MOVING FORWARD
I'VE LEARNED THAT THE DETAILS OF ANY ONE PERSONS EXPERIENCES IN LIFE,, (BE THEY MINOR or MAJOR) FROM WAR,, TO A VOLUNTARY ADMITTANCE FOR DE-TOX AFTER YEARS OF ABUSING ALCOHOL,, (MY LAST DRINK WAS @ 2:30 Pm ON SEPT 18th,, 2004,,, PRETTY AWESOME FOR A MARINE HUH ??,,,,,lol) ,, I ALSO FINALLY BEAT THE NICOTINE MONKEY AFTER BEING A 2 PACK A DAY SMOKER FOR 43 YEARS,,,, I AM SO BORING NOW,,LOL OOOORRAAAHHHH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTORS (At least in my case) TO ONES BEHAVIOR & MINDSET ARE A LOVING SPOUSES DEATH FROM BREAST CANCER IN 1992,,,ONLY 3 MONTHS AFTER OUR 25TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY,,,,,, THE TRAGIC LOSS OF TWIN GRANDCHILDREN (EMILY & NOAH) WITHIN AN HOUR OF BIRTH & A FAMILY MEMBER ESTRANGING HIMSELF FROM ME FROM HIS BOYHOOD ,,,
THEN,,, THERE'S SERVICE RELATED DAMAGES,,,, RIGHT ELBOW INJURY REQUIRING MEDICAL EVAC.,,,, (& SUBSEQUENT SURGERY) WHILE ON PATROL ,, AFTER WE DE-"LOUSED" A VILLAGE,,,, & INTESTINAL PARASITES,,, (HookWorms) FROM SWAMP CONDITIONS & PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) ,,,,,,THESE MEAN VERY LITTLE IF ANYTHING TO THE PEOPLE READING THIS WEB PAGE BECAUSE THIS IS ONLY A "READ" & THE READERS HAVE THEIR OWN TRIALS & TRIBULATIONS TO CONTEND WITH.
HELL ,, MY USMC BUDDIES BARRY LEYDECKER FROM BEAUMONT TEXAS & GEORGE P. HOFFMAN FROM WISCONSIN KNOW ME BETTER TODAY THEN MY OWN FAMILY & THAT'S AFTER 40 YEARS.
SOOOoooo,, I'LL ONLY SAY I AM A 2 TOUR USMC COMBAT VET OF VIET NAM. I WAS ORIGINALLY AN MOS 3531,,,, (Military Occupational Specialty) MOTOR TRANSPORT DRIVER & BECAUSE I FIRED HIGH EXPERT ON QUALIFICATION DAY ON PARRIS ISLAND (Recruit Basic Boot Camp Training),,,, I WAS SELECTED TO BE A SCOUT/SNIPER FOR THE 3RD BATT..,, 7TH MAR. REG. ,,, 1ST MAR. DIV... I WAS HONORED TO BE SELECTED & I ATTENDED SCOUT/SNIPER TRAINING IN DA-NANG SOUTH VIET-NAM.
IN TODAYS CORPS,, MY MOS WOULD HAVE BEEN AN 8541. THE MOS OR THE "JOB" WAS CONSIDERED CRITICAL AT THAT TIME. THAT'S WHY MY ENLISTMENT OF 3 YEARS WAS INVOLUNTARILY EXTENDED ,,, SO THAT I COULD MAKE MY 2ND TOUR OF VIET-NAM,,, THE 1st TOUR WAS IN QUI-NOHN PROVINCE & THE 2nd TOUR WAS IN CHU-LAI.
THE ISSUED WEAPON OF A SCOUT/SNIPER BACK IN 1964 WAS A BOLT-ACTION 30 CALIBRE MODEL # 70 WINCHESTER MATCH-GRADE RIFLE WITH AN 8X GAS FILLED UNERTL SCOPE. SIDEARM PROTECTION WAS THE RELIABLE 45 CALIBRE M-1911 A1
SEMI-AUTOMATIC PISTOL.
MOST VIET-VETS (If not all) LOST SOME VERY CLOSE FRIENDS IN COUNTRY. IF NOT,,, THEY'RE FORTUNATE INDEED. I PERSONALLY MOURN FOR MANY,,,,,, INCLUDING CPL. BOBBY DAVIS (1st Forced Recon,,,, My Liberty DAWG) LAST SEEN LAYING ON THE HELICOPTER STORAGE LEVEL ON THE (LPH) U.S.S. IWO JIMA MORTALLY WOUNDED & LITERALLY FOLDED IN HALF SIDEWAYS.
I MOURN FOR MY NIAGARA FALLS FRIEND & PARRIS ISLAND BOOTCAMP BUDDY,,,, (PLATOON # 206) GARY L. HENDERSON WHO WAS KILLED IN HIS FIRE-TEAMS FOX-HOLE WITH 5 OTHER MARINES AFTER THE VC OR THE NLF (National Liberation Front) BOOBY-TRAPPED THEM ALL WITH GRENADES & WIRE OR TWINE AS THEY SLEPT. I ENJOYED OUR FRIENDSHIP GARY & YOUR WEDDING.
THERE'LL BE NO CRITICISMS FROM ME ON SOMEONE NODDING OFF GUYS,,, TO WHOEVER WAS SUPPOSED TO BE AWAKE. I'VE (WE'VE) BEEN THAT TIRED ALSO,,,,AFTER BEING UP FOR 48 HOURS & THEN PULLING GUARD,,,, I CAN RECALL HALLUCINATING & SEEING CHINESE JUNKS COMING AT ME OUTTA THE BUSH ,,, THE MIND WANDERS & SEEKS REST & JUST ZONES OUT. REST IN PEACE GUYS.
I MOURN ALL MY USMC COMRADES EITHER KIA OR MIA OR WIA ,, & HONOR ALL,,,, BE THEY SURVIVORS OR THOSE THAT WERE MORTALLY WOUNDED IN COMBAT OR PASSED ON FROM NATURAL CAUSES,,,,, PARTICULARLY MY FELLOW COMBATANTS FROM LIMA 3/7 WHO ARE GOING THRU THE SAME TRIALS AS I AM TODAY,,,, WITH PTSD,,, SOME,,, EVEN MORE ILL FROM AGENT ORANGE. WE HAD A VERY CLOSE & UNIQUE BOND.
BEING IN H&S COMPANY BUT BEING ATTACHED TO A LINE COMPANY WHILE DOING PATROLS WITH MY GRUNT BUDDIES,,, I ALSO MOURN THOSE WE LOST THAT I REALLY ONLY KNEW ON A PASSING BASIS. TO THOSE WE LOST I SAY SEMPER FI & REST EASY MARINES.
THANK YOU V.A. HOSPITAL (BUFFALO) FOR MY XANAX, EFFEXOR, TRAZADONE, & HYDROXYZENE. YES,,, I SLEEP AGAIN WITHOUT SERIOUS PROBLEMS EXCEPT EVERY NOVEMBER 10TH. THE DATE IS SIGNIFICANT TO ME BECAUSE IT'S THE BIRTHDATE OF THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS ,,,,, BEING FORMED IN TUNS TAVERN BACK IN 1775. IF NOT ORGANIZED IN A TAVERN OR BAR THEN WHERE ???,,lol
TONY SKI,, LIFETIME & ENDOWMENT MEMBER OF THE NRA,,, LIFETIME MEMBER OF
V.F.W. POST # 7275 HERE IN LANCASTER N.Y.,,,, LIFETIME MEMBER OF THE USMC SCOUT/SNIPER ASSOC. PAST R-5 GENERAL T-SKI IN THE CSA & A MEMBER OF THE NEW FRONTIER COALITION. ALSO,,,, A PROUD FIGHTING MEMBER OF "BODLEYS BASTARDS",,,, (Oh,,, that DAMNED Media Huh ?)
I HAVE 13 RIBBON/MEDAL DECORATIONS & STILL MISS THE PURPLE HEART I FEEL I JUSTLY DESERVED BECAUSE OF SMASHING MY ELBOW OUT ON PATROL,,, BEING KNOCKED TO THE DECK WHILE UNDER MORTAR FIRE,,,, REQUIRING SURGERY @ CAMP KUE ARMY HOSPITAL ON OKINAWA,,,,, THE PARASITES IN MY INTESTINES (HookWorms From Swamp-Sleep) & YES,, MY DEALING DAILY WITH PTSD.
IN MY OPINION.... 2 FAIRLY UN-REMARKABLE TOURS ,, BUT I FEEL BETTER VENTING & PUTTING SOME THOUGHTS DOWN. THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION IN READING THIS. I KNOW THIS CAN BECOME A BORING READ VERY QUICKLY.
LEARN JUST 2 THINGS,,,,,,
1ST,, WHATEVER YOU DID FOR YOUR COUNTRY IN A MOST HONORABLE FASHION IS NOT TAKEN INTO
CONSIDERATION BY THE BUREAUCRATS & NEOCONS TODAY. THE STRUGGLES I WENT THRU WITH THE TOWN CLERK IN TRYING TO GET MY PROPERTY TAXES REDUCED AS A COMBAT VETERAN WERE GIGANTIC. THE PROBLEM BEING,,,, THE ARCHIVES WILL NOT RELEASE MY 201 FILE (SERVICE RECORD BOOK). NO,, IT WASN'T DESTROYED ,,OR LOST. I GET EXCERPTS & BLURBS FROM MY 201 FILE,,, BUT THEY ALWAYS HAVE A PAT EXCUSE AS TO WHY THE REST OF MY PERSONAL DATA IS CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE.
I PROVED TO THE TOWN CLERK WHERE I WAS (BUT NOT WHAT I DID) FROM THE INFO. ON MY PLATOON DIARY. THANK YOU MR. PAUL ANGRISANO (VETERANS AFFAIRS) IN SECURING THAT INFO. FOR ME.
WHERE YOU WERE,, WHAT YOU DID & WHAT YOU SAW ,,, "IT DON'T MEAN NOTHIN'"
THE NAM VETS NEVER GOT THEIR "WELCOME HOME" OR THEIR DAY IN THE SUN. I'LL NOT SPLIT HAIRS HERE WITH THE PUBLICS ACCEPTANCE OF OUR HEROIC GULF WAR VETS. vs THEIR "NONE" ACCEPTANCE OF MY GENERATION OF NAM VETS. WE DIDN'T LOSE THAT WAR ,,,, WASHINGTON DID.
2ND,, TIME DOES "NOT" HEAL ALL WOUNDS OR MEMORIES. THE SHADOWS LURKING IN YOUR MEMORY WILL LURK THERE FOREVER. IT'S 42 YEARS NOW & I STILL CARRY THE SPIRITS WITH ME,,,, SO JUST COPE & ROLL & ACHIEVE !!!!!!. NO-ONE REALLY CARES WHERE YOU'VE BEEN OR WHAT YOU'VE DONE.. YOU'LL GET THE OBLIGATORY "Thank You",,,, BUT THAT'S ONLY A SYMBOLIC GESTURE,,, NOT GENUINE BECAUSE IT WAS AN "ACTION" THAT DIVIDED THE COUNTRY.. SO WE ALL SUFFER UNTO OURSELVES FOR OUR PAST DEEDS !!!!!
GOD BLESS YOU & YOURS & SEMPER FI !!!!!!!!!!
IF YOU REQUIRE ANY ADDITIONAL INFO. OR HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS OR YOU SHOULD FIND ANY DEAD LINKS,,,,MY E-MAIL ADDY IS Did_My_Tours@Webtv.net
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