The average age of the military man is 19 years

[Mark M]

I'm not one for chain mail etc., but I thought this one was worthy of sharing.

Mark

Subject: The average age of the military man is 19 years

The average age of the military man 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 howitzer. 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.   And now we even have woman over there  in danger,
doing their part in this tradition of going to War when our nation calls
us to do so.  As you go to bed tonight, remember this shot.. A short lull,
a little shade  and a picture of loved ones in their helmets.......  

Prayer wheel for our  military... please don't break it. Please send this on after a short prayer.  

Prayer Wheel  

"Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they  protect us.  
Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they  perform for us in our time of need. Amen."  

Prayer : When you  receive this, please stop for a moment and say a prayer
for our ground  troops in Afghanistan, sailors on ships, and airmen in the air,
and for  those in Iraq. There is nothing attached.... This can be very powerful.......  
Of all the gifts you could give a US Soldier, Sailor, Coast-guardsman, Marine  
or Airman, prayer is the very best one.

[WH_Conley]

Amen

[VA-Sawyer]

They do so much for us. Too many civilians don't appreciate  how much of their happy lives is the result of military sacrifice.
A very good post. Thank you  Mark for sharing.
VA-Sawyer

[DanG]

Thanks for sharing that well-written plea, Mark. Every word of it is true. But you can do more than praying for those guys. Send "Care" packages!  In every combat theatre, there are shortages of the things we take for granted. Find the address of someone, and just pack up a box of goodies for him or her. Include items such as toiletries(soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, deoderant, shampoo, etc) and some snack items. Believe it or not, one of the biggest hits that came in my care packages when I was in "Nam" was cans of boiled peanuts. :D  I love those things, but I would rather share them with guys who never heard of them, than to eat them myself.  ;D  Another thing would be the "one cup" coffee paks. You know, the ones that are like tea bags, but they got the java in'em?  Those would be a big hit for sure!   A good hand crank can opener is a good hardware item, too. Don't send home baked cookies or cakes, as they will just be a bag of crumbs when they get there. Of course, a bag of crumbs from home ain't always a bad thing, either. ;)  Don't worry that your "victim" won't like what you sent. These guys SHARE!

[DanG]

Thanks for sharing that well-written plea, Mark. Every word of it is true. But you can do more than praying for those guys. Send "Care" packages!  In every combat theatre, there are shortages of the things we take for granted. Find the address of someone, and just pack up a box of goodies for him or her. Include items such as toiletries(soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, deoderant, shampoo, etc) and some snack items. Believe it or not, one of the biggest hits that came in my care packages when I was in "Nam" was cans of boiled peanuts. :D  I love those things, but I would rather share them with guys who never heard of them, than to eat them myself.  ;D  Another thing would be the "one cup" coffee paks. You know, the ones that are like tea bags, but they got the java in'em?  Those would be a big hit for sure!   A good hand crank can opener is a good hardware item, too. Don't send home baked cookies or cakes, as they will just be a bag of crumbs when they get there. Of course, a bag of crumbs from home ain't always a bad thing, either. ;)  Don't worry that your "victim" won't like what you sent. These guys SHARE!  One of my buddies had an aunt who ran a gourmet food store. She sent little tins of stuff such as Goose Liver Pate', Chestnut Paste, and all sorts of other canned goodies. She sent plenty of crackers to go with it, too. His foot locker was a popular place. :D :D  Plain ol' Sardines are a good choice, too.  In short(Oops, too late ;D) spend the ten or twenty bucks to send a package to a trooper. They'll get a warm fuzzy from it, and so will you!

[Phorester]

Young men die when old men disagree.

[Texas Ranger]

No one hates war more than a combat vet, nor understands why it is necessary more than the same combat vet. They have looked into the eyes of the young and old in those third world hell holes and see the malnutrition, the fear, the lost dreams.  They have seen the mass graves, the killing fields, the tortured and mutilated bodies of men, women and children whose only crime was to want a future.  

It would be so easy to turn a blind eye on some Asian or African hell on earth, to look the other way and hum a happy tune.  Most of Europe has done so, perhaps in fear of reliving a bloody past.  

Men turn the tide, even 19 year olds.

Sleep well tonight, for rough men are awake to defend you.

[ARKANSAWYER]

   10 FT  tall and Bullet proof.  As long as we have them we will be free.  We will have them as long as we make them.  We make them by honoring the ones before them.  Respect them while we have them.  Support them as if they are our child.  I was told many years ago that Deer Camp was where boys learned to be men, Boot Camp is where we seperate boys from men, and the Battle Field made men wished to be boys again.
  Those who were never Vets will never understand the bond between them.
Sergeant U.S. ARMY
5 ft 10 inches with holes.
ARKANSAWYER

[OneWithWood]

A precious resource indeed.  Let us hope that our leaders do not waste such a resource needlessly.

DanG, thanks for your suggestions.  I had not thought to include a manual can opener with the canned ham I am sending my nephew.  He is a marine who just made corporal.

[MULE_MAN]

 DAN G

I didn't see anything about sending GRITS   Must have been a over sight HUH  ??? :D :D  ;D

[Texas Ranger]

Arky, Sgt. US Army, RA, no serious holes, but sprung a few  leaks 40 years ago.

[Ga_Boy]

Be safe brothers.  You will not be forgotten.

HOO YAH!!  

AMERICA!!!!!!!




Mark Strickland
U.S.N.
Petty Officer First Class
Spc Ops
Thats why my logo says "Rode hard and hung up wet, more than once."    

[DanG]

Mule_Man, where was my brain? ??? :  Of course, you should all send grits in every "care package!"   I guess I just thought it was so obvious it didn't bear mentioning.  Even packages of instant grits, or instant oatmeal, or instant anything else would be good. Like I said before, if the guy that recieves it don't particularly care for it, he will pass it on to someone who does.

When I was in "Nam", my buddy's "Gourmet Aunt" sent some packs of Kona coffee, but we didn't have no way of cooking it. I appealed to my parents and they sent an electric percolator.  'Bout a half-dozen of us hovered over that thing and savored the aroma for what seemed like hours!  When it was finally ready, we enjoyed the best cuppa Joe we EVER had! 8) 8) 8)

[Buzz-sawyer]

Dang
You have reminded me of a story a good friend of mine told about being stationed in China during WW2.
He said other than K-rats all they could get thier hands on was of course Chinese feed.
He often said,"I would of gladly given a $100 bill for a coke and a burger......any day."Thats in 1940's money ;)

[DanG]

Supply & demand, Buzz, supply & demand. ;) :D :D :D

[OneWithWood]

Well here's a fine how-do-ya-do . . . I have been searching all over for a shelf stable canned ham to send my nephew in Afghanistan.  It seems no one makes them anymore, or at least no one sells them anymore.  Something to do with liability issues I am told.  Seems strange, the beauty of the canned ham was the long shelf storage and ability to ship it.  A couple vendors suggested I send him a can of Spam - Yeah right, that would come back quicker than it got sent ???
Well what about Vienna Sausages or Steak Tenders?  So do you all think that is too much like the MREs?  I need to get something sent soon if it is going to get there during the holiday season. :

[Buzz-sawyer]

NO canned ham!!!
Preposterous! What is the world comming too?
Canned spam is canned ham...and OTHER stuff
I bet he will appreciate anything DIFFERENT than thier regular chow ;)
Found em...have it sent from the supplier to them...

http://www.pwclub.com/en-us/dept_1581.html

http://www.krakusfoods.com/canned.html