Lars Mars
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11/11/2022 10:05:34 PM
Armistice
And we know it as Veterans' Day, so I hope all our vets had a pleasant, peaceful day.
But this post is about the original day, what became known as Armistice Day.
At the very end of one of the most horrific wars in our long and ignoble history an end to hostilities was agreed to take place at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
I always wondered how many poor bastards died that morning, last minute casualties.
I saw a documentary recently that answered that question and a search for last day of World War I will yield a number of others.
Anyway, the quick version is in this article:
11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month
And I'm glad you vets are around to remind us all that freedom isn't free.
Thanks, Glenn
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Stoneman
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11/12/2022 1:50:15 AM
Got up early this morning and did my martial arts workout in the park. Kind of got lost in the moment and before I knew it. I was back there and I could hear the thunderous sounds of war and smell freshly applied napalm all around me in the jungle. I found myself reaching for my gun with fearful anticipation of a firefight. Then, I heard my neighbor ask "You Okay Stonewall"? Coming back to reality I muttered yeah I'm good chief. But I was not! "Good" that is. For just a few seconds I had gone back almost 50 years to a time I thought I had long left behind. The smells, the sounds and the blood. They all came rushing back into a dormant consciousness! I was piloting my boat down the Mekong while keeping an open eye for the enemy. The enemy? In my mind it is obvious that they still seek to destroy me and my men. My men........one by one I reflected on those that had been lost to the enemy. There were some whose bodies we never found. No closure! Nothing concrete to tell their families. Just nothing! I wiped away a tear and then realized that it was the reason my neighbor was concerned about me. "Thanks Chief" (he is also a Brown water Navy vet) "Happy Veterans Day Sailor" was my hearty reply. "Same to you sailor" was his. He gave me that knowing look that we all have. i went home and beat the shit out of my yard dummy. Another veterans day survived. As I write this I can faintly hear radio Hanoi in my head. Thank God I am home and those sounds are not real. Are they? Heeeee Yah! Palm strike to the head of fear, Yeek! Panther fist to eyes of bad memories! Whoa! snake fist to the mouth of shame and Keeeeeyah! side kick to the groin of
PTSD. Aiiiiieeeee! Chop choi back fist to the face of war. Martial arts salute and bow. Then I went and had a free stack of pancakes at IHOP. That shit was good! Happy Veterans Day to me!
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