VIETNAM VETERANS OF MECHANICSBURG All Gave Some, Some Gave All you are NOT fogotten
	WELCOME HOME and WELCOME ABOARD CLICK HERE TO ENTER OUR SITE We change often - please visit often 30 March 1973 - the day the war ended but it has never ended for our POWs and MIAs and even for some who came home
MISSION STATEMENT To aid healing in the lives of all veterans, promote understanding of veteran-related issues in the community, and to educate the public on POW/MIA issues from all American Wars and to never forget those still unaccounted for in our hearts and minds
Do you remember taking this oath?? I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God. Did you notice the reference to God? Did you notice that there is no expiration date to the oath? That means that once you swore this oath, it was to be in effect for THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!
THE MOST HONORABLE GENERATION Vietnam Era Veterans are the most honorable generation ever to serve the United States of America. They served, fought for this nation, carried the wrongful shame the nation heaped upon them and have given over their entire lifetimes into service to this nation as "Active Duty" Veterans who never left military patrol &endash; so that this nation could heal and become proud once again. As this nation healed, Vietnam Era Veterans taught the nation the true meaning of honor, that no one should ever be left behind, how to fight terrorist style warfare, how to conduct clandestine rescue, how to serve one's nation and the true meanings of the terms Fellow Citizen, Warrior, Veteran, Valor and Commitment. They have set the standard of honor for every subsequent generation of Active Duty and Veteran. No other generation of United States Warrior or Veteran has ever served its nation to such an extent or ever taught it's nation so much honor. No other can ever be the first to do so! Vietnam Era Veterans have set the standard of excellence in Honor, Duty and Country…...for all eternity.
If you can read this web site, thank a teacher - If you can read it in English, thank a veteran

We went as strangers, Then we became friends, Then we came home as brothers and sisters Sam Lewis 9 May 2009

A veteran is a person who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check to the United States of America payable for an amount up to and including the sacrifice of his life.

WE WELCOME ALL VETERANS, THEIR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS Click link below to write to one of our deployed Heroes

Please remember PFC Bowe Bergdahl in your prayers POW with the heartless Taliban bastards captured 30 June 2009 still making a sacrifice for his country we MUST not ever forget him read about him here

STILL IN THE FIGHT Please remember our Wounded Warriors and keep them in your prayers Wounded Warrior Regiment Wounded Warrior Project

 

A Thank You to all Vietnam Vets from a Marine in Iraq A guy gets time to think over here and I was thinking about all the support we get from home. Sometimes it's overwhelming. We get care packages at times faster than we can use them.  There are boxes and boxes of toiletries and snacks lining the center of every tent; the generosity has been amazing. So, I was pondering the question: "Why do we have so much support?" In my opinion, it all came down to one thing: Vietnam Veterans. I think we learned a lesson, as a nation, that no matter what, you have to support the troops who are on the line, who are risking everything. We treated them so poorly back  then. When they returned was even worse. The stories are nightmarish of what our returning warriors were subjected to. It is a national scar, a blemish on our country, an embarrassment to all of us. After Vietnam, it had time to sink in. The guilt in our collective consciousness grew. It shamed us.  However, we learned from our mistake.  Somewhere during the late 1970's and on into the 80's, we realized that we can't treat our warriors that way. So ... starting during the Gulf War, when the first real opportunity arose to stand up and support the troops, we did. We did it to support our friends and family going off to war. But we also did it to right the wrongs from the Vietnam era. We treat our troops of today like the heroes they were, and are, acknowledge and celebrate their sacrifice, and rejoice at their homecoming ... instead of spitting on them. And that support continues today for those of us in Iraq. Our country knows that it must support us and it does. The lesson was learned in Vietnam and we are all better because of it. Everyone who has gone before is a hero. They are celebrated in my heart. I think admirably of all those who have gone before me. From those who fought to establish this country in the late 1770's to those I serve with here  in Iraq. They have all sacrificed to ensure our freedom.  But when I get back home, I'm going to make it a personal mission to specifically thank every Vietnam Vet I encounter  for THEIR sacrifice. Because if nothing else good came from that terrible war, one thing did. It was the lesson learned on how we treat our warriors. We as a country learned from our mistake and now we treat our warriors as heroes, as we should have all along.  I am the beneficiary of their sacrifice. Not only for the freedom they, like veterans from other wars, ensured, but for how well our country now treats my fellow Marines and I. We are the beneficiaries of their sacrifice. Semper Fidelis, Major Brian P. Bresnahan United States Marine Corps

A Soldier Died Today He was getting old and paunchy And his hair was falling fast, And he sat around the Legion, Telling stories of the past. Of a war that he once fought in And the deeds that he had done, In his exploits with his buddies; They were heroes, every one. And 'tho sometimes to his neighbors His tales became a joke, All his buddies listened quietly For they knew where of he spoke. But we'll hear his tales no longer, For ol' Bob has passed away, And the world's a little poorer For a Soldier died today. He won't be mourned by many, Just his children and his wife. For he lived an ordinary, Very quiet sort of life. He held a job and raised a family, Going quietly on his way; And the world won't note his passing, 'Tho a Soldier died today. When politicians leave this earth, Their bodies lie in state, While thousands note their passing, And proclaim that they were great. Papers tell of their life stories From the time that they were young But the passing of a Soldier Goes unnoticed - and unsung. Is the greatest contribution To the welfare of our land, Some jerk who breaks his promise And cons his fellow man? Or the ordinary fellow Who in times of war and strife, Goes off to serve his country And offers up his life? The politician's stipend And the style in which he lives, Are often disproportionate, To the service that he gives. While the ordinary Soldier, Who offered up his all, Is paid off with a medal And perhaps a pension, small. It is not the politician or news reporter With their compromise and ploys, Who won for us the freedom That our country now enjoys. Should you find yourself in danger, With your enemies at hand, Would you really want some cop-out, With his ever waffling stand? Or would you want a Soldier-- His home, his country, his kin, Just a common Soldier, Who would fight until the end. He was just a common Soldier, And his ranks are growing thin, But his presence should remind us We may need his like again. For when countries are in conflict, We find the Soldier's part Is to clean up all the troubles That the politicians start. If we cannot do him honor While he's here to hear the praise, Then at least let's give him homage At the ending of his days. Perhaps just a simple headline In the paper that might say: "OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING, A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."

NEVER AGAIN

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