I wonder if we'll have a pissing contest for Remembrance Day threads

[Asher]

Loin would be doing his country a disservice by enlisting. His talents would be wasted in uniform.

[SlowwHand]

It was a poor suggestion for a few reasons.

A) As I say, it would unlikely be seriously considered.
B) If the moon turned blue and an actual attempt to enlist were made, in all probability the offer would be refused by the Recruiting Station.
C) If Recruiters waved the enlistment through, a completion of the enlistment term would need to be met. An enlistment period cut short by a Bad Conduct Discharge would follow one around for the rest of their life.
Clearly, my suggestion was faulty.

Now, I'm going to collect my free veterans meal at Applebee's.

[DaShi]

It was a poor suggestion for a few reasons.

A) As I say, it would unlikely be seriously considered.
B) If the moon turned blue and an actual attempt to enlist were made, in all probability the offer would be refused by the Recruiting Station.
C) If Recruiters waved the enlistment through, a completion of the enlistment term would need to be met. An enlistment period cut short by a Bad Conduct Discharge would follow one around for the rest of their life.
Clearly, my suggestion was faulty.

Now, I'm going to collect my free veterans meal at Applebee's.

How degrading

[loinburger]

Retardation Station

So you're the culprit behind zakudl.

[Boris Godunov]

This is exactly how I pictured Remembrance/Veteran's Day being honored on Poly.

Anyhoo...

Mom's dad: Served in WW2 in the Battle of the Bulge as an artillery unit officer. Was promoted to Captain at the end of the war, but didn't find out about the promotion until months later. His best story was the one about kicking the **** out of a French villager who refused to give any water to his men after they'd liberated their town from the Germans. He saw a concentration camp in-person (not sure which one, one of the smaller ones I think), including the boxcars stuffed with corpses. He also developed a love of ships when he came back from Europe aboard the Queen Mary. Granddad passed away in 2005 one day shy of his 86th birthday. We did get to take him to the WW2 memorial in DC the year before he died, but he wasn't impressed with it.

Dad's stepdad: Infantry grunt, also fought in Europe towards the end of the war. I don't know any stories from his time in the war. He's currently living in Mesa, AZ.

Mom's sister's husband: Vietnam veteran. He was stationed in Germany afterwards, and retired as a Captain from the army. Now an accountant in San Antonio, TX. My aunt has good stories from when they lived in Germany, but I don't know anything about my uncle's actual wartime service, as he won't talk about Vietnam.

I appreciate their sacrifices greatly.

[KrazyHorse]

but he wasn't impressed with it

A man of good taste, then.

[loinburger]

The story from my ground-crew grandfather that sticks out in my mind was of the time he was a passenger/co-pilot in a P-38 (the ground crew had to have x flight hours in every time period t), and the pilot decided to be a jackass and turn off one of the two engines (on a plane that wasn't supposed to be able to fly on one engine) saying "are you scared hyuck hyuck?" to which my grandfather said "you're in this plane too, dumbass," which deflated the pilot who then turned the second engine back on.

[Boris Godunov]

but he wasn't impressed with it

A man of good taste, then.

Indeed! I found it cold and monolithic.

The Korean memorial is still my favorite--very moving, very intimate and personal.

[Drake Tungsten]

Ming is still the bigger jackass of the two brothers, but rah made a valiant attempt to move ahead of him with this performance.

[Dinner]

[Asher]

OMFG put that 48 inch monstrosity away.

[Tuberski]

Grandpa #1 was a lt. working as a mechanic on P-38's in the Pacific theater. Grandpa #2 was a PFC captured early in the war and subsequently death-marched across the Bataan peninsula.

LTs do not work as mechanics. He may have been an LT the led mechanics or mechanic that was field promoted to LT.

ACK!

[KrazyHorse]

Tuber, you do realize that this was back in WWII, right? The organization of the USAF may have changed since then...

[Tuberski]

I watched Baa Baa Black Sheep http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073961/, and their lead mechanic was a SGT.

How dare you doubt me!!!!!

ACK!

[loinburger]

Jesus H Christ, this will learn me not to post about anything but dickgirls...