40 years ago tonight

[Leatherneck]

I flew my 413th-and final-combat mission out of Chu Lai. It was a close air support for the 29th Marines in contact with the enemy on the ridge overlooking our base. They shot back, but we won. OORAH, Marines.

My personal observation of irony is that tonight we have US Marines taking a "ville" in Afstan, using CAS from the air, taking casualties *again*, while the country is being wracked by angry demonstrations over administration policies. At least our troops come home to a more supportive public than in 1969.

Time for some deep reflection.

TC

[Jamisjockey]

There really needs to be a full on NoVA get together and I really need to buy you a beer.

[vaskidmark]

Semper Fi!

Sure it still happens, but now we have better capabilities to nuke them from orbit - and sub-orbit, too.  Unless you want to refight the Vietnam War for another x-thousand years, someone at the pointy end of the chain of command needs to decide that the USA will engage in taking and holding territory, or not engage in combat in that theater.

If you think you are [understatement] upset [/understatement] over the situation, go talk with the ground pounders.

Thanks for your service.  No, not being in the service; for the close air support.

stay safe.

skidmark
proudly a former Marine

[RevDisk]

Gods, no offense, but 40 years seems like an eternity to a youngin' like me...  Back when I was in and even now, I never expected to survive 40 years, total.  I'm trying to grasp being able to think back to stuff I did and survived four decades from now...  I'm trying not to think of what the US will probably be in 30, 40 years...   

If I ever get down to NoVA, I'll buy ya a beer.  And spare ya one of my legal, pre-embargo Cuban cigars if I have any left at that point.   

If you want to feel better, ask a dude who got deployed recently how many care packages he got in the mail.  I have a hard time mailing my buddies stuff they need/want, as they tend to get significantly more than they can handle.  I usually end up sending them niche stuff like flashlights, weird MOLLE kit or a Diskie special medic kit (significantly better than the IFAK, and only 3 times as expensive).  Remember the French soldier's writeup of his deployment?  Even he noticed.  While a handful of dim bulbs either dislike the mission or troops, a lot of folks spend their own money to send stuff to grunts.  That says folks still do care and ain't just giving lip service.