View Full Version : In honor of our troops.....
chinarain62
03-28-2003, 10:48 AM
It's customary to put a yellow ribbon up, either around a tree on your stair railings etc.
I think this is the least we can do to say THANK YOU for the risks that they are taking to preserve our freedom and give Iraq a taste of a democratic world.
Let's do it!
yleekiyote
03-28-2003, 11:10 AM
This is kinda lengthy, but very good....
I cannot help myself from feeling pride and being proud for all our service personnel each time I read this.
The Infantryman
The average age of the Infantryman 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 155mm Howitzers.
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 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 and 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.
chinarain62
03-28-2003, 12:58 PM
Originally posted by yleekiyote
This is kinda lengthy, but very good....
I cannot help myself from feeling pride and being proud for all our service personnel each time I read this.
The Infantryman
The average age of the Infantryman 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 155mm Howitzers.
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 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 and 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.
WOW! How true! Very heavy stuff. Get those YELLOW ribbons out everyone!
NY DREAMER
03-28-2003, 01:49 PM
How true! I have my yellow ribbons out at home and just put some up in front of my job. God bless our service men and woman everywhere! Here and abroad. I wish there was more I could do....
I always found the yellow ribbon thing to be too cliche. Too Tony Orlando and Dawnish if you know what I mean. I'll stick with displaying the Flag in front of my house. My neighbor a couple houses away does the yellow ribbon thing.
NY DREAMER
03-28-2003, 05:02 PM
Flag flying is always happening at my house. The yellow ribbons are just something extra! Being a child of a military man we were raised to always fly our flag and respect the USA!
chinarain62
03-28-2003, 05:29 PM
I have both the flag and the yellow ribbon!
Hugh_Bond
03-28-2003, 05:34 PM
I'm not a big yellow ribbon fan because that song was about a prisoner and that implies a criminal.
Got Old Glory flying, though!!!
I have a Patriotic Pugg. Check him out. When you view the picture, place the cursor a top it, left mouse click and drag the bar down too zoom in for a close up.
http://www.geocities.com/mgk9620/patriotic_puggs.html
LessPaull
03-28-2003, 09:43 PM
Do Yellow Condoms Count ??...w/a Ribbon ??
chinarain62
03-28-2003, 11:22 PM
Originally posted by LessPaull
Do Yellow Condoms Count ??...w/a Ribbon ??
Sure - why the hell not!:D
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