My morning

[NanceUSMC]

Welcome back old friend.

Good to see ya brother =)

[NanceUSMC]

I second this...you should post here more often Nance. Just some word of advice...STAY OUT OF NEWTON THREADS! :D

LOL, I've seen them... ;-)

I'm still around, I just tend to lurk more than anything these days... Posting an opinion, of any kind, is typically just a way to get flamed these days...

[sunbunny]

(((HUGS))) Great to see you on here!

I hope you get to talk to him again. Thank you for sharing.

[Davidson Deac II]

I watched the Pacific about a month ago. IMO, the Marines and Soldiers in the pacific probably served on the most difficult front of all the US forces. The barbarity on some of those island battles probably approached that of that of the Russian front, albeit on a smaller scale.

They definitely have my respect and admiration.

[NanceUSMC]

(((HUGS))) Great to see you on here!

I hope you get to talk to him again. Thank you for sharing.

Big hugs to you too, hun! =)

[NanceUSMC]

I watched the Pacific about a month ago. IMO, the Marines and Soldiers in the pacific probably served on the most difficult front of all the US forces. The barbarity on some of those island battles probably approached that of that of the Russian front, albeit on a smaller scale.

They definitely have my respect and admiration.

The whole time we were talking, the images from The Pacific were running through my mind... I wanted to ask him if he hopped any of the other islands, but didn't want to be too much of an imposition... I get the feeling that donut shop is his regular hangout (I think I've seen him in there before, actually), so I may ask him if I see him again...

[Hawk]

sorry Nance....hugs from me too!!!!!

[NanceUSMC]

sorry Nance....hugs from me too!!!!!

LOL

Hugs to you too brother :thumbsup:

[Panthers128]

dunkin donuts or krispy kreme?

[NanceUSMC]

dunkin donuts or krispy kreme?

Neither... It's a little independent store... Real small, but excellent donuts... Bit expensive, but close enough to keep me from going elsewhere...

[NanceUSMC]

That's awesome. I bet he really enjoyed talking with you, too.

I'll never know the camaraderie that those in the military feel toward one another, but I do admire and respect it.

Ya know, you talk about that camaraderie, the whole conversation when he was talking about Marines, he was referring to me as 'we' and 'us'... That was quite humbling...

[Panthers_Lover]

I woke up this morning and decided to go get some donuts for the family for breakfast, something I'm doing with far too much regularity these days. As I was standing there waiting for my order to be filled, a fragile looking, elderly gentleman came in. The cashier greeted him by name, and he responded by greeting her by hers. He walked over, fixed his own cup of coffee, and went to sit at what I can assume is his regular table with the gentleman he came in with. So I paid for my order, and headed towards the exit, but as I passed him I saw he was wearing a Marine cap and jacket. I stopped and asked him if he served. He said he did, of course. I told him I was a former Marine as well. He smiled a big smile, and shook my hand. I then noticed a patch on his cap that had only two words on it: "Iwo Jima". I asked him, "did you serve on Iwo Jima?" "Yes, sir", he responded, calling me 'sir' like I warrant that from a man of his experience and years. He said, "can you believe that was 66 years ago?" I asked him how old he was when he was on the island. He told me he was 17 when he went in, and 18 when he was on Iwo Jima. I told him I couldn't imagine the hell he had been through. I asked him how long he was on Iwo. "Six weeks", he said. All I could do was shake my head in amazement. I actually felt starstruck, so to speak. He told me how they sustained 80% casualties, how his captain was wounded, how the chaplain had blessed them as they disembarked the ship and assured them they would be back in 72 hours. He told me about going to his reunion for the survivors. He was very eager to talk, and I got the feeling if I'd been able to pull up a chair and stay, he'd have spent hours telling me of his adventures. This man lived through something that most of us cannot fathom. Something we can only read in books, or see in movies. I shook his hand, again, and thanked him not only for his service, but for the sacrifices he made for me, you, his country and the world. This was a very rare treat, and a story I just had to share. Think I might go back next week for more donuts.

I read this post after reading (for some totally unknown reason) a post about some stupid crap some high school students pulled that didn't even make sense. What a difference.

You have redeemed my day on the board. An awesome story.

Thank you for that, and thank you for your service, and God bless both of you.

[TarPanther9180]

Neither... It's a little independent store... Real small, but excellent donuts... Bit expensive, but close enough to keep me from going elsewhere...

Britts? :D

[Epistaxis]

Ya know, you talk about that camaraderie, the whole conversation when he was talking about Marines, he was referring to me as 'we' and 'us'... That was quite humbling...

Because you are a former Marine too buddy.

You never know, he might enjoy chewing the fat with you, and might not have anyone in his life interested in hearing his stories (hard to believe, but I've heard that before).

A lot of those guys are in the twilight, and maybe he might enjoy talking...finally.

My uneducated guess is, he'd rather share with a Brother like you.