Birthday Breakfast with two retired soldiers getting them wound up all of us former Airborne.

Great uncle 1951-1976
Younger Great uncle 1968-1993 today is his birthday.

These two really high speed troopers example S.F. Community Ranger school Drill instructors Black hats Master blasters they been around made their bones in their careers.
Me 84-87 I was like nope I have a wife and baby girl no career can’t do that to my family .

Arriving at the Greek diner we met up in parking lot I said to the hostess hey I called ahead they know me and requested the back room reason language choice adjectives.

Almost instantly the conversation the bitching starts on how the army today is so soft compared to when they jumped with Hannibal. And then we’re in with Grant on pinning down General lee as he was making for joe Johnston army of Tennessee to link up with.

It all started going to shit after they did away with the draft and really became shit under Clinton and Obama the closeted mooslim why boy you never knew the real army.

They went over how the M16 should have never replaced the M14 and then Birthday boy mentioned how the M16A2 was shit no full auto I even get that bitch we all love to spray and pray option.

Why we even got into what jump boot is better Corcoran or Rothco boots then we ventured into why in the hell what was the Army thinking taking the 101st off jump status. These two share a lineage with 101st Vietnam and I guess even all way back to Korea my oldest great uncle was 187th R.C.T. Rakassan Japanese falling umbrellas that became 101st. Then the younger brother humping some place called the Ashau valley as a 101st Army draftee Vietnam.

He told me once how they stumbled into NVA camp the rice pots were still hot NVA pulled out a moment like that knowing you’re being watched would work me bad.

These two are so set in their ways old school I guess you could say. When I was kid I was in awe of both of them when they’d take leave and come home. I sat this morning and watched my older great uncle eat and his hands shake now. As a young man he jumped a combat jump with the 187th in Korea a stud at that age.

These men are getting few and far between they’re leaving us in death. My youngest uncle is visiting staying in hotel tomorrow we all hook up at Momma spriggs over in Carlisle for prime rib the boys be with me and my three grandsons. I want my boys and grandsons to know these men to have memories of them.

They both are original pieces of work they have faults as we all do yet tough as hell even today I love them.