Edited by naturalizedtexan (80466) on 2010-11-11 07:55:59
Made sticky by LMAO (78343) on 2010-11-11 16:34:18 Thank You
Today is Veterans Day in the US (Armistice Day in the UK, Canada, Australia & New Zealand).
To all serving soldiers, I just want to say "Thank You," and please, Keep it low, keep it tight, and come back home safe & sound.
And to all veterans, "Thank you for your service." Welcome Home.
(Personal to any other Lightnin' Fast Chicken-Pluckers out there - "Vigilant Always!")
"To fallen soldiers let us sing,
Where no rockets fly nor bullets wing,
Our broken brothers let us bring
To the Mansions of the Lord.
No more bleeding, no more fight,
No prayers pleading through the night,
Just divine embrace, eternal light
In the Mansions of the Lord.
Where no mothers cry and no children weep,
We will stand and guard though the angels sleep,
Oh, through the ages safely keep
The Mansions of the Lord."
My great-uncle shipped off to France to fight in WW1 and was never seen again.
My Uncle AR was blown out of tank in Italy, got frostbite in Korea, and retired after 1 tour in Vietnam.
Uncle AL assaulted 23 Japanese-held islands in the Pacific during WW2 and to this day won't talk about it.
Uncle EJ faced off against the Chinese in Korea and lived to talk about it.
My cousin DT had a bullet drill through both elbows in Viet Nam (enough for a medical pension but not enough to keep him from playing the guitar or lifting a glass).
He organized the rescue of Army Air Corps crewmen and their concealment from Nazi filth without being asked to do so because it was the right thing to do.
He also battled the bosnian muslim filth and the croatian filth as well.
-As of 11/11/2010, there are 17.5 million living veterans
-Between 1775 - 2010, 42 million American have served in the military
-Between 1775-2010, more than 959,000 American soldiers have died in war (650,000 battle deaths, 309,000 deaths from other causes)
-As of October 2010, there were 121 military veterans in the US Congress (26 Senators, 95 Representatives).
-One third of all living veterans served during the Vietnam War
-Although Veterans are less than 6% of the population, they owned 14.5% of all businesses (20.5 million) surveyed by the Census Bureau in 2002
-9% of all US firms are majority owned by veterans.
-15.8 million veterans voted in the 2008 presidential election – 71% percent of veterans living at the time, compared with 63% of non-veterans.
-28% of veterans 25 and older hold at least a bachelor’s degree; in comparison, 26% of the total population (veteran & non-veteran) has a bachelor’s degree or higher.
-92% of veterans 25 and older have a high school diploma or higher, compared with 85% of the population as a whole.
-In 2009, the annual median income of veterans in inflation-adjusted dollars was $35,402, compared with $25,559 for the population as a whole.
-In 2009, the Federal Government spent $95.6 billion on veterans benefits programs; $44.7 billion for compensation and pensions, $43.4 billion for medical programs and the remainder on other programs such as vocational rehabilitation and education.
-As of 11/11/2010, there are 17.5 million living veterans
-Between 1775 - 2010, 42 million American have served in the military
-Between 1775-2010, more than 959,000 American soldiers have died in war (650,000 battle deaths, 309,000 deaths from other causes)
-As of October 2010, there were 121 military veterans in the US Congress (26 Senators, 95 Representatives).
-One third of all living veterans served during the Vietnam War
-Although Veterans are less than 6% of the population, they owned 14.5% of all businesses (20.5 million) surveyed by the Census Bureau in 2002
-9% of all US firms are majority owned by veterans.
-15.8 million veterans voted in the 2008 presidential election – 71% percent of veterans living at the time, compared with 63% of non-veterans.
-28% of veterans 25 and older hold at least a bachelor’s degree; in comparison, 26% of the total population (veteran & non-veteran) has a bachelor’s degree or higher.
-92% of veterans 25 and older have a high school diploma or higher, compared with 85% of the population as a whole.
-In 2009, the annual median income of veterans in inflation-adjusted dollars was $35,402, compared with $25,559 for the population as a whole.
-In 2009, the Federal Government spent $95.6 billion on veterans benefits programs; $44.7 billion for compensation and pensions, $43.4 billion for medical programs and the remainder on other programs such as vocational rehabilitation and education.
100% of Veterans showed up for work today compared to 100% of non-Veterans that took the day off!
My great-uncle shipped off to France to fight in WW1 and was never seen again.
My cousin DT had a bullet drill through both elbows in Viet Nam (enough for a medical pension but not enough to keep him from playing the guitar or lifting a glass).
.
Dad's mom had a brother, lost the same way. There's a picture of him, one of those hand colored B&W pics that gives him rosy cheeks, in a doughboy outfit with this gaudy 42nd Rainbow patch
Congrats to DT for getting that million dollar wound. But like Forrest always says, the Army must have sent that money to someone else, 'cause I ain't seen none of it.
naturalizedtexan wrote:
Some interesting facts about US veterans:
-Between 1775-2010, more than 959,000 American soldiers have died in war (650,000 battle deaths, 309,000 deaths from other causes)
One remarkable thing about that number is that about half the total, 497,000, were from 1861 to 1865. Next time you hear some jerk wise cracking about American imperialists, remember our track record shows we get a whole lot more serious about squabbles inside our borders.
There was a show that premiered on the History Channel last night - "WWII in HD: The Air War presents the untold story of the American 8th Air Force's bloody battle to defeat the German Luftwaffe in the months leading up to D-Day." Interesting to me, because Dad was on two of the raids they chronicle in the show. There were two facts presented that were new to me. 1. The 8th Air Force alone lost more guys in WWII than the entire Marine Corps. 2. The Chief of Staff of the Luftwaffe put a bullet in his head after the 8th's first raid on Berlin. If Dad were around to see that show, and hear that number about the Marine Corps, he probably would have quipped that it wasn't a big deal, if your number is going to come up, it's better that you get a good night's sleep in a nice, warm cot the night before.
The Marines, no matter how horrific their battles, were almost always individual casualties. The USAAF bomber crews were lost as a group. Think about it; every time a bomber went down, 9 men were lost.
My great-uncle shipped off to France to fight in WW1 and was never seen again.
My Uncle AR was blown out of tank in Italy, got frostbite in Korea, and retired after 1 tour in Vietnam.
Uncle AL assaulted 23 Japanese-held islands in the Pacific during WW2 and to this day won't talk about it.
Uncle EJ faced off against the Chinese in Korea and lived to talk about it.
My cousin DT had a bullet drill through both elbows in Viet Nam (enough for a medical pension but not enough to keep him from playing the guitar or lifting a glass).
Freedom comes at a price, and it ain't cheap.
Freedom comes at a price, and it ain't cheap
Something that the progressives-lieberals refuse to accept..Do the Vets a favor, spit on a progressive or liberal.
re: It's November 11, 2010en>frfr>en By pippin Comments: 6741, member since Mon Jan 19, 2009
On Sat Nov 13, 2010 04:33 PM
Edited by pippin (81935) on 2010-11-13 16:34:43
There are three vids in the France section on this topic for a few days, that no one has looked at. This is why I don't do threads on FF. I'm just wasting my time. Just go and check them out!
There are three vids in the France section on this topic for a few days, that no one has looked at. This is why I don't do threads on FF. I'm just wasting my time. Just go and check them out!