H&I Fires* 16 May 2008

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.

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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Got an email last night from a loyal reader and frequent commenter:

John, I cannot believe that you missed mentioning New Market Day, VMI, and lost Union artillery.

Hunter
VMI, 1980

I responded:

I know a *lot* of stuff. I don't know *everything*. That's why I have readers. And post email addys. Who let VMI down - the guy who went to Mizzou... or the guy who went to VMI? My money is that the Tiger is in fine shape. The Keydet on the other hand...

One reason this blog is popular with Canadians is because CAPT H started feeding me Canadian stuff, which drew in Alan, and Damian, and the Flea. Especially at those times when the bill-paying job requires more than 8-hours-a-day attention, I rely on you guys to make keeping the content fresh, varied, and interesting... so, if I *miss* something - well, it's either because in my mind, I did that two years ago, or... *you* didn't tell me about it.

So *don't* find yourself in this situation:

Yah, yah. I ...forgot...until this afternoon when I got home and looked at my print of Lovell's painting and the penny dropped. If you late post it, the credit for the painting is courtesy of the VMI museum. Which, in itself, is well worth visiting. That and the four cannon in front, known as Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John because they spoke the Gospel of the Confederacy.

Hunter

...getting snarked on the blog while I still give you your New Market plug!

Image courtesy of the VMI Museum, Lexington, VA.

Click the painting for the story of New Market. -the Armorer

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Speaking of anniversaries - May 16, 1943 - The Dambusters Raid. Even if you don't care about the anniversary - the picture with the article is worth the click. H/t, JimC Okay, that's it for the nonce, I have to get to the airport. -the Armorer

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The Canadian government unveiled our own homegrown Victoria Cross today.

Believe it or not, there has been quite a bit of controversy surrounding our military honours over the past thirty-some-odd years, and so this is something of a seminal moment:

In 1972 the Canadian honours system was overhauled and the Victoria Cross was omitted from the official list of Honours. The debate about whether to reinstate the Victoria Cross raged throughout the late 1970s and 1980s. The Prime Minister of the time, Pierre Trudeau, regularly dodged questions about the award, stating "that only Canadians should receive Canadian decorations."

Three years after his appointment as Prime Minister in 1984, Brian Mulroney set up a committee to look into the creation of a Canadian Victoria Cross as part of a new set of military honours. Although the committee did not recommend the Victoria Cross, pressure from lobbying groups such as the Monarchist League of Canada and the Royal Canadian Legion forced the plans to be amended. In 1991, a Private Member's Bill received all-party support in the House of Commons, following which the Victoria Cross, along with other Canadian military valour decorations, were formally requested on December 31, 1992, by Mulroney. The request was approved by the issue of Letters Patent by Elizabeth II, the Queen of Canada, on February 2, 1993. The other awards approved were the Star of Military Valour and the Medal of Military Valour. Upon the creation of the awards, coined the Modern Honours of Canada, the Canadian honours system was no longer dependent on the British.

As the military relies upon tradition more than most other segments of society, this move away from our British heritage while still maintaining a connection to that heritage has been a tricky one. Hence the words on the Canadian VC changing from the British "For Valour" to a Latin "Pro Valore." You see, by putting the inscription in Latin, it's more inclusive of the Quebecois and other Canadians of non-British heritage, or so the argument goes. That would also be why there are fleur-de-lis on the crown.

As you might suspect, this seems a little silly to me. But sometimes compromise is required, and at least we have a VC out of that compromise.

One area where I will give designers of the new medal credit for creativity and respect to our heritage is in the composition of the alloy used:

...because of the significance of the Victoria Cross to Canadians, the decoration should reflect the past, the present and the future of the country. The planning group recommended that the decoration be made from a mixture of three types of metals: the specific gunmetal used in the production of British Victoria Crosses; metal from an historically significant Canadian source, specifically a medal minted in 1867 in commemoration of the Confederation of Canada; and, finally, metals from all regions of Canada from coast to coast to coast.

For those interested in a more detailed account, including pictures of the metals used, the design artwork, and the casting process, this pdf file is for you. - Damian

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On Monday morning I will be interviewing the American 1SG of the Iraqi NCO Academy (he was there from the beginning and stepped down in preparation for the 3rd ID's redeployment just this week). I plan to get into as much detail as possible about the Academy's development/changes in its five months of existence, the curriculum, activties, and students. Any suggested questions or topics left in the comments below would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! - FbL

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In Dallas waiting for the final leg of the flight home checking email. Here's an unusual casualty announcement:

DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sgt. John K. Daggett, 21, of Phoenix, Ariz., died May 15 in Halifax, Canada, of wounds suffered May 1 in Baghdad, Iraq, when a rocket-propelled grenade struck his vehicle. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

Soldier from Phoenix, assigned to the 25th's 2BCT in Hawaii, is wounded in Baghdad, and dies... in Halifax, Canada.

Well, I can't honor them all individually, but this one, well, now is the time at Castle Argghhh! when we dance: In Memoriam. -the Armorer

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From the Gateway Pundit - Congressman James McGovern, D-Mass) in cahoots with FARC? This will be fun to watch play out, in a sad way, regardless of the truth. H/t, JimC -the Armorer