April 8, 2006
Murphy's Law for Cops
Bullet Proof vests aren't.
The bigger they are, the harder they fall. They punch, kick and choke harder too.
The speed at which you respond to a fight call is inversely proportional to how long you've been a cop.
Tear gas works on cops too, and regardless of wind direction, will always blow back in your face.
High speed chases will always proceed from an area of light traffic to an area of extremely heavy traffic.
If you know someone who tortures animals and wets the bed, he is either a serial killer or he works for Internal Affairs.
Placing a gun back in a shoulder holster with your finger on the trigger will cause you to walk with a limp.
Flash suppressors don't really.
If you have `cleared' all the rooms and met no resistance, you and your entry team have probably kicked in the door of the wrong house.
If a cop swings a baton in a fight, he will hit other cops more often than he will hit the bad guys he swings at.
Domestic arguments will always migrate from an area of few available weapons (living room), to an area with many available weapons (kitchen).
If you have just punched out a handcuffed prisoner for spitting at you, you are about to become a star on `Eyewitness News'.
Bullets work on veteran cops too. They also work on weight lifters, martial arts experts, department marksmen, Narco Investigators, S.W.A.T. jocks, and others who consider themselves immortal.
When a civilian sees a red light approaching at a high rate of speed, he will always pull into the lane the cop needs to use.
If you drive your patrol car to the geometric center of the Gobi Desert, within five minutes some dumb civilian will pull along side you and ask for directions.
You can never drive slow enough to please the citizens who don't need a cop, and you can never drive fast enough to please the ones who do.
Any suspect with a rifle is a better shot than any cop with a pistol.
From behind you, the bad guys can see your night sights as well as you can.
On any call, there will always be more `bad guys' than there are good guys, and the farther away your back-up, the more there will be.
The longer you've been a cop, the shorter your flashlight and your temper gets.
Whatever you are about to do, if there is a good chance it will get you killed, you probably shouldn't do it.
You should never do a shotgun search of a dark warehouse with a cop whose nickname is "Boomer."
The better you do your job, the more likely you are to be shot, injured, complained on, sued, investigated, or subpoenaed on your day off.
If a large group of drunk bikers is "holed-up" in a house, the Department will send one officer in a beat car. If there is one biker "holed-up" in a house, they will send the entire S. W. A. T. Team.
The likelihood that you are speaking to an undercover law enforcement officer, is directly proportional to the number of personal questions being asked of you.
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! »
Heh...I've heard these same comments from my dad many times.
posted by
kat-missouri on April 8, 2006 9:34 AM
These are gonna end up in our squad room by Monday if it kills me :)
Ahh the Internet!
Where men are men, women are women and 14 year old girls are FBI agents!
posted by
BloodSpite on April 8, 2006 10:04 AM
« Dismissed, Soldier!
April 7, 2006
There we were, in Charlie's Den...
Politicians wax eloquent of the dead. Clergy offer condolence and hope. The talking head reads what is put in front him. Friends and family reminisce in fond remembrance and the pain of loss.
In the end, for the warrior, it's what his brothers-in-arms say that echoes across the chasm crossed by the Rainbow Bridge, down the road to the rollicking laughter that spills out from Fiddler's Green...
Today I hear the laughter.
Comes now a comrade of Mike Novosel, Warrior Angel.
I remember Mike Novosel so well. I was at the 3rd Surg when he was flying in wounded to us with the 82nd Dustoff. He was old enough to be a father to most of us there... in fact his son, Mike Jr., was also flying with the 82nd at the same time.
Come an evening if we weren't working we would sit around the table at Charlie's Den, the O-club at the 3rd Surg and tell "there I was" tales. Some evenings Mike Sr. and the CO of the 82nd would also be over there and they would stand against the wall at the end of the club and watch the younguns. We used to tease Mike Jr. mercilessly and tell him his Dad made us feel like we were at the senior prom and he was the chaperone.
But Mike Sr. never treated us like kids. He treated us like comrades in arms, with a ready smile, a soft word, and a kind manner.
I guess I'll see him at Fiddler's Green again one of these days.
-Carol T. Kirk, MAJ Ret-
RVN 5/1969-12/1970
Yes, it's the laughter *I* hear.
Fare thee well, Mike. Keep 'em cold and keep 'em coming! And give Whiskey a pet and tell him I miss him, eh?
Chivvy up to the Bar of Argghhh! Carol. The 'ritamatic is humming, the beer is always cold, and the well is deep.
What with our own coterie of Viet Vet Helivators, this is as good a place for a wake as any. This *is* an Irish Castle, after all, and whatever his heritage, Mike is Irish today.
*Irish Tenor*
"It's whisky in the mornin', whisky in the night
Another Irish Soldier-lad has fought his final fight
We'll toast him till we're drunk Boys, and dowse the candle light
Tell them Mike Sr. is coming home tonight."
*/Irish Tenor*
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! »
If you knew Mr. Novosel, you knew why his is called "The Greatest Generation". He was the epitome of that era's culture and upbringing. Those expectations were for a man to be a gentleman in public and to do your duty to your family and to your country with honor and loyalty. He was a man's man and he stood tall in the eyes of all who knew him.
posted by
Maura on April 7, 2006 6:28 PM
So, Maura - tell us some of the tales that show him for what he was! That's the purpose of the post!
This is a friendly place, and we'll squash any bugs who dare cause trouble.
posted by
John of Argghhh! on April 7, 2006 6:38 PM
Yeah, what JoA said! The email addy is not mine, but I think its owner will let me know if anyone writes.
posted by
Justthisguy on April 7, 2006 10:38 PM
I'll tell one more story about Mike Novosel.
A few years ago my husband and I visited with Mike at his home in Florida. Mike and I were reminiscing about things that we had shared, and Mike brought up one of the wounded that he still remembered after all these years. He'd picked up this young American soldier somewhere down there in the Delta. The guy had a through-and-through gunshot wound of the chest that had entered through one shoulder, traversed the chest, and exited from the other shoulder. He had put the pedal to the metal on his bird getting that young man to our hospital. And for all these years he had wondered whether that soldier had survived.
Amazingly enough, I remembered the soldier too. We had worked for hours trying to save his life and even after he left my surgery, I wasn't sure that he'd make it. But he announced as soon as the anesthesia wore off that he was going home alive. And three days later he walked into my operating room to thank all of us and let us know he was going out on the evac bird that morning on the way back to the States.
Thirty years later and thousands of miles away from Nam, Mike still cared about that unknown young man that he had picked up in some unnamed rice paddy on what was otherwise just an ordinary day at the office for a Dustoff pilot.
-Carol Kirk-
posted by Carol Kirk on April 8, 2006 9:01 AM
When told the fire was too intense; to leave the LZ. Mr. Novosel replied, "When I have your wounded, Sir." I met him once at Rucker during the first 13th CAB reunion. What a quiet and unassuming hero, he was. Slow hand salute rendered!!!!!!
posted by
V29 on April 8, 2006 8:47 PM
« Dismissed, Soldier!
Cassandra asked, I answer.
Post 2500. Anudder milestone.
Over at Villainous Company, the dyspeptic wench posits a poser:
I felt that this question, more than any other, gave me a real sense of who the candidates were: what there values were and how they thought. The question was, "What book or author, more than any other, most shaped your intellectual life?"
So I'm going to throw that question out to you all, because I think it's an interesting one. And don't limit it to non-fiction, because I think that would be a mistake. I was surprised to realize that fictional works often had a profound effect on my values and the way I ended up viewing the world.
If you had to list 5-10 authors or works, who or what would you list as the most influential? I would probably focus on authors, but if there's a particular work you can add that in parentheses afterwards.
Heh. Shoulda posted that pic of Jock there yesterday...
I sat and pondered. And decided I would go with my gut. If I couldn't recall it easily, then it probably didn't meet the criteria.
So, this is my response as I left at her place (others have responded there too, don't forget to check 'em out):
Russell Davis. (Marine at War.) I ceased having an interest in being a fireman, warrior was the life for me. I was in third grade. I *still* like the book.
Robert Heinlein. (Rocket Ship Galileo.) Discovered science fiction while Dad was in Vietnam.
Leon Uris. (Battle Cry!) The whole brotherhood of war thing.
J.R.R. Tolkien (Lord of the Rings) Completed the Science Fiction/Fantasy link.
Heinz Höhne (Order of the Death's Head) Evil is real. And terribly mundane.
John Pullen (The 20th Maine) Introduction to Joshua Chamberlain, my warrior/scholar beau ideal.
Guy Sajer (The Forgotten Soldier) Little is as simple as it seems.
Over at Cassie's I left out three books I probably shouldn't have.
Ed Ezell's Small Arms of the World.
John Batchelor's and the estimable Ian Hogg's Artillery: the Gun, Rail Guns, Coastal Guns, Anti-aircraft Guns, Anti-tank Guns, Self-propelled Guns, Recoilless Guns, Fuzes
Martin Brice's Forts and Fortresses: From the Hill Forts of Prehistory to Modern Times: The Definitive Visual Account of the Science of Fortification. Those three books formed the kernel of the interest that bloomed into the reality that is The Arsenal of Argghhh!.
Heh. I'm pretty one-dimensional. No wonder I'm humorless and boring at parties. No great works of philosophy. No great books of/about religion. Not that I haven't read them, appreciated them, and drawn mental sustenance therefrom. I just am what I am. A soldier.
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! »
Does the poem "I love little pussy" count?
*WHAP*
posted by Were-Kitten on April 7, 2006 7:36 AM
Oy. I'd shoot you in the head, but it would have no effect. Sigh.
posted by
John of Argghhh! on April 7, 2006 7:39 AM
Probably not, John.
In all seriousness... I can't say that any books have really, truly influenced my life. People and experiences have much more influence than the books I read for pleasure. And the books I *had* to read were text books I'd rather forget. Except for my American History ones- I suppose those would be the ones with the most impact on my life.
posted by Were-Kitten on April 7, 2006 8:02 AM
.... and for those of you who doubt that poem really exists, it is, in fact a real poem. First published in 1830, it was meant to teach children how to treat kittens. Here it is in its entirety:
I love little pussy,
Her coat is so warm,
And if I don't hurt her,
She'll do me no harm.
So I'll not pull her tail,
Nor drive her away,
But pussy and I,
Very gently will play.
*snerk*
posted by Were-Kitten on April 7, 2006 8:05 AM
But wait! There's MORE! I did a Google search and found an extended version. I would edit my comment above, but I don't have the keys.
love little pussy, her coat is so warm;
And if I don't hurt her, she'll do me no harm.
So I'll not pull her tail, nor drive her away
But pussy and I very gently will play.
She shall sit by my side, and I'll give her some food;
And she'll love me because I am gentle and good.
I'll pat pretty pussy, and then she will purr;
And thus show her thanks for my kindness to her.
But I'll not pinch her ears, not tread on her paw,
Lest I should provoke her to use her sharp claw.
I never will vex her, nor make her displeased -
For pussy don't like to be worried and teased.
posted by Were-Kitten on April 7, 2006 8:08 AM
You are *so* bad...
Heh. I feel much better about myself now.
posted by
Cassandra on April 7, 2006 8:14 AM
hehe....!!!
posted by Were-Kitten on April 7, 2006 8:21 AM
books that influenced me, one way or the other:
Pride and Prejudice (Romantic, but I thought it always spoke to how people can screw things up on their own although later life taught me that it doesn't always come out so nice; I also liked the language)
A tale of two cities (adventure and self sacrifice)
Scarlet Pimpernel (adventure; do the right thing even for people that are sometimes less than deserving)
Ivanhoe (self sacrifice)
Le Morte Du Author (nobility and chivalry; I was always interested in knights and the concept of chivalry/courtesy. I think it helped me later in life)
Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (How evil can be so mundane that millions of people believe in it, fight for it and die for it without questioning; that whole buearacracies can be built around the practice of it, just like it was any given work)
Shakespeare's Julius Ceasar, Richard the Third and Henry V (each of these had their own lesson that was pretty obvious, but I always enjoyed Shakespeare; in fact, I think I would say that ALL the shakespeare plays actually inspired me to write. Gees, I could say that about Mark Twain, too. Huckleberry Finn and tom Sawyer; the O. Henry books; too many to count I think; inspired me to read too)
Gettysburg (this one should be obvious; I always thought that it was about bravery and the will to go on even under the worst circumstances)
Red Badge of Courage (real bravery; the common man becoming the uncommon)
I could go on. I've read many classics. I think that this has helped me to try and inspire my nephews to read some of the classics or older adventure books like the Three Musketeers and such. They aren't book works like me, but I always feel a little thrill when I get them to read something like that and, at first, they're complaining and then, as they get into the story, they think it's exciting.
posted by
kat-missouri on April 7, 2006 8:34 AM
I forgot, when I was in Middle School, I read auty murphy's biography along with Patton's and a whole slew of WWII and Civil War books which made me very interested in history.
posted by
kat-missouri on April 7, 2006 8:38 AM
John: all of the above (especially the Heinlein), plus Asimov and Ray Bradbury too..
but i would add in Bullfinch's Mythology also. i got hold of that in an accelerated readin program when i was just a wee little nipper, and that lit the fuse for a lifetime of reading all the good classics listed above.
posted by
MajMike on April 7, 2006 9:23 AM
Because nobody else is asking:
What, exactly, is Fritz holding in his right hand? It looks somewhere between a SxS and an M79.
Oh the books:
Heinlein, Starship Troopers Sneaking politics and philosophy into military adventure. On the bounce, you Apes!
Larry Elder 10 Things You Can't Say in America What finally pushed me from conservative to libertarian.
posted by
Heartless Libertarian on April 7, 2006 12:14 PM
HL - That's a Bergmann MP-18, with snail drum magazine. The first true subgun, designed for the Storm Troops.
posted by
John of Argghhh! on April 7, 2006 12:34 PM
I'll go with Robert Heinlein. One of the things I transfer from wallet to wallet is a laminated clipping from Reader's Digest
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, pitch manure, solve equations, analyze a new problem, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
It's from his The Notebooks of Lazarus Long. Interestingly, I've read interviews in which he pointed out Lazarus as the primary character he most disliked and disagreed with (mostly because Lazarus had no loyalty to any place or country). Some people talk about being able to see the other guy's point of view. Heinlein could write from it.
Writing a sonnet is tough, BTW.
posted by KCSteve on April 7, 2006 1:07 PM
I'd have to say that writing a sonnet would have to be easier than programming a computer.
At least with a sonnet, a misspelling doesn't require a complete de-bugging. And you don't have to learn a new language to do it.
posted by
Heartless Libertarian on April 7, 2006 1:58 PM
Obviously our minds work in very differnt ways.
posted by KCSteve on April 7, 2006 3:33 PM
I, for one, find programming a computer much easier than writing a sonnet. Then again, I've spent more time doing the former ;-)
posted by
Barb on April 7, 2006 5:56 PM
"Boyd", by Robert Coram. I had waited a long time for it to come out in paperback; saw it in the local Books-A-Million; bought it.
Look at the photo of the man on the cover! I think he was, in a word, *EARNEST*! I think I'll try a review of it on my blog.
That guy had some quite eerie similarities with some people in my family. Our cats even have similar names!
I recall reading about his famous speech about being, or doing. (Would you rather do the right thing by yer country and yerself, or would you rather be a General?)
posted by
Justthisguy on April 7, 2006 10:58 PM
I love a little pussy too...
I'll pat pretty pussy, and then she will purr;
And thus show her thanks for my kindness to her.
Isn't that the way it usually works...?
oh.. "I love little pussy"... heh. A poem. Imagine that...
posted by 1SG Keith on April 8, 2006 5:02 AM
Hi - What thread is this? I thought it was books that influenced you. I was going to add
"This Is Our Town" Faith & Freedom series
"On The Threshold of Faith" by Pope John Paul II;
"Night" by Elie Weisel; and
"Mystic River" by Dennis Lehane
...............but I've veered off the path into the jungle room and kitten talk has taken over.......shouldn't I be served a margarita while reading these comments?
posted by
Maggie on April 8, 2006 12:52 PM
The machine's over there, yer high-and-mightiness...
posted by
John of Argghhh! on April 8, 2006 1:48 PM
Serve myself! Surely you jest.
posted by
Maggie on April 8, 2006 3:31 PM
« Dismissed, Soldier!
I love a good snark.
Well, unless it's aimed at me, of course. Try these on for size:
1. Obviously you're unable to assimilate my stimulating concepts into your
blighted and simplistic world-view.
2. I don't know what your problem is, but I'll bet it's hard to pronounce.
3. Any connection between your reality and mine is purely coincidental.
4. I can see your point, but I still think you're full of it.
5. I like you. You remind me of me when I was young and stupid.
6. What am I? Flypaper for freaks!?!?
7. I'm not being rude. You're just insignificant.
8. I'll give you a nice, shiny quarter if you'll go away.
9. I'm already visualizing the duct tape over your mouth.
10. I will always cherish the initial misconceptions I had about you.
11. It's a thankless job, but I've got a lot of Karma to burn off.
12. Yes, I am an agent of Satan, but my duties are largely ceremonial.
13. How about never? Is never good for you?
14. I'm really easy to get along with once you people learn to worship me.
15. You sound reasonable. It must be time to up my medication.
16. You're just jealous because the little voices talk to ME.
17. I'll try being nicer if you'll try being smarter.
18. I'm out of my mind, but feel free to leave a message...
19. I don't work here. I'm a consultant.
20. Who me? I just wander from room to room.
I'm pretty sure that #12 came from BCR, in her Evil Overlord aspect.
#20 is JTG. Speaking of JTG... where is he?
Number 14? Two words. Princess.Crabby.
Number 1? Me, talking down to Ry.
Kat=#4.
There, I got you started - whattayouthink?
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! »
21. You don't have to call me "sir"--I work for a living...
posted by cw4(ret)billt on April 7, 2006 6:15 AM
So you ackowledge that I should be worshipped - excellent!!!!
posted by
Maggie on April 7, 2006 6:37 AM
No, Maggie, I just acknowledge that's how you *think*...
posted by
John of Argghhh! on April 7, 2006 7:00 AM
Heh...John pegged me. I was just having a conversation with my yougest brother yesterday(if you could call it a "conversation"; it was largely he and I restating our points over and over until I said I was done talking). We were discussing Massachusettes new "health insurance" law.
His point was that it sounded good and would help to get people off of medicaid, reduce medicare costs, reduce taxes and cost of insurance to other people (all the talking points; he liked it). My point was: it's a shell game and government making it "illegal" not to have health insurance goes against my libertarian tendencies.
One hour of convo. I finally said, "Nice theory, hope it works". LOL
posted by
kat-missouri on April 7, 2006 7:01 AM
#9 Jon the Mechanic.
#5 Lex
#16 AFSister, Were-Kitten, MAWK. (oh yeah. that's me! SHUT UP YOU LITTLE INSIGNIFICANT MICROBE IN THE CORNER!)
You pegged #14, John! LMAO!
#15 Sanger
posted by Were-Kitten on April 7, 2006 7:25 AM
Oh- #8 is Bill. hehe.
posted by Were-Kitten on April 7, 2006 7:32 AM
Awesome list, Were-kitten! I'll add:
#19 John as (though #1 would also fit)
#17 Cassandra
...and I could probably lay claim to #18 for myself. *wanders away babbling*
posted by
FbL on April 7, 2006 9:35 AM
John, #14 couldn't have been a more perfect choice...
..and I think #19 MAY apply to me......
posted by 1SG Keith on April 7, 2006 9:50 AM
*grrrrrrrr*
I'm making a list like Steve Buschemi did in Billy Madison.
posted by ry on April 7, 2006 10:59 AM
Bwahahahahaha!
Foolish mortals. Hey, where's my 'rita?
posted by
Bad Cat Robot on April 7, 2006 11:13 AM
#22) Won't you Old Pharts get outta your ruts and see the new way of doing things? (Ry talking up to John, and then fleeing at high speed before the Crushing Boot descends).
posted by ry on April 7, 2006 2:36 PM
#23. If your name is Ry, see #5.
posted by
John of Argghhh! on April 7, 2006 3:27 PM
I saw/heard Mick Jagger say #12 nearly word for word in a SNL skit years ago.
posted by
Consul-At-Arms on April 7, 2006 5:18 PM
#11 = Sgt. B
posted by
FbL on April 7, 2006 8:26 PM
At some point during the day, numbers 5,6,8,9,11,13,15,19, and 20 have been applicable in my life (keep in mind I'm dealing with a 2 year old boy and a 4 year old girl).
Oy.
- hfs
posted by
HomefrontSix on April 8, 2006 2:34 AM
Did some one say the rita-matic was working?
posted by
Punctilious on April 8, 2006 8:42 AM
WK, #9 is a little closer to the truth than I care to admit.
On my desk at work, I have a dish of hard candy. Last week (while I was putting in 110 hours for the last 2 pay periods and my hours have averaged about 100 for the past 2 months), one of my co workers came up to me and stole a piece of candy while I was distracted. She ran away laughing, I took a quick break, and chased her around the office. When I caught her, she asked me what I was going to do with her.
My answer was to toss her onto my shoulder and carry her off. She began to pound on my back in mock terror and asked how I was going to get her past security without her screaming.
I pointed at my computer, where I have a roll of 100 mile an hour tape sitting on top of the monitor.
And I think that in addition to #9, I also think that 5, 11, 12, 16, and 19 would also work for me.
posted by
Jon The Mechanic on April 8, 2006 3:54 PM
Your hours *almost* match mine, wrench monkey. But yer still behind.
posted by
John of Argghhh! on April 8, 2006 6:42 PM
« Dismissed, Soldier!
by
John
on
Apr 07, 2006
|
I think it's funny!
»
BostonMaggie links with:
The Castle
Someone you should know - in Canada
Jed Stone, 43, furniture consultant at The Brick store on Cyrville Rd., and while you're applauding Jed Stone, applaud The Brick for promising Jed Stone that while he'll lose his salary for the times he's away, his full-time job will be waiting for him when he gets back from the ultimate fulfilment of his mission in life: Combat duty in Afghanistan with his fellow Canadian soldiers.
But don't, in front of Jed Stone, applaud the misguided feckless fools in Canadian society who say we need to debate our military role in Afghanistan, who say we have no right to be there, who say bring the poor soldiers home before more of them get killed. Don't, in front of Jed Stone, applaud the self-righteous whose understanding of freedom's worth, freedom's sacrifices, soldiering's necessity, soldier pride, is shamefully abysmal, a discredit to our nation.
And don't, in front of Jed Stone, applaud those Canadian employers who've told their workers that if they leave to train in the reserve forces of Canada they can forget having a job anymore.
Instead, applaud those who, upon being threatened with this, said take your job and shove it.
"That's exactly what happened to some of the young people in my unit," says Stone who, every other weekend since last July has been in rigorous army basic training; away from home and his fiance Lila and weekend shifts at The Brick. "Jack Layton and the NDP, all these politicians and non-politicians, they just don't get it.
If Canada is serious about beefing up her military, a little emulation of the employment protections offered our Guard and Reserve might be in order. Not that it would have mattered to Private Stone.
Of course, you'll have to have more than the law - there will have to be some enforcement, too. As we have discovered down here, not all employers are, shall we say, supportive, either.
Read the whole bit by clicking here. H/t, CAPT H.
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! »
At the bottom of the article is a link to a website that promotes "adopt a soldier" for Canada and then he has a link to leave messages for Canadian Soldiers which is found here
Morale by Message Board
I already posted a message thanking our friends in service.
posted by
kat-missouri on April 7, 2006 9:16 AM
Oh, I read a bunch of the messages. they are very supportive, but I found that the fellow who wrote the piece about "peacekeeping" Canadians was dead on. there were many messages that talked about the Canadian "Peace Mission". Must have been the only way they could sell it up there.
posted by
kat-missouri on April 7, 2006 9:18 AM
Just goes to show my ignorance of our Northern Cousins. I would have bet money that they had a job protection system similar to ours---it just seems so egalitarian to me(individual puts neck out to serve country, gets job protection for such service).
Holy Crap!
Good thing the Canuckers are a stubborn and gritty lot, or still have some amoungst them, and went ahead and did it anyway.
posted by ry on April 7, 2006 2:57 PM
« Dismissed, Soldier!
April 6, 2006
Honor and Privilege.
This post trumps the H&I Fires for 5&6 April and will be the top post 5&6 April.
My Rotary club celebrated it's 90th anniversary last night with a special dinner meeting to rededicate our 1916 Charter as the 210th Rotary Club. Our Charter was water damaged in a flood last year and we literally got it back from the document restorers the day of the party.
We were graced with the presence of one of our Honorary Members - Colonel (R) Roger Donlon. Roger is one of two Medal of Honor holders living in Leavenworth, the other being Lieutenant Colonel (R) Chuck Hagemeister.
What a treat to meet Roger and his wife. Like every other Medal holder I've ever met - just an ordinary joe... except for that little blue Rosette on his lapel...
He's a tall man that the miles have been easy on to external appearances. Chatting with him and listening to the casual name-dropping of Medal holders was... odd. Except it wasn't name-dropping, as Roger and his wife just simply move in those circles, just having come back from where Roger and 13 other Medal holders did the closing bell ceremony for the NYSE.
The funniest stories revolved around parking places. At the Fort we have the usual reserved parking places for Generals and Command Sergeants Major, Disabled, and Fill-in-the-blank Honoree of the month - and Medal of Honor Winner.
My buddy Mike acts as a mentor for a young government intern (in a good way, unlike some others that come to mind) and Mike and Robert went to the golf course clubhouse for lunch. While going in, Robert asked about the Medal of Honor space and Mike explained about Roger and Chuck. Coming out after eating, Mike saw Roger going in and pointed him out to Robert. As they passed by the Medal of Honor parking spot, which was empty, Robert turned to Mike and said "But he didn't park in the spot...?" To which Mike replied - "That tells you more about the man than the Medal." Mike told that story to Roger and his wife, which caused Roger's wife to chime in with her own story.
She doesn't use the parking spots unless Roger is in the car with her (good for her) but she does like to drag Roger along when she goes to the Commissary if she can. One day she was successful at doing so - and Roger was waiting in the car when his wife came out with with one of the baggers with the groceries. She said the young man had a very grumpy look on his face, and after he'd loaded the groceries in the car - he went around to where Roger was sitting behind the wheel and said "You shouldn't be parking here! This is Mr. Hagemeister's spot!"
Obviously, Roger doesn't go to the Commissary much...
Name dropping...
While discussing the recent passing of two Medal of Honor holders discussed in this space, Roger told us yet another Holder has passed to Fiddler's Green. Michael J. Novosel, another Warrior Angel (Dustoff pilot).
Sigh. There are only 113 living holders now. Roger passed on this interesting tidbit about Mr. Novosel - he was shot down himself one day... and was rescued by another chopper - piloted by his son. One month later, Novosel rescued a shot down chopper pilot - his son.
Another Medal holder passes. The rule of threes holds.
NOVOSEL, MICHAEL J.
Mr. Novosel passed away on April 2, 2006.
Rank and organization: Chief Warrant Officer, U.S. Army, 82d Medical Detachment, 45th Medical Company, 68th Medical Group. Place and date: Kien Tuong Province, Republic of Vietnam, 2 October 1969. Entered service at: Kenner, La. Born: 3 September 1922, Etna, Pa. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. CWO Novosel, 82d Medical Detachment, distinguished himself while serving as commander of a medical evacuation helicopter. He unhesitatingly maneuvered his helicopter into a heavily fortified and defended enemy training area where a group of wounded Vietnamese soldiers were pinned down by a large enemy force. Flying without gunship or other cover and exposed to intense machinegun fire, CWO Novosel was able to locate and rescue a wounded soldier. Since all communications with the beleaguered troops had been lost, he repeatedly circled the battle area, flying at low level under continuous heavy fire, to attract the attention of the scattered friendly troops. This display of courage visibly raised their morale, as they recognized this as a signal to assemble for evacuation. On 6 occasions he and his crew were forced out of the battle area by the intense enemy fire, only to circle and return from another direction to land and extract additional troops. Near the end of the mission, a wounded soldier was spotted close to an enemy bunker. Fully realizing that he would attract a hail of enemy fire, CWO Novosel nevertheless attempted the extraction by hovering the helicopter backward. As the man was pulled on aboard, enemy automatic weapons opened fire at close range, damaged the aircraft and wounded CWO Novosel. He momentarily lost control of the aircraft, but quickly recovered and departed under the withering enemy fire. In all, 15 extremely hazardous extractions were performed in order to remove wounded personnel. As a direct result of his selfless conduct, the lives of 29 soldiers were saved. The extraordinary heroism displayed by CWO Novosel was an inspiration to his comrades in arms and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
Now is the time at Castle Argghhh! when we dance. In Memoriam.
Sergeant Whiskey - Lead Mr. Novosel over to where Rick Rescorla leads the singing. Then do your duty and clean those feet.
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! »
When Rick stops singing long enough to take a sip of brew, Mike will stand up and keep the place right tuneful.
We'd been expecting this for a while, but it still hits hard. Tell everybody to keep the turnin' side up and the greasy side down, Mike...
posted by cw4(ret)billt on April 5, 2006 11:09 PM
A toast to CWO Novosel, and a bowing of the head.
And a hand of sympathy extended to his brothers.
posted by
FbL on April 5, 2006 11:42 PM
John, once again, thank you.
One of my favorite books as a boy was "These men shall never die." I am still not able to read these citations without becoming very emotional. Hero worship, indeed.
Thanks for sharing.
V/R
posted by
SangerM on April 6, 2006 6:42 AM
You get to meet some pretty darn interesting people, John. CWO Novosel sounds like a hero in my book, and we're all saddened by his loss.
Sounds to me like all three were MoH worthy.
posted by AFSister on April 6, 2006 7:53 AM
OK. I'm a dork.
I totally missed the part where Roger said that CWO Novosel was ALSO a MoH holder, and had just died. I was implying that Novosel also deserved the award, judging by the story told about his dust-off activities.
Anywhoo....
Just ignore the audit-ravaged brain sitting atop the sleek, fuzzy body, gently swinging in the chandelier overhead.
posted by AFSister on April 6, 2006 8:06 AM
Ah, but yer *our* dork, Were-Kitten, yer *our* dork.
posted by
John of Argghhh! on April 6, 2006 8:25 AM
Guess that makes me the Castle Court Jester, or something like that, eh John?
*groan*
Will I *EVER* stop embarassing myself on public forums?
posted by AFSister on April 6, 2006 9:01 AM
That Donlon story sounds just like the final scene of Platoon.
I just went and looked up some interesting facts about the MOH.
Talking of movies, there's a scene in The Longest Day where Teddy Roosevelt's son, played by Henry Fonda, successfully pleads to be allowed to go ashore with the troops.
They never showed it in the movie, but apparently he was killed, won the MOH, and is buried in Normandy. I had no idea.
I also learned that:
One woman has won it, civilian surgeon Dr. Mary E. Walker, at Bull Run.
One of Clinton's last presidential acts was to give one to Teddy Roosevelt for San Juan.
It wasn't available to officers until 1915.
Nineteen soldiers have won it twice, including my personal favourite, Smedley Butler USMC.
posted by OD on April 6, 2006 10:21 AM
My wife Carol (nee Tyler) served as a nurse with the Army's 3rd Surgical Hospital at Binh Thuy 1968-1969. She knew both of the Novosels when they were flying Dustoff out of Can Tho Navy. Carol later ran into Mike Sr. again when they were both stationed at Fort Rucker several years before Mike Sr. retired. A few years ago we were down in Florida and had dinner with Mike Sr. at his home near Panama City. He was a kind and gracious host. For all that I met him on only a couple of occasions, I am deeply sorrowed by his passing.
posted by Blake Kirk on April 6, 2006 10:24 AM
And of 728 foreign-born soldiers to win it, 256 came from Ireland.
posted by OD on April 6, 2006 10:33 AM
Owen - one small correction - Roosevelt didn't die on D-Day, but of a heart attack shortly after.
Teddy's Medal was denied out of jealousy on the part of Army leaders.
As for the 'not available for officers until 1915' bit - there must be more to the story. Lt Tom Custer (Yellowhair's brother who died with him at Little Big Horn) was awarded one during the Civil War (when the Medal was established) and the Civil War set up the Father Son team - Arthur MacArthur during the Civil War, and Douglas during WWII. Though, in all honesty, Mac the Younger's Medal was rammed through by Roosevelt who desperately needed a hero in 1942 - but made up for the fact that MacArthur probably should have gotten one for his WWI exploits, but he fell afoul of the same dark forces as Teddy did. Professional envy.
And Owen, while I see where you got it, only you around here would connect Roger Donlon with Platoon...
And my Irish forbears (I admit to no hyphen, however) have always been a combative lot.
posted by
John of Argghhh! on April 6, 2006 10:34 AM
Mr. Novosel was the honored speaker at my husband's WOBC graduation a few years back. A truly incredible human being. A sad day, yes. But what a privilege it was to have had him here on Earth.
- hfs
posted by
HomefrontSix on April 6, 2006 9:28 PM
I remember Mike Novosel so well. I was at the 3rd Surg when he was flying in wounded to us with the 82nd Dustoff. He was old enough to be a father to most of us there..in fact his son, Mike Jr., was also flying with the 82nd at the same time.
Come an evening if we weren't working we would sit around the table at Charlie's Den, the O-club at the 3rd Surg and tell "there I was" tales. Some evenings Mike Sr. and the CO of the 82nd would also be over there and they would stand against the wall at the end of the club and watch the younguns. We used to tease Mike Jr. mercilessly and tell him his Dad made us feel like we were at the senior prom and he was the chaperone.
But Mike Sr. never treated us like kids. He treated us like comrades in arms, with a ready smile, a soft word, and a kind manner.
I guess I'll see him at Fiddler's Green again one of these days.
-Carol T. Kirk, MAJ Ret-
RVN 5/1969-12/1970
posted by
Carol (Tyler) Kirk on April 7, 2006 4:17 PM
I first learned of (then) CPT Donlon by reading his book "Outpost of Freedom" in 1972. It was in a Reader's Digest Condensed Book version. I came across the full book at Ft. Benning while going to Infantry AIT (found it in the Harmony Church Chapel, for some reason). Then, in 1981, while attending DLI for the German Speaker's course, then COL Donlon was attending the quickie Spanish course prior to assignment to Panama. While DLI had a no salute policy, in COL Donlon's case, it was ignored by all. He was quite gracious to the questions of a fairly innocent E-5. Overall, a very fine gentleman. It is good to hear he continues to be well. I wish him and his wife well.
posted by
Sapper Mike on April 8, 2006 12:18 AM
« Dismissed, Soldier!
My Year in Iraq, a book review.
"BAGHDAD WAS BURNING." Nice attention getter and scene setter for former Ambassador L. Paul "Jerry" Bremer's memoir of his fourteen months as America's top target leader in Iraq.
This book is my first read from a senior insider's perspective on the period following the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime. I've read Frank's book - but this is the first one that focuses on the time in question. In a very readable fashion, Bremer and McConnell detail the infighting in the administration, within the Coalition Provisional Authority, the Iraqis, and heck, seemingly just about anybody who had a stake in the outcome.
Bremer provides an interesting window into the passive resistance from the people that arrived in Iraq with Jay Garner and who stayed behind after Bremer arrived. The very different views from different constituencies within the Administration, between State, CIA, the Pentagon - organizational and personality-driven.
The flames Bremer mentions that open the book are from the fires started by looters just prior to his arrival - a metaphor for the problems he faced getting started. He lays out his efforts to get additional forces to help restore order, and how for most of the next year as the insurgency spread, Bremer resisted efforts by "senior Defense Department civilians" to reduce American troop strength by replacing our forces with poorly-led and inadequately trained Iraqi police and military personnel. His description of what happened to the Iraqi Army (it simply melted away) contradicts the conventional wisdom that it was formally disbanded - and he offers an explanation of why holding on to it probably wouldn't have been a good idea anyway, given both the quality of the force and the internal Shia (conscripts) and Sunni (officers) divide. Bremer also describes his frustration with the obsession to find the WMD vice tracking the insurgency.
Bremer throws some light onto the plans of those who pushed for what Bremer would come to call a "cut-and-run policy" that would quickly deliver governance of Iraq to a handful of unrepresentative anti-Saddam exiles lead by Chalabi. Bremer strongly resisted this approach and opens a window to the long, frustrating negotiations as he and his team pushed Iraq's new leaders to write an interim constitution and get a governmental structure outlined. And he has some harsh words for those players who kept running around the margins, trying to play one side off against the other (something which he was doing himself inside the US government).
You have to read it with an eye to the fact that it's Bremer's attempt to shape the perception of his time in Iraq, which frankly produced mixed results. It is obviously written from a point of view generally favorable to himself - but that's true of any autobiography, and isn't a condemnation of Bremer's view. This is just the opening salvo in what will be a spirited Battle of the Books, I'm sure.
If you'd like to start getting an insider view of the post-"Major Combat Operations" era of OIF, this book is a good read - quick and understandable, with enough detail to be useful and enough narrative to pull you along. There are several other books out there on my reading list which will provide more windows into this period of time - and it's critical that we analyze these events, to see what went right and what went wrong. If this is truly going to be the likely template for conflict in the next 30 years or so, we've got to understand how to do this.
We already know how to destroy armies foolish enough to present themselves for destruction. We now need to figure out how to handle the aftermath, especially since we aren't going to be allowed to smash our enemies as thoroughly as we did in WWII. Which isn't a complaint about restraint - it would be good to find a way to handle the aftermath and achieve your objectives without inflicting Nanking, Rotterdam, Warsaw, Stalingrad, Dresden, Hamburg, Nagasaki and Hiroshima on the civil populations and infrastructure. The Rumsfeld Defense Department specifically rejected the recommendations of the Garner task force (formed prior to OIF to study the issue and develop the plans) to follow a "Constabulary" style (and numbers of troops) post-conflict occupation in favor of Rumsfeld's penchant for go in lean and get out quick.
Rumsfeld's paradigm *may* be good for combat ops on a shoestring - but apparently don't work well for dealing with the aftermath. And we have to learn from that, regardless of what you think about Rumsfeld and his theories. Bremer's book is a contributor to that analysis.
Next up - what I expect will be the flip side to Bremer (though I could be wrong): Squandered Victory : The American Occupation and the Bungled Effort to Bring Democracy to Iraq by Larry Diamond
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! »
ah yes, and is the book subtitled "What I Could Have Done With Iraq (if only i had been resourced with Theater Level units)"??
posted by
MajMike on April 6, 2006 5:15 PM
Nope. But it *could* be subtitled, "What we might have been able to prevent if we'd gone with the original plan that Rumsfeld hated."
Which is *still* a valid question.
posted by
John of Argghhh! on April 6, 2006 5:44 PM
« Dismissed, Soldier!
Whatsis? Is This...
Some valiant efforts at trying to figure out which helicopter had a water pressure gauge on the instrument panel. Sorry, but no cigar, not even to John--although he gets an Attaboy for not snooping around Fototime...
You're gonna screech like a scalded owl when I tell ya, but before you form the lynch mob, just remember that you gave John a pass when he posted a pic of a WWI Rooskie rifle grenade used only by corporals nicknamed "Sasha" in odd-numbered trenches on alternate Thursdays between March and June of 1917.
Now, there's a reason that the water pressure gauge
looks like the oil pressure gauge which looks like the fuel pressure gauge which looks like the torquemeter.
That reason is this --
It's a multipurpose gauge. Press the magic button twice and you're looking at any one of four labels. You'll find this particular model in most of the UH-1C/-D/-H/-Ms that got busted up in Vietnam and went to the depot at Corpus Christi for rebuild (evidently, the depot got a good deal on a manufacturer's overrun). The newer gauges have a setscrew in place of the button, so it's impossible for the puckish Instructor Pilot to mess with a nervous pilot's mind.
Preflight: *double-click behind the instrument panel while you're checking the electrical compartment in the nose*
During Flight:
Option One: "Okay, what are your normal torque limitations?"
*victim scans frantically for anything saying "torque" and blows right past the "water gauge"*
Option Two: "Water pressure's a tad high--did you check the overflow reservoir for crud?"
*victim knows damwell there's nothing in the Huey that uses water except the crew, but sees the "water pressure" gauge and panics*
Option Three: "Hey--this gauge is marked bassackwards. Water pressure redline is 45psi, not 35..."
*victim tries to assess information, starts blinking in confusion, gives himself a case of flicker vertigo*
Okay--next snipe hunt won't be quite this esoteric. And the pics will at least be in focus *crossing eight fingers and both thumbs*
Heh! Can't wait to see what Neffi comes up with when he tries to figger out what an intervalometer is...
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! »
Intervalometer: the minimum distance between two "valos".
Cheers
JMH
posted by J.M. Heinrichs on April 6, 2006 7:01 AM
Good one Bill.
posted by
John of Argghhh! on April 6, 2006 7:22 AM
*blinks rapidly*
Why of course. Anyone can see that if you press the magic button it morphs into what you need. Not only that, it was just so obvious those were the choppers that used it.
(NOT TO THIS RECOVERING BLOND)
I echo the Armorer. Good one, Bill.
posted by Cricket on April 6, 2006 11:15 AM
Pilot to Crew Chief: We're not using oil anymore, 'cause the dial now says "water".
Cheers
JMH
posted by J.M. Heinrichs on April 6, 2006 11:36 AM
Well, geez, you're *supposed* to use water with Dial...
posted by cw4(ret)billt on April 7, 2006 1:10 AM
Intervalometer: the minimum distance between two "valos".
Actually, it's measured in barleycorns...
posted by cw4(ret)billt on April 7, 2006 1:12 AM
« Dismissed, Soldier!
April 5, 2006
Whatsis?
Okay, a disclaimer: technically, this isn't Plane Pr0n, it's Helicopter Pr0n, but it *is* an exposé of some of the fiddly bits.
Y'see, my collection differs from John's in that my items are either obsolete, non-functional (and uneconomically repairable), and/or of "no further military value"--and (except for the weaponry) they all are souvenirs of odd things that occurred in the course of one of my flights.
In a couple of instances, they were the *cause* of the odd things that occurred, hence, the non-functional aspect.
This thing is still functional.
Yeah--a water gauge. It's from the instrument panel of one of the (several--heh) types and models of rotary-winged beasties I used to hurl myself through the heavens in and it ain't PhotoShopped. If you're suspicious, check out the hi-rez here. Sorry about the quality--my camera-holding paw is still a bit shaky.
The gauge is a tad over two inches (51.2mm) in diameter across the face and exactly two inches (50.8mm) across the body. Note the slippage mark at 3 o'clock--that tells you the operating ranges are externally applied. The shiny stuff on the face of the gauge is Scotch (don't forget--tomorrow's "Wear A Kilt To Work" Day) tape.
Here's the two-part question:
1. What helicopter used a water gauge on its instrument panel and
2. Why?
Heh. Guess away. I won't be around until later tonight, so you'll have plenty of time to research in between ironing the pleats of your kilts...
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Judging from the comments, it's time for a hint.
As we all know, oil and water don't mix.
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! »
Well, before I spend any time on it - one of the ICE-powered birds, like the Chickasaw and Choctaw come to mind.
posted by
John of Argghhh! on April 5, 2006 9:36 AM
Water pressure gauge for the Goldberg In-Flight Debris Amelliorating System, Type III Mark I (Pat.Pend.) Early experience in helicopter operations from muddy locales (rice paddies and such)convinced The Smart Guys (O-6 and above) of the need to remove the 20 - 30 pounds of muddy goop left clinging to chopper skids after take-off.
The installation of a pressurized 100-gallon stainless steel water tank and a system of piping and spray nozzles permitted the whirly-jockey to flush the excess weight from the skids whilst airborne, thus restoring proper weight-and-balance and aerodynamic efficiency to his bird...
Pre-deployment test and analysis exercises of the system were disappointing however and led to several demotions and other disciplinary measures; after which no-one could be found who had originally endorsed the idea and so the project was scrapped (along with the modified aircraft that survived the testing schedule).
Goldberg was arrested and exposed as an agent for the NV government after carelessly exposing his "I (heart) HO" tattoo and was exiled to Dubuque for life.
C'mon Chief- give us a TOUGH one next time!
posted by Neffi on April 5, 2006 9:37 AM
Gad, Neffi, that one is so well done I can't tell if it's snark or not...!
posted by
John of Argghhh! on April 5, 2006 10:04 AM
I dunno either, John, but it smells like a snark ;-) I'm still goggling at the thought of adding 500+ pounds of water plus the weight of the tank, in order to wash off 100 pounds of mud. Sounds goofy to me. Then again, weirder things have happened, I suppose!
posted by
Barb on April 5, 2006 10:19 AM
I enjoyed learning that two inches equals 512mm. Thus the zipper is now 6912mm long.
Cheers
JMH
posted by J.M. Heinrichs on April 5, 2006 10:23 AM
*dashing in to get out of the snow*
*peering up at guesses*
John - Nope. No water injection on radial-powered helicopters.
Neffi - I see you used to write captions for AKO.
Barb - We used to just slosh the mud off in a convenient swamp.
JMH - Ah, yes--the curse of the misplaced decimal point. Of course, the zipper actually *is* that long until it's sectioned for use on each batch of flight suits...
*nipping off to make corrections*
posted by cw4(ret)billt on April 5, 2006 11:54 AM
never mind the wreckage. I wanna see the accident reports!
"Just happened to impact flock of very lost Canada Geese. Nosir, they don't usually migrate through the Mekong Delta. I was rather surprised myself, sir. But not as surprised as the water buffalo I landed on."
posted by
Bad Cat Robot on April 5, 2006 12:14 PM
That's IT! The chopper was a water buffalo!
*attendant snark on why water buffaloes were airborn
will be appreciated*
posted by Cricket on April 5, 2006 12:57 PM
Well, Cricket - the water buffalo didn't have to be airborne... just positioned off to the side of the helipad to fill whatever it was the Chief is sending us on this snark hunt for...
BCR - somebody call Carborundum - he's prolly *got* the accident reports!
Bill - Well, not all the ICE birds were radial engined (ICE being more my point, bad choice on the two that rolled of the top of my head).
But I figured it wouldn't be *that* easy anyway.
posted by
John of Argghhh! on April 5, 2006 1:13 PM
I'm guessing probably a water-cooled mini gun on an attack chopper.
posted by fdcol63 on April 5, 2006 1:37 PM
So, it prolly not being for and ICE-engined bird... hmmm. Spray-bird? Like the ones that spray for insects, or the ones that sprayed that sticky crap for NBC training?
posted by
John of Argghhh! on April 5, 2006 3:23 PM
It isn't for a defoliant system, is it?
posted by
Pogue on April 5, 2006 5:14 PM
Cricket - Sorry, I don't have any time in a Buffalo...
fdcol63 - Nope. The airstream cools the mini quite nicely. The pilot manually limits the bursts to avoid overheating the gun, although you *do* get an interesting barrel configuration after a runaway gun...
Spray rigs all have the gauges mounted directly on the pump--this gauge was on the pilot's instrument panel.
posted by cw4(ret)billt on April 5, 2006 6:09 PM
Darn. I was kinda hoping Maggie'd stop by.
"It's for the spa in the cargo bay. And if it's not, it should be."
posted by cw4(ret)billt on April 5, 2006 6:22 PM
On a serious note, did we have a water cooled engine helicopter?
On a non-serious note, is it the officers helicopter complete with showere stall and flushing toilet? Did we help propagate the rice fields?
posted by
kat-missouri on April 5, 2006 6:25 PM
Hmmmm... looks like *someone* blew a gasket and thereby mixed cooling water with lubricating oil (and introducing cylinder compression into the cooling system, no less).
Wait- that was me, with my '68 F-150 several years ago!
Never mind...
Close?
posted by Neffi on April 5, 2006 6:34 PM
ps- On a personal note: had I lately (or previously) been exploited by submitting to the demands of the hideous and hypocritical government taskmasters at AKO I would never admit same; yea verily, my friends- I would gladly fling myself into the Flaming Vortex of Unending Immolation (TM) rather than suffer that indignity...
Neffi out.
posted by Neffi on April 5, 2006 9:07 PM
Hmm... CH-37 Mojave, or H-34 Choctaw? Were those piston-powered monstrosities also water cooled?
I'm not aiming insultingly far back in the hardware timeframe am I? :(
posted by MCart on April 5, 2006 11:29 PM
MCart - Piston-powered, but rotary-engined--Wright Cyclones, if memory still serves. Rotary snarlers are all air-cooled, but some of the fighters they powered had a water-injection system for short-term RPM boosts.
posted by cw4(ret)billt on April 6, 2006 5:45 AM
LOL. I know what water buffaloes are, having seen a few in my time. I was just bein' obnoxious about refilling canteens in the air, is all.
So...when do we plan a feast in honor of the Armorer's Return?
posted by Cricket on April 6, 2006 11:20 AM
« Dismissed, Soldier!
C5 Crash at Dover AFB.
I know I was traveling on the 3rd, but local news sure was more interested in the pending vote on a billion-dollar roof for our local sports stadiums (which lost, I believe) than this - the crash of the C5 at Dover AFB...
Everybody aboard survived. Tough bird - with all due credit to the flight crew and her maintainers.
Three hi-res pics here. 1. 2. 3.
Anybody (who's old enough) remember *this* crash - 31 years and a day ago?
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! »
There were a lot of C-5A crashes early on--I remember Babylift.
What really stuck was the live footage of the surviving nurses walking around in the night, not tending each others' injuries, but looking for kids in the weeds...
posted by cw4(ret)billt on April 5, 2006 6:27 AM
I posted about this yesterday- scary scary stuff.
My brother will be assigned to one of these giant beasties in a month.
posted by AFSister on April 5, 2006 7:34 AM
I remember Operation Babylift and I remember the nuns leading us in prayer after the crash.
posted by
Maggie on April 5, 2006 8:37 AM
We were waiting for them to arrive in Singapore. One of them was slated to be my sibling.
They never arrived.
Depressing.
posted by
Murray on April 5, 2006 6:04 PM
To cw4.........."alot of c5 crashes early on". This was the Fourth crash of a c5 in total! I would dare to say that this does not qualify as a lot!
posted by GSU on April 11, 2006 4:45 PM
GSU, my sense of irony *forces* me to suggest that to the participants, one is enough.
But your point is otherwise taken.
posted by
John of Argghhh! on April 11, 2006 9:00 PM
« Dismissed, Soldier!
Warlords 2006.
Nope. Not a new game Ry, siddown. It's the name of the Service Academy's wargaming competition. I subscribe to a listserv run by Jim Dunnigan that is chock full of serious military game developers (yes, Ry, we discuss all the commercial stuff, too). Vince Taijeron, whom I know from a previous life where I ran a combat simulation training center and was a sim developer myself, runs the West Point sim center - and he's justifiably proud of his cadets.
For those of you who don’t know there is an annual inter-service academy gaming competition called Warlords where three-service academies (Army, Navy, and Air Force) compete in a two-day multi-game event. Sponsored by the Defense Modeling and Simulations Office, Warlords has been an annual event since 2001. Although the games they play aren’t exactly up to milgames standards, it is a great event for the cadets and midshipman.
This years Warlords competition took place this past weekend at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Technically Army’s turn to host, we decided to push the competition in a direction that would allow us the most exposure. We approached the President of AEgis Technologies Bill Waite and asked him to help sponsor the event. Bill ended up enlisting the help of UAH and put together a first class event.
Three teams with 10 competitors each competed in America’s Army, Battlefield 2, and Command and Conquer Generals. The event was supported by the Army’s Command and General Staff College with the help James Sterrett who administered all of the games to include the development of the tournament rules. Personnel from the UAH computer sciences department also supported the event as system administrators. In addition to the great competition the U.S. Space and Rocket Center was gracious enough to offer us a free tour of the center.
Ok so who won this thing? Well if you guessed the Navy or Air Force, you would be wrong. On 3 April 2006, the Mayor of Huntsville presented the trophy to the United States Military Academy Warlords team. The Army won a decisive victory by winning all of their events. The final score was Army 18, Navy 6, and AF 3. Many of the spectators among them a Navy Captain (CPT Gritton) were very impressed with the Army team’s ability to communicate, plan, and execute.
In the past, the Warlords competition was about getting together to play games. One of the things CPT Haveron and I wanted to do was to add a training element to the competition at least for the Army team. For each game, we assigned a team captain who was responsible for developing a training plan for that game. They developed courses of action to include wargaming enemy COAs, they did terrain analysis, developed named areas of interest (although they didn’t know that’s what they were doing), task organized according to mission requirements, made adjustments after each round, and conducted detailed AARs after each match during the competition. During the competition, they went as far as conducting AARs with the opposing teams to help them improve. You may think that there’s no way they could have done all that given the games they were playing, but I can assure they did. In fact, all of our team captains have been tasked to submit a formal written AAR for each of their matches. Make no mistake everything we do in our Warfighting Simulations Center or WARCEN has some training value attached to it; it’s never just about playing games. Although winning the competition was satisfying, the most satisfying thing was to watch the cadets perform.
Feel good anecdote. On our flight from Charlotte to LaGuardia, the flight attendant was able to seat four of our guys in first class (the cadets were traveling in uniform), there were 11 of us in all. A few minutes before takeoff one of the cadets had to give up his first class seat due to some error in seating. Upon seeing the cadet give up his seat and move to the rear of the airplane two passengers from across the aisle volunteered to give up their first class seats to the cadet who was bumped as well as another cadet who was sitting in coach. Both gestures, from flight attendant and the passengers who gave up their seats, were very generous.
Vincent "TJ" Taijeron
Chief DMI Warfighting Simulations Center
United States Military Academy
Reproduced here with permission, and I think it's going to end up on Strategy Page, too, judging from the email. If you for some reason wish to use this in toto, vice excerpt or link, drop me a line and I'll forward it to Vince. If you have AKO access, you can get his email address on your own, should you need it.
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! »
Comrades,
You know, I well remember using wargames back in the 1970's (pre-Dunn-Kempf) as a training tool for small unit tactics prior to going into the field. Two of my freinds and I in the ROTC detachment at my college decided to try this out as a cost-saving means as well as a training aid.
We simply sisn't have the funds available to do a lot of FX problems, and the times we had available were almost always on weekends, and tagged to interact with the local Guard and Reserve units in order to gain more support, such as helicopters for transport, feild kitchens, etc.
Anyway, we used an old set of rules called TRACTICS, developed by Tactical Studies Research group.. the same folks who now are called TSR and produce Dungeons and Dragons, et al. Back then, TRACTICS was a hot and extremely detailed gaming system. It was a 1:1 ratio (one model to one soldier, vehicle, etc) and we used it to game-test the field problems we'd be running.
The main advantage ws that the soldiers and the instructors all got to see what the terrain basically looked like, what sort of problems we might encounter, and what ws to be expected BEFORE we went into the feild. Saved lots of frustration and time trying to orient and organize once we got there. The soldiers had already run the mission numerous times on the table, so they could recognize objectives, LOE's, LOA's, etc.
Now, This ws all in house, but it worked, and the advantages were huge, both in training and actual expenses involved. The students also gained a great deal because you could stop the problem, and restart it if needed, reenforcing certain lessons, etc.
Nice to see how widely-accepted this sort of thing is these days.
Respects,
AW1 Tim
posted by AW1 Tim on April 5, 2006 6:51 AM
oh man, Dunn Kempf flashbacks!!
snort: they actually invited Air Force to compete??
well, at least we finally have a sure thing we can stomp the squids in...
posted by
MajMike on April 5, 2006 9:44 AM
Heh. If I was any good I'd be on that list serve, John. I only get the news one from Dunnigan. I's gots lots to's learns. Maybe the Taiwan Straight sim I'm helping playtest might help me network into getting into some serious stuff(but I doubt it, 'cause ry is never right.).
Sheesh. Let it be known that you're a padawan and all the old pharts take pot shots. Why can't we pick on Princess Crabby instead?
posted by ry on April 5, 2006 12:34 PM
ry - You're not old enough for the games she plays...
posted by cw4(ret)billt on April 5, 2006 6:16 PM
« Dismissed, Soldier!
April 4, 2006
H&I Fires* 4 April 06
Open post for those with something to share, updated through the day. New, complete posts come in below this one. Note: If trackbacking, please acknowledge this post in your post. That's only polite. You're advertising here, we should get an ad at your place...
A fond farewell to Pakistan -- American and Australian military personnel who assisted Pakistan after last year's earthquake have finished their work [h/t SGT Hook]. - Fuzzybear Lioness
************************
I haven't done a Roundup post in a while, so I figure I was due for one. ~AFSis
************************
Consider yourselves warned: Tomorrow Thursday is "Wear A Skirt Kilt To Work Day" -- sponsored by the folks of the Glenlivet Society (who'd a-thunk it) and the whole idea is to raise funds for charity and allow the gender-confused would-be caber-tossers out there a chance to prove that, despite all the water-cooler rumors, you *don't* shave your legs.
Ummmmm -- or *do*...
Heh. Those loud background squeaks you're hearing is the sound of a dozen Denizennes polishing their specs. Wonder whatcher supposed to wear if you don't drink Scotch? - cw4(ret)billt
Anybody seen Wednesday around anywhere? I seem to have gained a day...
************************
This is vaguely annoying - not the site - so much as the perceived need. We two really do behave like siblings who get on each other's nerves... -The Armorer
************************
Jack is continuing his 'War of Definition' series. Same caveats as before. Heart and blood pressure meds before going over. No flame war tactics in his comments section if you please. Take a gander and lets see what people have to say.
ry
***********************
Basic is over, and the Desultory Butterfly has flown from Ft. Lost-in-the-Woods to her next training post, check out the pics from sister Bonnie! And congrats to Desult on her perfect 300 score on the APFT!!
-The Adjutant
***********************
Flash Traffic (extended entry) Follows... »
*A term of art from the artillery. Harassment and Interdiction Fires.
Back in the day, when you could just kill people and break things without a note from a lawyer, they were pre-planned, but to the enemy, random, fires at known gathering points, road junctions, Main Supply Routes, assembly areas, etc - to keep the bad guy nervous that the world around him might start exploding at any minute.
Not really relevant to today's operating environment, right? But, it *is*
The UAVs we fly over Afghanistan and Pakistan looking for targets of opportunity are a form of H&I fires, if you really want to parse it finely. We just have better sensors and fire control now.
I call the post that because it's random things posted by me and people I've given posting privileges to that particular topic. It's also an open trackback, so if (Don Surber uses it this way a lot) someone has a post they're proud of, but it really isn't either Castle kind of stuff, or topical to a particular post, I've basically given blanket permission to use that post for that purpose. Another term of art that might be appropriate is "Free Fire Zone".
« Secure this line!
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! »
OK, John. I'm trying more trackbacks today. I found so many interesting stories out there today, I just put them on my site instead of H&I. Some days, you find lots of blog fodder. Other days, you just find clutter.
posted by AFSister on April 4, 2006 8:53 AM
Well.. would you look at that? ONE trackback! HORRAY! I'm a GENIUS!
*NOT*
posted by AFSister on April 4, 2006 9:43 AM
Being Scottish by birth, American by choice and the Grace of God, I resent references to skirts, however jocularly, when talking about the wearing of a kilt. HARUMPH!
BTW. New York's celebration of Scottish heritage is upon us. Link to Tartan Week:- http://www.tartanweek.com/
posted by
V29 on April 4, 2006 10:20 AM
Wonder whatcher supposed to wear if you don't drink Scotch? - cw4(ret)billt
hah! Talk aboutcher rhetorical question! To quote the lasses- Is that a bottle in yer sporran or are yez just happy to see me?!
posted by Neffi on April 4, 2006 10:33 AM
*happysigh* Men in Kilts! Men in Kilts!
If I leave out a saucer of single malt, maybe I'll see one. Can only hope ...
posted by
Bad Cat Robot on April 4, 2006 11:28 AM
*happysigh* Men in Kilts! Men in Kilts!
If I leave out a saucer of single malt, maybe I'll see one. Can only hope ...
Good thinking BCR!!
If I leave out Dalmore....maybe I'll get Sean Connery!
posted by
Maggie on April 4, 2006 1:22 PM
Actually, I prefer my men *out* of their kilts!
purrrrrrrrrr
posted by Were-Kitten on April 4, 2006 2:36 PM
Thanks for mentioning the butterfly!!! I want to send this to her, but I cant seem to be able to copy and paste off of here!!!
Even though she will have access to a phone soon, Im still planning on writing her.
Thanks for your wishes and blessings!
I lOVE THE CASTLE ARGGHHH!
xo
bonnie
posted by
Bonnie on April 4, 2006 4:09 PM
We finished our work in Pakistan but can we live there if we wanted? Why do we do so much for so many who hate us and our way of life? I want to help my fellow humans but hwne will their hatred and racism cease? Never the less, I applaud the brave indviduals who did a proud job there.
Raymond B
www.voteswagon.com
posted by
Raymond B on April 4, 2006 5:56 PM
I'd be a tad leery of wearing a kilt. I wouldn't want to be responsible for all the *swoons* (have atcha, fbl!) in the event a stiff
*ducking fbl-swat*
breeze arose...
posted by cw4(ret)billt on April 4, 2006 6:26 PM
Hi everyone. Mass. is cold, but great. I am a small mind among some amazingly high-powered intellects and it's very scary and VERY daunting, to be sure. But it's snowing-almost-outside and I love it and the challenge of the school. More when time allows (my favorite byline these days).
That said: Ry, your admonition about jack's site was not needed. Jack is a good man, I think, but his 'War of Definition' item is just not worth the time it took to read it, and certainly not worth responding to. I realize others may/will disagree, but I have just about had my fill of that sort of thing, and I won't be going back there for more of it. I'm ready for people to start offering some alternatives that make sense, some perspective the resonates, etc.
Interestingly, in a class of which at least a third of the people are from other countries (not all rich western countries either), I hear less such nonsense than I do from people in this country. I think we really need to get some perspective and that's the truth. Well that and a dose of reality. For my part, I am just plain tired of the same old crap all the time.
On a similar note, I must tell you all: I cannot begin to count the number of times in the past 3 days that I have been able to refer to articles and items posted or pointed to here on Argghhh that some of my classmates are unaware of. In so many ways, the group that is "YOU" are a very pertinent window onto the world. Just sayin'
V/R
posted by
SangerM on April 4, 2006 7:08 PM
Sanger!
Good to hear from you, dude.
I just said Jack was interesting. I didn't say I thought it good or that I agreed with it. One of the lessons YOU taught me was that if I can't be coherent on matters of weight I should STFU. I'm still learning all the dimensions of that one though.
And I thought that was one of the nicer ways I could say for people to go over there and point out the flaws in what he wrote, since I cannot do so properly--writing on the fly just doesn't cut it and I don't care enough to sit down and do drafts on the subject.
Glad to see you're still hanging around Sanger(though I dread when you come back to commenting at your previous volume and I have to use a shoe horn to remove your foot from my @$$ again).
posted by ry on April 4, 2006 7:24 PM
Ry,
1) I never gave you overly much grief, especially to the extent you seem to think I did. Man, I hate to see what you felt if I really did tear into you...
2) We all grow. Aside from being a bit to self-effacing, you have come along really well, and no, I am not trying to be condescending. Point is, you have nothing to apoligize for, nor to be concerned about, not as far as I am concerned, and not for a while...
3) I took what you wrote the way you menat it.. I just didn't like what Jack wrote, and that was the point I was making. I did not assume you liked it. You done good,
4) Everyone should write on the fly. Makes good handwriting practice to get it that small without killing the thing...
5) Just a by-the-way. Among my classmates are:
- A person who was a founding organizer of the revolution that overthrew Milosevic.
- A person who helped negotiate the release of two American hostages in an African country last month.
- A person who is an editor for a WORLD-class highly respected magazine published in Switzerland.
- A person from a small African nation who has worked at the UN for a number of years and as a representative to other countries as part of the diplomatic corp.
- A person from an important middle eastern country working for that country's embassy in China.
- A diplomat from an Indian Ocean country.
- A person from a Baltic State MOD.
- Two people from a major nation in the South Pacific, one from their State Dept and another from an embassy in a different country.
- A person from a major Asian country, assigned to an embassy in a different country.
- Two entrepreneurs, one of whom started and runs an international charity organization, the other of whom is already a lawyer and an MBA.
- Quite a few Americans from U.S. government agencies, doing what I consider important, high-level work.
And _THAT'S_ what I mean by daunting!!
V/R
posted by
SangerM on April 4, 2006 8:18 PM
Raymond - because it's what we are? The nation that invaded Iraq is *also* the nation that helped Pakistan, that helped the nations savaged by the tsunami...
And if nothing else, the dichotomy makes our enemie's heads explode, without the help of a Barrett.
And because it's what we should do when we can - and it's good for our warriors, too. American troops are tough in battle, but they actually, in my experience prefer the gentler approach over bashing heads.
Just another part of the dichotomy.
posted by
John of Argghhh! on April 4, 2006 9:10 PM
Hi everyone. Mass. is cold, but great
No back handed compliments, if you please! Next time I won't let you in!
Chief - to paraphrase Lauren Bacall in "To Have And Have Not"...........
"You know how to make a breeze, don't you Cief...you put your lips together and blow"
posted by
Maggie on April 4, 2006 10:57 PM
"1) I never gave you overly much grief, especially to the extent you seem to think I did. Man, I hate to see what you felt if I really did tear into you..." Mostly a bit of the hyperbole I tend to use. You do have my number though, and you point out my errors in bright red. A hard grader, an exasperating one, but a respected one.
John has the Giant ry Crushing Boot and the Hairy Eyeball. You've got the boot that un erringly finds my butt when I screw up.
"2) We all grow. Aside from being a bit to self-effacing, you have come along really well, and no, I am not trying to be condescending. Point is, you have nothing to apoligize for, nor to be concerned about, not as far as I am concerned, and not for a while..."
Catholic guilt and trying to be realistic about my own flaws. I tend to be intellectually vain in the meat world. Getting knocked around here keeps me humble---even if it gets my blood pressure up once in a while.
Thanks for the compliment though Sanger. Comming from a 'by his bootstraps' guy such as you it does mean something.
posted by ry on April 5, 2006 12:43 PM
WRT Raymond's query.
Why did we help put/support the jackalopes Rhee(S. Korea) and Chang Kai Tscech(ROC) then? Because it was a better alternative than what was in place at the time. Rhee had serious issues about busting the heads of political opponents(and some claim a proto-fascist). CKT was without a doubt a fascistic leader(and Mrs. CKT was a ruthless hag).
Look at both countries now(and I do think of Taiwan as a seperate country from mainland China). Both are rather stable, open, and free democracies. What TPM Barnett calls 'Connectivity' caused that. It'll happen in Afghanistan too. It'll just take a generation or more as they integrate into the world economy and have to deal with these growing pains, just as it did with both of those countries.
That's why we're there. That's why we put so much on the line in defending western Europe as well. We play the long game, which is a mix of hard and soft power. This is only the first 5 minutes of the 1st grt. There's lots of football left to be played.
posted by ry on April 5, 2006 12:52 PM
« Dismissed, Soldier!
by
Denizens
on
Apr 04, 2006
»
My Side of the Puddle links with:
Heard Around Town
Heh. Numerological Trivia. Or izzit horological?
I've gotten two different emails on the subject of an upcoming numerical quirk that occurs early tomorrow morning:
01:02:03 04/05/06.
That won't ever happen again.
You may now return to your (normal ?) life.
The other note I received says it won't happen again for 1000 years. Smarting from recent snarkage around here, I observed:
I got this from a different source that said it won't happen again for 1000 years... Not to be too picky - but as long as we use the "two digit" shorthand for years, won't it happen every 100 years?
In fact, distilled to it's barest bones, wasn't that what the Y2K computer date frenzy we spent all that time, money, and worry on, was about?
A New York science teacher on my friend's email list chimed in with this:
My personal favorite is going to be 12:34 on May 6, 2007.
Not as neat in terms of notation...
That is all. Yeah, I'm bored and inflicting it on you. Too tired to do useful work, but trying to stay awake to get back in synch.
Update - I was just reminded, unless you are using a 24 hour clock notation... it happens twice on the same day, too...
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! »
So, is this and the last para of the Dusty Bait proof that it isn't age but instead the miles? Glad you're back Hoss.
posted by ry on April 4, 2006 3:30 PM
John - I think the "won't happen again" was missing the key phrase "... in our lifetimes". I am not betting on medical science improving enough to make another century ;-)
posted by
Barb on April 4, 2006 10:39 PM
I'd be with ya Barb - except I've now gotten it 6 times, in four different versions... none of them with the requisite caveats!
posted by
John of Argghhh! on April 5, 2006 4:28 AM
« Dismissed, Soldier!
Bait for Dusty
Let's see if this will bring him up for air. Shamelessly stolen from Strategy Page who stole it from the Air Force, anyway - which means it really isn't stealing...
Cpt. Nick DiCapua pilots his OA/A-10 Thunderbolt II observation / attack aircraft to a precontact position behind a KC-135R/T air refueling aircraft, on 26 March, 2006. Afterwards he will make a snap roll and dive thousands of feet, to his low level close air support mission below. Capt. DiCapua a native of Dallas, Tx. is deployed to the 355th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, from the 355th Fighter Squadron, Eielson, Air Force Base Alaska. The KC-135R/T is deployed to the 22 Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, Manas Air Base, Kyrgyz Republic, from the 92nd Air Refueling Wing, Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash. U.S. Air Force photos by Master Sgt. Lance Cheung.
To see the whole series - click this link: A10 Refueling and break-away.
Heh. I remember when A10s were brand-new. They've lasted a lot longer than I did... of course, it would help if I could be rebuilt now and then, too...
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! »
IMHO the most beautiful fixed-wing aircraft to take to the sky since the P-38 in WW2.
Too bad I won't be able to afford one when the Air Force finally retires them. I do NOT understand why they aren't building more of them.
posted by MCart on April 4, 2006 11:51 AM
"I do NOT understand why they aren't building more of them." I've got 4 characters that explain why they aren't building more A-10s. F-22.
ANd of course I've heard from some in the AF that the F-35/JDAM/other stuff mated to the F-35 should be able to do everything the A-10 does. I've also heard from some people in the other services that they want to lynch anyone and everyone who claims that.
posted by ry on April 4, 2006 3:28 PM
John, maybe iff'n ya had a titanium butt, you'd be easier to repair..
posted by
MajMike on April 5, 2006 9:49 AM
I like the F-35 design concept, and I realize the A-10 has some shortcomings, but I don't see how the F-35 can stay on-station at low altitude looking at the ground for hours at a time. I also can't picture a shot-up F-35 missing half a wing limping back to base either.
Perhaps i'm romanticizing the A-10 a bit too much, but being able to fly as low and slow as it does, almost puts it in the same category as a Helicopter. It seems to me more like the F-22 and F-35 are better utilized keeping the skies clear and safe for the A-10 to get down to the dirty ground work. If you can fit precision bombs onto the '22 and '35, so much the better because they can return re-arm and speed to a target much better than an A-10.
Overlapping and complementing abilities.
If the A-10 was obsolete, it wouldn't be as terrifyingly effective as it is today.
posted by MCart on April 5, 2006 1:07 PM
« Dismissed, Soldier!
April 3, 2006
TheArmorer@Home.
Surrounded by Sparks of Life that are Happy I'm Home.
Me too.
And even though it's 9PM CDT on Monday, to my internal clock it's 12 noon on Tuesday... and I've been up since 6AM on Monday...
Ssskkkkkkkkknnnnnnnnnxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx!
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! »
Glad you're back safe and sound, John. :)
posted by
Fuzzybear Lioness on April 3, 2006 9:52 PM
I must still be half whacked--I coulda sworn your post said you're back home.
That can't be right. SWWBO would've snagged you right off and
Oh, I forgot. Laptop.
Heh...welcome back!
posted by cw4(ret)billt on April 3, 2006 10:56 PM
When did you get a lizard?(Ssskkkkkkkkknnnnnnnnnxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx!) Is that a bearded one or no?
posted by ry on April 4, 2006 12:42 PM
« Dismissed, Soldier!
April 2, 2006
Lesson I learned at the Korean War Memorial.
Don't lose your war.
South Korean artillery park.
Saddam's artillery park.
South Korean tank park.
Saddam's tank park.
And lest the snarkers try to score cheap points - yes, I know that's a US (old version, too, based on the tube) US M1 105mm howitzer in the pic. Saddam had a varied artillery park, including what US M109A1s and French GCTs he didn't lose in Round 1.
Okay - I've hit my DEROS* and the clock is ticking on my return to CONUS. Wheels up at the APOE at 1500 Local on Monday, to touch down at the APOD at 1800 Local on Monday, weather permitting. Gonna get back that day I lost coming over here. We're going with the jet stream on this leg, so we'll make better time than coming over. There was one part of the trip where our ground speed was only 289mph, due to a 150mph headwind.
I might surf n blog from Incheon International, and I will, if only for novelty's sake, blog from the aircraft if their promised airborne internet access works well enough.
If not - see ya later. Fuzzy seems to have the H&I thing down and likes the chance to snark me, so the space won't go empty.
Flash Traffic (extended entry) Follows... »
*DEROS= Date of Estimated Return from OverSeas
CONUS= CONtintental United States
APOE= Aerial Port of Embarkation
APOD= Aerial Port of Debarkation.
« Secure this line!
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! »
Fuzzy seems to have the H&I thing down...
Not tomorrow, though. It's back to work for me, and Monday is the busiest day. :)
posted by
Fuzzybear Lioness on April 2, 2006 6:41 PM
But I do have an entertainment suggestion for the Denizens that I'd appreciate being put at the bottom of H&I Fires, if anybody bothers to put it up tomorrow... ;)
posted by
Fuzzybear Lioness on April 2, 2006 6:45 PM
Ah - well, either Brab can do it as the Adjutant, or SWWBO, or you could just post it before you go to bed... Especially being as far west as you are, it would actually be the next day from Bill's perspective. And the blog engine runs on Central.
posted by
John of Argghhh! on April 2, 2006 7:09 PM
FBL - it's tomorrow here....so tell us. I'm not good with patience....you know.......it's a.....umm........whatcha callit........virtue....yeah, that's it! So tell us now!
posted by
Maggie on April 2, 2006 11:19 PM
« Dismissed, Soldier!
So *that's* what makes it go...
On the grounds of the Korean War Memorial they have an old B-52 (the version with a manned tail gunner position).
You know, one of these.
Now here I thought it was those eight, water-injected ozone destroyers on the wing that made this thing fly.
But I was set straight by a young Korean girl who was very proud of her English and her erudition. She told me how the B-52 *really* gets into the air.
I was solemnly informed - it was the Nimbus 2000 that made the B-52 fly.
Who am I to argue with incontrovertible proof like that?
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! »
LOL!
AFBrother would have to set her straight on that assumption. The Buff was his plane during the Gulf War. The B52's flew bombing missions from Diego Garcia, but they never got the maintenance wing up and running before the war was over. Therefore, they used to fly all of the planes needing overhauls and all broken engines back to Barksdale AFB. I was there in April '91, a few months after the war was over, and the hanger was still filled end to end with engines needing repair.
Madness, I tell you!
posted by AFSister on April 2, 2006 10:48 AM
Yeah, well wait'll it upgrades to a Firebolt!
posted by Cricket on April 2, 2006 1:45 PM
That's not a Nimbus! It's a Kami-sama! note the bamboo handle.
posted by
Bad Cat Robot on April 2, 2006 1:58 PM
Figures that BCR *would* argue with a child...
Evil is her first name, after all.
posted by
John of Argghhh! on April 2, 2006 4:30 PM
« Dismissed, Soldier!
Korean War Memorial
I spent yesterday and today going through the Memorial and Museum - 500 pictures worth of going through the museum and associated outdoor displays.
But this post, I'm going to highlight the Memorial. The site sits in central Seoul, on the former site of ROK Army Headquarters. The flags on the left are of the major units of the ROK Armed Forces and Police. On the right, the flags of the nations which fought under the aegis of the United Nations. The Koreans go out of their way to acknowledge those who helped them.
Each of those arms of the building to the left and right are full of bronze tablets containing the names of the known Korean dead from the war. The areas to the left and right of the main entrance, marked by the columns, contain more names. On the right, the known dead from the resistance to the Japanese. On the left, all the known UN dead from the Korean War.
This view shows all the names of non-US dead of the UN nations. You can make out the British flag there on the closest panel.
This view shows the panels containing the US names, organized by State. I would have preferred by Major Unit and Year (which is how the Koreans organized their panels) but hey - how many nations we've helped stay/get free have memorialized our dead in a monument in the middle of their capital city - with equal billing to their own dead? So I'm not making any official complaints.
This view shows the Korean panels. Those are stairs in the center, leading to another chamber the same size as this one. There is a mirror image on the other side of the Memorial, plus the section to the right of the entrance to the museum.
There are 34,000 or so names on the US slabs, so that should give you some idea of the scope of Korean losses. And the Korean panels hold more names - each Korean name is essentially three Hangul characters. You can cram a lot of names on those panels when you are doing the an English equivalent of JHD, vice John H. Donovan.
Speaking of whom - I found this panel, listing casualties from the state of Virginia, to be somewhat... bemusing.
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! »
Oh wow.
What in incredible memorial museum! I can't believe they put so much time, effort, and thought into thanking ALL who fought in their war. I may be wrong, but I don't think any of our war memorials even come close to thanking all of our allies in such a personal way.
Simply amazing, John. Sounds like an awe-inspiring day.
posted by AFSister on April 2, 2006 10:51 AM
John, that panel gave me creeps... Can only imagine how you felt at that moment...
I think South Koreans are the only ones who came up with such a memorial for our troops...
posted by olga on April 2, 2006 11:55 AM
And what's more amazing to me is that there isn't much anger comming out of S. Korea about the 'US destroying Seoul'. That city was flattened in recapturing it(the second time, not Chromite). Yet, they hold no ill will over that(lots of new and made up stuff, but not over that).
To be fair, there are memorials in Europe. Patton is/was intered there, with his troops. Then there's the giant D-Day memorial.
posted by ry on April 2, 2006 1:39 PM
That is truly an awesome memorial. The best one is to keep their country free. Yes, there are memorials
all over the world thanking the people who helped in their struggle, but I am sorta like Ben Franklin; They have freedom if they can keep it.
posted by Cricket on April 2, 2006 1:49 PM
John, man! Ye've been dead all this time!
'Splains a lot, don't it???
*running away*
posted by
Cassandra on April 2, 2006 3:56 PM
Ry - I didn't say there weren't memorials in Europe. I know there are. And ones we didn't pay for.
There just aren't any I'm aware of in national capitals that list names.
Granted, 34K names is easier to deal with than 400K.
posted by
John of Argghhh! on April 2, 2006 4:28 PM
John, remember that phrase you've been beating me near to death with? 'It ain't always about you'?
I wasn't ankle bitting you, Hoss. Stop eating the kimchee. It's making you think like me.
posted by ry on April 2, 2006 4:37 PM
Well, okay.
posted by
John of Argghhh! on April 2, 2006 4:41 PM
I know there are many memorials around the world, but ones that list all those names? Or go through such great lengths to help those who fought for that country? I dunno. I don't think any of the memorials in the US that, although, our country has never been occupied like Korea was.
posted by AFSister on April 2, 2006 7:12 PM
Here's something that hasn't come up yet: Seoul is the site of a major battle that the US/UN took part in(and won). Not much of a battle for Paris, and the Russians had Berlin reserved for them.
If, and I pray to God it never happens, the fight for Taiwan takes place I wouldn't be surprised to see such a memorial built in Taipei(of course all those names would be Sailors, Pilots, and Aviators).
posted by ry on April 3, 2006 11:10 AM
I see that Ry will be putting the Battle Monuments Commission under the Department of Redundancy Department.
posted by
John of Argghhh! on April 3, 2006 1:38 PM
Nope. Pilots and Aviators are different. Just ask Sir Lex-alot. ;)
posted by ry on April 4, 2006 12:39 PM
« Dismissed, Soldier!
© Pamela Bobik
