If you don't like the topic, move on. There's more to life; and more serious things than old trains. You pursue what you want because they pursued what was necessary. If you are so small minded that you can't tolerate a necessary deviation from "approved topics" then practice being more open-minded. We're discussing this on the Penn State wrestling board and it is as off topic there as it is here, with tonight being the season opener.

But you should take time to honor them, not just with the "I support the troops" but an honorarium to specific people. Whether specific engagements were well fought or advisable or victoriously is irrelevant; they followed the directions of their CofC for us.

When I think of vets; I think of my great uncle Steve., now gone 21+ years. He was a Marine in World War II. Among the places he was at was Tarawa November 20–2 3 1943. He was the only survivor of his unit there. His final duty stop was Hiroshima Sep-Oct 1945.

Honorably discharged, he came home, got married and soon after thought his return to normalcy was complete when he expected to become a father. His daughter was born with the official diagnosis of spina bifida; and she died within a year. You have to wonder of course if trodding that hot ground had something to do with it.

He didn't talk much about the war, and his experience at Tarawa gave him survivor's guilt. His older sister, my grandmother called him about a history channel special about Tarawa about a year before he died and all he said was "thanks Helen I appreciate you calling, but going through that once was enough".

Even into his 70's he could command the respect of everybody in the room without saying a word. As a little kid I only saw him infrequently, as he lived in Bridgeport CT working at Remington Arms. After retirement he moved back to NEPA and I saw him more frequently, until one day he had a heart attack at the supermarket.

Likewise my Dad's oldest brother Ed. He was in the Army and at the Battle of the Bulge, where he had a nasty case of frostbite. He likewise didn't talk much about it; it was hey I had a job to do, we won, so here we are.

He used to send money home to my grandmother with a note "Mom buy something for the kids", after Europe, he came home and had three children, working as an auto mechanic-he may have worked on military vehicles as a spring board. He passed in 1997.

It's not just their time in the military I appreciate; but the dignity they exhibited after war, pursuing peaceful productive lives.

When I see some politician being honored for "years of public service"; as if their wealth and power is a burden, I think of people like this, clad in fatigues, opening a can of spam from a C ration with a "John Wayne" and maybe getting a little instant coffee, with the sound of ordinance in the background, just wanting to be done and come home in one piece.

Honor your vets here, especially if they are gone. I can't speak for others, but I'd like to know of them.

If I may split hairs, your post is NOT off topic. I say this because I worked with so many Vets on the BN. I'm not going to take much space here, but let me suggest that even if you disagree with how our government uses our military (at times...), the shit always runs downhill on our troops. Our men and women deserve not only the benefit of the doubt, but our unfailing RESPECT and GRATITUDE.

SMS 0-6-0 9 and most of the ex-Army SW8's are Veterans, and both Reading Co. and PRR sent Railway Operating Battalions during the fighting there (RDG: 712 TB; PRR 724 TB)
What genius at HQ USATC that decided to sent two ROB's from RR's headquartered 3 blocks apart is lost to history. One of the two ROB's converted a Korean coach into a business car and painted it red. I won't say which one that was.

A "John Wayne" huh. You must mean the GI C-rat can opener. We called them P-38's. I still carry mine; you never know when you might have to open a can. (Actually on a RR that's a real possibility)

Yes, the P-38 can opener; not the P-38 Lightening.

The revised P-51 (51mm long instead of 38mm) cuts through a little faster-I have them in my bug out bag.

Two things:

Preservation related - our RSD1, ex-USATC 8050, served in Iran running supplies to the Russians in WWII. Finished her military career at Limestone AFB.

My father, now 97, never said much, if anything, about the war in Europe when we were young. As Superheater said, it was just a job that had to be done. It wasn’t until much later in life that he would answer questions in detail and volunteer other information. He landed in North Africa, on up into Italy, then France and on into Germany. On foot. I won’t go into detail but there were a lot of OMG situations. He ended his “career” as a guard at Potsdam then as an MP in Berlin. My sister has taken to putting these stories and experiences to pen and paper. I think it a miracle that he lived through all that.

I lied, here’s a third thing: WWII no longer seems to be in our collective consciousness as horrible as it was. Santayana’s correlation could eventually apply here if we forget (let’s hope not). Especially the events and political machinations that preceded it. If you’re unfamiliar with the years before the war, I would suggest a that little study should be in order. That, to me, would be an excellent way to honor those Vets that have passed so we can avoid another round of that madness.

Thanks Superheater for your meaningful tribute and for raising this important subject on the day our nation celebrates our collective debt to those who have served on the frontlines preserving our freedoms.

My late Uncle Emile served in the US Army and was in the Battle of the Bulge near the end of WW 2. He suffered frostbite of his hands and feet which cost him several fingers and half his toes. He passed on when I was 14 and he never talked about the war except to say that he was " lucky to have made it out alive" and the heroes were those who gave their lives not him. His wife Aunt Tess told my mom that he suffered nightmares his whole life.

We all owe our true heroes our undying gratitude.

Thanks, Ross Rowland

The Altoona Railroaders Museum had a special program this weekend in honor of Veteran's Day. Volunteers were dressed in appropriate military and civilian outfits for various wars. Most were WWII. With each person was a display of artifacts. I thought it was exceptionally well done and was popular with visitors.

‘It's not just their time in the military I appreciate; but the dignity they exhibited after war, pursuing peaceful productive lives.“

You nailed it !

My dad was a Ball Turret Gunner and a Turret & Tail Gun Mechanic in the 7th Air Force in the Pacific. He would fix a turret for another outfit an say, “You’re all set”. They told him, “You fixed it. You fly a mission in it”. He got his 30 missions in before the rest of his crew and was sent home for R&R. The next mission his crew flew crashed on the runway and every man was lost.

When he was near the end he told me “I lived 62 years on borrowed time. I had a good life. I have no regrets”.

Few know what they really went through and that was the way they wanted it.

My dad was a man that held principal and honesty above all else. He guides me every day.

It would be quite the coincidence if Ed and Emile were in the same unit together...