veteran Archives • DAVIDPDX

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ONE PFC’S INTERNATIONAL OPINION: NATO

April 6, 2026 by David Gillaspie 2 Comments

As an Army veteran from the mid-1970’s I’ve had time to work up an international opinion on NATO. Reading history is one thing; reading history after wearing the uniform is a whole nother level. Racing up the promotional ranks to the heights of private first class brings it home. The low ranks are the gravel […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Afghanistan, Army, army pfc, Army veteran, Baby Boomer blogger, confusion, disorder, draft dodger, education, history, international, international opinion, koren war, learning, lofty goal, military bases, NATO, pushing war, veteran, war, writer, writing, WWII

COMMUNITY STORYTELLING: U.S. ARMY 1974-1976

September 30, 2025 by David Gillaspie

The definition of community for Community Storytelling from Oregon Humanities: When we say “community,” we mean any group of people who share a common experience thanks to where they live, the language they speak, their race, their religion, their age, or some other attribute. When we say “storytelling,” we mean nonfiction stories conveyed through […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: admirals, Army, Authority, baby boomer, blogger, boomerpdx, chain of command, community, community storytelling, cultural, culture, education, family, generals, history, leadership, millennials, Oregon, Portland, Portland Oregon, revival, soldiers, story, storytelling, travel, veteran, vietnam era, Vietnam War, Vietnam-Era Veteran, writer

THREATENING PARENTS FOR KID’S BEHAVIOR? WHAT’S NEXT

August 23, 2025 by David Gillaspie

I saw a clip of the masked men of Immigration and Customs Enforcement threatening parents to convince someone behind the locked door of a barber shop to open up. Agent: “I’m going to go get your dad—and I’m going to get your mom!” Witness: “Y’all can’t tell him that, though. His mom?” Agent: “Yes […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: behavior, combat, Dad, devastating attack, dmv, dmv manager, due process, face, gunned down, injustice of war, kidnapper, kids, Korean War, Marine Corps, marine wife, Marines, Mom, parents, permanent record, policy, Rasputin, reality TV, reality tv star, red flag, threatening, threatening parents, veteran, war, what's next, wife

BRAGGING RIGHTS ON THE WALL OF FAME

June 10, 2025 by David Gillaspie

You’ve got bragging rights when you’re got a good dog like this. We went to class together, graduated together, and one of us peed on the floor during class. We’re still going strong but the teacher and the store she worked for moved on. Education is funny like that. What we learn stays with us […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: advanced degree, Army veteran, bragging, bragging rights, college diplomas, doubters, fame, following orders, free spirits, generations, high school, high school diplomas, home team, homer, honorable discharge, Korean War, rights, service, skeptics, the Beatles, veteran, Vietnam, vietnam era, wall of fame, WWII, young guys

THEIR MEMORIAL DAY ON BOTH SIDES

May 26, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Memorial Day is for the families of service men and women who have passed, but whose memory remains. For them let’s help the service men and women today live their best lives. I’m thinking of those who didn’t die in service to their country, but those who are dying as a result of their service. […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: accident, AGENT ORANGE, american soldier, Army, Army veteran, BOOMER, boomer soldier, breaking news, deadly, family, good example, jody, memorial day, memory, military, military deaths, murder, self-inflicted, sensationalism, sensationalistic, service, suicide, VA, veteran, Veterans’ Affairs, virtue

THANK A VETERAN, THEN BRACE YOURSELF

November 12, 2023 by David Gillaspie

Everybody knows you can’t thank a veteran without a veteran story in return, so: I served in the medical community doing pre-physical work ups on my civil service patients in South Philadelphia. It was a remote clinic administered from the Army hospital in Fort Dix, New Jersey although there was a Navy hospital just up […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Army veteran, blog, blogger, David Gillaspie, fitness, history, mental conditioning, military veteran, story, thank a veteran, veteran, veteran story, Veterans Day, writer, writers, writing

VIETNAM VETERANS ON BOOMERPDX

March 29, 2023 by David Gillaspie

My Vietnam Veterans show up on BoomerPdx not as veterans but as guys I’ve met along the way. Extraordinary guys I’ve been lucky to meet. What’s my plan to meet anyone? Get out of the house and walk around and you can’t go wrong.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: active duty, Air Force, Army veteran, blogger, boomerpdx, john prine, navy veteran, Portland, sam stone, south portland, story, veteran, veteran status, Vietnam, vietnam veterans, Vietnam War, Vietnam-era, war zone

VETERAN SKILLS ON VETERANS DAY

November 11, 2022 by David Gillaspie

Veteran skills I like to explain to my wife: We hear everything, but we don’t respond to every little thing. Why? We’re saving up to respond to the big things better. Or, most likely we might be a little deaf and this is an excuse. What did she say?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: AGENT ORANGE, baby boomer, blogger, BOOMER, boomerpdx, burn pit, chickenhawk, enjoy, joy, veteran, veteran experience, veteran skills, veterans, Veterans Day

GUN EDUCATION FOR THE EARLY LEARNER

October 12, 2022 by David Gillaspie

Gun education is lacking. Skip this learning moment and there may not be another one. Based on the number of school shootings, there’s a gap between gun ownership and using it, between walking the walk and talking the talk. And don’t kid yourself, the gun talk is a tough one because the focus is on […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: AR-15, armed response, armory, Army veteran, Baby Boomers, boomers, continuing education, early learner, educational advantage, gun education, gun fetish, gun owners, gun safety, gun talk, learning moment, loaded gun, school shootings, veteran, veteran difference, visual exam, wary learner

FINISHED WORK WITH SENATOR RON JOHNSON

May 7, 2022 by David Gillaspie

Finished work leaves a feeling of permanence. And isn’t that the idea, locked in for the long haul. What do you do after you finish something? What’s next? Maintenance. But first, about that finished work.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: americans, capitol, decency, finish, finish work, finished, finished work, groomed, groomed decency, half-baked, insurrection, normal, Oregon, pandemic, patriot, Portland, Portland Oregon, roe v wade, Ron johnson, Rowe v wade, Supreme Court, toxic masculinity, trump, veteran, Wisconsin, work