Just a reminder

"A tale of brave men in harms

"A tale of brave men in harms way.... I met a young man at the washinton dc city docks not too long ago who had a brand new hot rod boat parked in front of mine. The young man (i'm only 39) kept calling me sir and was without arms below his elbows. He was obviously a recent return from combat and was given the boat by someone who cared. He and his XO were both horrifically disfigured from their war injuries.

We had a grand time. He eventually become frustrated as his stumps kept bleeding and all i could do was offer my rinky dink first aid kit.

We are fortunate to not have to physically defend freedom like our fathers, uncles and grandfathers had to... yet. For that I am thankful. Thanks to those of you that serve and have served!!

Happy fourth!!!"

"Amen to that MistaHays! Our

"Amen to that MistaHays! Our brothers and sisters in arms today deserve the same respect that our forefathers do; without our forefathers standing their ground we would still be under a foreign thumb. Without our soldiers today we could be under siege more than we are now. Semper Fi! God bless them all. I salute you. Specialist 5th Class, U. S. Army, 1969-1972."

"Thank you also, I too see my

"Thank you also, I too see my brothers come back worse off than I did. Thankfully my injuries were less severe than some but its nice to still hear "Thank you" even though its not expected nor required.
Spc US Army Iraqi Freedom, 2002-2003"

Yes Yes!!! thanks to all who h

Yes Yes!!! thanks to all who have and are serving. i have a son who just left on the 23rd of last month to start his basic training at fort jackson. in his jr year of high school he came home from school and said the recruters will be here fri at 2 is that ok and me and the wife looked at each other with a bland look on our face and said for what. he said because i want to serve my country. and we were at aww but supportive at the same time. well he went thru all the stuff that our men and women have to endure to inlist and got a fine score on his asvab. well they automaticly started pushing intelegence at him and he enlisted thru the dep program well for those of you who know know you can back out at anytime before your date. well one day the phone rang and it was a scout from west liberty state college who offerd him a full ride to there school for soccer. well he said let me think about it and that he did for a few days. we were all gatherd watching the tube one evening and out of the blue he said im gonna serve first and i said huh couse it was kinda off beat and he said im going to serve my country and my response was whatever endevor you choose i will support you 100% so he left like i said on june 23rd and will graduate in sept were he will then go to wachuka arizona for his mos taining and then to where ever his duty station will be. the last words i gave him was to stand tall just as all the others who are and have served and he said dad dont worry its in my heart to serve. just thought id share that with you because it is because of him and all that have served that we can take our boats for a ride and not be in fear FREEDOM is what they call it and i give a big heartfelt thank you to all of those who are serving and have served

Thank you and happy 4th

Steve: Nice story; give him m

Steve: Nice story; give him my best.

"Yes, Thanks to all! I wish I

"Yes, Thanks to all! I wish I could say more!

Steve-That is a great story, and do give your son our best! Your son must be VERY talented at soccer too, because I have a close friend that has two sons involved in soccer and one is very good. The father and I have talked alot about this and he has explained to me how hard it is to go to ANY college on a full ride for soccer. I only add this to the post, because it shows the commitment your son has.

Thanks again, jt"

thanks guy I will do that.and

thanks guy I will do that.and Jason yes he was a fine soccer player he played defensive striker he also played 3 years of football and was a linebacker so if ya add it all together he has defence in his blood thanks guys

"I never realized that while i

"I never realized that while in this forum I was in the presence of so many true American heroes. Thank you all for your service and your preservation of the freedoms we all enjoy. Having Multiple Sclerosis I never served but I can honestly say that I am not sure I would have had the metal to volutarily put myself in harms way like you guys did (guess I will never know). My father however was a Marine during the Korean "conflict", and my grandfather was in the U.S. Cavalry so many years ago, so around here we take great pride in honoring the Vets we know. Find peace and long live you all."

"Mike:

I've had Multipl

"Mike:

I've had Multiple Sclerosis since 1979 and am still kicking. It's not the end of the world. I just play the cards I was dealt at a slower rate. Thanks for the compliment to the Veterans. Many thousands have served on rubber rafts up to aircraft carriers. "

"Well Guy seems we have more i

"Well Guy seems we have more in common than you may think. I also was diagnosed in 1979, funny huh? I hope you are doing well. I had some rough spots in the first 13-15 years but have been doing so well for the last 15 or so that I sometimes question if I really have it. Hehe, ya I know I still do. Stay strong and live free Everybody, happy 4th to all."

God bless all who have served

God bless all who have served and sacrificed in the Armed Services for our Country. My heart goes out to all who have served and all their families and their sacrifices. Many of my friens have served in "the big sand box" and they have my utmost respect.

On this side of the pond we ha

On this side of the pond we have no 4th of July celebration but I know it's a hugely important day for you all so have a good one. I regularly spare a thought for the brave brits in our armed forces and wish them all well.