Veterans' Day! Who is (are) your favorite veteran(s)?

[DrZeeLit]

I am offering up a prayer for my Grandfather -- tanks in WWI. I have his helmet and his diary -- it is in code!!! His promotion to Sargeant is signed by Dwight Eisenhower. Later he was friends with Omar Bradley.

Also prayers for my father, Navy, WWII.

And some boys who grew to manhood in Vietnam: Charlie Silsby and Brian Parmenter.

Also, John Kerry.

Thank you all for your service.

[da_chimperor]

1. I'd have to say my late grandfather. He was in the 10th mountain division.

A wonderful person from what I can remember of him. He died when I was 10, so I wasn't old enough to fully appreciate how great a person he was at the time. He served his country proudly during WWII, even though he never saw action. I still have his compass he used during his service with me.

[HEyHEY]

2. My Drunk Barber

Despite the boozing, I believe he is a good man that's had some bad luck.

[Fenris]

6. What branch of the Canadian services was he in?

[HEyHEY]

16. He was in the Navy, then after he served as a medic for the MArines

in Vietnam

[Hog lover]

3. My mother

US Army Nurse WWII - Persian Gulf Command

After the war, on hospital ship ferrying our wounded home and returning to Europe with prisoners of war brought to US

[blondeatlast]

4. My wonderful, blessed father, a WWII Army Air Corps

navigator.

Miss him terribly, he died last May.

Thanks to the BEST dad I could have hoped to have; your loving grandson is a testament to your spirit.

All my love to you, dad.

[Jack Schitt]

5. All of them.

Anyone who serves this country and sacrifices his/her bodies for the sake of our country/freedom/liberty is my favorite veteran.

Thank you to all of those who served in the armed forces. :toast:

[Swede]

7. My dad.

He joined the army the day Canada entered the war, served for six years.

[trof]

8. Eddie Pierce

His name is on the wall.
We were friends since boyhood.
He joined the Coast Guard (six months active duty, six years in the reserves) out of high school in the late 50's.
He was home free.
He later went to college and joined ROTC.
As Viet Nam progressed he got really gung ho.
A lot of us were hoodwinked.
Upon graduation he was commissioned and shipped over.
He lasted three months and came home in a body bag.
What a waste.

[bleedingheart]

9. My late father -served in WWII (Guadalcanal and Luzon)

Two bronze stars.

My favorite story of him is that he refused to write home and he got a warning from the Red Cross because his mother and 5 sisters were freaking out...and bugging the Red Cross daily...

[Maccagirl]

10. My late father

A WWII Army vet whom we lost last August. A good, kind, decent man with a quiet sense of duty and great sense of humor. A lifelong Dem with REAL values who would have been heartbroken about November 2nd. Rest In Peace, Dad, I love you.


Regards and a salute to John Kerry, too.

[KarmaHappens]

11. My father

a Korean War Veteran--One of the Chosin Few
Silver Star & Purple Heart


edit: spelling

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

12. My husband

and my grandfather. And every single veteran of Vietnam.

[BoX o BooX]

13. The guy who signed my discharge.

I'll never forget old what's-his-name.

[CBHagman]

14. My father (WWII, Army medic, Pacific Theater)

Also my paternal grandfather (U.S. Army, WWI, France)

The Reverend Kenneth Seitz.

All of them observing Veterans' Day in heaven.

And I respect Max Cleland and John Kerry and their ilk.

[qnr]

15. Probably the original Mercury astronauts

:shrug:

[mark414]

17. 2 great-grandfathers, 1 grandfather and a great uncle

2 great grandfathers fought in WWI, and from our best guess, at some point they were probably within a few miles of each other...small world...one was an artillery man and the other was a general infantryman, and both made it home to tell the tale

my grandfather, who was in the navy during WW2 and was on a boat on his way to the pacific theater when the japanese surrendered...so he never had to see combat

and to his brother in-law, my great uncle, an air force pilot during WW2 who shot down 13 nazi fighters, and he was lucky enough to survive the war as well

bless em all and bless all our veterans, past and present, right war or wrong war

edit: and a special dedication for all the soldiers who had draft numbers before my dad and two of my uncles during vietnam...they would've gone if they were called, but you took their place instead...thank you

[NoPasaran]

18. My father

US Army Air Defense Artillery. He served in Iceland during WWII and then participated in the liberation of Western Europe from the Nazis. After a postwar business venture with some of his buddies failed he went back into the Army and retired in 1971. He now lives in Connecticut, one of the dwindling band of authentic Roosevelt Democrats.

[Spider Jerusalem]

19. My late grandfather.

He served in the European Theatre during WWII; I very vividly remember him telling me about capturing German soldiers, who'd been pumped up as this fearsome enemy, and discovering that mostly they were as young and scared as he was.

And my father, who spent most of his Navy career close to the front lines of the later Cold War, hunting and tracking Soviet submarines.

[Brother Buzz]

20. Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

He somehow personifies everything a veteran should be in my twisted little world.

[UrbScotty]

21. My great-uncle died in Korea.

Clarence was his name.

My grandfathers both served in the war as well as a couple of my other great-uncles.

[rbnyc]

22. My Dad.

My dad volunteered for the Navy during Vietnam, to avoid being drafted into the Army. He still had quite a dangerous tour. My dad has been very open with me about many parts of his life, but he doesn't talk about that. I can only imagine.

Also my grandpa played the sax in the Army band, and I got a partial scholarship because of it. Who knew there was a scholarship for Army band grandchildren?

[jdj]

23. Smedley Butler.

author of "War is a Racket"

[TroubleMan]

28. That's my all-time favorite veteran

Not only did he give the "War is a Racket" speech, but he stopped a coup against FDR. A bunch of big business leaders were pissed at FDR and were planning to overthrow him in a coup, but he stopped it.

[PittPoliSci]

29. good choice!

i really like him too.

[Demonaut]

24. Great Grandfather, An Odell of the Argyle Sutherland Highlanders

Fought in WW1...the Great War

[DrZeeLit]

25. Is Odell a Scots' name? Because....

...I'm looking for a Scots name for a character. It's a novel I'm writing. I did some research and I found a name, but I'd love a name with some meaning. I'd also love the name to be a bit unique.

Would be great to honor a Veteran of WWI -- the war to end all wars.

[Demonaut]

26. I dont think so but my grandmother was adamant it's not Irish

but good luck on the book.

[Spider Jerusalem]

27. Probably Scots-Irish...

Lot of Ulster Presbyterians wound up in Scotland in the late 1600's and early 1700's...and Odell (or probably "O'Dell") doesn't sound very Scottish...

[democracyindanger]

30. Bill Mauldin

[MrSandman]

31. My father...

Naval ASW aviation early 50's. On the Connie.

[mitchum]

32. My Uncle Buck (Rest In Peace)