Motorcycle Mechanics Institute Harley Davidson Program

[river rat]

Jim B and anyone else that has been offended by my comment,
My comment was for people that are critical of our young/old service members that are fighting or have fought for OUR Country the good old USA.
Am I bitter at a portion of our society the answer is yes, allow me to provide a few examples?

1. Reporters in a war zone are required to be protected by service members, and then the reporters develop a negative story on an event (TIC) that had just happened.

2. Critics , in the good old USA arm chair quarter back an event that took place on the ground in a combat zone.

3. Critics in the airports that complain about our service members, because maybe the service members uniform may not be the cleanest. What the critics fail to realize is that the service member must likely is flying home on R and R from combat zone. In the middle of a one year tour.

Jim B, thanks for pointing out the lack of detail which led to misunderstanding the intent of my comment and thank you for you and your family’s patriotism
:cheers

 

[VACharvel]

Gentleman:

Please, lets not fight amongst ourselves...the sad truth is that there are people like Mr Wilson in the world that will never understand nor appreciate the sacrifices made by Veteran's of every era...in some way I feel for them, in others I loathe their existence, but regardless they do exist, but fortunately, they are few.

I could have blasted him verbally, but at the end of the day, what is the point...I thought it better to eloquently educate him with the reality and folly of his thought process, but I'm not naive nor stupid enough to believe that anything I say will have any impact on the man. He has his own conscience and demons to face eventually, I wish him well.

I have had a really hard time re-adjusting to being a civilian, this is much harder than boot-camp ever thought of being in many ways....but the world I am in now is much, much different than the world I left as a Active Duty Marine....

Perhaps one of the greatest quotes I ever heard about this subject is from a very unlikely source. Our Regiment in boot-camp had a Chaplain assigned to it like all the rest, but ours was different. He was a Marine combat Veteran from Vietnam and well decorated for both bravery and heroism. He left the Marine's, used the GI Bill for his new-found calling, the Catholic priesthood....he was in as good or better shape even at his age as our Drill Instructors, would run with us and do all the things Marine's do, and when things got tough would stick up for us on occasion.

He said "Freedom has a taste the protected will never know" and those few powerfull words have been etched with me since...

Personally, I don't care if you are a Veteran, ever served, wanted to but for whatever reason couldn't...that is irrevelent. The majority of American's, even though they may not fully understand what the military is, what we do, how we do it, or have any comprehension of what we see but they respect us, and that is what I think all Veteran's want...nothing more or less, just simple respect for doing something we believe in, for nothing else our friends and the burning ideal of freedom of all....

I've actually been told recently by a college admissions office after informing her I was a Marine Veteran she told me "I don't talk to people who have killed other people" and hung up on me....I don't know what is after this life, but if there is a retribution to be made, I hope she will see the light.

I often found it incredible once I got some rank, that a young Marine with a wife and child in the pay grade of E-3 and below made less money than the national poverty level set by the Government...yet this young kid is willing to put it all on the line. We have some incredible young people and leaders out there in our military folks, just ordinary people doing extraordinary things daily....

Most of my friends are Veteran's....and another group which is often wrongly maligned are my "biker" friends...whom I have found to be some of the best, most patriotic, and upstanding people I have had the pleasure to call friend....many of you are Veteran's, some combat Veteran's...and you certainly understand what the deal is....those of you that are with the Patriot Guard Riders and Rolling Thunder I humbly thank each one of you for I personally couldn't do it....the first protester I encountered would probably be beaten severely or worse as I don't know if I could stop once I started....so I will unfortunately never join your ranks for that reason but admire and respect you all who do.

 

[glider]

I feel all that has to be said has been said in this thread and before any more feelings get hurt or members bicker amongst themselves, this thread is closed as will be any others that start with a similar content.