Veterans Day ( Archived) (13)

ALL the wars...? There are thousands of vets from around our world who are officially not recognized and certainly not allowed to hold any parades anywhere. These are the veterans of many countries that left their own, left their country's military service for either ideals or just for the exhilarating challenge of an actual war in some far off, totally alien environment. They left behind everything, from medical care, to pensions, to the Geneva Conventions, etc. to take service in and for another country or group as "mercenary soldiers".
As one who experienced the loss of many comrades, experienced the elation and devastation of defeat and of victory(at least in combat at any rate), and the anguish of having to leave those peoples that you swore to defend, when the politicians sold us out and turned us into wanted criminals time and time again, telling us to get out and not paying us, then systematically executing those you tried to help... Biafra, the Congo, Angola, Rhodesia, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Namibia, Mozambique....so many. As no government or Veterans organizations will recognize us...I will salute all those of us who usually must remain silent and forever in the shadows, for fears of retaliation, various legal and economic predicaments it could cause to many; ; to all the former Royal Marines, Commandos, Legionnaires,(both of the Spanish and the French Legions), the many from Germany sick of serving in a peace-time military, those ex Soviets who jumped the Wall and came to us, all the ex-Vietnam vets who, despised in their own country, could not stand life there , the thousands from Rhodesia, South Africa and many other African countries, both Black and White...the list is endless as are the graves lost in the jungles, mountains, villages, towns and cities around the world. As our "grandfather" Colonel Mike Hoare, of the Congo wars fame and founder of the Wild Geese Club, told us there will always be a place for those to defend those that cannot defend themselves...the wild geese will always fly.
Have a good Veterans Day, wherever you are...never forget that we tried our best...C'est la guerre, c'est la vie, Vive les Mercenaires!

very well said. salutations to you my friend. the world owes a debt of gratitude not only to those marching but to those who daren't.

Well said

Thank's to all Veterans.

This Vietnam vet says thank-you for recognizing us!!

Absolutely agree, i know exactly where your coming from...been there, done that had the t-shirt, sadly.