4th of JULY!

[shatto]

It isn't all about picnics and fireworks

THANKS! To ALL of us who served.

[bowtieguy]

i've made a concerted effort to refer to it as "independence day" rather than the fourth of july. so, i'm with ya on that.

[bowtieguy]

i thought of you, shatto, when i saw this...

JFK'S Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, was in France in the early 60's when DeGaule decided to pull out of NATO. DeGaule said he wanted all US military out of France as soon as possible.

Rusk responded "does that include those who are buried here?

DeGuale did not respond.

You could have heard a pin drop



When in England , at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire building by George Bush.

He answered by saying, 'Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return.'

You could have heard a pin drop.

There was a conference in France where a number of international engineers were taking part, including French and American. During a break, one of the French engineers came back into the room saying 'Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he intended to do, bomb them?'

A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: 'Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they 20 carry half a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck. We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?'



You could have heard a pin drop.

A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S. , English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of Officers that included personnel from most of those countries. Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English. He then asked, 'Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking French?'

Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied, 'Maybe it's because the Brit's, Canadians, Aussie's and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak German.'

You could have heard a pin drop.



AND THIS STORY FITS RIGHT IN WITH THE ABOVE...

Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry on.

"You have been to France before, monsieur?" the customs officer asked sarcastically..

Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously.

"Then you should know enough to have your passport ready."

The American said, 'The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it."

"Impossible. Americans always have to show your passports on arrival in France !"

The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then he quietly explained, ''Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn't find a single Frenchmen to show a passport to."



You could have heard a pin drop.

[R.I.D.E.]

bowiteguy:

I think that is about the best post I have read on any internet forum in almost 10 years.

regards
gary

[bowtieguy]

thank you gary!

i have the utmost respect for the men and women of our armed forces. i ALWAYS stop and thank then for their service when i see them in public. like you, i have connections that tell the real stories of war, not what the media puts in a meat grinder.

got a buddy my age that just got promoted to Army LTC. if he is the future, this great legacy will live on. if only all of govt was as efficient as the military...

[Snax]

Originally Posted by bowtieguy

. . if only all of govt was as efficient as the military...

Leaves me to question if you have served? Not to judge in any way, but merely to question the idea of recognizing the military as 'efficient'. To do so, one must first define what they are efficient at, because I can think of a thousand things from personal experience that they are not!

Regardless, good post. Many people forget the sacrifices our military members make even in peace time. The call to duty for actual conflict is so much more than I ever had to deal with, and I hesitate to label myself as a veteran despite the technical accuracy of the term. If only I had ever at least left the country!

Q: "Where did you serve?"
A: "Kentucky."

Oh well, at least it felt a little foreign anyway.