hello all,
In the past few weeks i have been getting Funeral Notice's form People i have served with in the Service in my youth.
So i thought to start a thread about Service Personnel you know who have "Bought the Farm"
You can list what ever you think is important to pay respects to your Friends.

When i was in,we had a guy from Oregon,a big country Man, who i went through Basic,AIT and the same Unit with.
when we went incountry He carried the M-60,i had a M-14 with extra rounds for his weapon.
during a Firefight he had the flank and covered us with on target fire.when we finally push them back,he gave them some parting gifts.
When we rallied,he did not show up.a couple of guys and myself went to get him.we found him slumped over his gun,we turned him over and found he had been ht 3-6 times,but he still gave us the fire support we needed before he died.
with out him,we would have been wiped out.i think about him every day,and wish him To Rest in Peace wherever he is.

i just came back from a Funeral for a Guy i know in the service.their was 3 of us there,no one other then the Family could come.the taps was a recording,but there was the riflemen to give the honors and to fold and present the Flag.
His Name was Staff Sargent Charles Fenwick,he served in Korea and Vietnam.he received the Purple Heart with 3 Clusters,the Bronze Star with a V,and a bunch of both Korean and Vietnamese Medals.
He Served His Country When Called Upon and May He Rest in Peace

I hope this thread will Serve as a reminder that the Freedom's we have are sometimes watered with Blood of it's Citizens Called to Defend Them.
Please feel free to Honor your Comrades in Arms here,If you wish.
cheers,
Bruce

My Godfather was a fighter pilot in WW2 with 10 kills to his credit. He mustered out at the war's end and joined (and flew) with the Nat'l Guard.
When Korea sparked up in 1950, he re-upped and again flew P-51's then F-86's. After Korea, he again was with the Nat'l Guard in his State.
When Viet Nam occurred, he was considered too old to fly fighter jets but being a flier at heart he convinced them that he should be flying and thus ended up piloting a C-47 gunship.
One day in early 1967 he was KIA when his a/c and crew were shot down.
He did what he did the best time after time for his country. RIP Karl M. Waldron Jr.

"Freedom isn't free: somebody paid." I met a young man in boot camp at MCRD, San Diego. He had a lot of trouble in school because he was bored. A judge gave him a choice of jail or the Marine Corps. He took the Corps, and became a good Marine.I had some college, and we talked a lot about what I had studied, and he finally told me that when he got out of the Corps he wanted to go back to school, and study "things" so he could talk to people like I did. I never saw him again after our training ended. He went to Viet Nam. One week, Life Magazine printed the photographs of the 250 men killed that week. There was his picture. Died because he was initially bored by the California School System. I still think of him, after 44 years. I know he is in the company of heroes. I will never forget.

To all of you who have served, I offer my thanks for your service, and a hearty "Welcome Home." Thanks for reading my tale.

Matt
USMC 65-71