Zartoff is a VIETNAM WAR ERA VET too.
Sheesh! I replied to this thread with a pretty long post and when I got ready to submit it the forum asked me again for my login and password. When I did that the forum told me the thread I was replying to didn't exist any more. It also threw all that I had typed into the bit bucket. Okay, so I'm again trying to post and trying to remember what I said before but this time I'm going to type it into NotePad then cut and paste it into the forum.
ratt said:
be reminded that the majority of people riding harleys today were of draft age during vietnam. That war took 58 american lives ....you will find that most people of that age group, have either served in the miitary or got drafted or drew out of vietnam though the lotto......
rat, thank you for this post. I appreciate and respect your opinion. But not everybody who lived the sixties are today's gung-ho war supporters.
I was born ten (10) months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. If one were to click on my profile, they'd see my photo and also my age. I'm probably older than you
but that's neither here nor there. In 1964, I applied at my local NAS in Dallas for navigator training. I passed all written tests and the flight surgeon spent the better part of a day trying to get my eyesight to pass requirements but was unsucessful. I really wanted to be a Naval aviator. Oh well.
A year later, my wife and I, who were childless, decided to split the sheets. We both agreed to end the marriage and my draft board got notified very quick. At that time the draft wasn't taking married guys however, they did take them later into the war. The draft board notified me to take the pre-induction physical and I passed it. The doctors there told us that the draft was needing only infantrymen at that time. A co-worker told me about a local Air National Guard squadron that was taking recruits with our (his and mine) skills and training (electronics and electrical power). I interviewed with the Squadron Commander, took and passed their exams and was sworn in as A3C with a AFS of 30430, Radio Relay Equipment Repairman.
When I got home that day after enlisting, my official "GREETINGS" letter was in my mailbox ordering me to report for active duty. I called the board and told them I had already enlisted and the board member said in that case, they'd just have to go down the list and grab the next one.
I served six (6) years in the Texas Air National Guard, the same unit and at the same time as President GW Bush. I never ran into the president during those years and, unlike the President, I fulfilled my obligation in the Guard and never missed a drill. Our unit was advised every drill to keep our affairs in order and to be prepared to go active at any time but we were never activated. At the end of my enlistment I held the rank of SSgt, pay grade E5, with an AFS of 30450. My Air Force Serial Number is AF25990402. This was *before* they started using SSN's as the serial number.
ratt said:
We have a volunteer military now.....even the war protestors of the 60s ....support the young people who are in the military today ..... If you wanna ride with war protestors ,, get yourself a dilly cycle and start riding with the young kids ,,, they are the ones who are into this anti bush , anti war thing and are willing to go vocal on it .....The rest of us old guys are just trying to ride and have fun. If you didnt get to live the 60s in real time ,,,, a harley group isnt the place to pretend...pretty well all of us have been there done that. This post isnt a political thing ,, its just the reality of the situation.... rat
I did live the sixties. I have
been there, done that. I saw President Kennedy in his Dallas motorcade 15 minutes before he was assasinated. I remember Kent State tragedy. I saw Jack Ruby kill Lee Oswald LIVE ON TELEVISION.
Those who served in the military during 'Nam were mostly drafted. They didn't "choose" to serve; they were ordered to serve. I think the troops of VietNam should have had all the public "Support the Troops" backing moreso than today's military. Why? Because today's is composed entirely of volunteers. The troops of today CHOSE of their own free will to fight in Bush's trumped-up war. It was their decision to be Bush's invaders and they should have been aware of the consequences of volunteering. Very different than 'Nam.
I don't think a responsible citizen can just go willy-nilly with a leader who got into office through the courts and has to support his lies and motives. Think what better use the country could have had with the wasted resources spent on Iraq. The absolute best way to support today's troops is to bring them home.
I wish I had an emoticon for it but can't find it so I'll just close with...
P E A C E {salute(