Thanks to everyone who has served our country. I am an USN Veteran. I served in Vietnam and like many others was exposed to Agent Orange. I’m grateful to the Phoenix Mayo Clinic for helping me with my prostate cancer issue and for this communication blog
I thank Zizzi’s Coffee too for my free coffee. 😋
@jerryegge
Thank you for your service. Sorry that you've had to deal with consequences from Agent Orange, but glad that Mayo is taking good care of you.
My brother served two tours of duty in Vietnam with the U.S. Army. I'm glad that he and you were both able to come back home.
And glad that Zizzi’s recognized your service and provided you with a good cup of java. ☕
My brother-in-law, who was also in the U.S. Navy, was on the USS Forrestal when the explosion occurred onboard while they were in the Gulf of Tonkin (Vietnam) in 1967. Thankfully, he was okay.
@itchyd
I'm glad that you didn't have to deal with Vietnam.
It definitely was horrible and for so long those vets didn't get the recognition that they deserved, although they sacrificed so much.
My brother-in-law, who was also in the U.S. Navy, was on the USS Forrestal when the explosion occurred onboard while they were in the Gulf of Tonkin (Vietnam) in 1967. Thankfully, he was okay.
The father of one of my Nimitz shipmates, Bob Williams, was also on the Forrestal when they had their big fire. He was OK, also. A lot of things went wrong that day and the use of a bunch of bombs that were way past their "best served by" date didn't help. A real mess. We had a fire that killed several people in Spring of '81 while we were heading to Gitmo while working up for a Med cruise deployment. It was bad, but nothing compared to the Forrestal disaster. John McCain was a real Navy hero who survived that terrible event.
@itchyd
I'm glad that you didn't have to deal with Vietnam.
It definitely was horrible and for so long those vets didn't get the recognition that they deserved, although they sacrificed so much.
So true. I think our involvement in SE Asia was misguided. But, that wasnt the fault of anyone who served over there. I would have been there, too, if I'd been a couple of years older.
The father of one of my Nimitz shipmates, Bob Williams, was also on the Forrestal when they had their big fire. He was OK, also. A lot of things went wrong that day and the use of a bunch of bombs that were way past their "best served by" date didn't help. A real mess. We had a fire that killed several people in Spring of '81 while we were heading to Gitmo while working up for a Med cruise deployment. It was bad, but nothing compared to the Forrestal disaster. John McCain was a real Navy hero who survived that terrible event.
itchyd
I'm glad your shipmate's father survived the Forrestal disaster. People don't always understand the potential for danger on naval ships/aircraft carriers. And like you said, a lot went wrong that day. And John McCain absolutely was a hero. He not only survived the Forrestal, he also survived five and a half years of torture as a POW in Nam (at the "Hanoi Hilton"). Veterans Day is a perfect time to remember and honor him. May his memory and legacy live on!
So true. I think our involvement in SE Asia was misguided. But, that wasnt the fault of anyone who served over there. I would have been there, too, if I'd been a couple of years older.
@itchyd
Although I'm sure Vietnam had been in the news, I guess I just wasn't paying much attention to it...until we got the news that a member of our high school senior class named Gilbert Wiley had been killed in Vietnam. He had left school to join the U.S. Marine Corps. and was only 18 years old when he died. He was a fun-loving guy and always had us all laughing in the cafeteria during lunchtime. @itchyd, with your sense of humor, you would have liked him. Thank you for your service and your sacrifice, Gil. ✝️
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@johnbishop
I think that a sea stories discussion would be interesting!
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2 Reactions@jerryegge
Thank you for your service. Sorry that you've had to deal with consequences from Agent Orange, but glad that Mayo is taking good care of you.
My brother served two tours of duty in Vietnam with the U.S. Army. I'm glad that he and you were both able to come back home.
And glad that Zizzi’s recognized your service and provided you with a good cup of java. ☕
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2 Reactions@johnbishop @itchyd @jerryegge
My brother-in-law, who was also in the U.S. Navy, was on the USS Forrestal when the explosion occurred onboard while they were in the Gulf of Tonkin (Vietnam) in 1967. Thankfully, he was okay.
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2 Reactions@itchyd
I'm glad that you didn't have to deal with Vietnam.
It definitely was horrible and for so long those vets didn't get the recognition that they deserved, although they sacrificed so much.
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Helpful -
Hug
2 ReactionsThe father of one of my Nimitz shipmates, Bob Williams, was also on the Forrestal when they had their big fire. He was OK, also. A lot of things went wrong that day and the use of a bunch of bombs that were way past their "best served by" date didn't help. A real mess. We had a fire that killed several people in Spring of '81 while we were heading to Gitmo while working up for a Med cruise deployment. It was bad, but nothing compared to the Forrestal disaster. John McCain was a real Navy hero who survived that terrible event.
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Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionSo true. I think our involvement in SE Asia was misguided. But, that wasnt the fault of anyone who served over there. I would have been there, too, if I'd been a couple of years older.
itchyd
I'm glad your shipmate's father survived the Forrestal disaster. People don't always understand the potential for danger on naval ships/aircraft carriers. And like you said, a lot went wrong that day. And John McCain absolutely was a hero. He not only survived the Forrestal, he also survived five and a half years of torture as a POW in Nam (at the "Hanoi Hilton"). Veterans Day is a perfect time to remember and honor him. May his memory and legacy live on!
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3 Reactions@itchyd
Although I'm sure Vietnam had been in the news, I guess I just wasn't paying much attention to it...until we got the news that a member of our high school senior class named Gilbert Wiley had been killed in Vietnam. He had left school to join the U.S. Marine Corps. and was only 18 years old when he died. He was a fun-loving guy and always had us all laughing in the cafeteria during lunchtime. @itchyd, with your sense of humor, you would have liked him. Thank you for your service and your sacrifice, Gil. ✝️
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Helpful -
Hug
2 Reactions