Stolen Valor
- Thread starter gmh101358
- Start date
That’s why my brother working at the VA ignores the folks bragging about being a door gunner in a Huey, getting shot down and being hunted by the Viet Cong for 3 weeks.
That’s why my brother working at the VA ignores the folks bragging about being a door gunner in a Huey, getting shot down and being hunted by the Viet Cong for 3 weeks.
The people I knew who served in the military never served in combat though, and many loved talking about what they did. That doesn't mean they didn't have stuff they did that was difficult.
A former AF officer would tell stories about closing down Clark Air Base after Pinatubo dumped ash on all over. These guys didn't mind talking about various stuff. I asked him if he ever got to fly on any of jets for the Air Force VIP fleet (think everything from Learjets up to Air Force One) and he said if something was important enough he might actually be transported in a Gulfstream just like a cabinet secretary.
My experience is that AF guys love talking about the five star hotels they stay in, and how much per diem they're getting paid, and, of course, how much bargain stuff they managed to smuggle back past customs in their jet...even the ones with MiG kills talk about their hotel stories...
I dunno. I asked my coworker about what it was like in the field. He was former enlisted, so maybe that had something to do with it. I asked him about the quality of food and maybe the best food he had while serving. He said once he was assigned for some sort of field work where he was outside near an Army facility, just eating some sort of rations for several days. By the time he got back he had his first real meal. He was really tired and when the senior enlisted guy in charge of the mess hall went up to him and asked him how he liked the food. He said it was really good, but somehow what came out of his mouth was "Better than nothing." given the bland food that he had been eating for days. Said he felt bad about it for a while.
He also said he was stationed in Alaska where the state bird was the mosquito.
However, he wasn't a pilot, so I'm not sure if there's something different about pilot culture.
For some people, talking about it is what they want to do. Everyone really is different. For example, the SEAL who killed Bin Laden, and all these authors who write a ton of books about nothing but the wars they fought in. It's therapy, also, in a way. That's my point about mental health. Everyone has different coping strategies.
Thank you for your service. You should be recognized here as a Retired Military Veteran.
Maybe your Pea Coat could be taken in a little ?
