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EDWARD JAY RYKOSKEY POST #1
CARLISLE VIETNAM VETERANS
All Gave Some, Some Gave All
you are NOT forgotten
Welcome home, my brother

From one veteran to another, it's an honor to be in your company.

WELCOME HOME
and
WELCOME ABOARD
CLICK HERE TO ENTER OUR SITE
We change often - please visit often

30 March 1973 - the day the war ended
but it has never ended for
our POWs and MIAs
and even for some who came home

MISSION STATEMENT
Edward Jay Rykoskey Post #1, Carlisle Vietnam Veterans, Inc. is an organization of Veterans and those who support Veterans
and their families and friends with their experiences. Our purpose is to ensure an honest and truthful legacy of the
Vietnam War through both formal and informal public and personal programs.

We make war so that we may live in peace - Aristotle

Do you remember taking this oath??
I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States
against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;
and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers
appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
So help me God.

Did you notice the reference to God?

Did you notice that there is no expiration date to the oath?
That means that once you swore this oath, it was to be in effect for THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!

THE MOST HONORABLE GENERATION
Vietnam Era Veterans are the most honorable generation ever to serve the United States of America.

They served, fought for this nation, carried the wrongful shame the nation heaped upon them and have given over their entire lifetimes into service to this nation as "Active Duty" Veterans who never left military patrol &endash; so that this nation could heal and become proud once again.

As this nation healed, Vietnam Era Veterans taught the nation the true meaning of honor, that no one should ever be left behind, how to fight terrorist style warfare, how to conduct clandestine rescue, how to serve one's nation and the true meanings of the terms Fellow Citizen, Warrior, Veteran, Valor and Commitment.

They have set the standard of honor for every subsequent generation of Active Duty and Veteran. No other generation of United States Warrior or Veteran has ever served its nation to such an extent or ever taught it's nation so much honor. No other can ever be the first to do so!

Vietnam Era Veterans have set the standard of excellence in Honor, Duty and Country…...for all eternity.

I AM AN AMERICAN FIGHTING MAN
I am an American fighting man. I serve in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense. I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command I will never surrender my men while they still have the means to resist. If I am captured I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy. If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners. I will give no information or take part in any action which might be harmful to my comrades. If I am senior, I will take command. If not I will obey the lawful orders of those appointed over me and will back them up in every way. When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am required to give name, rank, service number, and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability. I will make no written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful to their cause. I will never forget that I am an American fighting man, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles.

If you can read this web site, thank a teacher - If you can read it in English, thank a veteran

We went as strangers,
Then we became friends,
Then we came home as brothers and sisters

Sam Lewis
9 May 2009

A veteran is a person who, at one point in his life,
wrote a blank check to the United States of America
payable for an amount up to and including the sacrifice of his life.

Just WHAT is a Vietnam Veteran???
CLICK here to have one tell you all about us.

WE WELCOME ALL VETERANS, THEIR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS

Click link below to write to one of our deployed Heroes

Please remember PFC Bowe Bergdahl in your prayers
POW with the heartless Taliban bastards
captured 30 June 2009
still making a sacrifice for his country
we MUST not ever forget him
read about him here

STILL IN THE FIGHT
Please remember our Wounded Warriors
and keep them in your prayers

Wounded Warrior Regiment
Wounded Warrior Project

A Thank You to all Vietnam Vets from a Marine in Iraq
A guy gets time to think over here and I was thinking about all the support we get from home. Sometimes it's overwhelming. We get care packages at times faster than we can use them. There are boxes and boxes of toiletries and snacks lining the center of every tent; the generosity has been amazing. So, I was pondering the question: "Why do we have so much support?"

In my opinion, it all came down to one thing: Vietnam Veterans. I think we learned a lesson, as a nation, that no matter what, you have to support the troops who are on the line, who are risking everything. We treated them so poorly back then. When they returned was even worse. The stories are nightmarish of what our returning warriors were subjected to. It is a national scar, a blemish on our country, an embarrassment to all of us.

After Vietnam, it had time to sink in. The guilt in our collective consciousness grew. It shamed us. However, we learned from our mistake. Somewhere during the late 1970's and on into the 80's, we realized that we can't treat our warriors that way. So ... starting during the Gulf War, when the first real opportunity arose to stand up and support the troops, we did. We did it to support our friends and family going off to war. But we also did it to right the wrongs from the Vietnam era. We treat our troops of today like the heroes they were, and are, acknowledge and celebrate their sacrifice, and rejoice at their homecoming ... instead of spitting on them.

And that support continues today for those of us in Iraq. Our country knows that it must support us and it does. The lesson was learned in Vietnam and we are all better because of it.

Everyone who has gone before is a hero. They are celebrated in my heart. I think admirably of all those who have gone before me. From those who fought to establish this country in the late 1770's to those I serve with here in Iraq. They have all sacrificed to ensure our freedom. But when I get back home, I'm going to make it a personal mission to specifically thank every Vietnam Vet I encounter for THEIR sacrifice. Because if nothing else good came from that terrible war, one thing did. It was the lesson learned on how we treat our warriors. We as a country learned from our mistake and now we treat our warriors as heroes, as we should have all along. I am the beneficiary of their sacrifice. Not only for the freedom they, like veterans from other wars, ensured, but for how well our country now treats my fellow Marines and I. We are the beneficiaries of their sacrifice.

Semper Fidelis,

Major Brian P. Bresnahan
United States Marine Corps

The Final Inspection

The Soldier stood and faced God,
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining,
Just as brightly as his brass.

'Step forward now, Soldier ,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?'

The soldier squared his shoulders and said,
'No, Lord, I guess I ain't.
Because those of us who carry guns,
Can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays,
And at times my talk was tough.
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.

But, I never took a penny,
That wasn't mine to keep...
Though I worked a lot of overtime,
When the bills got just too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear.
And sometimes, God, forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place,
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around,
Except to calm their fears

If you've a place for me here, Lord,
It needn't be so grand.
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand.

There was a silence all around the throne,
Where the saints had often trod.
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.

Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burdens well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell.'
Author Unknown~ A Soldier Died Today

He was getting old and paunchy
And his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion,
Telling stories of the past.

Of a war that he once fought in
And the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies;
They were heroes, every one.

And 'tho sometimes to his neighbors
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened quietly
For they knew where of he spoke.

But we'll hear his tales no longer,
For ol' Bob has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer
For a Soldier died today.

He won't be mourned by many,
Just his children and his wife.
For he lived an ordinary,
Very quiet sort of life.

He held a job and raised a family,
Going quietly on his way;
And the world won't note his passing,
'Tho a Soldier died today.

When politicians leave this earth,
Their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing,
And proclaim that they were great.

Papers tell of their life stories
From the time that they were young
But the passing of a Soldier
Goes unnoticed - and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution
To the welfare of our land,
Some jerk who breaks his promise
And cons his fellow man?

Or the ordinary fellow
Who in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his country
And offers up his life?

The politician's stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Are often disproportionate,
To the service that he gives.

While the ordinary Soldier,
Who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal
And perhaps a pension, small.

It is not the politician or news reporter
With their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom
That our country now enjoys.

Should you find yourself in danger,
With your enemies at hand,
Would you really want some cop-out,
With his ever waffling stand?

Or would you want a Soldier--
His home, his country, his kin,
Just a common Soldier,
Who would fight until the end.

He was just a common Soldier,
And his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us
We may need his like again.

For when countries are in conflict,
We find the Soldier's part
Is to clean up all the troubles
That the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honor
While he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage
At the ending of his days.

Perhaps just a simple headline
In the paper that might say:
"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING,
A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."

NEVER AGAIN

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