A Real American Hero...
A REAL AMERICAN HERO
GREAT EMAIL I HAVE TO SHARE
Don D. - Sept 15, 2016
Think of the media circus, f**gs at half staff, and all the things that were said of Whitney Houston when she died. Also, all this BS about Ali who was a draft dodger (a federal offense, no prosecution). Think about how it was when Prince died (from an overdose no less). I don’t know about you, but it seems we are turning this country over to the likes of people like Ali and Prince.
This hero died with barely anyone's notice.
No Comment required.
"Shifty" By Chuck Yeager
Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy
Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st
Airborne Infantry. If you've seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the
History Channel, you know Shifty. His character appears in all 10
episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them.
I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn't
know who he was at the time. I just saw an elderly gentleman having
trouble reading his ticket. I offered to help, assured him that he was
at the right gate, and noticed the "Screaming Eagle," the symbol of
the 101st Airborne, on his hat.
Making conversation, I asked him if he'd been in the 101st Airborne
or if his son was serving. He said quietly that he had been in the
101st. I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served,
and how many jumps he made.
Quietly and humbly, he said "Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so,
and was in until sometime in 1945 ..." at which point my heart
skipped.
At that point, again, very humbly, he said "I made the 5 training
jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into Normandy . . . do you know
where Normandy is?" At this point my heart stopped.
I told him "yes, I know exactly where Normandy is, and I know what
D-Day was." At that point he said "I also made a second jump into
Holland , into Arnhem ." I was standing with a genuine war hero ....
and then I realized that it was June, just after the anniversary of
D-Day.
I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from France , and he said
"Yes... And it 's real sad because, these days, so few of the guys are
left, and those that are, lots of them can't make the trip." My heart
was in my throat and I didn't know what to say.
I helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in
coach while I was in First Class. I sent the flight attendant back to
get him and said that I wanted to switch seats. When Shifty came
forward, I got up out of the seat and told him I wanted him to have
it, that I'd take his in coach.
He said "No, son, you enjoy that seat. Just knowing that there are
still some who remember what we did and who still care is enough to
make an old man very happy." His eyes were filling up as he said it.
And mine are brimming up now as I write this.
Shifty died on Jan. l7, 2012 after fighting cancer.
There was no parade.
No big event in Staples Center ..
No wall-to-wall, back-to-back 24x7 news coverage.
No weeping fans on television.
And that's not right!
Let's give Shifty his own memorial service, on line, in our own quiet way.
Please forward this email to everyone you know. Especially to the veterans.
Rest in peace, Shifty.
Chuck Yeager, Maj. General [ret.]
P.S. I think that it is amazing how the "media" chooses our "heroes"these days...
Elvis, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston & the like.
"SHIFTY" - an incredible American hero.
Please do me a favor and pass this on so that untold thousands can read it.
We owe no less to our REAL heroes.
Don, Thank you for honoring those who gave so much for our country. How can it be that so many people don't know or care about those who sacrificed so much to keep us safe and free? My late father and his friends ans family had served honorably in WWII. But for about 50 years now, people seem to honor the draft dodgers who wouldn't serve their country. Bill Clinton has the distinction of being the first felon to serve as President. He dodged the draft, a felony. President Carter pardoned him.
Don G. Dinsdale wrote:
A REAL AMERICAN HERO
GREAT EMAIL I HAVE TO SHARE
Don D. - Sept 15, 2016
Think of the media circus, f**gs at half staff, and all the things that were said of Whitney Houston when she died. Also, all this BS about Ali who was a draft dodger (a federal offense, no prosecution). Think about how it was when Prince died (from an overdose no less). I don’t know about you, but it seems we are turning this country over to the likes of people like Ali and Prince.
This hero died with barely anyone's notice.
No Comment required.
"Shifty" By Chuck Yeager
Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy
Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st
Airborne Infantry. If you've seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the
History Channel, you know Shifty. His character appears in all 10
episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them.
I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn't
know who he was at the time. I just saw an elderly gentleman having
trouble reading his ticket. I offered to help, assured him that he was
at the right gate, and noticed the "Screaming Eagle," the symbol of
the 101st Airborne, on his hat.
Making conversation, I asked him if he'd been in the 101st Airborne
or if his son was serving. He said quietly that he had been in the
101st. I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served,
and how many jumps he made.
Quietly and humbly, he said "Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so,
and was in until sometime in 1945 ..." at which point my heart
skipped.
At that point, again, very humbly, he said "I made the 5 training
jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into Normandy . . . do you know
where Normandy is?" At this point my heart stopped.
I told him "yes, I know exactly where Normandy is, and I know what
D-Day was." At that point he said "I also made a second jump into
Holland , into Arnhem ." I was standing with a genuine war hero ....
and then I realized that it was June, just after the anniversary of
D-Day.
I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from France , and he said
"Yes... And it 's real sad because, these days, so few of the guys are
left, and those that are, lots of them can't make the trip." My heart
was in my throat and I didn't know what to say.
I helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in
coach while I was in First Class. I sent the flight attendant back to
get him and said that I wanted to switch seats. When Shifty came
forward, I got up out of the seat and told him I wanted him to have
it, that I'd take his in coach.
He said "No, son, you enjoy that seat. Just knowing that there are
still some who remember what we did and who still care is enough to
make an old man very happy." His eyes were filling up as he said it.
And mine are brimming up now as I write this.
Shifty died on Jan. l7, 2012 after fighting cancer.
There was no parade.
No big event in Staples Center ..
No wall-to-wall, back-to-back 24x7 news coverage.
No weeping fans on television.
And that's not right!
Let's give Shifty his own memorial service, on line, in our own quiet way.
Please forward this email to everyone you know. Especially to the veterans.
Rest in peace, Shifty.
Chuck Yeager, Maj. General [ret.]
P.S. I think that it is amazing how the "media" chooses our "heroes"these days...
Elvis, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston & the like.
"SHIFTY" - an incredible American hero.
Please do me a favor and pass this on so that untold thousands can read it.
We owe no less to our REAL heroes.
A REAL AMERICAN HERO br br GREAT EMAIL I HAVE TO ... (
show quote)
I agree and it's shameful. There are heroes all over doing heroic things everyday, but we don't know about them and probably never will. In the early 80's I lived in Pensacola Florida, just few miles from the Naval Air Station where Navy pilots get their first jet training. One day, an instructors plane lost power too far way from the airfield and instead of bailing out, as per protocol, he stayed with his plane to make sure it missed a school full of children when it crashed. He died. There was plenty of coverage about the crash and the inevitable bellyaching about the NAS being too close to dwellings ( which came first? Oh, yes, the NAS duh ) and a one sentence mention of the pilot that died to save kids from his crashing plane. Another time, a student pilots plane flamed out and he flew it until he got over the airfield and then bailed out, but he was too low when he punched out and landed in the wreckage. He died too with little mention.
I don't recall another damn thing that was on the news that day. That's how awe inspiring it must have been, how earth shatteringly important the other news was. We truly live in the land of reality TV, where people loves their lives vicariously through f**e characters like Prince. Where Memorial day is best known as the unofficial start of the summer frolicking, instead of the day of remembering our war dead. Not just that they died, but who they were, what they did and why. The "why" was to allow this generation to live it's life with it's head up it's collective ass, with a smartphone or other media device, so as not to miss a second of artificial life.
I don't drink anymore, but I go to the VFW pretty regular to buy them boys a round and listen to their stories. I've heard most of them a 100 times, but it gives them such pleasure to have someone listen and that's something I can do. I owe them at LEAST that much. It's just sad that today's generation has been made deaf by the media. If it don't have "the real..." in the name, folks don't want to know about it.
I think it starts in the "C****e" Union schools, those Union teachers (not all of them) care more about their money than the kids, and when it comes to American History they slant it to the Left, I know I was schooled in CA during the late '40s & '50s... Then there is the MSM, they are way Left of center almost always... The Democrat Party has become the New C*******t Party of America... So the only bashdone of freedom "We The Patriotic People" have is the GOP and a good many of those folks are RINOs at best and "balless" Socialist at worst... This is what I think!!! I was in Vietnam in '61, and in the Cuban blockade in '62 And in the Ready Room VS-34 on the USS Essex in Karachi, Pakistan when JFK was murdered... God Help This Country... Don D.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
lpnmajor wrote:
I agree and it's shameful. There are heroes all over doing heroic things everyday, but we don't know about them and probably never will. In the early 80's I lived in Pensacola Florida, just few miles from the Naval Air Station where Navy pilots get their first jet training. One day, an instructors plane lost power too far way from the airfield and instead of bailing out, as per protocol, he stayed with his plane to make sure it missed a school full of children when it crashed. He died. There was plenty of coverage about the crash and the inevitable bellyaching about the NAS being too close to dwellings ( which came first? Oh, yes, the NAS duh ) and a one sentence mention of the pilot that died to save kids from his crashing plane. Another time, a student pilots plane flamed out and he flew it until he got over the airfield and then bailed out, but he was too low when he punched out and landed in the wreckage. He died too with little mention.
I don't recall another damn thing that was on the news that day. That's how awe inspiring it must have been, how earth shatteringly important the other news was. We truly live in the land of reality TV, where people loves their lives vicariously through f**e characters like Prince. Where Memorial day is best known as the unofficial start of the summer frolicking, instead of the day of remembering our war dead. Not just that they died, but who they were, what they did and why. The "why" was to allow this generation to live it's life with it's head up it's collective ass, with a smartphone or other media device, so as not to miss a second of artificial life.
I don't drink anymore, but I go to the VFW pretty regular to buy them boys a round and listen to their stories. I've heard most of them a 100 times, but it gives them such pleasure to have someone listen and that's something I can do. I owe them at LEAST that much. It's just sad that today's generation has been made deaf by the media. If it don't have "the real..." in the name, folks don't want to know about it.
I agree and it's shameful. There are heroes all ov... (
show quote)
Don G. Dinsdale wrote:
A REAL AMERICAN HERO
GREAT EMAIL I HAVE TO SHARE
Don D. - Sept 15, 2016
Think of the media circus, f**gs at half staff, and all the things that were said of Whitney Houston when she died. Also, all this BS about Ali who was a draft dodger (a federal offense, no prosecution). Think about how it was when Prince died (from an overdose no less). I don’t know about you, but it seems we are turning this country over to the likes of people like Ali and Prince.
This hero died with barely anyone's notice.
No Comment required.
"Shifty" By Chuck Yeager
Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy
Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st
Airborne Infantry. If you've seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the
History Channel, you know Shifty. His character appears in all 10
episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them.
I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn't
know who he was at the time. I just saw an elderly gentleman having
trouble reading his ticket. I offered to help, assured him that he was
at the right gate, and noticed the "Screaming Eagle," the symbol of
the 101st Airborne, on his hat.
Making conversation, I asked him if he'd been in the 101st Airborne
or if his son was serving. He said quietly that he had been in the
101st. I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served,
and how many jumps he made.
Quietly and humbly, he said "Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so,
and was in until sometime in 1945 ..." at which point my heart
skipped.
At that point, again, very humbly, he said "I made the 5 training
jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into Normandy . . . do you know
where Normandy is?" At this point my heart stopped.
I told him "yes, I know exactly where Normandy is, and I know what
D-Day was." At that point he said "I also made a second jump into
Holland , into Arnhem ." I was standing with a genuine war hero ....
and then I realized that it was June, just after the anniversary of
D-Day.
I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from France , and he said
"Yes... And it 's real sad because, these days, so few of the guys are
left, and those that are, lots of them can't make the trip." My heart
was in my throat and I didn't know what to say.
I helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in
coach while I was in First Class. I sent the flight attendant back to
get him and said that I wanted to switch seats. When Shifty came
forward, I got up out of the seat and told him I wanted him to have
it, that I'd take his in coach.
He said "No, son, you enjoy that seat. Just knowing that there are
still some who remember what we did and who still care is enough to
make an old man very happy." His eyes were filling up as he said it.
And mine are brimming up now as I write this.
Shifty died on Jan. l7, 2012 after fighting cancer.
There was no parade.
No big event in Staples Center ..
No wall-to-wall, back-to-back 24x7 news coverage.
No weeping fans on television.
And that's not right!
Let's give Shifty his own memorial service, on line, in our own quiet way.
Please forward this email to everyone you know. Especially to the veterans.
Rest in peace, Shifty.
Chuck Yeager, Maj. General [ret.]
P.S. I think that it is amazing how the "media" chooses our "heroes"these days...
Elvis, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston & the like.
"SHIFTY" - an incredible American hero.
Please do me a favor and pass this on so that untold thousands can read it.
We owe no less to our REAL heroes.
A REAL AMERICAN HERO br br GREAT EMAIL I HAVE TO ... (
show quote)
Thanks for posting this. i am forwarding it to friends now.
Good night and God Bless
It is very sad to see or hear of an honorable vet of any era to pass or die for his country. We should all respect and honor them for their their great love of the USA and the heart and will to fight for it. Never forget them.
An old Navy vet who has lost some friends. God bless you all.
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