To The Vets

[mnwizard]

To the living - Thank you for your service!

To those who died - Thank God for men such as these

To our children - I pray the day will come when we will not have to ask for such sacrifice.

http://i31.tinypic.com/idhb4i.jpg

[mojopt]

VAH-123 1965-68, USN

Best regards

[Ian 777]

What price Our freedom ?

[mnwizard]

What price Our freedom ?

Sorry Ian, I don't understand?

[testpilot58d]

Thanks Wizzard.

To my friends who came over here and didn't make it home.
CW2 Brian Hazelgrove
CW3 Pat Dorff (You may have seen Pat's name before. He was from near St. Paul) 26 Jan 04 Mosul, Iraq
1LT Adam Mooney
CW3 Mitch Carver
CW3 Rex Kenyon
CW3 Will Brennan

[Ian 777]

Just mean that without the millions who have given up everything over the last 60 years or so, I would not be sitting in a comfortable safe environment able to do what I want, when I want, without fear and without censure.

Some one else paid for it, not me, I am deeply grateful to all who put them selves in that position they are hero's.

Thankyou doesn't cover it

It is the same principal as the Gospel

[steelie600]

i was in iraq first time round and although none of MY friends were killed i knew of a few and even more this time round. God speed to you all and THANK YOU!!

[helihathnofury]

I was fortunate and missed both Gulf Wars, the first by the skin of my teeth. Was involved with the Falklands though. Dates me!!!!!!! God bless all who fell in our defense.

[mfbs17]

God bless to thoes who live and fell on defending thier country against occupation and agressor because of greed not the fony libertion.My deepest sympaty to all families that lost some one.:hug:

[mnwizard]

Thanks Wizzard.

To my friends who came over here and didn't make it home.
CW2 Brian Hazelgrove
CW3 Pat Dorff (You may have seen Pat's name before. He was from near St. Paul) 26 Jan 04 Mosul, Iraq
1LT Adam Mooney
CW3 Mitch Carver
CW3 Rex Kenyon
CW3 Will Brennan

Yes, Pat lived near the cities here. He was the 4th from our state lost at that time.

The protesters here have been trying to disrupt Vet's funerals. I can't imagine anything more dispicable than to do that to the families. I've been part of a group of Vets that attends those funerals to keep the protesters at bay. I was one of the guy's at Pat's. His wife was very brave, and I cry for her and their daughter.

http://i27.tinypic.com/294rtk9.jpg

[testpilot58d]

Wizard,

Thank you for that photo.
And thank you for being there to honor him and protect his family from the idiots of the world.

man...that photo really hit me in the chest. Thank you though.

Pat was a great guy. Would do anything for you.

[DierWolf]

Wiz are you sure they are protesting the Funerals or the War??? you have to be able to distinguish between the two.

Would be quite Stupid and Pointless to protest a Funeral.

[Ian 777]

Well they were protesting at the funeral of someone who gave their life fighting for their
country. At the very least it is appallingly misplaced.

Even if they are protesting at the loss of Pat's life for something they oppose, what a mad palce to do it in front of his wife and kid.

Unless you believe we should not have armed forces, political opposition to what our forces are doing must never be directed agianst people who are doing the fighting.

Over here we are getting service personel assaulted and taunted in the street by those
who can't separate government decisions from heroic individuals willing to place their lives on the line.

I hate the thought of people in the front line being undermined by back biting criticism
from home

[mnwizard]

Wiz are you sure they are protesting the Funerals or the War??? you have to be able to distinguish between the two.

Would be quite Stupid and Pointless to protest a Funeral.

Hi D - They're protesting the war, and that's fine. But they're doing it at the funerals of soldiers with the express purpose of disrupting the funeral. That's not fine.

It's not fine to add to the stress of the soldier's family and to interupt their mourning.

Even if they were to stand quietly nearby and hold their signs up, I wouldn't like it, but I could live with it.

However that's not what they do. They scream and holler and chant and get in the faces of the family. That's bad and disrespectful and uncaring and just plain rude.

Fortunately the courts here agreed that it's wrong and have issued restraining orders keeping the protesters at least 300 feet from the services. Both at the church and at the cemetary.

You would never behave like that at the funeral of any other person. The fact that the person was a soldier doesn't change that.

[mfbs17]

I don´t think this is the right place to critising anyone. regardless of the outcome we are all human withe differnet identety and believes so to make short please keep the site for helifreak. I would apperciate that a lot.thanks:hug:

[testpilot58d]

You are certainly entitled to your opinion...as misinformed as it may be.

These are the people we are talking about, and no...they have no place in society, and hopefully there's an exceptionally warm place in hell waiting for them.

http://www.godhatesfags.com/

What's he that wishes so? My cousin Westmorland. No, my fair cousin: If we are marked to die, we are enow To do our country loss; and if to live, The fewer men, the greater share of honour. God's will, I pray thee, wish not one man more. By Jove, I am not covetous for gold, Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost; It ernes me not if men my garments wear; Such outward things dwell not in my desires: But if it be a sin to covet honour, I am the most offending soul alive. No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England: God's peace, I would not lose so great an honour As one man more, methinks, would share from me For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more. Rather proclaim it presently through my host, That he which hath no stomach to this fight, Let him depart. His passport shall be made And crowns for convoy put into his purse: We would not die in that man's company That fears his fellowship to die with us. This day is called the Feast of Crispian: He that outlives this day, and comes safe home, Will stand a-tiptoe when the day is named, And rouse him at the name of Crispian. He that shall see this day and live t'old age, Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours, And say "To-morrow is Saint Crispian": Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars And say "These wounds I had on Crispin's day." Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot, But he'll remember with advantages What feats he did that day. Then shall our names, Familiar in his mouth as household words Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter, Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester, Be in their flowing cups freshly remembered. This story shall the good man teach his son; And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by, From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be remembered; We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he today that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile, This day shall gentle his condition: And gentlemen in England now abed Shall think themselves accursed they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

[DierWolf]

Understood.... just making sure i read right, the way i read it they were protesting the funeral itself..

But yes they should not protest the war at a funeral.... Its not nice i know, but the hardcore against the war (and their are many) will do it even if they themselves know its not nice, do it to drive home the point.

Our guys over there have no choice but to follow orders and if they (the us soldiers in general) go against it they are handled as if they are for the other side and discharged/dishonored and even thrown in jail, which i dont like at all and find very very disturbing... People have morals and seems these cant be used in this day and age.

Then their is the trigger happy, and i wount go into that one as that burns me very very deep, i've seen enough video to want me to go there and put a few bullets in those myself.
Its damn right distrubing.

But lets not get into the whole political thing on this thread, i know the meaning of it and will restain myself...

I Honor and respect those that died in the line of fire, even more so on this "war". For those of you still over there i.e. TestPilot..... i pray for you every single day, i make it a point to even post things that will draw you to post so i know your still ok... coz it would really suck if anything did happen... Wish you all the best and safe safe trip back home.

[testpilot58d]

Dier,

Thank you for the kind thoughts. MFBS17, after getting some sleep and distancing myself from this topic a bit (and in the interest of putting it to rest) perhaps we should consider this thread closed. A wise man once said 'Never discuss politics or religion with friends'. I consider everyone here to be a friend, so no sense causing any bad feelings by that.

Wizard, thank you so much for the original post though. It's easy to often times feel forgotten over here. It was appreciated.

...back to Heli's. :)

[Ian 777]

Quite apart from the politics which is an entirely different issue you and your buddies are my hero's:hug:

Think about and pray for you every day. Thank you

I should not have resorted to calling those protesters morons though, thats just playing their game.

[mnwizard]

In closing, I repeat my original thought, it's not about politics, it's not about the war, it's only giving thanks to the vets for doing what we asked of them, and the hope that someday we won't have to ask -

To the living - Thank you for your service!

To those who died - Thank God for men such as these

To our children - I pray the day will come when we will not have to ask for such sacrifice.

[Ber60]

Dier,

Thank you for the kind thoughts. MFBS17, after getting some sleep and distancing myself from this topic a bit (and in the interest of putting it to rest) perhaps we should consider this thread closed. A wise man once said 'Never discuss politics or religion with friends'. I consider everyone here to be a friend, so no sense causing any bad feelings by that.

Wizard, thank you so much for the original post though. It's easy to often times feel forgotten over here. It was appreciated.

...back to Heli's. :)

I have followed this post and I know opinions differ for everyone, for me ,I am at a unbelieve that someone would wrek my child's funeral.
But out of respect to Testpilot wishes to put it to rest let us stop.

Thanks
Erwin