ttystikk
Well-Known Member
I wonder how Qatar's airlift is working out?
Veterans...Get the hell in here now!
- Thread starter 6ohMax
- Start date
OMG they went BACK to pinks. That's why the girl is grinning, isn't it? Hey @doublejj how do you look in pink?You forgot the new uniform design: contemporary WW2
edit: class A
BarnBuster
Virtually Unknown Member
Former U.S. senator Robert Dole was promoted to the honorary rank of colonel in a ceremony presided over by Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, at the World War II Memorial on the National Mall, May 16, 2019. At right is Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel A. Dailey.
"Former Sen. Bob Dole was promoted from Army captain to the honorary rank of colonel during a ceremony Thursday at the World War II Memorial in Washington, becoming the third and only living recipient of such an honor in the service’s 244-year history.
Dole, 95, enlisted in the early years of U.S. involvement of WWII and was commissioned as a second lieutenant before shipping off with the 10th Mountain Division to Italy. There he was shot in the back by a German machine gun while he attempted to rescue an injured radioman during an assault on an enemy position. He spent years recovering in a military hospital, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley said during the ceremony attended by family members, military officials and dignitaries, as well veterans visiting the memorial as part of an Honor Flight.
Dole last wore the Army uniform in 1948 but continued to serve out of uniform for the next seven decades, Milley said. Dole, a recipient of two Purple Hearts who was twice awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor, never regained full use of his right arm.
Only two other Army officers have ever received an honorary promotion of any kind, Milley said. They are President George Washington, who was made honorary General of the Armies of the United States on the country’s bicentennial in 1976; and American explorer and governor William Clark, who was posthumously promoted from lieutenant to colonel in 2001 by Clinton. Clark joined Meriwether Lewis on an expedition to the Pacific Ocean in the early 1800s."
Singlemalt
Well-Known Member
There's SMA Dan Dailey again
Former U.S. senator Robert Dole was promoted to the honorary rank of colonel in a ceremony presided over by Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, at the World War II Memorial on the National Mall, May 16, 2019. At right is Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel A. Dailey.
"Former Sen. Bob Dole was promoted from Army captain to the honorary rank of colonel during a ceremony Thursday at the World War II Memorial in Washington, becoming the third and only living recipient of such an honor in the service’s 244-year history.
Dole, 95, enlisted in the early years of U.S. involvement of WWII and was commissioned as a second lieutenant before shipping off with the 10th Mountain Division to Italy. There he was shot in the back by a German machine gun while he attempted to rescue an injured radioman during an assault on an enemy position. He spent years recovering in a military hospital, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley said during the ceremony attended by family members, military officials and dignitaries, as well veterans visiting the memorial as part of an Honor Flight.
Dole last wore the Army uniform in 1948 but continued to serve out of uniform for the next seven decades, Milley said. Dole, a recipient of two Purple Hearts who was twice awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor, never regained full use of his right arm.
Only two other Army officers have ever received an honorary promotion of any kind, Milley said. They are President George Washington, who was made honorary General of the Armies of the United States on the country’s bicentennial in 1976; and American explorer and governor William Clark, who was posthumously promoted from lieutenant to colonel in 2001 by Clinton. Clark joined Meriwether Lewis on an expedition to the Pacific Ocean in the early 1800s."
Obepawn
Well-Known Member
What years was that? I was in 85’ to 95’. No push-up, no sit-ups, just show up once a year with a cigarette in your hand and run the mile and a half. That was then though.
Alaska Airlines employees care for fallen service members on their final trips
Veterans who give their lives for their country are entitled to a final salute from a military honor guard when they’re laid to rest.
But before they arrive at the cemetery, there is another group of caretakers made up of airline workers, who watch over fallen service members and their families as they take their last trip.
Airlines hurried to stay on-time during a busy morning at Sea-Tac Airport last Saturday. But at Gate C9, everything slowed down.
“With your permission, we’ll proceed,” an airline employee said to Susan Woods as she stood under an Alaska Airlines jet.
Woods nodded, and a ceremony began. She was there to send off her husband of 37 years, Sergeant Major James “Tony” Woods, an Army veteran who fought in Vietnam and retired in Olympia.
Sergeant Major Woods was a Silver Star recipient who died in April. He asked to be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.
A Puget Sound Honor Flight happened to be heading to Washington, D.C. on Saturday, carrying dozens of vets to visit monuments and memorials.
With just a few days notice, Alaska Airlines activated a company-wide program designed to ensure military families like the Woods’ are treated with the utmost respect. As soon as the airline gets the call to transport a fallen service member’s remains, a brigade of employees and volunteers, many of them veterans, mobilizes to provide a final, dignified journey.
Daniel Brosch is an Alaska Airlines maintenance trainer based out of Los Angeles who helped create the Alaska Airlines Fallen Soldier Program.
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re the cook or whether you’re the pilot, or what your rank was, everybody gets the same treatment,” Brosch explained.
In 2011, he and other workers approached their managers with a concern: The company needed to show more respect when transporting military members who died.
“Unfortunately, all air carriers were handling the remains of fallen veterans like cargo. No longer is that the case with Alaska Airlines and other airlines,” Brosch said.
The bosses listened, and today the Alaska Airlines Fallen Soldier Program includes special protocols and equipment stationed in an expanding list of cities, like Phoenix.
During a recent ceremony there, Brosch and his team handed over a custom-made cart, bearing the seals of the different military branches, specifically for carrying flag-draped caskets.
Ten of the carts are on standby at airports across the country, and that’s the just one layer of the Fallen Soldier Program.
The airline just rolled out a second “Honoring Those Who Serve” jet, which it re-routes sometimes at a moment’s notice to carry veterans and their families.
“That’s a lot of work,” Brosch said. “They have to shift the schedule around. It’s no simple task, but they do it every single time, and if they don’t, it’s because it’s almost impossible to do.”
An airline escort always stays with the fallen service member while in their care. Baggage handlers and maintenance workers, trained on Defense Department protocol, become pallbearers.
“The level of respect and honor and kindness that was shown to our family, we have no words for it,” said Julia Schmidtke, an Alaska flight attendant from Tacoma.
Schmidtke understands how much the program means to families in a fog of grief. Her son, Army Specialist Hunter Schmidtke, 25, died last year, and her airline colleagues stood at attention at Sea-Tac to bring him home.
“It heals you,” Schmidtke said. “It heals you as you go through the hardest time you could ever imagine.”
Employees who participate in the Fallen Soldier Program do so on their own time, and they want to do more. They have a goal of building a fallen soldier cart for every airport Alaska Airlines serves. The equipment represents a rare part of the ultra-competitive industry where rivalry is set aside.
Although Alaska Airlines made the carts, any airline can use them. American Airlines also has a fleet of custom carts solely for fallen heroes.
Delta Air Lines has an Honor Guard made up of hundreds of employees who’ve escorted more than 5,000 servicemen and women around the world, the company said.
Back in Seattle, it’s the moment they’ve so carefully planned. Alaska Airlines employees gently guided Sergeant Major Woods’ casket onto a conveyor belt and into the belly of the 737.
“I’ll see you soon, dear,” Susan Woods said as her husband’s casket passed by.
She will join him at Arlington National Cemetery for a ceremony in June. For a few minutes, a corner of Sea-Tac stood still, and the honors came early.
“He got more than he asked for here,” Susan Woods said. “A lot more.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/alaska-airlines-employees-care-for-fallen-service-members-on-their-final-trips/ar-AABK1fm
Veterans who give their lives for their country are entitled to a final salute from a military honor guard when they’re laid to rest.
But before they arrive at the cemetery, there is another group of caretakers made up of airline workers, who watch over fallen service members and their families as they take their last trip.
Airlines hurried to stay on-time during a busy morning at Sea-Tac Airport last Saturday. But at Gate C9, everything slowed down.
“With your permission, we’ll proceed,” an airline employee said to Susan Woods as she stood under an Alaska Airlines jet.
Woods nodded, and a ceremony began. She was there to send off her husband of 37 years, Sergeant Major James “Tony” Woods, an Army veteran who fought in Vietnam and retired in Olympia.
Sergeant Major Woods was a Silver Star recipient who died in April. He asked to be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.
A Puget Sound Honor Flight happened to be heading to Washington, D.C. on Saturday, carrying dozens of vets to visit monuments and memorials.
With just a few days notice, Alaska Airlines activated a company-wide program designed to ensure military families like the Woods’ are treated with the utmost respect. As soon as the airline gets the call to transport a fallen service member’s remains, a brigade of employees and volunteers, many of them veterans, mobilizes to provide a final, dignified journey.
Daniel Brosch is an Alaska Airlines maintenance trainer based out of Los Angeles who helped create the Alaska Airlines Fallen Soldier Program.
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re the cook or whether you’re the pilot, or what your rank was, everybody gets the same treatment,” Brosch explained.
In 2011, he and other workers approached their managers with a concern: The company needed to show more respect when transporting military members who died.
“Unfortunately, all air carriers were handling the remains of fallen veterans like cargo. No longer is that the case with Alaska Airlines and other airlines,” Brosch said.
The bosses listened, and today the Alaska Airlines Fallen Soldier Program includes special protocols and equipment stationed in an expanding list of cities, like Phoenix.
During a recent ceremony there, Brosch and his team handed over a custom-made cart, bearing the seals of the different military branches, specifically for carrying flag-draped caskets.
Ten of the carts are on standby at airports across the country, and that’s the just one layer of the Fallen Soldier Program.
The airline just rolled out a second “Honoring Those Who Serve” jet, which it re-routes sometimes at a moment’s notice to carry veterans and their families.
“That’s a lot of work,” Brosch said. “They have to shift the schedule around. It’s no simple task, but they do it every single time, and if they don’t, it’s because it’s almost impossible to do.”
An airline escort always stays with the fallen service member while in their care. Baggage handlers and maintenance workers, trained on Defense Department protocol, become pallbearers.
“The level of respect and honor and kindness that was shown to our family, we have no words for it,” said Julia Schmidtke, an Alaska flight attendant from Tacoma.
Schmidtke understands how much the program means to families in a fog of grief. Her son, Army Specialist Hunter Schmidtke, 25, died last year, and her airline colleagues stood at attention at Sea-Tac to bring him home.
“It heals you,” Schmidtke said. “It heals you as you go through the hardest time you could ever imagine.”
Employees who participate in the Fallen Soldier Program do so on their own time, and they want to do more. They have a goal of building a fallen soldier cart for every airport Alaska Airlines serves. The equipment represents a rare part of the ultra-competitive industry where rivalry is set aside.
Although Alaska Airlines made the carts, any airline can use them. American Airlines also has a fleet of custom carts solely for fallen heroes.
Delta Air Lines has an Honor Guard made up of hundreds of employees who’ve escorted more than 5,000 servicemen and women around the world, the company said.
Back in Seattle, it’s the moment they’ve so carefully planned. Alaska Airlines employees gently guided Sergeant Major Woods’ casket onto a conveyor belt and into the belly of the 737.
“I’ll see you soon, dear,” Susan Woods said as her husband’s casket passed by.
She will join him at Arlington National Cemetery for a ceremony in June. For a few minutes, a corner of Sea-Tac stood still, and the honors came early.
“He got more than he asked for here,” Susan Woods said. “A lot more.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/alaska-airlines-employees-care-for-fallen-service-members-on-their-final-trips/ar-AABK1fm
whitebb2727
Well-Known Member
98-2002.
I was in a joint army/af unit. That may have been why.
All of the AF have increased thier fitness test requirements to the same as the army. The AF also increased thier basic training time as well.
Obepawn
Well-Known Member
Yeah I know. My second to youngest son is a Ssgt in the Air Force, he’s a linguist, fluent in Turkish and Korean.
whitebb2727
Well-Known Member
That's cool. They pay extra for the more languages.
Obepawn
Well-Known Member
Yep.
BarnBuster
Virtually Unknown Member
Miami-class cutter USCGC Tampa photographed in harbor, prior to the First World War. All 131 persons on board Tampa were lost when the vessel was sunk by a German torpedo. (U.S. Navy)
24 May 2019
Military.com | By Richard Sisk
Military.com | By Richard Sisk
The sinking of the Tampa off the coast of Wales at about 8:30 p.m. Sept. 26, 1918, just weeks before the war ended on Nov. 11, represented the single largest loss of life for either the U.S. Coast Guard or Navy in World War I, according to the Coast Guard.
Descendants of those lost attended a ceremony at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C., where 10 members of the Tampa crew were posthumously awarded the medal.
James Christopher Wilkie, 29, was a cook aboard the Tampa. His grandson, William Bonaparte, 77, of Charleston, South Carolina, who served in the Army in Vietnam, attended the ceremony.
His only wish was that his late mother, Anna Bonaparte, could have been present, he said. "She was four years old when he died," but spoke of her father often though she had little memory of him, William Bonaparte said.
"My mother really wanted this," he said of the Purple Heart.
"It was her dream," Joan Bonaparte, William's wife, said of her mother-in-law.
William Bonaparte said the family would take the medal back home to Charleston and hold a small ceremony at his mother's gravesite.
Another descendant, Henry E. Heydt Jr., of St. Augustine, Florida, and his wife, Ingrid, brought with them a clipping from the Oct. 4, 1918, edition of the Brooklyn (N.Y.) Daily Eagle, which noted that 14 of the Tampa's crew were from Brooklyn and Long Island.
One was 2nd Lt. Roy Ackermann Bothwell, 28, of Brooklyn, Henry Heydt's first cousin twice removed. The newspaper clipping said, "Relatives are clinging to the hope that some survivors will yet be reported, but the large majority have accepted the word 'missing' as meaning definitely that the men have perished."
Bothwell's brother, Army 1st Lt. Harold E. Bothwell of the 306th Infantry, had been killed in France three weeks before the Tampa's sinking, though Roy Bothwell had been unaware of his brother's death, Heydt said.
"That was the whole family," Heydt added, since the parents had no other children.
The Tampa was ending its 19th mission as a convoy escort on runs between Gibraltar and southern England when it was hit by the torpedo, believed to have been launched by U-boat UB-91. It sank in three minutes off the Welsh town of Milford Haven, according to Coast Guard archives.
Of the 131 aboard, 111 were from the Coast Guard and four from the Navy. The rest were British sailors or civilians.
The Tampa crew was "defending people they never met, defending our values," Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz said at the ceremony. "Their names live on, woven into the fabric and the legacy of the Coast Guard."
The Coast Guard belongs to the Department of Homeland Security. At the ceremony, Acting Homeland Secretary Kevin McAleenan said, "One hundred years after the Tampa's loss, [the ship] remains at the forefront of the Coast Guard's memory."
He said the posthumous awards of the Purple Heart were "long overdue."
Purple Hearts were not awarded by the U.S. during World War I, but resumed in World War II. The award was extended to the Coast Guard in 1942. In 1952, Congress made the awarding of the Purple Heart retroactive to April 5, 1917.
However, the crew of the Tampa was not eligible for the Purple Heart until 1999, Schultz said. The search for descendants has continued since then.
At the ceremony Friday, Adolph Carlson III, of Elsmere, Delaware, received the Purple Heart on behalf of his great uncle, Coxswain Harold Tonneson, 37, who was originally from Norway but had settled in Brooklyn.
Perhaps unbeknownst to the Coast Guard, Tonneson kept a dog and a cat aboard the Tampa, according to his letters home. Tonneson also wrote of going to Montana to start a farm when the war was over.
"I think he was probably tired of the sea," Carlson said.
The others from the Tampa who were posthumously awarded the Purple heart Friday include 1st Lt. Archibald Scully, 35, of Baltimore; Master-at-Arms Joseph Cygan, 27, of New Bedford, Massachusetts; Bayman Edward Shanahan, 21, of Jersey City, New Jersey; Seaman Edward Dorgan, 21, of Woodhaven, New York; Fireman William Hastings, 21, of Philadelphia; and Seaman Shelby Laymen, 25, of Rineyville, Kentucky.
Also receiving the posthumous Purple Heart was Boy 1st Class Paul Other Webb, 21, of St. Petersburg, Florida. The rating "Boy" was in use at the time in the Coast Guard, and more than five other "Boys" were listed in the Tampa's crew, according to Coast Guard records.
Grandpapy
Well-Known Member
They were there in San Jose when my son was returned to us.
I'm not sure of the airline (I was quite a mess) but the respect he/we received was stellar.
The plane was stopped short of the gate, Airport Fire Suppression Equipment w/flags draped, there must of been 25-30 people removing and placing the casket into the hearse for the ride to Monterey. The distraction may have kept me from going completely bonkers.
The outpouring from the Coast Guard has left my me in awe, at least 50 service men at the service with representation flying in from Washington as well.
It is with much gratitude that I make this post.
Thanks GWN and the employees of Alaska Air
Herb & Suds
Well-Known Member
Respect and condolences for your loss
doublejj
Well-Known Member
Hugs brother....
Grandpapy
Well-Known Member
Thanks, right back at you.
whitebb2727
Well-Known Member
Condolences.
My boy, as young as he is, is very adamant about wanting to be a soldier. I have mixed feelings about it.
I had no idea - I apologize if I stirred memories of bad times.
My sincerest condolences as well.