Hi,

My father could never speak to me about his WWII experiences. Most of what I know comes second hand from uncles. He served as a BM (Boatswain's Mate) aboard the USS Chicago that was sunk by torpedo during Battle of Rennell Island, in the Solomon Islands, on 30 January 1943.

Apparently that was a terrifying experience for him. He never spoke of any of his time in the Navy to me. His brothers knew more but would not share that much. I do have his Navy Bluebook (Blue Jackets Manual)and treasure that. I learned a lot of knots using this manual while in the boy scouts.

Being in the USAF 1966-1969 and coming home there was a lot of hatred/disrespect for the military and veterans. I will faithfully respect our veterans and members of our military. Show honor to those who serve us and protect our constitution.

I believe that veterans for any country should be respected and honored for their service. I belong to the American Legion and support the USO because of the services that they provide to our active duty and to veterans while active. Personal experiences here!

I think that I will go on a Honor flight when I return to our summer home in Illinois. I have seen the traveling memorial wall but would love to see first hand the real Vietnam memorial wall. Several friends on that wall that I want to honor. I would also love to see the WWII memorial. History is very important and should be remembered to prevent us from falling into the same traps.

Honor to All Veterans!

Years ago the traveling wall was setup on the football field of a local college. It was a very emotional experience and I was trying to hide my tears from my, then, young children. Seems like a long time ago when I wasn't as sentimental as I've become in my old age. I don't think I could handle it now.

Hi,

It is very emotional! I miss my friends but I would still like to see the wall, even though it will be very emotional to me. Even today, I can not think of my friends without tearing up. Such a great loss for everyone that knows someone who made such a sacrifice. We do honor our friends by remembrance daily! God loves the simple and impaired! We are humble before him and should always pay tribute to our cherished sacrifices by the fallen.

So very true, as a Corpsman the hardest part was knowing that sometimes all you could do was administer morphine so they pass on without pain. Often times our role was part healer, part minister, part friend etc... (no appropriate emoji for that).

I don't understand how a topic like this is allowed.
Many people posting here don't even seem to have suffered an actual war, they just went to the military.
And the US military at that.
Surely that's not what being a veteran is about?
A few people tried to point out how that is selective and bad, but it seems to be slipping back into boys talk.
Bragging about big toys for big boys. Only when they find out first hand that these big toys actually kill by the thousands, they call that "suffering for the homeland"???
What about those that suffered the vanity of those big boys with a will for expansion? Should we not rather commemorate them?

This thread indirectly advertises violence and discrimination and must be closed.
It shows lack of respect for peoples' sufferings all around the world.
Isn't this is a global forum, not a US forum? Please keep that in mind.

This very sub-forum is exactly for topics that aren't technical topics related to Linux. This is precisely the kind of subject for this sub-forum is for - nobody is forcing anyone the participate in any threads here - it's entirely up to you which threads you wish to participate in.

Why does one have to have been to an actual war to participate in this thread ? You don't have to have gone to an actual war to serve in the military, any more than you have to have served in the US military to have been in a military. Anymore than you have to have served in any military to have suffered through war - regardless of which country started it. It's also the government that sends people to war, not the military deciding itself to start a war.

By saying this thread "advertises violence", then it's like saying "by talking about climate change, you must be advocating it" - that's just plain silly. Actually, since at least some of those posting to this thread who have served in the military have pointed out, wars are not a good thing. So how does that show "a lack of respect for people's sufferings" ?

Are you going to say next that anyone who hasn't served in a military has no right to post to this thread ?

It would be nice to see some posts from you actually offering to help someone with say a technical problem henderson. Given that you only seem to post to criticize other people's posts (this is far from the first such post from you).

Sorry, but the post quoted above is just a troll post.

As far as I can see, most of the people posting here are talking about their parents and other relatives, and many of them are making it pretty clear that those people came back from their war service with what we would nowadays call PTSD. In those days, it was sometimes called shell shock but mostly they didn't call it anything at all. They just coped with it somehow and got on with their lives. War is all hell, as Sherman pointed out, but sometimes it's necessary.

We need to be thankful for the world we live in and enjoy, because it would be very different if, for example, Hitler had won in the 1940's. I wouldn't be alive for one thing because my parents would both have been dragged off to the gas chambers before I was even conceived. That didn't happen because a lot of people, Americans and Russians as well as British, were willing to fight and even die to stop it from happening. How can I not be grateful?

this forum has a habit of calling anyone a troll that they disagree with.https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...ou-4175660612/
not only this thread but specifically users like you are a disgrace to it.
i want to +1 henderson for their brave words! this is what is sorely missing in this self-gratifying thread.
And yes, it would be nice to see some posts that are actually helping somebody - that is the 20 million victims of us post-ww2 aggression.

Dear Lord,
Please protect us from the socialist snowflakes who won't tolerant any opinion but their own.
Thank you.

You can't just blame "the military" for wars. Governments declare war. Even generals don't get to do that, let alone the poor bloody infantry who have to go where they are sent. Sometimes it becomes clear after a war, or even during it, that it should never have been declared or fought. Most people think that now about Vietnam. But most of the soldiers who fought there didn't have any choice about it. They were drafted, partly because they didn't have rich parents who could send them to Canada or get them into a university course that would exempt them.

Hi,

Not everyone serves in the military but many service to their nation in other forms. I respect that person(s) as I do military veterans.

I do not glorify war nor brag about my duties but I am a proud military veteran. I am proud for my families service to our country via military.

Some may take offense for our discussion about our service but they too had a choice to participate or not. Either in this thread or service within the military, they too have a right to discuss. I served to protect and that allows those same persons to have those same freedoms.

I feel no guilt because of my service during Vietnam. Everyone should remember that <General> is for As for my stance, I believe you will get benefit from what you put into anything.

Ahh now the wolf has shed his sheep's clothing. This is an agenda, since all powerful nations have indulged in what someone can call aggression but you, who apparently lives in the US and enjoys the freedom to speak out against it, chooses to call others disgraceful. Meanwhile calling for others to somehow help does nothing but point fingers elsewhere placing blame. Until Humanity manages to peacefully resolve conflicts, which will always occur as long as there are "Haves" and "Have Nots" as well as ideological differences (the most egregious in my view) there will be war and warriors.

If you really want to see help, promote tolerance for different ideology, stand up for peaceful resolve and stop taking sides with an agenda that casts blame, and perhaps fight for the more benevolent cause if it comes to that. It is exceedingly rare that Good combats Evil. Generally both exist on any side and it is complex and subject to point of view, commonly of the lesser of evils.

If you know anything about History then you know that it is all too easy to just blame Adolf Hitler, when he never would have risen to power without the vindictive, destructive policies of the Versailles Treaty that decimated Germany's economy. It takes two to Tango.

You might start by considering to dismount off your high horse.

My sentiments also. As my father felt proud to defend the U.S. from the aggressors in WW2, and defend the cause of freedom, so I am still proud, and have no sense of guilt, that I served my country in Vietnam to defend the cause of freedom.

As long as wicked men are rulers of countries, there must be good men to stand against, and fight against if necessary, the evil aggressors in this world.

Alan

You're right up to a point, Enorbet. The Treaty of Versailles wasn't the cause of Hitler's pathology but it did play a large role in easing his way to power. Without French revanchism, there wouldn't have been an occupation of the Ruhr and and probably no Great Inflation.

But you can't just blame the French. They were themselves seeking redress for their humiliation by Kaiser Wilhelm I after the Franco-Prussian war, which involved the compulsory annexation of two of their provinces. And you can see the same pattern elsewhere. Serbian atrocities during the Yugoslavian civil war were mostly revenge for Croat atrocities against Serbs in the 1940's, when many Croats collaborated with the Germans. And don't get me started on Northern Ireland, where catholics and protestants spent years killing each other to avenge wrongs that go back three hundred years.

That's the cycle we have to break. And I don't think it can be broken by telling victims (including victim nations) that they'll just have to lump it for everybody else's sake. If that's the only alternative we can produce, peace has lost the argument.

Dealt with opinionated ignorance back in the day. Guess I'll have use the ignore button on this one.
I did not like you haters then.
I still don't.