I do actually, Scrappy.

CSB time.

I had an uncle who lost the use of his left side in Korea. Sadly, he died a few years ago, but he received regular help from local Veteran's charities. As a result, I have a very soft spot for any kind of vet's charity. I don't think any other cause can get me to donate money without a lot of research and mulling over it.

My grandpa was 82nd with jumps in WWII. He died when I was about 15, and I was very close to him. He was very extroverted, and he flew the American Flag on a 40 ft. flagpole in his front yard until the day he died. I never once heard a single military story from him.

I agree.

I spent 3 years (about 6 years ago) as a Shooting Sports Director at a Boy Scout camp and I've had about 10-15 current service members come hunt me down and thank me for teaching them the basics. I'm actually not that great a shooter, but apparently I can teach. It freaks me out to know that I gave them the foundations of a skill that they use to protect their lives and those of their buddies. These incidents usually end with lots of beer and talking about anything other than military service.

I have a lot of respect for people who can do what they do, and nothing but disdain for the shitbag liars who try to take advantage.

Just to reaffirm the message that vets do no talk about combat often.... my grandfather was drafted into the German army at 16 and was sent to the front lines during WWII and was later captured as a POW by american forces in France. I just recently got to hear him talk about it for the first time ever and the stories he told were about life when the war started being a POW and the farmer he worked for after he was released and his journey to the states. He never once mentioned combat. In 22 years of living 5 minutes away from him that is the only time he has every talked about it and it was because the conversation kind of fell into it.

My uncle was airborne in WWII. 82nd? 101st? Which ever one wasn't Band of Brothers. He jumped into Africa and later Italy. In spite of getting a silver star, and a purple heart, he won't talk about it. Not even when asked.

I have the wool shirt he wore in Italy, complete with shoulder patches. I wear it hunting. I also have his OD cotton shirt, which survived 3 years of combat, but was chewed up one night at hunting camp by mice.

Heck even my best friend that was in the Army when asked what he did the answer is always "Computer stuff"

Ryan_G your grandfather was very lucky to fight on the American/English (Western) front. Had he been captured by the Russians it would have been a very different story. I have a long history of family in the military and both my Father and Grandfather early enlisted before the age of 18. My father was 17 and had a special waiver signed by his parents, my grandfather was also 17 and no doubt just lied to get in. Gramps served over in Europe from D-Day to VE-DAY and then went back on to server in Korea. I being a huge history buff could get him to tell a few stories, but never about Korea and never would he brag as mentioned above.

My cousin has been in the Army since 2000 and has gone on 5 deployments over there. He too doesn't tell many stories even though he has a huge mouth and I don't pry.

The fact that he immigrated to the US first chance he got speaks volumes. I would wager (and hope) that his treatment as an American-held POW was relatively humane, especially compared to the treatment he would have received on the Eastern Front.

BTW, one thing that almost all veterans will have is discharge papers (known as a DD214 since at least the 80s). We make copies of them. We don't lose them. They are important for all kinds of things. Prospective employers will often ask for them to see what kind of discharge you had. If you want a VA loan or VA benefits, you need them. Etc., etc. The DD214 will list your military specialty and also awards. In the awards, campaign medals (indicating that you served within a certain theater of action) will be listed. For example, mine states Southwest Asia Campaign Medal for Desert Shield/Storm.

Not saying DD214's can't be falsified, but most of the pretenders are not that sophisticated. And if they say the papers are lost . . . not likely.

Perspective:
My great Uncle was an engineer for Kelly Johnson in the late50's and early 60's and retired from Lockheed in the late seventies. My Dad asked him once after he retired if he ever did any work on the cool shiz, SR71/U2? The only words he would ever say were "I parked next to some of those guys"... knowing what I know now, he probably shouldn't even have said that much.

A serious question.

If a claimed vet under questionable circumstances refuses to show his DD214, can anything be assumed?

If you mean vis-a-vis VA benefits, I'm not sure. VA probably has regulations out the yingyang that cover this. Hopefully, those regs aren't routinely ignored like our border.

Vis-a-vis an employer, if I were interviewing a veteran and they claimed lost papers, I'm either thinking:
1. Irresponsible dumbass; or
2. Other Than Honorable discharge or worse (i.e., a criminal).

havent been on in while, but damn.

I completely agree with the whole "no one real talks about it" scenario. My grandfather was a P-38 pilot in germany and thats all I know about it, he has pictures of him in front of the aircraft, his squadron and himself in uniform, but he doesnt talk about any of it. The only stories ive heard were OCS and flight school stories, but never anything about actual WW2 missions and action. He gets all serious and scary looking when you ask. He also gets very teary eyed when you bring him around a USAF flightline, or a military aircraft museum, but always says its nothing and he is fine.

I am really glad that Sixshooter was able to get the connection to veteran affairs and/or military history department


I am all for all fake pan-handling veteran claiming assholes be arrested and charged with its own crime. Because there is nothing in this world that pisses me off more than a fake vet.

Oh yeah? Well, I don't like to brag, but I was the one that really killed all those Germans. Audie Murphy got all the credit, but I did all the shooting. And I held off 10,000 Chinese at the Chosin Res. single handedly. Later, after I broke the seige at Khe San, I stalked the jungles of Cambodia and shot half a million gooks all with one shot and at over 2000 yards. Oh, and it was me who took out Bin Laden, too. I have 83 purple hearts, and 14 Medals of Honor. All with gold clusters, that are only awarded to the most humble of super soldiers.

But I'm just an E-9 in the Navy Rangers.

lol

LOL, You get around there rleete.

Lots of cool history in this thread. A few years back while visiting my wife's family in Hong Kong, I saw a photo of a Naval Officer receiving a medal from the mayor of Hong Kong. It turns out that, that was her Grand Father. He was a decorated Chinese Office in the Royal Navy per her uncle. But, nobody could tell me his story. I was very disappointed. Next time we go back I'm going to do my best to learn his history and record it for my kids.

i am a tactical aerial transporter, many times have I gone beyond the line, jumping from a C17 with 2 HALO jumpers to secure the cargo behind enemy encampment, how else do you think that we get the items secured and airlifted back to base? I have faced the enemy, and killed all those who wanted to keep the cargo for themselves. Then we tactically drop 60k Tunners and 10k AT forklifts with 5 463L pallets, so we can palletize, load onto the tunner (which has been combat converted with 2 forward facing 60mm Grenade launchers, and 6 mounted guns on deck; 2 .50 cals and 4 240s.) and drive it to the awaiting C-5 on the designated temporary landing strip for a commander approved EROs onto the aircraft.

The memories haunt me as the flash of muzzles lighting the night sky and cannons going off in the distance.


We lost many airmen that day.

Airdrop a 60k Tunner?

60mm grenade launchers?

Both grenade launchers facing the same direction? On a platform capable of a top speed of 23mph?

Suspicion sets in...

DONT CHU QUESTION ME!! I have seen some shit maaaaan, abrams only go 40mph!!

FUCK YOU!! FUCK YOUR COUCH! I was the driver and the .50 cal gunner all at the same time!!! I KNOW! THEN when we drove up onto the C-5, I kicked the captain out of the pilot seat because he wasnt effective at getting us out of the hot zone!! I AM A SENIOR MASTER GUNNERY AIRMAN!!! DONT YOU TELL ME

My father was in Vietnam and has seldom said anything about it my entire life. He has quite a few medals I know are important but when asked for specifics I get the "there are a lot of men who deserved them much more that didn't come back home" kind of response that always stops me from prodding further. Anybody who has earned a medal seems to think the other guys that they were there with and trying to help were more important than the hardware that gets hung on their chest later on.

Anyone who is interested in a real story about a pilot shot down in Vietnam should read "Into the Mouth of the Cat" by Malcolm McConnell. I read it in Jr High for the first time. I've never read anything like it. Cannot recommend it enough.

I know I'm late, but I'll reiterate what Sam said. No SF guy I know likes to brag about the high-speed stuff they do.

(except maybe PSYOPS.. Some of them are insufferable.)

MicaCeli - That's what I've taken to telling people too, "computer stuff". It's a lot easier and tends to end talk on the "what do you do in the Army" subject.