Time to pull the curtain ? Steelers pre game

[Sportster 72]

I agree with you 100%. The only regrets I have is the sadness I went through at such a young age seeing some of my fellow marines get cut in half with machine gun fire with a head laying here, a leg laying there, and an arm laying somewhere else. I continue to thank God everyday for allowing me to get back home in one piece. I mean that and I should be ashamed of myself for complaining about some hearing loss in my left ear.

Had a lot of friends that were in country. Some sad stories. Had one friend was on a gunboat .... unbelievable. to those who didn't make it back. God bless and RIP.

 

[Rowdy]

Had a lot of friends that were in country. Some sad stories. Had one friend was on a gunboat .... unbelievable. to those who didn't make it back. God bless and RIP.

Let’s see if y’all can help me out here. My dad was a nam vet. He said he was called “top dog” I think it had something to do with shooting twin 50 cal, I’m not sure to be honest. He has since passed due to agent orange. He really wouldn’t talk a whole lot about it just when he got drunk and aggravated. The most he talked about that really bothered him was being yelled at and spit on when he returned.

 

[Sportster 72]

Let’s see if y’all can help me out here. My dad was a nam vet. He said he was called “top dog” I think it had something to do with shooting twin 50 cal, I’m not sure to be honest. He has since passed due to agent orange. He really wouldn’t talk a whole lot about it just when he got drunk and aggravated. The most he talked about that really bothered him was being yelled at and spit on when he returned.

Since I was Navy I will let Tomcat see if he can answer the "top dog" question. It always angered me how Viet Nam vets were treated. I am happy to see how vets are treated these days comparatively. Sorry about your dad and Agent Orange. It killed a lot of good men. Most of the guys I knew that were in country in Nam didn't want to talk about it too much. My friend "Face" the gunboat sailor would tell me stories if we both got a good buzz on. to your dad.

 

[skinsdad62]

Let’s see if y’all can help me out here. My dad was a nam vet. He said he was called “top dog” I think it had something to do with shooting twin 50 cal, I’m not sure to be honest. He has since passed due to agent orange. He really wouldn’t talk a whole lot about it just when he got drunk and aggravated. The most he talked about that really bothered him was being yelled at and spit on when he returned.

Top dog or Top is a 1st sgt .

 

[Rowdy]

Top dog or Top is a 1st sgt .

Ok. Thanks

 

[skinsdad62]

My worst memory of many is killing 2 of our allies with a Patriot missile . That one sticks with me every day and every night , we had less then 3 seconds to react . He came up at a ARM missile and if we checked the airspeed we might have prevented it , we were under a ground attack guarding a major HQ and losing that to a scud missile would be devastating . We pushed the button and we saw the fireball in the sky , the tell tale sign it was an aircraft and ours , . My hearing is above avg even though I used the faulty ear plugs though . I lost 10 friends at the battle of Al nazariah in Iraq , me and 4 others were not casualties out of 80. We went up against 700 Iraqi troops some of which were possible revolutionary guards

 

[skinsdad62]

Ok. Thanks

Your father had to be a great soldier to hold that title by the way !

 

[Rowdy]

My worst memory of many is killing 2 of our allies with a Patriot missile . That one sticks with me every day and every night , we had less then 3 seconds to react . He came up at a ARM missile and if we checked the airspeed we might have prevented it , we were under a ground attack guarding a major HQ and losing that to a scud missile would be devastating . We pushed the button and we saw the fireball in the sky , the tell tale sign it was an aircraft and ours , . My hearing is above avg even though I used the faulty ear plugs though . I lost 10 friends at the battle of Al nazariah in Iraq , me and 4 others were not casualties out of 80. We went up against 700 Iraqi troops some of which were possible revolutionary guards

Yes sir, I’ll bet that’s a hard one to deal with. 4/80 casualties. Someone up above was looking out for you that day.

 

[Rowdy]

Your father had to be a great soldier to hold that title by the way !

Thank you! Glad to hear that.

 

[Sportster 72]

My worst memory of many is killing 2 of our allies with a Patriot missile . That one sticks with me every day and every night , we had less then 3 seconds to react . He came up at a ARM missile and if we checked the airspeed we might have prevented it , we were under a ground attack guarding a major HQ and losing that to a scud missile would be devastating . We pushed the button and we saw the fireball in the sky , the tell tale sign it was an aircraft and ours , . My hearing is above avg even though I used the faulty ear plugs though . I lost 10 friends at the battle of Al nazariah in Iraq , me and 4 others were not casualties out of 80. We went up against 700 Iraqi troops some of which were possible revolutionary guards

I am glad you are okay dad and God speed to those who were lost. You know dad that it is a brotherhood like no other. I have seen people hurt, I have seen people die. I was never in jeopardy of losing my life. For those of you who were in harms way I give my deepest gratitude and thanks. You have balls of steel and I thank you for loving this country as much as I do.

It might not be your thing MWAB but as a son you can join an American Legion. You'll find folks who were like and did things like your dad did. They'll talk about it. There are many Facebook groups and they can be pretty cool too. We tease each other, support each other and of course we have some laughs and tease each other.

gk gave me the business for using forward and aft .... he was right, those are directions more so than bow and stern. He will know this ... to people like your dad or anyone who served and has passed we say "fair winds and following seas" and "RIP, we have the watch." Same to your dad Cali.

I have done a lot of things in my life but the my proudest moments were spent in the US Navy. God bless the USA!

Lets go kick the shit out of SF!!!

 

[tomcat1]

WOW, where do I start? I'll start by saying thank you dad for allowing us to be way off topic in this thread to discuss some things that are very important to several of us here so I won't address my post to anyone specifically but you know who you are. Simply put, war is hell on earth. Dad and I know this and hopefully none of the others who post here have had to experience this. Dad is correct in that a top dog is a 1st Sgt. but it has many more meanings as well like your combat brother who saved your ass during a fire fight regardless of his rank. I have no problem discussing my time as a marine although several of my devil dog brothers who I still stay in touch with have had to go through quite a bit of mental treatment to remain stable since Viet Nam. As far as agent orange, we all breathed it in those jungles and I'm just blessed that it hasn't given me cancer so far. Dad, I promise you I'm not trying to be political here but this entire senseless war was fought out of Washington, DC. Had it not been we could have changed today's maps because they would not include a country called Viet Nam. When I got back to USA soil and got off the plane in San Francisco the Jane Fonda crowd hammered me with oranges and eggs but I just kept walking into the airport terminal since I had been use receiving bigger shots than that. I am so happy that none of you who I am talking to never had to experience this but just imagine spending over 30 days and 30 nights in a fox hole that was about 4 x 4 and 5 feet deep that I dug with the entrenching tool off the back of my 60 pound pack during a major fire fight living off water, a sip at a time, cans of potted meat, sardines, vienna sausages, peanut butter, and crackers that had already been crushed in my pack. Of course no shower, no shave, and when I had to shit or piss it was done in my helmet to get rid of over the side because I wanted to keep my head. Thank goodness I did have a few towels in my fox hole to clean my helmet out the best I could before it went back on my head. My Bible teaches me 'Thou shall not kill' and I killed many Viet Cong including many teenagers who were a big part of their fighting force. I have asked for forgiveness for this and I hope I have been forgiven. Do I feel like a hero? Hell no, I feel like a survivor because of the grace of God!

 

[tomcat1]

I am glad you are okay dad and God speed to those who were lost. You know dad that it is a brotherhood like no other. I have seen people hurt, I have seen people die. I was never in jeopardy of losing my life. For those of you who were in harms way I give my deepest gratitude and thanks. You have balls of steel and I thank you for loving this country as much as I do.

It might not be your thing MWAB but as a son you can join an American Legion. You'll find folks who were like and did things like your dad did. They'll talk about it. There are many Facebook groups and they can be pretty cool too. We tease each other, support each other and of course we have some laughs and tease each other.

gk gave me the business for using forward and aft .... he was right, those are directions more so than bow and stern. He will know this ... to people like your dad or anyone who served and has passed we say "fair winds and following seas" and "RIP, we have the watch." Same to your dad Cali.

I have done a lot of things in my life but the my proudest moments were spent in the US Navy. God bless the USA!

Lets go kick the shit out of SF!!!

Two things:

1/ Beautifully worded

2/ I'm not greedy, I'll settle for just a win vs. SF

 

[Caliskinsfan]

Wow. Just wow.

It’s memories and retellings like this that bring a tear to my eye and a corresponding puff to my chest, every time.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart for sharing your thoughts...and for your patriotism and grit. It makes me so proud and full of mad respect for what each and every person, in our armed forces do, every single day.

It honestly shocks me to come across an individual who seems unable to truly appreciate the valor, courage, vigilance and selflessness required, to be a part of protecting the freedoms of this great country of ours.

Perhaps it’s because of who my Dad was to me or what he did for a living...maybe it is because of the friends he had who all lived with such a code of honor and integrity... but I am very proud of y’all and very proud to be an American.

 

[skinsdad62]

WOW, where do I start? I'll start by saying thank you dad for allowing us to be way off topic in this thread to discuss some things that are very important to several of us here so I won't address my post to anyone specifically but you know who you are. Simply put, war is hell on earth. Dad and I know this and hopefully none of the others who post here have had to experience this. Dad is correct in that a top dog is a 1st Sgt. but it has many more meanings as well like your combat brother who saved your ass during a fire fight regardless of his rank. I have no problem discussing my time as a marine although several of my devil dog brothers who I still stay in touch with have had to go through quite a bit of mental treatment to remain stable since Viet Nam. As far as agent orange, we all breathed it in those jungles and I'm just blessed that it hasn't given me cancer so far. Dad, I promise you I'm not trying to be political here but this entire senseless war was fought out of Washington, DC. Had it not been we could have changed today's maps because they would not include a country called Viet Nam. When I got back to USA soil and got off the plane in San Francisco the Jane Fonda crowd hammered me with oranges and eggs but I just kept walking into the airport terminal since I had been use receiving bigger shots than that. I am so happy that none of you who I am talking to never had to experience this but just imagine spending over 30 days and 30 nights in a fox hole that was about 4 x 4 and 5 feet deep that I dug with the entrenching tool off the back of my 60 pound pack during a major fire fight living off water, a sip at a time, cans of potted meat, sardines, vienna sausages, peanut butter, and crackers that had already been crushed in my pack. Of course no shower, no shave, and when I had to shit or piss it was done in my helmet to get rid of over the side because I wanted to keep my head. Thank goodness I did have a few towels in my fox hole to clean my helmet out the best I could before it went back on my head. My Bible teaches me 'Thou shall not kill' and I killed many Viet Cong including many teenagers who were a big part of their fighting force. I have asked for forgiveness for this and I hope I have been forgiven. Do I feel like a hero? Hell no, I feel like a survivor because of the grace of God!

i tell you what , you vietnam vets are the true heros . i have been in jungle combat (panama ) and i was in it for a few weeks and was scared shitless because of booby traps and ambushes . i couldnt imagine that long term doing that . i also had the benefit of a country supporting us as well and a great welcome home . i salute you for pushing through what you had to go through.

it took me a long long time to get off high alert when i got home from all 7 different conflicts in my time of service . it was hard not feeling like an alien when i went shopping or to the library or church for a very long time . it was worse for viet nam vets

 

[tomcat1]

Wow. Just wow.

It’s memories and retellings like this that bring a tear to my eye and a corresponding puff to my chest, every time.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart for sharing your thoughts...and for your patriotism and grit. It makes me so proud and full of mad respect for what each and every person, in our armed forces do, every single day.

It honestly shocks me to come across an individual who seems unable to truly appreciate the valor, courage, vigilance and selflessness required, to be a part of protecting the freedoms of this great country of ours.

Perhaps it’s because of who my Dad was to me or what he did for a living...maybe it is because of the friends he had who all lived with such a code of honor and integrity... but I am very proud of y’all and very proud to be an American.

You put happy tears into my eyes. I was nothing special, I was just a marine doing my job to the best of my ability. I was just one who followed many who could tell you the same true stories, and worse, of what combat is all about. Freedom comes with a price, and in many cases the ultimate price. I'm just happy to be alive and pretty healthy for a 75 year old jarhead and I hope all of you are too regardless of your age.

 

[tomcat1]

i tell you what , you vietnam vets are the true heros . i have been in jungle combat (panama ) and i was in it for a few weeks and was scared shitless because of booby traps and ambushes . i couldnt imagine that long term doing that . i also had the benefit of a country supporting us as well and a great welcome home . i salute you for pushing through what you had to go through.

it took me a long long time to get off high alert when i got home from all 7 different conflicts in my time of service . it was hard not feeling like an alien when i went shopping or to the library or church for a very long time . it was worse for viet nam vets

Well said and I do know exactly what you mean by feeling like an alien once you got home. There is not a swinging dick out there who is telling the truth if he says he wasn't scared shitless in a combat situation. It's amazing what any of us can do when we have to do it. Thank you for what you did dad and thank you to all who served and supported all who served. This does not include you Jane Fonda if you are reading this.