OT: Those Who Served

[itjclarke]

Originally Posted by Theo_450

Great Thread! My old man flew an F-4 Phantom in the Vietnam era. He should have a card! He is my hero!

Thankfully he did not loose his life, but many of his friends did. God bless them all.

The Phantom was a beast! My dad was tied to an RF-101 squadron that flew tactical reconnaissance, mostly over Cambodia and Laos. He was in the region between around 1960-1966. He was an intelligence officer so did not fly missions, but lost many friends as well. My dad is my hero too.. as are the many millions in the service who've risked and/or given everything.

-Adding photo, in parachute training prior to oversees

[Piratedogcardshows]

Great thread.Im also very grateful for all the hard work and dedication giving by all members of the armed forces.Here is my contribution on a veteran major leaguer.Hank Gowdy was the first active major leaguer to enlist for service in WWI.

[arc2q]

I'm in the Navy and saw yesterday that the Navy announced the creation of the "Bob Feller Act of Valor Award." This from the Navy's website:

"The Bob Feller Act of Valor Foundation has established a
prestigious award, named in honor of Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher,
National Baseball Hall of Fame (NBHOF) inductee, and Navy veteran Bob Feller.
Mr. Feller enlisted in the Navy shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor while
he was with the Cleveland Indians, becoming the first American professional
athlete to enlist. He served in USS ALABAMA (BB-60), and while doing so, the
ship fought in both World War II theaters and earned eight battle stars. Mr.
Feller was released from active duty achieving the rank of Chief Petty
Officer, and is the only Chief Petty Officer in the NBHOF."

"This unique award is intended to recognize a representative from
three critical areas of Mr. Feller's life: his MLB career, his service as a
Navy Chief Petty Officer, and his enshrinement in the NBHOF. As such, the
award will be presented to one MLB player, one Navy Chief Petty Officer, and
one member of the NBHOF on Veterans Day, 11 November 2013 at the Navy Memorial
in Washington, DC."

I will certainly be there at the Navy Memorial to not only honor those awardees but to find out which current MLB player and which HOFer they recognize. Interesting award from the Navy.

Thanks to all the Veterans past and present for fighting for our freedom.

Also Thanks to the EMT's, Firemen and Police Officers who gave their life to protect us.

[Jacklitsch]

"The Phantom was a beast!"

My favorite. A squadron of the F-4's was attached to the USS Forrestal when I was aboard 1961-1964. Watching them take off and land from high above on the conning tower was always a thrill. Never got tired to it.

Thanks to all who served especially my father-in-law Nick who served in WW2.

[packs]

Here's a photo of Babe Ruth signing bats for soldiers while he was in the New York National Guard.

Each bat has a base's name on a tag telling you where it's going. There's also a box of 49 signed baseballs at the base of the bats.