March 17, 2007
Saint Patrick's Day, a time to celebrate, a time to mourn.
Today is Mom's memorial service.
Because of how I grew up, God speaks to me in Elizabethan English. In deference to that, my sister, who pulled together the service, decreed it will be conducted using the King James Version of the Holy Bible. Thank you, Kathy, it means more than you might understand.
I detest neckties. Today I'll wear one happily, because Mom would expect it. You need to understand, I've boycotted events I paid for because someone decided I had to wear a necktie.
So, today, in addition to wearing a tie, I will speak in English that Will Shakespeare would be comfortable with,as I read at Mom's service. While I will use my Portentous Announcer Voice, I will resist the urge to sing the words per the song.
Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3, verses 1-8.
A Time for Everything
1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
Goodbye, Mom. Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh! I love you and I miss you terribly right now. The world is rather blurry and my nose keeps running for some reason.
Now is the time at Castle Argghhh!, when the Armorer dances, for Mom. To the music she requested for her service, The Navy Hymn.
Heh. Mom's ashes were sitting on the table, at the place where she must have played 1,000,000 games of solitaire. So I put a pack of cards there. Dad laughed.
Way to go, Mom. Snow? Imp.
As Bloodspite noted in an email: Ar dheis Dé go raibh sé. Is fear rith maith ná drochsheasamh. Go dtaga do ríocht.
Mom does sit right-by-God and yes, indeed, it was a good run.
H&I* Fires, 17 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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Discussion as to whether India would or wouldn't help against Iran.
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Some good news from Danger Room for once. Army may have solved an electronic warfare problem.
--ry
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Unintended Consequences. From Jim Dunnigan at Strategy Page.
Cluster Bomb Gold Mine In Sight by James Dunnigan March 17, 2007Renewed international efforts to ban cluster bombs was welcomed by Chinese arms manufacturers. When landmines were banned by international treaty, a document China did not sign, China instantly got a much larger share of the landmine market. They expect the same thing to happen if the cluster bomb treaty is signed.
-the Armorer
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Those who know, know...
New Regional Pilot Qualification Minimums1. Must be willing to pay $5000 training fee for Second-in-Command (SIC) type rating in Canadian Regional Jet (CRJ).
2. Current Drivers License
3. PC with Internet access, and cell phone.
4. Green card (preferred)
5. Positive attitude (team player highly valued)
6. Ability to sleep in narrow aisle way (preferred)
7. Must be able to lift 50lbs.
8. Knowledge of aviation lingo (preferred)Duties to include:
• Sit in right seat to satisfy Federal requirement.
• Load/unload baggage
• De-ice aircraft
• Perform routine maintenance procedures
• Fuel aircraft (when operationally required)
• Wash/clean galley
• Dump and service lavatory
• Ensure all federal regulations are complied withCompany will provide training on government assistance.
10 company shares of stock to be awarded upon 5 years service with company.Minimum requirements are subject change without notice, and are not restrictive. Six-year bi-lateral contract required; fifteen thousand dollar early termination fee applies, including training failure event on pilot’s permanent FAA record.
There's been lots of wonkish discussion (and even an editorial in the WSJ recently) about "Open Skies" to make it easier for US and European airlines to compete in each other's regions. Of course, anything that makes air travel cheaper is good for the consumer, right?
Been on a passenger jet lately? Comfortable wasn't it? I'm especially impressed with the comfy RJ seats.
I'd rather be a box.
Then there's the airline pilot career field. The above list may be a joke, but it isn't far off. Plus, an airline owner's principal function, given the standard profit margin of 1 to 2 percent in the industry as a whole, is to maximize hours worked and minimize pay and benefits for those actually doing the flying.
While it's grossly unfair, not to mention tedious and unoriginal, to just write them off as evil, rapacious capitalists, there is something to be said for the perennially grotesque relationship between airline management and labor. See Frank Lorenzo for a taste...and note the link is a government website.
Deregulation is, at least hypothetically, a good thing in most cases but the net effect for air travel has been, to put it mildly, somewhat disappointing. I doubt American consumers today are leaning forward in the foxhole to complement the industry as a whole on its efficiency, reliability or reputation for making air travel a pleasant experience. The exception proves the rule.
I avoid air travel as much as possible in my job, and I'm an airline pilot.
Not counting First and Business Class, the best seat is in the front with the special windows that allow one to see forward. Luckily for me, I work in a industry niche where the crews have, to date, been able to avoid the insane scheduling associated with the vast majority of the industry. The regional guys have it the worst...low pay, long hours and an environment that makes mishaps more likely thanks to chronic fatigue. You don't want to know how experienced the guys in front are...or aren't...or how many legs they've flown already that day...or how many mistakes are made in any given flight, despite the number of people on the flight deck.
Alas, management is driven to do what it does by the market and labor is driven to do what they do...by the market. So, while the WSJ editors may celebrate the death, for all practical purposes, of labor unions in the US and encourage a cutthroat competitive landscape among the airlines, my guess is they don't have a clue about the industry at the worker bee level.
But this is the same mentality that sees nothing but good things in a cheap labor pool, whether they be illegal aliens or low-wage foreign airline crews who have little, if any, leverage to insist on safe and sane schedules and competent maintenance practices. Nothing's perfect, not even entrepreneurial capitalism. That's why we have an FAA, but they're overwhelmed.
Just ask their folks that track how the airlines are taking care of their jets--maintenance is now usually outsourced to places/countries you don't want to know about. Maintenance actions are no longer required to be done by fully-qualified Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) techs (FAA-certified aircraft mechanics), just that the final paperwork is signed off by one.
Now, let's extrapolate a bit. If the A&P function can be done by unqualified foreigners, why can't the planes that carry passengers in the United States be flown by unqualified (or shall we say "less experienced foreign") pilots? That's probably not gonna happen, yet. For now, it's too politically explosive because it would be so glaringly obvious in that it would allow the bad guys to eliminate a step in their attack plan. Why storm the cockpit when you can get yourself hired to work there to begin with?
But back to explosives. I wonder how many airplanes could be sabotaged while going through depot maintenance in, say, Pakistan. From the people who bring you world-class customer service for your malfunctioning laptop, I give you...engine overhauls and wingspar inspections by Ali and Mohammed, the Beltbomb Boys! (With apologies to Fred and Mort.) Think Pakistan would be non-starter? OK. How about France? They build the Airbus, which you fly on all the time. They also overhaul them. They also hire high-risk profile individuals to handle luggage at Charles de Gaulle. Maybe the Brits are doing the work...hmmmm. No, I don't think we're immune from this kind of infiltration either, but I think we do a much better job of preserving a society that still favors assimilation over the Eurabian ghettos springing up all over that continent and in that light believe we should stick to US-based and FAA-monitored maintenance depots and their technicians.
So I guess you'll have to forgive me for belonging to a union that lobbies against an unbridaled approach to the US airline business. Now, before you write me off as a bomb-throwing Trotskyite, understand that I don't agree with all they preach. It's fairly obvious they support Democrats uncritically 'cause they're pro-union (and lately, thuggishly so), despite the Party's utter cowardice in the war against the Islamofacsist menace. While I can't prove it (yet), I'm sure some of my dues support the political goals of a Party I find, at times, in almost conscious cooperation with enemies of the West and civilization as a whole. Single-issue mindsets are almost always self-destructive and ALPA's organizational philosophy, while somewhat understandable, is no exception. Moreover, it's hard to argue that the pilots' union, like the auto industry's, has often been its own worst enemy. Conversely, when a company unionizes, I personally think that's a pretty damning indictment of its management. It's a freakin' mess in this business and I had a solution.
Bottom line? The union is a necessary evil in a world where management sees labor as an enemy to be conquered, not an ally to be supported, and vice versa. ALPA, for all its flaws, is right now the only labor-oriented vehicle available that I'm aware of that has any chance of influencing how things are done, I guess.
Now, with all that said, if I ended up with a choice between voting against capitulation in the war on militant Islam or for a Party that thought union issues, national health care, and global warming were more important, I'd go with the former in a hearbeat, even if it meant national policies that reduced my pay, increase my workload...or even cost me my job. BUT, we're not quite there yet. And, given the nature of the industry where I earn a living, the unions are a necessary tool in assuring--or at least trying to assure--that employee working conditions meet an essential minimum level and safety doesn't always take a back seat to revenue generation.
So, how's that for expanding the topics found on a milblog?
Another soldier brought to account for battlefield misconduct.
A conviction, good.
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - A military panel found a 101st Airborne soldier guilty of three counts of negligent homicide but not guilty of premeditated murder in the deaths of three Iraqi detainees.Staff Sgt. Ray Girouard, 24, smiled as he hugged his defense lawyer and family members after the verdict was read. He faced up to life in prison had he been found guilty of premeditated murder.
Two of his subordinates plead guilty to murder charges, and were sentenced to 18 years each. SSG Girouard was accused of telling his subordinates to set the detainees free and then shoot them. His defense apparently was that he didn't tell anyone to shoot anyone, but after it happened, he tried to cover it up to protect his soldiers.
The prosecution can't be too unhappy - Girouard could face up to 21 years if he gets max consecutive sentences. Without having heard all the evidence, I can't tell you what I would recommend as a panel member, but I do know my rule of thumb for things like this. In determining guilt or innocence, the whole burden rests on the prosecution. But if the prosecution wins their case - then my mental sentence model is at the max, and the Defense has the whole burden of proving why it should be one smidge less.
MilBlog Conference
UPDATE: Andi has a list of the latest registrants for the conference. Take a look. As she says, you aren't really going to miss this, are you?
Registration for the MilBlog Conference will be open to the general public starting today.
Those who were there last year know that the conference was not only a tremendous amount of fun, but that it was fertile ground for ideas and interactions that continue to grow and cast their effects far beyond that weekend and those who attended. Many of us left that conference last year feeling like someday we're going to be viewed with jealous awe as people say, "You were there when all this started!"
Perhaps it's one of those things that has to be experienced to be understood, but let me assure you that you won't regret attending. It doesn't matter if you're military/civilian, retired/AD, government contractor, loving grandma, etc. Altogether last year we comprised an amazing storehouse of knowledge, experience, skills, and passion that was used both inside and outside the meeting hall to surprising effect. We all found we had something valuable to contribute and that the synergy (I choose that word very deliberately) we created was powerful. As one attendee said last year, what happened in informal hallway discussions was perhaps the most significant thing to come out of the Conference.
This year news about the Conference has been rather low-key, but that doesn't mean that big things are not planned--perhaps those of us who were there last year haven't realized that we need to communicate how powerful this event can be. But my sources tell me that their ability to bring significant people and events to the Conference are contingent upon a level of interest/registrations and "buzz" that is an accurate reflection of the power and reach of the MilBlogs (and trust me, there is jaw-dropping potential on the short list).
So, don't miss this amazing opportunity--it's not an exclusive club. Ask someone who was there whether they think you should go (they'll say yes). And if you're a blogger who's going, tell your readers all about it and encourage them to join you. If you're a panelist, feel free to brag, and invite your friends.
Beg, borrow, or steal the money you need... but don't miss this. - FbL.
[Armorer's note: Besides, Lex and I will be snarking each other personally, in public, on the same stage. Of course, I'm the moderator, so I'll shut him down when I start losing...]
March 16, 2007
H&I* Fires, 16 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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Not everyone is on the same page as Keith Olberman (Conspiracy! It’s all a Bushitler conspiracy!) about Halliburton moving to Dubai. Another example in what unstated assumptions you have, or grasp on reality, effects how you process info.
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The Danger Room covers the questioning of the substance of Khalid Sheik Mohammed’s confession.
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Read this and tell me that there aren’t serious similarities in the rhetoric used by the IRC and groups like International Solidarity.
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Mark Grimsley, aka War Historian, gets a hit in on PowerPoint presentations, in and odd way.
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JRobb has some criticism of the ‘oil spot’ approach to counter-insurgency when applied to urban environments.
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What do we use as Trias bait, John? Maybe beer?
--ry
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How about this for a little "bait": Democrats Pull Out New Improved Veterans Against the War, turning the whole "listen to the commanders in the field" strategy around on the Republicans who are still trying to figure out their pilot seat from their tail booms while barely holding on to the skids.
Media Stupidity or Blatant Propaganda - you be the judge.
A little entry from the annals of KC Soldiers' Angels: Meeting Rosie the Riveter
Finally, for your amusement: St Patrick's Day Messenge to the Troops - Blooper Reel1
-Kat
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For ry's scrapbook: yet another illustration of the differences between Normals and Uniforms -- Job Accountability.
We sometimes get a nice epitaph, though.
To the perpetual disgrace of public justice, the honorable John Byng, admiral of the blue, fell a martyr to political persecution on 14th March in the year 1757, when bravery and loyalty were insufficient securities for the life and honor of a naval officer.
--BillT
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Heh. Okay, turn the other cheek, fine, but when printer ink is so expensive, why double your loss?
Another look at Walter Reed, with some support for MG Weightman. -the Armorer
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Heee - Proof Positive is at hand! Bush is truly, one of the four horsemen of The Apocalypses. His true purpose for traveling to Latin America, is now revealed: To bring plague and pestilence to México. The very same day he left the Mexican city of Mérida, Sun-blotting clouds of locusts, befell upon the darkened skies of the city. Well, according to snail-loving folks at Agence France Presse. My apologies to those languagely challenged, a this is the only reference I could find - BOQ
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Hmm...not sure if this has already been publicized here at The Castle, but I figured linking to a pinup calendar twice couldn't hurt. Especially one that raises money for American veterans (hat-tip to Target Centermass). - Damian
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A TINS! of a Different Color
Remember the Serial Thriller from a couple of weeks back (if you don't, ask FuzzybeeEll for the links -- I think she made an antimacassar out of 'em)? Well, one result of the torrent of e-mails from everyone -- uhhmm -- intermittent spate of encouragement from the Denizennes awfully nice comment I got from NevadaDailySteve, was that it gave me an idea. Since you guys were so anxious to see how it was gonna turn out, this time, you'll *know* the ending -- 'cuz you're gonna write it.
It's been a while since we had a contest with some literary merit. This probably won't break the dry spell, but it'll be good for some giggles. And you'll have *alllll* weekend to work on it!
I'll start the story, then stop at an appropriately suspenseful point and you pick it up from there. E-mail me the narrative and I'll add it / them in during next week (it's in your own best interest to contribute -- I can plug in "...and then I died. The End." --MajMike or "...and then I died. The End. Cheers!" --the Armorer all. week. long.)
Caveat: Anybody who *does* kill me off gets his or [ominous glare] *her* electronic addy posted on the "spam me" bulletin board of every cyber café in Lagos, Nigeria...
Ready? Ahem...
It was the smoothest landing I'd made in my entire aviation career (all six months of it). Even got a compliment from the Green Beanie major who'd been directing the op from the jump seat behind the radio console. I rolled the throttle to the flight idle stop and (after a couple of tries) flicked the spring-loaded RPM warning switch to the "OFF" position, then unfastened my shoulder harness.Big mistake. It had been the only thing holding me upright.
Dimly aware that I was slumping to the right, I half-twisted toward the big opening in the cockpit that was normally occupied by the door and coughedvomitedcoughed about a pint of thick liquid onto the perforated steel matting of the runway. I remember thinking that the rusty orange of the steel planking provided an interesting counterpoint to the dark red I'd puked...
Okay, kids -- you've got the controls...
March 15, 2007
H&I* Fires, 15 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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Who knew Michael Ledeen blogged away from The Corner? I didn’t.
Faster Please. His own blog. Interesting.
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Why do I even bother with sites that come up with stuff like this? Israel went to war with previously worked out plans? Gross Gott! It really is a Jewish conspiracy(end sarcasm). Where you start from really does determine where you wind up when trying to make a coherent picture of your little dollops of facts.
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Via JustWarTheory: the schedule and some links to discussions from INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM FOR MILITARY ETHICS meeting from January that focused on Religion and the Military.(Nuggets like this probably are why I bother.)
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Kat didn’t link to this when she wrote it, but she should have. A slightly different perspective on what The Armorer wrote yesterday.
-- ry
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But Kat did find this for Bill T: When Rockstars Fly Helicopters (warning for those who suffer motion sickness- and, no, it is not Van Halen or Sammy Hagar flying the helicopter).
Also, a little American Internet Jihad. - kat
I can't believe we missed this: last WWI combat veteran is laid to rest.
New (to me) Nigerian 411 scam. Your mileage may vary.
Another one purportedly a soldier out of Iraq. Annoying thing is - there really *is* a SFC Daniel Vaness in the Army, and there *is* a SSG Kenneth Buff, USA, retired.. I hope they've not been too bebothered and confusticated by this scam.
DEAR FRIEND,HOW ARE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY? HOPE ALL IS WELL? [Well, my mother just died, thanks for asking.] MY NAME IS (SGT 1ST CLASS) DANIEL VANESS.I AM AN AMERICAN SOLDIER, [Really? Then wouldn't you have done that as SFC?] SERVING IN THE MILITARY WITH THE ARMY 3RD INFANTRY DIVISION IN IRAQ WITH A VERY DESPERATE NEED FOR ASSISTANCE, I HAVE SUMMED UP COURAGE TO CONTACT YOU.I FOUND YOUR CONTACT PARTICULARS IN AN ADDRESS JOURNAL. I AM SEEKING YOUR KIND ASSISTANCE TO MOVE THE SUM OF ($18 MILLION U.S. DOLLARS) EIGHTEEN MILLION UNITED STATES DOLLARS TO YOU IN YOUR COUNTRY,[hey, I thought it was *our* country, Sergeant?] AS FAR AS I CAN BE ASSURED THAT MY SHARE WILL BE SAFE IN YOUR CARE UNTIL I COMPLETE MY SERVICE HERE IN IRAQ. [You've been talking to Fuzzybear again, haven't you?]
SOURCE OF MONEY: SOME MONEY IN VARIOUS CURRENCIES WERE DISCOVERED IN BARRELS AT A FARMHOUSE NEAR ONE OF SADDAM HUSSEIN'S OLD PALACES IN TIKRIT-IRAQ DURING A RESCUE OPERATION, AND IT WAS AGREED BY STAFF SGT KENNETH BUFF [Hey, SSG Buff is retired, what's he doing, working over there as a contractor? But he can probably use that 18 mil!] AND I THAT SOME PART OF THIS MONEY BE SHARED AMONG BOTH OF US BEFORE INFORMING ANYBODY ABOUT IT SINCE BOTH OF US SAW THE MONEY FIRST. THIS WAS QUITE AN ILLEGAL THING TO DO, [So, you run to a commissioned officer with a blog to get help... I'm sorry you think I'm like that - what kind of officers do you work for, Sergeant?] BUT I TELL YOU WHAT? NO COMPENSATION CAN MAKE UP FOR THE RISK WE HAVE TAKEN WITH OUR LIVES IN THIS HELL HOLE OF WHICH MY BROTHER IN-LAW WAS KILLED BY A ROAD SIDE BOMB LAST TIME.YOU WILL FIND THE STORY OF THIS MONEY ON THE WEB ADDRESS BELOW;
THE ABOVE FIGURE WAS GIVEN TO ME AS MY SHARE, AND TO CONCEAL THIS KIND OF MONEY BECAME A PROBLEM FOR ME, SO WITH THE HELP OF A BRITHISH [Sorry about that lisp - pretty episodic, huh? Or is the brit the guy with the lisp and that's where you learned how to pronounce "brithish?"] CONTACT WORKING HERE, AND HIS OFFICE ENJOY SOME IMMUNITY, I WAS ABLE TO GET THE PACKAGE OUT TO A SAFE LOCATION ENTIRELY OUT OF TROUBLE SPOT. HE DOES NOT KNOW THE REAL CONTENTS OF THE PACKAGE, AND BELIEVES THAT IT BELONGS TO A BRITHISH/AMERICAN MEDICAL DOCTOR WHO DIED IN A RAID HERE IN IRAQ, AND BEFORE GIVING UP,TRUSTED ME TO HAND OVER THE PACKAGE TO HIS FAMILY IN UNITED STATES.
I HAVE NOW FOUND A VERY SECURED WAY OF GETTING THE PACKAGE OUT OF IRAQ TO YOUR COUNTRY FOR YOU TO PICK UP, AND I WILL DISCUSS THIS WITH YOU WHEN I AM SURE THAT YOU ARE WILLING TO ASSIST ME, AND I BELIEVE THAT MY MONEY WILL BE WELL SECURED IN YOUR HAND BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE FEAR OF GOD. I WANT YOU TO TELL ME HOW MUCH YOU WILL TAKE FROM THIS MONEY FOR THE ASSISTANCE YOU WILL GIVE TO ME. ONE PASSIONATE APPEAL I WILL MAKE TO YOU IS NOT TO DISCUSS THIS MATTER WITH ANYBODY [Ooops! Too late!], SHOULD YOU HAVE REASONS TO REJECT THIS OFFER.PLEASE AND PLEASE DESTROY THIS MESSAGE AS ANY LEAKAGE OF THIS INFORMATION WILL BE TOO BAD FOR US SOLDIER HERE IN IRAQ. I DO NOT KNOW HOW LONG WE WILL REMAIN HERE,AND I HAVE BEEN SHOT, WOUNDED AND SURVIVED TWO SUICIDE BOMB ATTACKS BY THE SPECIAL GRACE OF GOD. [No doubt.] THIS AND OTHER REASONS I WILL MENTION LATER HAS PROMPTED ME TO REACH OUT FOR HELP.
I HONESTLY WANT THIS MATTER TO BE RESOLVED IMMEDIATELY.PLEASE CONTACT ME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE WITH THIS E- MAIL ADDRESS WHICH IS MY ONLY WAY OF
COMMUNICATION. GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY. [And you and yours, Sergeant. At least the *real* SFC Vaness.]REGARDS,
DANIEL VANESS.
I think rather than destroy the message, as asked, I'll publish it, instead. More fun that way.
SFC Vaness, SSG Buff, I'm sure you aren't involved in anything like this. If you were, you'd have Fort Leavenworth addresses... rather than the units listed in AKO.
Distressed airframes...
Bill noted a while back my fondness for gigging the aviators around here with pictures of 'distressed' airframes.
Since I'm really busy this week, I've decided to go cheap and run one I've had for a 'rainy day' sort of backup.
Somehow, I think this one is beyond the airframe mechanic's skillz. Somehow, I bet Bill has the story behind it, too.
March 14, 2007
H&I* Fires, 14 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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Gen. Petraeus claims that Iranian Rev Guard are training militias while the FM talks about reconciliation at the bargaining table.
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Here’s a real short bit of background information about ‘Curveball’ via ABC news.
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I’m not putting much stock in this claim that we’re looking to back a coup against Musharaff, but it is the kind of real politic thing I, ry, tend to be in favor of. It’d be a short term fix in my estimation that changes some of the equation as long as the new headman thinks he needs us.
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Bull Nav over at OP-FOR takes exception to some reportage about people ‘going off the reservation.’
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From Danger Room: al-Qaeda propaganda production at highest level ever.
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This is both funny and serious.
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Last one, a review of 300 by Zenpundit.
--ry
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Stop The ACLU on the tolerance of CAIR.
Noah Schachtman, in his new digs at Danger Room, gives us a brief on the new Air Force Talking Points. -the Armorer
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I need a gun pic.
A little Zen to soothe the Armorer's soul.
I think the Castle Armory's Suomi will do nicely.
Hah!
Short men were irresistible to women until mankind’s ancestors learnt how to use tools as weapons, research suggests.Being short made modern man’s predecessors more adept at fighting — with a lower centre of gravity and better balance — and guaranteed them huge sex appeal, according to the study by David Carrier, of the University of Utah.
The adaptation was so successful that for two million years human ancestors with the shortest legs were the most successful. They would also have been the most aggressive, probably because they were confident of winning fights rather than having a complex about their height.
So the state wrestling championship comes into focus for me now - even how 205lbs me beat the 380lbs behemoths in the Unlimited class.
Interesting (to me) sidenote. I'm just shy of 6 feet tall, but always had a problem with the Army's weight regs... because the bulk of my height is in my torso, not legs. Made me a good sprinter, too - 10.3 in the 100 yards, 4.5 in the forty. But the Army's system didn't account for that too well. My inseam is... 30. The current deputy commander at Fort Leavenworth is BG Joe Ramirez. Joe and I were Majors together as small group leaders at Fort Sill. Joe used to bug me about my weight compared to his until I made this comparison for him - Joe is about 5 feet, 8 inches tall, or just under 4 inches shorter than I am.
We have the same inseam.
I could take him, though. Not that he cares, given what his retirement check is going to be like compared to mine.
8^ D
H/t, Jim C.
Ratings, disability, hash of, several million each.
I've got a dog in this fight. Or rather, I'm a veteran of it. So if my father. And the system blows. However, the mess *precedes* the War on Terror and precedes the Bush Administration. It is *truly* a bi-partisan nightmare, created mostly by the services, with some occasional meddling/helping from the politicians and political appointees.
The Army Times just published a story about the apparent inequities in how the services compare service to service and officer to enlisted when it comes to disability ratings for disability retirements. The article is weak in the presentation of it's analysis because they don't give enough data to evaluate their conclusions, though I one I do accept, and easily, is that officers fare better in the system because they are better able to represent their own interests.
When the Army health care system, optimized for dealing with generally healthy 18-27 year old males, *and* traumatic injury, finally got around to diagnosing my non-standard set of symptoms (hey, it only took them... 5 years to get it right - and then only because I kept fighting about it, in the meantime killing my career as the conditions progressed, untreated) I was finally told that I was automatically unfit for further service and I would be boarded. Boarded in Army usage is not the nautical term - except that in the end, being boarded can result in the ship of your life being taken over by others. Boarded means heading for a Medical Review Board, which will determine your fitness for further service, and make permanent (if appeal-able) decisions about what level of disability will be awarded, whether the rating will allow you to continue in service, and, if not, at what rate you will get medically retired.
It's a crap shoot. Especially if you are not otherwise qualified for retirement, as I was, which gave me more flexibility and leverage. Did I mention the process, back then, in peacetime, could take up to 18 months, during which time you are in professional limbo?
The other option is a VA disability rating. Which you can only get after you get off of active duty. Which is also a... crap shoot. And, in my case, took.... two years to get adjudicated. I will caveat that by saying that not all VA regions are the same, and mine, the Wichita, Kansas office, was widely regarded by the Veteran's Service Reps nationwide (I dealt with them in three different regions) as being the most inefficient of the lot. Recent experience of newly retired guys in my area indicate they've knocked it down to about a year.
This is my situation. I got diagnosed with a condition that is pretty much automatic retirement. The other wear and tear is annoying, but I'm still considered serviceable if unpromotable. That wouldn't be so bad, except my performance is such I keep getting put in the higher-level positions, rode hard, then put up wet, which does wonders for my morale. But those are bitter posts for another time... 8^ D
I'm told that because I'm undeployable, I'll be removed from my interesting if frustrating position as a WMD response planner, and moved into the Med Hold Company, where the local hospital types will find things for me to do, oh, like inventorying stuff, conducting AR 15-6 investigations (whee! they had a captive field grade!) and other soul-destroying projects, for up to 18 months, when they'd finally retire me. Because even with an incontrovertible slam-dunk set of conditions like I had, since I wasn't conveniently in a wheelchair or missing limbs or anything obvious, they would have to *duplicate* the testing already done as a second opinion, then swirl it all together in a Number 10 mayonnaise jar and put it on the front porch of Funk and Wagnalls to sit for a while as they pondered their collective navels (after all, the Board is an ad-hoc group with a small permanent staff - kinda like a jury) and then would tell me... okay! You retire, at 50%, and you will have to come back every five years for a re-evaluation, and if you've improved, we'll recall you to active duty to finish out your time, after which you can do a regular retirement.
Joy.
Doing that would also take me out to 21.5 years.
I had a different option. I had already dropped my retirement papers. I told them that and they said... oh, well, we'll have to pull those so we can board you.
This is where being an officer helps.
I said - "Um, no." What you'll do is just not file a freaking thing, I'll go on terminal leave in 1.5 months, and fully retire three months after that.
"No! We have to board you!"
"Why?"
"Because, well, because it's what the book says we have to do."
"Uh-huh. So? The useful point of that to the defense of Western Civilization and the US Treasury would be...?" (being completely unpromotable gives the Grey Major a certain verbal latitude with Colonels...)
"Well, if you do a regular retirement they could recall you to active duty!"
Heh.
"And there'd be a physical involved, right? One involving my medical records?"
"Oh. Well, yes."
"Good! We're agreed then, and I'll just retire and go fiddle with the VA, right, sir?"
"Excellent idea! Though I could use a field grade for that project I have in mind..."
I beat a hasty retreat and retired.
And then started my adventure with the VA. Which started on Clinton's watch and ended on Bush's.
The nightmare is truly purely 'Murican Bureaucratic. Too bad Grant Woods is dead - there's a painting in there somewhere...
March 13, 2007
Elizabeth Ann Meriwether Donovan, 7 Oct 1930- 13 March 2007
Elegy
A good life, well lived.
Mrs. Ann Donovan, of Columbia, passed on 13 March after a tough struggle with cancer. She is survived by her husband Tim and daughter Kathy Donovan Hanson, of Columbia, and son John of Leavenworth, Kansas, and grandchildren Tim, Patrick, Erin, and Andy of various and sundry addresses.
Born