First off, I want to say [bow]THANK YOU!! [bow] to all who have or are serving in the United States armed forces. Without you who knows where we would be.
I was just wondering how many modelers out there on the forums are service personnel or have friends and/or family that are? I have a friend who, is in the Navy, and one in the Marines serving in Iraq right now. Also, maybe not on their priority list, was wondering if they might have access to the Trains forums?
Take care Lance and Tony and may you all come home safe! You are all in my prayers.
I have a niece who’s husband is about to retire from the Air Force.
I served in Germany and Italy from '67 to '70. I still have a couple of kit bashes that I did while in Italy from Atlas structures that were available in the PX. Many of the guys in the barracks started building car models after they saw what I had done. I ended up doing an Avainti as a rally car to give them an idea of how they could add to the kit. They ran out of small tools and Xacto knives in the small PX that we had. There wasn’t any encouragment in the service club so most was done in the barracks and even our commanding officer was intrigued after an inspection.
I was in the U.S. Navy and I have two sons who were Marines. It really isn’t necessary to call for those who were in the military. There aren’t a lot of us, but we’re still around.
After a year in school, I served 2 years in the Med and another year at Sanford Florida. Sanford was closed a long time back.
US Air Force 1996-present. Served in Bosnia and Iraq with the Army on the ground as a combat weather team leader. Currently completing my PhD in meteorology at NC State University with a follow-on assignment to Air Force Weather Agency at Offutt AFB, NE.
My wife is Air Force (1996-present). I was Air Force, active duty 1995-1999 (cable dawg), Texas ANG 2001-2004 (weather). Would’nt trade it in for the world!!!
I served in the US Navy as a boilerman aboard two ships from 78’ -82’. The military was and still is a very rigorous affair and want to send my thanks to those that are and have served.
One thing I found out by traveling abroad in the Navy is that The United States of America is the BEST place anyone can be a citizen of in the entire world. It took the dedication of thousands of military personnel that unselfishly served and died to make this country the greatest in the world and we all owe them a debt of graditude.
Next time you feel you have it so bad here, just remember that you could be living in a country where your house is a grass hut and all there is to eat is dirt with a government that oppresses every thing in your life. Thanks to the vets that died on the battlefield to keep this a free nation, we can live in a country that we can say and do as we please with no limitations on how far we can go through life as individuals. Thank you vets!..chuck
If I may, I’ll include my late father in this list. His love of trains – both prototype and model – inspired mine. At twelve years old (1937), he won a contest in Model Builder magazine – I still have the Lionel O-guage Hudson that was his prize. He served in WW2 with the 104th Infantry “Timberwolves”, seeing 195 consecutive days of combat and liberating the Nordhausen/Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp.
[The patch of the 104th Infantry “Timberwolves”]
My Dad passed away about a month ago – the first structure of my layout will be the “Timberwolf Den” as my small tribute to him and all our veterans.
My father and most of my uncles served during WWII. I was just too late for Korea, but spent most of my 26 year Air Force career on the far side of the bigger puddle (and drew combat pay for part of it) before being consigned to caring for holes in the ground with warheads in them.
I served around the periphery of the Southeast Asia War (Vietnam was hardly the only country involved in it!) My hat’s off to those who were in the thick of it, and in all of America’s wars before and since.
I didn’t and can’t but here are some, in addition to the two I mentioned at the beginning; My best friend Pete K. USAF was an FAC on the ground with Rangers 94-97 (May have rubbed shoulders with you, Dave Vollmer?), my 2nd cousin Justin H. now US Army was in Oregon NG. in Iraq(was thought to have been vaporized by the IED that took the legs of another solder who later was able to jog with the President), my Dad and late Uncle John USAF during the Korean “Conflict”, other uncles USN USS Boxer and Coast Guard, fellow Nscale club members (Mike A. ONG, Wayne W. US Army and Holly H. USN subs in WWII and Korea), cousin Philip USMC, some Great Uncles (one was US Army Air Corp worked on B-17s & B-24s South Pacific), Great Grandpa Union Army, Charlie USS Hornet, Millt USMC and my friends who are Nam vets, my friends in the USMC who served 1,2 & 3 tours in Iraq, the kid I gave a bad time in school who later flew F-15s in the first Gulf War and the many more I can’t remember right now. With out you we all could be some place wishing we knew what a train or a computer was. And to all the war protesters who couldn’t protest without a veteran risking their life…[sigh] Peace and Freedom is valued and wanted because it ain’t FREE.
USAF, in Amarillo TX during the Cuban Crisis. Can’t say I really ‘served’ my country like a lot of others–I was a Bandsman with the 589th USAF Band. Played piano and percussion, did a lot of gigs around the Midwest, played piano with the Dance Band at the Officer’s Club on Friday and Saturday nights (TONS of Glenn Miller, LOL!). Got out before Vietnam exploded, so I suppose you could say that I was ‘between’ everything. Dumb thing–one of my kidney’s went on ‘furlough’, result of childhood Bright’s Disease. Other one took on double duty while the hospital at Amarillo AFB tried to get me back working. Best hospital I’ve ever known. Now I know why God gave us TWO of certain things.
My highest honor and respects to our servicemen, past and present, all over the world.
And for those MR servicemen serving right now–may you come back to lots and LOTS of affordable Yellowstones, by golly!
