Our frivilous culture....

[ironglow]

  Something to think about...


 

Lindsay Lohan is 24 and her story is all over the news because she's a celebrity and a drug addict.
 
 Charlie Sheen is all over the news because he is a celebrity and has multiple issues.

While...

Justin Allen 23,
Brett Linley 29,
Matthew Weikert 29,
Justus Bartett 27,
Dave Santos 21,
Jesse Reed 26,
Matthew Johnson 21,
Zachary Fisher 24,
Brandon King 23,
Christopher Goeke 23,
Sheldon Tate 27

Are all Marines who gave their lives this Week for Us.

There is No media for them. Not even a mention of their names.

 

                                         ......Sad, isn't it !            ....Ironglow
 

[powderman]

A sad reminder of what dems, libs, and pantywetters have done to America by denying God and destroying morals and family values, which of course is their goal. POWDERMAN. 

[bigbird09]

The saddest thing is that they are even over there in the first place putting their lives at risk.  Bring our boys HOME!

[oldandslow]

Nothing new at all. Most of our national news outfits are liberal to the extreme and only the liberal agenda is reported on. Dead soldiers do not fit.

I will give our local TV networks credit for covering the deaths and funerals of fallen soldiers from our state.

[ironglow]

The saddest thing is that they are even over there in the first place putting their lives at risk.  Bring our boys HOME!

   In all due respect...I made the same mistake you just did..
  I was visiting my Marine grandson and his wife shortly after he returned home from his first deployment as a Special Operations Marine.  There were several of his fellow warriors at his house one Sunday, and while the ladies were conversing inside..we men were out on the deck by the BBQ grille.
     Even though I am an old guy and these Marines were in their early 20s, they were very polite and satisfied many of my questions about the truth of what it is like "up close and personal" with the enemy.
   
    At one point in asking a question, I started out,  " Now you boys......"    Then I caught myself; and I am sure my face was 3 shades of red !
   I apologized...these are not BOYS..not once they have served in hard, face-to-face combat..no BOYS were present in that group !
  If any young male in our culture has EARNED the title MAN for what it really means..it is these guys !
   
    Of course, these men were understanding and enjoyed "Gramps'" company, nonetheless !
   
     Bigbird..I do not mean to be chiding you in any way, because I know "our boys" is a common phrase...but I NEVER call our combat veterans... "boys" anymore..

[Ron/Pa.]

   My late Uncle, A WW2 seargent in the Combat Engineers, always refered to His Men as " Boys." He also refered to the modern day Soldiers as " Boys." Absolutely no disrespect on His part........

[ironglow]

  Ron;
     I tried that once as a platoon sgt ...and got some kickback from the troops, especially the black troops.  My time was somewhat later than your uncle's, perhaps things changed in the intervening years..
  Ron; I still would advise you not to call a hardened Army Ranger or Marine platoon sgt "boy"..but it's a free country...at least for a while..

[Ron/Pa.]

  Yes, times have definitly changed, and not for the good!! I remember when the word " Gay'" meant being happy, no more. My other late Uncle was  a Sergeant in the 17th. Airborne. Earned three Bronze Stars.  Almost lost his Toes to Frostbite in the Battle of the Bulge..He never told His stories until a few short Months before His death. He set up a Video Camera and recorded them when He was alone. He was hard as Nails! When he cocked His Hat to one side, look out! Sure do miss both of them.

   And no, I would never refer to our Military with a derogatory remark. I have too much respect for what they are up against!

[OldSchoolRanger]

  Ron;
     I tried that once as a platoon sgt ...and got some kickback from the troops, especially the black troops.  My time was somewhat later than your uncle's, perhaps things changed in the intervening years..
  Ron; I still would advise you not to call a hardened Army Ranger or Marine platoon sgt "boy"..but it's a free country...at least for a while..

I'm sure that most of the "boys"in your platoon didn't take it in a derogatory way, some people just look to take things the wrong way. The term "boys"  was a term of (dare I say it) affection for each other. When I was in VN, our CO would refer to us as his "boys", none of us, of any "racial group" were offended, and believe me we were some mixed bunch.
I think we all just have to remember; times change, people change, things change. I remember one day, when I was working, I noticed that I had picked the habit of speaking to young men that I had stopped for one reason or another as: "son". When I mention it, to a few of the guys (I'm including gals in this "guys" comment), they said I had been doing it for a couple of years. One of the guys even broke my chops, by saying he wasn't even born, when I started the job.
Remember, "good unit = good morale, good morale = good unit". If you served in a bad unit during the VN years, you did have problems of a racial nature. Usually, the problems of a racial nature, were in non combat units. Guys that served in combat units knew that, color/race didn't matter, the only thing that mattered was if the other guy was a good soldier.
On a related note, "Shifty" of "Band of Brothers" fame, died 1/17/11, no mention was made of his passing either. The only reason I know about it was through an email from a friend of mine. Chuck Yeager wrote a short homage to Darrell "Shifty" Powers.
Shifty, RIP, Thank you for your service and God Bless.

[ironglow]

Ron;
  Your uncle sounds like a fine man, one I would like to have known and undoubtedly would have respected..

  Ranger;
  You're probably correct, when there are more important things to be concerned with..there is little time for nit-picking.  Come to think of it, the whining came in a transportation unit, not in my old tank battalion...