Far NW Corner of Washington State, USA (48° 45' 51.5808" N / -122° 30' 36.6228" W)
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Veteran's Day (with attn to Merrill's Marauders)
To all my fellow veteran's (both active & non-active), this former 11B would like to thank each & every one of you for your service.
Please permit me to specially remember the recent passing of my cousin, John Aid (October 16th, 2010), who served in 3 wars, including with Merrill's Marauders in WWII. He was my childhood hero & a hero to our family.
Below is his obituary (abbreviated) & a documentary film I found about Merrill's Marauders.
Thank you all again for your service, I salute you all!
To my Cousin John, God bless & RIP, we miss you.
Terry Holmes
"BoldHighlander"
1/19th IR US Army 1990-91
SPC John Dewey Aid, USA/Ret slipped away peacefully on 16 October 2010, after a hard fought battle with Alzheimer's disease at the E.L. Bennett Florida State Veteran's Home in Daytona Beach, FL. Hospice was with him until the end.
He was born on 21 October 1925 in Ava, Missouri.
After WWII started, John misstated his age and joined the US Army. His career assignments included China-Burma-India with Merrill's Marauder's, Germany, Austria, France, Fort Bragg, Fort Rucker, Fort Eustis, Korea (both during the War and after), Viet-Nam, and Fort Campbell. After 30 years of service, he retired from Active Duty in 1972. His service awards include 2 Bronze Stars, 3 Purple Hearts, Combat Infantry Badge and 29 other awards. He then worked for the Veteran's Administration in Murfreesboro and Nashville, Tennessee for 8 years. Mr. Aid never met a stranger and always went "the extra mile" to help people in need. He was very involved in the Smyrna, TN and Silver Springs, FL Lion's Club. His entire life was devoted to service to his country and his fellow human beings. He held life memberships in CBI, DAV, VFW.
[SIZE="2"][FONT="Georgia"][COLOR="DarkGreen"][B][I]T. E. ("TERRY") HOLMES[/I][/B][/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE="1"][FONT="Georgia"][COLOR="DarkGreen"][B][I]proud descendant of the McReynolds/MacRanalds of Ulster & Keppoch, Somerled & Robert the Bruce.[/SIZE]
[SIZE="1"]"Ah, here comes the Bold Highlander. No @rse in his breeks but too proud to tug his forelock..." Rob Roy (1995)[/I][/B][/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]
A true hero, indeed. The video is remarkable in capturing the hardship the Marauders encountered in completing their mission. Heroes all. Thanks Terry, for sharing this on Veterans Day.
It is the veteran, not the preacher, who has given you freedom of religion.
It is the veteran, not the reporter, who has given you freedom of the press.
It is the veteran, not the poet, who has given you freedom of speech.
It is the veteran, not the protester, who has given you freedom to assemble.
It is the veteran, not the lawyer, who has given you the right to a fair trial.
It is the veteran, not the politician, who has given you the right to vote.
It is the veteran, who salutes the Flag, who serves under the Flag, whose coffin is draped by the Flag.
We do well to remember those whose footsteps we tread in.
When I am surrounded by my friends and family, they look to me as "the hero". Sure, I've been in a few scrapes and got a few medals. But when I see the generation before me, they had the hard road. They bore the burden of writing our modern manuals and tactics in their own blood. We are taught in boot camp what they learned under fire. We use technology (and I think it's great) where they used nothing but force and sheer willpower to succeed.
Everyone who was in the military can be proud of saying "I did my duty". There are some few who can say "I did MORE than my duty".
To all my Brother and Sisters in the Honorable Profession of Arms, thank you for your service to your country, be it my country also or an ally.
I wish I believed in reincarnation. Where's Charles Martel when you need him?
Sorry for your loss. I believe the world is being lessened by the loss of that
generation, heroes that brushed aside that title, but they gave and gave.
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