Posted on Jul 15, 2015
LTC Stephen F.
LTC LTC Stephen F.
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I was recently reminded me of the importance and significance of mail call especially in the days before email, cell phones and texting existed in the 1950's 1960's, 1970's and I think through the 1980's. Waiting with anticipation in formation as a young enlisted man in sun, snow, rain or wind for mail call. The weather was much less important than hearing the names of friends called out to get mail and then hearing my own name which was wonderful. Going back to the barracks to smell envelopes from girl friends, read the letters on my bunk.
Later as a cadet at West Point one of the duties of the freshman class known as plebes was to distribute the mail to the upper classmen. It was a very important function and seemed to release a sense of common humanity and a brief period of humane treatment.
After I was commissioned in 1980, my mail was delivered to me except when we were away from home station when we would have mail call or else wait until the operation was over and then mail would be distributed.
Images: mail call wingen 70th ID WWII; Korean War early afternoon mail call brought these Thunderbirds in the 279th Infantry; Mail call! Pfc Glen Zachery of the 19th Army Postal Unit brings a sack of mail to the
Posted in these groups: Communications mastery CommunicationsF3af5240 Military HistoryCf1cbe80 Troops
Edited 4 y ago
Posted 9 y ago
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SGT Joseph Dutton
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3
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SGT
Posted >1 y ago
It is a moral booster. Nothing like receiving mail from a loved one. Yes we live in electronic technical age with text, email and social media. But it is a blessing to receive smail from a loved one that personally wrote and touched it. I still write letters because text, email and social media feels impersonal.
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LTC Stephen F.
LTC Stephen F.
>1 y
Thank you my friend SGT Joseph Dutton that mail call is a moral booster. Yes it was great to receive mail when I was deployed to West Germany during the Cold War. Like you I still write letters because social media is impersonal.
FYI COL Randall C.SP5 David den Boer[1890812:SPC Gary Symons]Cpl Jason LangSPC (Join to see)SSG(P) (Join to see)PVT (Join to see) SPC Gary C. [1890812:SPC Gary Symons]2LT (Join to see)LTC George MorganSPC (Join to see)SSG(P) (Join to see)PVT (Join to see)



Here is a link to my pay call question
https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/who-remembers-pay-call-what-country-ies-did-you-receive-pay-call-in

Who remembers pay call? What country(ies) did you receive pay call in? | RallyPoint

I remember pay call while being stationed in Bamberg, Germany in the early 1980's. I think pay call was only used for forces stationed overseas [expect that includes all Navy vessels as well] where a choice of currency to receive your pay made sense. Pay call made sense when many service members did not have direct deposit for their salary. I don't know if pay call still exists and where it is used. [Update July 19] I was an infantry training...
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CWO3 Robert Fong
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CWO3
Posted >1 y ago
Col, at the risk of giving away my age I do remember mail call and I also remember Pay Call where we stood in line, verified our ID, saluted the Pay Officer, held out our left hand as he counted out less than $100 for the month, and stepping to the right and signing the pay roster in front of Top. Make a sharp right turn and move on. My English counter parts did the same thing except they received the Queen's rations of toiletries, tobacco, and rum tickets. I remember the day when my pay broke $100 for the month, WOW!
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LTC Stephen F.
LTC Stephen F.
>1 y
Thank you my friend CWO3 Robert Fong for letting us know you remember mail call as well as pay call "where [you] stood in line, verified our ID, saluted the Pay Officer, held out our left hand as he counted out less than $100 for the month, and stepping to the right and signing the pay roster in front of Top.'
PO2 Jeffery Marcussen Sr LTJG Robert M. CAPT (Join to see) PO3 (Join to see) PO2 Jonathan Scharff LCDR (Join to see) CMC Robert Young CWO3 Dave Alcantara PO1 Jerome Newland PO1 John Johnson

Here is a link to my pay call question
https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/who-remembers-pay-call-what-country-ies-did-you-receive-pay-call-in

Who remembers pay call? What country(ies) did you receive pay call in? | RallyPoint

I remember pay call while being stationed in Bamberg, Germany in the early 1980's. I think pay call was only used for forces stationed overseas [expect that includes all Navy vessels as well] where a choice of currency to receive your pay made sense. Pay call made sense when many service members did not have direct deposit for their salary. I don't know if pay call still exists and where it is used. [Update July 19] I was an infantry training...
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SN Boatswain's Mate
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SN
Posted >1 y ago
Try doing it in 30 foot waves.
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LTC Stephen F.
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CMDCM John F. "Doc" Bradshaw
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CMDCM
Posted >1 y ago
Yes Sir, Indeed!!! That’s one line of anticipation. As I recall years ago, whenever I saw a line, I got in it. It usually meant something good or important. Thank You Sir, for the Memories!!! Doc
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LTC Stephen F.
LTC Stephen F.
>1 y
Thank you my friend and brother-in-Christ CMDCM John F. "Doc" Bradshaw for responding and letting us know that mail call brought back good memories for you.
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SFC Bob Clark
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SFC
Posted >1 y ago
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LTC Stephen F.
LTC Stephen F.
>1 y
Thank you my fellow combat engineer [ I was an enlisted combat engineer in 1975] for letting us know that you remember mail call.
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SPC Gary Symons
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SPC
Posted >1 y ago
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We were out clearing villages in Vietnam and as evening came we filled sand bags to put around us when we slept to keep from getting hit by sniper rounds.

As it got darker the fireworks began. I remember my platoon was lighting up the sky with tracer rounds, red one direction and green in the other. My fellow medic, Evans (photo attached), always looked so relaxed when things got crazy.

It got quiet for awhile and you could here the Huey gunships coming our way. Their mission that night was to bring us each 2 cold beers and a sack of mail and after delivering it, they quickly disappeared into that dark evening sky. That night we had mail call and read our mail along with drinking cold beers.
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CMDCM John F. "Doc" Bradshaw
CMDCM John F. "Doc" Bradshaw
>1 y
R.I.P. My Brother!!! You’ll Never Be Forgotten!!! Doc
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LTC George Morgan
LTC George Morgan
>1 y

RBL2012 - The Last Post - 720p HD

The Royal British Legion: http://www.britishlegion.org.ukHelp for Heros: http://www.helpforheroes.org.ukBand of Her Majesty's Royal Marines: http://www.royal...

The Royal British Legion Prayer of Remembrance, to me, seems appropriate here as we remember Gregory Evans.

They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning,
We will remember them,
We will remember them.
Last Post (British Taps)
***** Two Minute Silence *****
When you go home, tell them of us,
and say, for your today, we gave our tomorrow.

On Remembrance Day, US Veterans Day, in every village, town, and city across the United Kingdom, parades are held, and the prayer is recited.
At the Royal Albert Hall, London, in the presence of the monarch, following a Festival of Remembrance entertainment, a service of remembrance is held, as it has been, ever since 1919. This link, is the prayer of that service, followed by Last Post, the silence and reveille.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99tCg596QSc

Should you be interested, this is a link to the 2017 Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance, during the silence, poppy petals drift down across the assembled military who have been represented during the festival.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwmPkhZBYUE&t=11s
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SPC Gary Symons
SPC Gary Symons
>1 y
6764df6
LTC George Morgan
Thank you, very nice prayer. I will say it for our other medic friend “Old Man McConnell”, given that name because we were all 18 to 21 he was 26. May he rest in peace. He was a Senior Medic not assigned to a infantry platoon. Old Man was scheduled to get discharged and kidded he would be waiting at San Francisco Airport with a convertible full of pretty girls when we returned in December 1968.

Old man when into the field one last time to bring out those shot and lost his life in doing so. Nice guy and still have a mental picture of him laughing sitting in a convertible at San Francisco Airport.
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LTC George Morgan
LTC George Morgan
>1 y
B8cb6ee6
Losing our friends is never easy, but keeping their memories alive is how we keep them with us. I lost two of my lads in Northern Ireland, they live with me, in both memories, and a Unit picture that hangs in my office. I the UK, we have a phrase, "Lest We Forget", we never do.
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SSG Mark Lawless
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3
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SSG
Posted >1 y ago
I remember standing in line for paycall too. Then having to work my way thru the rest of the line doing out cash for one thing or another. Usually when I was in Korea.
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LTC Stephen F.
LTC Stephen F.
>1 y
Thank you my friend SSG Mark Lawless for letting us know you remember standing in line for mailcall and paycall.

Here is my rallypoint question about paycall
https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/who-remembers-pay-call-what-country-ies-did-you-receive-pay-call-in

Who remembers pay call? What country(ies) did you receive pay call in? | RallyPoint

I remember pay call while being stationed in Bamberg, Germany in the early 1980's. I think pay call was only used for forces stationed overseas [expect that includes all Navy vessels as well] where a choice of currency to receive your pay made sense. Pay call made sense when many service members did not have direct deposit for their salary. I don't know if pay call still exists and where it is used. [Update July 19] I was an infantry training...
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1SG Jimmy Bacon
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1SG
Posted >1 y ago
I remember Mail Call and Pay Call.
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LTC Stephen F.
LTC Stephen F.
>1 y
Thank you my friend 1SG Jimmy Bacon for responding and letting us know that you well remember pay call and mail call.
By the way here is a link to my parallel question to this one.
https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/who-remembers-pay-call-what-country-ies-did-you-receive-pay-call-inSSG Mildred Johnson

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SSG Mildred Johnson
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3
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SSG
Posted >1 y ago
Yes I remember mail call, and pay call. In the Military there was a lot of standing around. Hurry up and Wait.
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LTC Stephen F.
LTC Stephen F.
>1 y
Thank you my friend SSG Mildred Johnson for responding and letting us know that you remember standing around for mail call and pay call - hurry up and wait.
By the way here is a link to my parallel question to this one.
https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/who-remembers-pay-call-what-country-ies-did-you-receive-pay-call-in

Who remembers pay call? What country(ies) did you receive pay call in? | RallyPoint

I remember pay call while being stationed in Bamberg, Germany in the early 1980's. I think pay call was only used for forces stationed overseas [expect that includes all Navy vessels as well] where a choice of currency to receive your pay made sense. Pay call made sense when many service members did not have direct deposit for their salary. I don't know if pay call still exists and where it is used. [Update July 19] I was an infantry training...
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SPC Thomas Kosakowskii
3
3
0
SPC
Posted >1 y ago
I was one of my units postal clerks, beside my regular duties. We always passed out mail during noon chow.
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LTC Stephen F.
LTC Stephen F.
>1 y
Thank you my friend SPC Thomas Kosakowskii for responding and letting us know that you were one of your units 'postal clerks' in addition to your Quartermaster duties.
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