The Military

SxyEboni

The one to watch for!
If you read this, you WILL forward it on. You won't be able to stop yourself.


The Military
The average age of the military man is 19 years. He is a short haired,
tight-muscled kid who, under normal circumstances is considered by society as half
man, half boy Not yet dry behind the ears, not old enough to buy a beer, but old enough
to die for his country. He never really cared much for work and he would rather wax his
own car than wash his father's; but he has never collected unemployment either.


He's a recent High School graduate;

he was probably an average student,
pursued some form of sport activities, drives a ten year old jalopy,

and has a steady girlfriend

that either broke up with him when he left,

or swears to be waiting when he returns from half a world away

He listens to rock and roll or hip-hop or rap or jazz or swing and a 155mm howitzer.

He is 10 or 15 pounds lighter now

than when he was at home

because he is working or fighting

from before dawn to well after dusk.

He has trouble spelling,

thus letter writing is a pain for him,

but he can field strip a rifle in 30 seconds

and reassemble it in less time in the dark.

He can recite to you the nomenclature

of a machine gun or grenade launcher

and use either one effectively if he must.

He digs foxholes and latrines </ B>

and can apply first aid like a professional.

He can march until he is told to stop

or stop until he is told to march.



He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation,

but he is not without spirit or individual dignity. He is self-sufficient

He has two sets of fatigues:

he washes one and wears the other.

He keeps his canteens full and his feet dry.

he sometimes forgets to brush his teeth,

but never to clean his rifle.
He can cook his own meals,

mend his own clothes, and fix his own hurts.

If you're thirsty, he'll share his water with you; if you are hungry, his food.

He'll even split his ammunition with you

in the midst of battle when you run low.

He has learned to use his hands like weapons

and weapons like they were his hands.

He can save your life - or take it,

because that is his job.

He will often do twice the work of a civilian ,

draw half the pay

a nd still find ironic humor in it all.

He has seen more suffering
and death then he should have

in his short lifetime.





He has stood atop mountains of dead bodies,

and helped to create them.
He has wept in public and in private,

for friends who have fallen in combat
and is unashamed.

He feels every note of the National Anthem vibrate through his body
while at rigid attention,
while tempering the burning desire to
'square-away' those around him
who haven't bothered to stand,
remove their hat, or even stop talking.

In an odd twist, day in and day out,
far from home,

he defends their right to be disrespectful.

Just as did his Father, Grandfather,

and Great-grandfather,

he is paying the price for our freedom . Beardless or not, he is not a boy.
He is the American Fighting Man

that has kept this country free

for over 200 years




He has asked nothing in return,

except our friendship and understanding.
Remember him, always,

for he has earned our respect

and admiration with his blood.

And now we even have women over there in danger,
doing their part in this tradition
of going to War

when our nation calls us to do so.

As you go to bed tonight,

remember this shot..

A short lull, a little shade

and a picture of loved ones in their helmets




Prayer wheel for our military... please don't break it. Please send this on after a short prayer.

Prayer Wheel

"Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us.
Bless them and their families

for the selfless acts they perform for us

in our time of need. Amen."

Prayer :

When you receive this,

please stop for a moment and say a prayer
for our ground troops in Afghanistan , sailors on ships, and airmen in the air,
and for those in Iraq .

There is nothing attached..

This can be very powerful.......

Of all the gifts you could give a US Soldier, Sailor, Coastguardsman, Marine
or Airman, prayer is the very best one.
I can't break this one, sorry
This is a ribbon for soldiers fighting in Iraq . Pass it on to everyone and pray.
 

smoothmarine187

Well-Known Member
You know, all of that was pretty good, but after reading ( "He has trouble spelling" ) I pretty much got turned off by the whole thing.
 

jenbengen

Watch it
"He has trouble spelling"

Hmmmm. Sweet intentions, but not very factual. :) Check on what the average is for military personnel with a college degree.
 

itsbob

I bowl overhand
smoothmarine187 said:
You know, all of that was pretty good, but after reading ( "He has trouble spelling" ) I pretty much got turned off by the whole thing.
The "prayer" goes back to vietnam, except for the addendum at the end about "now women too"
 

vannawhite

New Member
itsbob said:
The "prayer" goes back to vietnam, except for the addendum at the end about "now women too"

I take it whoever added that part didn't think about the other part but at least we can chart progress between then and now.
 

itsbob

I bowl overhand
vannawhite said:
I take it whoever added that part didn't think about the other part but at least we can chart progress between then and now.
It's been updated in a few places, but I remember this from the Vietnam Era.. there was even a song.. 19 that sang about it..

For example.. back then it was just Rock and Roll.. no mention of Hip Hop.. or any other music.. just Rock and Roll.. I don't remember mention of 155mm either, but that would be a good addition..
 

itsbob

I bowl overhand
In 1965 Vietnam seemed like just another foreign war,
but it wasn't.
It was different in many ways, as so were those that did the fighting.
In World War II the average age of the combat soldier was 26...
In Vietnam he was 19.
In inininininin Vietnam he was 19.

(TV announcer's voice)
The shooting and fighting of the past two weeks continued today
25 miles west of Saigon
I really wasn't sure what was going on (Vet's Voice)

Nininini Nineteen, 19, Ni-nineteen 19
19,19,19,19

In Vietnam the combat soldier typically served a twelve month tour of duty
but was exposed to hostile fire almost everyday
Ninininininininininin 19 nininininninin 19

Hundreds of Thousands of men who saw heavy combat in Vietnam were arrested
since discharge Their arrest rate is almost twice that of non-veterans of the same
age. There are no accurate figures of how many of these men have been incarcerated.
But, a Veterans Administration study concludes that the greater of Vets exposure
to combat could more likely affect his chances of being arrested or convicted.

This is one legacy of the Vietnam War

(Singing Girls)
All those who remember the war
They won't forget what they've seen..
Destruction of men in their prime
whose average was 19
Dedededededede-Destruction
Dedededededede-Destruction
War, War
Dededede-Destruction, wa-wa-War, wa-War, War
Dedededededede-Destruction
War, War

After World War II the Men came home together on troop ships, but the Vietnam
Vet often arrived home within 48 hours of jungle combat
Perhaps the most dramatic difference between World War II and Vietnam was
coming home.. .none of them received a hero's welcome
None of them received a heroes welcome, none of them, none of them
Nenene Nenene None of them, none of them, none of them (etc...)
None of them received a hero's welcome
None of them received a hero's welcome

According to a Veteran's Administration study
Half of the Vietnam combat veterans suffered from what Psychiatrists call
Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder
Many vets complain of alienation, rage, or guilt
Some succumb to suicidal thoughts
Eight to Ten years after coming home almost eight-hundred-thousand men are
still fighting the Vietnam War

(Singing Girls)
Dedededededede-Destruction

Nininininininininin Nineteen, 19, Ni-nineteen 19
19,19,19,19
Nininininininininin Nineteen, 19, Ni-nineteen 19
19,19,19,19

(Soldiers Voice)
When we came back it was different.. Everybody wants to know "How'd it
happened to those guys over there
There's gotta be something wrong somewhere
We did what we had to do
There's gotta be something wrong somewhere
People wanted us to be ashamed of what it made us
Dad had no idea what he went to fight and he is now
All we want to do is come home
All we want to do is come home
What did we do it for
All we want to do is come home
Was it worth it?
 

PsyOps

Pixelated
jenbengen said:
"He has trouble spelling"

Hmmmm. Sweet intentions, but not very factual. :) Check on what the average is for military personnel with a college degree.
Who really cares about that. These people do more in a single minute than most in a month, and you folks are concerned with spelling and education.
 
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