Are you still in contact with anyone you served with? Are those relationships challenging to maintain once you've returned to civilian life?

SN Vivien Roman-Hampton — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 18:26:55 -0400

Please share your experience and advice of maintaining friendships once your service has ended.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 26 at 2017 6:30 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 18:30:51 -0400

I still keep in contact with a few. Some are Medics I served with. Some are Nurses. A few others are Combat Engineers I was with.

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made Apr 26 at 2017 6:31 PM

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 18:31:06 -0400

SN Vivien Roman-Hampton Several on this Forum, Several on Linked-In, Several on FB All Great Ways to Keep in Touch.

Response by SGM Erik Marquez made Apr 26 at 2017 6:36 PM

SGM Erik Marquez — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 18:36:45 -0400

Yes, and Yes

Response by SFC Steve Greene made Apr 26 at 2017 7:28 PM

SFC Steve Greene — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 19:28:33 -0400

Still in contact with 8 or 10 , great memories....

Response by LtCol Robert Quinter made Apr 26 at 2017 8:04 PM

LtCol Robert Quinter — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 20:04:17 -0400

The internet has made maintaining contact a lot easier and I have actually reestablished friendships because of the ease and speed of email. The tie always remained, but snail mail doesn't have the immediacy and the ability to react to current situations.
My many friends include the Marine who had the bottom rack when we went through Parris Island in 1966.

Response by SFC Everett Oliver made Apr 26 at 2017 8:36 PM

SFC Everett Oliver — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 20:36:13 -0400

I am in contact with people from 4 Units that I served with over the years. Without stopping to count I'd say at least 25 to 30 people... Still trying to find some from other Units and more that I served with from any unit really.....

Response by PO1 Shannon Drosdak made Apr 26 at 2017 8:37 PM

PO1 Shannon Drosdak — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 20:37:24 -0400

I do with about a handful, the ones I feel helped me survive while I was in. All others I never look(ed) back on as I ran out the door with my papers of freedom.

Response by SSG Edward Tilton made Apr 26 at 2017 8:39 PM

SSG Edward Tilton — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 20:39:39 -0400

In May 67 I was in charge of an Artillery Battery south of Nui Ba Dinh. We got overrun and among the KIA were five brand newbies. 50 years later I am discussing this on the internet when up pops one of the KIAs. He had been in my battery for hours, he was wounded and sent home. He retired from the Army. I assume that made him undead. I've lost touch with him again

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 26 at 2017 8:44 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 20:44:37 -0400

No, I'm still looking for them. :(

Response by Cpl Justin Goolsby made Apr 26 at 2017 9:41 PM

Cpl Justin Goolsby — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 21:41:04 -0400

I am still in contact with Marines I've served with. It's somewhat challenging because I'm no longer in the rotation for station changes. But I still work with Marines today, so I get to spend my day hanging out with my fellow Marines. I don't get to do all the fun stuff, but I still get to swap stories, laugh at jokes and enjoy the camaraderie.

Response by PO1 Brian Austin made Apr 27 at 2017 2:33 AM

PO1 Brian Austin — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 02:33:17 -0400

Yes, two i've known for over 30 yrs. We all live within a few hours of each other. The three of us get together a couple times a month, usually. Our three wives are best friends as well.
I've also reconnected with others thru this site and other social media. The internet makes it a lot easier to stay in touch these days.

Response by SGT Anna Kleinschmidt made Apr 27 at 2017 3:58 AM

SGT Anna Kleinschmidt — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 03:58:14 -0400

Well I met my husband in Saudi and we served together in the 7th trans Group. I have a few friends from basic and Korea that I have maintained contact with, but not as much. My husband and I have several mutual friends that we both served with and we have kept up via phone and now social media. We have even visited old friends and they have visited us. We have known some for 30-40 years.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Apr 27 at 2017 7:39 AM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 07:39:43 -0400

One person on Facebook and one that is a neighbor. The friendship is still pretty good.

Response by SSgt Ryan Sylvester made Apr 27 at 2017 8:36 AM

SSgt Ryan Sylvester — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 08:36:53 -0400

I still maintain contact with a few people I served with. Facebook's a wonderful thing for maintaining long-distance contact. Though sometimes I do miss the B-LOBs, hanging out at Logan's, having a good peanut war with them.

Response by LCpl Shane Couch made Apr 27 at 2017 9:26 AM

LCpl Shane Couch — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 09:26:11 -0400

Thanks to social media, I still stay in contact with quite a few of my platoon mates and a few from the company level.

Response by PO3 Donald Murphy made Apr 27 at 2017 10:16 AM

PO3 Donald Murphy — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 10:16:32 -0400

The internet has made communication easy and the ability to reach out easy. I started a website for my former shipmates and also run a Facebook page for them as well. We have had a few reunions and impromptu get togethers. If things aren't working the way you feel they should, take charge and create your own outlet. Make your own website. Its very easy to do now. Or even a Facebook page. Your old buddies will find you. Stay away from job hunting sites like Linkedin as - to be fair - people tend to log on there to look for networking uses. Whereas creating a website or Facebook page will prick the interest of someone looking to get re-aquainted with former military buddies.

I will say one thing that I found incredibly hilarious was that I wasn't sure if I would want to talk to people from outside my time frame. It never crossed my mind to seek out anyone from the 1960's, 1970's or 1990's. Once I created the website, my inbox was immediately flooded with mail from people who were on my submarine when it was first launched back in 1964. And I have to admit that I found it hard to stop listening! I was hearing stories that were hilarious, historical and from a different perspective. I have forged new friendships as well as renewed old ones. So if you create a website for your unit, be prepared to talk to people who you may not know but were there years before (or after) you. I also allow people to upload their own photos and that has been a treasure trove of sorts with all kinds of stuff coming in. I spend a few minutes each day replying to emails, looking at posts, etc.

http://www.usscasimirpulaski.com

Home

USS Casimir Pulaski - the story of a cold war submarine

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 27 at 2017 11:56 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 11:56:29 -0400

With the multitude of social media outlets we have, it's much easier to maintain some form of communication with buddies. I've had the opportunity to meet friends that actually became closer to me than some members of my own family. So when there's a will, there's a way, in my opinion. Good question!

Response by SCPO Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 27 at 2017 1:30 PM

SCPO Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 13:30:06 -0400

Yes, I have, though the number is a lot less than I wish it was. I have established contact with a few shipmates from my time on the USS MIDWAY (1970-1972), and I found ONE fellow Boot Camp recruit with whom our old friendship has totally taken off. But, like I said, I wish there were more of these. I have come to discover that that bond formed with persons in the military, especially the older and "more ancient" I have become, the more I treasure these friendships as much or more than others from civilian work or school or church. Military camaraderie should never be taken for granted. Someday, it will mean everything. It does for me.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 27 at 2017 2:20 PM

SGM Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 14:20:38 -0400

It is difficult to maintain individual friendships with people after you get out. Especially for those of us who served before email and the Internet, keeping up with physical address changes over the years could be very difficult. One bright point for me: I was in the Army Security Agency (ASA), a fairly small group of Army personnel who have created a few Facebook and other sites to reconnect with people, and we've used those to catch up. One guy who enlisted the same day I did, went to Basic with me, then to AIT with me, but branched off to another MOS and I lost touch with him. But we've reconnected now and it's been awesome!

Even better, my MOS in the ASA was a very small one, never more than about 600 at its peak during the Vietnam War. We all either knew each other or knew someone who knew someone else. It got even smaller as the war drew down, to only about 300 troops. Someone decided to hold a reunion, they started a Yahoo Group with an email list, and we've got almost 450 of our folks who participate on the list! We've had 9 reunions now, I think. I hosted one here in DC in 2004 with trips to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which was a very special event. We've met all over the country to give folks a chance to attend. We talk about memories, old stories, past missions, people, and the history of our field. It's quite an interesting group. I'm trying to capture as much as possible and write a book about it all.

Response by COL Charles Williams made Apr 27 at 2017 11:40 PM

COL Charles Williams — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 23:40:32 -0400

SN Vivien Roman-Hampton Yes I am, and no they are not. Some are farther and fewer, but the connections are still there.