Comments for On the being of "That guy"

On the being of "That guy"

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:12:39 -0600

The Armorer of Argghhh! (the fuzzy one in the silly hat) and Chuck Z of "From my position, On the Way!" in the Castle Technical in the 2009 Leavenworth Veteran's Day Parade. Photo courtesy Karel S.Small town parades are the best. The crowds are closer to the parade itself, you're more likely to know people in the crowd, and as long as you aren't a part of a performance group like a band, you can talk to spectators.Like when I saw my contractor and shouted "Where are my windows!?!" at him, and he said they weren't ready yet at the...

Comment from Argent on 2009-11-14

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:32:43 -0600

Haven't directly seen friendly rivalry in years. I suppose many of you already see it in the forces.

I look at that photo and then I look at myself... boys never really grow up do they?

Comment from Fishmugger on 2009-11-13

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:04:47 -0600

Well good on you all. Once a year we have a combined dinner so we can get out all the insults and tomfoolery. We are always swapping equipment and lending a hand. Our bell is always handcuffed to the Presidents wrist and their wheel is always guarded by some moose of a guy. Even when we declare a truce.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-11-13

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:47:09 -0600

'Mugger - the Lion's parade wagon is parked in the same garage as the Rotary Wheel, as the father is a Lion and the Rotarian is the son.

Whatever goes around would come around - so we behave and settle for verbal mockery and competing in fundraising for local charities.

We helped the Lions rehab their trailer - they're going to help us paint the new wheel.

;^)

Comment from Fishmugger on 2009-11-13

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:17:12 -0600

As President of the Chester NJ Lions Club I was going to let the slight go...in as much as it is a Veterans Day Parade and all. But that Rotary Wheel is just to good a target. How the Leavenworth Lions allowed that to make it to the end of the parade is beyond me. Somehow that would have disappeared.

And then a ransom letter is sent, and the Rotarians have to perform some silly act to get it back. No damage to the Wheel however.

My Club is famous for absconding with banners, flags, plaques and rival Clubs badges of authority.

Comment from MikeLM on 2009-11-13

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:31:26 -0600

John-
Loved your parade narrative, and the comments about your Rotary group vs the threatening Lions.

As a 30-year-plus Rotarian, I appreciate what they do. My Hinsdale, IL Rotary Club, which just celebrated its 50th annioversary by erecting a nice four-sided clock next to the Hinsdale BNSF commuter station, provides Marshals for each Hinsdale Fourth of July parade. I've been forming 'em up and moving 'em out for the last 15 years or so.

Your parade does seem to be "Beneficial for all concerned."

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-11-12

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:42:05 -0600

Yeah, Sanger, I got pull!

Heartless - sometimes, it pays to read the comments before commenting.

I love the reflexive fact-checking, though...

Comment from SangerM on 2009-11-12

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:23:17 -0600

Hey John, I really like how they had the Castle Logo painted on that wall in the background! Cool, eh?

Comment from Heartless Libertarian on 2009-11-12

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:13:57 -0600

Auburn, WA claims over 200 entries...although they cheat a bit and do it on Saturday.

http://blog.thenewstribune.com/military/2009/11/05/veterans-day-observances/

Comment from RetRsvMike on 2009-11-12

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:48:52 -0600

Chuck, you knucklehead!! get yer foot back inside... (and the proper answer to Carren should have been, "i was getting this bunch of flowers so junior could hand them to YOU!")

John: remind me to tell you sometime about when i was an XO, and i ended up "inheriting" a driver from the 1SG, after naming him "Ducky".

Comment from Argent on 2009-11-12

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:31:06 -0600

Looks like you both had great fun and thanks for wearing the slouch hat.

Comment from threadbndr on 2009-11-12

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:51:17 -0600

Covers, covers, gentlemen, covers. Only ladies wear hats.

According to the son and dad, that is. Which begs the question. Are the covers that my DiL wears really hats?

Comment from Murray on 2009-11-12

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:44:56 -0600

Get a Santa hat and you'll get the girls... from experience. Its called working with what you have.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-11-12

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:24:49 -0600

On me, Murray, *any* hat looks silly.

Comment from Murray on 2009-11-12

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:00:21 -0600

You know down this way we tend to avoid calling slouch hats "silly" or "funny". Unless we're winding up the Aussies.

But as a descendant of mounted riflemen and having been one myself, not even then.

Sight of those hats has been known to cause an invountary bowel motion in Turks, Japs, Italians and Germans.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-11-12

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:18:23 -0600

MCart - that particular gun is an aluminum/steel parade dummy with a belt of 7.62 Nato hanging out of it.

My DEWAT is in 30.06, and the semi-auto is in 7.62 Nato, being mostly ex-Israeli.

Comment from Casey on 2009-11-12

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:52:20 -0600

I don't think John has enough water on the property for that puppy. And, yeah, I know, it's amphibious. :)

The Cat sure was a purty plane.

Come to think of it, I'm not sure the local chapter would really want a Catalina taxing down Main Street during the parade. Heh.

Comment from MCart on 2009-11-12

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:59:44 -0600

What does that one eat, 30.06? If you're looking at expanding your 1919 collection, the Navy used to bolt these into the PBY Flying Boats.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PBY_Gun_Blister.jpg

Just another vehicle right? ;)

Comment from Grumpy on 2009-11-12

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:52:09 -0600

It is really nice to hear of you old-ER pharts out, having a good old time. (SNERK) 8 ^ )

You have paid your dues!

Comment from SangerM on 2009-11-12

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:15:20 -0600

Speaking of mounting an M2, the CSAR Blackhawk that was at the airshow had a M2 mounted where the miniguns had been. The crew guy said they swap them out depending on the mission, but he liked the M2 because it had more punch and greater range. I imagine that's quite a thumping the chopper gets when it fires, bit they had it mounted in the swivel w/ butterfly handles, etc....

Ha! And the Go/NoGo experience lives on for another generation.

Talk about a design that works, eh?

Comment from SangerM on 2009-11-12

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:04:35 -0600

"forgetting to secure the hood hold-downs - more than once."

Wow, and YEAH, that is NOT something that needs doing more than once.... I was on the autobahn, had done PMCS at the last stop and forgot to hook the hood latches. THAT is nothing short of ***!!HOLY $HIT!!!*** scary when the hood smashes into the windshield, though it does help being able to lean over to see around the window....

Even so, twice?! Hard to imagine. And yeah, I'd of got a new driver too....

Just wow...

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-11-12

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:59:18 -0600

We welcome the competition - I'll pass this on to the parade committee!

Comment from Dennis on 2009-11-12

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:51:36 -0600

John,

You no longer have to bear the burden of having the largest parade. It looks like Albany, Oregon is bigger, at @ 200 entries. http://www.cityofalbany.net/about/veteransdayparade.php
It's a city of about 41,000.

My town, Roseburg, usually has only about 120-130, so we're trailing behind you......

Comment from Tim on 2009-11-12

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:48:10 -0600

That's a pretty brave contractor - telling a man in an armed jeep and a funny hat that he doesn't have his stuff yet.

Comment from AFSister on 2009-11-12

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:42:01 -0600

Sorry John... you may be "that guy"... but CHUCK stole that story. "Where's your son!!???"

OMG. classic Chuck and Carren.

That's a great picture, btw. Our Veteran's Day parade(s) were at rather inconvenient times yesterday, so I wasn't able to go. I'm hoping that some day Veteran's Day will garner the respect it deserves, and it will be more than just a federal holiday that the civilian world tends to ignore.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-11-12

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:33:02 -0600

The Aussie slouch hat was a gift from the Australian LNO at the NSC, who I worked for, back in the 90's. He had it done up as an WWI ANZAC artillery officer, with the exception of the the QEII RAA corps badge and Australian Army, vice AIF, badge.

I wear it around the farm now and again, and for things like the parade.

And yesterday *was* Remembrance Day for our anglosphere brothers-in-arms.

Comment from BillT on 2009-11-12

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:26:24 -0600

And a lot of people thought the Browning M1919A4 I had mounted was a .50 caliber machine gun.

Hah. In Seattle, they would have called the cops and told them it was an AK-47...

Comment from JimC on 2009-11-12

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:04:40 -0600

What's the story behind Bush Hat????

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-11-12

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:47:21 -0600

Silly man. You want SWWBO to take the Technical away?

Comment from Fishmugger on 2009-11-12

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:42:15 -0600

I don't know...at no time did you reference any young girls throwing flowers...or anything else appropriate.

Comment from Greta on 2009-11-12

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:53:39 -0600

Sounds like a fantabulous time. Good for both of you!