Thanks to All That Served

[Gerry Zagorski]

We owe you all a debt of gratitude!

[shrimpman steve]

Here! Here!

[Foul Hook]

I usually try to get out fishing on Veterans day but the forecasts did not cooperate. Never serving in the armed forces I feel a strong debt of gratitude to our service men and women. I feel we owe it to support them whether it was in war time or peace, to honor them and our flag , on this day and all others. Thank You God Bless

My grandfather served 4 voluntary tours of duty on the USS INTREPID starting at the age of 18. While Touring the ship with him some 25 years ago, many years after serving, he would recall fallen shipmates names and quote where they were from among other stories about the crew as if it was yesterday. His photo is portrayed in the Intrepid museum as he looked into the gaping hole in the flight deck that a kamikaze's plane had blown through when he crashed his plane into the hanger bay below. Truly amazing things these young men and women went trough so we enjoy our freedoms to this day. So Thank you to Seaman Edward G Sanborn and all others who served for my freedom. Many gone but not forgotten. Tony.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Yes thanks for your service Seaman Edward G Sanborn.

Pretty amazing what these young men in their late teens endured. It changed them and our country forever!

My uncle Ted served in the Navy during WW2 in a Mine Sweeper. He never talked about it but some of my other uncles told me what he went through and he was never the same.

He wasn't much of a talker but was never at a loss for words when it came to talking and giving presents he made by hand to me and my cousins.

Thank you for your service also Seamen Ted Cieslukowski. I can't even begin to imagine what you went through...

[bunker dunker]

thank you Gerry and all that are wishing us the best.
usmc 1978-1984

[dakota560]

I try every day, not just Veterans Day, to consciously acknowledge we wouldn't be the same country or have the same lifestyle if it weren't for the efforts of our military. People who show up for work everyday not for a paycheck but for a sense of pride, obligation, commitment and selflessness to keep us and this great country we live in safe.

You're heroes in every sense of the word and as others have pointed out we owe you the deepest debt of gratitude.

Happy Veterans Day to all who have served, past and present, and even more so for our fallen heroes who paid the maximum price for the freedom we enjoy each and every day. You're efforts and sacrifices will never be taken for granted or forgotten! Veterans Day and what it represents is 365 days of the year.

[Gerry Zagorski]

thank you Gerry and all that are wishing us the best.
usmc 1978-1984

Thanks for your service Bunker Dunker!

[Gerry Zagorski]

I try every day, not just Veterans Day, to consciously acknowledge we wouldn't be the same country or have the same lifestyle if it weren't for the efforts of our military. People who show up for work everyday not for a paycheck but for a sense of pride, obligation, commitment and selflessness to keep us and this great country we live in safe.

You're heroes in every sense of the word and as others have pointed out we owe you the deepest debt of gratitude.

Happy Veterans Day to all who have served, past and present, and even more so for our fallen heroes who paid the maximum price for the freedom we enjoy each and every day. You're efforts and sacrifices will never be taken for granted or forgotten! Veterans Day and what it represents is 365 days of the year.

Well said Tom!

[Gerry Zagorski]

A little more on this...

I see a lot of thanks up on Social Media sites today but let me share a story with you all to make it more real and personal...

You're 18 or 19 years old just out of high school and World War II is in full swing. You're in a little Coal Mining town in PA and probably never been outside your county or state. You either volunteer now or you are drafted at 21. Many volunteered early out of duty to their country and to choose the branch of the military they wanted to serve in. My Uncle Ted Cieslukowski volunteered and enlisted in the Navy.

Fast forward to around 1965 ish when I remember meeting him. He never married and was a bit of a loaner. He wasn't much for hanging out with other adults and talking but he always lit up when his nieces and nephews paid a visit. He never did discuss his experience with any of us kids which in hindsight was probably best.

Later in life I found out Uncle Ted was assigned to a Navy Mine Sweeper that was sunk by an enemy torpedo and all these brave men wound up in the water and most did not make it. Uncle Ted somehow managed to survive but he was changed forever.

Fast forward to 2020... Can any of you even imagine as a parent what it would be like to see your son or daughter sent off to war? Could you imagine being 18 or 19 like Uncle Ted and leaving your family and friends and having to endure what he did and living with that the rest of your life? Let that sink in....

God Bless America and God Bless all our Veterans! If it weren't for you, we might all be speaking German right now. Let that sink in too...

Thank you for your service Uncle Ted. You and countless others sacrifices changed your lives, ours and the fate of our entire country.

[dales529]

Great post and story Gerry as usual on this day! Hard to imagine what they all went through and go through to preserve our freedom. I always try to complain a little less on veterans day and acknowledge those that served.
God bless our Vets and THANK YOU all.

Bunker Dunker: My guess is that sea bass, Tog and crappies wished you stayed away a bit longer!
Thanks for your service

[dakota560]

thank you Gerry and all that are wishing us the best.
usmc 1978-1984

BD... A special thanks to you my friend and the many other veterans and military personnel still serving from all of us on this site for your sacrifices and courage to preserve the life we know and live today. No amount of thanks can pay enough tribute to the sacrifices and courage military personnel like yourself and so many others have laid down at the altar of freedom. A very special thanks to you and all others who have and still do serve in our Armed Forces today, in particular the families of those who have experienced tremendous pain and suffering and great losses over the years. In spite of our shortcomings, we're all blessed to live in a country where so many brave men and women put us before themselves and their own personal safety. God bless the USA and God bless our military and Veterans!

[june181901]

Thanks for expressing your gratitude. I always say it was an honor.
USAF '63 to '84. Nineteen months in Vietnam.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Thank you for your service June!

[bunker dunker]

glad ya got home June.stay well & God bless

[Pennsy Guy]

It's a day after but I, like most vets, feel that although separated from active duty, our enlistment is never done- every day is "we're ready", at least in mind. I really miss seeing & talking to the WW2 vets who came in to shop. Since last year only one has come in this year--,really depressing to see our hero's enlistments finally end.

USN Air, 1957-1963. 30 months in ECMRON 2. (currently FAIRECONRON2)