My Target

***I am not fussy!!!!****
****2nd UPDATE Detailing weapons, etc. Scroll to bottom***
***UPDATE - My Marine commented and I pulled them up and posted them at the bottom*****
Ok, turns out I was completely wrong about shooting a pistol. I am not bad. I was positive I would be atrocious.

I will let My Marine come out here and give you the details about that part.

Yesterday, I got up at 6 AM!!! Just to be on time for My Marine. Do I get credit for this? Noooooo. I still didn't leave as early as I wanted to. You see, I had to borrow my sister Jen's car. But there is a light on the horizon. My great friend Mike has scored a used car for me. It's the upper end of my budget, but I'm happy...and grateful.

So I make it up to the far reaches of New England....I thought I was going to need a passport if I had to go much further.....but I made it. And there is.....My Marine.

First was lunch at Molly's Restaurant. We enjoyed sandwiches and coloring on the butcher paper covering our table. We discussed Russian spies and wounded Marines and fabulous Bosun's Mates. Then we were off to the range.

Yeah, I know. I tell you that I am not interested. I tell you that the profile pic is a fluke. But seriously....it's just that people who are in my circle like it and I am just tagging along. Plus I had to prove a point. My Marine was adamant that if only someone taught me to shoot and I hit something....I would fall in love with it.

At the Milblogger's Shoot-Out I shot 3 different weapons. Each time, a man would stand behind me, put his arms around me, hold my hands, holding the gun. I would close my eyes and scrunch my face...bang. Well, that's all wrong, doncha know. My Marine would *instruct* me. He has taught so many people, he knows he can make this work.

It's not often I actually do anything for anyone else....but what can I say? He's just so damn cute! So I said "Ok".

So I get in his truck and we are off....further into the woods. The roads grew more narrow and sidewalks disappeared. There was actually a father and son walking down the middle of the road with fishing poles a la "The Andy Griffith Show". Then we turned off the paved road and drove some more. Then we can to a big, forbidding gate with signs cautioning us that it was private property and it was monitored by CCTV. He got out to unlock the gate - "Hey, if I hear Dueling Banjos, I am outta here!" I called, but he just laughed.

Once we drove through and the gate was locked behind us, the truck climbed a path meant for mountain goats. Then we pull up to the pistol range. There should be more pictures, but please file complaints with My Marine who brought a camera...and didn't use it.

There were several weapons demonstrated and you will be happy to know that I was well educated on them. Their purpose, their ammo, pros and cons. I know how to stand and grip and where my thumbs go.

After we had our fun and he was dropping me off at Jen's car....there was a problem, but that will have to be another post.
*******
Comments from My Marine
Actually, your Marine left his camera sitting on his desk. Ah well.

You omitted a couple of very important points:

1. You were pretty good at it, despite your assurances to the contrary. You weren't afraid of the weapons, even the .45 and the M-14, and had a very steady and solid trigger pull.

2. You listened, which I knew took all the self-discipline you had, as you usually have a problem with authority (except yours).

3. You really enjoyed it. About magazine number two from the .45, when you put two consecutive in the ten-ring, you looked over your sights and decided you wanted to do well. And you were hooked.

4. You would never admit you enjoyed it as you didn't wanna give me the satisfaction. But I could reads it like a book.

5. If MA was not such a commie gun-hating state who thinks the 2nd Amendment doesn't apply to their citizens, there would be ranges a hell of a lot closer to you that we could go to, and you WOULD, because you enjoyed shooting.

6. You and SWMBO are now members of the elite sorority of Chicks Who Shot At Stuff. Congratulations.

Oh, and of the car portion of the story, be sure to let your dear readers know that my 1964 LeSabre will start as long as you have the damned key.

More info - My Marine's remarks are in red/mine are in blue

Let's run down the weapons which our Maggie got a chance to handle and fire on Tuesday, shall we?

I started her off with a S&W .22 revolver that is precisely the size and weight of the Model 10 (.38+P) which was the quintessential cop sidearm for decades. She did fine, learned the stance and the grip with a low-recoil, manageable piece.

We next transitioned to a Ruger New Vaquero in .357 mag, firing .38+P wadcutters. Again, a bit more but very manageable recoil. (Even .357 mag out of that gun is very manageable, but I am low at the moment.)

She really hit her stride with the M1911s, one a 3.5" carry piece and the other a standard 5" weapon. Maggie was not afraid of either pistol, managed recoil, and "squoze" the trigger like a pro. It was here that she had her "I LIKE this!" epiphany. (*Note -this is My Marine's interpretation. I never said those words)

After a couple of boxes of .45 ACP were send down range, it was over to the rifles. There she fam-fired the venerable M-1 carbine (with paratrooper stock, a la Don Malarkey) and sent three magazines out of the M-1A (civ M-14 equivalent). After nailing the target downrange a bunch of times, like Tin Cup, we ended on a good shot.

So it was back to her sister's car. And more adventure.

I'm Back...I'm Late...You're Not Surprised.

I missed my 1900 R deadline...but you aren't surprised.

I will be writing about today which was loads of fun and almost ended wit a big headache......but My Marine wouldn't let that happen, would he? Of course not.

But for now there are emails and FB messages to answer. The response to the post below has really blown me away.

Thank you to everyone who read it and linked it and responded. I am terribly grateful.

Listen Up! I Want Something!

**UPDATE I will be off the grid from 2200 06/28/10 until approximately 1900 06/29/10 I will answer everyone as quickly as I can. Thank you so much for this tremendous response.**

Yeah, yeah, I know I am demanding all the time. But for the moment I am serious.

My fav BMCS has found a particular problem in Khandahar. His unit has come across a group of wounded Marines who have slipped through the cracks so to speak. They come in straight from the field with the clothes on their back. In most cases, these Marines have suffered a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury). They are in this location to see the doctors at the nearby facility, which is top-notch, before being shipped out to other facilities.

So, what's the problem? Well, for one thing, the Marines have none of their own gear. Except for seeing the docs, they are sitting around bored silly. So, my BMCS has rounded up some stuff for them (cumshaw, anyone?); a TV, a DVD player and an X-Box. But he needs more stuff.

It's a specific list and as much as you might want to embellish, should you decide to help....and I hope you do, stick with the list please.

New twin bed sheets sets.
Inexpensive comforters.
Pillows.
Towels.
Shower shoes.
Socks.
Underwear.
DVDs
X-box games.
Magazines.
and finally......
IPods/Mp3 players. Most of these Marines have their own, but they are back with the rest of their gear, which won't catch up with them for weeks. I can't emphasize enough how much these Marines miss those IPods. Do you have an old one in a drawer at work or at home? Send it over!
Come on! Would you want to be hanging around here without some tunes & clean sheets?

There are 10 to 20 Marines hanging around at any given time. They stay about 3 to 5 weeks.

If you have a specific suggestion, email me (BostonMaggie at Yahoo dot com) and I will check it out for you. But please note; they have plenty of toiletries already.

If you want to send a package, especially an Ipod/MP3 player, email me (BostonMaggie at Yahoo dot com) and I will give you an address.

Please help. Please send whatever you can. But just as important, post it on your FaceBook, tweet it. Post it on message boards you belong to. Send it out to your family and friends via email.
~~~~~~~
Thanks to

Navy Doll
Theo Spark
Steeljaw Scribe
NavyCS
Some Soldier's Mom
Eagle1
The Castle Argghhh!!!
Uncle Jimbo at BlackFive
for helping out with blog links!

Apologies

I know I have been AWOL.

Family stuff, still hunting for a car, reading about all the news.

But here I am. I'll do better.

Fine... I Lost McChrystal....

...but I've got Petraeus.

Now give me Crocker.

My Son Tom's Take on McChrystal

So Tom stopped by my office on his way to meet friends and asked me what was up with GEN McChrystal. I handed him the Rolling Stones article. He went off to read. When he came back he said -

"It's as if GEN McChrystal and his staff spent the afternoon hanging with "Maggie"* and then went out and thought he could talk like "Maggie"!"

*My name isn't "Maggie" and my family only uses it when they wish to highlight some idea or behavior that is particularly outrageous.

OK, The Cold River Distillery Tour Date Is Set

What - A tour of the Cold River Distillery followed by dinner somewhere nearby.

When - Saturday August 14, 2010 between noon and 5 pm

Where - 437 US Route One, Freeport, Maine 04032

I have loved Cold River Vodka for a while. For me, everything is a foreign policy decision. So in choosing vodka I thought "Why not an American brand?" After some research and with some good luck.....I found Cold River Vodka and I love it!

I wanted to go see the distillery since it was just Down East of me..... and we are turning it into a Girl's Weekend plus.

Who can go? Anyone who would like to.

Right now it is Jennifer, Grace, Debbie (Gen will be in Australia) and Mary Ripley. I am asking Bette, Pat, Rachael and Nic from work; Eileen, Kathy and Peggy who are school chums; and some of my cousins.

I have mentioned this to a few other people in the blog world and we are going to see whose schedules we can sync up.

There is a Comfort Suites within stumbling distance.

Wanna come? Let me know.

View Larger Map

My Friends End Up In Strange Places

Does this look like someplace a Sailor should be??? But it is someplace they need my fav BMCS, so he is there. BTW, Senior @NavyNews sent out a "Happy Father's Day" greeting for you to his more than 11K followers.
From @NavyNews -
"RT @BostonMaggie Happy Father's Day BMCS Dotson serving in Af'stan instead of being home w kids & his Dad today. Thank you for your service."
Can I even hope to do as well when I go shooting with My Marine next Tuesday???? Hell no! Despite that fact that I will have the best possible instructor. Like the pic? Here's the post that goes with it over at Op-For. My friend in the pic...she's a fellow member of Red Sox Nation.

Happy Father's Day!

To my Dad -

I adore you!

Huzzah!

Did you just say "What?"????? Really? Here at the most loyal of Navy blogs you don't know "HUZZAH!"?

In America's military services there are many rallying cries - "HOOAH" for the Army, "OORAH" for the Marines and even "AHROO" for the Air Force (sounds a bit confused, doesn't it?)

But "HUZZAH!" is what you hear when you hang with the crew of USS Constitution!

Friends at the US Naval Institute forwarded this pic of a real license plate in Maryland. I want to know whose it is, lol.

In the email My Marine questioned the meaning and I replied "Baby! It's a Navy thing!"

Want To Visit A Ship???

Two are coming into Boston for #NavyWeek!

USS Whidbey Island LSD-41 (First in Her Class, First Always!) and USS Hawes FFG-53 (Ever Ready, Ever Fearless!) - arrive in Boston on June 30th and there will be public tours beginning on July 1st.

Both ships plan to offer general public visiting from 10:00 AM to 4PM on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

USS Whidbey Island will be in the Boston Marine Industrial Park, North Jetty Pier, 660 Summer Street, South Boston.

USS Hawes will be in the Charlestown Navy Yard, berthed at Pier 4. From Pier 4, it's a hop, skip and a jump to the USS Constitution Museum, USS Cassin Young DD-793 berthed at Pier 1 and USS Constitution.

There's Going to Be A Delay At the Gate

With those words Jennifer confirmed she was worried about the same thing as me.

Last night my boss, Bette, asked if Jen & I wanted to go grab a bite to eat with her. But Jen was going to be kinda late. Recently, I have needed to go to bed earlier and earlier just to function. So we tossed this around for a bit and finally decided on East Bay, but promised ourselves it would be quick.

We sat at the bar and had my favorite bartender, Dick. Although I am usually the designated driver, Jen frequently asks if I want to drink before she orders her first. Not last night.

I was in kind of a hostile mood. I think it was just me reacting poorly to the pain in my ankles. As we were walking up the side path to East Bay there were people waiting for the valet, not unusual. There were two women taking up the whole width of the path and I would have had to step up on the stones lining the path to get around them. So I said "Excuse me." Ok, right then I am aggravated. She saw me walking toward her, she knew she was in my way. Why didn't she move on her own? Why did she need my prompting? Even then, she doesn't actually move, she just pivots a little. I said "Are you kidding me? Get the eff out of my way!" Not loudly, but only a foot away from her. She moved. Jen was hysterical. So when Dick asked if I was drinking, Jen said "Coca Cola! She's already hostile!" Bette, Jen and I discussed it for a minute. Jen had been behind me and she thought that it didn't register with the woman immediately because, while she moved, she didn't look up or stop talking. Jen said "It was probably a delayed reaction, she just realized now what you said and she'll be in her to confront you in a second" then we really laughed. The thought of "Miss Path Blocker" coming back in mad and looking for me....pretty funny. Like she would have gotten anywhere near me without Jen laying her out on the floor....and probably not spilling a drop of her Sam's Summer ale.

So we were kitty corner at the bar, me, Jen and around the corner Bette. Next to Bette were two guys who were pretty involved in their own conversation. It was an hour before there was any interaction between us and them.

Dick was very entertaining as usual. He wanted to know about my adventures. I told him how jam packed the end of June is with #NavyWeek Boston, the "Restrepo" showing at the MFA, shooting with My Marine and my THREE invitations to USS Constitution events.

Then just as Bette's food arrived she ducked out to the ladies room to wash her hands. One of the two guys made a joke about stealing her chicken wings. We started kidding back and forth. We teased the other that we had seen him on "Cops" in the back of a squad car. Bette came back and this friendly banter continued. Some jokes were slightly off color. Some blue language was used. One guy was from Southie - well it actually turns out he is in Southie now and not "from" Southie. We called him out on it. But before we realized that and we thought he was from Southie I asked him which parish. You see this is how we further identify ourselves in the city. I'm not just from Charlestown, I am from St. Francis de Sales parish. I have a friend who is not just from Dorchester, she is from St. Mark's. I have a friend who is not just from Southie, he is from St. Augustine's.

So I asked.

And he laughed and said "Actually, I'm a priest and I'm assigned to ....." I don't even remember what he said. Jen and I were yelling at him for lying. He produced ID. We were still yelling.

We reviewed the previous conversations......

He laughed at us and said we were screwed, no Heaven for us. No, no, no I protested we went to Catholic schools for 12 years. He laughed and said so what! He wasn't impressed and said he was a "Public". That's what we say about kids who go to public schools and CCD. Not "You go to public school." or "You go to CCD". Just "You are a public." It's a little idiom.

Jen turns to me and says "There's going to be a delay at the Gate"

He and his friend were a riot and he knew our priest. But that was a very surreal evening.

Then he rolled up his sleeve and showed us a US Marine Corps tattoo. I asked if he knew who Col Ripley was. He got all excited and began explaining to everyone who Col Ripley was and described him as "bad ass". He was very proud to announce that when stationed in DC years ago he had met Col. Ripley.

I smiled and explained that I had never had that honor....but I was good friends with his daughter, Mary. He was genuinely impressed...who wouldn't be? Jen chimed in and said "I know her too! We were talking to her last night in the car." So that seals that deal, Mary is an honorary McInnis sister now.

But seriously, how are we explaining this to St. Peter? I threatened to take him out back and toss him off the Town wharf! I must have been hemorrhaging points. I can never be good enough to make up that many points.

I Have Arrived!

Last night I came home to three envelopes from USS Constitution...... This is a long way from ambushing CDR Bullard in 2007, huh?

It will be my pleasure to attend the July 2nd Sunset Parade - which is open to the public, so you should too - and the July 3rd reception and the July 4th Underway Demonstration.

Thank you so much!!!!!

My Apologies, I'm a Day Late

Twenty five years ago yesterday, June 15, 1985, SW2 Stethem was murdered by terrorists. Some people think America's involvement with terrorists started on 9/11....some of us know different.

SW2 Robert Dean Stethem, USN was tortured and murdered by Hezbollah because he was American.

People say we should talk to Hezbollah. Yeah, whatever. You talk to them, I'm not.

I'll pay attention to this instead - Not for nothing, but this is how you do it - you name a fighting ship after a hero. We will not forget.

Remembering Trooper Paul Barry

June 15, 2006 we lost a man I remember often and fondly.

This is pretty much what I write every year....and it's still true today.

One of the saddest things I was ever a part of happened. We lost our friend Paul Barry in a tragic accident. He was a very good man who left us too young. I blogged about this time in my life here and here if you care to go read it.

I still think about his funeral and it hurts today.

I think of you and your children often, Maryellen.

Basta!

A little something I picked up from my Italian-American classmates at Pope John. It means "Enough!".

To Michael Yon - Enough! Stop it.

To those who don't know what this is about, go to the Castle Argghhh!!!, read this post -

Just when you thought the milblog intramurals were over...

There are links. Follow them and read them too.

There was a time I admired Michael Yon. I remember pro-ordering his book for my sister Jen. I followed him faithfully. But he needs to stop. He needs to stop before his blatant OPSEC violations cause a serious problem. He needs to stop before his current actions undo all the good he has ever done.

Happy Bunker Hill Day!!!

Great shot of the crew of USS Constitution just cresting the top of Bunker Hill Street.You can see this and other pics from today on USS Constitution's Facebook page - "Bunker Hill Parade 2010".

Are you a fan of USS Constitution???

We yelled and cheered & stomped & whistled. "GO NAVY!"

Always a good time in Charlestown on Bunker Hill Day.

We went back to my parents and had lunch after the parade and then up to my Uncle Frank's to admire the new bathroom.

But I have to admit....this was exhausting. Between the medical stuff on Friday, driving to New York on Friday afternoon...driving back on Saturday. Sheesh! I could sleep for a week!

Ted's Restaurant!

So today, I dragged Grace, Jen and Genevieve on a "La-la-la!" on our way back from White Plains. A while back during a Girl's Weekend we saw something on TV about roadside diners, etc. One of the places featured was "Ted's Restaurant". The show raved about their "World Famous Steamed Cheeseburgers".
So once we had both cars packed, we programmed 1046 Broad Street, Meriden, CT 06450 into the two respective GPS systems and we were off!
We passed through some rainy patches that slowed us down, but right around 2:30 we pulled up, dodged the raindrops and got four seats at the counter!

Viola! Cheeseburger with sauteed onions and hashbrowns.This is Gen's cheeseburger with lettuce and tomato.
And......Gen & I were excited to see they had the soccer game on!!

We loved our burgers and got one to go for Debbie who couldn't make this trip with us. Grace bought me a T-shirt to remember this adventure by. Thanks Gracie!

If you get the chance, you should stop in.

The First Few Adventures of the Summer Are Set

First off.....June 29th, My Marine is taking me shooting. Yeah, I know. But you remember, he thinks if only someone trained me properly I would fall in love with it and give up spa-ing to spend all my time at the range. LOL!

June 30th begins #NavyWeek Boston! This will include the Sunset Parade in the Charlestown Navy Yard hosted by the officers and crew of USS Constitution. Cross your fingers now for good weather on Friday evening, July 2nd!

Next, Genevieve and I are flying to Los Angeles on July 21st, arriving before noon. We are going to spend the day hanging out, then staying at the Crowne Plaza at the airport. The 22nd will be spent seeing stuff in LA & then at 2230 (10:30 pm) I put my niece Genevieve on a plane for her adventure....to Perth Australia for a semester abroad! Then I fly back to Boston on the 23rd at 11:30 am.

So.....Stella & Kanani....you are on notice!

Leaving New York

Everyone is showered and dressed. Nearly everything is packed. We are taking Route 84 back and having lunch at Ted's!!!

One time during a Girl's Weekend we saw a story on the Food Channel or the history Channel about famous roadside eateries. Ted's in Meriden CT is famous for steamed hamburgers.

Debbie, my goddaughter is missing it!!!!

Ted's Restaurant - get ready! We're coming!

My only regret is that Jen is leaving White Plains before I could use it as a launching pad for a few New York City adventures. I was planning to stay here for a week or so later this summer. I wanted to visit Ground Zero, the USS Intrepid Museum, etc.