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...
Time to add a new caveat, because from email it's not clear to some folks (mind you, if you don't read this it won't matter...) Being an open post, people (collectively, the Denizens) other than I post in the H&I. They sign their work (most of the time) - keep that in mind when you want to flame someone in email please - if it doesn't say "The Armorer" or "John" then I didn't write it! And honestly - if you don't like something said or posted... leave a comment, and hash it out (within the context of The Rulez which are clearly posted on the comment form, I would add).
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In light of the post by Kat on the topic and the comments in yesterday’s H&I* post about suicide amongst veterans I thought it worthwhile to put what UnkaChief Bill dropped in the comments on the front page. If you’re worried about someone get on this hotline, like yesterday.
At the end of the day it is us, the family and friends, who are going to have to start the process for help to be administered. It’s that way with civilian suiciders as well.
--ry
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New Army Chopper Unsafe to Fly. Ooooh -- scary. On a sunny day, the cockpit temp can reach -- *gasp!* -- 104F.
BFD. Cockpit temps in Vietnam hit 120F+. Do what we did -- fly with the doors off. --Bill
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Denizen and Inconstant Blogger Sergeant B will be... well, I'll let him tell you:
A certain somebody will be going to a certain place for a certain amount of time with a certain group of warfighters at a certain time…
The Castle Overseas Correspondent Corps is about to triple in size.
Heh. There's an epidemic affoot. As Denizens of this space and and Friends of this space do whatever it takes to get back in the cockpit. Like Lex. Dude - I'll go halfsies on fuel... Well, if I won't completely bollix the center of gravity. -the Armorer
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Chris Taylor neatly eviscerates yet another group complaining about soldiers visiting schools. His best line, for my money, is this one:
If a recruiter manages to dissuade you from pursuing your life-long dream career, then I submit that one's reservoirs of dedication and perseverence were never particularly deep.
So much for what he terms the "Council of Fussbudgets." - Damian
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Apropos of nothing, really - but on Tuesday my Rotary Club Board voted to take the profit from our Veteran's Day Pancake Breakfast (disabled vets fed free) and donate it to Project Valour-IT. So yesterday, at our regular meeting, I told the assembled members what the board had done, and I then laid 4 $50's in my Genuine Ozzie Army Slouch Hat, and passed the hat, asking the club to match my $200, plus what the Board allocated, so that we, as a club, could sponsor a laptop. 10 minutes later, I had the hat back. With $700 in it. So, I'm going to add the $100 kicker, and the Leavenworth Rotary Club will buy *two* laptops. Ladies and Gentlemen, and I know some of you read this, YOU RAWK! -the Armorer
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Oh, and sign me up for Jim at Parkway Rest Stop's suggestion... Blogger Strike! Heh, most of that hit waaaaaaaaaaay too close to home. -the Armorer
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*A term of art from the artillery. Harassment and Interdiction Fires.
Back in the day, when you could just kill people and break things without a note from a lawyer, they were pre-planned, but to the enemy, random, fires at known gathering points, road junctions, Main Supply Routes, assembly areas, etc - to keep the bad guy nervous that the world around him might start exploding at any minute.
*Not really relevant to today's operating environment, right? But, it *is*
The UAVs (oops, can't call 'em UAVs anymore - they're now Unmanned Aerial Systems... some Colonel got his Legion of Merit for that change...), er, um UAS's we fly over Afghanistan and Pakistan looking for targets of opportunity are a form of H&I fires, if you really want to parse it finely. We just have better sensors and fire control now.
I call the post that because it's random things posted by me and people I've given posting privileges to. It's also an open trackback, so if someone has a post they're proud of, but it really isn't either Castle kind of stuff, or topical to a particular post, I've basically given blanket permission to use that post for that purpose. Another term of art that might be appropriate is "Free Fire Zone"
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