:cornut: I feel that my highest award is the Combat Medical Badge, awarded only to medical personnel assigned to an Infantry or Special Forces unit. I feel that it's from the Mothers of the USA for training and caring for their children. Just me. Jason
Definitely something to be proud of! I never served, but have a tremendous amount of respect for those that have. I had the privilege of working at the VA during residency, and the stories from all the Vets were priceless. Makes you appreciate what you have, and what haven't had to do, that much more. Family members who have: Grandfather, WWII mechanic, stationed at Pearl Harbor after the attack. Great Grandfather, fought as a fighter pilot in WWI--those who had a life expectancy of 20 minutes--but he made it through unscathed; he actually volunteered overseas before the U.S. was in the war. We have pictures of him with his unit and plane, but it's been frustrating getting more info about him--he apparently didn't talk much about it after the war, we have pictures, but that's about it. One of those things I really want to find out more about some day.
This thread just brought something to mind I had forgotten about. How many of you remember the "compressed air guns" they gave us shots with? If you flinched, it would put a half inch gash in your arm. Wounder what happened to them? Must not have caught on in the civilian world.
:lol: They would give us one in each arm, at the same time! Anyone remember getting a Typhoid vaccine? Like getting hit the arm by 2x4 with nail sticking out! Never even left CA and still had to get one.
:cornut: Jun 72 Ft Polk, LA(aka Ft Puke, Lousyana. where no gravity is needed as the whole place sucks:lol::lol We got every shot needed for Viet Nam even though none of us were going to Viet Nam. 4 down left arm and 4 down right arm. "Hey Trainee!!!!! get off of my floor and move out smartly!" Jason
Got to love the peanut butter ball they give you in the ass with a horse needle! Amassing how the biggest strongest looking guys are the only ones who hit the floor after that one...
:cornut: 6ft 6in of Hippy passed right out on me when he saw his own blood being drawn for the first time. Now as I look back it was hilarious, the 1st 6mos of the Army until one was acclimatized so to speak.:lol::lol: Jason
I serve at the pleasure of the IRS... I report every April 15th! (I joke!) My brother is currently active Air Force. I keep a memento of the kindest and most generous spirit I've ever known on my book shelf... a photo of him from the last time I saw him (he passed a few years ago) and a ribbon he gave me when I got him through the chemistry classes that were blocking him from applying to nursing school. After leaving the service, he spent time in a facility, trying to repair the mental damage done to him. After getting out, he wanted to help others as he had been helped. He failed chemistry twice before a professor sent him to me for tutoring because I had helped several other students figure it out. I got him through 2 years of chem (plus a few battles with alcoholism and the legacy of his mental demons) and he got himself into nursing school... becoming a counselor for troubled / addicted teens when he graduated. A funny story: He had just gotten out of a bad relationship and had a few drinks (or 10) too many. I got a call from the local police who found him staggering the streets of town wearing the medal around his neck that matches the ribbon. The cops were ex-military, knew what it was and couldn't bring themselves to lock him up, so they called every phone number in his wallet until someone answered. I was #5 on the list. We had a great conversation that evening (none of which he remembered the next morning ).
:cornut: That is the Medal Of Honor. In the US there is no higher medal. It can be worn as a ribbon(shown above) or a lapel rosette but the medal itself is never worn in miniature. That medal can be worn any time or any place at the awardee's leisure. The citation usually begins with the wording, " For conspicuous Gallantry and Intrepidity at the risk of his own life and above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in combat............................................" To be described in those words.............................. Yeah your friend was/is a true hero and unfortunately many of those Heroes never escape the demons. God Bless Them, Jason
I had no idea until the end of my senior year in college... even after the incident with the cops. He gave it to me when I was moving out of the dorms and he had just found out that he had passed his last organic chemistry final exam. My room was empty, so I left the ribbon on my desk, sitting in the open, so I wouldn't forget it. A friend of mine who was deep into ROTC came by to say goodbye, saw it and flipped out. I asked him about it a few years later. I didn't get much out of him about what happened. From what I could piece together, he was the only one of his 10-20 person unit to come back from whatever happened... and that for years afterwards, he thought that they were the lucky ones. We kept in touch after graduation, with a phone call every year or so. I tried to call him last year and the phone number had been turned down. A google search turned up the obit.
Sorry to hear he passed on but with him having the MOH he is surely walking the halls of Valhalla with lots of other great warriors. RIP Harry! Might you know Harry's last name?
Hey don't let justa Jim fool you he is a great warrior even though he has been quite in this post he has some cool ass stories about flying birds and being in CID!
Those where basically a General Motors Unit Injector for GM diesels. GM made them available to the medical community without patent fees. Dave
Don't know what the mix was going in to boot camp but the 'overseas' concoction had typhoid, typhus, tetanus, plague and a couple others I can't remember...maybe distemper (if so, didn't help). Made me pretty sick for a couple of days.
:cornut: The problem with them is that when they are loaded up, they must be used within an hour and they can't be loaded for one or two people. One loads them and gives 20-50 shots or it's all wasted. Have to give three shots, you use syringes. Comprende? Jason