This contest will be for any Veteran who has ever raised their right hand.

The prize will be a $25.00 in-store credit for http://www.MidwestFishingTackle.net and has been generously offered by the owner of the site.

The Contest: You may enter as many times as you would like. Contest ends September 30, 2009

Post a picture or a few that tells a story of your service to our Country. It does not have to be service related - just something that has given you an inspiration or has made you proud.

EXAMPLE: Picture of Iwo Jima was submitted -- This picture represents to me the resiliency of our country and the men and women who fight for it everyday. To me it has helped me to remind myself of the sacrifices made by previous Veterans and their families and what they did not have when they came home. This keeps me going and pushing myself to help others and better the lives of any Veteran of any war and their families. A soldier is only as strong as the support structure around them...

Thank you and good luck!

Mike

To be part of this contest just click the "Add Reply" button and make your post.

This is an image of a Rough Terrain Jump on a DZ at Ft. Bragg, NC. I was a Rough Terrain paratrooper. There is only one unit in the Army that does this. As a communications NCOIC for a combat engineer unit, I did what they did. We would tailgate from a CH-47 Shinook into dense trees, our chutes would get hung, hopefully, in the tops of the trees, then we would retrieve a let down line, a repel rope of 1-inch tubular nylon, and tie off to the risers of the chute, cut loose and repel to the ground to clear LZs and DZs for future waves of troops. This picture is from a training jump and I don't know if the jumper pictured is me or if I am the one that just went out, but I am one of the two. Hope you enjoy.

Thanks for the picture, how does it inspire you?

To me, this picture is beautiful. This picture does not as much inspire me as it does humble me. I am a member of the VFW, as I am sure several of you are, but this picture reminds me of what is too often forgotten. When I am around Veterans of World War II or Vietnam, wearing their Purple Heart hats or patches from their various units, and they come up to me and shake my hand and tell me "thank you", I feel so small to be in their presence. This picture reminds me of what all of our previous generations have gone through, what it was like to be an 18 year old in a glider over St. Mere Glise on D-Day about to be dropped into a violent fire fight, what it would be like to be a soldier drafted to duty in the jungle "sleeping" back to back in a foot of water, what it was like to have gone through what these men went through and still be standing here today to shake my hand. They tell me thank you, but in all honesty, no one can thank them enough. This picture is of a training jump on Ft. Bragg, but it always makes me appreciate the men and women who paved the road that I am able to walk down so easily. WWII veterans are passing away everyday, Veitnam Vets came home to hate, anger, and hostility, but we had it easy. If you really want inspiration, go find a Veteran who has no one to talk to, a Veteran who has no family left, a Veteran who was unappreciated in his own day and thank him. I love this picture and it makes me very proud of what I have done in my life, and it makes me very proud to be part of what I believe is the most exclusive and prestigeous group in the free world. I am a Soldier, I am a Paratrooper, I am a Veteran, and I am grateful. Thank You