Heartless Lib reports from Afghanistan (where he's getting pretty short these days):
Heh. If you'd told me in July of 2001 that the Vermont Army National Guard would be fighting in Afghanistan with an integrated contingent of Macedonian soldiers... I'd have given you the RCA Puppy Look.
Aaaah, Denny. I've met Denny. He's a nice guy, plays a mean guitar, and, when pressed, lives up to the hype of his blognomen. Get him and Jim of Parkway Rest Stop together and you'll be singing old songs with the Elderly Brothers before you know it.
SWWBO and I took ourselves from the sticks last night and did a tepanyaki dinner at the Kobe Japanese Steakhouse in the Power and Light District in downtown KCMO, and took in Straight No Chaser at the Midland Theater. The Midland is a grand old dame, and SNC was a fun two hours. And yes, I did catch everything the Chef tossed my way. SWWBO... didn't. Good music - we did get Africa as an encore, even if they didn't give us the 12 Days of Christmas (not that the crowd didn't ask for it!). All in all a $200 night, but worth it.
Congratulations to the winners in the Milbloggies! With a shout-out to the big sponsors of the 5th Annual Milblogging Conference, USAA and General Electric.
Macedonians:
Although the Greeks get annoyed if you don't say "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" (FYROM)
Two Macedonian platoons - one of infantry, one of MPs - are now deployed with the 86th IBCT (VTARNG)
Heh. If you'd told me in July of 2001 that the Vermont Army National Guard would be fighting in Afghanistan with an integrated contingent of Macedonian soldiers... I'd have given you the RCA Puppy Look.
Aaaah, Denny. I've met Denny. He's a nice guy, plays a mean guitar, and, when pressed, lives up to the hype of his blognomen. Get him and Jim of Parkway Rest Stop together and you'll be singing old songs with the Elderly Brothers before you know it.
SWWBO and I took ourselves from the sticks last night and did a tepanyaki dinner at the Kobe Japanese Steakhouse in the Power and Light District in downtown KCMO, and took in Straight No Chaser at the Midland Theater. The Midland is a grand old dame, and SNC was a fun two hours. And yes, I did catch everything the Chef tossed my way. SWWBO... didn't. Good music - we did get Africa as an encore, even if they didn't give us the 12 Days of Christmas (not that the crowd didn't ask for it!). All in all a $200 night, but worth it.
Congratulations to the winners in the Milbloggies! With a shout-out to the big sponsors of the 5th Annual Milblogging Conference, USAA and General Electric.
The Vermont Guard was paired with Macedonia in the mid-'90s, and the Joisey Guard with Albania. I gave four Albanian FA officers a hangar tour (and a rucksack full of goodies) in '98 or '99.
They couldn't believe I wouldn't take anything in return except a handshake.
I think one of the most overlooked benefits of being from a land "of plenty", as we are here, is the lower level of graft and corruption we have traditionally experienced compared to others. Sure, we have it (i.e., you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours), and we probably have more than we think or know about, but it's still considered more of an aberration than the "normal" or "expected" way of doing business.
fdcol63...evidently you don't live any where near New Jersey.
Just sayin'.
*wink-wink*
So you did.
*nudge-nudge*
It wasn't until that that Phillip dude and his kid, Alexander, that Macedonia became an excepted part of the "Greek World". That was because, by then, the Macedonians owned the Greek World, and lots of other bits and pieces.
I tried telling him all this, but he kept pointing at the magic computer box and telling me I could find it.
Anyway, George had two passions in life, demeaning the Turks and Compaining that the FYROM was not the FYROM, instead, Greece was Macedonia.
That's when I coined the term "FYROM-ulans," to differentiate without insulting anyone. I also explained to George that Greece was all butt-hurt against the Turks because the Turks were better soldiers.
I'm sure the J1 had fun cutting them some retroactive orders. The LNO team to TF WHITE EAGLE is still, to the best of my knowledge, filled by IL NG troops.
Cutting retroactive orders is no big deal -- I went to Boz and return on a week-long site recon in 2000 and had to wait another week to fill out my travel voucher because they hadn't cut orders yet.