One of the most inspiring things ever said.......
Double Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient
Sergeant Major Daniel Joseph Daly
Belleau Wood - 6 June 1918, the casualties were the highest in Marine Corps history up to that point in history. They would remain so until the capture of Tarawa in November 1943. Overall, the woods were taken by the Marines (and the US Army 3rd Infantry Brigade) a total of six times before they could successfully expel the Germans. They fought off more than four divisions of Germans, often reduced to using only their bayonets or fists in hand-to-hand combat. In order to rally his platoon of pinned-down Marines, Gunnery Sergeant Dan Daly encouraged them with what would become a famous phrase
"Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?"
On 26 June, a report was sent out simply stating, "Woods now U.S. Marine Corps entirely," ending the bloodiest and most ferocious battle U.S. forces would fight in the war.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
June 6th
Once again, The Armorer of Castle Argghhh! does it so well, I might as well just send you directly there for everything of military significance on this day. And this is nice.
But, as I said last year, this day means something else to me.
But, as I said last year, this day means something else to me.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Scumbags
Firefighter helping driver is attacked in Charlestown
It was late Sunday when the tractor-trailer pulled up to Charlestown's Sullivan Square fire station, a routine stop for truck drivers who get lost trying to navigate the nearby rotary.
Lieutenant Chris Corwin and Firefighter Daniel Donahoe gave the driver directions and started helping him back up the 18-wheeler when a sedan tried to sneak around the rear of the truck. When Corwin asked the driver to wait, the driver started swearing, telling Corwin he would run him over if he did not move, Corwin said.
Then, four men wearing New York Yankees caps, all believed to be in their 20s, rushed out of the car and began beating Corwin, hitting him with a club and kicking him, Corwin and Donahoe said. Corwin received at least 14 stitches. He had a broken eye socket and bruises. He spent the night at Massachusetts General Hospital.
I read about this over at No Looking Backwards where Bruce had this to say.
All I have to say is WTF?
It was late Sunday when the tractor-trailer pulled up to Charlestown's Sullivan Square fire station, a routine stop for truck drivers who get lost trying to navigate the nearby rotary.
Lieutenant Chris Corwin and Firefighter Daniel Donahoe gave the driver directions and started helping him back up the 18-wheeler when a sedan tried to sneak around the rear of the truck. When Corwin asked the driver to wait, the driver started swearing, telling Corwin he would run him over if he did not move, Corwin said.
Then, four men wearing New York Yankees caps, all believed to be in their 20s, rushed out of the car and began beating Corwin, hitting him with a club and kicking him, Corwin and Donahoe said. Corwin received at least 14 stitches. He had a broken eye socket and bruises. He spent the night at Massachusetts General Hospital.
I read about this over at No Looking Backwards where Bruce had this to say.
All I have to say is WTF?
Email From Jen
So Jen sends me an email telling me to go take an online quiz for a good cause. I'll post it here so you can take it too. But what made me laugh is how she put it.
Hey,
Bill has a quiz on his website that if you take the quiz, AT&T will send a 20 minute phone card to the soldiers in Iraq.
https://www.billoreilly.com/pg/jsp/general/promotion.jsp
Bill, as in Bill O'Reilly, but she just writes "Bill", like, they're tight, you know. LOL
Go take the quiz, I'm sure Jen's friend "Bill" has an upper limit on how many phone cards, but I want to make sure we hit it.
I got 8 out of 10, so did Jen, but we got different ones wrong. Together we have a perfect score.
Hey,
Bill has a quiz on his website that if you take the quiz, AT&T will send a 20 minute phone card to the soldiers in Iraq.
https://www.billoreilly.com/pg/jsp/general/promotion.jsp
Bill, as in Bill O'Reilly, but she just writes "Bill", like, they're tight, you know. LOL
Go take the quiz, I'm sure Jen's friend "Bill" has an upper limit on how many phone cards, but I want to make sure we hit it.
I got 8 out of 10, so did Jen, but we got different ones wrong. Together we have a perfect score.
Try As I Might.........
I read lot's of history. On any given day, there are lot's of birthdays and anniversaries. Things of major and minor significance. But try as I might, June 5th is never anything else except the day Bobby Kennedy got shot.After that day the world was a colder, darker place.
Monday, June 04, 2007
Another Important Anniversary
47 years ago today, my parents were married.
Happy Anniversary, Mum & Dad.
Happy Anniversary, Mum & Dad.
65th Anniversary of the Battle of Midway
Here are some links to some bloggers who have posted on it far more knowledgably than I could have.
CDR. Salamander - "Battle of Midway"
BullNav at Op-For - 65 Years Ago Today: Midway
Steeljaw Scribe - This is the jackpot! There are a whole slew of posts and I think more to come.
Mike/Mark over at EagleSpeak - Midway 65 years Ago the Battle Began and he recommends this site.
From the CNO
FROM 4-8 JUNE 2007, AMERICA WILL OBSERVE THE 65TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY, A CRITICAL TURNING POINT IN THE WAR IN THE PACIFIC. AS AMERICANS AND AS SAILORS, IT IS A BIG PARTOF WHO WE ARE, A SHINING MOMENT IN OUR HISTORY, AND ONE OF THE MOST PIVOTAL BATTLES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. HISTORIAN JOHN KEEGAN RIGHTLY CALLED IT ONE OF THE GREATEST REVERSALS IN STRATEGIC FORTUNE THE NAVAL WORLD HAS EVER SEEN.
I ENCOURAGE ALL COMMANDS THROUGHOUT OUR NAVY TO COMMEMORATE THIS GREAT VICTORY, TO RECOGNIZE NOT ONLY WHAT IT SAYS ABOUT THE HITTING POWER OF OUR NAVY, BUT ALSO WHAT IT SAYS ABOUT THE SAILORS WHO FOUGHT AND DIED TO WIN AT MIDWAY. THE BATTLE WAS MUCH MORE THAN JUST A CLASH OF TITANS, IT WAS AND SHOULD ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED AS A TRIBUTE TO THE COURAGE, SKILL, AND YES, EVEN THE LUCK OF OUR WORLDWAR II PREDECESSORS. IN REMEMBERING THE FIGHT, WE MUST ALSO REMEMBER THEM.
WE WOULD ALSO DO WELL TO REMEMBER THE UNCERTAINTY OF THOSE TIMES. NO ONE IN 1942 KNEW WHERE THINGS WERE HEADED. THE MARCH ACROSS THE PACIFIC HAD NOT BEGUN. AT THE TIME, NO ONE KNEW THE SIGNIFICANCE OF WHAT HAPPENED AROUND THAT TINY ATOLL. EVEN ADMIRAL NIMITZ DID NOT IMMEDIATELY GRASP THE IMPACT. WITH MIDWAY, THINGS WERE JUST GETTING STARTED, HE RECALLED. AFTER MIDWAY, THERE WAS NO FEELING THAT WE HAD WON THE WAR. WE STILL HAD A TENACIOUS ENEMY TODEAL WITH AND A DIFFICULT JOB TO DO.
TODAY, WE TOO FACE A TOUGH, DETERMINED, AND, IN MANY WAYS, MORE BARBARIC AND UNPRINCIPLED ENEMY. AND WE, TOO, CANNOT YET SEE THE END OF THE GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISM. WE HAVE DEMANDING, DIFFICULT WORK TO DO, BUT WE CAN -- AND WE SHOULD -- LOOK BACK ON THE SAILORS OF MIDWAY AND TAKE HEART. WE MUST TELL OURSELVES THAT THE SHIPMATES WE HAVE AND THE ONES WE HAVE LOST IN THIS WAR ARE JUST AS STRONG AND JUST AS BRAVE AS THOSE WHO WON WORLD WAR II. WE MUST HONOR THEM ALL, PAST AND PRESENT, FOR THEIR COURAGE.
I INVITE COMMANDS TO VISIT THE SPECIAL MIDWAY MATERIAL POSTED ON THE NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER*S WEBSITE AT WWW.HISTORY.NAVY.MIL/MIDWAY.HTM. THERE YOU WILL FIND A CONCISE OVERVIEW OF THE BATTLE, ORAL HISTORIES, RELEVANT SPEECHES, AND EVEN A SAMPLE MIDWAY NIGHT AGENDA. MR. JON YOUNGDAHL OF NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY WASHINGTON ALSO MAINTAINS A DATABASE OF VETERANS OF THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY. COMMANDS WISHING TO INCLUDE MIDWAY SURVIVORS IN THEIR CEREMONIES CAN CONTACT HIM AT COMMERCIAL (202) 433-2607/DSN 288-2607 OR VIA EMAIL:JON.YOUNGDAHL@NAVY.MIL.
THE NAVY*S OFFICIAL WEBSITE LIKEWISE HOSTS A TERRIFIC MIDWAY COMMEMORATION PAGE ENTITLED THE COURSE TO MIDWAY, AVAILABLE AT WWW.NAVY.MIL/MIDWAY. THERE YOU CAN FOLLOW THE DRAMATIC PACE OF EVENTS IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC AS THEY PROPELLED BOTH SIDES TO MIDWAY.YOU CAN ALSO VIEW BATTLE MAPS, WATCH INTERVIEWS WITH VETERANS, AND EVEN READ THE FIGHTING HISTORIES OF THE SHIPS INVOLVED
TAKE TIME OUT TO REMEMBER THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY AND THE BRAVE SAILORS WHO WON IT. IT IS MORE THAN JUST A GREAT SEA STORY. IT STANDS AS TESTAMENT TO THE CHARACTER OF OUR SAILORS AND WHAT THEY MEAN TO THIS MARITIME NATION OF OURS.
RELEASED BY ADM MIKE MULLEN, CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS
CDR. Salamander - "Battle of Midway"
BullNav at Op-For - 65 Years Ago Today: Midway
Steeljaw Scribe - This is the jackpot! There are a whole slew of posts and I think more to come.
Mike/Mark over at EagleSpeak - Midway 65 years Ago the Battle Began and he recommends this site.
From the CNO
FROM 4-8 JUNE 2007, AMERICA WILL OBSERVE THE 65TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY, A CRITICAL TURNING POINT IN THE WAR IN THE PACIFIC. AS AMERICANS AND AS SAILORS, IT IS A BIG PARTOF WHO WE ARE, A SHINING MOMENT IN OUR HISTORY, AND ONE OF THE MOST PIVOTAL BATTLES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. HISTORIAN JOHN KEEGAN RIGHTLY CALLED IT ONE OF THE GREATEST REVERSALS IN STRATEGIC FORTUNE THE NAVAL WORLD HAS EVER SEEN.
I ENCOURAGE ALL COMMANDS THROUGHOUT OUR NAVY TO COMMEMORATE THIS GREAT VICTORY, TO RECOGNIZE NOT ONLY WHAT IT SAYS ABOUT THE HITTING POWER OF OUR NAVY, BUT ALSO WHAT IT SAYS ABOUT THE SAILORS WHO FOUGHT AND DIED TO WIN AT MIDWAY. THE BATTLE WAS MUCH MORE THAN JUST A CLASH OF TITANS, IT WAS AND SHOULD ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED AS A TRIBUTE TO THE COURAGE, SKILL, AND YES, EVEN THE LUCK OF OUR WORLDWAR II PREDECESSORS. IN REMEMBERING THE FIGHT, WE MUST ALSO REMEMBER THEM.
WE WOULD ALSO DO WELL TO REMEMBER THE UNCERTAINTY OF THOSE TIMES. NO ONE IN 1942 KNEW WHERE THINGS WERE HEADED. THE MARCH ACROSS THE PACIFIC HAD NOT BEGUN. AT THE TIME, NO ONE KNEW THE SIGNIFICANCE OF WHAT HAPPENED AROUND THAT TINY ATOLL. EVEN ADMIRAL NIMITZ DID NOT IMMEDIATELY GRASP THE IMPACT. WITH MIDWAY, THINGS WERE JUST GETTING STARTED, HE RECALLED. AFTER MIDWAY, THERE WAS NO FEELING THAT WE HAD WON THE WAR. WE STILL HAD A TENACIOUS ENEMY TODEAL WITH AND A DIFFICULT JOB TO DO.
TODAY, WE TOO FACE A TOUGH, DETERMINED, AND, IN MANY WAYS, MORE BARBARIC AND UNPRINCIPLED ENEMY. AND WE, TOO, CANNOT YET SEE THE END OF THE GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISM. WE HAVE DEMANDING, DIFFICULT WORK TO DO, BUT WE CAN -- AND WE SHOULD -- LOOK BACK ON THE SAILORS OF MIDWAY AND TAKE HEART. WE MUST TELL OURSELVES THAT THE SHIPMATES WE HAVE AND THE ONES WE HAVE LOST IN THIS WAR ARE JUST AS STRONG AND JUST AS BRAVE AS THOSE WHO WON WORLD WAR II. WE MUST HONOR THEM ALL, PAST AND PRESENT, FOR THEIR COURAGE.
I INVITE COMMANDS TO VISIT THE SPECIAL MIDWAY MATERIAL POSTED ON THE NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER*S WEBSITE AT WWW.HISTORY.NAVY.MIL/MIDWAY.HTM. THERE YOU WILL FIND A CONCISE OVERVIEW OF THE BATTLE, ORAL HISTORIES, RELEVANT SPEECHES, AND EVEN A SAMPLE MIDWAY NIGHT AGENDA. MR. JON YOUNGDAHL OF NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY WASHINGTON ALSO MAINTAINS A DATABASE OF VETERANS OF THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY. COMMANDS WISHING TO INCLUDE MIDWAY SURVIVORS IN THEIR CEREMONIES CAN CONTACT HIM AT COMMERCIAL (202) 433-2607/DSN 288-2607 OR VIA EMAIL:JON.YOUNGDAHL@NAVY.MIL.
THE NAVY*S OFFICIAL WEBSITE LIKEWISE HOSTS A TERRIFIC MIDWAY COMMEMORATION PAGE ENTITLED THE COURSE TO MIDWAY, AVAILABLE AT WWW.NAVY.MIL/MIDWAY. THERE YOU CAN FOLLOW THE DRAMATIC PACE OF EVENTS IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC AS THEY PROPELLED BOTH SIDES TO MIDWAY.YOU CAN ALSO VIEW BATTLE MAPS, WATCH INTERVIEWS WITH VETERANS, AND EVEN READ THE FIGHTING HISTORIES OF THE SHIPS INVOLVED
TAKE TIME OUT TO REMEMBER THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY AND THE BRAVE SAILORS WHO WON IT. IT IS MORE THAN JUST A GREAT SEA STORY. IT STANDS AS TESTAMENT TO THE CHARACTER OF OUR SAILORS AND WHAT THEY MEAN TO THIS MARITIME NATION OF OURS.
RELEASED BY ADM MIKE MULLEN, CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Why I Love The Internet
The luckiest thing that ever happened to me, happened on the Internet four years ago today.
When my older son was in college in Montana, it was cheaper to leave the Yahoo IM on all the time than talk on the phone. The downside was that strangers would pop up and randomly talk to me. It wasn't too bad if they took *no* for an answer when I was busy. But some were unreasonably persistent. There had just been a run of men from Egypt who just wouldn't take a hint and had to be blocked. I was loosing my patience with the whole thing when a new one popped up.
"Are you really in Boston?" This didn't surprise me because lot's of people on Yahoo have online names that have nothing to do with their real life. On occasion I have talked to people with Boston in their name and not only are they not from Boston, they've never been to Boston. So this question, I answered. That wasn't enough, more questions.
"Which part?" Well, at the time, this was one I hesitated to answer. I don't know why, but I felt that revealing Charlestown was too much info. So I dodged this one. Then there were a series of questions about Boston. I answered them with increasing belligerence. I told the person I was busy.
"Come on, talk to me. I'm bored!" I told him again I was busy and besides, I didn't talk to strangers. OK, stop laughing, that was basically true back then. I had dumped a really crappy boyfriend a few months earlier and I was totally concentrating on working 60 hours per week and being good on Atkins. No social life, in real life or online. He tried again.
"Come on, I am bored and lonely out here in the Middle East!" Full stop. Now I was peeved. I told him that I didn't talk to strangers and I didn't talk to foreigners. The answer came back in all caps.
"I AM A UNITED STATES NAVAL OFFICER SERVING MY COUNTRY IN THE NAG. IT IS YOUR PATRIOTIC DUTY TO TALK TO ME." I almost fell over laughing. He won. Hands down. How could he know? We hadn't discussed anything except Boston and the Red Sox and a couple of restaurants. No politics, no history. He was just homesick and looking to talk to someone from Boston in the middle of the night (it was his morning, but the middle of the night here). How could he know that I fold like a house of cards with that line?
So we talked. A lot. Eventually we came to find out that we had mutual friends. That we used to hang in the same bar in Revere. We laughed about all the times we probably came within feet of each other but never quite met.
I am grateful every day. That was the day someone flipped that switch and turned my life from black & white to technicolor. Everything was different.
That's why I love the Internet. Especially the little chime noise that Yahoo makes when someone sends you an instant message.
So yesterday was my last chance to talk to SB for the next week or so.
"I'll be thinking of you tomorrow, and you know how unusual that it is for me." He laughed at me. "Tomorrow is the fourth anniversary of the day you bullied me into talking to you."
He laughed again and said "That's your story and you're sticking with it, huh?" Then it was my turn to laugh. We both know how lucky we are and we try to tell each other as often as possible.
Friday, June 01, 2007
Passion.......Commitment......and Waiting
For a couple of days we have been discussing military families and "waiting" over at The Castle. May was Military Appreciation month & Military Spouse Appreciation Day was the 11th. I haven't said much. I am not a military spouse. When I read this post over at The Castle, I blogged about it briefly here. I gave it a lot of thought before I commented over there.
The whole "waiting" thing............it's something you get.......or you just don't get. It's not just the military, as the Armorer points out. It's law enforcement and firefighters, too.
This is what I wrote over there.
I thought about this for quite a while before deciding to comment. While the favorite Naval Consort and I are not married, it's safe to say when he is in the Sandbox, I am "waiting".
Some of this discussion is about how can one bear "waiting" and how can someone go and leave their loved one to "wait". I have had this discussion with some people outside of the blogosphere (yeah, I still have non-Internet relationships) and I am always surprised by the question. We marvel at the other person's mindset.
For myself, personally, there never was a choice. This matter was never considered at any time. Nor was it ever discussed with the favorite Naval Consort, except in passing "so-and-so asked me......". We are equally surprised by people's questioning of our situation.
He is currently preparing his unit for a trip to the Sandbox. It will be his third deployment since 9/11 and there have been several mini-trips along the way. He. Is. Pumped. LOL He is not bloodthirsty, he is not a warmonger. He has a mission. He has sailors to train and prepare and equip. He is more alive than any ten other men. He has a purpose. He will execute the mission and return with every sailor.
And I will wait. I don't choose to wait. I don't choose to breath. I don't choose for my heart to beat in this rhythm.
When he returns, he will be white-fucking-hot. He will not *knock* my socks off....he will *melt* them.
And if, heaven's forfend, this is the time he does not return..........I would celebrate what we had. Because we will have had more in our time together than most people I know will have in their lifetime. My love for M&Ms doesn't reflect it, but I am actually a *quality* not a *quantity* girl. Not that it matters, I could no more choose not to "wait" than I could choose not to breath. This is who he is. This is who he was born to be.
He had someone in the unit come to him and ask to be reassigned. The man stated that his wife had put the choice to him. This deployment or me. SB honored the man's request. Said it was better she told him now. Said she had stood by him during his last deployment. Overall, SB was far more understanding than I was. I bit my tongue. It is enough that I am so lucky.
I am paraphrasing (and I may not have it right) here, but I believe John Adams said, "There are two kinds of people of any worth in this world, those with a purpose and those who acquire the purpose of others." SB has a purpose. It makes him more alive, more valuable, more *everything* than any other man I know.
Having him is a gift. Fulfilling the mission is who he is. So how can waiting be a burden?
I did have the Adams quote wrong. It is not actually a true John Adams quote. it's from the movie "1776" which I love. I'd like to think Adams would have agreed with it. The actual quote was this: "There are only two creatures of value on the face of this earth: those with a commitment, and those who require the commitment of others." It still fits.
The whole "waiting" thing............it's something you get.......or you just don't get. It's not just the military, as the Armorer points out. It's law enforcement and firefighters, too.
This is what I wrote over there.
I thought about this for quite a while before deciding to comment. While the favorite Naval Consort and I are not married, it's safe to say when he is in the Sandbox, I am "waiting".
Some of this discussion is about how can one bear "waiting" and how can someone go and leave their loved one to "wait". I have had this discussion with some people outside of the blogosphere (yeah, I still have non-Internet relationships) and I am always surprised by the question. We marvel at the other person's mindset.
For myself, personally, there never was a choice. This matter was never considered at any time. Nor was it ever discussed with the favorite Naval Consort, except in passing "so-and-so asked me......". We are equally surprised by people's questioning of our situation.
He is currently preparing his unit for a trip to the Sandbox. It will be his third deployment since 9/11 and there have been several mini-trips along the way. He. Is. Pumped. LOL He is not bloodthirsty, he is not a warmonger. He has a mission. He has sailors to train and prepare and equip. He is more alive than any ten other men. He has a purpose. He will execute the mission and return with every sailor.
And I will wait. I don't choose to wait. I don't choose to breath. I don't choose for my heart to beat in this rhythm.
When he returns, he will be white-fucking-hot. He will not *knock* my socks off....he will *melt* them.
And if, heaven's forfend, this is the time he does not return..........I would celebrate what we had. Because we will have had more in our time together than most people I know will have in their lifetime. My love for M&Ms doesn't reflect it, but I am actually a *quality* not a *quantity* girl. Not that it matters, I could no more choose not to "wait" than I could choose not to breath. This is who he is. This is who he was born to be.
He had someone in the unit come to him and ask to be reassigned. The man stated that his wife had put the choice to him. This deployment or me. SB honored the man's request. Said it was better she told him now. Said she had stood by him during his last deployment. Overall, SB was far more understanding than I was. I bit my tongue. It is enough that I am so lucky.
I am paraphrasing (and I may not have it right) here, but I believe John Adams said, "There are two kinds of people of any worth in this world, those with a purpose and those who acquire the purpose of others." SB has a purpose. It makes him more alive, more valuable, more *everything* than any other man I know.
Having him is a gift. Fulfilling the mission is who he is. So how can waiting be a burden?
I did have the Adams quote wrong. It is not actually a true John Adams quote. it's from the movie "1776" which I love. I'd like to think Adams would have agreed with it. The actual quote was this: "There are only two creatures of value on the face of this earth: those with a commitment, and those who require the commitment of others." It still fits.
More Posting About My Hair
I know....you're hanging on my every word. I have blogged about the hair before, how it got to be red; how it almost ended up blonde; how cranky and whiny I am as it grows out.
Now it's time to leave work to get to my appointment. I say to SouthieBoy.........."This is your last chance. This is the appointment where they get rid of the red and begin the process of going blonde." So, it's speak now....yada yada.
I am laughing because I already know the answer. Last time I was in Newport and he was playing with it, half asleep.........he said "Next time I see you it will be blonde?" I laughed and exclaimed "They can't do that, it would fall out. It's a several month long process. Getting it red took five visits."
"Oh" he says. He looks at it wound around his fingers in the faint light. "Maybe, I should leave it alone."
I laughed and said "I knew it! This was just a power play! A game to see what I would do. To see if I would give you what you wanted!"
"No, no" he said. "I'm still thinking about it"
So...........what was his answer today?
An exasperated growl..........."Leave it red."
I was right and I am crowing. You can't fool me! I know when my chain is being yanked.
Hey, Southie...........I would have. You know that.
Now it's time to leave work to get to my appointment. I say to SouthieBoy.........."This is your last chance. This is the appointment where they get rid of the red and begin the process of going blonde." So, it's speak now....yada yada.
I am laughing because I already know the answer. Last time I was in Newport and he was playing with it, half asleep.........he said "Next time I see you it will be blonde?" I laughed and exclaimed "They can't do that, it would fall out. It's a several month long process. Getting it red took five visits."
"Oh" he says. He looks at it wound around his fingers in the faint light. "Maybe, I should leave it alone."
I laughed and said "I knew it! This was just a power play! A game to see what I would do. To see if I would give you what you wanted!"
"No, no" he said. "I'm still thinking about it"
So...........what was his answer today?
An exasperated growl..........."Leave it red."
I was right and I am crowing. You can't fool me! I know when my chain is being yanked.
Hey, Southie...........I would have. You know that.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
It Was A Bad Wednesday
Yesterday I missed my hair coloring appointment. I had it in my head that the appointment was at 1800 and in reality it was at 1600. Sue is very graciously rescheduling me for Friday, so I will look perfect at Frank's graduation Saturday. I was terribly peeved with myself because I had deliberately pushed back the hair coloring schedule so it would be perfect this weekend and that meant the whole "roots" thing was worse than usual.
So, I thought I might run a few errands, grab something for dinner. I had something particular in mind...........wasn't in the store. OK, second choice. No, all out of that too. Then I pop over to the pharmacy. My PCP called in a prescription for high dose niacin. My "good" cholesterol is too low. Don't hear that one too often, do ya? Despite all the meat the late Dr. Atkins has me eating, my overall cholesterol is very low, my bad is negligible. So, I sign for he script (apparently I'd have to take a bazillion regular vitamins to get this dose) and it $25! What? Plus $5 worth of enteric coated aspirin to go with it. WTF? $30 bucks for vitamin B and aspirin?
Now I'm just aggravated.
Then I saw the Red Sox.
OK, it's something going around.
So, I thought I might run a few errands, grab something for dinner. I had something particular in mind...........wasn't in the store. OK, second choice. No, all out of that too. Then I pop over to the pharmacy. My PCP called in a prescription for high dose niacin. My "good" cholesterol is too low. Don't hear that one too often, do ya? Despite all the meat the late Dr. Atkins has me eating, my overall cholesterol is very low, my bad is negligible. So, I sign for he script (apparently I'd have to take a bazillion regular vitamins to get this dose) and it $25! What? Plus $5 worth of enteric coated aspirin to go with it. WTF? $30 bucks for vitamin B and aspirin?
Now I'm just aggravated.
Then I saw the Red Sox.
OK, it's something going around.
Passion and emotion make for awful policy
The Armorer has a post up today you should read. It's not easy to read, but you should. You should read it carefully, perhaps more than once.
I'm not posting this to show what a sensitive guy I am. Quite the contrary.
I have a naked political reason for doing so. And a rather specific audience in mind
I'm not posting this to show what a sensitive guy I am. Quite the contrary.
I have a naked political reason for doing so. And a rather specific audience in mind
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
I Could Watch This Over and Over
I absolutely screamed laughing the first time I saw this. The other night it came on and Jen was in the other room and I fumbled about for the remote. I love DVR. I paused and played it for her.
God it's funny!
What An Assclown!
TB Patient Is Isolated After Taking Two Flights
Dr. Martin S. Cetron , an agency official, said he reached the man on his cellphone while he was in Italy to inform him that tests performed before he left for Europe showed that he had a form of tuberculosis that was extremely resistant to standard antibiotics. Dr. Cetron said that he advised the man not to take commercial flights home from Europe and that a United States Embassy would provide assistance, including examination by a tuberculosis expert.
While the agency began to explore ways to bring the man home, he flew to Montreal and drove into the United States. Then, after agency officials made contact with him, he followed their instructions to drive safely into New York without risk to the public.
How much of a self important jackass do you have to be to think your flight to Italy ourweighs the danger you pose to others? And then, when officials tell you to go to the American Embassy and they will make sure you get home safely.......when they tell you they will make sure to minimize the danger *you* pose to others...........you still jump *another* commercial flight. I hope everyone on both flights files suit against for him mental anguish! I hope the CDC keeps him locked up for a long time! I hope the orderlies don't empty his bed pan! I hope he hears the snap of the latex glove!
Dr. Martin S. Cetron , an agency official, said he reached the man on his cellphone while he was in Italy to inform him that tests performed before he left for Europe showed that he had a form of tuberculosis that was extremely resistant to standard antibiotics. Dr. Cetron said that he advised the man not to take commercial flights home from Europe and that a United States Embassy would provide assistance, including examination by a tuberculosis expert.
While the agency began to explore ways to bring the man home, he flew to Montreal and drove into the United States. Then, after agency officials made contact with him, he followed their instructions to drive safely into New York without risk to the public.
How much of a self important jackass do you have to be to think your flight to Italy ourweighs the danger you pose to others? And then, when officials tell you to go to the American Embassy and they will make sure you get home safely.......when they tell you they will make sure to minimize the danger *you* pose to others...........you still jump *another* commercial flight. I hope everyone on both flights files suit against for him mental anguish! I hope the CDC keeps him locked up for a long time! I hope the orderlies don't empty his bed pan! I hope he hears the snap of the latex glove!
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
U.S. 'will not avert our eyes'
President Bush, protesting the government of Sudan's continued support of militias and thwarting of peacekeeping efforts in the violence-plagued Darfur region, today announced increased U.S. economic sanctions against several Sudanese companies and individuals and called on the United Nations to step up sanctions against the government of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir.
"For too long, the people of Darfur have suffered at the hands of a government that is complicit in the bombing, murder and rape of innocent civilians,'' said Bush, again describing as "genocide'' a military campaign that has left more than 200,000 dead and displaced more than 2.5 million people as refugees from the Darfur region. "The world has a responsibility to help put an end to it.
Read the rest here.
Some will say it's too little. Some will question what took so long.
Whatever.
Some people are never happy and could never be happy with anything Bush did.
It's a step in the right direction and I'll take it.
"For too long, the people of Darfur have suffered at the hands of a government that is complicit in the bombing, murder and rape of innocent civilians,'' said Bush, again describing as "genocide'' a military campaign that has left more than 200,000 dead and displaced more than 2.5 million people as refugees from the Darfur region. "The world has a responsibility to help put an end to it.
Read the rest here.
Some will say it's too little. Some will question what took so long.
Whatever.
Some people are never happy and could never be happy with anything Bush did.
It's a step in the right direction and I'll take it.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Memorial Day 2007
Today is a day for remembering as The Armorer and Mike Nachshen point out. So, I will remember.
I will remember my Uncle Danny who gave his life on Iwo Jima on March 3, 1945.
I will also remember my Uncle Jim who died on November 28, 1942. Jim was home on leave from the Marines when he lost his life at the Coconut Grove fire. Jim got his date and the couple they were with out safely before going back inside.
I will remember my Uncle Danny who gave his life on Iwo Jima on March 3, 1945.I will also remember my Uncle Jim who died on November 28, 1942. Jim was home on leave from the Marines when he lost his life at the Coconut Grove fire. Jim got his date and the couple they were with out safely before going back inside.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Happy Brithday
John Wayne was born 100 years ago today. I am so in the mood for Rio Bravo. AMC is having a John Wayne film fest. Love it!!
5:45 AM
Blood Alley
8:15 AM
Sands of Iwo Jima
10:15 AM
Santa Fe Stampede
11:15 AM
Wake of the Red Witch
1:30 PM
The Shepherd of the Hills
3:30 PM
Rio Grande
5:30 PM
North to Alaska
8:00 PM
The Quiet Man
10:30 PM
Hellfighters
Blood Alley
8:15 AM
Sands of Iwo Jima
10:15 AM
Santa Fe Stampede
11:15 AM
Wake of the Red Witch
1:30 PM
The Shepherd of the Hills
3:30 PM
Rio Grande
5:30 PM
North to Alaska
8:00 PM
The Quiet Man
10:30 PM
Hellfighters
Turner Classic Movies is also running a few.
4:15pm
Big Jim McLain (1952) A U.S. agent takes on communists in Hawaii.Cast: John Wayne, Nancy Olson, James Arness. Dir: Edward Ludwig. BW-90 mins, TV-PG
6:00pm
Trouble Along the Way (1953) A famous football coach uses underhanded means to turn a bankrupt college's team into winners.Cast: John Wayne, Donna Reed, Charles Coburn. Dir: Michael Curtiz. BW-110 mins, TV-PG
4:15pm
Big Jim McLain (1952) A U.S. agent takes on communists in Hawaii.Cast: John Wayne, Nancy Olson, James Arness. Dir: Edward Ludwig. BW-90 mins, TV-PG
6:00pm
Trouble Along the Way (1953) A famous football coach uses underhanded means to turn a bankrupt college's team into winners.Cast: John Wayne, Donna Reed, Charles Coburn. Dir: Michael Curtiz. BW-110 mins, TV-PG
SB's fav "In Harm's Way" (when you click on this link Wayne is wearing dress whites and I am stupified) will play June 27th, @ 12:45 pm.
That's the one where John Wayne has a "Maggie"....................just like SB has a "Maggie"..............but yours is better, huh baby?
Navy Girls Like........
......Navy history! (What were you thinkin'?)
Mike/Matt (inside joke) over at EagleSpeak has a history lesson up about the Navy Hymn.
Sunday Ship History:The Navy Hymn and a little more.
Mike/Matt (inside joke) over at EagleSpeak has a history lesson up about the Navy Hymn.
Sunday Ship History:The Navy Hymn and a little more.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Thank You For Your Service, Commander Lippold
Former Cole commander to retire today
The Virginian-Pilot
© May 24, 2007
WASHINGTON - Cmdr. Kirk Lippold, who saved his ship after a devastating attack in a faraway harbor but lost his career in a bureaucratic and political struggle at home, leaves the Navy today.
Lippold, 47, will retire in a ceremony at the Navy Memorial, a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol
He would prefer to stay in the service, he said in an interview this week, but insisted he's leaving with no bitterness toward the Navy leaders and politicians - including Sen. John Warner of Virginia - who precipitated his departure.
"That's not for me to judge," he said.
Lippold was skipper of the Norfolk-based destroyer Cole when suicide bombers in Aden, Yemen, blew a 40-foot hole in the side of his ship and killed 17 sailors in October 2000
In the days that followed, he displayed a coolness in the emergency that was widely credited with keeping the Cole afloat and preventing more deaths
But after an investigator concluded that Lippold failed to take security precautions that might have prevented the attack - a finding ultimately rejected by the Navy's top admiral and then-Defense Secretary William Cohen - Lippold's star dimmed.
In 2001, Warner, then chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, convened a hearing on lessons learned from the Cole attack and used the forum to complain that "despite many shortfalls in the performance of those aboard... not a single disciplinary action of any kind was taken."
A year later, with Warner serving as the committee's ranking Republican member, senators failed to act on Lippold's nomination for promotion to captain.
And in 2004, amid reports the nomination was about to be revived, Warner penned a letter asserting that Lippold had "exhibited questionable qualities of judgment, forehandedness and attention to detail."
Warner also sought an opinion on Lippold's performance from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation's top military officers. They wrote back in April 2004 that Lippold was "fully suited and qualified for promotion."
Despite his questions about the nomination, Warner has insisted he never formed an opinion about Lippold's fitness.
Lippold met privately with Warner last summer to discuss the attack and his future and publicly challenged Navy leaders and the Bush administration to resubmit his nomination.
But in August, the service announced that Navy Secretary Donald Winter had concluded that Lippold's performance in the days leading to the attack "did not meet the high standards he expects of commanding officers."
Adm. Mike Mullen, the chief of naval operations, agreed.
Lippold has held a series of desk jobs in the Pentagon since the Cole attack and devoted much of his time to giving speeches on the bombing and leadership in crisis to military audiences.
He has distilled the speech down to about an hour, he said, and intends to try a second career in public speaking, delivering it wherever he can find an audience.
With the war on terrorism far from over, "what happened is still topical," Lippold said. And more than six years after his ship was hit, he believes there are still major gaps in U.S. preparedness to deal with terrorist threats, he said.
Sir, you deserved so much better. You may not be bitter, but I am. Sen. Warner is an asshat. In this matter, I am deeply disappointed in Sec. Winter and Adm. Mullen.
I hope the future holds better things for you. Again, thank you for your service, sir.
The Virginian-Pilot
© May 24, 2007
WASHINGTON - Cmdr. Kirk Lippold, who saved his ship after a devastating attack in a faraway harbor but lost his career in a bureaucratic and political struggle at home, leaves the Navy today.
Lippold, 47, will retire in a ceremony at the Navy Memorial, a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol
He would prefer to stay in the service, he said in an interview this week, but insisted he's leaving with no bitterness toward the Navy leaders and politicians - including Sen. John Warner of Virginia - who precipitated his departure.
"That's not for me to judge," he said.
Lippold was skipper of the Norfolk-based destroyer Cole when suicide bombers in Aden, Yemen, blew a 40-foot hole in the side of his ship and killed 17 sailors in October 2000
In the days that followed, he displayed a coolness in the emergency that was widely credited with keeping the Cole afloat and preventing more deaths
But after an investigator concluded that Lippold failed to take security precautions that might have prevented the attack - a finding ultimately rejected by the Navy's top admiral and then-Defense Secretary William Cohen - Lippold's star dimmed.
In 2001, Warner, then chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, convened a hearing on lessons learned from the Cole attack and used the forum to complain that "despite many shortfalls in the performance of those aboard... not a single disciplinary action of any kind was taken."
A year later, with Warner serving as the committee's ranking Republican member, senators failed to act on Lippold's nomination for promotion to captain.
And in 2004, amid reports the nomination was about to be revived, Warner penned a letter asserting that Lippold had "exhibited questionable qualities of judgment, forehandedness and attention to detail."
Warner also sought an opinion on Lippold's performance from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation's top military officers. They wrote back in April 2004 that Lippold was "fully suited and qualified for promotion."
Despite his questions about the nomination, Warner has insisted he never formed an opinion about Lippold's fitness.
Lippold met privately with Warner last summer to discuss the attack and his future and publicly challenged Navy leaders and the Bush administration to resubmit his nomination.
But in August, the service announced that Navy Secretary Donald Winter had concluded that Lippold's performance in the days leading to the attack "did not meet the high standards he expects of commanding officers."
Adm. Mike Mullen, the chief of naval operations, agreed.
Lippold has held a series of desk jobs in the Pentagon since the Cole attack and devoted much of his time to giving speeches on the bombing and leadership in crisis to military audiences.
He has distilled the speech down to about an hour, he said, and intends to try a second career in public speaking, delivering it wherever he can find an audience.
With the war on terrorism far from over, "what happened is still topical," Lippold said. And more than six years after his ship was hit, he believes there are still major gaps in U.S. preparedness to deal with terrorist threats, he said.
Sir, you deserved so much better. You may not be bitter, but I am. Sen. Warner is an asshat. In this matter, I am deeply disappointed in Sec. Winter and Adm. Mullen.
I hope the future holds better things for you. Again, thank you for your service, sir.
A Memorial Day Guest Post
Commentary by Maj. Mike Nachshen
Public Affairs Education with Industry Partner
Soon it will be Memorial Day, and I'll remember.
I'll remember Eric. I'll remember how even though I only met him two or three times, his wife was my deputy and I knew him through her eyes. I'll remember that every time she talked about the love of her life, her face would come alive and her sparkling eyes would light up the whole room. I'll remember that even though my wife and I couldn't make it to their wedding, we got the newlyweds a silver-serving spoon they had listed on their registry. I'll remember when I last saw him, Eric and his wife were holding hands, and they looked the way people do when they're madly in love with each other.
And because it will be Memorial Day, I'll remember. I'll remember hearing we lost a plane in Iraq. I'll remember how I figured the odds were pretty slim that it was someone I knew. I'll remember the sepia-toned West Texas landscape as we drove for what seemed like an eternity to the memorial service, 90 long miles away. And I'll remember the way the eyes of Eric's wife glistened with tears as she contemplated being a widow at 26 while walking down that long aisle dressed in black and all alone.
And because it will be Memorial Day, I'll remember my friend Sarah. I'll remember how Sarah would stop by my desk every time she had business in my building and how her smile and laughter would burst into every nook and cranny and drop kick your rotten mood into the trash can. I'll remember how she would put funny pictures in my staff meeting slides when I stepped away from my desk for more than 30 seconds without locking my computer. And I'll remember Friday evenings at the officer's club, as we tried to solve world hunger and cure cancer while we washed down fried food with endless pitchers of frosty beverages.
And because it will be Memorial Day, I'll remember. I'll remember how excited Sarah was when she told me about her upcoming deployment ... and how as I looked at her, I recalled what it felt like to be a high-speed, low-drag young lieutenant headed overseas for the first time on what promised to be a giant adventure. I'll remember being deployed for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, opening that e-mail from my boss back home, and reading the message which began "Mike, there is no easy way to tell you this ..." And I'll remember what the dirt felt like on my hands as I threw it on her coffin while her parents and brothers cried and tried to understand what strange law of physics could allow a small wooden box to contain Sarah's irrepressible energy.
And because it will be Memorial Day, I'll remember to make my way down to the local Veteran's cemetery and remember the lives that were and the lives that should have been. I'll remember Eric and Sarah had dreams and goals and aspirations. And while Eric and Sarah are surely heroes who died for their country, I'll remember them not as towering figures to be worshipped, but as people who laughed, loved and brought others happiness while trying to make the world a better place. And perhaps most importantly, I'll remember that they had people who loved them, and still miss them and think about them every day.
And I'll remember I'm on sacred ground and that each marker represents the crushed dream of a wife, a parent, a brother. I'll run my hand over the marble stone that marks some stranger's final resting place and remember that below my feet lies someone's Sarah, someone's Eric.
And because it will be Memorial Day, I'll remember my other brothers and sisters. I'll remember the Irish soccer fanatic we nicknamed Pikey, and his beautiful baby girl who will grow up never knowing her father. I'll remember Meagan, whose warmth and can-do attitude infected you from 6,000 miles away. I'll remember Ben, who lived three houses down from me and was always working in his yard. They are all heroes now. But they are all real people to me. Now they're gone. I'll never forget them.
And, because it will be Memorial Day, I will forget some things. I'll forget the killer deals on new cars, plasma-screen TVs and deluxe dining room sets. I'll forget the crass commercialism. I'll forget the things that don't matter in life.
Because it will be Memorial Day, I'll remember the important things instead. I'll remember to kiss my wife and tell her I love her. I'll remember the friends I lost and the friends I'll never get a chance to meet. I'll remember they had names and faces. I'll remember ... I'll remember.
Public Affairs Education with Industry Partner
Soon it will be Memorial Day, and I'll remember.
I'll remember Eric. I'll remember how even though I only met him two or three times, his wife was my deputy and I knew him through her eyes. I'll remember that every time she talked about the love of her life, her face would come alive and her sparkling eyes would light up the whole room. I'll remember that even though my wife and I couldn't make it to their wedding, we got the newlyweds a silver-serving spoon they had listed on their registry. I'll remember when I last saw him, Eric and his wife were holding hands, and they looked the way people do when they're madly in love with each other.
And because it will be Memorial Day, I'll remember. I'll remember hearing we lost a plane in Iraq. I'll remember how I figured the odds were pretty slim that it was someone I knew. I'll remember the sepia-toned West Texas landscape as we drove for what seemed like an eternity to the memorial service, 90 long miles away. And I'll remember the way the eyes of Eric's wife glistened with tears as she contemplated being a widow at 26 while walking down that long aisle dressed in black and all alone.
And because it will be Memorial Day, I'll remember my friend Sarah. I'll remember how Sarah would stop by my desk every time she had business in my building and how her smile and laughter would burst into every nook and cranny and drop kick your rotten mood into the trash can. I'll remember how she would put funny pictures in my staff meeting slides when I stepped away from my desk for more than 30 seconds without locking my computer. And I'll remember Friday evenings at the officer's club, as we tried to solve world hunger and cure cancer while we washed down fried food with endless pitchers of frosty beverages.
And because it will be Memorial Day, I'll remember. I'll remember how excited Sarah was when she told me about her upcoming deployment ... and how as I looked at her, I recalled what it felt like to be a high-speed, low-drag young lieutenant headed overseas for the first time on what promised to be a giant adventure. I'll remember being deployed for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, opening that e-mail from my boss back home, and reading the message which began "Mike, there is no easy way to tell you this ..." And I'll remember what the dirt felt like on my hands as I threw it on her coffin while her parents and brothers cried and tried to understand what strange law of physics could allow a small wooden box to contain Sarah's irrepressible energy.
And because it will be Memorial Day, I'll remember to make my way down to the local Veteran's cemetery and remember the lives that were and the lives that should have been. I'll remember Eric and Sarah had dreams and goals and aspirations. And while Eric and Sarah are surely heroes who died for their country, I'll remember them not as towering figures to be worshipped, but as people who laughed, loved and brought others happiness while trying to make the world a better place. And perhaps most importantly, I'll remember that they had people who loved them, and still miss them and think about them every day.
And I'll remember I'm on sacred ground and that each marker represents the crushed dream of a wife, a parent, a brother. I'll run my hand over the marble stone that marks some stranger's final resting place and remember that below my feet lies someone's Sarah, someone's Eric.
And because it will be Memorial Day, I'll remember my other brothers and sisters. I'll remember the Irish soccer fanatic we nicknamed Pikey, and his beautiful baby girl who will grow up never knowing her father. I'll remember Meagan, whose warmth and can-do attitude infected you from 6,000 miles away. I'll remember Ben, who lived three houses down from me and was always working in his yard. They are all heroes now. But they are all real people to me. Now they're gone. I'll never forget them.
And, because it will be Memorial Day, I will forget some things. I'll forget the killer deals on new cars, plasma-screen TVs and deluxe dining room sets. I'll forget the crass commercialism. I'll forget the things that don't matter in life.
Because it will be Memorial Day, I'll remember the important things instead. I'll remember to kiss my wife and tell her I love her. I'll remember the friends I lost and the friends I'll never get a chance to meet. I'll remember they had names and faces. I'll remember ... I'll remember.
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