Amy Beechey

[fuselex]

Raised 14 children , All 8 of her sons enlisted for WW1.
3 returned .
Presented to king George and queen Mary who thanked her for her immense sacrifice.
She replied ,
It was no sacrifice ma`am .I did not give them willingly

[fuselex]

the 6th photo is her husband who died around the same time .
The suffering that mothers and wifes must go through .

[fuselex]

I realise the forums should be game related , but I sort of figure most interested ppl
who play Toth have an interest in military conflict.

`The act of strapping on a weapon and taking a position in a front line is incredible bravery to me `

To those who suffer in the background ,

the mother who lost a son.
the wife who lost a husband.

War has far reaching ripples that effect everyone .
The people who fight the wars suffer horrors that no one, who has not served ,can understand .

But I would imagine that mother would have stepped on any landmine to bring her children home.

[fuselex]

think I may be posting a bit of stuff that`s not really related to Toth .
thanks all for listening to my babble[&o][&o]

[Big Ivan]

ORIGINAL: fuselex

I realise the forums should be game related , but I sort of figure most interested ppl
who play Toth have an interest in military conflict.

`The act of strapping on a weapon and taking a position in a front line is incredible bravery to me `

To those who suffer in the background ,

the mother who lost a son.
the wife who lost a husband.

War has far reaching ripples that effect everyone .
The people who fight the wars suffer horrors that no one, who has not served ,can understand .

But I would imagine that mother would have stepped on any landmine to bring her children home.

+1

[Hailstone]

Unfortunately, having multiple family members in the military has been the trend for generations, especially in the USA. More and more we are seeing a warrior class developing in this country with a significant amount of new recruits coming from the same families like a tradition. Only 1% of the eligible population in the USA joins the military which surprises me when considering the nationalism most people seem to spout off all the time. Makes me wander if I joined the military because my father was in the US Army or was it totally my own idea, hmmm. We all wish that no mother would have to go through what that lady of 14 kids had to go through but we all know that's a fantasy. As long as there are people, there will be conflict. Thanks for the post Fuselex.

[marcdhanna]

ORIGINAL: Hailstone

Unfortunately, having multiple family members in the military has been the trend for generations, especially in the USA. More and more we are seeing a warrior class developing in this country with a significant amount of new recruits coming from the same families like a tradition. Only 1% of the eligible population in the USA joins the military which surprises me when considering the nationalism most people seem to spout off all the time. Makes me wander if I joined the military because my father was in the US Army or was it totally my own idea, hmmm. We all wish that no mother would have to go through what that lady of 14 kids had to go through but we all know that's a fantasy. As long as there are people, there will be conflict. Thanks for the post Fuselex.

data to support this comment? and why is it unfortunate etc? Isn't there another forum for this kind of stuff? cheers

[Hailstone]

marcdhanna, to be honest, it was a quote I've heard a few times in the news commentaries that "only 1% of eligible people join the military" and that a "warrior class was developing" in this country. I have not researched further but it makes sense from my perspective. Now what I say next is a sentiment I must have heard a thousand times from my fellow vets and while I was active duty, and that is that everybody should share in the duty of defending their country in whatever means they can in the military. I do disagree with their opinion because I understand how negatively the impact is of having people forced into service. The quality of the services would be degraded from so many people with negative attitudes making up the ranks. This post was in response to another post regarding familial sacrifice in the defense of their country. SeeYa.

[rico21]

Fuselex,you are my favorite editor in chief [&o]

[marcdhanna]

ORIGINAL: Hailstone

marcdhanna, to be honest, it was a quote I've heard a few times in the news commentaries that "only 1% of eligible people join the military" and that a "warrior class was developing" in this country. I have not researched further but it makes sense from my perspective. Now what I say next is a sentiment I must have heard a thousand times from my fellow vets and while I was active duty, and that is that everybody should share in the duty of defending their country in whatever means they can in the military. I do disagree with their opinion because I understand how negatively the impact is of having people forced into service. The quality of the services would be degraded from so many people with negative attitudes making up the ranks. This post was in response to another post regarding familial sacrifice in the defense of their country. SeeYa.

Interesting reply, thanks!

It's evident that OP's post is about human/motherhood suffering related to war. Your post is a political/social editorial based on other opinions from news media / personal experiences and takes the thread down a totally different path.

In other words, your thread takes an off-topic thread even more off topic from TotH. But one could say I am doing the same here; in fact, some would advise me to ignore threads that are irrelevant and let them die off on their own.

To me, it's just a good place to bring up the idea that social commentary belongs in a social commentary thread, not the TotH thread [:)]

cheers and enjoy the game [:)]

[fuselex]

mighty fancy cigar there rico:)
But can you smoke it

[rico21]

Cuban cigar vs Eastwood cigarillo

Hasta siempre [8D]

[whippleofd]

ORIGINAL: marcdhanna

ORIGINAL: Hailstone

Unfortunately, having multiple family members in the military has been the trend for generations, especially in the USA. More and more we are seeing a warrior class developing in this country with a significant amount of new recruits coming from the same families like a tradition. Only 1% of the eligible population in the USA joins the military which surprises me when considering the nationalism most people seem to spout off all the time. Makes me wander if I joined the military because my father was in the US Army or was it totally my own idea, hmmm. We all wish that no mother would have to go through what that lady of 14 kids had to go through but we all know that's a fantasy. As long as there are people, there will be conflict. Thanks for the post Fuselex.

data to support this comment? and why is it unfortunate etc? Isn't there another forum for this kind of stuff? cheers

This is only one data point, but multiple data points eventually make a data set.

My side of the family:
Every generation since the revolutionary war when our family fought for the Tory's.

My wife's side of the family, no one has served and most tend to look down upon those who serve. Fortunately she thought differently.

Be safe out there,
Whipple

[pensfanvw]

ORIGINAL: Hailstone

Only 1% of the eligible population in the USA joins the military.

You made my day, I'm one of the one percenters!

Alan

[Hailstone]

Thank you Whipple and pensfan for your service to your country and for your support from a fellow veteran.

[rico21]

No excuses, no retractions, no compromises

"She replied ,
It was no sacrifice ma`am .I did not give them willingly"

[fuselex]

Just an observation , right or wrong ? . who knows?
I am an Australian .
I feel this nation made it`s name in Gallipoli.
We were a voluntary force in ww1 , everyone who served did so voluntary .
Those who returned were heroes , A nations pride .
WW2 - we stood up for ourselves again .
Those who returned were well respected .

Then comes Vietnam

The most shameful period in Australian history to me.
Vets were heroes to some , and despised by others.
People who were sent to war by their government were condemned by those who sat on their
asses , and decided they could make moral judgements on the actions of those fighting for their lives.

should you get classed as the 1% who contribute - be proud
the other 99% have the opportunity to discuss there views over a fancy lobster and a fine bottle of
wine due to the 1% who served.
The average age of a grunt in Vietnam in the aussie army was 19.
My biggest issue at 19 ( we can drink at 18 here ) was do I have enough cash , and which mates place am I going
to sleep at ?
Not am I going to tread on a landmine , not am I going to die , not am I going to lose a limb , not am I
going to see things that are going to haunt me for the rest of my life .
And I would imagine the unexpected side of it is when they finally arrived back in Australia ,
The country that waved them off to war . never turned up for their return .
Shameful.

[fuselex]

and I may have to admit there rico ,
that is a mighty impressive cigar ,
think you may have won that one

[rico21]

No shame to have, the Vietnamese defeated the French then the Americans (with the Australians) then the Chinese. When I ask my Vietnamese colleagues how they did, he invariably answers the same thing I would translate by this:
Familia Patria Nostra.[&o]

[fuselex]

maybe I should clarify that comment
Vietnam was probably the first war that really came to everyones living room .
War , was now accessible to everyone with a TV ,
Images and video flooded the media .
Some sections of the community, in the safety of their houses, formed their own beliefs about what
was right and what was wrong .
The Vet did not have that luxury .
Most turned up on the docks, on their return, to a girlfriend/wife / kids
The relief he must have felt to get back home , hug his wife , and hope his life would return to normal
must have been overwhelming .
Then there those who departed from the docks to a mob of placard waving protesters .
That is the shame I speak of