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Responses: 199
Probably not as often as I should. I talk to a couple of buddies on Facebook throughout the year. I've only talked with 2 of them over the phone. I'll make a better effort. Life just becomes all-consuming at times, and it's, regrettably, hard to stay in touch.
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Probably not as often as I should. I talk to a few of of my old buddies over Facebook a few times a year. I've only talked to 2 of them over the phone over the past year.
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As an electrician in the USAF Civil Engineering I saw no direct combat so had no battle buddies. Discharged in 1970 I haven't had contact with any Airforce buddies in several decades.
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Working for the DoD after retiring from the military. I see my former military colleagues on the regular. I am fortunate that way.
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Approximately every two weeks but we definitely need to stay in touch more.
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I had a fire that burned my log cabin in 2012 and I lost every thing I had including 22 years of military as well as lots of item from my high school and colleges! So I have lost a lot of my old buddies, I have found one who was a medevoc piolot
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My platoon had just 16 guys most of the time, and a few have now passed. About 20 years ago I searched online and found many of them and we met up in Las Vegas for its big Veterans Day Parade. I have arranged several more of these informal reunions. I am in regular email contact with 2 men(Dave and Ken) and less often with others. A few of us plan to meet again this year to attend the Las Vegas Parade which I think is the largest one in the country . Our last visit there was in 2019 before COVID. We stay at the Plaza hotel at Main & Fremont St. The "Fremont Street Experience" has good nightly video shows on the overhead ceiling. I am a life member of the 82nd Airborne Assoc. "Golden Brigade Chapter" and have attended a few annual reunions.
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Social Media has made keeping in contact with old friends so much easier. Sometimes connecting with friends that you haven't talked to in years and years. Picking up right where you left off just a little greyer.
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I try to reach out whenever my mental health is in a good place. On the 22nd I share a status update asking how everyone is. One of my buddies is my best friend/roommate
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Never, when I got out my husband was still active duty. I didn't fit in with the normal wives and I didn't fit in with his active duty friends. The friends that I had made fell to the wayside through time and distance.
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Every now and again I will get a message from one of them. It's this nice bitter-sweet feeling when we connect again for just a few moments.
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Not at all anymore. Ever since we all moved back to our states we haven't kept in contact. It really sucks when a couple of then you think of as brothers and all that you have been through together with training and deployment. Sucks to leave to friends and memories behind.
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Personally, no strong bonds and only one connection attempt after ETS. I think there is a difference between serving in a war zone and serving stateside regarding forming lasting friendships. One connection I tried was phoning my roommate when I was at the airport in his hometown of Minneapolis. His wife answered the phone, I identified myself, and asked to speak to Karl. He wasn't interested in coming to the phone. That was Karl. He hated being in the service and I guess wanted to even put any contact behind himself.
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