Happy 11/11/11 Day

[orin stepanek]

Wishing every one a lucky 11/11/11 day
http://www.sodahead.com/united-states/h ... n-2275793/

[Ann]

Numbers are fun. But do I believe in them as really, truly lucky for real?

Nope.

Ann

[geckzilla]

For the gamers out there it's a happy day, indeed.

[bystander]

Happy Veterans Day! Thank you to all veterans!

[neufer]

Happy Veterans Day! Thank you to all veterans!

Are you a veteran, bystander?

[geckzilla]

Oh, I completely missed that it was Veteran's Day. Hope you all have a good day with your family and friends and take advantage of one of the local free dinner deals today!

[owlice]

My thanks to all who serve(d).

I'm currently in France; it is a holiday here, too: Remembrance Day. Here is a post I wrote a couple of years ago on another forum:

When I was 17, I spent the summer in Normandy, living with a family there and taking French language, lit, and culture classes. We had a number of field trips, and one of them was to the Norman beaches.

Seeing the beaches and an Allied cemetery there was one of the most moving experiences of my life; to know that so many boys scarcely older than I was at the time had stormed those beaches, that so many boys scarcely older than I was at the time were buried in that cemetery which stretched out as far as I could see in almost every direction, that so many boys scarcely older than I had fought there, many of them surely knowing they were likely to die that day or the next, was a powerful experience. The carnage of that day, the sacrifices of that day, the courageousness of that day, all were terribly, horribly necessary, but oh, at what a heavy price. I am teary now, remembering it, as I always am when I remember it.

I saw an article recently about the French in Normandy remembering, even now. That was certainly true when I was there; the people were grateful 30 years after that terrible, necessary day. They remembered and honored the sacrifices of the Americans and British boys, and were grateful to the countries which gave their boys for their freedom. The family with which I stayed hosted American children to honor the memory of those young men, to care for the youth of a country that had given theirs so much.

So I think of the Norman beaches, how gray the sky was the day I was there, the Allied cemetery, the acres of crosses and stars of David, my French family, and the thousands of Allied families left to grieve their losses with the balm of pride in what their children helped accomplish, each anniversary of D-Day.

Of course I think of these things on 11/11, too. I remember seeing the notices in the Paris Metro that summer that certain seating was reserved first for those wounded in war, then others who might need a seat more than most (elderly, handicapped, etc.). It struck me then, how much more present war, and the toll of war, was in Europe as compared to the US.

The notices are still there.

[Beyond]

The Owl has hooted from across the pond. How nice!

[bystander]

Are you a veteran, bystander?

Yes, I am, USAF, Vietnam Era Vet. Though I never was in Vietnam, I was stationed in Thailand with the Jolly Green Giants.

[neufer]

Are you a veteran, bystander?

Yes, I am, USAF, Vietnam Era Vet.
Though I never was in Vietnam, I was stationed in Thailand with the Jolly Green Giants.

The Jolly Green Giants

[neufer]

Click to view full size image 1 or image 2

[bystander]

The Jolly Green Giants

40th ARRS Air Rescue and Recovery Service

Click to play embedded YouTube video.

So That Others May Live

[Beyond]

Ah.... That explains the 'thumping' i used to feel once in a while through the ground in my feet. I used to think that it was B-52's dropping their bomb loads. Now i've discovered that it was actually bystander and the Jolley Green Giants running around rescuing people.

[TNT]

My father was drafted into the Vietnam War, although he never fought in it. I guess he is considered a veteran.

[neufer]

My father was drafted into the Vietnam War, although he never fought in it.
I guess he is considered a veteran.

• He is in my book.

<<A veteran (from Latin vetus, meaning "old") is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..." . The most common usage is for former armed services personnel. A veteran is one who has served in the armed forces, especially one who has served in combat. It is especially applied to those who served for an entire career, usually of 20 years or more, but may be applied for someone who has only served one tour of duty. A common misconception is that only those who have served in combat or those who have retired from active duty can be called military veterans.>>