"There was wuz, Me an ol' Teddy Roosevelt, shoulder to shoulder an backs to the wall,"

 I said to a young GI the other day. He responded by telling me I wasn't that old.

"No, but I feel like it," I replied.

He snickered.

Seeing we just passed Veteran's Day we forget that as Veterans we have things we are supposed to pass in to the guys that are still in the service. We have to keep them guessing.

A while back a young GI wearing the wings of a US Paratrooper asked me what jump school was like back in the day.

"It wasn't too bad. Just before I enlisted they started issuing the guys parachutes," I said with a thoughtful look and air about me. I sounded pretty serious and was treated to a dumbfounded look followed by a big grin as he realized I was just doing my job as a vet. Of course it was fun for a second or so when the young man pictured guys jumping out of plane without them. The look of shock on his face was priceless.

He was a junior NCO and I knew he'd pass it on. Sooner of later he'd tell some private he'd met this really old guy that told him jump school started before they issued troops parachutes.

I also told an airmobile soldier that back in my day we had airmobile units, too. We were taken into battle by pterodactyls.

I also one time expressed pride in my Good Conduct medal and explained that back in the day it was considered a very high decoration and something to be proud of. You had do show patience, courage and discipline to be awarded one. It was awarded to someone for having the courage and discipline to overcome the all-encompassing burning desire to strangle some imbecile off that truly deserved it.

It's part of a veterans job to keep the serving GIs on their toes.

Some time back I was introduced to a Marine Master Gunnery Sergeant and I told the corporal that we had met at Tun Tavern back in '76 when General Washington gave me a buckboard and told me to run down I-95 to Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and see what I could scrounge.

I told the corporal I had stopped in at Tun Tavern for a sandwich and a beer and there was the Master Guns. He was the third to enlist and as a result the first two made him buy the beer and beat his ears to death with stories about the Old Corps.

The Master Guns smirked. He knew how the game was played and nearing retirement he knew he would soon stop being a serviceman and become a veteran. His turn was coming up.

Remember, fellow veterans. It is our job to pass on to the younger guys things like how hard it was to hand crank a duece 'n half to get it started or let them know that back in our day that the horses got fed first.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY