Chuck DeVore’s Armed Services Day Message: Freedom Isn’t Free

- Chuck DeVore May 16th marks America’s 60th observance of Armed Forces Day. I want to extend my sincerest thanks and congratulations to all of you who are serving or who have served America in uniform. In addition, I deeply appreciate all of the family members of our service members, past and present and acknowledge the sacrifices you too have made. When I enlisted in the Army as a private first class back in February, 1983 (pictured above), it was less than 8 years after the fall of Saigon marking the end of the Vietnam War. What an amazing 24+ year career it was (I’m still in the Army; I’m just not actively drilling anymore). We ate C-rations out of cans 26 years ago, using a P-38 to open them (we still have one in the kitchen as a backup). Now Army field chow comes in plastic bags called MREs.

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My first uniform was the flat green “pickle suit,” then the Army shifted to the camouflage BDUs (Battle Dress Uniform), and now the digitized ACUs (Army Combat Uniform) are commonplace. We operated the ponderous M-60 tank with a 105mm main gun. Now the Army’s main battle tank is the swift M1A1 Abrams with a 120mm main gun. I learned how to fire the M16A1 rifle (scoring the second best in my training battalion). Now the Army uses the M16A4. Our pistol then was the 45 cal., now we use the 9mm. The preferred grenade, then and now, is the M67. I earned the Expert badge in rifle, pistol and grenade (the latter being a blast to earn). In 1983, the enemy we trained for was the Soviet Union. It ceased to exist in 1991. Now the U.S. Armed forces are fighting the al-Qaeda terror organization, the Taliban, and other Islamic militant groups in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. The main lesson I learned in serving the past three decades is simple: Freedom isn’t free. Veterans: Thank you for your service! Supporters: Please call a relative or friend who has served in uniform and thank them for making the personal sacrifice to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” Visit Chuck's web site: [url=http://www.chuckdevore.com]http://www.chuckdevore.com[/url]

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