Pearl Harbor Day today 7 DEC 41

[painter777]

They earned the title of the "Greatest Generation".

Those of us who had family serve in WWII and or Korea, but were to young to serve in Vietnam, looked at our Vietnam vets as 'OUR' Greatest Generation. Very much like how our current Vets now serving are getting respected.
Times are changing.... Our military and their families are starting to get what they deserve... The love and respect from us civies.


CH-P777

[painter777]

If I may add,
The Vietnam Draft, The story told by my Uncle Vernon about how mad he was about being drafted. He said there he set in school when they came after him to report. He had no idea at this point he'd even been drafted. When I asked him if that was what upset him, he'd say no. It was the fact he was the only one taken out of school to report. At the time he was in 6th grade
He was rejected because of eye problems. But the story has lived on and still provides countless laughs !

Cheers
Charlie-Painter777

[lemaymiami]

I went to my recruiter in the late summer of 1967 - after being suspended from college for one semester... As the little old dean put it -"Son, you're going to continue your education by other means...." and I suspect they notified my draft board immediately.... This was well before the lottery and anyone not in school was prime draft material. I signed up and it took a few months before they brought me aboard - in the meantime I got two draft notices and took each one to my recruiter to deal with... I finally took the oath in early January 1968. For me it was like finally growing up since I'd lived on military bases all my life in one place or another. -and I did "continue my education"....

[JimF4M1s (Deceased)]

I didn't have the means to pay for a four year college. After my servicetime the GI bill allowed me that opportunity.

[imarangemaster]

Ken Burns "The War" was an excellent description of the war and how it effected those on the front and those at home.

[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

Watching the news and some young folks I know the often used label of "snowflake" really seems to fit. It seems as though life has become to easy for the young. The deprivation & hard ship of my grandparents & parents generation and even the earlier "baby boomers" seems to me to provide a level of
toughness which to a great degree is lacking in many of subsequent generations. There are obviously exceptions to this generalization. I am wondering if others here find this to be true?

[lemaymiami]

I did 22 years in police work and was lucky enough to rise in rank during those years... At one point I was in charge of personnel functions for my 100 man agency and as a result got to interview many young candidates for police officer, both male and female... As a rule candidates with military service were head and shoulders above the others - no matter how well educated the other candidates might have been... so they were the first ones we considered if possible.... The only candidates with a better chance at being hired were those that brought additional languages to the table (and we needed every language under the sun -not just the spanish you'd expect in south Florida..).

Nothing like military service to mature and give a sense of discipline and responsibility in my opinion. Yes, you can obtain it "elsewhere" but the military does it much quicker and better. Veterans as a group are just head and shoulders above folks who've spent all their years in school with very minor real world experience....

I have no idea how policing selects their candidates these days since I retired out in 1995....

[AFJon]

I did 22 years in police work and was lucky enough to rise in rank during those years... At one point I was in charge of personnel functions for my 100 man agency and as a result got to interview many young candidates for police officer, both male and female... As a rule candidates with military service were head and shoulders above the others - no matter how well educated the other candidates might have been... so they were the first ones we considered if possible.... The only candidates with a better chance at being hired were those that brought additional languages to the table (and we needed every language under the sun -not just the spanish you'd expect in south Florida..).

Nothing like military service to mature and give a sense of discipline and responsibility in my opinion. Yes, you can obtain it "elsewhere" but the military does it much quicker and better. Veterans as a group are just head and shoulders above folks who've spent all their years in school with very minor real world experience....

I have no idea how policing selects their candidates these days since I retired out in 1995....

Chatting with the recruiting officers (Highway Patrol, CSPD, El Paso County Sherriff, Douglas County Sheriff, DPD, and PPD) military experience is highly desired.

[Jefe]

Folks talking about Vietnam and the draft. I was already "in" when I read the draft numbers. I was 322. If I hadn't raised my right hand earlier, I probably would have never had the honor of serving.

[JimF4M1s (Deceased)]

I was already in as well.
But if I had waited my draft lottery number in 1969 was 35, and in 1970 it was 29.
Glad I enlisted.