Armed Forces Salute

Every man and woman who put on a uniform no matter the branch have one thing in common, we all served. Ask the Army veteran who was saved by a Marine does he really care which branch the man was in, he will probably say no. The Marines will say that they have the right to question those of us in the Army about our parentage. But as my best friend who went into the Marines and I the Army said, the sailor, soldier, coastie and airman, are my little brothers and sisters and only I get to pick on them. Anyone from outside that has never served has no right to criticize.

I know everyone has heard about the interbranch rivalry. Ask a Marine about the Army and they will laugh and say we question their parentage. Ask the Air Force what they think of the Army and they say unlike the Marines, we aren't ashamed of the branch that formed us. Ask the Navy how they feel about the Marine and they will say ask them what their paycheck says, Department of the Navy. Yes we razz each other, but it is all in good fun, but let two civilians walk into a bar and see a soldier drinking by himself and attack him with a bar full of Marines and see what happens.

We are all brothers and sisters in the same fight together. The Navy pounds the land from the sea to soften the targets for a land invasion. If the Marines or Army are pinned down, they call the Air Force for air support. We work together as a team to achieve the same objective. If we fail on the battlefield, then we have the National Guard to protect our home shores, if not, that is where the second amendment comes into play.

I have seen many of our citizens walk up and thank a soldier for serving and that is refreshing to see. It brings up their moral, puts a smile on their face and let's them remember why they fight. I have seen homecomings put on by the NFL and other professional sports franchises. Did you know these franchises have the nerve to bill the Department of Defense for the expenses of welcoming home a veteran. Do you feel this is right? This another reason why I have stopped following almost every professional sport in America.

Have you ever seen a soldier crying at the airport? Maybe he is dreading going back into combat, or maybe he is suffering from PTSD, Perhaps you could check on them to see if they are indeed ok. I suffer from PTSD, anxiety and depression so I could be having a flare up of that. As a veteran, I have had kids come up to me and give me a hug for serving, which is nice.

Whenever you see a person in uniform please beware there is something called stolen valor out there. This is where a person will dress to impress, have all of these medals on their uniform and have numerous ranks on their uniform. All you have to do is ask them where they are stationed, their M.O.S (job), and see if they are indeed telling the truth. Ask them where they did their basic training. If you know a veteran and see this tell them or ask them if they know the correct answer.

I saw a video where a soldier walked in to get a cup of coffee and the waitress said that would be no charge. The other man sitting at the counter looked at his tattoo and asked himself if he was chopped liver. A young boy comes over and thanks the soldier for serving and ask if he could get his picture taken with the soldier. Then the boy goes over to the gentleman sitting at the counter and asked the man if he was a hero as well. He then pointed to the soldier in uniform and said he told him he was. The man said we did the best we could. The boy requested a picture with the older soldier, and as the uniformed soldier left he said thank you for your service.

I also saw another video where a grandfather gets into his car and is listening to the news. He said some people sure have short memories. They go to a movie theatre where they are showing highlight of various wars and the grandfathers said to each of their grandchildren, I fought for you.