There's a Free Thinker meeting Saturday mornings at the old airport under a monkeypod tree in Kona.

@rogueflyer Huh! Good to know, if I ever get to Kona again, I'll look into that. Thanks!

I would definitely like to do so...actually possibly starting some kind of national MSO would be the pinnacle of my intent!

That's actually where I was hoping this conversation might evolve to. If there isn't a completely secular MSO out there, I'm wondering where to begin to try to get one established? However I'm thinking it might need to be in a more densely populated area than where I live in upstate NY! But, if we can gain traction...

@atheistnny I have never looked for one. No hope for that here (a more densely populated area) I too live in the woods. I am actually in town, but you need to drive hours through the woods to get to the town, and Moose, Bear and deer are common here, even intown sometimes.
Woods are a few minutes, wilderness a half hour.

There is a lot of difference between the Fingerlakes and Albany and Woodstock, all upstate lol
anything NOT the city is "Upstate"

@Davesnothere Ha ha, yes I am actually north of the Adirondacks, on the Canadian border, so I mean very 'upstate'!

Contrary to popular belief there are Atheists in foxholes. You are correct though. Atheists are a minority.

@rogueflyer There are chaplins who are atheists.

@Sticks48 He blesses the boys, as they stand in line
The smell of gun grease and their bayonets they shine
He's there to help them all that he can
To make them feel wanted he's a good holy man
He smiles at the young soldiers, tells them it's all right
He knows of their fear in the forthcoming fight
Soon there'll be blood and many will die
Mothers and fathers back home they will cry
You're soldiers of God you must understand
The fate of your country is in your young hands
May God give you strength
Do your job well
If it all was worth it
Only time it will tell
He mumbles a prayer and it ends with a smile
The order is given, they move down the line
But he'll stay behind, and he'll meditate
But it won't stop the bleeding, or ease the hate
As the young men move out into the battle zone
He feels good, with God you're never alone
He feels so tired as he lays on his bed
Hopes the men will find courage in the words that he said
In the morning they return with tears in their eyes
The stench of death lifts up to the skies
A young soldier so ill, looks at the Sky Pilot
Remembers the words 'Thou shalt not kill'.
Sky Pilot
Sky Pilot
How high can you fly?
You'll never, never, never, reach the sky--1972, The Animals

So was my brother, let me appologize for your home coming, I hope it was not as bad as his. I am glad the nation seems to have realized the difference between a grunt following orders and the politicians setting those orders.

So welcome home 45 years late.

@Davesnothere Thank you Davesnothere. I joined the Naval Reserve to avoid going to VN. Instead, I ended up on the Mekong and Cambodian border for my enlistment.

@rogueflyer My brother had a low draft #, so he joined the marines thinking "If I have to fight I want to be with fighters", then he sot perfect at Paris Island.

I was just talking the other day here with a Naval vet from that area and epoch, can't recall the vessel name, been meaning to google the tale. His ship was in the last cannon battle in history, everything was transitioning to missles.

@Davesnothere Your response reminded me of my favorite John Denver song...Readjustment Blues. I was in the army on Okinawa May of ‘72 till December of ‘73. Wasn’t in the war, but still felt the hostility when I got back. Riots in the streets, gas lines 30 cars deep waiting for gas....oh, and for good measure, 2 criminals running the White House. It was truly surreal coming back. Seemed like I’d been gone a lot longer than 18 months, that’s for sure.

@Azatheist I am representative of a vietnam era kid. We played war with sticks and mud globs, rich kids had plastic machine guns which I always endevoured to secure. My Brother went to Nam as a marine sniper, my sister was a hippie protesting the war at college.
When Kent state happened it was live on the news. I turned and asked my mother "Will that mean that Mike could be ordered to Shoot Hilda, cause I don't think the person issuing that order will fare well."
My mother looked gut shot that I had such a notion at 10.
My other elder sister was dating a guy down the street, when she wrote him she had me color pictures. Kid stuff, houses and trees, a big yellow sun. Thirty years later I am on a construction Job site when an older journyman carpenter hears my name, then asks me if I had a sister named Carol, I said yes. He then takes out my drawing from 35 years ago, pulls it out of his wallet, where it has been folded for all that time and said he carried it for luck and to recall there was another world outside the Nam, and Thanks ME for drawing it. Said they were a hit in his platoon, because it was emblematic of there being a "world" back home where kids still colored pictures.
Talk about being humbled.

Oh you drunkard, you.

@Jolanta I'll take that as a comp?

I have asked such "Have you ever seen God draw a weapon and stand a post?"

@Davesnothere those who are evangelical will say yes, those are the ones to be careful of

Yep, I am a member of militaryatheists.org and am the representative for my rural area actually in upstate NY!

@atheistnny Seems you already know about them...

FFRF is less formal for vets but American Atheist Veterans have been on the job since 1983.... Activists are very busy in Colorado and near active duty posts .....Veterans For Peace has the most active posts and are 100% secular with no chaplains or religious policies.....Dr Madalyn Eads Murray O'Hair, Eisenhower staff ETO FOUGHT AND won your right for an American Atheist ORBIT on your headstone and Sgt Richard O'Hair USMC is so buried @ Arlington National Cemetery.....ACLU refused to help but did win WICCAN pentagrams on headstones.... with 4 other vets you can apply for a local VFP post if there is not one near you....ROCHESTER NY VFP has about 30 members