1969-72, SP/5 9th Infantry
I did my bit, holding the spear in a place we all remember as the 'Land of Bad Things'. But today, I'm honoring my 82 year old father-in-law by sending to all of his family the following: (formatted for this medium) The diary referred to here I posted some time back. The focus for this is not 'Granpa', but his 3 kids and 12 grandchildren who frankly don't have much of an idea, if any; just what the old duffer did back in 'his day'. THEY got printed copies of this yesterday.. every one of 'em. Seemed the least I could do.. they should thank him. While he's still with us.
HERO 
In the military, 7 out of 10 men that serve do so in a support role. They’re the folks that man the trucks, cook the chow, train the troops, staff the typewriters. In all branches of the service there’s the 3 out of 10 that stand in harms way and fight the battles, great and small. We called them ‘The pointy end of the spear’.
In the Army, where I served; that’s called ‘Infantry’. They come in different varieties, Rangers, Airborne, Special Forces, etc. I drove a truck.. did service and evac and basically performed my service in the early 70’s as one of those 7 guys outta 10 that helped hold the spear.. but I was no where near the ‘pointy end‘ of things most of the time. We called the men that were at the sharp end ‘Hero’s’. I was proud to serve with them, it’s a term of respect. One soldier to another…
In the Navy, the ‘pointy end’ is at Sea, aboard ship. And, of course, the Navy has a great variety of ships. The mighty Carriers & massive Battleships in Grandpa’s day got the glory but there are few ‘pointier’ places on the Navy’s spear than a Destroyer. Called ‘Guardians of the Fleet’ by historians, the term most bandied about by those that served aboard them was ‘Tin Cans’.
Thin skinned, lightly armed in comparison to the massive fleet units they routinely guarded they were considered ‘expendable’ by the Admirals that relied upon them to detect and engage the enemy first. Throwaways. Hence, “Tin Cans”
Aboard a destroyer, again, the 7 men to 10 ratio is the norm. There’s oilers, cooks, supply and deckhands, officers and laundry men. The pointy end of the spear on a Destroyer is the Weapons Division. These are the guys that stand at the guns, the depth charge racks, the torpedo tubes. That’s where Granpa served.
Despite your Granpa’s modest demeanor with regards to his job, the guy’s a Hero in every definition of the word. The man stood at those guns, directing fire; identifying targets, serving both the Main and Anti-Aircraft weapons in circumstances that offered a slim-to-none chance of survival.. even if he and his crewmates did everything perfectly in the most adverse circumstances imaginable. The men aboard the Tin Can’s knew they were expendable. Those that came home were ‘Lucky’.. and they knew it.
I have attached behind this a Diary, written by one of Granpa’s crewmates. I offer it as testimony to the matter-of-fact way these heroes’s did their job and accepted their fates. I can only add that the more I learn about these men in those times the more awe and respect I have for their valor, their courage and their determination.. and I thank whatever God there may be that he made it through and came home and married your Granma… for where would any of us be today without Granpa and the rest of Americas Greatest Generation?
With Greatest Respect and Admiration..
For Granpa, and the Farley Family.
Steve Anthony
Nov 11 2005
