Tue Sep 15, 2020, 08:04 PM
Jack-o-Lantern (833 posts)
I flew in the US Air Force for eight years during the Vietnam era...
We flew huge C-141 Starlifter cargo jets between the US and southeast Asia.
We carried supplies and munitions eastbound, but not westbound. There is a huge US hospital/mortuary in Yokota Japan where the injured and dead service people were flown from Vietnam to the Yokota facility. The dead were processed there and placed in hermetical sealed aluminum coffins (called human remains transfer cases). The C-141 carried ten cargo pallets, each pallet was loaded with eight HRTC’s, so each westbound flight carried 80 bodies. During the long overwater flights I would I step down into the cargo bay and read… you see each case was equipped with container holding the paperwork accompanying the remains. The paperwork indicated the name, age, hometown, next of kin, cause of death, and whether the remains were viewable or not. The average age of the deceased was 19 years old. Those who were from the western states were unloaded at the Travis AFB California mortuary, and those from the eastern states were unloaded at Dover AFB Delaware. I flew two or three SEA runs every month, with many more aircraft making these same depressing SEA runs…no flags draped over the cases, no honor guards meeting the planes, the pallets were simply rolled onto flatbed K-loaders and driven away. On other occasions the aircraft was reconfigured into a flying fully staffed med-evac hospital. These flights were loaded with litters, two high down the cargo bay accompanied by two doctors, three nurses and an array of medical machines. Some injuries were moderate while others were horribly wounded, paralyzed, burned, amputees etc. Now am proud of my service, but ashamed of the waste, and the futility of that war (as is true of most wars). The point of this story is the red hot rage and loathing I harbor toward the bloated stinking piece of shit who calls these people, my people, and the others who have served our country over the years “SUCKERS and LOSERS”! I will not rest until this putrid orange monster lies rotting in the ground, food for worms and maggots! That will be one hell of a happy day. …and so it goes.
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53 replies, 9341 views
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Author | Time | Post |
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Jack-o-Lantern | Sep 2020 | OP |
pdxflyboy | Sep 2020 | #1 | |
JohnnyLib2 | Sep 2020 | #2 | |
iluvtennis | Sep 2020 | #25 | |
AZ8theist | Sep 2020 | #42 | |
crickets | Sep 2020 | #3 | |
Karadeniz | Sep 2020 | #4 | |
Stinky The Clown | Sep 2020 | #5 | |
FakeNoose | Sep 2020 | #6 | |
Hulk | Sep 2020 | #10 | |
Illumination | Sep 2020 | #20 | |
iluvtennis | Sep 2020 | #26 | |
colorado_ufo | Sep 2020 | #48 | |
okaawhatever | Sep 2020 | #7 | |
Laffy Kat | Sep 2020 | #8 | |
Dem2theMax | Sep 2020 | #13 | |
leighbythesea2 | Sep 2020 | #15 | |
zipplewrath | Sep 2020 | #51 | |
Jack-o-Lantern | Sep 2020 | #9 | |
MaryMagdaline | Sep 2020 | #11 | |
democrank | Sep 2020 | #12 | |
Hekate | Sep 2020 | #14 | |
Illumination | Sep 2020 | #16 | |
PoliWrangler | Sep 2020 | #17 | |
panader0 | Sep 2020 | #18 | |
speaknow | Sep 2020 | #19 | |
SidDithers | Sep 2020 | #21 | |
Aussie105 | Sep 2020 | #22 | |
colorado_ufo | Sep 2020 | #49 | |
oldsoftie | Sep 2020 | #52 | |
TallMike | Sep 2020 | #23 | |
flamin lib | Sep 2020 | #24 | |
MustLoveBeagles | Sep 2020 | #27 | |
Jamesm9164 | Sep 2020 | #28 | |
Larissa | Sep 2020 | #29 | |
BadGimp | Sep 2020 | #30 | |
burrowowl | Sep 2020 | #31 | |
Lock him up. | Sep 2020 | #32 | |
Withywindle | Sep 2020 | #33 | |
MrScorpio | Sep 2020 | #34 | |
Victor_c3 | Sep 2020 | #35 | |
Freedomofspeech | Sep 2020 | #36 | |
Grins | Sep 2020 | #37 | |
sarchasm | Sep 2020 | #38 | |
PatrickforO | Sep 2020 | #39 | |
Blue Owl | Sep 2020 | #40 | |
Texin | Sep 2020 | #41 | |
Dukkha | Sep 2020 | #43 | |
peacebuzzard | Sep 2020 | #44 | |
ProfessorGAC | Sep 2020 | #45 | |
Frustratedlady | Sep 2020 | #46 | |
Paper Roses | Sep 2020 | #47 | |
KT2000 | Sep 2020 | #50 | |
Jamesm9164 | Sep 2020 | #53 |
Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Tue Sep 15, 2020, 08:08 PM
pdxflyboy (584 posts)
1. God Bless You Brother
I feel the same way.
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Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Tue Sep 15, 2020, 08:12 PM
JohnnyLib2 (11,180 posts)
2. You speak for many.
Thank you for saying it clearly and loudly. ![]() |
Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Tue Sep 15, 2020, 08:20 PM
crickets (24,079 posts)
3. Thank you, Jack.
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Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Tue Sep 15, 2020, 08:23 PM
Karadeniz (18,329 posts)
4. Always consider the source. To be admired by Trump indicates the recipient is some sort of immoral
Criminal, law bending type. To be disparaged by Trump is a compliment because that person, having ethics and decency, can't be bought off and manipulated by him. But I, too, share your wish for his disintegration!
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Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Tue Sep 15, 2020, 08:34 PM
Stinky The Clown (65,792 posts)
5. Right there with you, Brother.
Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Tue Sep 15, 2020, 08:36 PM
FakeNoose (27,697 posts)
6. Amen! Well said, brother
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Response to FakeNoose (Reply #6)
Tue Sep 15, 2020, 09:00 PM
Hulk (6,699 posts)
10. K & R
It would be worth a visit...he and Darth cheney are on my list.
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Response to FakeNoose (Reply #6)
Tue Sep 15, 2020, 09:49 PM
Illumination (2,458 posts)
20. This is positive thinking @ it's best!...
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Response to FakeNoose (Reply #6)
Tue Sep 15, 2020, 10:51 PM
iluvtennis (17,843 posts)
26. Love it. nt
Response to FakeNoose (Reply #6)
Wed Sep 16, 2020, 01:13 PM
colorado_ufo (5,366 posts)
48. Made my day!!!
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Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Tue Sep 15, 2020, 08:47 PM
okaawhatever (9,178 posts)
7. K & R. nt
Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Tue Sep 15, 2020, 08:47 PM
Laffy Kat (15,312 posts)
8. Please consider submitting this OP as a Letter to the Editor...
Or an opinion piece to your local newspaper.
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Response to Laffy Kat (Reply #8)
Tue Sep 15, 2020, 09:07 PM
Dem2theMax (9,419 posts)
13. I thought the same thing the second I finished reading it.
![]() I'd like to see it in a national newspaper. |
Response to Laffy Kat (Reply #8)
Tue Sep 15, 2020, 09:19 PM
leighbythesea2 (1,084 posts)
15. I thought this too
Two paragraphs in! So well said.
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Response to Laffy Kat (Reply #8)
Wed Sep 16, 2020, 04:36 PM
zipplewrath (16,530 posts)
51. NYT/Wash Post/ LA times
They take letters from the nation. I think they might actually be interested in the perspective.
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Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Tue Sep 15, 2020, 08:55 PM
Jack-o-Lantern (833 posts)
9. Yes Kat, I will do that.
Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Tue Sep 15, 2020, 09:03 PM
MaryMagdaline (6,627 posts)
11. Thank you for your witness
Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Tue Sep 15, 2020, 09:06 PM
democrank (10,401 posts)
12. Thank you for posting this.
~Peace~
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Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Tue Sep 15, 2020, 09:07 PM
Hekate (81,748 posts)
14. As MM says, thank you for your witness
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Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Tue Sep 15, 2020, 09:33 PM
Illumination (2,458 posts)
16. Hearing your story brings tears to my eyes. All the sacrifices & lives lost doing what's
honorable for America! But remember that the Tramp in the W.H. actually belongs in the Big House! He's beneath our standards. He does not possess class, dignity, ethics, morals, knowledge, creditability, self control, legitimacy, compassion, honor, kindness & love. This is someone who is a rude embarrassing punk thug failure to America! No one wants to listen to him anymore because it's all lies & nonsense! His world is beginning to crack all around him & it will be just a matter of time that it all comes tumbling down on him!...
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Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Tue Sep 15, 2020, 09:34 PM
PoliWrangler (135 posts)
17. K&R .. respect
Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Tue Sep 15, 2020, 09:35 PM
panader0 (25,336 posts)
18. Very powerful, very real.
It gives your loathing for trump real gravitas. Thanks for posting--a great post.
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Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Tue Sep 15, 2020, 09:42 PM
speaknow (321 posts)
19. Nice and
honest. We were the Guys and Girls that went
off to war and when we returned we we spit on and cursed at, We stood tall and took it all. As I tell all that served. We did the right thing! |
Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Tue Sep 15, 2020, 09:55 PM
SidDithers (44,228 posts)
21. DU rec...
Good post Jack-o-Lantern.
Sid |
Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Tue Sep 15, 2020, 09:59 PM
Aussie105 (3,951 posts)
22. A touching story.
But try to ignore Trump.
He is desperate, facing election defeat and trying to see some way out of a situation he cannot control. In his present state of senile dementia his only coping mechanism is to lash out at everyone. That gravestone picture. There will be a long line of Americans willing to personally 'water' the headstone and the ground. |
Response to Aussie105 (Reply #22)
Wed Sep 16, 2020, 01:14 PM
colorado_ufo (5,366 posts)
49. Ya know what?
I think I will go with spit instead; rumor has it he really gets off being urinated on.
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Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Tue Sep 15, 2020, 10:11 PM
TallMike (134 posts)
23. Thank You.
Im afraid I stole this epic. Then I posted it on the dread FB. Then I attributed it to some guy named John.
I fucking love you Jack O. Did I mention EPIC? ...and so it goes. |
Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Tue Sep 15, 2020, 10:33 PM
flamin lib (13,539 posts)
24. There with you. Didn't serve in country but when asked I answered.
While there I served as best I could. Not for God or country or cause. For those serving with me.
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Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Tue Sep 15, 2020, 10:57 PM
MustLoveBeagles (10,697 posts)
27. Thank you for your service
![]() You speak for many. |
Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Tue Sep 15, 2020, 10:59 PM
Jamesm9164 (499 posts)
28. As did I
I have watched and enjoyed DU for many years and have hesitated to join the conversation. Mostly because of shit-stirrers.
This post stirred my soul. I also flew the C-141 for 22-years - 1970 - 1992. Think about the history, folks. The present President of the United States is a disgrace. |
Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Tue Sep 15, 2020, 11:04 PM
Larissa (716 posts)
29. Thank you
Thank you for your deeply moving message. When you wrote that the average age of the deceased was 19-years-old, I could not help but remember the famous Life Magazine article on the war dead of Vietnam which included black and white pictures of the fallen. Many Americans were heartbroken at the youthful faces in those pictures. I think that many were confronted for the first time with the unforgiving reality of war and the incredible sacrifices those young men -- all of them -- made.
Please know that I am truly proud of your service. |
Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Wed Sep 16, 2020, 12:42 AM
BadGimp (3,890 posts)
30. Thank You!
Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Wed Sep 16, 2020, 01:25 AM
burrowowl (16,575 posts)
31. Thanks for your story and the good work!
Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Wed Sep 16, 2020, 02:06 AM
Lock him up. (5,766 posts)
32. I hope when he's detained serving his life sentence before that
in a federal or a state prison, to pay for all the sufferings he is to be found guilty of, with all the real evidence of his lifelong crime spree, that you will already start to rest from there on.
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Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Wed Sep 16, 2020, 02:24 AM
Withywindle (9,903 posts)
33. The further the ruling class gets away from war, the more they worship it
I really do pray Vietnam will be the last US draft ever. Teenagers forced into carnage they didn't understand.
Thank you for your painful service, and your eloquent post about it. |
Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Wed Sep 16, 2020, 03:53 AM
MrScorpio (73,501 posts)
34. So it goes, homes.
Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Wed Sep 16, 2020, 06:44 AM
Victor_c3 (3,412 posts)
35. My own experiences as an Infantry Platoon Leader showed me the same waste you saw
I have a lot of mixed feelings about my military service, but the waste of human life and resources appalled me. I feel a lot of guilt for the loss of life on both sides of the fight. Had the tables been turned, I’m sure I would have been fighting on the other side. I believe the majority of the insurgents I fought against truly believed they were fighting to defend their families and communities - I can certainly identify with that.
Victor Army, 1997-2007 |
Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Wed Sep 16, 2020, 06:52 AM
Freedomofspeech (4,132 posts)
36. Thank you for your service...
Only thing is...now I know how my brothers body got to Dover.😥
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Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Wed Sep 16, 2020, 07:02 AM
Grins (5,836 posts)
37. ...and after he is in the ground rotting....
...stand in the long line to piss on his grave. Grass will never grow over that spot.
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Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Wed Sep 16, 2020, 08:32 AM
sarchasm (873 posts)
38. Whoa. Talk about perspective...
Thanks for your service and sharing. A huge responsibility to bear, to reunite them with their loved ones.
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Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Wed Sep 16, 2020, 09:10 AM
PatrickforO (13,907 posts)
39. No doubt. People will be dancing in the streets when Trumpy is gone.
Except the white supremacists. They will still be under their rocks, with their cammies and guns, waiting.
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Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Wed Sep 16, 2020, 09:58 AM
Blue Owl (43,553 posts)
40. K&R
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Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Wed Sep 16, 2020, 10:53 AM
Dukkha (7,341 posts)
43. 100% share your sentiment
There has been no human in my time who is so devoid of humanity and not an ounce of altruism in his stinking grotesque body. He deserves no honor in his passing which can't come soon enough.
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Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Wed Sep 16, 2020, 11:28 AM
peacebuzzard (4,730 posts)
44. My heart breaks each day for this.
Tragedy and loss that very few understood.
I had friends who served along with you, and friends who left for other countries rather than be drafted. some are still around, although I have lost contact with most. As a young female during that time, I lived safely on military bases both here, in Europe and South America. Tension was everywhere. It still haunts me. Thank you for sharing, ![]() |
Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Wed Sep 16, 2020, 12:04 PM
ProfessorGAC (56,800 posts)
45. K&R!
Great post, Jack.
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Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Wed Sep 16, 2020, 12:55 PM
Frustratedlady (16,242 posts)
46. Thank you for your service. My nephew picked up where you left off.
He is one of those who goes to the house to inform the family and stays near to make sure they are taken care of in many ways. It is also a tough job, but he has done it for many years and feels a great sense of accomplishment.
You have earned the rage. You aren't alone. |
Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Wed Sep 16, 2020, 01:10 PM
Paper Roses (7,244 posts)
47. As part of a family whose members served in Vietnam, I now have tears in my eyes.
That inexcusable war cost so much to so many. By the grace of circumstance, my family came home physically safe. Not sure about mental status after that horrible experience. Those who did the awful job of bringing back casualties should be thanked for the service rendered. One of my family members flew medivac helicopters. He never talked about this horrible experience. I'm sure his dreams bring flashbacks. As we watch current events and the stupid moves by this administration, I worry about another useless, inexcusable war. One of my family came home with a Silver Star plus other medals. A sad but honorable tribute. Thank you for your very poignant post. Those of us who remember Vietnam are doubly concerned at this point. Nothing tRump does will surprise me. He is a desperate despot! This idiot in the White House will do anything. I can't get it out of my mind. |
Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Wed Sep 16, 2020, 01:57 PM
KT2000 (20,308 posts)
50. You have written this so well
I wish it could get into broader circulation. Currently the awful one is using threats against countries that would require the work of those he calls losers and suckers. Our streets are in the infant stages of being turned into a civil war - with warrior wannabes who have no idea of the experiences you and so many others have had.
Your essay is a reminder I hope many will read. Thank you for posting it. |
Response to Jack-o-Lantern (Original post)
Wed Sep 16, 2020, 05:57 PM
Jamesm9164 (499 posts)
53. I simply cannot not respond to the comments.
Pats on the head are nice. Thank you's are nice. But, what are you doing. I am more than willing to let folks know who I am and where I live. The handle should be sufficient.
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