A final resting place----

[RadarTech]

Folks,
Many of you know I am a former Marine..
I have helped in several projects and often think back to to my time with great pride...

As the fellow Marines on the forum know... and likely many others..
Once a Marine Always a Marine...

Well tonight I got an email with a link in it..
and after reading that link I had to share...

Two Homeless Vets Buried at Bliss

The article discusses a Soldier and Marine that died homeless and likely alone. A group of people gave them a place of honor and final send off with full honors.

Right before I typed this note-- I sent that link out to several people I know to see if we have anything going on like this in our state.

It is sad to see a homeless person, but to me, a homeless Veteran is truly humbling...
Sure some have problems, but they took care of US!!!!

So what I would like to encourage everyone to do:

Check with your local veterans organization.... see if they have done anything like this.. See if you can help....

If you are a member of one of the many veteran's organization---
If you don't do anything, see if it is needed and start helping.

For the Marines out there... We never leave a fellow Marine behind, let's see if we can get a place for our leathernecks to rest in peace....

For the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Coast Guardsmen, I have no doubt that you too will step up.. It is a honorable respectful mission to undertake.....

I'll update this thread with the efforts we do...


Please let us all know your thoughts and ideas....


Semper Fi,

Just another Marine

 

[CubMon]

Radar,

My heart is so saddened hearing about this sort of thing. Once in a while I see these people that are vary apparently homeless and they look so familiar, they are my age and look just like me - my generation. It's scary that in our society some people can get so far out and off track because there are so many ways and interested people, this should not happen at all. These folks are due very much for what they have done in their past such as volunteering themselves into the Marine Corps and serving the country but they, for whatever reason have chosen their own path. I help when I can....I have stopped my auto and walked back to talk with a lot of these folks and most of them are very aware, not addled, not drunk, and not stupid, just choose to be what they are and want to be. We are all just a few paychecks away...

My wife works in this area of Social Services. She's been working at this since she chose the career back in the 70's. I'm a Vietnam veteran and I've personally encountered some who blamed us for the war - they took our pride and stomped it. I appreciate the acceptance that veterans get today but us older ones know that it is only superficial and by the grace of God, I found another way. God help those guys who never recovered. My heart knows where they are.

 

[1950T]

i dont have the words so ill leave it at that.

Semper Fi brothers.

 

[Cat_Driver]

Last week I drove my wife 1500 mile so she could visit her Uncle in the old Vet home.

I don't think I've me a kinder man than Lyod. He enlisted in the Army when he was 15 spend 4 years fighting the war got out and then enlisted with the Marines and kept fighting in another war.

He got shot up pretty good and written off for a goner on the beach but I guess he was either too good or too stubborn to die so he make it and got better. Well those war wounds haunted him his whole life but you would never know it from him.

Well today kid liver and kidneys have given up on him and he's just enjoying the days he has left feeding the birds and squirrels that come around the hospice.

The look on his face when my wife visited him was priceless and when he asked while she was leaving..... " are you going to visit me again?". Knowing she wasn't because of us leaving the next day she did all she could to hold it in.

I could count two fingers how many men I look up to and respect and he's one of them.

Nothing more gets in my craw than to see people step on or burn our American Flag.

The amount of blood we have given for that flag is disconcerting because that blood was spilled to give people the right to step on and burn the American Flag.

Semper Fidelis Lyod.

 

[jimmyj]

Some pretty humbling posts fellas. Thanks for sharing.

 

[keegs]

A quarter of the homeless in America are veterans. This is a national tragedy.

 

[SimS]

Gentlemen;

Whenever I hear stories like Radar's and think about the injustices endured by some of our Vets, I remember a great poem by a Viet Nam veteran. It always reminds me that a Veteran can lose his home, job and other "things" but he can never lose the pride and memories of serving his country. Even though the poem is 40+ years old, it's message is timeless and timely. I hope you enjoy it. I always get a tear in my eye and remember some of my friends who have fallen in the service of our country. As others have posted, please support the Veterans whenever and wherever possible.


Rough Men

There's a character trait that's decided by fate
Comes (sadly) to many, far too faint, far too late.
They won't face the aggressor, stand up to his ire
They have not the will to fight his fire with fire.
So they bend over backwards to see all sides as fair,
Till they're faced with dragon breath fire in their hair.
Like our brethren in France, who'd know better than we,
Yet seem never to learn, seem doomed never to see.

Yes, it seems there are some who're determined by fate,
To possess not the courage to step up to the plate,
Who shrink from all threat because nothing's worth war.
But how can they know lest they've been there before?
Thank God some have courage, the will, yes, the grace,
To stand for the shirkers, stand strong in their place.
Thank God we have stalwarts who'll stand for us all,
Who will rise to the challenge at their nation's call.

The faint hearted, who fear, whose reaction is flight,
Have no comprehension of those who will fight.
To hide their own trepidation they attempt to demean
The rough men, who defend them, as barbaric, obscene.
Yet these rough men stand ready, hard weapons to hand,
To put placaters behind them, draw a line in the sand,
To preserve for the peaceniks what they won't defend,
So their own unearned freedom won't perish, won't end.

To appeasers, rough men are coarse government tools.
To rough men, appeasers are dumb delusional fools.

Russ Vaughn
2d Bn, 327th Parachute Infantry Regiment
101st Airborne Division
Vietnam 65-66

 

[polo1665]

A quarter of the homeless in America are veterans. This is a national tragedy.

This post led me to look up a few facts. They are shocking to say the least. Someone who served to protect this country should not have to worry about a roof over their head.
Here's some Q and A.

National Coalition for Homeless Veterans - Background & Statistics

I've never served in the armed forces, but I appreciate and respect those who have.

Mark

 

[Lloyd_E]

This post led me to look up a few facts. They are shocking to say the least. Someone who served to protect this country should not have to worry about a roof over their head.
Here's some Q and A.

National Coalition for Homeless Veterans - Background & Statistics

I've never served in the armed forces, but I appreciate and respect those who have.

Mark

AMEN!

 

[jimmyj]

This post led me to look up a few facts. They are shocking to say the least. Someone who served to protect this country should not have to worry about a roof over their head.
Here's some Q and A.

National Coalition for Homeless Veterans - Background & Statistics

I've never served in the armed forces, but I appreciate and respect those who have.

Mark

Amen x2

Sadly, war heroes suffer in all countries. Here is a sad story about a great Canadian war hero who ended up selling his medals for booze and died living alone at the Sally Ann.
Tommy Prince - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia