H&I Fires July 21, 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...

Well, they say the early bird gets the worm, but so does the bird that stays up until the sun rises (common name "night owl"). Just working on a few things as we continue to support our troops every way we can.

Two days ago I posted about Sen. Reid's inability to support our troops and the 1200 Marines submitted to Soldiers' Angels looking for support. By Thursday afternoon, that number had risen to 3000. Thanks to the support of this blog and many others like it, we are working on getting that support. But, we still have a long way to go, so we continue to ask for your support and to spread the word as far and wide as you can.

In the meantime, I note the difference between Me and Sen. Reid. I keep looking for his alleged support, but I haven't found it yet. Sen. Reid is all talk and no show.

But, we did have a genuine T.I.N.S. moment. At our Friday Send Off the KS Army National Guard for their Democrat Approved mission to quail genocide and nation building in newly independent European countries, we were invited in to the auditorium for the ceremony. After handing over a "We Support Our Troops" flag signed from our volunteers, the commander thanked us for our continuing support of our troops, "no matter what the mission". Then everyone in the auditorium, including two star generals and other officers/NCOs on the podium, gave us a standing ovation. Made us very proud to have given that support.

Got it all on video: Send off 35ID

Eat that, Sen. Reid! Probably a good thing he didn't show up. He would have pouted.

Supporting our troops is probably the coolest thing you'll ever do (maybe even kewler than jumping out of planes, crashing helicopters and firing very large artillery; but I'll leave that up to the blog owner and pals to verify). Join us at Soldiers' Angels and show your pride by adopting a Marine!

-Kat(Per previous disclaimer, all views of Congressional Democrats and Sen. Reid in particular are my own and do not represent nor should reflect upon Soldiers' Angels or the Patriot Guard, both non-partisan, non-profit organizations whose sole mission is to support our troops)

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Send over 7.62mm, we'll send back a Hellfire.

-the Armorer

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Sitting on my keester in Memphis, pulling the airline pilot’s version of alert (it’s called “reserve”) and cruising the blogosphere.

Lots of interesting stuff but one of the most refreshing was this little clip that has bounced around the YouTube universe. In short, Infantry to defeatists all across this great nation:
“Bite me.”
The muffled bang off in the distance was Charlie Rangel’s head exploding. Heh.

Then there’s this from Grim at Blackfive. Another muffled bang detected, this time William Arkin’s alimentary terminus slamming shut in mortal fear of another uppity military guy speaking his mind. Wishful thinking, but what the heck.

I can barely watch the news any more and wonder to what depths the Dems will go to undermine the Executive’s war effort. The full-court press to destroy any popular support for the war on Islamofascism—you know, the guys how killed more American (non-combatants no less) and on American soil to boot than was experienced at Pearl Harbor—is a sight to behold.

Petraeus could bring bin Laden’s head mounted on a spike, held up by the skulls of children murdered by al Qaeda, into the Senate chamber and it still wouldn’t make a dent in Harry Reid’s worldview. Barbara Boxer would probably excoriate him for traumatizing “the children” watching from the gallery on their summer field trip. God knows what Andrew Sullivan’s reaction would be.

Anyway, for what it’s worth, had our previous wars been “examined” and “critiqued” as closely and as inaccurately as this one has, the world would be a much different place today. When the sitting majority in your national legislature isn’t confident enough in, or proud enough of the society it represents, fighting a war (costly in blood and treasure, difficult and best executed by adults) becomes problematic. Then there’re the consequences those we leave behind will face when we bug out. The embarrassment I feel is acute. I am ashamed of these people.

And just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, this. Maybe nothing will come of this, but if another “flying Imam” incident occurs and the poor sap who waves the BS flag before the airplane pushes back is successfully sued by the bad guys, we got issues. Boy, have we got issues.

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This one's for you, Jim.

These are the colors that fly from the Castle staffs this day.

On the 21st of July beneath a burning sun,
McDowell met the Southern troops in battle at Bull Run.
Above the Union vanguard was proudly dancing seen,
Beside the starry banner, old Erin's flag of green!

Colonel Corcoran led the 69th on that eventful day.
I wish the Prince of Wales were there to see him in the fray!
His charge upon the batteries was a most glorious scene.
With gallant New York firemen and the boys that wear the green

In the hottest of the fire there rode along the line,
A captain of the Zouave band, crying "Now, boys, is your time!"
Ah, who is he so proudly rides with bold and dauntless mien?
'Tis Thomas Francis Meagher of Erin's isle of green.

The colors of the 69th, I say it without shame,
Were taken in the struggle to swell the victor's fame!
But Farnham's dashing Zouaves, that run with the machine
Retook them in a moment with the boys that wore the green.

Being overpowered by numbers our troops were forced to flee,
The Southern Black Horse Cavalry on them charged furiously!
But in that hour of peril the flying mass to screen,
Stood the gallant New York firemen with the boys that wore the green!

Oh, the boys of the 69th, they are a gallant band.
Bolder never drew a sword for their adopted land!
Amongst the fallen heroes a braver had not been
Than you, lamented Haggerty of Erin's isle of green!

Farewell, my gallant countrymen who fell that fatal day.
Farewell, ye noble firemen, now mould'ring in the clay.
While blooms the leafy shamrock, whilst runs the old machine
Your deeds will live bold Red Shirts and boys that wore the green!

H&I Fires* 20 July 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...

Saw the latest Harry Potter movie last weekend. It was fine, but like the one before it, I didn't enjoy it near as much as I had the first movies. Thinking about it over the week, I've come to realize why - the later books in the series are so long, with the little sub-plots, that they'd make 4 hour movies to do a thorough job of them.

So, what's the beef? The beef is that in the movies, we get the self-absorbed, angst-ridden, angry impulsive teenager Harry (mind you, he's earned it!) and all the darkness of the books - but cutting out all the subplots (S.P.E.W. anyone? Sirius' House Elf and the whole Black family mudblood thing - heck, they cut Sirius' mother's portrait completely out of the movie) that made the books fun for me. In other words, for me, to keep the movies of a manageable length, they're cutting out exactly the parts that drew me to the series, while keeping the part (grappling with his demons like a teenager will Harry) that usually has me grinding my teeth.

The point is - with the books it works. With the movies, it leaves me disappointed. I'll be getting the book tomorrow, mind you - I like the books. But I may skip the rest of the movies.

Your mileage may vary. -the Armorer

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The Air Force makes a bold move. It shouldn't be a bold move, but in our current Military/Civil Leadership/Grievance Industry/Self-absorbed national mood it is. From Jim Dunnigan over at Strategy Page:

The U.S. Air Force has rebelled against the annoying late 20th century custom of creating many annual training courses to deal with persistent social or organizational problems. From now on, instead of spending nine hours a year attending training for things like suicide prevention, anti-terrorism awareness, handling classified data, sex related issues, and so on, only 90 minutes a year would be used for all these reminders. This move is very popular among those who have to sit through these sessions, and those who have to give them. The troops are also encouraged by such a bold move. In the past, every time another of these annual classes was added, there was grumbling about "spineless and clueless generals," and "damn politicians."

Catch the rest here, at "USAF Generals Cut the Crap." -the Armorer

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Here's a picture that should warm the heart of every cold-warrior out there: Soviet armour rusting in long lines in a "tank graveyard." - Damian

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Hah! All y'all are gonna catch up! Who knew nukes would make me a trend-setter? -the Armorer

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Snerk! Congress should compel the firearms industry to target gangs with advertising... And the alcohol and condom industry, too... -the Armorer

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Another window into aviators looking out for each other.

And a morale check. Seems pretty good in this unit...

10 Ways Camp Striker is better than Las Vegas.
1. Less chance of getting shot.
2. The weather (Give me 115 degree weather over 119 any day)
3. The food: have you actually been to the buffet at The Tropicana? Yuck.
4. Money (I will probably walk away with more money in my pocket after 15 months here than I would in the same time from L.V.)
5. There are no bums/vagrants/prostitutes at Camp Striker...at least that I've seen.
6. Physical Fitness. I've lost ten pounds since being here. I'd gain that in a weekend in L.V.
7. Better Entertainment. We got Toby Keith. They have Carrot Top.
8. The non-skilled laborers speak better English.
9. The Mob doesn't have unilateral control of the infrastructure. Unless you consider Halliburton organized crime.
10. Nevada has Harry Reid. We don't.

I hope all is well wherever you may be. Another week down, countless to go. I guess I could count the weeks, but no one can say with certainty how long we are going to be here. 15 Months? More? Less? I can't wait for the rumors to start flying around this time next year, whenever everyone and their brother will have "inside knowledge" on when we are actually re-deploying. I choose not to dwell on exact dates. We are going to be here for a while. "Well I guess we'll get back on the horse and get back out there" That was a quote from an OH-58D pilot who intereviewed with the press after being shot down this week. You may or may not have heard about this amazing story because everyone survived and no one's civil rights were violated. Our "if it bleeds, it leads" media is more interested in fatalities but I'm not telling you anything new.

For those of you who don't know, my battalion is in an aviation brigade. The aviation brigade has the following aircraft in it: UH-60s: carry stuff CH-47s: carry a lot of stuff AH-64Ds: shoot stuff OH-58Ds: look at stuff

One of the OH-58Ds was engaged by enemy fire earlier last week. The OH-58D is the smallest aircraft we have and the most vulnerable. Add the fact that they typically fly at the tree top level and that they're made out of empty cans of "New Coke", you've got yourself a hairy situation if enaged. The Apache is heavily armored and if engaged in the same fashion as the OH-58D was, would just sneer back and unleash the Kraken on the poor mislead Sunni/ Shia/Kurd/Al Qaida/Irani/Syrian/Lebanese/Egyptian/Saudi (I can't keep track who hates us) who dared to annoy it.

So the OH-58D was shot multiple times and miraculously the pilots were not hit despite the fact that they fly with their doors off. Nonetheless, the aircraft could no longer fly and they had to make a crash landing whereby the aircraft ended up on its side. Again, no noticeable injuries. Well the pilots' wingman was also hit and had to come back home leaving them alone in Indian country. Normally, if your wingman is shot, you stay with him. Remember Viper's quote in Top Gun? "You never leave your wingman, Maverick." Side note: this is every military aviator's favorite pilot movie; be it Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines. Nobody likes Firebirds. Nobody.

So these guys were on the ground in the vicinity of the very dudes that shot them down. So they hightail into a canal thinking they would be able to make a quick get away. They get stuck in the canal because it it too deep and muddy. So the bad guys start shooting into the canal. The bad guys couldn't see them in the canal because of the dense reeds, but they knew they were there. For 15 minutes or so the bad guys were aimlessly shooting hoping to hit the pilots. They never did. The bad guys started moving down the canal to find them when an Apache who was aware of the incident came on seen. The bad guys knowing they didn't stand a chance with an Apache in the area decided it was time to go home.

The Apache landed near the downed aviators. They were able to communicate with them through a radio all pilots carry on them for these types of occasions. Knowing they couldn't wait for a rescue helicopter to come pick them up (My battalion had a team ready to take off) because of the bad guys in the immediate area, the Apache took them home. For those of you who don't know, there's is no room in the Apache to take anyone home. The only thing Apaches transport are ammunition to expedite the none-democracy-wanting insurgents' rendezvous with Allah.

So the front seater of the Apache got out and put one of the OH-58D pilots in the front seat. While not hurt, the guy was pretty shook up, hence the decision to give him a little more comfortable ride. The Apache guy strapped himself to the right side of the aircraft, and the other OH-58D guy strapped himself to the left side. Again, on the outside of the aircraft. The back- seater flew them all the way back to Baghdad. This was about a 10 minute flight at 120 knots (about a 135 miles per hour). I've actually done this drill before. We did this training in Germany once, but I think we only went about 45 miles an hour. Imagine going 135 miles an hour on a motorcycle without a windshield or helmet. The noise alone is deafening. The OH-58D guy didn't have his helmet or ear protection. One might forgive him for not collecting all his valuables before leaving his crashed aircraft when people were trying to kill him.

The Apache guys were not even from our brigade, but from another brigade in theater who just happened to be in the area at the time of the shoot down. The OH-58D pilots had some cuts and bruises despite being shot at in the air, crashing, being shot at at on the ground, and riding the side of an aircraft out of badguyland with zero protection. I don't know if they are believers, but Providence brought them home that day.

It brings a tear to my eye to think of the extraordinary things done by ordinary people on a daily basis in Iraq. When asked by the interviewer what they were going to do now, the younger pilot said "Well I guess we'll get back on the horse and get back out there" in a couple of days. Amazing. Tiger Woods isn't a hero. These guys are.

God Bless, Dan

H/t, Concrete Bob.

Last night, out at the new Castle...

We find SWWBO practicing for driving her newly ordered compact tractor (an AG King 3540)... and the Lawn Tractor of Argghhh! finally has a challenge worthy of his abilities.

Hmmmm. That sign by her left hand looks familiar.

Well, familiar to those of us who are an age, at any rate.

All part of my plan to make walking/riding in the demesne rewarding in terms of little "easter eggs" throughout the place.

Mind you, they're going to be Armorer and SWWBO "easter eggs" so it will be an eclectic mix of "Achtung Minen" and fairy houses...

And the very real "Warning, Impact Area" signs.

H&I Fires July 19, 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...

Haven't been around for awhile because I am extremely busy supporting our troops and telling others how they can do it, too. Tonight, I'll be at the Bonner Springs, KS Kelly Murphy Park for Music in the Park where I'll get a few minutes to talk to the crowd and then mingle for some chat and chew at the ice cream social. If you're around town and you want to come out and show your support, join us there.

One thousand two hundred marines from the 13th MEU were submitted to Soldiers' Angels on Wednesday. The Marines are looking for a few good men and women, but Soldiers' Angels are looking for a lot of good, patriotic citizens who would like to support some marines. Some of these marines are on their 5th tour.

Right after I posted that massive alert, I read that Harry Reid sent care packages to the Republican Senators including toiletries with a yellow ribbon and a note that said, "bring our troops home." To say that irritated me is an understatement. Sen. Reid was making a mockery of our real support for our troops. I have 1200 marines that could have used those care packages.

Hey, Harry! Why don't you support our troops and send some of that our way? Suggestion to Republican Senators that received Harry's generous gift, go to Soldiers' Angels Donate and send them to the Marines!
-Kat (disclaimer: the opinions expressed above regarding Sen. Reid are solely mine and do not represent an official position nor should reflect upon Soldiers' Angels which is a non-partisan, non-profit organization solely dedicated to supporting our troops - frankly, I just thought we could put congress' political shenanigans to good use)

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From MNF-I:

Iraqi Soldiers participate in first ever advanced infantry course

Iraqi Army cleans Baghdadi of insurgency

British nursing official praises personnel, level of care in Iraq

Iraqi troops lead joint medical effort in Hor Al Bosh

Medical Clinic to Benefit Iraqis for Years to Come

Iraqi Army Troops Lead Joint Medical Effort in Hor Al Bosh

Crocker, Petraeus condemn Kirkuk bombings

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Fuzzybear Lioness keeps an eye on the AP, who seemingly *still* don't understand how the Internet works. -the Armorer

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Faux-Farmer lesson #2: Hay get's "stickier" as it dries after being cut. As in, the 120 bales I schlepped yesterday produced a lot more "stick" wounds than the 50 we brought in the night before. And no, I wasn't wearing a long sleeve shirt in 95(F) degree weather.

Lesson #1? When hauling hay - plan for a party, to sucker other people into tossing bales with promises of booze and bullets! -the Armorer

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Google and eBay - two juggernauts that have dramatically altered the 'net. In this case... well, read about Voldemort-on-eBay here (no spoilers, Scholastic - you don't need to try to figure out my office number). [Link fixed - and wait! There's more!] -the Armorer

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Hey, Bill! Mebbe you should pick this up before you leave - give you something to tinker with when you get back from all the NVG training... start your own traffic reporting service or something. -the Armorer

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If you haven't read the NIE for yourself, it wouldn't be a bad idea to do so. Of course the Washington Post has joined its peers in reporting that completely distorts it. Powerline has the details here and here.

Blackfive and The Weekly Standard have a mission for the Milblogsophere. They are asking for input from those with contacts in Iraq to either verify or debunk anonymous "reporting" in the New Republic about what (if true) is despicable behavior by our American troops. - FbL

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For Sale: Mint Condition Vintage Enigma Machine! I'd buy it, but last time I looked bidding was up to 20K. via Slashdot, of all places ..
-bad cat robot
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Two news stories that caught my eye while I wait for the new CNO to be announced.
A federal judge dismissed former CIA operative Valerie Plame's lawsuit against members of the Bush administration
and
Retired Gen. Wayne Downing Dies at 67 (h/t The Corner).......Maggie

Speaking of strange things I found on the 'net...

Strange things, indeed!

A version suitable for framing can be had by clicking here.

Update: Not a peep? C'mon, John - you know there's something about that poster that's niggling at the edge of your consciousness...

Photos that caught my eye this week.

Sometimes, it's just embarrassing to pick up your pay.

ATLANTIC OCEAN (July 15, 2007) - Aviation Systems Warfare Operator 2nd Class Johnny Garcia fires an M-240 machine gun from the cabin of an SH-60F Seahawk, attached to the "Dusty Dogs" of Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron (HS) 7, while flying plane guard for Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). Truman is underway in the Atlantic Ocean participating in the Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMTUEX) in preparation for deployment to the Persian Gulf. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Matthew D. Williams

Of course, that's balanced by those moments during combat when you're seriously underpaid...

Dogs - they truly do like us, don't they? I'm trying to think what it would take to get one of the Castle Cats to do this without me looking like a scourged medieval monk...

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. David Hornsby and his special security dog Liza are hoisted into a helicopter during a canine-hoist training mission outside of Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, on July 15, 2007. Hornsby and Liza are attached to the101st Air Assault Division. DoD photo by Spc. Aubree Rundle, U.S. Army. (Released)

Deja View

I keep finding myself in interesting places. Or places where interesting things occur.

Remember me grumpfing a fortnightplus ago that I hadn't had any luck getting re-acquainted with a flyable Cobra?

The interesting thing occuring in the interesting place I am at present is the happy discovery (to me, anyway) that not *all* the FMC AH-1Fs that the Army dumped withdrew from its inventory years ago either wound up as assets in a foreign military service or as instant condos for sushi-on-the-hoof.

And I already knew about the few flying de-mils in civil hands (FMC = decidedly *not* demilitarized).

[insert huge grin]

If tomorrow today goes as well as the last couple of days have, I head back to Jersey, get a day and a half to clean up the last items on the honeydew list (which has been growing since I've been here, naturally) and split. If everything goes as planned, I'll be several time zones east of the Prime Meridian by Tuesday morning and sufficiently jetlagged that NVG flying will be v-e-r-r-r-y interesting.

And I've been poring through the vocabulary chapter of the handy-dandy Handbook they gave me and not having any luck at all finding the phrase "Crew Rest."

Heh. "Hours and hours of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror." Hope you've got the newbies all trained up, Carborundum, ol' chum. Ummmmm, and speaking of the newbies, why don't you assign one of 'em to fly with me? They're all short enough to sit on my lap without obstructing my view of the instrument panel. I'm thinking Callie-whatever-her-name-is would be perfect for the job. Callie Pigeon or -- oh, yeah, that's it.

Callipygia...

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Update [1737 Central Time]: *huge. honking. grin.*

The old guy's still got it, kids -- I'm outta here at 0430 in the mornin'.

And I do believe I'll have a beer with supper. I caught the news last night and the next interesting place I'm going is getting really, *really* interesting...

Centurion... bring me a bowl and towel, please.

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers who have led the drive to bring troops home from Iraq have not devised a strategy to deal with the widespread killings that could follow a pullout, recent interviews with more than two dozen Democrats and Republicans show.

Many of them acknowledge that Iraq may plunge into vicious sectarian fighting much like the ethnic cleansing that consumed Bosnia a decade ago. However, they said they would reject the use of U.S. troops to stop the killing.

"I wouldn't be surprised if it's horrendous," said House Appropriations Committee Chairman David R. Obey (D-Wis.), who has helped spearhead efforts against the war. "The only hope for the Iraqis is their own damned government, and there's slim hope for that."

Emphasis mine. I'll keep this in mind when the next Dem wants to send the troops somewhere like Bosnia or Kosovo. Refreshing honesty, though.

Well, at least Mr. Obey lays bare his Herodic soul in the LA Times.

We're *farmers* now...

Major Arkay - this one's for you.

There *are* signs of progress at the new Castle. Evidence of occupancy are beginning to pop up, but this *is* the Castle...

While we may have minimalist taste in furnishings...

...there *is* a stack of firearms in the family room!

And yesterday, while out checking the hilltop hayfield, I *did* find Werekitty's Pole.

We are now officially farmers. In a technical sense, anyway, I wouldn't make that claim to my neighbors, just the taxing authorities. Our neighbors would just look at us and go, "Yeah, right."

Our sea of grass (brome) has been cut and, less the keep-back for the horses, sold. And I sold a token cord of wood from our woods to my neighbor for $1.00 (he'll get it himself). I'll actually make wood available to friends and neighbors who want or need it - the last few years before he died, the previous owner didn't keep up his own wood-cutting, which has resulted in a build-up of deadfall and other fuel in my little mini-forest.

Besides, if we didn't do that, the county would class all the land as decorative/recreational and triple our taxes. We're going to get some angora goats (easy keepers and Beth can sell or use the wool) so that we justify the pond as a stock tank - else the county would call it recreational, too. And given that around here, house prices are falling, the county is going to be looking for ways to make up the property tax shortfall.

With the agricultural designation, we don't have to pay sales tax on the ATV and tractor, and can depreciate both as farm equipment. We can at least partially depreciate the new truck (which I'm using to move the hay with, among other things) and deduct the mileage for the trips to TSC and Orscheln's for fencing gear, critter feed, etc.

And, yes, I've engaged the services of an accountant - I didn't know all this stuff, and we don't intend to get creative... but we do intend to use the tax code to our advantage where we can.

I am very sore. And if I've lost any volume via weight loss, it's more than made up for from all the swelling due to straining muscles that haven't been doing anything approaching manual labor for a long while.

Speaking of which, mebbe we *are* farmers, just a tiny bit. Keen observers with access to satellite imagery last night would have seen SWWBO and myself, using the truck and trailer into the hours of darkness... hauling hay.

I haven't done that since the summer of '74. And I've got 90 bales to go, and have to get it in before it rains. My arms are vewy, vewy, tiwed. Because every bale gets handled twice... and there are 170 of 'em to deal with. It's good hay, though. The horses will be happy this winter to gnosh on it.

SWWBO and I have already decided how we're going to handle this next year.

Get a keg, have a shooting party. And if ya want beer and targets and permission to shoot (um, *not* in that order, thinking abouit it), yer gonna hafta schlep some hay.

We're not planning on tapping the oil here (there are producing wells on property all around us), nor are we going to jump on the ethanol bandwagon. That whole biofuels plan is simply stunningly wrongheaded in the impact that it's going to have on the economy - national and international. Food is going to get more expensive (all that livestock that feeds on... corn) which will hit the poor hardest. And since we're talking numbers that would essentially divert the entire export crop of the US to biofuel production - well, there will be a worldwide impact when you consider the US produces over half the corn in the world.

Heh. One of the changes that quadrupled US agricultural productivity came about with mechanization - prior to that, fully half our in-production arable land was used to feed the horses and mules and oxen that powered domestic agriculture and the retail transportation system - and with the biofuel plan, we might well find ourselves once again using half our agricultural production to fuel transportation, as well as taking marginal lands now forested and putting them back into low-productivity cropland.

I just don't get it.

We're not going to put any acreage into the Crop Reserve. I don't feel like giving the government any more power to tell me how to manage my dirt than they already have, though we're busy leveraging the extension service and USDA about forest management - so I can get rid of the built-up wildfire fuel in our woods without ruining habitat or causing erosion problems.

Heh again. Being a "gentleman farmer" has certainly changed some of my reading and research topics.

But we're starting to attract the hummingbirds to the deck, and when we get the other bird feeders going, we'll get the songbirds, too. And since we're in an open area away from the woods, I don't think I'm going to have the squirrel problem Dad does. Of course, we won't have their entertainment value, either.

But with at least two nesting pairs of hawks, the squirrels don't venture out into the open very much. The rabbits don't either. I saw an unlucky one get snagged by a diving hawk yesterday.

Heh. The more things change...

...the things stay the same. Nanny-minded politicians never learn.

A potential tax of $10... per cigar. And, btw, it would apply to current inventory as well - which is one thing if it were to be collected at the point of sale... a pessimistic reading of the bill would have it be paid up front by the merchant.

All for the children, of course. To fund their health care, we'll use sin taxes which, if they have the desired effects, will be a self-defeating tax (i.e., people will quit smoking cigars) leaving us with an unfunded program... which means we'll have to fund it somehow - sorry 'bout that tax increase for the program we sold you as only being a tax increase on people with bad habits or who are rich, anyway! It's for the kids, donchaknow.

Heh. Memo for the political class: Can you say "Overnight expansion of gangs and organized crime into cigar smuggling?"

I knew you could. This is just dumb and not well thought out. You can't do this with a sin tax and *not* increase crime. How many teenagers and 20-somethings will we kill (via law enforcement activity) and will kill each other due to gang turf wars to fund children's health care?

You strip out crimes of passion and suicides, and the vast bulk of gun violence in this country is gang/crime related, and mostly has revolved around attempts to ban or heavily tax perceived sin. That *big* spikes in that kind of violence (not counting the splashy political killings of the civil rights era that gave us the Gun Control Act of 1968) can be measured by the laws created to control gang violence... such as the National Firearms Act of 1934, in response to the turf wars being fought over distribution rights during... Prohibition, and the McClure-Volkmer Act of 1986 and the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban, in response to violence mostly related to.... the "Drug War." In other words, arguably, the big, sustained surges in gun violence are usually related to crime, and most often criminal activities that have become more lucrative because of political action.

If we don't do silly things like try to effectively ban sin (vice control it and regulate it)... we really don't have a huge gun problem in this country.

But on this subject, we seem to... shoot ourselves in the foot, time and time again.

BTW, I don't smoke. And I lost my mother (who did smoke, like a chimney) to lung cancer this year, and it was ugly to watch. And yes, I think this law, as written, is just dumb.

H&I* Fires, 17 JUL 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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BLACKFIVE ON THE RADIO. It's the Laura Ingraham show, sometime this morning. Listen here [posted 7:30 a.m. Pacific]. - FbL

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*This* may prove interesting.

Local government officials in Washington, D.C., announced Monday they will appeal to the Supreme Court in a major test case on the meaning of the Second Amendment. The key issue in the coming petition will be whether the Amendment protects an individual right to have guns in one's home -- an issue on which there is now a clear conflict among federal Circuit Courts. The city will be defending the constitutionality of a local handgun control law that is regarded as the strictest in the nation.

Moving on - you simply *must* read this. A reporter *truly* embeds with the Canadian forces. The long-service professionals among us will have many smiles reading this bit by Mark (and the embedded links, you *must* read the embedded links!) over at The Torch. H/t, CAPT H, natch. -the Armorer

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Note to Heartless Libertarian: After you PCS to that base on the other coast, please don't dig any holes without checking for archaeologists. H/T to Go Jack Army. - the Adjutant

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AFGHAN SOLDIERS GET LOOK AT AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE

"Mother, how will you keep them down on the farm now that they've seen Paree?"

By Gary Skidmore 1st Brigade

What do you do with 55 Afghanistan army and policemen after they've completed their training exercise with the U.S. Army at Fort Riley? That's easy, you take them to Kansas City's Bass Pro Shop, Wal-Mart and the local Chipotle Mexican Grill. "We gave them a taste of American culture," said Maj. Dan Palmer, plans officer for the Directorate for Cultural Influence and Counter Insurgency.

[Heh. When I was at Fort Riley, we din't have no fancy-pantsed sounding directorates! I see they finally told Custer "No". Inside joke - if you were stationed at Riley long enough, you know the joke... -the Armorer]

By taking them to the Bass Pro Shop, they were experiencing a unique American store that you can only see in America, Palmer said "And you can't come to America and not at least visit a Wal-Mart." Palmer said he thought the group was impressed with their tour. "I think they were overwhelmed," Palmer said. "They saw Americana at its finest."

One Afghan National Army soldier said his experience with the trip was very rewarding and he loved what he saw. "We bought items to take home as gifts," said Aziz Ahmad Azizi, an E-6
in the Afghanistan National Army. "The quality of items we're buying is much better than we can buy in our country." Azizi, like everybody on the tour, received a free hat as he entered the
Bass Pro Shop. As they came through the door, they immediately stopped and gazed at the enormous facility.

"It is very large," said Shah Hosain Mandori. "I've never seen so many stuffed animals, so many boats and so many different things for camping anywhere before." Mandori bought a collapsible chair with red, white and blue material. "I will display this with pride when I go home," he said. "This is a great gift for me to remember my trip to America."

Gifts weren't the only thing the soldiers took back to Afghanistan. Flashes from their cameras were going off at every opportunity. One check out lady at the Bass Pro Shop had her picture taken individually with six soldiers and a mother and daughter strolling the store gladly posed with several Afghan National Police. "It's fun," said Angie Pruitt of Olathe, Kan. "You can tell they're having a great time here and we want their experience in America to be a good one."

When the visitors got to the Bonner Springs, Kan. Wal-Mart, they were full after having eaten at the Legends Mall Chipotle. At Wal-Mart, it was a shopping free-for-all. One shopper, Capt. Ahmadudin Ahmadi, with the Afghanistan National Police bought six bottles of shampoo in various fragrances. "At home we can't get this," Ahmadi said. "My wife will like this very
much." However, the trip to the United States was more than just a shopping trip, said Col. Ghulam Wahid Neekzai, from the Afghanistan National Army.

"We trained with the American military. We learned advanced military tactics that we will use when we go back to Afghanistan to fight the enemy," Neekzai said. "This is a good nation-building program. We come here to train and American Soldiers come to our country to help us fight for our country. We all benefit from this."

A window into a soldier of the civil war.

A letter from one of my ancestors, Captain Winston Meriwether, to his wife, Sallie. Spelling per the original. Captain Meriwether, along with his wife and many others of my family, are buried in Linwood Cemetery, Paragould, Arkansas. Wint served on the losing side of the War of Southern Succession, and is probably aghast to know there is a bluebelly Regular amongst his line. My only defense, Wint, is that I came by it honestly, via my Father, and regret it not one bit.

Senatobia, Mississippi, 16 July 1862.

My Darling Wife,

I have written to you every few days but don't expect you have seed but a few of them. I would come over and see you but fear the Yankeys may catch me as I hear Curtis is at Hellany(1) if I hear of their leaving and can get a leave of absence I will come and see my darling Wife. Oh I wish to see you and the family so bad. I have not head a word from you since I saw you. Jeff Thompson (2) is here in command said I am Crazy about you, for the Lords sake if you can get me a Letter to Grenada Miss I am purchasing Commissary stores and have been Ever since I left you. David (3) is with us and well. Bob (4) is in Mobile have a jolly time writes for me to come down but I have so much to do, I keep well am in fine health, but My God if I could see you I would feel a good deal better our Army is in good Condition and will start North shortly as soon is it Rains. havent heard from the Bend (5), I wish I had time to write you a long letter give my love to the family I hope to see you all I hope you all have good health, we haven't got any Whiskey here, but we are all Drunk off of the news from Richmond (6) I hope the war will soon close and we can get home.

I have to write in such a hurry I cant tell you half I want to but I hope I can get to see you before long and talk over Old Acquaintance Sallie keep in good Spirits, dont be uneasy about me, and you know your situation (7) and dont get low spirited. You know what to name the little fellow and raise him to hate and fight the Yankeys It is very hard to be seperated from one that I love above all others, I hope the Yanks may never come to that Country if they do get along the best you can I am compeled to close for for the man is waiting. Send for him he can tell you all the news he lives in the neighbourhood.

Your husband, Wint M.

Notes:

1. Union General Samuel A. Curtis (victor at Pea Ridge) whose troops occupied Helena in early July, 1862.

2. A former Mayor of St. Joseph, Missouri, M. Jeff Thompson had become commander of the pro-secession Missouri State Guard forces in the "Bootheel" region of southeast Missouri in 1861. Later known as the "Swamp Fox," Thompson was captured by Federal troops at Pocahontas, Arkansas, in 1863.

3. James David Meriwether, a younger brother, who died during the war.

4. Robert Miller Meriwether, another younger brother.

5. "The Bend" was evidently the name used to identify the homeplace near Tiptonville. Other sources refer to a bend in the Mississippi River south of Tiptonville as "Meriwether Bend."

6. Probably referring to the "Seven Days" battles of June 26-July 1 when Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, at great cost, checked the Federal advance on Richmond.

7. Sallie was five months pregnant. Robert Winston Meriwether would be born November 17, 1862, near Marianna. The baby was probably name for his Uncle Robert (see note 4), who late named on of his sons... "Winston."

Given that this is the time of year Wint wrote the letter, and I'm feeling all historical thus far this week... I thought all y'all might enjoy a peek into the Civil War, uncivil as it was in these parts.

The family owes a great debt of gratitude to cousin Bobby, Professor Emeritus of History at Hendrix College, Conway, Arkansas, Justice of the Peace, and bit-player (as a Fed, no less) in a Burt Reynolds movie... (and I can't remember which one, dangit!) for his preservation of family treasures and history such as this.

I'm the keeper of the family firearms, natch.

Fort Riley Casualty.

TRANSITION TEAM AIRMAN KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN

Air Force Master Sgt. Randy J. Gillespie, 44, died of wounds suffered from small arms fire July 9 in Herat, Afghanistan.

Gillespie was serving on a transition team that trained under and deployed from 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. His home of record is Coaldale, Colo.

Gillespie was assigned to the 56th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.

Transition team training is a 60-day training cycle to prepare small teams of American Soldiers, Airmen and Sailors to advise, teach, mentor and coach their Iraqi or Afghan counterparts.

It's not been since WWII, I believe, when enlisted casualties outpaced officer casualties in the Air Force. Nature of this war.

Make a hole down there in the 'Green! Airman coming in!

Now is the time at Castle Argghhh! when we dance. In Memoriam.

H&I* Fires, 16 JUL 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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From MNF-I:

- Surge progress may lead to troop reductions in northern Iraq, general says.

- Anbar leaders celebrate awakening

- Armor, infantry join forces to treat patients

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A bleg - regarding a "military craigslist":

I came across your blog through a Marine Friend, Mitch “Taco” Bell who runs a blog called Sandgram.blogspot.com. Mitch and I deployed to Iraq together in 05/06.

My name is Joe Harrison. Another retired Marine and I just launched a website and have a request for your support. Anything you can do to help us get the word out to, Soldiers and all the Armed Forces would be greatly appreciated.

Our website is Military Uniform Exchange. The link is militaryuniformexchange.com The site is an online worldwide combination of all base newspaper classified ads and thrift shops. It is kind of like craigslist, but just for the US military. It is place where Soldiers, Marines and all Military members can link up.help each other and save money.

As the website covers all services it allows us to cover costs and most importantly to keep all the basic services for posting uniforms free. (Note there is a base fee for listing vintage uniforms. This was done to help cover costs).

Feel free to check it out and report back - especially if you use it. -the Armorer

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Denizen 1SG Keith is entered in the New York Institute of Photography photo contest.

Go take a look at 1SG Keith's efforts - photos he took while deployed to Afghanistan. If you like 'em, vote for 'em, and let's see if we can't get him into the finals for at least one category!

His three pics are Here, here, and here.

Go. Look. Vote if you like 'em. H/t, Fuzzybear Lioness for the reminder. -the Armorer

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Oh, and speaking of Q-Ships, (yeah, we did, some weeks ago) the Navy's Finest are at it again... -the Armorer

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Making do with what you have...

The narrows at Drøbak, called the Drøbaksundet, is the key natural chokepoint for the naval defence of Oslo, the capital of Norway. Accordingly, in the 1600s fortifications were built at the narrows for that purpose. In the early 1800s the fortress was modernized, upgraded, and in 1855 was named Oscarsborg, in honor of a visit by the King of Sweden (Norway at that time being unified with Sweden).

Of course, as military technology has been wont to do during the era of the Industrial and post-Industrial Revolutions, military realities soon overcame the practical design of the fortress, and the Norwegians upgraded the fortress, adding some nice Krupp products from Germany to the batteries covering the sound, adding an underwater barrier and a torpedo battery to take advantage of that new invention, the Whitehead torpedo, developed by an English engineer Robert Whitehead, working for an Italian company, for the Austro-Hungarian Navy (heh, there's even a Sound of Music tie in there...) The main armament selected were three 280 mm caliber Krupp cannon, and assorted smaller-caliber guns of 150 mm and 57 mm on the mainland across from the fortress. The underwater barrier went from the main islet of Kaholmen southwest to the western side of the fjord, blocking the channel west of the fortress to large vessels.

On April 9, 1940, Oscarsborg received it's first, and only, test by fire. Sometimes you only get one, and if you're a warrior... you better be ready to give it your best. So it was for Oberst (Colonel) Birger Erikson, commander of Oscarsborg. While unable to save Norway from conquest by the Nazis, Oberst Erikson bought the time needed for Norway to evacuate her government and gold reserves to England, the better to continue the fight against the Teuton despoiler from Austria, Herr Corporal Hitler.

I'm sure that Oberst Erikson had some concerns... his guns were all 40+ years old, and while his torpedoes were known to be a sound design, they too were old and had been test-fired a lot over their lifetimes, albeit without their warshot warheads affixed. It was an open question whether or not they would explode when they hit the target.

At 65 years old, with no significant combat experience in his career, and in a chaotic situation out of effective communications with his superiors, Oberst Eriksen knew only that warships were headed his way, and had no knowledge of whether or not they were German or Allied vessels. He was however aware of Norway's official position of neutrality, with the intent of joining the Allies if Norway were attacked.

And his fortress was in a parlous state. His officers were old, with the torpedo battery being commanded by a retired coast artillery officer, Kommandørkaptein Andreas Anderssen, recalled by Eriksen for just that purpose. Most of his garrison troops were new recruits, having started their national service just days before, and he had numbers insufficient to man all his guns.

Up the fjord, large naval units appeared, ghosting out of the morning mists.

After warning shots had been fired and live rounds received in response, resulting in a fatality on his patrol boat, Oberst Eriksen seized his duty with both hands, giving the order to open fire on the approaching vessels at 04:21, and the 280mm Krupp guns, named Aron and Moses, sent rounds downrange at the large vessel 1,800 meters away, joined by the smaller guns on the opposite shore, scoring hits all along the lead vessel, still unidentified as to ship and nationality.

The ship was the German cruiser Blücher. The first hit took out the Blücher's forward fire control station, effectively disabling the ship's forward guns. The second hit took out the aircraft hangar, igniting aviation fuel and infantry munitions stored on deck.

These were the only two rounds Aron and Moses were to ever fire in anger, their inexperienced crews and long reload times effectively taking them out of the battle. If you only get one shot - make it count.

The Blücher's return fire from her secondaries was ineffective. The damage to her fire control station rendered her main guns unusable.

While the fire was raging aboard the Blücher, the smaller Norwegian guns raked her, complicating damage control, as her decks were continually swept by fire. The Blücher was carrying infantry for the attack on Oslo, and the Landsers and crew were undaunted, breaking out into a rousing chorus of "Deutschland über alles" as the Blücher ran the gauntlet of fire.

They would have done better to pay attention to what was just ahead of them.

The Germans' intel was fatally flawed. They were unaware of the commanded by just-recalled-from-retirement Kommandørkaptein Anderssen torpedo battery near the main gun battery, sited to cover the narrowest point of the fjord.

After passing the line of fire of the fortress' gun batteries the cruiser was burning and severely damaged. However, Kapitan Zur See Heinrich Woldag intended to save to save his ship and complete his mission. Too bad for KzS Woldag and the Blücher, she was passing in front of a pissed-off artillery officer and Kommandørkaptein Anderssen had two of his three torpedo tubes ready at a range of only 500m. Like their commander, the torpedoes were old and well-worn 40-year-old Whitehead torpedoes of Austrian manufacture. These torpedoes had been practice-launched well over 200 times before being aimed in earnest - and no-one was certain if they would function or not. Kommandørkaptein Anderssen fired the torperdoes himself, and the torps ran straight, hot, and true. The first torpedo hit near the Blücher's forward turret, and the second in the engine room, which left her drifting out of control.

The torpedoes sealed her fate.

The rest of the flotilla, believing the Blücher had hit mines, reversed back up the narrows, postponing the invasion of Oslo. The Norwegians weren't finished however - as the Germans retreated, the Lützow was hit three times by the Norwegian 150's and her "Anton" and "Bruno" turrets were disabled.

To avoid running aground, the Blücher dropped anchor at Askholmen, south of Oslo. KzS Woldag ordered her torpedoes to be fired into the sides of the fjord to prevent them from exploding aboard the ship. At 06:23, the Blücher capsized and sank, about an hour after she took her first hit. Of the 2,202 crew and troops on board, 830 died. The German Navy, while having failed the soldiers of the invasion force thus far - atoned in a classy way: Blücher's sailors were ordered to give up their life jackets to the troops on board, thus saving the lives of a significant number of soldiers. Kapitan zur See Woldag did not go down with his ship, but died a week or so later in a plane crash.

The Germans weren't finished with Oberst Erikson and Oscarsborg, either. The Lutzow bombarded the fortress with her remaining functional (but damaged) turret, and the fortress was bombed. Oberst Eriksen, being able to keep the German vessels under observation, ordered his gun crews into the tunnels to avoid casualties, knowing he could man the guns in time should the Germans start running down the fjord towards Oslo again. By doing this, Oberst Eriksen suffered no casualties in the fight. The only Norwegian casualties at all were two women killed by stray German rounds and the soldier on the patrol boat.

According to the people who wandered around counting craters, 100 battleship shells and 500 bombs landed in and around the fortress, but no guns were knocked out, nor soldiers killed or wounded.

When he received word that airlanding troops had taken Oslo, but the government was safely away, Oberst Eriksen decided further resistance would be a needless expenditure of lives and surrendered the fortress.

Aside from telling a tale of duty and the old and new soldier's baptism of fire (aside from the excuse of posting the picture of Aron), the other part about this story that intrigued me is the fact that the german-built ships were damaged by german-built guns. And that the pride of the Kriegsmarine, the Blücher, was sunk by Austrian-built torpedoes... since Hitler was Austrian, I just like the symmetry.

And it just goes to show, that most of the time, it's not the gear, it's who mans it that matters.

Update: And one more thing I meant to add... the Blücher was the Kriegsmarine's newest capital ship at the beginning of the war... which just makes the old war dog story even better.