Radio Sales Café

Since this is the Friday before Memorial Day weekend, I wanted to do something a little different for our weekly poll, and that is, ask you to share your thoughts and memories of friends and loved ones, past or present, who have served in our nation's armed forces. 

And to all the members of Radio Sales Café who have served or are presently serving in the military -- thank you for your hard work and sacrifice!

I hope you all have a super Memorial Day weekend.

This weekend I'll be thinking of my grandfather, who served in the Navy at the end of World War II; my friend Tom, who fought in Vietnam and continues to fight the good fight today as a staunch advocate of soldiers and veterans; and my friend Isven, a Marine and an EOD specialist whose job is disarming IED's in Iraq and Afghanistan. God bless our troops and their families!

My dad passed away when I was just a youngster. He met my mother in Australia during World War II. He was a GI with the Air Corps; a staff sergeant photographer and she was an Australian Nurse. I was born in that country in 1944. I never had a chance to talk with dad about his service but my mother remembers that he was scheduled to go to a forward area with the Air Corps but since he was married and had a child another individual was sent. That person never came back.

She shared me with me all of his photos of the war. She even had his basic "brownie" camera as well as his uniform and negatives. I do know he was proud of his service. Our country formed a very strong bond with Australians during the WWII.

I had two uncles (they were both my dad's brothers--Paul and Victor Deccio) who served in WW II. Vic was a supply sergeant on New Caledonia in the South Pacific. Paul was a staff sergeant in the infantry, served on Quadacanal and other islands in the Pacific. He encountered much fierce fighting and even had his picture leading his troops in a 1945 edition of "Look Magazine". One day my uncle Vic got a message there was a Deccio in the hospital on the same island. He went to see, and lo and behold, it was his brother Paul. Paul had come down with Malaria. They embraced and were so happy to see each other. Neither had heard from nor seen each other for over three years--not knowing if dead or alive. Uncle Vic snuck some cold beers to Uncle Paul and he was thrilled. I have a newspaper article about that unusual reunion. They both survived the war. Uncle Vic came home and farmed with my dad, never married, so he was like a second dad to me and my brothers and treated us like his kids. He passed away in 1980 and was buried with full military honors.

I must also mention my dear son in law who is serving his final two months in Iraq. May God keep him safe so he can return to his wife (my daughter) and his four chidren. He had previously served in Afghanistan, Kuwait, Korea, Germany and several other places.

Dennis,

Wow! What a treasure, to have those articles and personal connection to your uncles' story. I never tire of hearing stories of the WWII generation -- called "the greatest," and for good reason. These men who grew up during the Great Depression knew the meaning of hardship and sacrifice. Tempered by the adversity they'd known as kids, they were tough as nails, mentally and physically. We could use more like them today.

Thanks for sharing the story! Have a good Memorial Day weekend.

-Rod

I've got a good friend in Australia who served as a submariner in the Royal Australian Navy. He's a highly patriotic individual who also supports the US military.

My sister and I have been sending letters and care packages to our deployed troops since March 2003, and I have fond memories of some of the soldiers that I heard from. There was SFC Alvin P., who was in one of the first groups to land in Iraq, and who always addressed his letters to us, “Hey Sisters!” And he was pleased with some dried lavender I sent him, because as he put it, “Everything smells so bad, I feel like I was born here.” And SFC Gerald B., with whom I communicated regularly for the year and a half that he was in Iraq. His tour was extended, and I felt really bad for him because he endured the incredibly hot summer there twice. When he returned to Germany, he sent me a Black Forest cuckoo clock as a thank you for my friendship and support. There was also a group of airmen that joked about how the fish in the Baghdad River had multiple eyes because of pollution – I sent them a few Dollar Tree crazy fish that I glued extra eyes on, and they loved it! One of the airmen sent back a miniature woven carpet in one of his letters. And there have been others; their letters and emails have put a very personal face on the war in which our nation is engaged.

To our RSC members who have served and to our military past and present, I send a heartfelt “Thank you!” for all that you’ve done to preserve our freedoms and way of life. May the Lord bless you and your families.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

Ron sat behind me in homeroom back in Cleveland. He joined the Army after high school and died in the Tet Offensive. His name can be found on The Wall.
In his honor it must be remembered that the Tet Offensive was NOT a defeat for our troops.
We won that one.
But we paid a price for that victory. We must all remember those who paid that price.
This is just one of the reasons that I see to it that the GBS Memorial Day vignettes get on our air every year.
They tell a story that must be heard.

This is something I'm very passionate about. In America we have 3 distinct military holidays. Each one singles out a particular group of American's military to recognize. We have Armed Forces Day to salute Active Duty, Reserve and National Guard members. We have Veteran's Day to salute those who served and are now civilains. And we have Memorial Day. For some reason, over the years, we've mushed them all together. Monday is the most sacred of our military holidays. It's dedicated to those who died in combat or as the result of wounds suffered in combat. That's it. It's their time. It's a time to decorate the graves of those men and women. It's a time for veterans and active duty to salute their fallen comrads. It's a time for all Americans to bow their heads in silent respect and thanks. We have other holidays to salute and thank the rest of our military population. Please, let's keep the focus of Memorial Day where it belongs. On "those who gave the last full measure of devotion."

Greg,

Thank you for your post, and for the reminder that Memorial Day is a day set aside to honor the fallen. Perhaps I should have mentioned that in the introduction to this poll question; I had not intended to contribute to the muddling of the holidays that recognize the members of America's armed forces.

I simply thought it would be fitting -- especially since the whole of May is National Military Appreciation Month -- to give RSC members a chance to write about any of their friends and loved ones in the military, and leave it up to them whether they wished to honor the fallen, veterans, or active duty personnel.

But you are absolutely right about Memorial Day, that its focus should be to honor those who gave the last full measure of devotion.

Best wishes,

Rebecca

From RSC member Bill Wayland: I was too young for Korea, too old for Vietnam, so I slipped through as a member of the "Yankee Division", Massachusetts National Guard. On our two week active duty assignments to Camp Drum (now Fort Drum), near Watertown New York, we held off those pesky Canadians, just in case. Actually, as a radio team chief, I signed on to my assigned frequency one day and learned that I was on a frequency owned by the Canadian Forestry Service. Yes, we were a threat in those days, to ourselves. Since then, National Guards men and women, have distinguished themselves, and we are losing too many, so my salute to them and our reservists from every state in the union. My apologies to the Canadians who I annoyed.

Memorial Day is always special for us. My husband, who I adore, served a tour in Vietnam. He received a Bronze Star. I am so very proud of his service, as well as all of the men and women who have served or are serving.