To Honor all our Vets

[fcurrier]

Caught this on The History Channel this morning:

A mystery that was solved was that of a group of four letters by Steve Flaherty written during the Vietnam War. Flaherty was born in Japan, the child of an American soldier and a Japanese woman. But the couple never married, the soldier may not have even known he was a father. Flaherty was given up to an orphanage that serviced such children. He eventually was adopted by a family in South Carolina. Coming of age, Flaherty joined the US Army and the 101st Airborne Division. He was killed on March 25, 1969 during some heavy fighting in the A Shau Valley in South Vietnam.

Flaherty often wrote letters home to his family, detailing his life as a soldier in Vietnam. He wrote one shortly before his death and had three other letters yet to be mailed on his person when he was killed. The combat was so intense that his body was not recovered until the next day, but the letters were missing. Some time later, the letters were read by Hanoi Hanna, a propaganda radio hostess, to demoralize US troops. So, apparently, the North Vietnamese Army had gotten the letters. In 2011, the letters were returned during an exchange of wartime belongings during a trip to Vietnam by then Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta. The Flaherty family finally got the letters after more than 40 years.

 

[aschumacher]

Charlie I also agree with this article. (We don't even want to start the 'why were we there bit) Maybe a more appropriate response could be 'Welcome Home!"

 

[rthomley]

I totally agree with many of the thoughts in that article --" the thanks comes across as shallow, disconnected, a reflexive offering from people who, while meaning well, have no clue what soldiers did over there or what motivated them to go, and who would never have gone themselves nor sent their own sons and daughters."
Also coming back from Vietnam and enduring this -- "No real opinions either, he said. “At least with Vietnam, people spit on you and you knew they had an opinion.”.
and being called baby killers.
That's why many of us just put it past us and got on with our lives.
I really have a lot of respect for the troops now serving.

 

[rbeem]

The "Behind The Gun" book project I'm involved with is progressing nicely.
There are around a dozen excerpts and some great warrior profiles including this amazing man.

https://behindthegun.wordpress.com/2016/03/09/walker-the-kentucky-ranger/

Language warning, it's not a kids book.
Your visits help it get to publication, we hit 7K views today!

 

[digger]

 

[lhinds]

Thanks Charlie

 

[mgwin]

Charlie,

Wish you could post that on the national news for about a week for all to see (including the suppressed).

That flag represents all the people (living and dead) that fought for the flag and our freedom.
Anyone that will not stand and salute in honor of those people don't deserve to live here. If that offends them, I will help them pack, and contribute to their one way ticket out of here.

 

[mhomrighausen]

Charlie P. THANK YOU for posting this.

 

[proessler]

And he's (nfl,qb) on front cover of the Rag, time mag...

 

[dschwandt]

Here's a moving story about the USS Oklahoma.

https://www.legion.org/magazine/234984/home-last

We are coming up on the 75th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack.
Keep an eye on PBS on the evening of the 6th.
There at 3 specials about the topic w/some footage of a recent submersible visit some 3 decks down into the Arizona. Eerie, to say the least. Must watch! Never forget.....

 

[kweaver]

Hard to forget for many reasons ... one of which it's the day I got married for the second time

I'll set my DVR for the Pearl Harbor special , thankx!

 

[rkelm]

Remembering especially the vets of WWII and all the vets past present and future. Hope everyone takes a small silence time today to remember the sacrifices vets make so we can be free. God Bless them all.

 

[dschwandt]

Got doubts???
Get the book "Day of Deceit" The truth about Pearl Harbor by Robert Stinnett

Good stuff on PBS last night.
Will be repeated tonight I believe.

 

[kweaver]

The movie , "Bataan Death March".
The one movie that puts it all in perspective.
Obammy is suppose to tour Pearl with Japan's leader ... I don't think that is a wise move.
You know under his breath Japan's leader is going to be thinking "we sure knocked the S*** out of those Yanks".

 

[mhomrighausen]

From childhood memories... My parents talked about a gentleman that was a prisoner in the Bataan Death March and survived the war as a POW. They also spoke of how his father (a businessman) dealt a lot in the Black Market business big time during WWII. Somewhat bittersweet to think of. After all these years it finally dawned on me that my Dad was being trained for the invasion of Japan. He would quietly mention being shown films of what the Japanese soldiers did to POWs.

 

[KevinX]

Pics for Kentuck,

 

[kweaver]

Thanks Charlie - I hate Ubuntu for graphic / video editing !

PICS BELOW POST
Here's the picture "Wings of Silk" 1942 and the article of my Great Uncle , my Grandfather's baby brother. He was cool! but he never mentioned anything about the war except that on D-Day he parachuted out of the plane and landed in a farmer's pig pen.
(The only way I could get this on the computer was to take a picture of it as it's framed , the article is on the back of the frame. My Mom had it and it's the only thing I claimed when she past away.)

 

[kweaver]

Looks like I made that jump with him.
I'm the ghost on his back with my arm on his shoulder and my hand holding the side of his head ... He was the best Great Uncle or any uncle for that matter that I had. We had a couple of fun times when I was 14 and I've always missed him since his colon cancer death in 1973 (I think or '74)