Welcome...

[sj_lutz]

Pretty cool, thanks Terry!!

I agree 100% with a common sentiment so far; I'd not be where I am in life without the ohhhh so warm and loving embrace of my favorite Uncle....

My wife and I both served, we are actually the rare exception to the 18 month (or 18 day) AIT / tech school marriage; we'll celebrate our 28th anniversary this year.  Both our kids are now on active duty;  our son is in the Army, serving as a medic with 4ID....our daughter is currently in USAF tech school, also a medic.

[longbowman]

This is a great gesture Terry.  I was married 5 years before I decided to join up.  I was the "Old Man" in basic helping the younger guys with life in general.  That experience that followed me my entire 4 years set the stage for helping others in regular life as I am now a Pastor.  Just this weekend I had the privilege of guiding a Navy Vet. to Christ as he is terminal with cancer.  My time in was a blessing to me and my family.

[DaveT1963]

Nice - thanks Terry

[Eric Krewson]

Lots of similar stories; I was 19 and flunking out of college because I thought one went to college to drink beer. Got my draft notice after taking only 9 hours one quarter and losing my student deferment. I joined the Army and picked an MOS (67N20, helicopter maintenance) rather than let the Army pick one for me. I joined  after a warning from the kind lady at the draft board who told me that guys who were drafted from East Tennessee usually went to the infantry, this was Jan, 1967.

Nocked my girlfriend up on my first leave home after AIT and became a 20 year old married PFC with a young son.

The Army provided me with a job and took care of my young family but most of all taught me how to be a responsible man, a lesson that has served me well for the rest of my life to date.

One footnote; My son grew up to be a troubled young man, brilliant but made a lot of very poor life choices. The day he graduated from high school I gave him three choices; leave home and get a job, leave home and go to school or leave home and go into the service.

He picked the service and joined the Air Force.  Four years later he came home as a responsible man and went on to do great things with his life.

[Bud B.]

USAF here, 1 Dec 83 - 5 April 88

Joined at 18 years old.

Lackland AFB, obviously. Did my tech school there, Security Specialist, then on to Barksdale AFB April 84 til Nov 85 when I was reassigned to Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage, AK. Served out my time there and separated under Reagan's strength in force reduction (Gramm/Rudman).

Loved my time in the service. Got to see and do many things I'll likely never do again. I drove to Alaska from NC in Nov of 85. If you want an adventure, drive to Alaska in the winter. Both of my daughters were born in AK. They had great care at the regional hospital from military and civilian personnel.

My thanks go out to all vets; past, present, and future.

[degabe]

Signed up in Dec. 65, went to Great lakes in Jan 66. Spent 6 years as a spook. Uncle didn't need us any more so I came home got married started a family. A friend asked me to attend a national guard drill and so I did for 18 years. My youngest son joined the Navy after high school and the wife said one uniform at a time to worry about was enough so I retired. My son finished 21 years on Feb. 1 and is also retired.

[mike g]

Looks like a lot of us shared the same time frame serving....
   US Army 71-73
   USMC 75-78

[SELFBOW19953]

My draft lottery number was 041 in 1970, I turned 19 in December, so I joined the Air Force-19 years old and married with a 6 month old daughter.  Went to tech school in Denver for 46 weeks and in 1972 ended up in Thailand on TDY supporting F111's.  Got sent home after only 4 months (signed the peace agreement while I was in flight over the Pacific), 6 weeks later I got sent back to Thailand for another 5 months. With less than a week to have my 9 months in a year-would have counted as a short tour-I got PCS orders to the base I was at.  I could convert in place or take leave before reporting back to Thailand-I took leave.  About half way through my PCS my lonely wife got married-yep, I had a husband-in-law.  Went home, got divorced, and, since my mother had joint custody (with me) of my 2 kids, got sent back to Thailand (couldn't qualify for a hardship since my mother had my kids).  At the end of my 2 years, involuntary, in Thailand-Thailand was much, much better than Nam!!!!- UNCLE sent me to Delaware, where I was lucky enough to finish my 20 years without ever moving again.  Been here 40 years now.

[bowhunterfrompast]

[jamesh76]

Thanks

[Old Chief]

Thank you for all of your efforts, they are appreciated.

[Scott88]

Thanks,a week after graduating high school,I was married and leaving on a silver bird headed to Ft.Leonard wood for Basic and AIT.It's the first time I had ever seen real snow!!!We don't get much of that here in South Louisiana :)Built roads and health care facility's over a lot of central America.Makes you appreciate everything you have, to see the way others live in different parts of the world.

[ESP]

I went in right after college.  I learned more in my time serving, than I could have learned earning 6 phd's.  I learned how to deal with people and that is skill needed for most every job there is.

[achigan]

Joined the Navy on my 18th birthday Dec. 30 1968. I flunked out of electronics school and got sent to 'Nam. Kitchen duty in Cua Viet, longshoreman in Danang and laundry in Cam Rahn Bay. Last two years was on the Charles Berry DE-1035 out of Pearl Harbor. Back to Nam doing smuggler interdiction off the Delta. No fighting in either tour, just support work. got my DD214 in Oct '72.

[monterey]

I see many Ft Leonard Wood alumni here!

"if it doesn't grow, pick it up.  Don't pick up the rocks because at Ft Leonard Wood they grow"

[Tradtical Commando]

Rich uncle taught you to fly and sent you on vacation in Asia hahahahaha that's awesome
My rich uncle got me a big sandbox! A couple of them actually. I don't play in it anymore though...

[brianbfree]

Just wanted to say thank to Terry it is a great thing you did here.

My rich uncle sent me many places and tought me to study and understand people, to see thier strenths and weaknesses and take advantage of both. He let me take long walks in the woods with free gear and crapy boots. He was the first guy to let me use his GORTEX. He let me use his guns and gave me tens of thousands of rouds of ammunition to shoot. First he taught me how to follow and then to lead and how to teach that to others.

Thank you Uncle Rich

[WhiteOaks]

Outstanding gesture for the Vets.

I joined at 17 and I'm still active duty.
At least one more year.
Five years in Iraq and one in Afghanistan I'm ready to hang it up but then 30 years ain't a bad run.

Thanks to all for their service and sacrifice.

[njloco]

Terry this is a real cool thing you've done here I think these guy's deserve their own place to talk and I think they will really enjoy it.

I would not want to displace a true veteran, so I must bow out, I was only in the reserves and only did boot camp plus medic training, then got to go home, so I would appreciate it if you could give this spot on the list to someone who truly deserves it.

Thanks

God bless guys.

[RonD]

njloco, you signed the same contract as the rest of us and belong here as well brother. Please stay with us and make your contribution to this site. Hell you never know when we might need a medic (doc).