those who are currently serving, today we specifically honor those men and women living among us who have served our country in times past, our living veterans.

Especially here at the Foxhole we are blessed to have veterans as part of our Foxhole family both as readers and contributors.


We would like to welcome all our veterans to the Foxhole on this very special day as we attempt to honor you and thank you for your service to our country. Freedom is not free and our debt to you and those gone before you can never fully be paid. May God richly bless you all. Welcome home and we will never forget.

It matters not where, when or how your served; here at home or in a foreign land, in the air, at sea or on land; in peacetime or in war, on the battefield or behind a desk; on supply lines; as an engineer, a mechanic, an infantrymen, a cook or medic. You chose to volunteer or fullfilled your duty by the draft and served America and we are forever grateful. Every job is important as they all support each other and the cause of freedom.

Some sacrifices are greater, yes, and some service more dangerous than others, yet all service is sacrifice by the troop and their family and we highly respect that service. Some gave all, all gave some.

Thank you all - from SAM and snippy




"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman." --Thomas Paine, Founding Father



"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional as to how they perceive the veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their Nation."
--George Washington


"Let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain."
--Dwight D. Eisenhower


"We must not forget the past. We must not forget those who sacrificed, but we must also remember the reason for their sacrifice. They died so tyranny would die. They died to create a better world for those of us who followed them. Their sacrifice was not in vain."
--Secretary of State Colin Powell as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, observing the 50th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1991.


"America was founded on the principles of liberty, opportunity, and justice for all, and on Veterans Day we recognize the men and women of our Armed Forces who have valiantly defended these values throughout our Nation's history.

These remarkable individuals have helped to make our Nation secure and to advance the cause of freedom worldwide. By answering the call of duty and risking their lives to protect their fellow countrymen, these patriots have inspired our Nation with their courage, compassion, and dedication.

Our proud veterans have also helped to shape the American character. They have given us an extraordinary legacy of patriotism and honor, and their service represents the highest form of citizenship."
--George W. Bush


Veterans Day is the day set aside to thank and honor ALL those who served honorably in the military - in wartime or peacetime. In fact, Veterans Day is largely intended to thank LIVING veterans for their service, to acknowledge that their contributions to our national security are appreciated, and to underscore the fact that all those who served - not only those who died - have sacrificed and done their duty.

--- Department of Veterans Affairs







It is the VETERAN, not the preacher,
who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the VETERAN, not the courts
who has given us the right to keep and bear arms.

It is the VETERAN, not the reporter,
who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the VETERAN, not the poet,
who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the VETERAN, not the campus organizer,
who has given us freedom to assemble.

It is the VETERAN, not the lawyer,
who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the VETERAN, not the politician,
Who has given us the right to vote.

It is the VETERAN, who salutes the Flag,



and serves under the flag.


ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD,
AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT
SHINE UPON THEM.
(CholeraJoe provided the above graphic - Thank you CJ)








I brought this next poster over from a Veterans Day thread SAM posted last year. I think it best represents the Foxhole's year-round effort in honoring our veterans by the history we bring to our readers.

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FReeper Foxhole Armed Services Links

[Darksheare]

I always got saddled with 16's that had receiver fit problems that made accuracy suspect.
*chuckle*
Had wanted to get my hands on the CAR-21 concept bullpup just to see if the hype was true.
Supposedly it didn't need to be zero'd at all.
And it was pretty short for having the same barrel length as the 16, but also amazingly light.
Advance party needed something short and light with good accuracy for long range, but short enough to be used on the fly in the brush.
The 16 was honestly too long for that, and we couldn't get our hands on m-4's at all.
(Would have been a plus.)
*sigh*

[Samwise]

Geez, another tearjerker for today.

It's time for a lighter note. I've threatened to tell SAM this one before. We'll file it under the category They Also Serve Who Sit and Wait. This is my dad's favorite story about his dad, whom I never knew.

Grandpa had four sons and several grandsons fighting for the allies in World War II. (My cousin was held in a German prison camp.) Apparently some jerk was smarting off and bragging about how great the war was and he hoped it would last forever because he was making so much money from it. Grandpa slugged the guy. He was hauled in front of the small-town judge and tried for assault. The judge, knowing he had to enforce the law but also understanding that the guy probably deserved it, fined Grandpa one dollar. Grandpa handed him two dollars. The judge asked him why he gave him two dollars. Grandpa said, "I may have to hit him again."

[colorado tanker]

Thanks for this wonderful tribute to veterans! And thanks again for keeping the memories alive with what you do every day in the Foxhole!

[Darksheare]

Yeah, sending Mad Maddie was pretty insane.
She might be enough to frighten real, sane men.
But she couldn't frighten real insane men.

[snippy_about_it]

Under U.S. command, a GROM unit captured one platform with a second rig taken by U.S. Navy SEALs. Months before a Polish-led international force took control of a zone in postwar Iraq in September, GROM cleared vessels from the port of Umm Qasr and helped secure a dam near Baghdad. Now GROM troops are helping the hunt for Saddam, Poland's top general, Gen. Czeslaw Piatas, revealed in unexpectedly candid comments.

Thank you Poland!

[SAMWolf]

Our Military Today
Tribute for an Ally

Polish Maj. Hieronim Kupczyk, 44, killed in an ambush in Iraq on Thursday, the first Polish soldier killed by hostile fire since World War II, is shown in this recent file photo. (AP File/PAP)


The widow of Polish Army Maj. Kupczyk, Jolanta, right, wipes a tear during the funeral for her husband, Maj. Hieronim Kupczyk, in Szczecin, Poland, Monday, Nov.10, 2003. Maj. Kupczyk, killed in Iraq last week, was Poland's first combat casualty in Iraq. Daugher Marta is right. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)


Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski, left, and Defense Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski, second right, attend the funeral for Polish Army Maj. Hieronim Kupczyk in Szczecin, Poland, Monday, Nov.10, 2003. Maj. Kupczyk, killed in Iraq last week, was Poland's first combat casualty in Iraq. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)


Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski, second left, watches the funeral ceremony for Polish Army Maj. Hieronim Kupczyk in Szczecin, Poland, Monday, Nov.10, 2003.


Polish soldiers guard the coffin of slain Colonel Hieronim Kupczyk, 44, at a church in Szczecin, Poland, November 10, 2003. Guerrillas shot and killed a Polish army officer south of Baghdad on November 7, the first soldier to die from a multi-national division set up to relieve the pressure on U.S. forces trying to stabilize Iraq . Photo by Peter Andrews/Reuters


Jolanta Kupczyk, the wife of slain Colonel Hieronim Kupczyk, receives the flag that covered her husband's coffin, as his daughter Marta looks on, following funeral services at a cemetery in Szczecin, Poland, November 10, 2003. Guerrillas shot and killed a Polish army officer south of Baghdad on November 7, the first soldier to die from a multi-national division set up to relieve the pressure on U.S. forces trying to stabilize Iraq. REUTERS/Peter Andrews

[snippy_about_it]

Grandpa said, "I may have to hit him again."

LOL! I love it!

Thanks for the "lighter note".

[snippy_about_it]

Thank you for those kind words colorado tanker.

Thank you for your service to our country.

[SAMWolf]

The judge, knowing he had to enforce the law but also understanding that the guy probably deserved it, fined Grandpa one dollar. Grandpa handed him two dollars. The judge asked him why he gave him two dollars. Grandpa said, "I may have to hit him again."

LOL! I think I'd like your grandfather.

[SAMWolf]

Afternoon Colorado Tanker. Thanks for your service.

[snippy_about_it]

She might be enough to frighten real, sane men.
But she couldn't frighten real insane men.

Brilliantly said Darksheare. I was thinking she was/is pretty scary but not enough to them and now you make sense of it! LOL.

[colorado tanker]

You're welcome!

[snippy_about_it]

Thank you SAM for the very well presented post about Major Hieronim Kupczyk's funeral service. A very sad day for Poland.

[SAMWolf]

"What Veterans Day Means To Me"
L. Schellhase, 3 rd Place, High School Division

Veterans Day, although not a very popular or commercial holiday, celebrates and remembers some of America's greatest heroes. It is a day that is dedicated to the many men and women who served our country and protected democracy. Approximately 1,089,000 American men and women lost their lives to secure America's freedom since the days of the colonies, through a civil war, two world wars and many more armed conflicts including Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm and many other peace keeping missions. It is on Veterans Day that we thank these fallen heroes.

Veterans Day is celebrated by millions of people around the nation through memorials, dedications, and parades. It is a day that is used to commemorate nearly 42,000,000 war participants and countless peacetime veterans. It is important that America takes time to honor those who answered our nation's call and protected our freedom and ideals.

Veterans Day has personal significance for me since the majority of my family served in the armed forces. My great uncle and both grandfathers served in World War II in Europe and Africa. My father and all three of his brothers served during the Vietnam era. My mother also dedicated her life to veterans, working as a dietitian in a veteran's hospital.

I believe my age group in particular has no concept of the dedication, patriotism and bravery of our veterans. How often do we neglect our responsibilities or just act lazy when we don't feel like doing something. How often do you think the young men and woman serving our country, thousands of miles from home, family and friends, fighting selflessly to protect the beliefs held by Americans, wanted to say "Not me, I'm not going, I've had enough." But they didn't. They endured hardships we can't even imagine. We should think of this the next time we are asked to accomplish a little chore.

Every American should take the opportunity on Veterans Day to reflect, honor, and remember our veterans, past and present, to which we owe our very freedom and the principles we choose to live by. We must never forget those who perished, those who didn't, and those whose fate is still unknown. It is through heightened awareness that keeps our missing heroes in foreign countries alive; it is important that Veterans Day brings to light these issues that many Americans still, many years later, are missing in action.

[Light Speed]

[colorado tanker]

Thanks for the tank pix - gotta love it!

Are those Marines I see on top of those M-1's? Didn't know they allowed real tanks in the Corps. :)

[radu]

TO ALL THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE SERVED OUR COUNTRY, AND WHO SERVE NOW....

THANK YOU!

[colorado tanker]

Thanks, Sam. Say, what's a "GP"? I've heard of MP, SP and AP, but not "GP."

[snippy_about_it]

Hello radu, thanks for stopping by today, you're up early.

[Prof Engineer]

Dear Sir,

I'd like to order one (1) of your fine tanks to use for my morning commute. The superior traction of the those giant treads will handle anything man or nature can throw my way.

The little hood ornament will go along way toward getting other folks out of my way.

I await word of the anticipated delivery date.

Best Regards,

Prof Engineer