March 10, 2007
H&I* Fires 10 Mar 2007
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...
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Just about everything you'd want to know about the the new Deputy CG of Walter Reed (he has a connection to Fort Leavenworth). And many here will be happy to know that WR's civilian/contract workforce is getting scrutinized.
Visit Walter Reed News for the latest news WRAMC news and opinion.
Chuck Schumer, one of those making political hay over the WR story, on Don Imus:
Imus: Here’s another question. Have you ever been over to Walter Reed?Which reminds me that the administrators at WR aren't the only ones who have failed in their responsibilities and oversight powers... - FbLSchumer: Ahh, not in a while, no.
Imus: How long has it been since you’ve been over there?
Schumer: Oh, before Iraq.
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Pre-registration for the MilBlog Conference has begun.Hope to see you there! - FbL
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I am at the ancestral home, tending to family matters. And I find that here at Berkeley-on-the-Hinkson, we'll have *Nazis* Marching Downtown! Not the Illinois Nazis, sadly. Hopefully some will find their way into the Hinkson, except that, IIRC, along their route of march there are no bridges to scare them off of nor water into. Sigh. Belushi you idiot. I miss your movies.
To continue Fuzzybear's theme about WRAMC today is this bit from the WSJ OpinionJournal:
These manifest problems will now tread water while we await the president's commission, Congress's hearings and on into the darkness. We have some shorter-term ideas to get help where it's needed.For starters, free the patients captive inside this system. Congress should give these wounded soldiers vouchers to pay for out-patient care anywhere in America they wish--near home and family, at innumerable state-of-the-art rehab facilities, at specialized care institutions. Army word-of-mouth would quickly transmit data on best care, location, cost and family support. The professionals and staff in these places would move heaven and earth to help the service men and women.
To make this work, give a primary role to nonprofit foundations. The Fisher House program of comfort homes for families is perhaps the most famous. There are others more than willing to help.
Certainly the government needs to right its own battered programs. But in the meantime, let the American people--the world's greatest reservoir of medical, financial and volunteer skills--at last get involved helping those who've been fighting on our behalf in Iraq and in the war on terror.
Indeed.
Read the rest here. -the Armorer
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The Democrats boycott Fox News. Really. - FbL
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This is kewl. Public art. There is some *really* clever and inventive stuff in there. There is also some needlessly porny stuff, so be careful if you are around prudes. But the other stuff is easily worth the occasional somewhat tacky stuff. -the Armorer
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Reading Fuzzy's link to the bio on BG Tucker, I see that Sanger and I both overlapped with a much younger Tucker when we were in the First Tank. All the kewl kids were in the First Tank. -the Armorer
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Unpartisan.com Political News and Blog Aggregator links with: President Names Seven More to Walter Reed Commission
More "Professional" Press Coverage of the Military
FbL Here: I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but some days when I read AP articles, I wonder if maybe that's a reasonable explanation...
One idea Democrats have floated as part of a "slow bleed" strategy is to force the DoD to give all troops a specific amount of "home time" between deployments, and other such standards of recovery or refreshment. Right on cue, here's the AP story about how the military already doesn't have the "fresh troops" it needs--prepares the ground for congress members to come to the rescue by hamstringing the President "because we care about the troops." [my comments follow, in bold]...
Yesterday's Whatziss...
The Land-Locked Sailor Gun Dealer (though there is a salt-water body nearby, it simply has no outlet to the sea), John S, was correct. It is in fact the fuze train of a black-powder time fuze (in this case, French) from the 1880-1918 era. Of course, he was also wrong. Because it's been an ashtray a lot longer than it ever served as a fuze...
Anyway, a fuze much like these. In fact, the fat one on the incomplete rusty relic (second from the right) is identical.
John's description was correct - a black powder fuze train filled those grooves.
First, take a spindle. Then, add the made-from-lead spiral, like this.
Lastly, then, wrap that in a thin lead sheet or wax-paper cover (needs to be waterproof) and put a calibrated cap on it, marked with burn times, so that the cannoneer can use his awl and punch a hole corresponding to the time of flight before detonating, whether for a shrapnel shell, high-explosive air burst, or illuminating round. The way it works is - you punch the hole, load the round, fire it, and the 'blow-by' hot gases when the round exits the muzzle ignite the fuze train. usually. Not always, especially if you are firing lower charges. Lastly, wrap it in a thin lead sheet to water proof the whole shebang until needed. Yes, this would be an *added* lead sheath - like this.
Or, you could remove the powder, take off the cap and powder train, invert them, stack 'em on the spindle, put a screw through it to hold 'em in place, and you could make a souvenir of service trench art ashtray out of it.
Like the one that sits on the Militaria Bar of Argghhh!...
I am not a golfer...
...nor do I play one on TV. But I find the following joke (told in V29's inimitable style) downright chucklesome:
Four lawyers in a law firm lived for their Saturday morning round of golf. It was their favorite moment of the week. Then one of the lawyers was transferred to an office in another city.It wasn't quite the same without him. Then, a new lawyer joined their law firm. A woman.
One day she overheard the remaining three talking about their golf round at the coffee table. Curious, she spoke up, "You know, I used to play on my golf team in college and I was pretty good. Would you mind if I joined you next week?"
The three lawyers looked at each other. They were hesitant. Not one of them wanted to say “Yes,” but she had them on the spot. Finally, one of them said it would be okay, but they would be starting pretty early, at 6:30 am.
He figured the early tee-time would discourage her immediately. The woman said this might be a problem, and asked if she could possibly be up to 15 minutes late. They rolled their eyes, but said this would be okay.
She smiled, and said, "Good, then I'll be there either at 6:30 or 6:45." She showed up at 6:30 on the dot and wound up beating all three of them with an eye-opening 2-under par round. She was a fun and pleasant person the entire round. The guys were impressed! Back in the clubhouse, they congratulated her and happily invited her to play again the following week.
She smiled, and said, "Sure, I'll be here at 6:30 or 6:45." The next week, she showed up at 6:30, but she played left-handed. The three lawyers were incredulous as she still managed to beat them with an even par round, despite playing with her off-hand. By now the guys were totally amazed, but wondered if she was just trying to make them look bad by beating them left- handed. They couldn't figure her out. She was again very pleasant and didn't seem to be purposely showing them up, but each man began to harbor a burning desire to beat her!
In the third week, they all had their game faces on -- but she was 15 minutes late! This had the guys irritable because each was determined to play the best round of golf of his life. As they waited for her, they figured her late arrival was some petty gamesmanship on her part. Finally, she showed up. This week, she played right-handed and narrowly beat all three of them. However, she was so gracious and so complimentary of their strong play, it was hard to hold a grudge against her. This woman was a riddle no one could figure out!
Back in the clubhouse, she had all three guys shaking their heads at her ability. They had a couple of beers at the 19th hole, which helped the conversation loosen up. Finally, one of the men could contain his curiosity any longer. He asked her point blank, "How do you decide if you're going to golf right-handed or left-handed?"
The lady blushed, and grinned. She said, "That's easy. When my Dad taught me to play golf, I learned I was ambidextrous. I have always had fun switching back and forth. Then, when I met my husband in college and got married, I discovered he always sleeps in the nude. From then on, I developed a silly habit. Right before I left in the morning for golf practice, I would pull the covers off him. If his thingie was pointing to the right, I golfed right-handed; if it was pointed to the left, I golfed left-handed.
All the guys on the team thought this was hysterical." Astonished at this bizarre information, one of the guys shot back, "But what if it's pointed straight up in the air?"
She said, "Then, I'm fifteen minutes late.
The premise is kinda far-fetched, though.
Not that the notion of a good-looking, ambidexterous, female lawyer with a dynamite personality who plays pro-grade golf is all that odd -- but a *punctual* female??? C'mon...
Heh. If I'd posted that during the week, the SB Brigade would'a shredded me...
I went. I saw. I liked.
[Denizen Ry reviews the move 300]
300. I saw it. I liked it. It isn’t history or the only thinly veiled social commentary one expects from comics produced after 1995.
It draws heavily from history for its substance but it isn’t history, not even close. It’s also done in comic book style. Everything is at the extremes---mega-pretty or mega-ugly; mega-virtuous or mega-unvirtuous. It’s a binary world. Good guys wear leather Speedos and carry bronze shields (with the inverted V, but not done in red like I am used to seeing.). Bad guys wear not-leather Speedos and lots of gold.
Aside: “Then we will fight in the shade.” That line always brings a smile to my face, ever since I first heard it in The 300, the 1960s version of history. That ranks right up there with “Nuts” as one of the gutsiest military quotes of all time.
The talk of politics being inherent to the film shows some real shallow thinking; a real lacking grasp of the actual event and all of its particulars; and a refusal to see the piece for what it is in gollom’s opinion. It’s hagiography of the Spartans, King Leonidas in particular, done in full comic book super-hero over the top coolness. Live action anime would be a good description--- there actually were moments when I expected someone to yell ‘Hitten-misturugi style…” as they cut someone down, but that would be un-Spartan like.
It’s a comic book paeon to Leonidas brought to life without a whole lot of ‘lessons’ to be taken home, not even historical ones. Full stop. Going past that and you’re making straw men, revealing far more about you than the film itself.
At the end of the day gollum liked 300. It entertained him for two hours. If you’re a Castle regular you’ll probably enjoy it too.
--ry
March 9, 2007
H&I* Fires, 09 MAR 2007
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...
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Since I know FOX has done a recent story about Israeli air strikes against Iran it might be worth looking to see what such a raid could do. Oxford has released such a study(pdf-24 pages). That I found the study at the intensely anti-Iraq War War in Context it should tell you what their conclusions are. But it’s still an interesting read.
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Grognards assemble! Unfortunately this is true. A game a buddy of mine has been working on for 10 years about conflict in the Formosa Straight can’t find a publisher because nobody will buy pen and paper games anymore. Most people find even Warhammer 40K too complicated and cumbersome to play. We’re a dying breed. What, with my rapidly graying beard the days of hardcore board gamers are now seriously numbered.(h/t J of ArmchairGeneralist)
--ry
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File under: Well Duh
They could have sent me the money and I'da told them the same blame thing. :)
*ducking and running for cover before he's skewered by the Castle Ladies :) *
-BloodSpite
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Oh, the horror! I tested out as... the Prince of Darkness! (Wesley Clark for those who don't understand the reference) I may have to rethink my whole approach!
[I got pegged as Robert E. Lee -- must've been all the grey hair... --Bill]
Fortunately, I did better on this test - along with Mike D, I got a 100, so I guess I should vote. How about you? Should you vote - or not? -the Armorer
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If you have an interest - the Internet Haganah's Top 10 Jihadist website list.
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In Brit military news... Corporal Budd's Victoria Cross is awarded to his widow, Lorena.
THE Queen presented the widow of hero Para Bryan Budd with his Victoria Cross yesterday — telling her: “Always be proud of him.”Cpl Budd, 29, died during a brave lone charge at Taliban fighters in the southern Afghan badlands.
He freed up his stricken section to escape an ambush by killing three enemy at point-blank range before being gunned down himself.
Widow Lorena, 23, received the cherished medal — only the second given in 25 years — during a private 15-minute audience with the Queen in Buckingham Palace’s State Dining Room.
She said: “I am enormously proud of him and it has been an emotional day. He was a loving husband and father. He will always be missed, but his memory continues to live on. The award of the Victoria Cross recognises his conspicuous gallantry, inspirational leadership and supreme valour.
“He made the ultimate sacrifice by laying down his life. However, he did so doing the job he loved, serving in the regiment that meant so much to him.”
Always be proud of him.
Indeed.
Now is the time at Castle Argghhh! when we dance: In Memoriam, Commonwealth-style. -the Armorer
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From 1941 until present day he has protected America from Nazi's, Communists, and Criminals. He has fought madmen, genius's, war generals and common thugs. Unfortunately, this Childhood hero of mine, has been killed
Goodbye Captain America. We need you now more than ever, I fear. And what you stood for.
-BloodSpite
Lookit what the DC Circuit Court said in a gun decision handed down today...
...about the 2nd Amendment.
To summarize, we conclude that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep and bear arms. That right existed prior to the formation of the new government under the Constitution and was premised on the private use of arms for activities such as hunting and self-defense, the latter being understood as resistance to either private lawlessness or the depredations of a tyrannical government (or a threat from abroad). In addition, the right to keep and bear arms had the important and salutary civic purpose of helping to preserve the citizen militia. The civic purpose was also a political expedient for the Federalists in the First Congress as it served, in part, to placate their Antifederalist opponents. The individual right facilitated militia service by ensuring that citizens would not be barred from keeping the arms they would need when called forth for militia duty. Despite the importance of the Second Amendment’s civic purpose, however, the activities it protects are not limited to militia service, nor is an individual’s enjoyment of the right contingent upon his or her continued or intermittent enrollment in the militia.
Emphasis mine.
Read the decision here. I can't wait for the Gun-Grabbing Senators to attack this piece.
I've not had time to read the whole thing, and I'm not a lawyer, anyway. The suit was brought by residents of DC asserting that certain DC gun laws infringed on their rights.
Media Lies links with: A landmark decision by the DC District Court....
Alright! General Cody listened to me!
Heck, I'm sure he read the blog.
Okay, mebbe not. Probably not. Almost certainly not. But great minds think alike, right?
The Army did do something many of us recommended - including Army doctors. Sent a combat arms general to Walter Reed.
A combat-arms brigadier general from Fort Knox will take over as deputy commanding general of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, a move that Army officials said yesterday will allow medical commanders to focus on health care while battle-hardened field officers work to regain the trust of wounded soldiers.Gen. Richard A. Cody, the Army's vice chief of staff, announced that Brig. Gen. Michael S. Tucker will come to Washington as part of a leadership restructuring at Walter Reed that will include the creation of a brigade focused on helping wounded outpatients navigate a treacherous bureaucracy. Cody, speaking to reporters at Walter Reed, said the changes are designed to attack problems and lapses exposed in a series of Washington Post articles and to ensure that veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan receive the care and respect they deserve.
Cody said he believes that new leadership is key to fixing problems that let outpatient soldiers fall through the cracks.
Woot!
Read the rest here at the Washington Post.
Unpartisan.com Political News and Blog Aggregator links with: Firing the Wrong General
The Whatziss... answered.
...Not! I don't know what it is either - though I agree with those of you who saw it as an azimuth measuring instrument, that might somehow use the sun. All I do know about it is that it's WWII, Soviet, and it dovetailed on to something else, probably an azimuth base of some sort.
This next one, however, I *do* know what it is.
Here's another picture for you people who get so wrapped around scale...
One hint - it's a component of something, not a stand-alone.
Once again, the war touches the Castle.
This time in the death of Staff Sergeant Darrell Kasson, a buddy of frequent commenter (and content contributor when he was deployed) Pogue. I'll let him pick up the thread.
I've attached the press release and photo. The cleaned up version is below. SSG Kasson was performing the function of a Gunnery Sergeant with our battery before he mobilized with the 259th. We'll miss him.Pogue
An Arizona Army National Guardsman died Sunday in Iraq . Staff Sergeant (SSG) Darrel Kasson, 43, of Florence , AZ., was killed on Mar 4, 2007 in Iraq when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) exploded near his vehicle. Staff Sergeant Kasson was deployed with the Arizona Army National Guard’s Phoenix – based 259th Engineer Company and was a member of Alpha Battery, 2-180th Field Artillery Battalion.
“Our thoughts are with Sergeant Kasson’s family, loved ones and unit members during this time,” said Major General David P. Rataczak, The Adjutant General of the Arizona National Guard. “Sergeant Kasson was a patriot who served his country selflessly. The Arizona National Guard has lost a valued family member.”
The 259th Company was mobilized in August 2006 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. They left Arizona for Camp Shelby , MS in August 2006 for training until they deployed to Iraq in November, 2006. The 259th Company’s mission in Iraq is to perform Security Forces Operations that includes area security, route security, and convoy escort activities.
Sergeant Kasson’s family would also like to add the following:
On behalf of the Kasson Family we would like to thank all of those who have been praying for Darrel these 6 months while he was deployed to Iraq .Darrel loved the Lord, his family, and his country very much. Darrel is going to be missed by those who knew him in church, the community and the Department of Corrections where he had been employed for the past 19 years.
Darrel passed on doing one of his greatest passions and that was serving his country. He had served faithfully with the Arizona Army National Guard for the past 20 years.
Funeral arrangements are being made and are forthcoming.
Thank you very much for all of your concern for the Kasson family.
Now is the time at Castle Argghhh! when we dance: In Memoriam.
Fort Campbell GIs Earn Silver Stars
Army News Service | February 28, 2007FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - Just more than 200 Silver Stars have been awarded for Operation Iraqi Freedom since it began in 2003, and three of them now belong to Soldiers from one Fort Campbell platoon.
The 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, returned in November from the streets of Ramadi, Iraq, with stories of heroism. When a barrage of small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades pierced the night silence on March 13, Staff Sgt. Jeremy Wilzcek, Spc. Jose Alvarez and Spc. Gregory Pushkin discovered how they would react in an intense, deadly situation.
"I immediately freaked out," said Alvarez, who was able to regain his composure upon seeing his comrade, Staff Sgt. Marco Silva, incapacitated in the middle of the street.
Alvarez left cover and ran into the kill zone. He covered his buddy's body with his own and returned fire on the enemy. "I snatched him up and started dragging him away," Alvarez said.
While Alvarez dragged Silva to the safety of cover, two pieces of shrapnel plunged into his leg. "I was pretty laid out," he said.
Nevertheless, Alvarez quickly returned to the fight after receiving battlefield aid.
Pushkin and Wilzcek also darted into the line of fire, risking their own lives, to retrieve wounded comrades.
Pushkin kicked down the door of a home to provide cover for injured troops reeling from the intensity of the ambush. He laid down suppressive fire, then, he and Wilzcek pushed their way to a pair of troops pinned down and injured.
"Training took over," Pushkin said. "My mind just shut down, and I focused on what was in front of me, I had no sense of time at all."
After receiving their Silver Star from 101st Airborne Division Commander Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser at Lozada Gym on Fort Campbell Feb. 15, the three heroes were still humble about the actions that earned them the award for "gallantry in action."
"I feel honored to be recognized, but there are a lot of people in Iraq doing the same thing," Wilczek said.
Though the three downplay their acts of courage, Sgt. Michael Row has a much different take on the events of that night. "I was trapped in the street, and they pulled me out of there," Row said.
"All three men risked their lives numerous times to come to the aid of their comrades," said Lt. Col. Ron Clark, 1st Bn., 506th Inf. Reg., commander.
Schloesser also awarded 14 Bronze Stars with Valor to other unit members during the same ceremony. In all, nearly 200 awards were given to the Band of Brothers Soldiers, including 87 Purple Hearts and 91 Army Commendation Medals with Valor.
(Pfc. Paul David Ondik writes for the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 505th Infantry Regiment.)
"Training took over," Pushkin said. "My mind just shut down, and I focused on what was in front of me, I had no sense of time at all."
That's the purpose of good training - get the basics instilled at an instinctual level - leaving your higher brain function for analysis and decision-making - and the more "templates" you have installed (study your military history, junior leaders) the faster the ideas pop into your head.
Well done, soldiers!
Nom de guerre: Rivrdog links with: War, in detail
March 8, 2007
H&I* Fires, 08 MAR
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...
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Via Heidi's Mom, a bit from the KGW (Oregon) Afghanistan Blog by their embedded reporter Scott Kesterton on the difficulties of Coalition Warfare.
Near the end of February, the clinic was finally opened. Lacking the promised Dutch funding, the US Special Operations Civil Affairs team took matters into their own hands. Using a limited amount of funds that were available to them through US channels, as well as their own labor and labor donated by the locals, the majority of the clinic was completed. The finishing touch came one afternoon with the arrival of a contracted supply truck that had been dispatched by the Afghan government with over $50,000 US worth of supplies for the clinic. Where the Dutch had failed, the Afghan government had come through.Examples like this remain an ongoing problem here in Afghanistan for US command. While NATO and ISAF forces have deployed here, many of the promises and commitments made to the US are not being upheld. As one US soldier stated, "NATO and ISAF are unwillingness to accept risk, but are more than willing to accept credit for the work done by US forces." In this case, it's unclear who will officially get credit for the medical clinic at Oshay, even though the credit rests solely with the efforts and accomplishments of the US Special Operations Civil Affairs team lead by Stew and Suss. As for the the Dutch officers comment about trust and promises, it appears that they have a ways to go to fulfill their commitment.
Read the rest here, it's worth your effort.
Changing tack, CAPT H points out the *real* reason Prince Harry is being sent to Iraq...
This just in:
Fuzzybear Lioness on the dangers of getting your news solely from the headlines... and she thinks she knows *exactly* the answer to the question, "Where do we get warriors like that?"
I'm inclined to agree. -the Armorer
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Get some, flyboys. It's nice when it's this cut-and-dried - especially when the bad guy doesn't hide amongst the innocent. -the Armorer
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Last night there was a mini Castle Blogmeet near Boston. SangerM was in town and we got together over a pizza. Thanks to John, I have met some very interesting people......Maggie
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Really need some advice, gang.
The madness starts here and the latest rendition of it is here
I have never desired to be back in the military so much in my entire life as today.The complete casual disregard by every single person at the insurance company, my employer and the client has been a complete shock. At least in the Army (Walter Reed or no Walter Reed) you knew that someone was going to try to help you. be it JAG, Sick Call, First Shirt, or Commander, someone was going to help you get the ball rolling.
This, on the other hand, borders on pathetic, to me anyway.
-BloodSpite
Today in history...
1862 Battle of Elkhorn Tavern, ends: Pea Ridge is an interesting fight. For those of you in the midwest, where larger-scale Civil War battlefields are scarce, it's a good one to visit. Trivia note - according to the Missouri Historical Society, there are more 'named Civil War engagements' in Missouri than any other state except Virginia. The Civil War was tough out here in Missouri and Kansas. But nothing like the bloodbath in Northern Virginia and Maryland. Although - while not as bloody in absolute terms, the fight out here was probably meaner and more venal.
Anyway - as the military history instructor at Fort Sill, I used to conduct Staff Rides to Pea Ridge. It's a nice small battlefield, well maintained and a good fight to study. It pretty much is a textbook example regarding the Principles of War, as published in US Army Field Manual FM 100-5 (now FM 3-0). My view of the principles is a little skewed... when I look at winners and losers, what I usually find is that the side that screwed up the least wins. Not always - mass can have a gravitas all it's own... ask the Finns. In this fight MG Curtis, the Union commander, screwed up the least. The mnemonic I use for the Principles is MOSSMOUSE.
Mass
Objective
Surprise
Simplicity
Maneuver
Offensive
Unity of Command
Security
Economy of Force.
In this fight, Confederate Commander MG Earl Van Dorn moves his forces out of winter quarters in northeastern Arkansas to attack MG Curtis' troops, who are gathered on the ridge south of ElkHorn Tavern (though that ridge is NOT Pea Ridge, which is just to the north). Van Dorn wins Offensive, Maneuver and Surprise as he makes a daring flank march (see Stonewall Jackson at Chancellorsville) to get behind Curtis' force. Due to chain of command issues - i.e., Missouri Militia General Sterling Price's forces are not yet assimilated officially into the Confederate Army, and MG Ben McCulloch feels he should be in command and not Van Dorn, Van Dorn splits his forces - with McCullochs' troops attacking on the west side of Pea Ridge, Van Dorn and Price's troops attacking from the east side of the ridge, at Elkhorn Tavern. McCulloch's forces include the formation of Native Americans, commanded by then-Colonel Stand Watie - who later rose to Brigadier General and commander of the First Indian Brigade - the last Confederate General to surrender his forces at war's end. However, Curtis has scouts out as he should, and detects the movement - score Security for Curtis.
Union Commander Curtis, even though his command includes a large number of ethnic Germans from the St. Louis area who don't speak good english under the command of MG Franz Sigel, wins Unity of Command hands down over Van Dorn. Sigel has his best day of the Civil War at Pea Ridge under Curtis - and it wasn't that good a day. Curtis did have the enormous leadership challenge of pulling his troops out of prepared positions to turn around and face an enemy coming at them from the rear - just about the most difficult thing you can do to any unit and not induce panic - but he had the advantage of a unified command with no real quarrels about who was in charge - and he had interior lines, so that he could control both sides of his fight with little movement between them, unlike Van Dorn who was trying to synchronize two separate fights miles apart. In this, Curtis also gets the nod for Simplicity, Van Dorn a big fat 'F'.
Early on, Curtis recognized that the most serious threat to his position was McCulloch's attack on the left. He left the Iowan, Col. Grenville Dodge and the 1st Brigade, 4th Division, supported with artillery, to bear the brunt of the fight that first day at Pea Ridge, while Curtis managed to defeat in detail McCulloch's disjointed attacks on the left. Dodge would later achieve fame as the Chief Engineer of the Union Pacific railroad - and the opening of the West. This act wins for Curtis the Economy of Force laurel - not trying to be everywhere at once. Accepting risk and dealing with the greatest threat.
By his economy of force choice at Elkhorn Tavern, Curtis also wins Mass - something the Confederates never achieved, piecemealing in as they did on both sides - though it's a very close fight at Elkhorn Tavern that first day. It's a good thing for Dodge that the Confederates didn't have sufficient ammunition for their guns - they were reduced, by the end of the day's fighting, to shooting rocks and scrap iron from their cannon - and the Union artillery was knocking off the Confederate batteries. Van Dorn's chain of command problems, lack of mass, and exterior lines of communication in effect allow Curtis to swipe Maneuver back from Van Dorn as during the night he shifted his forces to the east side of the battlefield and counter-attacked at the Tavern, knocking Van Dorn fully out of the fight, and making it a win for Curtis.
Pea Ridge is not a battle you hear much about - I suggest precisely because Curtis won the fight. The battle of Shiloh was a month away. If Curtis had been badly defeated and his small army dispersed or captured, the threat to Missouri would have been immense. Missouri was a strategically significant source of lead (for bullets), mules, and food, clothing, and fodder for whoever held the state. The great concentration of forces for Shiloh might not have happened, if General Halleck decided to pull significant forces back to protect St. Louis and the west bank of the Mississippi. A rousing Confederate victory at Pea Ridge and significant inroads into the State of Missouri, with the pro-Southern Missouri Governor Sterling Price at the head of the Missouri State Guard, the Union would have had to respond. Alternatively, Van Dorn's 10,000 troops, fresh from a victory at Pea Ridge might have made a decisive difference on the first day at Shiloh. But because MG Curtis won - we'll never know, and so there is a very nicely maintained, if not all that easy to get to, Civil War battlefield in northeast Arkansas that's worth a visit!
84 years later...
1945 The Remagen Bridge is captured by the 9th Armored Division. Interesting tidbit about the 9th Armored. The division was originally an element of Patton's FUSAG, First US Army Group, the 'ghost' army created as a part of the pre-Overlord deception plan. Two of those units did in fact get stood-up. The 108th Infantry Division and the 9th Armored. Most armored divisions named themselves and incorporated that name into their shoulder insigia. 1st Armored, "Old Ironsides", 2nd Armored "Hell on Wheels", 3rd Armored, "Spearhead", etc. The 9th tooks it's name from it's origins, "Phantom". Another interesting bit about the deception plan was the level of detail undertaken to underpin the story. To the point that shoulder insignia were designed (in case there were spies who would note the absence of such things) and as the story relates in the link - the fact that patches were produced. I have a relatively extensive patch collection I inherited - and I have examples of all of those patches.
A new whatziss...
So, tell me - what *is* this?
I'll be more charitable than usual... here's two more views. One. Two.
Thinking about military health care...
...at 4:30AM this morning while driving to Wal-Mart to buy some coffee because I forgot to get some yesterday, I had this epiphany.
I'm having a bit of a negotiation with TRICARE over them paying for a procedure I want done - oddly enough, they are willing to pay for the riskier and far more expensive procedure, and not the much simpler, less risky, just-as-effective procedure, which doesn't make sense on the surface of it. Until you realize that if they do approve the cheaper, less risky, just-as-effective procedure - demand for it will dramatically increase - and doctors will be more likely to recommend it - which will quite possibly increase their costs. That or they're just dimwitted bureaucratic dinosaurs wrapped up in process. Both are plausible explanations.
That led me down a different path in thinking about the system.
Setting aside that the individuals actually providing the care to the patient are interested in positive outcomes and good patient care - the *system* actually has a disincentive to do that, especially for the retiree class of consumers. And there are few market mechanisms at work, it being essentially a government monopoly - and one where a decrement in patient load is in fact a net plus. That is exactly what Secretary Rumsfeld was after with the increase in TRICARE fees, he wanted to lose customers/reduce demand, because he knew he wasn't going to be allowed to make money or break-even. He essentially wanted to shed some of his excess population no longer of value to him in order to maximize his dollars for his still-useful (active duty) population, given how the budget works.
If you really go all morbid on the subject, having us die off is a net plus to the department in several ways. There's a reduction in the subsidy for the medical system. The pension ends, and the reduced surviving spouse benefits are paid from a pool that the retiree contributed to, and the death costs are borne by the VA. If they provide truly excellent health care... we keep drawing on the health care dollars, we keep drawing our pensions, and they don't get a thing out of it anymore.
I'm not suggesting anyone besides the actuarys are really thinking it through that way - but it does beg the question, doesn't it... how do you manage a system with that kind of incentive structure...?
Just thinking out loud. Not proposing anything, just musing.