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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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May 25, 2015 - 10:08am PT
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in memory
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cragnshag
Social climber
san joser
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May 25, 2015 - 10:24am PT
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A couple of nice video tributes today only at www.usaa.com
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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May 25, 2015 - 10:34am PT
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Condor Squadron flying over the nearby cemetery...
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Sula
Trad climber
Pennsylvania
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May 25, 2015 - 10:37am PT
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Risk
Mountain climber
Olympia, WA
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May 25, 2015 - 10:47am PT
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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May 25, 2015 - 11:30am PT
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Yes, the last full measure.
70 years ago, with the war in Europe over, we were still in the middle of the deadliest battle in the Pacific War, Okinawa.
Think of the 29th Marine Regiment, many hundreds of men all casualties save for 60.
This day is poignant for me also because it is the 30th anniversary of my father's death.
Count your good fortunes and know they were bought dear.
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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May 25, 2015 - 11:53am PT
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TO THE WORLD A SOLDIER
TO US ALL THE WORLD
Epitaph on a tombstone at the World War II Allied War Cemetery, El Alamein, Egypt
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climbski2
Mountain climber
Anchorage AK, Reno NV
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May 25, 2015 - 12:08pm PT
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Nearly 1 million American military personnel have died in Wars if one counts both sides of the Civil War. Horrifying but also an amazingly powerful thing that has allowed us a better place to live than most in the world. It saddens me that to this day so much is required of so many just to live in relative peace. At least within our own borders.
I don't really understand it all, but I deeply respect what we have been given and what it cost.
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steveA
Trad climber
Wolfeboro, NH
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May 25, 2015 - 12:11pm PT
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Too many people in the USA take for granted what our veterans, and the soldiers, who didn't make it back, did to preserve our basic liberty. I think of WW2, in particular, since the threat was very real.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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May 25, 2015 - 02:05pm PT
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
extraordinaire
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May 25, 2015 - 10:57pm PT
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... those that selfishly serve ...
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jonnyrig
climber
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May 26, 2015 - 04:04pm PT
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Just wanted to take this opportunity to remember those who have fallen, and say thank you to those who have, or are now serving.
Thank You.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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May 26, 2015 - 06:12pm PT
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May God bless all who died in the service of this country. And God bless those who took their places in the current service to this country.
Brave and selfless. You gotta respect that.
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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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May 29, 2016 - 09:43pm PT
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We are eternally grateful.
We will never forget.
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BLUEBLOCR
Social climber
joshua tree
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May 29, 2016 - 10:10pm PT
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^^^Yes!
Let's also remember rlf today
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feralfae
Boulder climber
in the midst of a metaphysical mystery
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May 29, 2016 - 10:29pm PT
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A tribute to our wonderful warriors, who hold up standards of courage, chivalry, and loyalty.
Bless them, those who came before and those who serve now and those who are to come.
feralfae
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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May 30, 2016 - 03:52am PT
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Definitely not proud of my service, nor of my country's involvement in that war. We as a nation really need to rethink the whole militarism and war thing - for the most part it does not well serve either us or our interests.
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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May 30, 2016 - 07:18am PT
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Definitely not proud of my service, nor of my country's involvement in that war. We as a nation really need to rethink the whole militarism and war thing - for the most part it does not well serve either us or our interests. More than 20 years after resigning my officer's commission, after 10 years active duty service in combat arms, I generally feel the same way. Back then I was itching to kill the enemy, loved to be deployed to hot spots around the world. Now I am rather disgusted with the whole affair.
Many friends - dead.
The person whom I used to be - dead and gone, lost forever.
I've spent the last 20 years trying to find that nice young man who was in my mind and body before he went MIA in the military.
God damn it all.
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feralfae
Boulder climber
in the midst of a metaphysical mystery
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May 30, 2016 - 09:41am PT
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I hear you. Doug resigned his commission as well. And war does not work, obviously. Yet, there are young people who go into service holding idealistic visions of saving people and saving their freedom. There are others who go into service to defend the part of the Earth we call our country.
I don't think Doug ever entirely recovered from his two tours in of active duty. He had terrible nightmares, horrible to even think about. The idealistic young man who set out the be the best officer, the best leader, the best of regular Army, became disillusioned and despairing before he finally resigned. His anger at what he considered a "racket" stayed with him. He was not proud, but ashamed, of the war in Asia. Worse yet, he was the 7th Cav:,it was his unit, which had killed many of my people in battles in the Dakotas and Wyoming and Montana, back when they were still territories, not states. We talked about that a couple of times. His feelings were so mixed: he was proud of his service and doing his duty, and taking care of his men. But he was ashamed of following orders against innocent farmers working in their rice fields.
I thank those who have protected us, perhaps in Europe against HItler, perhaps in other places, too. But yes, most war is political and leads only to cultural destruction, trauma, rancor and the accumulation of wealth by those in the military/industrial/political complex.
How do we honor those who did their best to serve with honor, and yet continue our work to effectively end war? This is a very Quakerly question, and one I ask myself often.
feralfae
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