In the mood to share some memories

[crasha51pan]

Thanks Brothers!
Thought perhaps "TOO" many beers ! That was my younger years, somehow I got "OLD". In my youth, I never planed to live past 30 ????
Always was lookin for space, might explain why I'm livin in N/W Montana. Got plenty of that now !
Hindsight now tells me that it was'nt everyone else, they were my problems. Really glad things didn't work out as planed. Wife, kids (son in Iraq), dog, cabin, blus sky, smell of pine, life is good....Who would have thought?
PS
I have a 44 Mag. too................................

A note to you all:
Live it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!

Your Brother in Montana

[crasha51pan]

Exnitro,

That "In Memory Of" patch was sent to me by the president of the Viet Nam Vets M/C out of New York. Its on my jacket to this day !!!!!

[crasha51pan]

Out of action

Grunt refuses to ride

[crasha51pan]

Going for a ride

Need fuel

[sparkie]

Crash,,, you're never alone. Jumped in front of a truck once, Thought that would be that, and got busted up,and locked away at the VA for a few months.Rubber Security. On brain busters for a year..... Bet I'm the only one declaired sane around here. Otherwise they would not have let me out. Went on to have a great life, God is good.

[crasha51pan]

Sparkie,
I hope they gave you that in writing. Got to admit, you got a leg up on me. I too have a good life, and am glad things have worked out for both of us.
(I'd hang that declairation right on the wall next to my honorable discharge)....

[sparkie]

Sumpthin to be thankful about on thursday. Amen, Bro. The best to yours.

[crasha51pan]

And with that thought, I am very thankful to all who has ever put on the uniform. We have much to be thankful for !!!

Eastern Sierra, waterfall in the background. Beautiful...

[crasha51pan]

Takin a break in the Mojave Desert

[crasha51pan]

Punji pit

[MikeFOXHUBER]

Am curious, When I got back to the states I had issues. my first year out of the corp (1969) was hard. I needed an adrenalin rush, found it in the motorcycle. That year I was beat about my head with a pool que, tire iron and ballbatt. I was stabed and during one 6 week period, I fought an average of 4 times a week. Thats more than most people do in a lifetime.
Over time I realized that it was "MY" issue..... Question, any of you that, upon returning found yourself in the same situation? What was your release?
I couldn't have been the only one........
Have I went overboard, posting these pictures?

Yeah, most of us did that. I racked up an unimpressive 5 DUI's, a couple assault&batterys(barfights), broken marriages, job changes, and all the other crap most of us suffered. The stateside world was not ready for us and we were not ready for them. Almost all of my incountry friends have said pretty much about the same. We got warped, and it's taken me years to get straight. Finally got it together, but woe unto the guy in a bar who says he's been there and not, and he better not claim to be recon. Semper Fi. Keep the faith.

[crasha51pan]

When I left for Nam, I had a core of good friends that went back thru high school, junior high and even grade school. When I returned, it just wasn't the same. They were there but I wasn't ! I felt angry and alone, I just did not think they would understand. There were a ton of questions but none that I wanted to answer. The one thing that I didn't understand, and I don't to this day, was that two of my friends did their time in country too. They had joined the army and did their own tour, the thing was that I couldn't hook up with them either. I should have been able too because we shared the same experiance. Somewhere, I had made the choice to go it alone, I regret that now. It was a chosen life style that follows me to this day. At my age "I'm loaded with hind sight", I should have done it differently. I wish I had done it different.
If a mans wealth is measured by the friends he has, then I'm a poor man !
When my son gets home from Iraq, and I see him going down my path, then I will be there for him. I will use myself as a first hand example of what its like to go it alone. I can't change myself, but I can change him !

[crasha51pan]

I want to finish the above statement:
When I was just out of the service, I didn't care what people said. The worse the better, it served its purpose and that was to keep people away. As I got older, it was what it was. No feeling either way. Older yet, it started to matter. Two stories..........
A guy I worked with made the comment "I don't like to go anywhere with him because I don't know what he will do". Upon hearing that, it felt like I had been kicked in the gut. That bothered me !
More time passed:
Another guy that I worked with was having a party, gonna roast a pig in his back yard. He walked up and invited me, he left to go invite more people. He went up to a guy that was perceived as the "Company Bully". Every company had one and once asked he said who is going?. Little Bit (party thrower) answered, I asked Gopher, Big O, Animal, Crow and the list went on, he got to me and this guy's responce was "there's gonna be a fight". Little Bit came back and told me what Roy had said. That REALLY hurt me, I went home and told my girlfriend/wife what had been said and promised her "I would show those people they were wrong, it wouldn't be like that". That evening we arrived at the party, we walked in thru the kitchen and the girlfriend headed for the living room where most of the women had gathered. I stayed in the kitchen. Long story short, Animal came for me, we fought ththe drive and into the back yard. Once it was over, I went into the livingroom and grabbed Nancy and told her we had to go. We were there a total of 5 minutes !!!
I had went there determined NOT to have any trouble, it didn't matter. That incident was probably the most life changing time of my post war life. It also explains why I now live in a log cabin in the north woods of Montana. Even to this day, I try to be cordial to people, I try to smile a little (something I never did in my younger years) but I never stay in one place too long........

[crasha51pan]

Track Weapon, 30 Cal.

Headed for Carson Valley, Nevada

[crasha51pan]

From the beach at Chu Lai


To:


Life is good !