# Veterans



## john19485 (May 11, 2022)

You will put flowers on Veterans graves this memorial day, why not walk up to one and shake their hand , while they are still alive today. Thank you John R. Mizell.


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## CrowFlies (May 16, 2022)

hi, im a veteran.

when i meet a vet i say...glad you got home ok.


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## JonSR77 (May 17, 2022)

john19485 said:


> You will put flowers on Veterans graves this memorial day, why not walk up to one and shake their hand , while they are still alive today. Thank you John R. Mizell.



Thank you for your service!  Thank you all for your service!


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## Tish (May 17, 2022)

Thank you all for your service.


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## oldman (May 18, 2022)

If I see a WWII veteran, I make an effort to speak with them. Some of them tell some very interesting stories.


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## Llynn (May 18, 2022)

I'm a veteran who did his service and came home in one piece.
Some were not so lucky and gave their life.
Memorial Day is for them.
Veteran’s Day is for me.
Don’t thank me on Memorial Day. Thank my brothers & sisters who never came back and gave their all!


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## john19485 (May 19, 2022)

Llynn said:


> I'm a veteran who did his service and came home in one piece.
> Some were not so lucky and gave their life.
> Memorial Day is for them.
> Veteran’s Day is for me.
> Don’t thank me on Memorial Day. Thank my brothers & sisters who never came back and gave their all!


Memorial day is also about the living, who actually had to see their friends and their people die before their eyes, it's a healing process for some of us, that said a lot of veterans are not going to see the next veterans day.


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## Lawrence (May 19, 2022)

I bothers me when I go to a Memorial Day celebration and the speech expands to more than the veterans who died while they were in military service. The speaker put in their political plug and include First Responders, Police, and other civil and non-civil groups. Then I am ready to leave.


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## john19485 (May 19, 2022)

That is true it bothers me also, and another thing that bother's me is when they start awarding Military medal's to civilian's , it's cheapens the medal


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## oldman (May 20, 2022)

I am planning on attending the ceremony at Arlington. I have missed only a very few over the years. The Marine Corps band will be playing.


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## john19485 (May 20, 2022)

I will be thinking of my men , and my wife Kim and friends  on  Memorial Day


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## Oldguy (May 20, 2022)

On Memorial day eve, the wife and I leave a small gift at the Gold Star family home in the neighborhood for the Mom who lost her son.


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## Marie5656 (May 21, 2022)




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## Lewkat (May 21, 2022)

Korean War Vet here.  Please do not wish me a Happy Memorial Day.  Honor those who have fallen in conflicts everywhere.


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## Lewkat (May 21, 2022)

Incidentally, today is Armed Forces Day, so pray for those serving that they stay safe.


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## oldman (May 21, 2022)

Lewkat said:


> Korean War Vet here.  Please do not wish me a Happy Memorial Day.  Honor those who have fallen in conflicts everywhere.


Memorial Day back in the day was referred to as Decoration Day. My dad made a career of being in the Army, so  that was a big deal in our house. Our small town had a parade that ended at the Veterans section of the cemetery where we had a placing of a flag on every veteran’s gravesite. One of the local ministers would deliver an address to the crowd, say prayers and the ceremony would end with playing of taps. I think this is why I attend the ceremony at Arlington. It just seems to me that I am carrying on with the family tradition of honoring those who died while serving.


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## jimintoronto (May 23, 2022)

Here in Canada you can go months without seeing a person in the uniform of the Canadian Armed  Forces. At 85,000 people, it is not nearly as big as the US military is. Only one of our current Members of Parliament previously served in the CAF, as a Infantry officer. He was until recently the Minister of National Defense, now the Minister of Economics. Our political leaders don't come from a military background. In the entire 155 years since our Confederation in 1867, only one  Canadian Prime Minister was ever a military member before being elected to office and he served in WW1 . November  the eleventh is our Remembrance Day. It is a day for mourning the loss of our fallen. A quiet day, usually rainy and cold with the leaves blowing around the cenotaph in Ottawa, at the National War Memorial. Broadcast on all TV networks live with no commentary, just the sounds of the guns firing a 21  gun salute, and the visuals of the assembled  military units, both current and past members. No political speeches from the Prime Minister, no posturing for the cameras, just the Silver Cross Mother laying a wreath on behalf of her deceased son or daughter as the silence is interrupted by the crash of the guns slowly firing and the piper playing the Lament of Flowers In The Forest. Our nation remembers quietly . JimB.


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## oldman (May 24, 2022)

I’m sure that we have all seen the ads on TV for “Tunnels to Towers.” My opinion only, I think these people are doing a great thing by either paying off the mortgage or building the severely injured servicemen a home they can maneuver in. We have added that charity to our list of donations.

I also think our government should be doing more for these men and women that sacrificed their body parts while serving our country. If we can send $40 billion checks to Ukraine, why shouldn’t the American soldier who has been critically injured also expect more than just a disability check?


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## Been There (May 24, 2022)

Marie5656 said:


> View attachment 221931


No truer words were even spoken. Back when we had real men. Some of the stuff they went through in WWII, would send most men over the edge today, or to Canada. Some did come home with what was called shell shock back then. Today, we know it as PTSD. My biological father was in WWII, but I wasn't old enough for him to tell me stories that he encountered while overseas and his family knew only bits and pieces. I was handed his medals and ribbons after I graduated high school, but no story to go along with any of them. Being in the Pentagon, I was able to get some information, but most of that stuff has or had been archived. You need a subpoena to resurrect that stuff.


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## john19485 (May 24, 2022)

Been There said:


> No truer words were even spoken. Back when we had real men. Some of the stuff they went through in WWII, would send most men over the edge today, or to Canada. Some did come home with what was called shell shock back then. Today, we know it as PTSD. My biological father was in WWII, but I wasn't old enough for him to tell me stories that he encountered while overseas and his family knew only bits and pieces. I was handed his medals and ribbons after I graduated high school, but no story to go along with any of them. Being in the Pentagon, I was able to get some information, but most of that stuff has or had been archived. You need a subpoena to resurrect that stuff.


I would get the history of his unit , then contract, the men that are still alive in his unit , and ask if they knew your dad.


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## jimintoronto (May 25, 2022)

john19485 said:


> I would get the history of his unit , then contract, the men that are still alive in his unit , and ask if they knew your dad.


Given that WW2 veterans are now in their mid 90's, and some are even older,  that may be a hard thing to do. JimB.


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## oldman (May 25, 2022)

Been There said:


> No truer words were even spoken. Back when we had real men. Some of the stuff they went through in WWII, would send most men over the edge today, or to Canada. Some did come home with what was called shell shock back then. Today, we know it as PTSD. My biological father was in WWII, but I wasn't old enough for him to tell me stories that he encountered while overseas and his family knew only bits and pieces. I was handed his medals and ribbons after I graduated high school, but no story to go along with any of them. Being in the Pentagon, I was able to get some information, but most of that stuff has or had been archived. You need a subpoena to resurrect that stuff.


I always thought that if you had the DD214, Veteran Affairs may be able to help get you some information. I don’t know that for a fact, but it may be worth a try. Of course, if you worked at the Pentagon, you probably tried about everything possible. It would be nice if you knew some information about your dad’s service record. Good luck.


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## Been There (May 27, 2022)

oldman said:


> I always thought that if you had the DD214, Veteran Affairs may be able to help get you some information. I don’t know that for a fact, but it may be worth a try. Of course, if you worked at the Pentagon, you probably tried about everything possible. It would be nice if you knew some information about your dad’s service record. Good luck.


Most of that information gets archived after so many years. The VA will dig it out if it pertains to you getting benefits, but to get information on someone else, probably not.


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## JaniceM (May 28, 2022)

Been There said:


> No truer words were even spoken. Back when we had real men. Some of the stuff they went through in WWII, would send most men over the edge today, or to Canada. Some did come home with what was called shell shock back then. Today, we know it as PTSD. My biological father was in WWII, but I wasn't old enough for him to tell me stories that he encountered while overseas and his family knew only bits and pieces. I was handed his medals and ribbons after I graduated high school, but no story to go along with any of them. Being in the Pentagon, I was able to get some information, but most of that stuff has or had been archived. You need a subpoena to resurrect that stuff.


I don't think you'd need a subpoena to obtain your own father's military records, but unfortunately many don't exist because of this:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natio...the General Services Administration. Contents


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## Been There (May 29, 2022)

JaniceM said:


> I don't think you'd need a subpoena to obtain your own father's military records, but unfortunately many don't exist because of this:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Personnel_Records_Center_fire#:~:text=The fire destroyed some 16 million to 18,Records Administration of the General Services Administration. Contents


I appreciate your reply, but I was told by the VA that some records were being put on a system that was only viewable by something called a micro-fish system. This goes back to the 1970's when computers were just beginning to show up at the VA. My attorney told me that if I was able to have a judge sign off on a subpoena, I may be more likely to get something from them, but they could just tell me that they were sorry and that no records were available. I will keep trying. It would be nice to learn as much as I can about my parents. My grandparents wouldn't tell me much because they said my dad worked in Intelligence, so they didn't know much either. I think he was Army, but he could have been Navy because my grandmother told me that he was at one time stationed in Hawaii for a very short time.


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## JaniceM (May 29, 2022)

Been There said:


> I appreciate your reply, but I was told by the VA that some records were being put on a system that was only viewable by something called a micro-fish system. This goes back to the 1970's when computers were just beginning to show up at the VA. My attorney told me that if I was able to have a judge sign off on a subpoena, I may be more likely to get something from them, but they could just tell me that they were sorry and that no records were available. I will keep trying. It would be nice to learn as much as I can about my parents. My grandparents wouldn't tell me much because they said my dad worked in Intelligence, so they didn't know much either. I think he was Army, but he could have been Navy because my grandmother told me that he was at one time stationed in Hawaii for a very short time.


Well, the info about the fire was what I was told over the years, and also when I tried to obtain info about my father around a decade ago.

Not meaning to throw you off track, but being stationed in Hawaii doesn't necessarily mean he was in the Navy.. two of my uncles were stationed there, both were Army.

I hope you find what you're looking for!!


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## Pappy (May 29, 2022)

Please, never forget:


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## oldman (May 29, 2022)

I don’t understand why you would need a subpoena, unless you think maybe it would force them to act. I don’t know much about legal things like that, but it may work. If it were me, I would want to know as much as I could about my parents. And by the way, I’m sorry that you are in this situation. Do you have your dad’s dog tags by chance?


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## Been There (Jun 4, 2022)

JaniceM said:


> Well, the info about the fire was what I was told over the years, and also when I tried to obtain info about my father around a decade ago.
> 
> Not meaning to throw you off track, but being stationed in Hawaii doesn't necessarily mean he was in the Navy.. two of my uncles were stationed there, both were Army.
> 
> I hope you find what you're looking for!!


This has been going on for years. Back and forth. Just when I think I am going to learn something, another issue has always seemed to arise. I never understood why my paternal grandparents didn’t know much about their son’s service record. Whenever I would bring it up, my grandfather seemed agitated and would try to sidestep any questions. So many times, I would just drop it thinking that someday I would be able to get the information from the VA. My grandmother’s answer to any questions were always answered the same by telling me she didn’t know.

The last time I brought up the issue with my grandfather, he told me that my dad was in intelligence. None of us knew much of anything about what your dad did or even where he was half the time, so I dropped it and never raised the issue again. It’s very frustrating. Not even a picture, a patch or a medal. It was just like he didn’t even exist, except I do have his birth certificate. Even while I worked in the Pentagon, no one would help me. The closest I came to learning something was when an AIO in the Pentagon told me that he did find a file with my Dad’s name and serial number listed on the file, but it was only listed in a database and couldn’t be accessed.


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## oldman (Jun 5, 2022)

Been There said:


> This has been going on for years. Back and forth. Just when I think I am going to learn something, another issue has always seemed to arise. I never understood why my paternal grandparents didn’t know much about their son’s service record. Whenever I would bring it up, my grandfather seemed agitated and would try to sidestep any questions. So many times, I would just drop it thinking that someday I would be able to get the information from the VA. My grandmother’s answer to any questions were always answered the same by telling me she didn’t know.
> 
> The last time I brought up the issue with my grandfather, he told me that my dad was in intelligence. None of us knew much of anything about what your dad did or even where he was half the time, so I dropped it and never raised the issue again. It’s very frustrating. Not even a picture, a patch or a medal. It was just like he didn’t even exist, except I do have his birth certificate. Even while I worked in the Pentagon, no one would help me. The closest I came to learning something was when an AIO in the Pentagon told me that he did find a file with my Dad’s name and serial number listed on the file, but it was only listed in a database and couldn’t be accessed.


What is an AIO?


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## CrowFlies (Jun 5, 2022)

im now over five hours from VA med or med they will pay for.
that makes it a ten hour drive, there and back.

this apparently is they best we can do for our vets.


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## Lewkat (Jun 5, 2022)

JaniceM said:


> I don't think you'd need a subpoena to obtain your own father's military records, but unfortunately many don't exist because of this:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Personnel_Records_Center_fire#:~:text=The fire destroyed some 16 million to 18,Records Administration of the General Services Administration. Contents


I thought all was lost of my records in that fire as my duplicate ones had also been lost in a fire due to a lightening strike.  However, when I contacted the GSA, I found mine had been archived as well.


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## Been There (Jun 5, 2022)

oldman said:


> What is an AIO?


Air Intelligence Officer. 


Lewkat said:


> I thought all was lost of my records in that fire as my duplicate ones had also been lost in a fire due to a lightening strike.  However, when I contacted the GSA, I found mine had been archived as well.


Yes, I have also been given this incident as a reason why my father’s records can’t be recovered. What I find fishy is that it’s like he never existed. I have a huge file of letters and documents that lead nowhere. His name is listed in one of the databases, but no info is attached.


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## jimintoronto (Jun 6, 2022)

CrowFlies said:


> im now over five hours from VA med or med they will pay for.
> that makes it a ten hour drive, there and back.
> 
> this apparently is they best we can do for our vets.


That is a shame. Here in Canada military veterans can go to ANY hospital for treatment, and ANY Doctor, too. JimB.


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## oldman (Jun 6, 2022)

CrowFlies said:


> im now over five hours from VA med or med they will pay for.
> that makes it a ten hour drive, there and back.
> 
> this apparently is they best we can do for our vets.


I am just asking because I have never used VA benefits, except for one time and then I had to wait almost 2 months to see a doctor and that’s when I swore off going there. I understand it has gotten much better since then. Thus was back in early 1970’s. 

My question is, are you on Medicare and if so, why not use it instead of VA? Like I said, I haven’t used VA for many, many years and I know a lot has changed. My neighbor has told me many times that he is completely satisfied with VA and he even gets his meds free through the mail.


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## RadishRose (Jun 6, 2022)




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## jimintoronto (Jun 6, 2022)

The First Canadian Parachute Battalion was the first Allied unit to land at 12.15 AM on June the 6th, 1944. They dropped and advanced to their objectives . Juno beach was the Canadian beach on June the sixth, and the Canadians ( by midnight of the day ) had advanced 12 miles in land. The farthest penetration of any Allied force unit on Day One. For the next 32 days the Canadians fought tooth and claw to hold the Juno area, and their infantry units were being ground down and in at least three instances a Canadian infantry unit ceased to exist as a fighting unit, because of their large numbers of men killed, wounded and evacuated to hospital, taken prisoner, or missing in action. The Royal Highland Regiment of Canada  suffered 89 percent casualties on ONE DAY. The Queens Own Rifles lost 4 Commanding Officers in 12 days, along with over 400 men killed or wounded. Both the RHI and the Queen's Own  had to be removed from battle, to be rebuilt with replacements, both officers and men. The airport at Carpiquet was supposed to have been taken on Day Two. It actually took 29 days to capture it. This was just the first month of what was to be a 11 month long struggle tp push the Nazis back to Germany.    JimB.


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## oldman (Jun 7, 2022)

My dad landed at Normandy (Omaha) during the second landing. My biggest loss of our house fire was my dad’s picture of him shaking hands with then General Eisenhower. I cherished that picture and had it mounted on the wall in my den with my dad’s medals and ribbons. My dad went on to have a very proud career in the Army serving in 3 wars, but only two as a combat soldier. He volunteered to go to Korea. I still consider the loss of that picture and medals/ribbons as the biggest loss in my life. I was supposed to donate the picture to the VFW on my 65th birthday or before, if I was ever diagnosed with a terminal illness.


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## oldman (Jun 9, 2022)

Lewkat said:


> I thought all was lost of my records in that fire as my duplicate ones had also been lost in a fire due to a lightening strike.  However, when I contacted the GSA, I found mine had been archived as well.


Our former home burned beyond repair, so it was completely demolished and the lot was cleared completely. Everything in our home burned with the fire, including my military items and my Purple Heart. I contacted the VA in Virginia and they sent me papers to fill out for me to get a duplicate copy of my discharge papers. I also applied for replacement ribbons and a Purple Heart, which I never expected to see, but they did come through. Now, I keep my military items in the safe deposit box at the bank. What I can’t replace is all the pictures of not only my service days, but my family and my kids when they were growing up. Fire destroys a lot of memories. The only thing that didn’t burn or was affected by the fire was our safe.


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## Sassycakes (Jun 11, 2022)

I have a great deal of respect for all our veterans. My older brother served during the Korean war and my Husband during the Viet Nam war. My Dad was never in the service because where he worked they had to make parachutes. I honor and respect anyone that has served their country. I also think of my school friends that were killed during the Viet Nam war.


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## Feelslikefar (Jun 11, 2022)

Using the VA and Medicare together can be complicated.

The VA uses a Priority Grouping system based mostly on if you have a disability rating from them.

As an example, I use the VA for any of my service-connected disabilities,
and Medicare and Tricare for life for everything else.

Using the VA for my hearing aids, meds from prior conditions, etc. at no cost.

I see that both are informed about any treatments and such.

So far, things have been running pretty smooth.


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## Sassycakes (Jun 14, 2022)

There isn't an award large enough for all our Veterans who have served our country. My Brother served during the Korean War and my Husband during the Viet Nam war. I also lost friends who served during the Viet Nam war. No reward or respect is large enough for them.


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