Was watching the '07 TF movie and when dad saw Spooky shooting at Scorponok, he said, "damn, never saw that in the daylight." Dad has seen what an AC-130 gunship do, and at night. it made him believe in dragons again. He told me about how he saw one hose down an entire area trying to keep a firebase from being overrun, the gatling gun fired so fast it made a red halo appear in the sky. the howitzer belched and thumped. he swears that to this day, Spooky dumped so much fire, it could have mowed the lawn and landscaped the backyard. he said it was one of the three most impressive things he ever saw back then in 1967. the other 2? The First time he saw a Cobra Gunship attack. He didn't even know it was one of ours and his unit shot at it. And lastly, he saw another firebase overrun from a spot two klicks away. So many people rushing into the camp that they turned howitzers and artillery pieces into straight and level shotguns firing outward. No air support because Hueys or fighter/bombers couldn't tell foe from friendly. lasted a little over 6 hours. He told me that he sat there with a Prick-25 (PRC radio) and heard orders for complete standby; all units in the area were being called in for reinforcements. dad didn't finish the movie with me. i guess some things are impressive, but don't do much for the spirit, ya know? just sharing an observation, a moment with my dad with you here. that's all.
Wow. Thanks for sharing. I hear war stories from my Grandpa (he was in the Navy) all the time, I rather enjoy hearing them.
i am okay. what my dad was telling me, and how he said it just hit me and made me think about things. that's all. like i once saw a video of a tomahawk missile and thought, "cool." My dad sees the same thing and just shrugs. perception, ya know? just sharing an observation. that's all. not going into a depression or melancholy.
The 3 most fundamentally changing sights in my life so far have been: 1. Watching my Mom's casket get lowered into the ground 2. An amalgam of the time spent with my two kittens 3. Seeing naked breasts - in real life - for the first time
Wow that was a good one. I'll go with that. Remember the first time you touched it, it was like...holding a bag of sand. Seeing my kids born tie for number one. And, something I haven't seen yet.
Seeing all four of my sons, ugh, emerge... Watching an F-5 tornado move across the horizon in the distance. Riding on an airplane at night, looking out the window and seeing the stars the way they must have looked back before there was light pollution.
Mine: 1. Kids being born, 2. spending time at night looking up at a clear sky. 3. and when a girl bends over and accidently shows her thong...
1: The metal plate I got in 'nam 2: The prosthetic leg I got in 'nam 3: That $5 Vientemese underage prostitute I got in 'nam and the things I could do to her with said metal plate and prosthetic leg
Kill me? Oh no, I meant how I sniped her between the eyes with a 50 cal at 600 meters. You can't buy that kind of experience. Her head exploded like a watermelon hitting the pavement at 220kmph.
EDIT: 'pologies. Feeling a little morose on account of some things coming up next year, but it doesn't need to drift into here.
1. Seeing the Tornado that tore through a small area of my home town in 1996. 2. Sticking around the house for Isabel even though we were ordered to evacuate. And seeing the aftermath of Hurricane Isabel and later Charley. 3. Having my grandmother's dog, Sammy, die (while being put down) in my lap.
1. Seeing a guy get shot in the head in front of me 2. Sitting next to a dog that had been hit by a car and seeing the look of being afraid in his eyes 3. Seeing my wife's cat put to sleep and life leaving his eyes.
This thread doesn't really have anything that impressive, more like lists of depressing and disturbing stuff.
Yeah, you gotta point. I was kinda following some other posts, but got away from the point of the thread. So here's a reboot: 1) Loading this soldier up to fly him back stateside--watching the props start turning in the middle of the night, and knowing that because my team was in place and as capable as we were, he was going to survive and see his family again. And he did, and it still feels good today. 2) While on a walldive in the Bahamas, looking out into the ocean and seeing two blacktip reef sharks. Maybe 5-6 and 8-9 feet respectively. They're not a particularly aggressive species or anything, but they just had this vibe. Like, "We see you. And we're not going to eat you...but we could. Remember that. You're in our world, and you exist now becase we allow it." It was impressive and humbling at the same time. 3) Watching a guy who'd lost a leg make it to the bathroom and back with no help. That was probably the most impressive thing I've ever see someone do in person. Taught me not to complain about probably 80% of the stuff I used to complain about. 4) Seeing the lights of Atlanta break over the horizon every time I return after being gone a while. I even try to time my returns so I come in at night. I don't really have a hometown on account of Dad being in the service and then joining myself, but Atlanta is pretty close. And coming back to it feels more like coming home, and I love that.
