Go over to the Castle
Fair winds and a following sea, Sailor and Scouts
The Armorer pays tribute to Chief Petty Officer Dave Eberhart and the four Boy Scouts lost in the Iowa tornado last night.
So, I'm assuming that Josh, Sam, Ben, and Aaron have all pitched a tent together in the woods around Fiddler's Green, and that Chief Eberhart was there to greet them.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Medgar Evers 1925-1963
Medgar Evers was shot on this day (actually later this evening) 45 years ago.
From the Arlington National Cemetery website:
Medgar Wiley Evers was born at Decauter, Mississippi, on July 2, 1925.
He served in the United States Army during World War II, but was best know as a prominent civil rights leader in his home state.
He was shot and killed outside his home at Jackson, Mississippi, on the evening of June 12, 1963 and was buried in Section 36 of Arlington National Cemetery one week later.
His story is portrayed in the motion picture, "The Ghosts of Mississippi."
He served in the United States Army during World War II, but was best know as a prominent civil rights leader in his home state.
He was shot and killed outside his home at Jackson, Mississippi, on the evening of June 12, 1963 and was buried in Section 36 of Arlington National Cemetery one week later.
His story is portrayed in the motion picture, "The Ghosts of Mississippi."
Evers joined the Army in 1943 and served at Normandy. He was honorably discharged at the rank of Sgt. in 1945. Then he went on to fight another war in the south until his death in 1963.
Could John Kerry Be A Bigger Assclown?
From the NYT:
Democrats Criticize McCain on Strategy in Iraq
In an interview on the NBC “Today” show, Mr. McCain was asked whether, if the troop escalation he had long advocated in Iraq was working, he had “a better estimate of when American forces can come home.”
“No, but that’s not too important,” Mr. McCain replied. He then went on to say, as he has many times, that the most important goal is reducing casualties in Iraq, and that American troops were still in South Korea, Japan and Germany without any fear of harm.
*******************************
So now we jump down to my jackass junior Senator.
“It is unbelievably out of touch with the needs and concerns of Americans, particularly of the families of the troops that are over there,” Mr. Kerry said. “To them it is the most important thing in the world.”
No, Mr. Kerry, having them home quickly isn't our biggest concern. Having them stay alive is our biggest concern.
Why don't you survey the military families, hell why don't you survey anyone's family......
Ask them this:
Do you want you loved one home on time if it means others die?
Democrats Criticize McCain on Strategy in Iraq
In an interview on the NBC “Today” show, Mr. McCain was asked whether, if the troop escalation he had long advocated in Iraq was working, he had “a better estimate of when American forces can come home.”
“No, but that’s not too important,” Mr. McCain replied. He then went on to say, as he has many times, that the most important goal is reducing casualties in Iraq, and that American troops were still in South Korea, Japan and Germany without any fear of harm.
*******************************
So now we jump down to my jackass junior Senator.
“It is unbelievably out of touch with the needs and concerns of Americans, particularly of the families of the troops that are over there,” Mr. Kerry said. “To them it is the most important thing in the world.”
No, Mr. Kerry, having them home quickly isn't our biggest concern. Having them stay alive is our biggest concern.
Why don't you survey the military families, hell why don't you survey anyone's family......
Ask them this:
Do you want you loved one home on time if it means others die?
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Some People Don't Know How Lucky They Are!
So, you know the house is constantly full of smelly, stinky boys, right? Playing video games, using every towel, dish and glass in the house, leaving takeout wrappers everywhere. The whole nine. One might look upon this and say "What a load of useless carbon based lifeforms!"
Hehehe......not completely.
Last night I left the gym a little after midnight. I stopped at the intersection to watch a construction project at the mall. They are building a bridge over the entryway. It's all lit up and I find it interesting. As you can imagine the industrial park is fairly empty at the hour especially with the mall entrance closed for the contruction.
I saw one vehicle, a bronco-kinda-thing. He wizzed by me at a high rate of speed from left to right and on he went. After a moment I turned right and followed in his direction. As I approached the light, the bronco was stopped..............at the green light up ahead. I approached at a reasonable speed, expecting him to move. He didn't. He put on his left turn signal, but didn't move. He shut off the turn signal. So I passed him on his left.
No harm, no foul. I wasn't close, this road is new and straight and wide with a slight elevation. I watched him in my rear view mirror and as I approached the next light, he began to move. Fast. He came flying up behind me. He didn't turn onto the highway. He didn't pull into the gas station. He didn't turn right at the light I was now going through. He followed me to the left.
Now he is right on my bumper. As I round the next curve, I call Frankie.
"Hey, Mum, what up?"
"Where are you?"
"At the crib. Why?" Did I mention my son is not a famous rap star, but he talks the talk? Sometimes they have me doing it too. I explain my situation and that I might just be paranoid, but I believe he is following me. He asks for my specific location and ETA. We hang up.
I catch the next light, but not the one after. It's two lanes, he pulls up beside me. My windows are down, so is his.
"Hey, what is your motherfuckin' problem?"
I roll through the red light. A cop might be nice about now. But then I start to giggle. A cop might be lucky for him! I keep going, he's still on my bumper.
I make the turn into the Lane off of the main road. This is the only road in and out of my neighborhood. My neighborhood is clearly different from the rest of the town in many ways. Cut off by the railroad bridge. A thin finger of land between the ocean and the river. It's history as a summer community kept it from meshing with the town. So when you say where you're from to the other residents it defintely conjures an image. For some, fun in the sun.....for others...something else. During the transition from summer community to winter community, from life with septic tanks to life with town sewerage.....things got a little rough.
Maybe my tailgater was thinking that. Maybe he got a phone call. Maybe he saw another target of opportunity. Who knows, but whatever it was he banged a what started out as a u-turn and turned into a sloppy 3-point turn as soon as we turned into the Lane. LOL
I cross the railroad bridge and go to my house, a half a mile beyond. I turn the last corner and see my house.
ROFLMAO!!!!
Cars are pulling up, disgorging boys. Frankie and Bill are standing in the front yard.
I pull up - alone. I tell them where he turned away. They laugh. Cars load back up.
If only that guy knew how lucky he was! He would buy a lottery ticket.
I am not advocating violence. But I think I have to bring home pizza tonight.
Hehehe......not completely.
Last night I left the gym a little after midnight. I stopped at the intersection to watch a construction project at the mall. They are building a bridge over the entryway. It's all lit up and I find it interesting. As you can imagine the industrial park is fairly empty at the hour especially with the mall entrance closed for the contruction.
I saw one vehicle, a bronco-kinda-thing. He wizzed by me at a high rate of speed from left to right and on he went. After a moment I turned right and followed in his direction. As I approached the light, the bronco was stopped..............at the green light up ahead. I approached at a reasonable speed, expecting him to move. He didn't. He put on his left turn signal, but didn't move. He shut off the turn signal. So I passed him on his left.
No harm, no foul. I wasn't close, this road is new and straight and wide with a slight elevation. I watched him in my rear view mirror and as I approached the next light, he began to move. Fast. He came flying up behind me. He didn't turn onto the highway. He didn't pull into the gas station. He didn't turn right at the light I was now going through. He followed me to the left.
Now he is right on my bumper. As I round the next curve, I call Frankie.
"Hey, Mum, what up?"
"Where are you?"
"At the crib. Why?" Did I mention my son is not a famous rap star, but he talks the talk? Sometimes they have me doing it too. I explain my situation and that I might just be paranoid, but I believe he is following me. He asks for my specific location and ETA. We hang up.
I catch the next light, but not the one after. It's two lanes, he pulls up beside me. My windows are down, so is his.
"Hey, what is your motherfuckin' problem?"
I roll through the red light. A cop might be nice about now. But then I start to giggle. A cop might be lucky for him! I keep going, he's still on my bumper.
I make the turn into the Lane off of the main road. This is the only road in and out of my neighborhood. My neighborhood is clearly different from the rest of the town in many ways. Cut off by the railroad bridge. A thin finger of land between the ocean and the river. It's history as a summer community kept it from meshing with the town. So when you say where you're from to the other residents it defintely conjures an image. For some, fun in the sun.....for others...something else. During the transition from summer community to winter community, from life with septic tanks to life with town sewerage.....things got a little rough.
Maybe my tailgater was thinking that. Maybe he got a phone call. Maybe he saw another target of opportunity. Who knows, but whatever it was he banged a what started out as a u-turn and turned into a sloppy 3-point turn as soon as we turned into the Lane. LOL
I cross the railroad bridge and go to my house, a half a mile beyond. I turn the last corner and see my house.
ROFLMAO!!!!
Cars are pulling up, disgorging boys. Frankie and Bill are standing in the front yard.
I pull up - alone. I tell them where he turned away. They laugh. Cars load back up.
If only that guy knew how lucky he was! He would buy a lottery ticket.
I am not advocating violence. But I think I have to bring home pizza tonight.
I Have The Best Secret Stash of Sailors Eva!!
Princess Crabby has a secret stash of Sailors know as the Navy Coterie. Their functions are outlined here.
So this past couple of days, I have needed them and they have come through magnificantly!
Their advice for my summer project has been invaluable. I will be able to discuss it in more detail in about six weeks, but for now I just had to put a big Bravo Zulu out here.
P.S. I would also like to thank Fishmugger (Castle commenter) for representing the Air Force in this matter.
Monday, June 09, 2008
Stella Comments Three Posts Down
Stella stops by once in a while and even though we have very different outlooks on life and politics.....she is reasonable and literate.
The post was a link to one of the Phibian's hellish posts on the conditions on the ground in Africa. In particular about the black market in albino skin and body parts. Good God! Just to type those words pains me.
Stella's comment is in black, my responses are in red -
Bostonmaggie. This is beyond politics. I am, like you, horrified. I thank you, but you leave me speechless.
Then again, I firmly believe that Abu Ghrab and Guantanamo these are two things that could not more clearly be apples and oranges - Abu Ghraib was an aberration. Yes, soldiers perpetrated these crimes, but who turned them in? Soldiers. Who prosecuted them? Soldiers. When someone in our society does something wrong, we do something about it. 99% of the military is made up of decent, honorable, men & women. They are more upset than you over Abu Ghraib. As far as Gitmo.....a) those prisoners are by and large treated better than any other prisoners in 99% of the world. b) Where would you have us put people who try & sometimes succeed in killing Americans? c) We need that information being obtained in Gitmo. Our President's foremost responsibility is to "provide for the common defense". That's what's happening when we interrogate terrorists. undermine the goals of Western Civilization. Again I disagree, we can not be undermined by a few backwoods hicks from West Virginia hazing prisoners or bad press out of Gitmo. Does it hurt? Yes. Does it undermine Western Civilization. No. Also, in my opinion if anyone undermines us, it's the main stream media and the circus they must constantly perpetuate to keep their readers entertained. The other day I participated in a Department of Defense roundtable. The speaker, Col. McGrath told us about building a military hospital in Kandahar and training Afghan police. Did you hear about that in the MSM? No. Why? Well to quote my friend from Southie, Col. McGrath it's "nothing really too sexy". No, not too sexy, unlike made up stories about soldiers urinating on Korans, or Korans in toilets. Stories that are debunked later....after their damage is done. So instead Col. McGrath is stuck with having the likes of me to push his good news with my tiny nonsensical blog. THAT undermines Western Civilization. The thousands of Iraqi children who died for no reason is a disgrace, also. We have not killed thousands of Iraqi children. AQ in Iraq, the Mahdi army, insurgents......people who place no value on human life, much less special value on innocent life killed those children. Our military takes extraordinary measures to avoid collateral damage. More than any other time in the history of mankind. We have to recognize that there are good people and fanatics in all cultures. Sorry, no sale. I can't take an Islamic fanatic who is suicide bomber, a Congolese witch doctor trading in human flesh, and some West Virginian inbreeds who put underwear on someones head and say "Oh well, there are fanatics in every culture." Abu Ghraib was not good. It was bad. It was handled. But comparing it to the others is like comparing a papercut and a sucking chest wound.
I am neither ignorant of nor embrace evil just because I am a liberal. No, you, Stella as a person, you are not ignorant of evil. But throwing in Abu Ghraib tells me that we are in very different places on our views of evil. We are a great culture in many ways, but that doesn't mean we don't have room for improvement. No where in the posts do either Salamander or myself try to say we are perfect.
A president who jokes about not finding WMDs about our soldiers out there dying for no reason I can't even come up with something here. Is he supposed to sit in a dark room and cry all day? Did Truman get to make jokes? Wasn't their a famous pic of Clinton laughing at Ron Brown's funeral. I mean, for Pete's sake, the guy's just human. and cut Veterans' benefits six years in a row, is clearly ignorant and/or evil. My source is solid: the federal budget. I must be missing something here because the FY '06 budget proposed a 2.7% increase, FY '08 proposed a 9% increase, and the FY '09, another increase. I could look for more, but I think they'll reflect the same answer. Soldiers who put their lives on the line deserve all the benefits we can offer in thanks. Of course they do and as much as some want to believe that, "W" knows that better than anyone. Making a joke doesn't change that. Most people I know who have deployed in support of OIF and OEF thought it was a funny joke.
I reject the Phibian comment about, "Self centered, narcissistic female leaders" in the Navy. Many male militaryr leaders are also self-centered and narcissistic. I find the statement misogynistic. If you delete the word "female," then we move into misanthropy, which is seems a more appropriate description for humanity as a whole.
But that's another post... a post I didn't read.
This liberal likes visiting you and learning a perspective that differs from mine. Your posts make me think and I firmly believe that to heal this nation, conservatives, moderates, and liberals need to communicate without rancor. Your visits are welcome.
He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from opposition; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach himself. ~~Thomas Paine LOL, this is the best one yet, Stella! That's what we are doing over the ME - securing everyone. Do you read Barnett? The answer is to pull more people out of the Gap and into the Core. That's what we are doing in Iraq. Did we do it perfectly? No. Could it have been done better? Sure. But we are doing it and the world is better for it. Paine is to be read, and contemplated. Then you have to fit him into the big picture. You need to temper his radical aspect with Adams, Jefferson, Franklin and others.
The post was a link to one of the Phibian's hellish posts on the conditions on the ground in Africa. In particular about the black market in albino skin and body parts. Good God! Just to type those words pains me.
Stella's comment is in black, my responses are in red -
Bostonmaggie. This is beyond politics. I am, like you, horrified. I thank you, but you leave me speechless.
Then again, I firmly believe that Abu Ghrab and Guantanamo these are two things that could not more clearly be apples and oranges - Abu Ghraib was an aberration. Yes, soldiers perpetrated these crimes, but who turned them in? Soldiers. Who prosecuted them? Soldiers. When someone in our society does something wrong, we do something about it. 99% of the military is made up of decent, honorable, men & women. They are more upset than you over Abu Ghraib. As far as Gitmo.....a) those prisoners are by and large treated better than any other prisoners in 99% of the world. b) Where would you have us put people who try & sometimes succeed in killing Americans? c) We need that information being obtained in Gitmo. Our President's foremost responsibility is to "provide for the common defense". That's what's happening when we interrogate terrorists. undermine the goals of Western Civilization. Again I disagree, we can not be undermined by a few backwoods hicks from West Virginia hazing prisoners or bad press out of Gitmo. Does it hurt? Yes. Does it undermine Western Civilization. No. Also, in my opinion if anyone undermines us, it's the main stream media and the circus they must constantly perpetuate to keep their readers entertained. The other day I participated in a Department of Defense roundtable. The speaker, Col. McGrath told us about building a military hospital in Kandahar and training Afghan police. Did you hear about that in the MSM? No. Why? Well to quote my friend from Southie, Col. McGrath it's "nothing really too sexy". No, not too sexy, unlike made up stories about soldiers urinating on Korans, or Korans in toilets. Stories that are debunked later....after their damage is done. So instead Col. McGrath is stuck with having the likes of me to push his good news with my tiny nonsensical blog. THAT undermines Western Civilization. The thousands of Iraqi children who died for no reason is a disgrace, also. We have not killed thousands of Iraqi children. AQ in Iraq, the Mahdi army, insurgents......people who place no value on human life, much less special value on innocent life killed those children. Our military takes extraordinary measures to avoid collateral damage. More than any other time in the history of mankind. We have to recognize that there are good people and fanatics in all cultures. Sorry, no sale. I can't take an Islamic fanatic who is suicide bomber, a Congolese witch doctor trading in human flesh, and some West Virginian inbreeds who put underwear on someones head and say "Oh well, there are fanatics in every culture." Abu Ghraib was not good. It was bad. It was handled. But comparing it to the others is like comparing a papercut and a sucking chest wound.
I am neither ignorant of nor embrace evil just because I am a liberal. No, you, Stella as a person, you are not ignorant of evil. But throwing in Abu Ghraib tells me that we are in very different places on our views of evil. We are a great culture in many ways, but that doesn't mean we don't have room for improvement. No where in the posts do either Salamander or myself try to say we are perfect.
A president who jokes about not finding WMDs about our soldiers out there dying for no reason I can't even come up with something here. Is he supposed to sit in a dark room and cry all day? Did Truman get to make jokes? Wasn't their a famous pic of Clinton laughing at Ron Brown's funeral. I mean, for Pete's sake, the guy's just human. and cut Veterans' benefits six years in a row, is clearly ignorant and/or evil. My source is solid: the federal budget. I must be missing something here because the FY '06 budget proposed a 2.7% increase, FY '08 proposed a 9% increase, and the FY '09, another increase. I could look for more, but I think they'll reflect the same answer. Soldiers who put their lives on the line deserve all the benefits we can offer in thanks. Of course they do and as much as some want to believe that, "W" knows that better than anyone. Making a joke doesn't change that. Most people I know who have deployed in support of OIF and OEF thought it was a funny joke.
I reject the Phibian comment about, "Self centered, narcissistic female leaders" in the Navy. Many male militaryr leaders are also self-centered and narcissistic. I find the statement misogynistic. If you delete the word "female," then we move into misanthropy, which is seems a more appropriate description for humanity as a whole.
But that's another post... a post I didn't read.
This liberal likes visiting you and learning a perspective that differs from mine. Your posts make me think and I firmly believe that to heal this nation, conservatives, moderates, and liberals need to communicate without rancor. Your visits are welcome.
He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from opposition; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach himself. ~~Thomas Paine LOL, this is the best one yet, Stella! That's what we are doing over the ME - securing everyone. Do you read Barnett? The answer is to pull more people out of the Gap and into the Core. That's what we are doing in Iraq. Did we do it perfectly? No. Could it have been done better? Sure. But we are doing it and the world is better for it. Paine is to be read, and contemplated. Then you have to fit him into the big picture. You need to temper his radical aspect with Adams, Jefferson, Franklin and others.
"Beyond The Call Of Duty" Follow-up
In this post I wrote about the Memorial Day weekend event hosted by the USS Midway Museum. On Saturday, May 24 there was a black tie dinner honoring seven living World War II era Medal of Honor recipients. “Beyond the Call of Duty” was a joint effort of the USS Midway Museum and The National WWII Museum in New Orleans.
Here are some pics that Scott McGaugh of the Midway Museum was kind enough to forward to me.
Here are some pics that Scott McGaugh of the Midway Museum was kind enough to forward to me.
BZ to Scott and everyone at the Midway Museum and the National World War II Museum on pulling together this event.
********************************
Scott also has another surprise up his sleeve.
See the Declaration of Independence on the USS Midway! One-Day exhibit of an original copy from 1776 on July 4, day and night!!!
An original copy of the Declaration of Independence is coming to the USS midway courtesy of the Cricket Wireless Declaration Road Trip 2008, and Declare Yourself. It will be on display during the day and again that night during " A Celebration of America".
Together with our exclusive radio partner, Magic 92.5, Midway will be host to this unique opportunity, coupled with great entertainment and an emotional salute to veterans prior to the Big Bay Fireworks Show. Regular admission applies during the day and limited tickets for the night of July 4 go on sale at 9 a.m. on June 12. They will be $10 for adults and $5 for children at the museum ticket booth and at www.midway.org.
Our veteran salute will be with in concert with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America www.iava.org.
Don't miss this opportunity to show your family a copy of the Declaration that was created on evening of July 4, 1776! It is owned by television producer Norman Lear who has developed a multimedia exhibit to encourage young people to register to vote and participate in the democratic process.
The Horror of This Is Breathtaking
The Phibian is trying to make us look beyond our comfort zone at some things. This is beyond horrific.
But the killings go on. They have even spread to neighboring Kenya, where an albino woman was hacked to death in late May, with her eyes, tongue and breasts gouged out. Advocates for albinos have also said that witch doctors are selling albino skin in Congo.
The young are often the targets. In early May, Vumilia Makoye, 17, was eating dinner with her family in their hut in western Tanzania when two men showed up with long knives.
Vumilia was like many other Africans with albinism. She had dropped out of school because of severe near-sightedness, a common problem for albinos, whose eyes develop abnormally and who often have to hold books or cellphones just inches away to see them. She could not find a job because no one would hire her. She sold peanuts in the market, making $2 a week while her delicate skin was seared by the sun.
When Vumilia's mother, Jeme, saw the men with knives, she tried to barricade the door of their hut. But the men overpowered her and burst in."They cut my daughter quickly," she said, making hacking motions with her hands.
The men sawed off Vumilia's legs above the knee and ran away with the stumps. Vumilia died.
Those who hate Western Civilization in 2008 advertise one of two things; their ignorance or their embrace of evil. Full stop. Western Civilization is not perfect - but we left this stuff behind 1,000 years ago or more.
Those poor people. There are good people in Sub-Saharan Africa, but you have to appreciate the hill they have to climb. Horror show.
************************
The emphasis placed on the second to last paragraph placed on the second to last paragraph is mine. I am so sick and tired of the multi-cultis trying to explain that we are the problem. Read this and tell me that the West is the problem.
But the killings go on. They have even spread to neighboring Kenya, where an albino woman was hacked to death in late May, with her eyes, tongue and breasts gouged out. Advocates for albinos have also said that witch doctors are selling albino skin in Congo.
The young are often the targets. In early May, Vumilia Makoye, 17, was eating dinner with her family in their hut in western Tanzania when two men showed up with long knives.
Vumilia was like many other Africans with albinism. She had dropped out of school because of severe near-sightedness, a common problem for albinos, whose eyes develop abnormally and who often have to hold books or cellphones just inches away to see them. She could not find a job because no one would hire her. She sold peanuts in the market, making $2 a week while her delicate skin was seared by the sun.
When Vumilia's mother, Jeme, saw the men with knives, she tried to barricade the door of their hut. But the men overpowered her and burst in."They cut my daughter quickly," she said, making hacking motions with her hands.
The men sawed off Vumilia's legs above the knee and ran away with the stumps. Vumilia died.
Those who hate Western Civilization in 2008 advertise one of two things; their ignorance or their embrace of evil. Full stop. Western Civilization is not perfect - but we left this stuff behind 1,000 years ago or more.
Those poor people. There are good people in Sub-Saharan Africa, but you have to appreciate the hill they have to climb. Horror show.
************************
The emphasis placed on the second to last paragraph placed on the second to last paragraph is mine. I am so sick and tired of the multi-cultis trying to explain that we are the problem. Read this and tell me that the West is the problem.
Bastid!
So, some smartass..........Fishmugger, a Castle commenter, decided I needed to read "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten".
You see he read this post and I was trying to explain that it didn't mean I was nice. It simply was another example of me being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was yet another incident where I was forced by fate to do something good. It doesn't mean I'm good.
Still he argued. He said that I needed to get this book and read the essay about "The Mermaid" and then look in the mirror.
Then he said it would make me a better person.
I don't want to be a better person.
He kept at it, and being more gracious than I, he sent it to me.
So fine, I'll read it.
So I skipped right to "The Mermaid"............ I'm still thinking about it.
Anyway, before Fishmugger sent his nifty, new "reconsidered, revised & expanded" version, I had decided to see what this was about and secretly went out on Ebay and bid on a couple of copies. Figured I had to win one of them. Well, I won two, lol. So now I have three copies of this book. But they are all slightly different. One is a worn paperback that I tossed it in my gym bag. They are little essays so it's fine for the bike or one of the leg machines.
So tonight, I am at the gym. It's been a long, hot day. I pull out the book and I am reading from machine to machine.
Then I get to the essay about the Russian soldier. This older, worn paperback doesn't have titles like the new one. It's the story of Nicolai Pestretsov.
THE RUSSIANS ARE A ROTTEN LOT, immoral, aggressive, ruthless, coarse, and generally evil. They are responsible for most of the troubles in this world. They're not like us.
That's pretty much the summary of the daily news about the Russians. But sometimes something slips through the net of prejudice, some small bit of a sign that is so clean and true and real that it wedges open the rusting Iron Curtain long enough for us to see not an enemy but fellow travelers, joined to us by membership in the Fellowship of Joy-and-Pain.
See Nicolai Pestretsov. I don't know much about him, I don't know where he is now, but I'll tell you what I know.
He was a sergeant major in the Russian army, thirty-six years old. He was stationed in Angola, a long way from home. His wife had come out to visit him.
On August 24, South African military units entered Angola in an offensive against the black nationalist guerrillas taking sanctuary there. At the village of N-Giva, they encountered a group of Russian soldiers. Four were killed and the rest of the Russians fled, except for Sergeant Major Pestretsov. He was captured, as we know because the South African military communique said:"Sgt. Major Nicolai Pestretsov refused to leave the body of his slain wife, who was killed in the assault on the village."
It was as if the South Africans could not believe it, for the communique repeated the information. "He went to the body of his wife and would not leave it, although she was dead."
How strange. Why didn't he run and save his own hide? What made him go back? Is it possible that he loved her? Is it possible that he wanted to hold her in his arms one last time? Is it possible that he needed to cry and grieve? Is it possible that he felt the stupidity of war? Is it possible that he felt the injustice of fate? Is it possible that he thought of children, born or unborn? Is it possible that he didn't care what became of him now?
It's possible. We don't know. Or at least we don't know for certain. But we can guess. His actions answer.
And so he sits alone in a South African prison. Not a "Russian" or "Communist" or "soldier" or "enemy" or any of those categories. Just-a-man, who cared for just-a-woman, for just-a-time, more than anything else.
Here's to you, Nicolai Pestretsov, wherever you may go and be, for giving powerful meaning to the promises that are the same everywhere; for dignifying that covenant that is the same in any language - "for better or for worse, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love and honor and cherish unto death, so help me God. "
You kept the faith; kept it bright, kept it shining. Bless you!
(Oh, the Russians are a rotten lot, immoral, aggressive, ruthless, coarse, and general evil. They are responsible for most of the troubles of this world. They are not like us. Yeah, right.)
*********************************
So there I am at the gym. All choked up.
I gave up and went into the shower. I wanted to come home and look him up.
He was real.
Pestretsov was captured during something called Operation Protea. There was mention of his capture in Time magazine and his release in The New York Times.
Damn Fishmugger! there is no crying at the gym!
You see he read this post and I was trying to explain that it didn't mean I was nice. It simply was another example of me being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was yet another incident where I was forced by fate to do something good. It doesn't mean I'm good.
Still he argued. He said that I needed to get this book and read the essay about "The Mermaid" and then look in the mirror.
Then he said it would make me a better person.
I don't want to be a better person.
He kept at it, and being more gracious than I, he sent it to me.
So fine, I'll read it.
So I skipped right to "The Mermaid"............ I'm still thinking about it.
Anyway, before Fishmugger sent his nifty, new "reconsidered, revised & expanded" version, I had decided to see what this was about and secretly went out on Ebay and bid on a couple of copies. Figured I had to win one of them. Well, I won two, lol. So now I have three copies of this book. But they are all slightly different. One is a worn paperback that I tossed it in my gym bag. They are little essays so it's fine for the bike or one of the leg machines.
So tonight, I am at the gym. It's been a long, hot day. I pull out the book and I am reading from machine to machine.
Then I get to the essay about the Russian soldier. This older, worn paperback doesn't have titles like the new one. It's the story of Nicolai Pestretsov.
THE RUSSIANS ARE A ROTTEN LOT, immoral, aggressive, ruthless, coarse, and generally evil. They are responsible for most of the troubles in this world. They're not like us.
That's pretty much the summary of the daily news about the Russians. But sometimes something slips through the net of prejudice, some small bit of a sign that is so clean and true and real that it wedges open the rusting Iron Curtain long enough for us to see not an enemy but fellow travelers, joined to us by membership in the Fellowship of Joy-and-Pain.
See Nicolai Pestretsov. I don't know much about him, I don't know where he is now, but I'll tell you what I know.
He was a sergeant major in the Russian army, thirty-six years old. He was stationed in Angola, a long way from home. His wife had come out to visit him.
On August 24, South African military units entered Angola in an offensive against the black nationalist guerrillas taking sanctuary there. At the village of N-Giva, they encountered a group of Russian soldiers. Four were killed and the rest of the Russians fled, except for Sergeant Major Pestretsov. He was captured, as we know because the South African military communique said:"Sgt. Major Nicolai Pestretsov refused to leave the body of his slain wife, who was killed in the assault on the village."
It was as if the South Africans could not believe it, for the communique repeated the information. "He went to the body of his wife and would not leave it, although she was dead."
How strange. Why didn't he run and save his own hide? What made him go back? Is it possible that he loved her? Is it possible that he wanted to hold her in his arms one last time? Is it possible that he needed to cry and grieve? Is it possible that he felt the stupidity of war? Is it possible that he felt the injustice of fate? Is it possible that he thought of children, born or unborn? Is it possible that he didn't care what became of him now?
It's possible. We don't know. Or at least we don't know for certain. But we can guess. His actions answer.
And so he sits alone in a South African prison. Not a "Russian" or "Communist" or "soldier" or "enemy" or any of those categories. Just-a-man, who cared for just-a-woman, for just-a-time, more than anything else.
Here's to you, Nicolai Pestretsov, wherever you may go and be, for giving powerful meaning to the promises that are the same everywhere; for dignifying that covenant that is the same in any language - "for better or for worse, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love and honor and cherish unto death, so help me God. "
You kept the faith; kept it bright, kept it shining. Bless you!
(Oh, the Russians are a rotten lot, immoral, aggressive, ruthless, coarse, and general evil. They are responsible for most of the troubles of this world. They are not like us. Yeah, right.)
*********************************
So there I am at the gym. All choked up.
I gave up and went into the shower. I wanted to come home and look him up.
He was real.
Pestretsov was captured during something called Operation Protea. There was mention of his capture in Time magazine and his release in The New York Times.Damn Fishmugger! there is no crying at the gym!
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Saturday, June 07, 2008
MG Rick Lynch Is Back
and he brought a good chunk of the 3rd ID with him.
Third Infantry Division officially home
June 6, 2008 08:09 PM EDT
By Dal Cannady bio email
FORT STEWART, GA (WTOC) - After 15 months in Iraq, the Third Infantry's commander returned to the Coastal Empire Monday. On Friday, the Fort Stewart community officially marked the division's return home.
The excitement was hard to miss Friday amid a live band and a full artillery salute. Major General Rick Lynch took off the casing from the division flag. General Lynch told the crowd Marne soldiers had served them and their country, well.
"I tell our soldiers the most important piece of furniture in the house is the mirror. When they look themselves in the mirror, what they saw was somebody truly making a difference," he said.
He outlined the progress made in Iraq and cautioned that freedom does not come free.
"It all came at a cost. 152 Dog Faced Soldiers paid the ultimate price. Over 800 were wounded over the course of 15 months," he noted.
General Lynch said of all the accolades he's received during this deployment, one stands above the rest. "The biggest accolade was just that I was a Dog Faced Soldier and I was proud to serve with those magnificent Dog Faced Soldiers," Lynch promised.
With one third of the division still in Iraq, General Lynch also reminded everyone to keep them and their families in their prayers.
The division's 2nd and 3rd Brigade Combat Teams, Aviation Brigade and Sustainment Brigade are due back later this year.
Commanders also unveiled Fort Stewart's new division headquarters building. It has more than three times the space of the old structure, which was built back in World War II, intended to be temporary. General Lynch says it gives them the space and the tools to run the best fighting force on earth.
"It gives me the communication I need. It gives me the information awareness I need. It gives me the space I need to have 400 folks in here at a time," he explained.
The building is named for Lt. Col. Keith Ware, a Third Infantry soldier who earned the medal of honor fighting in World War II.
**********************
Video link here.
Third Infantry Division officially home
June 6, 2008 08:09 PM EDT
By Dal Cannady bio email
FORT STEWART, GA (WTOC) - After 15 months in Iraq, the Third Infantry's commander returned to the Coastal Empire Monday. On Friday, the Fort Stewart community officially marked the division's return home.
The excitement was hard to miss Friday amid a live band and a full artillery salute. Major General Rick Lynch took off the casing from the division flag. General Lynch told the crowd Marne soldiers had served them and their country, well.
"I tell our soldiers the most important piece of furniture in the house is the mirror. When they look themselves in the mirror, what they saw was somebody truly making a difference," he said.
He outlined the progress made in Iraq and cautioned that freedom does not come free.
"It all came at a cost. 152 Dog Faced Soldiers paid the ultimate price. Over 800 were wounded over the course of 15 months," he noted.
General Lynch said of all the accolades he's received during this deployment, one stands above the rest. "The biggest accolade was just that I was a Dog Faced Soldier and I was proud to serve with those magnificent Dog Faced Soldiers," Lynch promised.
With one third of the division still in Iraq, General Lynch also reminded everyone to keep them and their families in their prayers.
The division's 2nd and 3rd Brigade Combat Teams, Aviation Brigade and Sustainment Brigade are due back later this year.
Commanders also unveiled Fort Stewart's new division headquarters building. It has more than three times the space of the old structure, which was built back in World War II, intended to be temporary. General Lynch says it gives them the space and the tools to run the best fighting force on earth.
"It gives me the communication I need. It gives me the information awareness I need. It gives me the space I need to have 400 folks in here at a time," he explained.
The building is named for Lt. Col. Keith Ware, a Third Infantry soldier who earned the medal of honor fighting in World War II.
**********************
Video link here.
I'm a Die Hard Red Sox fan..........
.......but damn this is cool! BZ to the San Diego Padres.
First Pitch Surprise!
by Adam Housley
Many of you new to this blog may not know that I am a huge baseball fan and have covered many a story that crosses over to the news side of things. So when I find a baseball story that becomes news I do my best to cover it and this one takes the cake for our national pastime. Last year we covered military opening day with the San Diego Padres and no other professional team goes as far as they do to support our men and women in uniform. While covering the Padres on this occasion and a few others, we became friends with their PR staff’s which include George Stieren and Warren Miller. They just had their colleague Erik Meyer send me the story and video of 11-year-old Brad Warnick, joined on the mound by mother Irene and 8-year-old sister Ashley, who thought they were just representing the USS Midway Museum in San Diego in honor of their fathers service in the Navy. BUT…..dressed in full Padres catching gear behind the plate was Petty Officer 1st Class Rick Warnick, their father & husband. Petty Officer Warnick is part of the crew currently deployed on the USS Nimitz, scheduled to return next month. Warnick was flown home early to surprise his family on the field through cooperative efforts of the USS Midway Museum and the Navy. This video is what it’s all about.
***********************
More on this story at Navy Compass.
First Pitch Surprise!
by Adam Housley
Many of you new to this blog may not know that I am a huge baseball fan and have covered many a story that crosses over to the news side of things. So when I find a baseball story that becomes news I do my best to cover it and this one takes the cake for our national pastime. Last year we covered military opening day with the San Diego Padres and no other professional team goes as far as they do to support our men and women in uniform. While covering the Padres on this occasion and a few others, we became friends with their PR staff’s which include George Stieren and Warren Miller. They just had their colleague Erik Meyer send me the story and video of 11-year-old Brad Warnick, joined on the mound by mother Irene and 8-year-old sister Ashley, who thought they were just representing the USS Midway Museum in San Diego in honor of their fathers service in the Navy. BUT…..dressed in full Padres catching gear behind the plate was Petty Officer 1st Class Rick Warnick, their father & husband. Petty Officer Warnick is part of the crew currently deployed on the USS Nimitz, scheduled to return next month. Warnick was flown home early to surprise his family on the field through cooperative efforts of the USS Midway Museum and the Navy. This video is what it’s all about.
***********************
More on this story at Navy Compass.
The National Intrepid Center for Excellence
From DoDvClips - June 6, 2008
In this week's vlog, DoD New Media's MCSN William Selby checks out the groundbreaking for a new treatment center for traumatic brain injury (TBI), the National Intrepid Center for Excellence in Bethesda, Maryland, June 5, 2008. Please comment, and/or tell us what you think by personal message.Keep up to date with DoD New Media at DoDLive Blogspot See more DoD videos at DoDvClips
Midway - 3 Pivotal Days in June 1942
OK, I've been reading Midway stuff but not posting it.
The Armorer wrote a post and pointed us to the great Navy site, that I have been reading and realized that I should pass on - Course to Midway.
Of course, Steeljaw Scribe has several great posts.
The Armorer wrote a post and pointed us to the great Navy site, that I have been reading and realized that I should pass on - Course to Midway.
Of course, Steeljaw Scribe has several great posts.
Friday, June 06, 2008
I'm A Gatie Guy
I will post at more length (and more substance) later on the very interesting subject of today's Bloggers Roundtable with Col. Thomas J. McGrath, Commander ARSIC South,Kandahar, Afghanistan. You can listen here on BlogTalk Radio. The whole thing is interesting. My nonsense runs 8:53 to 10:40 and then again at the very end when we are signing off.
So, we are discussing the building of the Ministry of Defense Hospital when I ask my important follow-up question -
"I read you bio.......Where are really from? Gate of Heaven? St. Augustine's?"
"Ha! I'm a Gatie guy! Matter of fact I got commissioned on Old Ironsides back on June 20, 1981. How about you? I saw from ...you're a Townie. "
"Yeah, I'm a Townie!" I confirmed, laughing.
"So, where you from in Charlestown?
"The 'wrong hill' between the Constitution and the Monument."
"Okay, I know that well. Yes, indeed. We probably know each other."
"Well, I told them this is the only one I wasn't going to need an
interpreter for!"
Col. MacGrath agreed "Yeah, that's true. I picked up - I just heard that voice of home. I was like, oh, that sounds wonderful. Well, that's wonderful.
My family's still back in Southie, and my sister lives in my mother's house, and my other sister lives where my father grew up. So, you know about Irish people - we never leave home. (We laughed) Except for me. Go, Celtics! Right?
Hehehe! And he talked as fast as I do!
So, we are discussing the building of the Ministry of Defense Hospital when I ask my important follow-up question -
"I read you bio.......Where are really from? Gate of Heaven? St. Augustine's?"
"Ha! I'm a Gatie guy! Matter of fact I got commissioned on Old Ironsides back on June 20, 1981. How about you? I saw from ...you're a Townie. "
"Yeah, I'm a Townie!" I confirmed, laughing.
"So, where you from in Charlestown?
"The 'wrong hill' between the Constitution and the Monument."
"Okay, I know that well. Yes, indeed. We probably know each other."
"Well, I told them this is the only one I wasn't going to need an
interpreter for!"
Col. MacGrath agreed "Yeah, that's true. I picked up - I just heard that voice of home. I was like, oh, that sounds wonderful. Well, that's wonderful.
My family's still back in Southie, and my sister lives in my mother's house, and my other sister lives where my father grew up. So, you know about Irish people - we never leave home. (We laughed) Except for me. Go, Celtics! Right?
Hehehe! And he talked as fast as I do!
Private First Class Jacklyn Harold Lucas, Company C, 1st Battalion, 26th Marines, 5th Marine Division.
WWII vet who earned Medal of Honor at 17 dies
By CHRIS TALBOTT
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Jack Lucas, who at 14 lied his way into military service during World
War II and became the youngest Marine to receive the Medal of Honor, died Thursday in a Hattiesburg, Miss., hospital. He was 80.
Read the rest here.
*************************************
The Story of Jack Lucas
by William Standring
Fourteen and fresh from boot camp, Jacklyn Lucas was bound for glory.
THE YOUNGEST AMERICAN so far to win the Medal of Honor was a two-fisted, fire-plug of a kid who wanted so badly to fight he lied about his age to enlist, stowed away on a troopship to get into the war, and was at least technically AWOL when he got his shot at combat. He was, of course, a Marine – Private First Class Jacklyn Harold Lucas, Company C, 1st Battalion, 26th Marines, 5th Marine Division.
Lucas’s story is as well begun as anywhere "during," to quote his citation, "action against enemy Japanese forces on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 20 February 1945."
As Lucas recalls, he’d come ashore at Red Beach with the third or fourth wave in a four-man fire team. They fought across the pork-chop shaped island’s western waist and dug in for the night. Early the next afternoon, the commendation says, "while creeping through a treacherous twisting ravine which ran in close proximity to a fluid and uncertain front line on D- plus- I -day, PFC Lucas and three other men were suddenly ambushed by a hostile patrol which savagely attacked with rifle fire and grenades. "
Quick to act when the lives of the small group were endangered by two grenades which landed directly in front of them, PFC Lucas unhesitatingly hurled himself over his comrades upon 1 grenade and pulled the other under him, absorbing. the whole blasting forces of the explosions in his own body in order to shield his companions from the concussion and murderous flying fragments. By his inspiring action and valiant spirit of self-sacrifice, he not only protected his comrades from certain injury or possible death but also enabled them to rout the Japanese patrol and continue the advance."
The broken, bloody, shrapnel-riddled soldier the stretcher-bearers hustled away had been 17 for less than a week."
Maybe," a surgeon said, "he was too damned young, and too damned tough to die." That was offshore aboard the hospital ship Samaritan, when it began to look as if Lucas would live. Before the doctors were done, he’d go under the knife 22 times. There are still about 200 pieces of scrap iron in him, some the size of .22-caliber bullets. Lucas sets off airport metal detectors.
Read the rest here.
********************************
MEDAL OF HONOR: JACK H. LUCAS
Posted: Thursday, June 05, 2008 12:20 PM by Petra Cahill
Jack Lucas was a cadet captain in the military school where his mother had enrolled him after his father’s death when he heard radio reports of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The next day he promised his mother that if she let him enlist, he would come home after the war and finish his education—but he wound up forging her signature on the consent form because she would have to lie for him. Lucas, big for his age, told the Marine recruiters he was seventeen. Shortly before being sent to the training center at Parris Island, South Carolina, he turned fourteen.
Troops were moving out to Hawaii, but because of his experience in military school, Lucas was ordered to stay behind and drill new recruits. He knew his buddies were ultimately headed for combat, so he hopped onto the train with them—in effect going AWOL to get into the war. Once in Hawaii, he managed to convince officers that he was there because of a clerical error.
Read the rest here.
********************************
Pretty amazing, right? A lot for one lifetime, right? But that's not all. Yeah, he finished high school, and went to college. He lived a colorful life and married three times. But my favorite part?
After the war, Lucas earned a business degree from High Point University in North Carolina and raised, processed and sold beef in the Washington, D.C., area. In the 1960s, he joined the Army and became a paratrooper, Drum said, to conquer his fear of heights. On a training jump, both of his parachutes failed.
"He was the last one out of the airplane and the first one on the ground," Drum said.
Amazing!
Fair winds and following seas to a great Marine and soldier.
***********************
The Armorer's post.
By CHRIS TALBOTT
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Jack Lucas, who at 14 lied his way into military service during World
War II and became the youngest Marine to receive the Medal of Honor, died Thursday in a Hattiesburg, Miss., hospital. He was 80. Read the rest here.
*************************************
The Story of Jack Lucas
by William Standring
Fourteen and fresh from boot camp, Jacklyn Lucas was bound for glory.
THE YOUNGEST AMERICAN so far to win the Medal of Honor was a two-fisted, fire-plug of a kid who wanted so badly to fight he lied about his age to enlist, stowed away on a troopship to get into the war, and was at least technically AWOL when he got his shot at combat. He was, of course, a Marine – Private First Class Jacklyn Harold Lucas, Company C, 1st Battalion, 26th Marines, 5th Marine Division.Lucas’s story is as well begun as anywhere "during," to quote his citation, "action against enemy Japanese forces on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 20 February 1945."
As Lucas recalls, he’d come ashore at Red Beach with the third or fourth wave in a four-man fire team. They fought across the pork-chop shaped island’s western waist and dug in for the night. Early the next afternoon, the commendation says, "while creeping through a treacherous twisting ravine which ran in close proximity to a fluid and uncertain front line on D- plus- I -day, PFC Lucas and three other men were suddenly ambushed by a hostile patrol which savagely attacked with rifle fire and grenades. "
Quick to act when the lives of the small group were endangered by two grenades which landed directly in front of them, PFC Lucas unhesitatingly hurled himself over his comrades upon 1 grenade and pulled the other under him, absorbing. the whole blasting forces of the explosions in his own body in order to shield his companions from the concussion and murderous flying fragments. By his inspiring action and valiant spirit of self-sacrifice, he not only protected his comrades from certain injury or possible death but also enabled them to rout the Japanese patrol and continue the advance."
The broken, bloody, shrapnel-riddled soldier the stretcher-bearers hustled away had been 17 for less than a week."
Maybe," a surgeon said, "he was too damned young, and too damned tough to die." That was offshore aboard the hospital ship Samaritan, when it began to look as if Lucas would live. Before the doctors were done, he’d go under the knife 22 times. There are still about 200 pieces of scrap iron in him, some the size of .22-caliber bullets. Lucas sets off airport metal detectors.
Read the rest here.
********************************
MEDAL OF HONOR: JACK H. LUCAS
Posted: Thursday, June 05, 2008 12:20 PM by Petra Cahill
Jack Lucas was a cadet captain in the military school where his mother had enrolled him after his father’s death when he heard radio reports of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The next day he promised his mother that if she let him enlist, he would come home after the war and finish his education—but he wound up forging her signature on the consent form because she would have to lie for him. Lucas, big for his age, told the Marine recruiters he was seventeen. Shortly before being sent to the training center at Parris Island, South Carolina, he turned fourteen.
Troops were moving out to Hawaii, but because of his experience in military school, Lucas was ordered to stay behind and drill new recruits. He knew his buddies were ultimately headed for combat, so he hopped onto the train with them—in effect going AWOL to get into the war. Once in Hawaii, he managed to convince officers that he was there because of a clerical error.
Read the rest here.
********************************
Pretty amazing, right? A lot for one lifetime, right? But that's not all. Yeah, he finished high school, and went to college. He lived a colorful life and married three times. But my favorite part?
After the war, Lucas earned a business degree from High Point University in North Carolina and raised, processed and sold beef in the Washington, D.C., area. In the 1960s, he joined the Army and became a paratrooper, Drum said, to conquer his fear of heights. On a training jump, both of his parachutes failed.
"He was the last one out of the airplane and the first one on the ground," Drum said.
Amazing!
Fair winds and following seas to a great Marine and soldier.
***********************
The Armorer's post.
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