A shout out of thanks to all Veterans that served. THANK YOU for your service.
US Army, Sgt.
Photographer
1969 - 1978
Dave Taylor
Ditto what Dave said.
F Troop, 17 Cav, 196 LIB Chu Lai, 1970
Ditto wishes.
I noticed in today’s paper that today in 1972, Long Binh Post was officially completely turned over. I was responsible for turning over Section 7 of 13. Still have my copy of Property Books. I left in October '72.
Yeah, we were all so skinny then. I went over 185 pounds, came back 155. My Grandma took one look at me, I thought she was going to force feed me in the parking lot!
100 years ago WW I ended. What did the world learn?
In Flanders Fields
John McCrae, 1872 - 1918
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place, and in the sky,
The larks, still bravely singing, fly,
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead; short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe!
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high!
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Happy Veterans Day
Spec 5 Gary Armitstead
U.S. Army
August 1967 Mekong Delta
A Co., 3/60th. 9th INF DIV Mobile Riverine Force
1966-1967
My family is lucky, 3 currently living vets have had narrow escapes from death in war zones.
During the Vietnam war era Dad narrowly survived a helo crash, I think aboard a carrier, when a blade fragment passed through the fuselage a bit above his head. To this day at 78 years old he does not like to hear helos.
My brother, a now retired Warrant Officer, narrowly escaped in Somalia when his patrol was confronted by a few grenades tossed over the streetside garden wall to land at their feet: they turned out to be those Soviet grenades where 2 steps were required to arm them, only 1 had been done. They completed the second step, returned the grenades to sender and just kept walking down the street.
Oldest nephew was a radiology tech in Iraq when one day he was called in to work on his day off and while he was at work a mortar round hit his quarters, destroying some of his clothing and his laptop.
And now come to mind the families of those veterans who were not allowed escape ...
Here’s our county seat farm burg’s Veterans’ Memorial. Photo was taken November 1st on an overcast and slightly damp day but the leaves were colorful.
Gary Armitstead said:
Happy Veterans Day
Spec 5 Gary Armitstead
U.S. Army
August 1967 Mekong Delta
A co., 3/60th. 9th INF DIV Mobile Riverine Force
1966-1967
Awww, Gary my friend.
It is hard to believe that it has been 50+ years since we were in the shit, admittedly different piles, but still in it.
Hope this Veterans Day finds you healthy and happy.
Rick and Rinny,
Vietnam 67-68
Rick Marty said:
Gary Armitstead said:
Happy Veterans Day
Spec 5 Gary Armitstead
U.S. Army
August 1967 Mekong Delta
A co., 3/60th. 9th INF DIV Mobile Riverine Force
1966-1967
Awww, Gary my friend.
It is hard to believe that it has been 50+ years since we were in the ****, admittedly different piles, but still in it.
Hope this Veterans Day finds you healthy and happy.
Rick and Rinny,
Vietnam 67-68
Hey Buddy,
Yeah 50 years…we must have been having a good time because it really flew by 
! I hope you had great day thinking about old times. Dave called me yesterday and said I needed to call you about the K9 Convention in San Diego :). I’ll give you a calll this week.
Take care.
Gary, glad you made it back, it was not fun over there. Smithsonian channel had a show about the Vietnam gun trucks. Many they show were in my convoys to Pleiku and back to Qui Nhon. Two mountain passes meant a lot of ambushes. Too cold/windy/snowy today to run my military train. Glad I did it awhile back.
Jerry,
I see you are still in KN and not KS! What gives?(https://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-undecided.gif)
US Army, Sgt
Field Artillery
'77-'84
25th Inf Div & NATO
Our own Paul Burch, Gig Harbor, WA…Paul just sent this to me with a Veterans Day greeting. Paul is in the middle, back row. He said it was OK to post. Ft. Huachuca 1965. Very early drone in the background. 4 cylinder. He said they were being deployed to White Sands for training with the drone and the RedEye shoulder fired missile. This photo was take at the drone school.
EDIT: Got some new information from Paul. These guys were still buck privates when this shot was taken :). They were just finishing AIT at Ft. Huachuca and then would go to Ft. Bliss, TX and White Sands. He said the drone was to be a “target” for the trainees on the RedEye missile.
'Sidenote": Paul and I were drafted the same day in March of 1965. He went right in! I was at the tail end of a semester at Glendale College and got a one semester deferment to finish the semester and then I would be called again within a month or two. Well Uncle Sam works in strange and mysterious ways. I waited a few months and no draft notice. I started working in my die sinking trade as a die sinker. in October 1965. I received my 2nd draft notice in early January 1966 and was given 9 days to report for service. In the meantime, the owner of the company I was working for said he had already submitted my approval to receive an 8-year long apprenticeship. The Army didn’t care :). Came back two years later after Vietnam and restarted my life and spent the next forty-five years in the trade including my apprenticeship finally.
Funny story…I was doing Basic at Ft. Bliss, Tx. Paul and I had not seen each other after he was drafted and I had no idea where he was. Then one afternoon after chow, guess who walks in? Paul with nice weathered fatigues and a crease down the trousers that would cut paper (AND a stripe). He looked like a “lifer” to me. I was surprised and happy to see him. We had a few minutes to BS and catchup on old times. I believe we were polishing boots (when did we ever NOT polish boots!)
Paul and I go back a “few” years :). Good ones too. Still playin" with trains…65 years later.
