Roadfood is amazing

Some time ago I mentioned here on Roadfood that I had served aboard the USS Pastores in 1945. Well today I received an E-Mail from a former shipmate whose son googled Pastores and my Roadfood thread was printed there.

I saw this lad last in Jan 1946------62 years ago and he claims I owe him $1 for prints he gave me of out visit to Hiroshima a few months after the bombing. I told him to take it off his income tax. Roadfood has brought us together after 62 years. Amazing.

I wonder if he would have written if I didn't owe him a buck.

quote:

Originally posted by the ancient mariner


I wonder if he would have written if I didn't owe him a buck.

I doubt it!

Hey............this is a great story.

True story squak and thank you Michael,I owe you one. Maybe I
should swack squak, nah he didn't mean anything nasty. Just an
amazing happening. Shows the power of the internet and Roadfood.
By the way, My old buddy is now a retired farmer in Nebraska
and wants to know if there is any good Q in his town of 1100.

Great story Mariner. Now have you calculated 62 years of interest on the buck?

Man, Davy, don't get that old farmer started on interest----I'll be
in big trouble. He told me he and his wife still drive and I figure
the horse probably knows all the roads he just has to worry about
getting up into the buggy.

I for one want to thank you for your service. In your war the world held its breath and was hanging by a thread. The civilized world that I grew up in as a "boomer" would not have been possible without your courage, dedication to duty and determination to prevail.

It is really amazing you were able to connect with your shipmate. I guess the virtual world is good for something after all. Forget about the buck...offer him a subscription to Roadfood instead.

Thanks Greyghost --- actually I didn't do anything but I sure was scheduled to. I was a part of what would have been the first invasion group to land in Japan. We were to disrupt their communications and set up our own. Who knows where any of us would be if the war continued ???

When I look at 17 year old kids today I can not imagine them enlisting---maybe we were different, but those were different circumstances---a different world. I read a lot about the Civil War and know that thousands of young men died to keep the Union or to have a new country in the south----war is all insane !!!!!!!! How many young men will die in Iraq and Afganistan before that mess is over ????

quote:

Originally posted by the ancient mariner

Thanks Greyghost --- actually I didn't do anything but I sure was scheduled to. I was a part of what would have been the first invasion group to land in Japan. We were to disrupt their communications and set up our own. Who knows where any of us would be if the war continued ???

When I look at 17 year old kids today I can not imagine them enlisting---maybe we were different, but those were different circumstances---a different world. I read a lot about the Civil War and know that thousands of young men died to keep the Union or to have a new country in the south----war is all insane !!!!!!!! How many young men will die in Iraq and Afganistan before that mess is over ????

I can tell you about some of these kids who enlist today. They're as special as the kids who enlisted for War Two. Perhaps more so, as they're signing up for a war that people don't want us to be in. I was amazed when I went to attend my grandson's graduation from Army Basic Training in September of 2006. I could not get over how special were the young men and women who were graduating with him. I was, and am, very, very proud of the young Americans who are serving their country today. You would be, too.

Great story ancient one! I believe the young men and women who today volunteer to serve in our armed forces are equally up for the task. My support of our young warriors comes via active membership in the American Legion, where I currently serve as Post Commander. I'm a mere child compared to you, Vietnam era here. I hope you and that old Nebraska farmer argue over that dollar for many years to come!

Oh, I am proud of them Michael. I am proud of every person I have ever seen in uniform. I have spent a lot of time at West Point where 3 of my nephews attended I know how dedicated they are there. Another nephew, a marine, has had two tours in Iraq, My next door neighbor's son is a "mash" doctor in Afganistan----I know they are very special. But there is a differnce, today it is the special few, then it was every boy I knew. There was a real enemy then, someone we could see. Today's enemy blows up buildings, and school buses and sneaks into our country to harm us. It is a different enemy, a different war, a different world. The military of today is very special.

ancient mariner, you are so right about our young men and women that serve in our armed forces. I spent 22 years in the submarine service and am a government contractor for the Navy. I still have almost daily contact with all of them and they are indeed special. When I see them at Dallas Fort Worth airport I wonder if they are coming or going, but never miss an opportunity to introduce myself and thank them.

There is a dishwasher at my restaurant where I work who will be joining the Army in June. I knew for some time that he was looking into some type of service, but I did try to persuade him not to join the Army. His goal was to go onto special forces after bootcamp. This is where I had some reservations and a warning to him.

I'm ex-Navy and we called the Army guys as cannon fodder. I told him if things did not work out, he would be on the front lines. With the Navy, if things did not work out, the worst thing is that you will be chipping paint. War is not glamourous and nobody is guaranteed to get out alive. Every soldiers goal eventually becomes self preservation and I tried to educate him that he should consider this fact even before joining.

My first suggestion was that he consider the Air Force as they get the best treament in all of the Armed Forces. But I did tell him that if you go Navy, you will really be able to see the world. I still like to tell people of the countries, places and experiences that I had while on my ship.
Joining the Navy allows you to learn about all the different people and cultures around the world. I actually asked for Pacific duty as I wanted to go to countries where there were no white people who just speak funny. I can go to Texas for that....
This has really affected as to how I see people and cultures today.

One funny thing. I went to Wikipedia to do some research about my old ship. Sure enough, there was a good amount of information about it. The problem is that all of the information stops right after I joined in the mid-70s.

Oh yeah, one more memory. When I went to bootcamp we had recruits from another country training for service. At that time, we trained members of the Iranian Navy. Funny how times change as we are now ready to blast their rubber rafts out of the water...

mark

P.S. Here is information on your ship and what it did:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Pastores_%28AF-16%29

Funny thing, I was teaching sonar school at the ASW base in San Diego and there was a barraks full of Iranian sailors because the Shah had bought the 4 Kidd class DDs for his navy, as soon as the Shah was overthrown they wanted all the Iranian sailors home. I think about 200 of them dissappeared into the San Diego area and the Ayatolla never got the ships. But you are right we have some army vets at our company and two of them have been recalled twice. I highly recommend the Navy or the Air Force.

Since the topic is how Roadfood provides an means to locate and reconnect with old friends, I'll try to steer us away from the recruiting preferences being delivered by my friends here...(besides I am a Veteran of Voluntary service in the Army)! Two of my boys did 6 yr terms in the Indiana guard which included time in Iraq War One, and Janet's son is a career Army Warrant Office (Armor), about to do his second tour in Iraq. Each service has it's benefits and rewards as well as it's obligations and dangers. If a person is searching for the safe thing to do there are plenty of those jobs available in all branches of the military. Some folks just feel the need to put it all on the line and do the jobs that are not very safe, to insure that you and I have the freedom to kibitz about the topic at hand. God Bless and protect them, and I hope we never stop finding these young heros to keep us safe!

Back on Topic,
I have crossed paths several times during our Roadfood Journeys with folks whom I knew in previous situations... Old Army Buddies, A college friend not seen since '67, and neighbors from places I have lived earlier in my life. Roadfood, the site, has provided a way to open some of those lost contacts, and I appreciate being able to use the site for 'people searches.

What a great story! You were just a kids serving your country! Thank you for serving. Love the part about "take it off your income tax." Roadfood is fantastic!

My beloved husband is a Navy guy.
My dad was a surviving paratrooper on D-day, at Normandy. Captured and was in a camp for years, but escaped!
My uncle survived the pacific invasion.
My other uncle a retired 30 year Air Force Sargent.

They were all kids!

This is a wonderful topic. Thanks for allowing we old warriors to express our appreciation to the young warriors. We all did, or do, our sworn duty! I'm proud to associate with each of you. As a member of the American Legions' 21 Gun Salute rifle team we lay our fellow Vets here in Lincoln County to rest with the highest respect. Thank GOD, it's mostly us old folks who passed on due to natural causes.
IMPORTANTLY,we sadly helped lay to rest a young soldier from the Hondo Valley who sacrificed his life for us in Iraq. 21 gun salute, minumum of 42 tears shed from our rifle team.
I'm acquainted with about 3 young folks currently serving to protect us..............
Marine Lt.,BRIGGS ANDERSON,on your second tour of duty in the war zone, if you are listening, I've got your back!!!!!!!!!!! PUSH!!!
War is ugly, brutal and certainly deadly. Wiser folks than I have pondered this situation without absolute certainty.