As I suspect its true for many of us there has been times I thought I'd never see this day.
Peace

Make the world a better place!

One of my good friends as a kid went by CJ and I've often wondered if he was you
peace

interesting times we have seen...

Enjoy your day and may all of your days be filled with nice surprises .

Today is going to be filled with setting a little form so I can mix up some sakcrete for a pad for our new mini-split heat pump that is going to take a load off my back from carrying in 40 pounds of wood pellets to keep warm with.

Happy Birthday madokie!!

Your years are only exceeded by your appearance.

And we're still fuckin' here. Who'da thunk, huh?

More power to you, madokie. Have a great birthday--and many more!

Love ya, brother. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Even though we've never met we're brothers
Thank you for helping me to see this day by helping to save my butt all those years ago, you know what I mean



Isn't it good that we can do this. I mean there was times when neither of us thought we'd see this sunrise we see this morning.
the only thing that even comes close to spoiling it is. It was all for a lie, same as it is for our brothers and sisters today.
Peace

Yeah, the fall of Saigon was the second shoe for us. After all we did, and sacrificed. When we knew it was all for nothing.

We've been through those times when no one cared about Vietnam vets. So we cared for each other. As we still do.

But we learned some things, didn't we?

. . . and, many, many more. I'm so glad you're here!

you bring a lot of happiness in my world by the wonderful things you share with us. As I implied so long ago you have a gift and you're using it well.
May peace always be by your side walking arm in arm in your journey to help to keep us all informed.

and happy birthday !!

Congratulations on reaching the age of Medicare eligibility! You've deep American roots and rightly proud of your heritage. I've read you for years on DU, and along with so many others, am happy to share this space with you. You're a good man, a great DUer, and you've hit a milestone at 65. Enjoy this day, take pride in your accomplishments, and eat lots of cake. You've earned it.


Happy Birthday madokie.

Your story is really neat!

many many more, my friend.

pain killers, etc.

Women took their lives into their hands bringing a child into the world. Here's to your MOM!!!

without you none of this would have been possible. You were a sweet heart.
As is you
thanks for reminding me who mattered the most.

Secondly, your childhood must have been different from most of ours. Please take time to set down a few paragraphs/or pages about what you remember from when you were a 'ute.

I did that several years ago for my grand daughter and it was fun dragging up old memories. I hope the same would be fun for you as well as fun for us readers.

Today won't be that day as I'm elbow deep in work today

I am one of the lucky ones who can remember all those memories from a very short time after birth. Long before my eyes could focus. I still have the images of watching my brothers and sisters playing in the snow that was that ushered in my existence. fuzzy as they are they're ingrained. Being held by my mother , me suckling looking out the window wishing I was out there with them. It had come a freezing rain after the snow fell and that made the world a big ice rink. After the snow and ice were gone the field where my brothers and sisters were playing looked like it had gotten a hair cut as their sliding and playing had broken the grass and weeds off at the top of the ice.
I could go on and on but I must get busy if I'm to get my project of the day done. Without it I'm not so sure I'd have a reason to be.
One day at a time

Please do write down your memories. They are priceless to folks like me who are involved in genealogy. I know about my g.g. grandparents only because a distant cousin kept a diary! And what a diary it was, full of family stories, history, insights into how people lived, loved, and died. It's a priceless treasure I wouldn't trade for all the world-without a doubt, the best gift I ever received.

It's been a pleasure 'putting up with your butt'!

I'm glad you made it, too. DU is a better place, thanks to your contributions.

Have an extra piece of cake for me.

I'm a year and a bit behind you.

Thank you for caring so much and giving of yourself through the years.
Never doubt that it matters.

It's really quite far when you think about it.

Now that you finally made it to middle age, what plans do you have for the second part of your life?
I am curious because I am only a couple years behind you, and could use some ideas.
Enjoy your day !!!

My parents were going to college at UC Berkeley and I was born in the University of California San Francisco Hospital Center. My mother came from a farm in North Caroline and my father from Massachusetts. They met in college at Duke University. After my younger sister was born in New Mexico they moved to Mexico where I grew up.

We certainly came from very different places didn't we?

And glad you are here at DU

I don't have much except for a paid for home and paid for car and a puppy that I just had to spend $3,000 on because of an accident.

I but with social security I figured I could get by like I have always done. But with the way my Karma is, people say that i have good Karma. i always tip at 30%. The vet did such a great job that I rounded the bill way up as a donation. (they always take in and care for strays). But I never thought for a second that the company where I work would offer a severance package. I am the only one I know that got it. 3 weeks vacation pay plus 26 weeks severance pay.

Happy Birthday.

from your fellow Vietnam veteran.

May you see many more.

You've been making ours a better world for 65 years now.



We're the ones who should thank our lucky stars.

and many, many more!

Truly astonishing how the world has changed for both better and worse since we entered it. Happy birthday!

...and many more!

Both my parents died. Dad was 50 and mom was 66. I hope with the grace of god I live longer than that. But your story is interesting. I bet you have many interesting things happen to you with all those siblings. You should write a book. Really. Tell us about where you live and about your town.

and "we, this band of brothers" are lucky to be here with you.

Hope you have a great celebration and wonderful year!

From a sister Great-Granddaughter of the Union.

65 is truly a milestone to reach. Hope I can hold out that long. Congrats.

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YAY...you made it...now ENJOY.

Tikki

The world has changed in the past 65 years, hasn't it?

yay!!

One of 'em moved to Pryor, Oklahoma. Born out in the middle of no place. Interesting terrain, Oklahoma.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, OKIE!

From a Sooner for Life

Pretty sure I was born in a hospital in the big city.

Now yelling "Get off my lawn!" carries the weight of authority.

I expected the Right Wing to mark it by challenging it in court.

I hope you are having a wonderful day. I consider it a privilege and honor that you are sharing a piece of it with us!

Many, many more, madokie.

we Aries folk RAWWWWWWWK

good on you. I'm just a few year younger than you. Hope your day was a good one!

The doc was 30 miles away and he didn't make it in time but there was a midwife or so I'm told. 6 months later Pearl Harbor happened and my dad re-enlisted in the navy and we moved back to Tennessee to live with my grandparents. Of course I don't remember any of this but it's what I was told.

Later my mom joined up also and I didn't see either one of them again until 1945.

Think of all the stuff that's happened since you were born. My grandparents had an icebox instead of a refrigerator and a shithouse instead of a bathroom. The house was heated with a wood stove and we got baths in a big galvanized tub.

My grandkids and their kids don't believe this stuff when I tell them.

so that's an equivalent proud part of my family's history. Both sides knew which people to piss off.

And the ones who were here, alive, and the right age all fought for the Union.

Happy Birthday and MANY MORE!!!!

Love you back - big time

Happy day!

You make DU home. Much aloha to you.

Where you were born sounds like a good place to be in todays World !!

From another proud family historian...

I have two Great Great Grandfathers and eight 3rd Great Uncles (10 total) that fought for the Union Army.

And... 1 - 4th Great Grandfather
1 - 5th Great Grandfather
1 - 6th Great Grandfather
4 - 6th Great Uncles

Eight total, that fought in the Revolutionary War.

Family came across the pond from England in 1639.

Again, Happy Birthday !!!

(Just jumped on the band wagon before midnight, I hope)

That's what you are, madokie. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, and could you tell us some stories about your interesting family sometime when you're done celebrating? Would ya, huh?

K&R

Many, Many more, from a 70 yo (January).

One of my best friends here in So Cal was born and mostly raised on a farm in Oklahoma, and I've always loved her solidity, independence, and dry dry humor in the way she spins a yarn. She's about a decade older than you and me.

Well, last year I finally got to meet two of her sisters and it was remarkable how much alike they were in those very traits, despite having taken different paths in life. My favorite sister was the one my friend always said was nuts for being a JW -- she's the one most like my friend herself.

So happy birthday as you join the ranks of us Medicare-eligible seniors.

Hekate

easy as turning 65.