[pct-l] We Were Just Kids....(an old Marine's reflections)

[Reinhold Metzger]

Yes RJ,
You and Donna, on this list, understand the pain from a mothers point of 
view and like you and Donna, millions of other mothers and fathers, 
including me, understand the pain from a parents point of view....my 
oldest son has served three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.
And yes all of our fallen heroes were to young to die.
 I was one of the lucky ones, but some of my buddies were not....that is 
why Memorial Day is such a special day for me.

BTW....I will be going to a...Echo 2/7...reunion in San Antonio on the 
7th of June.
Will be nice to hook up with my old war buddies....the only thing 
different, this time we will be old enough to drink.

JMT Reinhold
------------------------------------------

RJ Lewis wrote:
>
> I concur. Although "off topic", we should all pay the highest respect, 
> both to those who paid the ultimate price, and to those lucky ones who 
> got to come home.
> I too know what it's like Reinhold, but from a mother's perspective. 
> She was too young- just a girl, too damned young to go to war, but she 
> did, and luckily came home.
>
> Thank you one and all!
> RJ
>
>
>
> Reinhold Metzger wrote:
>> Some may say this is of topic, but since it is Memorial Day and many 
>> of our list members are veterans I think this is appropriate.
>> Besides, I think no list or forum should deny honoring our fallen 
>> heroes on this day.
>>
>> Reinhold Metzger wrote:
>>  
>>> We were "just kids", in the summer of 1965, when we landed in Vietnam.
>>> "Just kids", most of us 18-19-20 years old just barely out of High 
>>> School, not yet old enough to drink but old enough to die for our 
>>> country.
>>> We never could quit understand that....if you are old enough to die 
>>> for your country you should be old enough to drink.
>>> With one year of advanced infantry training including jungle, 
>>> desert, cold weather, hand to hand combat and raider training we 
>>> were gung ho Marines, tough enough to chew nails.....I mean we were 
>>> Captain Tolleson's  Echo 2/7, the cream of the crop of  the Marine 
>>> Corp's Raider Battalion and ready to kick ass.
>>> We were "just kids" eager to be Marines, eager to serve during a 
>>> time of war, eager to be heroes.
>>> That naive fantasy thinking can change mighty quick when the landing 
>>> crafts hit the beach and bullets start flying.
>>> There is no glory in war, only misery....it is your worst nightmare.
>>> Our first casualty was by friendly fire....the tragic part was that 
>>> the bullet that caused our first casualty was fired by the 
>>> casualties best friend.
>>> In combat reflex decisions have to be made in a split second and 
>>> sometimes does decisions turn out not to be the right ones.
>>> In my mind there is no greater honor than serving your country 
>>> during a time of war and no greater sacrifice than a soldier paying 
>>> the ultimate price while serving his country during a time of war.
>>> Take Pat Tillman for instance....Pat was a professional foot player 
>>> who had fortune and fame yet walked away from a 3.6 million dollar 
>>> contract to serve his country and paid the ultimate 
>>> price....ironically also by friendly fire.
>>> But it does not matter, friendly fire, enemy fire, the results are 
>>> always the same and Memorial Day is to honor all of our fallen 
>>> heroes, for they served their country and paid the ultimate price.
>>> If it were not for men like that, Obama might be our Prime Minister 
>>> or our national language might be German and Memorial Day is to 
>>> remind us of that and pay our respect to these fallen heroes who 
>>> sacrificed their lives so that we can enjoy what we
>>> have today.
>>>
>>> We did not consider ourself to be "just kids", but now that I am 
>>> older and wiser I realize we  WERE   "just kids".
>>> Nothing has really changed and many of our troops serving in Iran 
>>> and Afghanistan are still "just kids"......not old enough to  drink 
>>> but old enough to die for their country.
>>> Think about that for a moment on Memorial Day and what that day 
>>> stands for.
>>>
>>> Reinhold Metzger
>>> Sgt. USMC 1964-68
>>> Gunner, Echo Co., 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>     
>>
>>
>
>