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Brothers of Briar

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Viet Nam 1968-69. 25th Infantry Division. Bravo Company 1/27th Infantry (Wolfhounds). Platoon Leader 1LT. Proud to have served. I can't say I would do it again but I'm glad I was ready and able to serve.
 
Co A, 2/327 Inf 1/101st Abn RVN 66-67
Co A, 2/505th Inf 3/82nd Abn RVN 1/68-5/68
MOS: 11B4P

A big hand salute to you gentlemen and to all the others.
 
A salute to my three score brothers and appreciation for your service and courage during tough times. I too am a three score man but I had not been called. I was a college undergrad between '66 to '70. We all recall the lottery then that young guys today know nothing about. We lived through a crap shoot. I got a lucky number and was not called. One day on either side of my birthday would have put me with you in Nam. I finished college but did not have the pleasure of a graduation ceremony due to the Kent State riots and the shut down of all universities in this country in the Spring of 1970.
 
1st Special Forces Group (Abn)
3rd Special Forces Group (Abn)
20th Special Forces Group (Abn)
1973 -2010
 
Considering from where I am, it should be understood that I have never been in any Military at home, as in 1989 when we got back independence I was already too old and I was told that I will be more useful in my main professional field which is culture (history, art, conservation, teaching).

But let me quote General George Patton Jr:
"Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men." I refer here to constant non violence (from our side), with no military weapons fight for (now excuse me that I use of so banal today word): Freedom.

I have in mind here the informal educational activities ("Flying Universities", and so on) and the informal editing movements, where we have been publishing up to 50.000 copies of books that were considered as crucial in fields like: true history, also economy, sociology, etc. Listeners and readers were also so called "simple people" (like our later President, Lech Walesa), who have later surprised the former regime with their knowledge and level of real education. I also have in mind different activities/actions of the Committee for helping internee d persons and their families that was existing officially after introduction of Martial Law, December 1981.

And there had to be some forms of security of mentioned activities. I repeat that this security was performed with no weapons whatsoever from our side.

So I give myself a moral permission to salute all here.
 
Jar":c2u42wed said:
Considering from where I am, it should be understood that I have never been in any Military at home, as in 1989 when we got back independence I was already too old and I was told that I will be more useful in my main professional field which is culture (history, art, conservation, teaching).

But let me quote General George Patton Jr:
"Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men." I refer here to constant non violence (from our side), with no military weapons fight for (now excuse me that I use of so banal today word): Freedom.

I have in mind here the informal educational activities ("Flying Universities", and so on) and the informal editing movements, where we have been publishing up to 50.000 copies of books that were considered as crucial in fields like: true history, also economy, sociology, etc. Listeners and readers were also so called "simple people" (like our later President, Lech Walesa), who have later surprised the former regime with their knowledge and level of real education. I also have in mind different activities/actions of the Committee for helping internee d persons and their families that was existing officially after introduction of Martial Law, December 1981.

And there had to be some forms of security of mentioned activities. I repeat that this security was performed with no weapons whatsoever from our side.

So I give myself a moral permission to salute all here.
Click to expand...
You, sir, fought the "shadow war" and deserve as much, if not more, credit for Eastern European liberation as any of us who served on the other side. I spent my entire military career, in two services, in the Intelligence field as a Russian linguist. I've never been to Poland, but I was stationed in a town called Wildflecken, Germany, when the Soviet Empire imploded. Wildflecken is about 12 km, as the crow flies, from the former East-West German border. After the fences came down, I used to drive over into the Eastern Zone occasionally. Compared to what I'm used to, the conditions were appalling.

Allow me to salute you, sir, and not the other way round. Without men like you, we could very well still be one rifle shot away from nuclear holocaust in Europe.
 
Dear Terry - if I may address you by first name - Jacek is here…thank you from the bottom of my hearth for your words and for understanding. I am aware that despite our constant efforts since 1945 or, to be precise, since 1948/9 when they took the full power, our efforts would be of miserable results if not….the US taxpayers, who (speaking in simplified way) constructed powerful US budget, that allowed Mr President Ronald Reagan to "destroy" financially the Red Big Brother by operation "Star Wars" (I am aware that all this is much more complicated). This has prompted or simply forced the former regime to reconstruct the whole system and this has triggered out the process in Eastern Block. When now I watch many our young, local "patriots" who make PR for themselves stating, that they "single handed" defeated the whole Red Army plus SpecNaz, KGB, whatever, I simply die of laughter, still remembering the real winners. And, perhaps, it is not the coincident, that such people are meeting with quiet smile here smoking their pipes as one big Brotherhood of Briar. Hurrah for these, who created this site and create such great atmosphere in here.

Yes, we did not use any weapons in normal meaning of this word. In some situation the abilities of defensive driving with elements of rally driving were of good use. In very rare situations there was necessity of arm-to-arm combat, and here the training in martial art supported by constant keeping oneself in good physical form (mountaineering, etc) was of great importance. The aim was not to harm the opponents, but to block/stop him/her/them to gain on time, so the informal vip could safely escape. We were successfull in remembering, that the name of the game is: non violence from our side. And in later time the powerful weapon in this bloodless from our side war became… old models of Apple computers nicknamed "Refrigerators" (Apple Plus, Apple SE, etc). Because of their compact form and relatively good at that time portability, they were of best possible service in our informal activities like these, that I mentioned already. I still keep mine, and as one of longest time Mac users in Poland I like Macs as they are still a symbol of what we have been trying to do….like the historical family sabre - symbol of honor, that still hangs on the wall at the head of the bed in some places that I know.
 
Terry292":5y4scd6y said:
Jar":5y4scd6y said:
Considering from where I am, it should be understood that I have never been in any Military at home, as in 1989 when we got back independence I was already too old and I was told that I will be more useful in my main professional field which is culture (history, art, conservation, teaching).

But let me quote General George Patton Jr:
"Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men." I refer here to constant non violence (from our side), with no military weapons fight for (now excuse me that I use of so banal today word): Freedom.

I have in mind here the informal educational activities ("Flying Universities", and so on) and the informal editing movements, where we have been publishing up to 50.000 copies of books that were considered as crucial in fields like: true history, also economy, sociology, etc. Listeners and readers were also so called "simple people" (like our later President, Lech Walesa), who have later surprised the former regime with their knowledge and level of real education. I also have in mind different activities/actions of the Committee for helping internee d persons and their families that was existing officially after introduction of Martial Law, December 1981.

And there had to be some forms of security of mentioned activities. I repeat that this security was performed with no weapons whatsoever from our side.

So I give myself a moral permission to salute all here.
Click to expand...
You, sir, fought the "shadow war" and deserve as much, if not more, credit for Eastern European liberation as any of us who served on the other side. I spent my entire military career, in two services, in the Intelligence field as a Russian linguist. I've never been to Poland, but I was stationed in a town called Wildflecken, Germany, when the Soviet Empire imploded. Wildflecken is about 12 km, as the crow flies, from the former East-West German border. After the fences came down, I used to drive over into the Eastern Zone occasionally. Compared to what I'm used to, the conditions were appalling.

Allow me to salute you, sir, and not the other way round. Without men like you, we could very well still be one rifle shot away from nuclear holocaust in Europe.
Click to expand...
Jar,

another salute from one who endeavored to seek freedom for Eastern Europe--definitely a joint effort--

grs
USASA 1966-70
 
whitebriar":ythc5cpk said:
Jar,

another salute from one who endeavored to seek freedom for Eastern Europe--definitely a joint effort--

grs
USASA 1966-70
Click to expand...
Whitebriar,

Oh yes. Very much so. Salute to you.
 
June 3 1985 to June 30 2005.. USN CTRC(Ret).. Enjoyed it to the hilt.. 20 years and ended up spending 16.5 of that overseas... besides the war zones.. Iran/Iraqi (86-87) and again the middle east in the early 90's it was eye opening... The time living in Japan and throughout Europe was a blast.. so much that I'm still over here working for the DoD after retirement

james
 
US Army computer programmer '87-'99...SSG when I got out.

My deepest respect to all you other vets on the board...BTW - my dad was 4th ID in Pleiku South Vietnam from '67-'69 and my grandfathers both served in the US Army in WWII. Sorta seemed like it was part of the family business to enlist and serve! 8)
 
I am currently in the process of joining the United States Army, I scheduled to go though MEPS in about a month. My grandfather was a drill instructor in WW2 and my grandfather in law was an Army Ranger in Vietnam and retired a Colonel.
 
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