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Vets, Thank You! Photo Added!

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Vets, Thank You! Photo Added!

Postby ElkNut1 » 09 22, 2018 •  [Post 1]

My Son & I had the Privilege & to be asked to join on an Elk Hunt for several of our Vets that gave their all for us! The stories that were shared by them each evening were heart wrenching, I honestly had no idea what these Heroes had went through, I have an even deeper respect for their service! I'd like to say Thank You to all have been in their shoes!

On our 2nd morning out we had covered nearly 4 miles before we were able to get a bull to respond, it was the first one & Jerry the shooter was so excited to hear his first Elk Bugle ever! No way could you wipe that smile off his face! I think he was hooked! (grin)

The bull bugled 350 yards to our left & slightly above us in the thick timber, we quickly moved & stayed under the bull to get position. We had moved 200 yards & I bugled for his location, he instantly responded just above us hardly a 100 yards away. I positioned the shooter (Jerry) & cameraman best I could & retreated behind them 35 yards, I saw they were setup & started raking a tree, I gave 2 cow calls & the bull chuckled, I then gave him a mid volume challenge to stay back from my cow, he chuckled instantly & I cow called 2 more times to his response, he chuckled again & I upped the volume on my Challenge Bugle & that was all she wrote, the bull rushed in to 25 yards from Jerry & cameraman. (Nick- He's a Super guy) The bull hesitated on his way in looking for me & that was all Jerry needed, he had just heard, seen & arrowed his first Bull Elk, a beautiful heavy horned 6 point! Oh my God the excitement that followed will be etched in my heart & memory forever! It was truly a highlight of my life to be apart of this elk hunt! A huge Salute to Jerry & all those like him! Thank You!

Idaho OTC Public Land! Photo to follow!

ElkNut/Paul
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Jerry's Bull!
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Re: Vets, Thank You!

Postby Elkhntr08 » 09 22, 2018 •  [Post 2]

Paul, Thank you.
As the son of a vet, a vet myself and father of 2 vets, it’s nice to see someone giving of themselves.
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Re: Vets, Thank You!

Postby Trumkin the Dwarf » 09 22, 2018 •  [Post 3]

I will second your thank you to our veterans, Paul!

And thank you for taking them elk hunting! The hunt sounds amazing, congrats to all of you guys! Looking forward to the pictures!
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Re: Vets, Thank You!

Postby Swede » 09 22, 2018 •  [Post 4]

I joined the navy in 1965. I was 17 years old, and the draft was just a fact of life. I was not ready for college and too young to get a decent job. With military service staring me in the face and Viet Nam looming over those that were called, I thought it better to join. Hopefully I would get a service job that was more to my liking. Fear of getting killed was not a factor. I was 17 and invincible, but being a sailor seemed more appealing than the army or marines.
I would be 18 in a few months, and even wiser. I could handle it. When I arrived at the recruit training center (boot camp) I was surrounded with young folks like myself. On the outside we were just boys. Some were even hoodlums, and a few were sent there to avoid jail time. Many were poor and often black. Some just wanted to get away from what they had known as life. They wanted a new start. That was ok as here we were men, even if we were subjected to some harsh realities. If I was sent to Viet Nam to serve on a PBR (Patrol Boat River) or something similar, it was ok. I was now a man in uniform and I had a steady job.
At that time or soon after were referred to as "baby killers" or something similar be the college crowd. Guys were burning their draft cards, and young women were burning their bras. The police were "pigs". It was America in the 1960s, but it was ok I was now one of the men of the USS Dixie.
I was never a hero, or a goat. I was just one that did my duty and served honorably. I did my job until I finished my service commitment. It was not too much for my country, or in reality for myself. Even in the 1960s the majority of people were not antagonistic toward servicemen. One beauty even fell in love with a kid, I mean man wearing dark blue bell bottomed trousers, and a matching jumper with white pinstripes.
That was enough to get me to part from the navy that I had grown to like, and a life that was quite pleasant. By then I looked forward to college and new adventures, together with the girl of my dreams. I was a man moving forward with responsibilities and a purpose. I was a veteran.
BTW: The beauty from Long Beach California and I just celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary this month. Praise the Lord for such a person and a great land to live in.
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Re: Vets, Thank You!

Postby Elkhunttoo » 09 22, 2018 •  [Post 5]

Awesome experience elknut!!! Great write up Swede!!! Yes, thanks to those that serve and to the vets
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Re: Vets, Thank You!

Postby RAMMONT » 09 22, 2018 •  [Post 6]

... Many were poor and often black...
:roll:

Seriously? The reality is that a few were poor and even less were black. I'm not making a racial argument, I'm just annoyed at commonly used falsehood that some people cling to even though reality proves it's untrue.

In the 1960's less than 15% of the military were black and most were from middle class families, pretty similar to the demographics of today (although black participation has increased to around 20% nowadays). My dad served in the Navy, my uncles served in the Navy, my brother-in-law served in the Navy, my father-in-law served in the Marine Corps, my wife served in the Marine Corps, and I retired from the Marine Corps. Additionally I was a Marine Corps recruiter from 1980 to 1983 so it's not like I don't know what I'm talking about.

Regardless, I appreciate your service but having spent a far longer time in the military I get very upset when I hear people spread inaccurate images of what the military was/is like.
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Re: Vets, Thank You!

Postby Swede » 09 22, 2018 •  [Post 7]

RAMMONT wrote:Seriously? The reality is that a few were poor and even less were black.


I was not saying the military was made up of hoodlum and criminals. That was not my point, nor was it to say that we were mostly black. I was writing about my personal observations.
I can say unequivocally, I never had as much as $20 to my name until I went into the service. I rarely had even $1.00. I lived about 15 miles from any place that would hire a kid, and I only had a one speed, fat tired bicycle for transportation.
Many of the people I served with came from what we would call disadvantaged homes. When I went in, 11% of the U.S. population was black and 17% of the military was black. Most served in the lowest ranks E2-E4. I call that a disproportionate representation. Again that was not really my point, but since you want to make it an issue; you can check it out on-line like I just did to be sure.
I knew and had attended high school with at least three shipmates. None of us had ever owned a car. Everything I owned, except some clothes, a rifle, and a portable radio back home could be stored in a onboard foot locker.
Speaking of home it is still a special place of many fond memories, but few would want to live there today. The house was less than 800 square feet for a family of five. It had a stone foundation. The stones were packed up by hand from the river. Wood posts were set on the rocks and the floor was built on that. The roof was hand cut wood shakes. The walls inside and out were just two sides of the same piece of rough sawed lumber. You could see daylight through the cracks and knot holes. We had an outhouse until I was a teenager, and took baths in a wash tub. I still remember spilling a glass of water on the floor. Before I could get the mop to wipe it up, it froze to the floor. We lived very near the river, that nearly every winter came up and flowed beneath the floor boards. I went to bed wondering if the river would quit rising, or if we would need to evacuate in a big hurry. Some neighbors did evacuate.
But we were "middle class" as many of our neighbors were living in similar conditions.
For me the military was more than an obligation. It was a place of new beginning and an opportunity. For some of my class mates it was the same, and so it was for many disadvantaged young white and black "men".
Some may think I am sexist by referring to men only, but when I went to boot camp it was 100% male, top to bottom, and onboard ship it was the same.

Note: The USS Dixie is shown to have a crew of approximately 1,000 men. I received a book documenting the 1966 cruise. It shows all of the officers and men. The officers were shown with large clear pictures. I looked and found there were no (0) black officers or minority, and only one black chief petty officer on the entire ship. There were plenty of blacks in the lower ranks. That was just what I saw.
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Re: Vets, Thank You! Photo Added!

Postby Elkduds » 09 23, 2018 •  [Post 8]

Vets who value public lands have their own organization:
https://www.facebook.com/VetVoiceFounda ... RN6nE3w9x8

As a retired VA medical provider, endless gratitude for your military service. Thanks for joining hunters, cyclists, hikers, equestrians, skiers, anglers, offroaders, boaters, floaters, climbers, backpackers, even leaf peepers in fighting to preserve and expand access to public lands.

And way to go Paul! SALUTE!
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