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Went on terminal leave on July 20th, two weeks before the gathering. Official retirement date is April 1, 2010 which means I'm on R&R on full salary until that date. My wife has me strenously working on my hooch. I need to get a job so I can take a vacation...................Oh, and I'm still nuts.....................
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MALFUNCTION GUNTRUCK MODEL
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SATANS LI'L ANGEL REPLICA
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Malfunction Guntruck Replica
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MILITARY VEHICLES MAGAZINE
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SATANS LI'L ANGEL IN NAM
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| Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to you Mark and Your Family was thinking of you and Wish Your Well and the Best, always Frenchie |
| anyone heard any more about Vinnys wife. on how she is doing?
brothers forever
Rod |
| Every One Asked
What would you like
For the Holidays
I always tell them nothing
Or just leave me alone
But this year that is
Going to change
I telling everyone
Here and now
Just what I would
Truly like and not just
For those Holidays
How about every single day
Take out just a moment
Of your time
In your very busy life
Set down and not wonder
What it is your
Going to do next
But just think about
How and who
Gave you this time
Alone with the freedom
To decide the
What’s and whys
Along with the peace
To sleep at nights
Every night when
Your family is together
Getting ready for
Your nightly meal
Fixing to give thanks
With the feeling of happiness
For all that you have
Please
Stop long enough
To think of all of those
Who cared enough
To put one of our
Countries uniforms on
Go off to a far away land
To a place where
No one likes them
Who want nothing more
Then to see them die
Think about how hot
It has to be inside of their trucks
All through those days
Along with how cold
It gets at nights
How it must be for them
Every time they go
Out side of those walls
Down one of those deadly roads
Never truly knowing
If they’ll get to see
Another light of day
Or if they step outside
Of one of their trucks
They get shot
Along with getting hit with
One of those I E Ds
Or
Not be coming back
With the others this time
The never knowing
Each and every time
Not to mention
All the dirt and sand
They have to eat
Or how it gets into everything
Every time you set down
To have one of your meals
Try and remember where
It is they are
What they have to see
Each and every day
Of their lives there
Please
Try to put yourself
Into their boots
Just for a moment
When you have peace
Back here in your homes
Your own bed to sleep
Tight in at night
What they have to go through
So you don’t have to
Be thankful for what they do
Just for you
Written By
R.C.Keckler
12/06/11
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| The Flag That Flew
I for one can only hope for
When they go to lay my
Old beaten body to rest
They be kind enough to at least
Honor me with a flag that
Had spent its time flying in the sky
To the end of its days
Like this body and me
To be laid to rest
At the very same time
Not one of those brand new ones
That never had the chance to fly
Enjoy its day waving with pride
Through some cloudy
As will sunny skies
To have had time and a life
Show off what so many
Have given their lives for
Just so we all could see her
Waving ever so proud
Would mean so much more to me
If someone would be so kind
To at least lay one down with me
For all those I had known
Who have given their all
Just so others and I
Got to come back home
Please won’t someone
Send one of those along
With me please
Written By
R.C.Keckler
11/30/11
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| Humbling Soldier
He is one of the best that we have
Doing the job that he does
Without hesitation it is done
Then he is ready to move on
To whatever is his next one
When one looks into his eyes
There is no doubt about what he is
There is not one brother out there
Who can’t count on him
Being there for them
Anytime they are in need of him
He is just that kind of man
One day while out on patrol
They started taking hits from
This hole in the wall
Every now and then you could see
The muzzle flash from the AK47
So their brother set up taking aim
Holding back taking his time
Till he knew it would be just right
Then he squeezed off one round
Then the sandstone wall behind
The hole in the wall went from
Sand colored to blood red
Letting him know the shooter was dead
So as they made their way around
To where the shooter went down
That was when they all got to see
The shooter was not any older than a
9 or 10 year old child
Who now lay dead on the ground
This was not what they expected
But it was this child that was killing
Their brothers and trying to kill them all
Maybe he would have done just that
If it was not for their brother doing his job
Of taking those, like this child, out
To save the lives of our brothers in arms
They have no way of knowing who
Is pulling the trigger on them
Till they take them out
It can’t make any difference to you
Who or what they are that is the shooter
Just that you do your job and take them out
To end them taking you out
Yes, after it’s all said and done
It can get to you at times
Weigh heavy on your mind
But you just have to keep telling yourself
If you didn’t more of your brothers would be dead
Their lives count on you doing
What you are good at doing
May all your shots be true
When this is all over and you’re back home
Then you can let it show the
Humbling Soldier
Inside of you
Written By
R.C.Keckler
09/03/11
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 | Happy Veterans Day Thank You & Welcome Home! |
| We Were There
You know it’s kind of funny in a way
All of our lives have been spent
Trying to get to places that we had
Already been only didn’t know it
At the very times We Were There
Thinking that we had to
Hurry up things and go
Or we’d never make it to where
We thought we were headed
Only after time has gone by
With age and time catching up to us
In our very lives that we find
Looking back over our life
We had already been to where
We were trying to get to in life
Only we were so busy trying to get there
We just couldn’t see where we were
At that time in our very lives
Only with age and time
Can one truly see
When we are old
We watched the young
When we were young
We watched the old
All to learn what was going on
Where they were so we know
When we would get there
Here all the time we already had it
With no need to go looking for it
Written By
R.C.Keckler
09/05/11
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 | Hi Mark, just figured I would say Hello and it has been long time no hear from ya, figured I had to put my two cents worth in, haven't been on the computer much, since I don't have any at the camp, I am at house today, been very busy, just figured I would say hello, later Bruce aka Frenchie |
| Where Others Stop
We who were soldiers
Stand and walk into
To face whatever
Maybe be coming through
Ready for whatever we have to do
To stop any harm from getting to you
Where Others Stop
To think about what to do
Or to turn and run
We always step up to
Anything and everything
That may be of harm
To others who are there
We don’t walk away
That is till after we are through
When all is done
They well leave things up to us
We are moving on
To wherever we are needed
For this is what any soldier
Was trained to do
Thou the uniform may be gone
That soldier will forever live on
For as long as any of us breathe
We will always be that soldier
For each and everyone of you
Till our time comes to a end
Where Others Stop
The soldier will come through
Written By
R.C.Keckler
10/11/11
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| After Years
Of battling the war in my head
Of walking with my dead
Of reliving them all over once again
Of trying to run away from them in the bottom
Of every bottle I could find
Of popping every pill I could ever get my hands on
Of trying to run away from those places
Of where I once had been
Only to find
When that run was over
I was right back where I started from again
Nothing in this world could
Take away from me what was
Lived and all that was seen
All of my running only brought
To my life nothing
But heartache with a lot
Of more pain and loneliness
From pushing those around me away
I had found no answers
In the bottom of any of those bottles
Or the whole time I was riding
On any of those pills
Only more of what I was
Trying to run away from
With each time trying to run away
I only got more loneliness in the end
Finding out that I was better off
Just to stand and face
What was going on inside my head
To try and make the best of it as I can
Written By
R.C.Keckler
10/05/11
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| I have lost your addy. We are going up the east coast please send Bud your home address so he can start routing our trip ok. Leaving here around Nov.5th |
| Hugs From You
Mommy I know you’re real busy over there
Don’t have a lot of time on your hands
I also know I should try to do better
Here at home for you
Mommy I really do try hard but some times
There are just things I can’t do for you
You know how much I really want to
You see Daddy doesn’t know it
But more so then lately
We can hear him crying
As he thinks we are asleep
We knew it’s because he really misses you
We also know he trying very hard
To do your job here at home too
To make up for us not having you here
Like I said mommy we know you’re really busy
Taking good care of others over there
Just as you told us it was your job to do
But because of how much we all love you
We just wanted to let you that
Not only us but daddy cries for you
We know you know we love you
But there is nothing like having one of those
Hugs From You
Thou he tries it’s just not the same
As what you do mommy, we love you
Can’t wait till you can come back home here
Your little ones and daddy too
Written By
R.C.Keckler
07/10/11
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| The Uniforms Gone
You know after it is in the closet
Not to be worn anymore
My time in there is over for me
Don’t forget about me
Nor all my brothers and sisters
Just as their time is done as well
Please remember us one and all
Just because you don’t see us
In uniform anymore doesn’t mean
We don’t care as much as before
For thou you don’t see it on
It’s forever in each of our hearts
More so now than it was before
But we know just how easy it is
For anyone to forget what was
Before we done our time in
The Uniforms Gone
When you look at us you can’t see
Just what we use to once be
Thou in our hearts it never really leaves
It well forever be on us
Even thou you can’t see it
We’ll never leave it
For it a big part of who we are
Once you’ve gotten the right to be
In Uniform
You will forever be in it
Long after those years are gone
Written By
R.C.Keckler
07/04/11
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| Just stopping by your Site Mark to say Hello, write once and awhile, hope all is well with you and stay out of that hot sun. Here in Maine we are getting the heat wave and it is in the high 90's with High Humidity, not used to this heat, at least not yet, hang in there Mark and figured I would say Hello
later Frenchie |
| Laying On The Floor
I remember laying there looking about
Seeing the inclusion under the web sets
Along with the rib bits in the floor
Not really knowing why I was laying there
Then not being able to hear
To much of anything
I knew there were others around me
Not able to see that well to tell
Who was who or what they were
Just knew some one was there
I remember trying to think
What was I doing before
But nothing came to mind
Everything was so fuzzy
To me and in my mind at this time
Then I go black out for a little while
Then come back again in there
Laying On The Floor
Trying my damnedest to
Remember why this was
For me to be here
But that was the last things
I remember till I opened my eyes
Lying in the Mash bed
With the nurses asking me
If I know who I was and my name
That was all I remember from that ride
Written By
R.C.Keckler
04/17/11
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| We Had A Lifetime
In a short time
Of memories
Of things and places
That we have been
Many faces
From all those places
Of the many things
That we did
Thou its was not
A long time
It’s been a lifetime
That we had lived
Nothing in that time
Can ever change
Those faces
Or those places
A long with those things
That we each did
We Had A Lifetime
In a short time
Of memories
Inside of us
That we lived
Of places with faces
That’s all it is
Written By
R.C.Keckler
04/18/11
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| Just A Kid
Remembering as a child back when
I was living with my grandparents up on the mountain
Without running water or indoor plumbing
An old two seat outhouse and the old catalogs
Our jobs of hauling in the water to drink
Catching rainwater to do the laundry
In some of the really bad winters we’d
Go outside with pots to get the snow
To melt into water to cook with
No TV at first only the radio
For when the sun went down and
Everyone got to eat after all the chores where done
We all set around that old radio to listen
To all those old shows this was our Saturday night
Then there were those summer times
As children we had that whole big mountain
As our very own playground leaving it up to us
Along with whatever we could dream up in our minds
To be our very own entertainment
We would be all over that mountain
Never worried about any one or getting lost
We always made it back home in time to eat
Trying our best to tell every body
What we had done and seen
They just set there saying ya ya
Making believe to us that they were listening
Back then their was never a worry about
Having to keep your children under your eye
All of the time from any one else
That was when children were truly free
To be just what they were kids
Out there to have fun and play
I can remember when the big storms
Would come in and start pouring down rain
We would be out there running about
With all the thunder and lighting
Running through all those mud puddles
That we could find
Setting down in them rolling around in them
Never having a worry about getting hit by anything
Just out there having us a ball of a time
Getting as muddy and wet as any kids could ever get
This was just how things were back then
Now all those wonderful times are gone
Leaving us who had them only memories
Of those long gone childhood days
When door where hardly ever locked
Kids could just go and be kids you see
Those were at least to me the days we were free
No bars on our windows or doors
No big fences to hide what was is in our yards
People could send their kids to a store
Or let them go running to
Another kid’s home next door
If you were bad you’d get your ass beat
And no one said a word because they knew
If you got it then you did something to get
This was just the way things use to be
Back when I was
Just A Kid
Written By
R.C.Keckler
03/22/11
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| Look At Me”
When you come walking
Into that room
Don’t turn your head
Nor your eyes away
“Look At Me”
See me as I was
Before I went away
For what is here
Is that very same one
That has always loved you
Before I had gone
As I am now that
They sent me home
Thou pieces are gone
Who I was is still here
Inside of me
So please don’t
Turn your head
Nor your eyes
Away from me
“Look At Me”
I am here
Just look and you’ll see
That love is still in me
Written By
R.C.Keckler
04/07/11
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| Hay You
I know you don’t want to talk to me right now
I can see that in your eyes
For they are just like what use to be in mine
Back in the day when I come back from afar
When people back here hated us as well
So I do understand where it is your coming from
I and others understand it all to well
How it is to live in everyday hell
Knowing that there is just no way to tell
Those people back here what is was we all saw
Right now my friend all I’m trying to do
Is this brother tell you we old vets do know
Very well what you’re trying to do
Now that you have gotten back home
Thinking just as U Sam had trained us
To believe there was nothing in this world
That we could not do or get through
But I’m here to tell you he didn’t
Train us to turn it off after we were through
To be what we use to be is a never again thing
That either of us will ever get to do
For who we were died over there
That very first time shit came down on you
Life as we know it was through
Hay You
Just trying to let you know
Thou you think it, your not alone
And welcome home
Written By
R.C.Keckler
03/28/11
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