Entering a classroom at MCAS, (Marine Corps Air Station) Yuma, Ariz., a female
Marine captain encountered a clearly apathetic audience. She was selected
to provide a full hour’s instruction in Iraqi electronic warfare capabilities
to 150 Marine aviators who showed by their body language deep skepticism about
her ability to teach war fighting skills to an all-male class of Marine fighter
pilots.
She began by noting that her voice had just been tested to see if it was suitable
for some new cockpit recorder messages for Marine aircraft. Unfortunately
she had not been selected to be the new “Bitching Betty”, but it was only fair
to warn the audience, however, that an analysis of her voice pattern revealed
that her particular voice had a tendency to lull to sleep any male homosexual
within earshot.
The assembled officers shot upright in their chairs. 150 sets of eyes
were wide open and locked on her and stayed that way for the rest of the hour.
Colonel W. Hays Parks, U. S. Marine Corps Reserve
____________________ Not Racist; Not Violent; Not
Silent Anymore.
GO GATORS!!!!!!!!!!!!
The 9th Circuit court of appeals ruled that it violated the first amendment rights or Xavier Alvarez of Pomona California, when he was indicted in 2007 of impersonating a medal of honor recipient.
The Stolen Valor Act revised and toughened a law that makes it a crime for people to wear military medals they did not deserve. It sailed through Congress in 2006 and received unanimous support in the Senate.
The panel sided 2-1 with Alvarez saying the law violates his freedom of speech.
It is a disservice to all those who had received the nations top military honor. Most of the individuals who receive this award do so after death.
So now, because of activist judges, dirt bags like Alvarez can sully the name of our greatest heros, all in an act of personal glory. He should be in prison, not just community service and a fine.
It really surprises me that I have not heard more veterans groups speak out about this, or veterans in general for that matter
Bryan Fischer-Focal Point
Fox News Goes P.C. on Islamic Terror
Date: 2/22/2010 8:34:44 AM
News broke last week that the second largest stockholder in Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. is a Saudi prince, who owns just under six percent of the company.
This has led to a virtual blacklisting of experts on Islamic terrorism such as Walid Shoebat, Robert Spencer and Brigitte Gabriel. Anyone who will tell the unvarnished truth about the threat Islam poses to the West is no longer permitted any prime time air on the "Fair and Balanced" network.
Further confirmation that the P.C. Police have gotten to the last objective network on the airwaves comes from watching Fox personnel dance around the religion of the five Muslim soldiers who are suspected of planning to poison the food supply at Fort Jackson in South Carolina, the largest basic training base in the U.S. military.
Watch Fox's Friday coverage of this jihadist plan here In the full two-minute report, Martha McCollum and Steve Centanni studiously avoid the use of words such as "Muslim," "Islam," "terror," or "jihad." The only thing you would know about these men, if you're depending on Fox for your information, is that they speak Arabic as their first language.
These five are apparently part of what's called the 09 Lima program, a special program for non-American Arabic speakers, who don't even need to speak much English to enlist. They are put through a special pre-basic basic training program where they are introduced to the fundamentals of English (their English is not strong enough for them to make it through basic training) and given information about American culture.
Then all they have to do is serve one day - yes, one day - in honorable active duty to be fast-tracked for U.S. citizenship.
Meanwhile, according to what Walid Shoebat said on my Focal Point program on Friday, Arabic-speaking Jews are blackballed from the translation effort because their presence is offensive to the Muslims in the program. And the U.S. military continues to ignore fluent Arabic speakers who are Lebanese Christians or Copts from Egypt.
To summarize: the U.S. military is actively recruiting Muslims who are not U.S. citizens, and who are so steeped in Muslim culture that they barely speak English. Then they are put in the middle of the largest basic training base in the U.S. military where they can carry out jihadist plans without having to infiltrate anything. Our wizards of smart in the U.S. military have done the infiltration for them. God help us.
Anyone ready to join me in calling for a ban on Muslims in the U.S. military?
Last edited on Sat Aug 21st, 2010 10:36 am by loner1115
____________________ Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil - it has no point
He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to attain what he cannot lose. - Jim Elliot
I met a few C-130 pilots over in Kuwait and they were some cool dudes. Even met a female pilot who the guys envied. She was a looker, but took her job very seriously. She always managed to get her gunners in the right position to take out the enemy. While in Kuwait she was cross training to become a helicopter pilot and was looking forward to flying as many missions as she could. She would enjoy the joke posted here.
The link takes you to "The Virtual Wall". It is a website listing all of our heroes that perished in VietNam ... by state and hometown! Click on your state, find your city, and it will list any/all from that town whose names are inscribed on "The Wall". Good for remembrances and to honor those heroes and their families. Click on a name and it may show a picture, their medals, how they perished, their units and family members depending on the person(s)who have contributed to their profile.
Our VietNam veterans deserve our respect and those that lost their lives deserve every ounce of tribute that we are able to give back to them and their families for their loss and for their hero's military service.
The link takes you to "The Virtual Wall". It is a website listing all of our heroes that perished in VietNam ... by state and hometown! Click on your state, find your city, and it will list any/all from that town whose names are inscribed on "The Wall". Good for remembrances and to honor those heroes and their families. Click on a name and it may show a picture, their medals, how they perished, their units and family members depending on the person(s)who have contributed to their profile.
Our VietNam veterans deserve our respect and those that lost their lives deserve every ounce of tribute that we are able to give back to them and their families for their loss and for their hero's military service.
this is fitting for this post,
____________________ 1Cr 2:2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
1Jo 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from al
I looked up a couple of heroes. One of them had an official "home of record" listed that was different than the small town he was originally from. So folks should realize, as the site explains, that many service members listed where they lived at the time of joining the military, or some other address, instead of their birth place or hometown.
Last edited on Wed Aug 25th, 2010 02:04 am by Cherokee Bill
____________________ If you are ashamed to stand by your colors, you had better seek another flag.
~Author Unknown
Army revises training to deal with unfit recruits
More potential recruits failing their physicals because they're overweight
FORT JACKSON, S.C. — Dawn breaks at this, the Army’s largest training post, with the reliable sound of fresh recruits marching to their morning exercise. But these days, something looks different.
Calif judge to stop 'don't ask, don't tell' policy
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A federal judge said she will issue an order to halt the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, after she declared the ban on openly gay service members unconstitutional.
Does it seem strange to anyone but me to see all the troops in their BDU's or whatever they're called?
During my time in the service, we wore what were referred to as "fatigues". And they were NEVER worn off base except to and from work. Couldn't even stop off at a store and go inside wearing them.
Things sure have changed in 30+ years.
____________________ Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil - it has no point
He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to attain what he cannot lose. - Jim Elliot
Does it seem strange to anyone but me to see all the troops in their BDU's or whatever they're called?
During my time in the service, we wore what were referred to as "fatigues". And they were NEVER worn off base except to and from work. Couldn't even stop off at a store and go inside wearing them.
Things sure have changed in 30+ years.
At one time in SAC, we had to dress in Class A's just to drive to work and then after working all day out in the heat on those oily, nasty B-29s, change back into class A's to drive home, regardless what time we finished. They also had a rule that if you lived on base and you entertained more than another couple, everyone had to be in Mess Dress.
____________________ Not Racist; Not Violent; Not
Silent Anymore.
GO GATORS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Does it seem strange to anyone but me to see all the troops in their BDU's or whatever they're called?
During my time in the service, we wore what were referred to as "fatigues". And they were NEVER worn off base except to and from work. Couldn't even stop off at a store and go inside wearing them.
Things sure have changed in 30+ years.
Well Loner, all the folks who didn't already know my age will know now I'm one of those older vets.
Yes, it still seems strange to see all the troops in their BDUs (Battle Dress Uniforms). I wore the plain green fatigues for well over the first half of my career and then they brought in the BDUs. They gave a two or three year "grace" period where we could keep wearing the old-style fatigues. I wore the old ones until the day we had to wear BDUS.
Also, when I went into the AF, we wore the old 1505s (khaki uniform) when working in jobs when we didn't need to wear fatigues. I really liked the khakis but they got "phased out" also and I had to start wearing the light blue shirt/dark blue slacks combo.
But you're exactly right.....while wearing fatigues we couldn't stop anywhere off-base. Now you see the troops anywhere and everywhere (including off-base restaurants) in their BDUs. It's evidently within the regs to do so now, but it surely does look odd to we old-timers.
One more thing and then I'll quit rambling on.....it seems everyone wears berets now! In my day, only the special forces, paratroopers, etc. wore berets. To me, that makes the berets lose their meaning, which used to be the designation of special forces or other elite units.
____________________ If you are ashamed to stand by your colors, you had better seek another flag.
~Author Unknown
Old Cuz wrote: At one time in SAC, we had to dress in Class A's just to drive to work and then after working all day out in the heat on those oily, nasty B-29s, change back into class A's to drive home, regardless what time we finished. They also had a rule that if you lived on base and you entertained more than another couple, everyone had to be in Mess Dress.
Hi Cuz,
Yep, I served at SAC bases and/or SAC HQs for quite a few years back in the day. By the time I was there, they had relaxed the Class A rules quite a bit but still had stricter rules than most commands.
Remember all the jokes about real SAC men? I used to have a list somewhere showing all the rules for real SAC men. If I still have it and run across it, I'll post it.
____________________ If you are ashamed to stand by your colors, you had better seek another flag.
~Author Unknown
To all the members on here who know GWEH (Great White Elk Hunter) and remember his posts from Iraq he posted on another board that he's retiring from the Marines next May. Gary, that's his name, has put in 25 years of faithful service and is raising an incredible family. I wish him well.
Also, when I went into the AF, we wore the old 1505s (khaki uniform) when working in jobs when we didn't need to wear fatigues. I really liked the khakis but they got "phased out" also and I had to start wearing the light blue shirt/dark blue slacks combo.
I also was AF and mostly wore 1505's and then the 505's. Just a different material. Was out before the light/dark blue combination.
Was on a couple of SAC bases but really didn't have to go along with their rules and regs. Didn't even have to take part in ORI's. I was a weather observer and regardless of where I was stationed, I was part of MAC. Which accounts for my 3 different tours with the Army. We supplied all weather support to the Army aviation units.
____________________ Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil - it has no point
He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to attain what he cannot lose. - Jim Elliot
Bumper-Stickers Seen On Military Bases.
"When In Doubt, Empty The Magazine"
"Marine Sniper - You can run, but you'll just die tired!"
"Machine Gunners - Accuracy By Volume"
"Except For Ending Slavery, Fascism, Nazism and Communism, WAR has Never Solved Anything."
" U.S. Marines - Certified Counselors to the 72 Virgins Dating Club."
" U.S. Air Force - Travel Agents To Allah"
"Stop Global Whining"
Naval Corollary: Dead Men Don't Testify.
"The Marine Corps - When It Absolutely, Positively Has To Be Destroyed Overnight"
"Death Smiles At Everyone - Marines Smile Back"
"What Do I Feel When I Kill A Terrorist? A Little Recoil"
"Marines - Providing Enemies of America an Opportunity To Die For their Country Since 1775"
"Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Anyone Who Threatens It"
"Happiness Is A Belt-Fed Weapon"
"It's God's Job to Forgive Bin Laden - It's Our Job To Arrange The Meeting"
"Artillery Brings Dignity to What Would Otherwise Be Just A Vulgar Brawl"
"One Shot, Twelve Kills - U.S. Naval Gun Fire Support "
"My Kid Fought In Iraq So Your Kid Can Party In College"
"A Dead Enemy Is A Peaceful Enemy - Blessed Be The Peacemakers"
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But the U.S. ARMED FORCES don't have that problem." ..... Ronald Reagan
____________________ 1Cr 2:2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
1Jo 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from al
what do you vets and active think about this, as for me I don't really like it, it is too controlling as far as I can see, but let us know what you think
____________________ 1Cr 2:2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
1Jo 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from al
spectregunshipper wrote: what do you vets and active think about this, as for me I don't really like it, it is too controlling as far as I can see, but let us know what you think
It's not the first time the military has been used as guinea pigs. It started with the nuclear tests back in the 40's and 50's. I used to work with a friend whose father had been involved in the tests. The father started developing benign lymphoma tumors and passed this trait to the son. Every couple years he had to have a bunch cut out when they got too big. It was proven that it was caused by the exposure to radiation.
It has also been proved that they were used to tests drugs and vaccines, just like blacks were used to test the effects of syphilis.
I wouldn't put it past the government to use them for any kinds of tests regardless of the harm it may cause.
Last edited on Wed Sep 15th, 2010 09:37 am by loner1115
____________________ Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil - it has no point
He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to attain what he cannot lose. - Jim Elliot
loner1115 wrote: spectregunshipper wrote: what do you vets and active think about this, as for me I don't really like it, it is too controlling as far as I can see, but let us know what you think
It's not the first time the military has been used as guinea pigs. It started with the nuclear tests back in the 40's and 50's. I used to work with a friend whose father had been involved in the tests. The father started developing benign lymphoma tumors and passed this trait to the son. Every couple years he had to have a bunch cut out when they got too big. It was proven that it was caused by the exposure to radiation.
It has also been proved that they were used to tests drugs and vaccines, just like blacks were used to test the effects of syphilis.
I wouldn't put it past the government to use them for any kinds of tests regardless of the harm it may cause.
I don't like it. Besides being guinea pigs we are also pawns in the budget game. Every year some jackass up on the hill tacks on some type of pork to the military's budget plan and then proceeds to holler as loud as can be that if you don't vote for the budget you're anti-military.
STEVEN wrote: loner1115 wrote: spectregunshipper wrote: what do you vets and active think about this, as for me I don't really like it, it is too controlling as far as I can see, but let us know what you think
It's not the first time the military has been used as guinea pigs. It started with the nuclear tests back in the 40's and 50's. I used to work with a friend whose father had been involved in the tests. The father started developing benign lymphoma tumors and passed this trait to the son. Every couple years he had to have a bunch cut out when they got too big. It was proven that it was caused by the exposure to radiation.
It has also been proved that they were used to tests drugs and vaccines, just like blacks were used to test the effects of syphilis.
I wouldn't put it past the government to use them for any kinds of tests regardless of the harm it may cause.
I don't like it. Besides being guinea pigs we are also pawns in the budget game. Every year some jackass up on the hill tacks on some type of pork to the military's budget plan and then proceeds to holler as loud as can be that if you don't vote for the budget you're anti-military.
See. What did I tell y'all. Left here to read the paper and other news on line and found this gem.
Think it was also the hate crimes bill that was passed by adding it to the defence bill. If they want something unpopular done, they will find a sneaky way to get it done.
____________________ Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil - it has no point
He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to attain what he cannot lose. - Jim Elliot
Monday, September 13, 2010 - A military widow called KUSI's Michael Turko when she got crosswise with the California Department of Motor Vehicles. Turko says that's not unusual, but the facts of this case deserve special scrutiny.
Casualties in military service are unavoidable, and because of that the armed forces have a pretty good system in place to tie up the legal loose ends when tragedy strikes. But that system apparently just isn't good enough for the California Department of Motor Vehicles, and a military widow says they're telling her tough luck!
____________________ MGySgt USMC
(Ret)
Note: No trees were killed in the sending of this message, but a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.
As she stands beside his grave
On yet another Memorial Day,
She remembers the boy she sent away
And how he became the man resting here today.
His heroes didn't become famous playing ball.
In fact most of their names were never well known at all.
They went to work wearing camouflage green and desert brown,
Earning their reputation as the toughest warriors around.
When he first saw them in dress blues
The heart within her little boy knew,
That nothing short of becoming one of them would do.
Time all too quickly passed by
As childhood things were put aside,
And his heart's desire would not be denied.
"I love you, Mom" he said one day
"But the time has come for me to go away,"
And she knew his decision she couldn't sway.
Through tears she tried so hard to keep inside
She told her baby boy goodbye.
Writing him letters nearly every day
She often took the time to pray,
"Lord be with my boy today."
"Help him clearly see the man I know that he can be,
Grant him his most cherished dream,
Let him come home, a United States Marine."
When the time came for him to go to war
She feared as she had never feared before,
Prayed there would be no knock on her front door.
They came that day dressed in their blues
And though in her heart she already knew,
She cried out "No, it can't be true."
The man child she had sent away
Was at last coming home to stay.
He never doubted what they did was right,
And he never wavered in the fight.
Forever and always as in his childhood dreams,
Her boy remains a United States Marine.
Copyright 2006 Keo R. Gathman ( beakerless@hotmail.com ). Permission is granted to send this to others, with attribution, but not for commercial purposes.
____________________ Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil - it has no point
He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to attain what he cannot lose. - Jim Elliot
Profiles of Valor: U.S. Air Force CMSgt Etchberger
"Plausible denial" was the word in 1968, when some U.S. military personnel were taking the battle to the communist enemy in Cambodia and Laos as "civilians." What was undeniable, and what finally became crystal clear decades later, was the heroism and selflessness that was exhibited by one of those men, United States Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Richard Loy Etchberger. In March 1968, a remote radar site in Laos, known as Lima Site 85, was attacked and eventually overrun. Etchberger, one of the defenders at that site, remained in his position despite heavy fire that had killed or wounded most of his comrades. Fighting with everything at his disposal, including calling in air strikes, he battled back. When med-evac helos finally came, he put his wounded comrades aboard first, braving enemy fire to get them up to safety before he himself was mortally wounded. Though he had received posthumously the Air Force Cross for his actions that day, Etchberger will now receive his full due: the Medal of Honor.
____________________ Mike G Harris
Air Force Veteran
Proud Father of a Active Navy Seamen
(on the USS George Washington)
Son of a retired Air Force Veteran
Brother of 2 Air Force Veterans
MikeHarris wrote: That was funny.....I'm still laughing.
I was referring the the navy recruting skit way up above this post
____________________ Mike G Harris
Air Force Veteran
Proud Father of a Active Navy Seamen
(on the USS George Washington)
Son of a retired Air Force Veteran
Brother of 2 Air Force Veterans
spectregunshipper wrote: Recieved this in an email, sent to Glenn Beck hoping he will read it on the air and sent it to Sen. Mitch McConnell or Ky alone with some others. pass it on
This venerable and much honored WW II vet is well known in Hawaii
for his seventy-plus years of service to patriotic organizations and causes all over the country. A humble man without a political bone in his body, he has never spoken out before about a government official, until now. He dictated this letter to a friend, signed it and mailed it to the president.
Dear President Obama,
My name is Harold Estes, approaching 95 on December 13 of this year. People meeting me for the first time don't believe my age because I remain wrinkle free and pretty much mentally alert.
I enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1934 and served proudly before, during and after WW II retiring as a Master Chief Bos'n Mate. Now I live in a "rest home" located on the western end of Pearl Harbor , allowing me to keep alive the memories of 23 years of service to my country.
One of the benefits of my age, perhaps the only one, is to speak my mind, blunt and direct even to the head man.
So here goes.
I am amazed, angry and determined not to see my country die before I do, but you seem hell bent not to grant me that wish.
I can't figure out what country you are the president of.
You fly around the world telling our friends and enemies despicable lies like:
" We're no longer a Christian nation"
" America is arrogant" - (Your wife even
announced to the world," America is mean-
spirited. " Please tell her to try preaching
that nonsense to 23 generations of our
war dead buried all over the globe who
died for no other reason than to free a
whole lot of strangers from tyranny and
hopelessness.)
I'd say shame on the both of you, but I don't think you like America, nor do I see an ounce of gratefulness in anything you do, for the obvious gifts this country has given you. To be without shame or gratefulness is a dangerous thing for a man sitting in the White House.
After 9/11 you said," America hasn't lived up to her ideals."
Which ones did you mean? Was it the notion of personal liberty that 11,000 farmers and shopkeepers died for to win independence from the British? Or maybe the ideal that no man should be a slave to another man, that 500,000 men died for in the Civil War? I hope you didn't mean the ideal 470,000 fathers, brothers, husbands, and a lot of fellas I knew personally died for in WWII, because we felt real strongly about not letting any nation push us around, because we stand for freedom.
I don't think you mean the ideal that says equality is better than discrimination. You know the one that a whole lot of white people understood when they helped to get you elected.
Take a little advice from a very old geezer, young man.
Shape up and start acting like an American. If you don't, I'll do what I can to see you get shipped out of that fancy rental on Pennsylvania Avenue . You were elected to lead not to bow, apologize and kiss the hands of murderers and corrupt leaders who still treat their people like slaves.
And just who do you think you are telling the American people not to jump to conclusions and condemn that Muslim major who killed 13 of his fellow soldiers and wounded dozens more. You mean you don't want us to do what you did when that white cop used force to subdue that black college professor in Massachusetts , who was putting up a fight? You don't mind offending the police calling them stupid but you don't want us to offend Muslim fanatics by calling them what they are, terrorists.
One more thing. I realize you never served in the military and never had to defend your country with your life, but you're the Commander-in-Chief now, son. Do your job. When your battle-hardened field General asks you for 40,000 more troops to complete the mission, give them to him. But if you're not in this fight to win, then get out. The life of one American soldier is not worth the best political strategy you're thinking of.
You could be our greatest president because you face the greatest challenge ever presented to any president.
You're not going to restore American greatness by bringing back our bloated economy. That's not our greatest threat. Losing the heart and soul of who we are as Americans is our big fight now.
And I sure as hell don't want to think my president is the enemy in this final battle...
Sincerely,
Harold B. Estes
Snopes confirms as true:
God bless Harold B. Estes. Thank GOD for that generation, Thank GOD
they and their common sense are still with us!
An e-mail making its rounds on the internet claims that new legislation will dramatically increase veterans' disability compensation - in some cases by more than 100 percent.
But that claim about H.R. 4667, the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Act of 2010 is a hoax. The bill does exist, and it was recently passed by Congress, but it only authorizes the same COLA increase for VA beneficiaries that will be paid to Social Security annuitants this year (which almost certainly will be zero).
Unfortunately, a prankster created a fake version of the bill, put it out on the internet and it quickly turned viral. It just goes to reinforce the old adage: if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
* Source: MOAA
____________________ If you are ashamed to stand by your colors, you had better seek another flag.
~Author Unknown
Veterans Day through the eyes of a disillusioned and newly retired soldier
Veterans Day 2010 Will Include One Newly Retired Soldier, Disillusioned And Disgusted By The Politicization Of The Armed Forces And The Battles They Wage On All Of Our Behalf's
Great letter, loner. Thank you for sharing and I hope everyone has a chance to read it. It is sad when our Military loses Career Patriots like this Major, but I understand completely where he's coming from.
____________________ Reno
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." -- Benjamin Franklin
I don't know if this has been posted yet but it's a beautiful song One version of the song has an included slideshow of our WWII and Korean War vets. The other is for the VietNam vets. The song is called "Before You Go"
For those of you who like photos of military aircraft both new and classic here's some really good ones taken at the Edwards AFB Open House (2009). These were just passed on to me by another "old-school" airman.
I just got this from an old time pilot friend of mine and even though I had to do a little sanitizing it seems to be pretty much along the line of my thinking and worth passing on, then I also thought of Lt Col (ret) now Congressman, elect Alan West and remember the sacrifice he made for his men and what it cost him, but then at least the people in his district had the good sense to recognize his GUTS and send him to Congress, so maybe all is not lost, just severly hampered for a lottle while longer, until we all come out of the progressive stupor that has been forced down our throuts for so long:
Where Have All The Fighter Pilots Gone?
Good Question
There aremany who will agree agree with these sentiments, but they apply to more than just fighter pilots.
Unfortunately, the ones with the guts to speak up or push for what they believe in are beat down by the "system".
Supposedly, Secretary Gates has a force beating
the bushes to learn who recently wrote this.
.
Here is a rant from a retired fighter pilot that is worth reading:
It is rumored that our current secretary of defense recently asked the
question, "Where are all the dynamic leaders of the past?" I can only
assume, if that is true, that he was referring to Robin Olds, Jimmy
Doolittle, Patton, Ike, Boyington, Nimitz, etc. I've got the answer.
They were fired before they made Major.
Our nation doesn't want those kinds of leaders anymore. Squadron
commanders don't run squadrons and wing commanders don't run wings. They are managed by higher ranking dildos with other esoteric goals in mind. Can you imagine someone today looking for a LEADER to execute that Doolittle Raid and suggesting that it be given to a dare-devil boozer-his only attributes: he had the respect of his men, an awesome ability to fly,and the organizational skills to put it all together. If someone told me there was a chance in hell of selecting that man today, I would tell them they were either a liar or dumber than XXXX.
I find it ironic that the Air Force put Gen Olds on the cover of the
company rag last month. While it made me extremely proud to see his face, he wouldn't make it across any base in America (or overseas) without ten enlisted folks telling him to zip up his flight suit and shave his mustache off. I have a feeling that his response would be predictable and for that crime he would probably get a trip home and an Article 15. We have lost the war on rugged individualism and that, unfortunately, is what fighter pilots want to follow; not because they have to but because they respect leaders of that ilk. We've all run
across that leader that made us proud to follow him because you wanted to be like him and make a difference. The individual who you would drag your testicles through glass for rather than disappoint him.
We better wake the hell up! We're asking our young men and women to go to XXXY places, some with unbearable climates, never have a drink, have little or no contact with the opposite sex, not look at magazines of a suggestive nature of any type, and adhere to ridiculous regs that require you to tuck your shirt into your PT uniform on the way to the porta-XXXXr at night in a dust storm because it's a uniform. These people we're sending to combat are some of the brightest I've met but they are looking for a little sanity, which they will only find on the outside if we don't get a friggin' clue. You can't continue asking people to live for months or years at a time acting like nuns and priests. Hell, even they get to have a beer. Who are we afraid of offending? The guys that already hate us enough to strap C4 to their own bodies and walk into a crowd of us? Think about it.
I'm extremely proud of our young men and women who continue to serve. I'm also very in tune with what they are considering for the future and I've got news for whoever sits in the White House, congress, and our so-called military leaders.
Much talent has and will continue to hemorrhage from our services, because wanna-be warriors are tired of fighting on two fronts--one with our enemies, another against our lack of common sense people in Washington, that have not even been in THE BOY SCOUTS.
=
____________________ Not Racist; Not Violent; Not
Silent Anymore.
GO GATORS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Old Cuz wrote: Much talent has and will continue to hemorrhage from our services, because wanna-be warriors are tired of fighting on two fronts--one with our enemies, another against our lack of common sense people in Washington, that have not even been in THE BOY SCOUTS.
Sure got that right. To slightly change the old '60's song, "Where have all the leaders gone".
____________________ Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil - it has no point
He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to attain what he cannot lose. - Jim Elliot
Hey there Old Cuz ...... on the Air Force Together We Served forum, we discussed the topic of "Where have all the fighter pilots gone?" My post dealt with a man that I had much admiration for ... Maj General H.N. Campbell, an F-15 Eagle Driver, a wing commander at my base in Germany back in 1979-1981, and a VietNam veteran with 1000 hours combat flying time and awards that include: Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters, Distinguished Flying Cross with four oak leaf clusters, Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with 29 oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Army Commendation Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, Republic of Vietnam Air Gallantry Cross with silver wings and Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm. He holds an Army parachutist rating, and wears the Senior Missile and Senior Maintenance badges.
My post:
Maj General H.N. Campbell Posted - 11 days ago
Some time back, I did a fallen profile for a man that I served under in Germany back in the 70's named Major General Harold Norman Campbell. Gen Campbell was an Eagle Driver and our commander at the 36th TFW in Bitburg at the time. He was a man's man and one heck of a patriot. http://airforce.togetherweserved.com/usaf/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=Profile&type=Person&ID=74715
The general got into some "pc" trouble back in the 90's shortly after Bill Clinton took office. Now granted, what the General did was wrong but I always felt that he did not say anything that the world was not aware of.
This was from an article called "The Speech Rights of Air Professionals" authored by Col Lloyd J Matthews USA retired.
Maj Gen Harold N. Campbell
Article 88 of the UCMJ reads as follows: “Any officer who uses contemptuous words against the President, Vice President, Congress, Secretary of Defense, or a Secretary of a Department, a Governor or a legislature of any State, Territory, or other possession of the United States . . . shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.”23
As speaker at the 32d Fighter Group’s maintainers-of-the-year awards banquet on 24 May 1993 near Soesterberg Air Base in the Netherlands, General Campbell referred to President Bill Clinton as “draft-dodging,” “pot-smoking,” and “womanizing,” which were, of course, contemptuous words in anybody’s lexicon. Campbell’s remarks were apparently intended as a humorous preface to his prepared remarks, but some of the attendees thought they were anything but funny and reported them up the chain.24
President Clinton told reporters he was not offended personally by the remarks, but that “for a general officer to say that about the Commander in Chief . . . is a very bad thing.”25 However, the White House was not anxious to see the public court-martial of a distinguished combat veteran on such charges—General Campbell’s war record included one thousand combat flying hours in Vietnam plus award of the Silver Star and five Distinguished Flying Crosses. Offered nonjudicial punishment under UCMJ Article 15 in lieu of a court-martial, General Campbell decided to accept it, receiving a permanent written reprimand and a fine equivalent to a month’s pay. Though told to put in his retirement papers, he retained his major general’s rank.
There aren't many left like General Campbell, Rest in Peace, Sir.
Note: The General passed away just 3 years after he "retired" at the young age of 56. He is buried at Arlington.
Last edited on Mon Dec 6th, 2010 07:11 pm by Mustng959
Another wonderful report 'Stang, too bad we don't have too many more like this around anymore. I have also met Lt Col, USAF, Ret Robert "Buzz" Patterson a couple of years ago, who served under slick Willie for a period as his Military aide and many of the things he says about the Clintons isn't too complimentary, he too sounds like a man's man. He has also written several books that I found very interesting, particularly about the Progressive's secular agenda on destroying our Military and taking down our Nation. One such book is" War Crimes" and I understand that he has others out also.
____________________ Not Racist; Not Violent; Not
Silent Anymore.
GO GATORS!!!!!!!!!!!!
How dumb can this guy be? Stabbing a Marine with 3 others standing next to him:
AUGUSTA, Ga. - A U.S. Marine reservist collecting toys for children was stabbed when he helped stop a suspected shoplifter in eastern Georgia.
Best Buy sales manager Orvin Smith told The Augusta Chronicle that man was seen on surveillance cameras Friday putting a laptop under his jacket at the Augusta store. When confronted, the man became irate, knocked down an employee, pulled a knife and ran toward the door. Outside were four Marines collecting toys for the service branch's "Toys For Tots" program.
Smith said the Marines stopped the man, but he stabbed one of them, Cpl. Phillip Duggan, in the back. The cut did not appear to be severe. The suspect was transported to the local hospital with two broken arms, a broken leg, possible broken ribs, assorted lacerations and bruises he obtained when he fell to the sidewalk, trying to run after stabbing the Marine.
The suspect, whose name was not released, was held until police arrived. The Richmond County Sheriff's office said it is investigating.
Mustng959 wrote: How dumb can this guy be? Stabbing a Marine with 3 others standing next to him:
AUGUSTA, Ga. - A U.S. Marine reservist collecting toys for children was stabbed when he helped stop a suspected shoplifter in eastern Georgia.
Best Buy sales manager Orvin Smith told The Augusta Chronicle that man was seen on surveillance cameras Friday putting a laptop under his jacket at the Augusta store. When confronted, the man became irate, knocked down an employee, pulled a knife and ran toward the door. Outside were four Marines collecting toys for the service branch's "Toys For Tots" program.
Smith said the Marines stopped the man, but he stabbed one of them, Cpl. Phillip Duggan, in the back. The cut did not appear to be severe. The suspect was transported to the local hospital with two broken arms, a broken leg, possible broken ribs, assorted lacerations and bruises he obtained when he fell to the sidewalk, trying to run after stabbing the Marine.
The suspect, whose name was not released, was held until police arrived. The Richmond County Sheriff's office said it is investigating.
It sure sounds like he fell awfully hard and many times, Huh?
____________________ Not Racist; Not Violent; Not
Silent Anymore.
GO GATORS!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is about an event that occurred 3 weeks ago ~ AND NOW, in time for the holidays, I bring you the best Christmas story you never heard.
It started last Christmas, when Bennett and Vivian Levin were overwhelmed by sadness while listening to radio reports of injured American troops. "We have to let them know we care," Vivian told Bennett. So they organized a trip to bring soldiers from Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Bethesda Naval Hospital to the annual Army-Navy football game in Philly, on Dec. 3.
The cool part is, they created their own train line to do it. Yes, there are people in this country who actually own real trains. Bennett Levin - native Philly guy, self-made millionaire and irascible former L&I commish - is one of them.
He has three luxury rail cars. Think mahogany paneling, plush seating and white-linen dining areas. He also has two locomotives, which he stores at his Juniata Park train yard. One car, the elegant Pennsylvania, carried John F. Kennedy to the Army-Navy game in 1961 and '62. Later, it carried his brother Bobby's body to D.C. for burial. "That's a lot of history for one car," says Bennett.
He and Vivian wanted to revive a tradition that endured from 1936 to 1975, during which trains carried Army-Navy spectators from around the country directly to the stadium where the annual game is played. The Levin's could think of no better passengers to reinstate the ceremonial ride than the wounded men and women recovering at Walter Reed in D.C. and Bethesda , in Maryland. "We wanted to give them a first-class experience," says Bennett. "Gourmet meals on board, private transportation from the train to the stadium, perfect seats - real hero treatment."
Through the Army War College Foundation, of which he is a trustee, Bennett met with Walter Reed's commanding general, who loved the idea. But Bennett had some ground rules first, all designed to keep the focus on the troops alone:
No press on the trip, lest the soldiers' day of pampering devolve into a media circus.
No politicians either, because, says Bennett, "I didn't want some idiot making this trip into a campaign photo op"
And no Pentagon suits on board, otherwise the soldiers would be too busy saluting superiors to relax.
The general agreed to the conditions, and Bennett realized he had a problem on his hands. "I had to actually make this thing happen," he laughs.
Over the next months, he recruited owners of 15 other sumptuous rail cars from around the country - these people tend to know each other - into lending their vehicles for the day. The name of their temporary train? The Liberty Limited.
Amtrak volunteered to transport the cars to D.C. - where they'd be coupled together for the round-trip ride to Philly - then back to their owners later.
Conrail offered to service the Liberty while it was in Philly. And SEPTA drivers would bus the disabled soldiers 200 yards from the train to Lincoln Financial Field, for the game.
A benefactor from the War College ponied up 100 seats to the game - on the 50-yard line - and lunch in a hospitality suite.
And corporate donors filled, for free and without asking for publicity, goodie bags for attendees:
From Woolrich, stadium blankets. From Wal-Mart, digital cameras. From Nikon, field glasses. From GEAR, down jackets.
There was booty not just for the soldiers, but for their guests, too, since each was allowed to bring a friend or family member.
The Marines, though, declined the offer. "They voted not to take guests with them, so they could take more Marines," says Levin, choking up at the memory.
Bennett's an emotional guy, so he was worried about how he'd react to meeting the 88 troops and guests at D.C.'s Union Station, where the trip originated. Some GIs were missing limbs. Others were wheelchair-bound or accompanied by medical personnel for the day. "They made it easy to be with them," he says. "They were all smiles on the ride to Philly. Not an ounce of self-pity from any of them. They're so full of life and determination."
At the stadium, the troops reveled in the game, recalls Bennett. Not even Army's lopsided loss to Navy could deflate the group's rollicking mood.
Afterward, it was back to the train and yet another gourmet meal - heroes get hungry, says Levin - before returning to Walter Reed and Bethesda. "The day was spectacular," says Levin. "It was all about these kids. It was awesome to be part of it."
The most poignant moment for the Levins was when 11 Marines hugged them goodbye, then sang them the Marine Hymn on the platform at Union Station.
"One of the guys was blind, but he said, 'I can't see you, but man, you must be f---ing beautiful!' " says Bennett. "I got a lump so big in my throat, I couldn't even answer him."
It's been three weeks, but the Levins and their guests are still feeling the day's love. "I can't describe the feeling in the air." Maybe it was hope.
As one guest wrote in a thank-you note to Bennett and Vivian, "The fond memories generated last Saturday will sustain us all - whatever the future may bring."
God bless the Levins.
And bless the troops, every one.
____________________ Not Racist; Not Violent; Not
Silent Anymore.
GO GATORS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes indeed, this is a wonderful memorial. It's a shame they have had to literally beg for money at times. It is a must see place for anyone who can make it. It's only 30 minutes east of Roanoke. Charlie hasn't been here in over 6 years. If he comes to Roanoke in 2011, I'll hijack him and let him see this wonderful tribute!
LINCOLN, Nebraska (AP) — Fred Hargesheimer, a World War II Army pilot whose rescue by Pacific islanders led to a life of giving back as a builder of schools and teacher of children, died Thursday morning. He was 94. Richard Hargesheimer said his father had been suffering from poor health and passed away in Lincoln.
On June 5, 1943, Hargesheimer, a P-38 pilot with the 8th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, was shot down by a Japanese fighter while on a mission over the Japanese-held island of New Britain in the southwest Pacific. He parachuted into the trackless jungle, where he barely survived for 31 days until found by local hunters.
They took him to their coastal village and for seven months hid him from Japanese patrols, fed him and nursed him back to health from two illnesses. In February 1944, with the help of Australian commandos working behind Japanese lines, he was picked up by a U.S. submarine off a New Britain beach.
After returning to the U.S. following the war, Hargesheimer got married and began a sales career with a Minnesota forerunner of computer maker Sperry Rand, his lifelong employer. But he said he couldn't forget the Nakanai people, who he considered his saviors.
The more he thought about it, he later said, "the more I realized what a debt I had to try to repay."
After revisiting the village of Ea Ea in 1960, he came home, raised $15,000 over three years, "most of it $5 and $10 gifts," and then returned with 17-year-old son Richard in 1963 to contract for the building of the villagers' first school.
In the decades to come, Hargesheimer's U.S. fundraising and determination built a clinic, another school and libraries in Ea Ea, renamed Nantabu, and surrounding villages.
In 1970, their three children grown, Hargesheimer and his late wife, Dorothy, moved to New Britain, today an out-island of the nation of Papua New Guinea, and taught the village children themselves for four years. The Nantabu school's experimental plot of oil palm even helped create a local economy, a large plantation with jobs for impoverished villagers.
On his last visit, in 2006, Hargesheimer was helicoptered into the jungle and carried in a chair by Nakanai men to view the newly found wreckage of his World War II plane. Six years earlier, on another visit, he was proclaimed "Suara Auru," "Chief Warrior" of the Nakanai.
"The people were very happy. They'll always remember what Mr. Fred Hargesheimer has done for our people," said Ismael Saua, 69, a former teacher at the Nantabu school.
"These people were responsible for saving my life," Hargesheimer told The Associated Press in a 2008 interview. "How could I ever repay it?"
Besides Richard, of Lincoln, Hargesheimer, a Rochester, Minnesota, native, is survived by another son, Eric, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, and a daughter, Carol, of Woodbury, Minnesota; by a sister, Mary Louise Gibson of Grass Valley, California; and by eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Richard Hargesheimer said no services are planned.
I've been a member of the Air Force - Together We Served for starting my 4th year now (I believe that some here are already members). I have met many new people on the site and have found old acquaintances that I served with over 30 years ago. I want to give each of my military brethren the opportunity to join their respective sites also. I think it's great that we can have a strong bond between us all and to know that someone "always has our back". With this link, I do get credit as a recruiter, so my name will be at the bottom of the invitation. Just click the link.
Hope y'all will join us!
I get a newsletter and occasionally buy products from a site called specialforces.com
Enjoy the New Year's newsletter from it's founder Dave Thomas of Special Forces Gear:
New Year 2011
Every New Year brings its challenges and to help you start it I have selected the following to hopefully inspire you as face this Near Year.
Advice from St. Francis
The renowned founder of the Franciscan order, St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226), advised, "Start by doing what's necessary, than do what's possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible."
Perhaps people need to meet the stresses of life in the same way, though we dislike enduring them. A stormy period in our life can be prelude to a new spring of life and health, success and happiness. That is, if we keep our self-confidence and faith in the future.
Fear of Failure
The African impala can jump to a height of over 10 feet and cover a distance greater than 30 feet. Yet these magnificent creatures can be kept in an enclosure in any zoo with a 3 foot wall. The animals will not jump if they can not see where their feet will fall.
Some humans are like this, not true risk takers.
How Can Bumblebees Fly?
In the 1930s a leading zoologist concluded, after careful study that, according to the laws of aerodynamics, it should be impossible for a bumblebee to fly. That is because its size, weight, and the shape if its body are all wrong in relation to its total wingspread.
Helplessness Can Be Learned
In cultures that depend on elephants for labor and transportation, it's common to tie untrained elephants by their ankles to a bamboo tree, using heavy-duty rope.
After three or four days of trying to free themselves, the elephants give up. From that time on they can be restrained by tying one leg to a small peg in the ground-something they surely could escape from with minimal effort. But at the least resistance, the elephants don't try to get loose; they have learned helplessness.
Reaching Your Full Potential
Flea trainers have observed a predictable and strange habit of fleas while training them.
Fleas are trained by putting them in a cardboard box with a top on it. The fleas will jump up and hit the top of the cardboard box over and over and over again. As you watch tem jump and hit the lid, something very interesting becomes obvious. The fleas continue to jump, but they are no longer jumping high enough to hit the top.
When you take off the lid, the fleas continue to jump, but they will not jump out of the box. They won't jump out because they can't jump out. Why? The reason is simple. They have conditioned themselves to jump just so high. After they have conditioned themselves to jump just so high, that's all they can do.
Many times, people do the same thing. They restrict themselves and never reach their full potential. Like fleas, they think they are doing all they are capable of doing.
The Hedgehog and the Fox
An essay written many years ago by the philosopher Isaiah Berlin (1909-1997) was titled "The Hedgehog and the Fox." It contained some very interesting insights into human behavior.
Berlin divided the world into two types of people: foxes and hedgehogs. Foxes pursue many ends, often unrelated and contradictory.
Hedgehogs, on the other hand, relate everything to a single central vision, a single universal organizing principle that defines what they think and believe.
One can conclude that most people are foxes . . . and that leaders like Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) are hedgehogs. Reagan had some singular ideas and never departed from them.
Wild Ducks
Thomas J. Watson, Jr. (1914-1993) who built IBM into a worldwide power in computers, loved to retell Kiekegard's (1813-1855) tale about a man who relished watching the annual flight of wild ducks.
Each year the man left feed near a nearby lake so the ducks would stop to eat. However, this encouraged some of the ducks to give up flying south and they wintered at the lake instead.
In time these ducks grew fat and lazy. Why bother to fly when everything was laid out for them right there?
The moral: You can make wild ducks tame, but you can never make tame ducks wild again.
After telling the story, Tom Watson always said he wanted to encourage "wild ducks" in IBM as an antidote to conformity and bureaucratic self-satisfaction.
BUREAURACY
The Boss Speaks!
The most famous FBI chief was J. Edgar Hoover (1895-1972), who ran the agency with an iron hand from 1924 to his death In1972. He intimidated criminals and U.S. Presidents alike for the secret files he kept on them.
One day, Hoover received a memorandum whose margins were too small for his liking.
In big red letters he scrawled an angry warning across the top: "Watch the borders!"
The next morning, his frightened aides transferred 200 FBI agents to border stations in Canada and Mexico.
Bureaucratic Reasoning
There is a story, which is perhaps apocryphal but which certainly could have happened, that the French police were chasing a criminal who fled into a building in Paris. Their first thought was that they would surround the building. But they realized that the building was so large, and had so many exits, that they didn't have enough policemen on the scene to do that. so they surrounded the building next door, which was small and had fewer exits.
Some Good Business Advise
Asked by Fortune Magazine what was the best advice she had ever received in business. Anne Mulcahy (1952- ), chief executive officer of Xerox, said it occurred at a breakfast meeting in Dallas, to which she had invited a group of business leaders. One of them, a plainspoken, self-made, streetwise guy, came up to Mulcahy and said:
"When everything gets really complicated and you feel overwhelmed, think about it this way. You gotta do three things.
"First, get the cow out of the ditch.
"Second, find out how the cow got into the ditch.
"Third, make sure you do whatever it takes so the cow doesn't go into the ditch again."
Mulcahy says this bit of advice has become a mantra at Xerox.
Getting Fired Can Be an Opportunity
The famous British author Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) used to like to tell this story. It was about a young Vicar of St. Peter's Church in London, who, discovering that the church's janitor was illiterate fired him.
Jobless, the man invested his meager savings in a tiny tobacco shop where he immediately prospered. He then bought another shop, then another, and still another until he owned a large chain of tobacco stores all over Britain. Altogether they were worth a lot of money.
One day, he dined in a fancy private club with his banker. After an elaborate meal, and over cognac and cigars, the banker observed, "You've done quite well for an illiterate man. I wonder where you would be today if you could read and write."
"That's easy," replied the man, "I'd still be the janitor in St. Peter's Church in Neville Square."
Late Bloomer
In 1860 a 38-year-old man was working as a handyman for his father, a leather merchant. He kept books, drove wagons, and handled hides for about $66 a month.
Prior to this menial job, the man had failed as a soldier, a farmer, and a real estate agent. Most of the people who knew him had written him off as a failure.
Eight years later, he was President of the United States. The man was Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885).
Where Character Comes from
The following is from a commencement address given to the Citadel Military College of South Carolina in 1993 by President Ronald W. Reagan (1911-2004)
"The character that takes command in moments of crucial choices has already been determined.
"It has been determined by a thousand other choices made earlier in seemingly unimportant moments.
"It has been determined by all the little choices of years past-by, all those times when the voice of conscience was at war with the voice of temptation, whispering the lie that it really doesn't matter.
"It has been determined by all the day-to-day decisions made when life seemed easy and crises seemed far away - the decisions that, piece by piece, bit by bit, developed habits of discipline or of laziness, habits of self-sacrifice or self indulgence, habits of duty and honor and integrity-or dishonor and shame. "Because, when life does get tough, and the crises is undeniably at hand-when we must in an instant, look inward for strength of character to see us through-we will find nothing inside ourselves that we have not already put there/"
Speed of Gossip
Someone has calculated that, if a rumor was started at midday in the office, and was repeated within two seconds by everyone who heard it to two other people, who repeated it - and so on, by about six-thirty the same day, everyone on earth would have heard it.
Semantics
The same word may have quite different meanings to different hearers. This is not surprising when you realize that the 500 most commonly used words in English have 14,070 dictionary meanings.
In the Second World War, Winston Churchill (1874-1965) tells of a long argument in a meeting of the British and American Chiefs of Staff Committee. The British brought in a memo on an important point and proposed to "table" it-which to them meant to discuss it right away. The Americans protested the matter must not be tabled, and debate grew quite hot before the participants realized they all wanted the same thing.
The Courage to Keep Fighting
James J. Corbett (1866-1933) was one of America's great prize fighters. Known as "Gentleman Jim," he defeated John L Sullivan (1858-1918) for the heavyweight crown in 1892. Here is what he had to say about what it takes to be a champion:
"Fight one more round. When your feet are so tired that you have to shuffle back to the center of the ring, fight one more round. When your arms are so tired that you can hardly lift your hands to come on guard, fight one more round. When your nose is bleeding and your eyes are black and you are so tired that you wish your opponent would crack you one on the jaw and put you to sleep, fight one more round - remembering that the man who always fight one more round is never whipped."
Why Rome Fell
In 1788 Edward Gibbon (1737-1794) set forth in his famous book Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire five basic reasons why that great civilization withered and died. They were:
The undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home, which is the basis for human society. Higher and higher taxes: the spending of public money for free bread and circuses for the populace. The mad craze for pleasure, with sports and plays becoming more exciting, more brutal and more immoral. The building of great armaments when the real enemy was within - decay of individual responsibility. The decay of religion, whose leaders lost touch with life and their power to guide.
Making Decisions on Your Own
Abraham Lincoln liked to tell this story designed to encourage people to take action on their own initiative without waiting for orders.
Lincoln said there was a Colonel, who while organizing his regiment in Missouri, told his men that he would do all the swearing for the regiment. The men promised to obey, and for months there was no violation of the Colonel's order concerning profanity.
The regiment had a mule driver named John Todd, who, as roads were not always the best, had some difficulty in controlling his temper. One day, John was driving a mule team through a series of mud holes that were worse than usual when he suddenly filled the air with a volley of all-out profanity.
The Colonel heard about the transgression and he brought John to account for his violation of the profanity order.
"John," said the Colonel, "didn't you promise to let me do all the swearing for this regiment?"
"Yes, I did, sir," said the mule driver, "but the fact was that the swearing had to be done then or not at all, and you weren't there to do it."
Constant Learning
There is a famous story about Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1841-1935), one of America's most distinguished Supreme Court Justices.
Holmes was in the hospital one time, when he was over ninety, and President Roosevelt came to visit him. As the President was ushered into the hospital room, there was Justice Holmes reading a Greek grammar.
President Roosevelt said, "Why are you reading a Greek grammar, Mr. Holmes?"
And Holmes replied, "To improve my mind, Mr. President."
DISCOURAGEMENT
Devil's Secret Weapon
There is an old-time fable that the devil once held a sale and offered all the tools of his trade to anyone who would pay their price.
They were spread out on the table, each one labeled - hatred, malice, envy, despair, sickness, sensuality - all the weapons that everyone knows so well
But off on one side, apart from the rest, lay a harmless looking wedge-shaped instrument marked "DISCOURAGEMENT." It was old and worn looking but it was priced far above all the rest.
When asked the reason why, the devil explained: "Because I can use this one so much more easily than the others. No one knows that it belongs to me, so with it I can open doors that are tight bolted against the others. Once I get inside, I can use any tool that suits me best."
Don't Let Failure Discourage You
Many of those who have risen from failure to real achievement have rejected the rejection of this world.
In 1902, the poetry editor of The Atlantic Monthly returned a sheaf of poems to a 28-year-old poet with this curt note: Our magazine has no room for your vigorous verse." The poet was Robert Frost (1874-1963), who rejected the rejection.
In 1905, the University of Bern turned down a Ph.D. dissertation as being irrelevant and fanciful. The young physics student who wrote the dissertation was Albert Einstein (1874-1955), who rejected the rejection.
In 1894, the rhetoric teacher at Harrow in England wrote on the 16-year-old's report card, "a conspicuous lack of success." The 16-year-old was Winston Churchill (1874-1965), who rejected the rejection.
Don't Let Failure Scare You
From time to time, life as a leader can look hopeless. After taking a hard look in the mirror at your leadership, you may be overwhelmed by the focus on what's needed. To help you, consider a man who lived through this:
Failed in business in '31
Defeated for the legislature in '32
Again failed in business in '34
Sweetheart died in '35
Had a nervous breakdown in '38
Defeated in election in '38
Broken marriage engagement in '41
Defeated for Congress in '43
Defeated for Congress in '48
Defeated for Senate in '55
Defeated for Vice-President in '56
Defeated for Senate in '58
Elected President in '60
This man was Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
The Power of Fear
Legend has it that one day a man was walking in the desert when he met Fear and Plague
They said they were on their way to a city to kill 10,000 people.
The man asked Plague if he was going to do all the work.
Plague smiled and said, "No, I'll take care of only a few hundred. I'll let my friend Fear do the rest.
How to Combat Panic
Once upon a time a young donkey said, "All you have to do is remember to shake it off and step up."
"What does that mean?" asked the youngster.
The grandfather replied, "Let me tell you a story . . .
Ónce when I was your age, I was out walking. I wasn't paying attention and fell deep into an old abandoned well. I started braying and braying. Finally an old farmer came by and saw me. I was scared to death. But then he left. I stayed in that well all night.
The next morning he came back with a whole group of people, and they looked down at me. Some of them even laughed. Then the old farmer said, 'The well's abandoned and that donkey isn't worth saving, so let's get to work.' I was going to be buried alive!
"After the first shovels of dirt came down on me, I realized something. Every time dirt landed on my back, I could shake it off and use it to step up a bit higher! They kept shoveling, and I kept shaking the dirt off and stepping up. This went on for some time.
"Shake it off and step up . . . shake it off and step up . . . I kept repeating to myself for encouragement. I fought the panic by shaking it off and stepping up. And it wasn't long before I stepped out of the well, exhausted but triumphant.
"So no matter how difficult the situation, no matter how bad things get, no matter how much dirt gets dumped on you, just remember-shake it off and step up. You'll be alright."
GREED
Whose House Are You Building?
There is a story of a wealth man who called his servant in and told him that he was leaving the country for a year and that while he was gone, he wanted the servant to build him a new house. The wealthy man told him to build it well, and that when he returned, he would pay all the bills for material and for his labor.
Shortly after the employer left, the servant decided that he was foolish to work hard, so he stated cutting corners and began to squander the money hw saved on personal extravagances.
When his employer came back, he paid all the bills, and then asked the servant, "Are you satisfied with the house?" When the servant said he was, his employer said, "Good, because the house is yours. You can live in it the rest of your life.
Question: If your life could be compared to a house, are you building the kind of house that you will be proud to live in forever? Are you cutting corners and squandering time, commitment, and effort? Are you giving it your best?
HELPING OTHERS
Kindness to Strangers
When he was President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) was riding across the country on horseback with a group of companions.
The mounted party arrived at a river which had flooded the banks during unusually heavy rains. The resulting flood had even washed the bridge away, so that the only possible way to cross the swollen river was on horseback. This would be an extremely dangerous maneuver that could even result in death by drowning one or more of the riders.
As the men in Jefferson's party struggled to ford the stream against the raging waters, an unmounted man stood on the riverbank and watched them with grave concern for hw he was going to get across the river with no bridge and no horse. After several of Jefferson's group had successfully made it to the other side on horseback, the man asked President Jefferson if he could ride behind him when he and his horse tried to ford the river. Jefferson agreed and the two men with some difficulty, made it safely across the raging river.
As the man slid off Jefferson's one of Jefferson's party asked the stranger if he knew who Jefferson was. And he asked also why the stranger had chosen him to ask for help on the dangerous crossing.
On learning that his Good Samaritan was the President of the United States, the man was shocked and embarrassed. Then he added, "All I know is that on some of your faces was written the answer 'No' and on some of your faces was written the answer 'Yes.' His was a 'Yes' face."
Taking Credit
On the desk of President Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) was a small bronze desk plaque bearing these words: "The way to get things done is not to mind who gets the credit of doing them." The author of these words was Benjamin Jowett (1817-1893), Master of Balliol College at Oxford.
Negative Thinking
Robert Fulton (1765-1815) in 1807 attracted a large crowd to witness the first full-scale demonstration of the steamboat on the Hudson River
When he tried to get the engine started, the crowed shouted, "It will never start! It will never start!"
When the engine finally did start and the steamboat took off with a flurry of sparks and heavy smoke, the crowd was silent for a moment-but only for a moment.
Then it began screaming, "It will never stop! It will never stop!"
Good Comeback
Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) was speaking to a student audience at the University of Berkeley when a student got up to say that it was impossible for people of his generation to understand the next generation of young people.
"You grew up in a different world," the student said, "Today, we have television, jet planes, space travel, nuclear energy, computers . . . "
When the student paused for breath, Reagan said, "your right. We didn't have those things when we were young. We invented them."
FREEDOM
Loss of Freedom
A bitter quarrel arose between the horse and the stag in the days when both creatures roamed wild in the forest. The horse came to the hunter to ask him to take his side in the feud.
The hunter agreed, but added: "If I am to help you punish the stag, you must let me place this iron bit in your mouth and this saddle upon your back."
The horse was agreeable to the man's conditions and he soon was bridled and saddled. The hunter sprang into the saddle, and together they soon had put the stag to flight.
When they returned, the horse said to the hunter: "Now if you will get off my back and remove the bit and saddle, I won't require your help any longer."
"Not so fast, friend horse," replied the hunter. "I have you under bit and spur, and from now on you shall remain the slave of man."
And that is how the wild horse lost his freedom.
Servitude is Man's Natural Condition
Adlai Stevenson (1900-1965), an eloquent American politician and diplomat who once ran for presidential office, said, "If freedom had been the happy, simple, relaxed state of ordinary humanity, man would have everywhere been free - whereas through most of time and space he has been in chains. Do not let us make any mistake about this. The natural government of man is servitude. Tyranny is the normal pattern of government."
Einstein's Sense of Humor
Albert Einstein's driver used to sit at the back of the hall during each of his lectures. After a period of time, the driver remarked to the famous scientist that he could probably give the lecture himself, having heard it so many times.
So at the next lecture stop, Einstein and driver switched places, with Einstein sitting at the back dressed in the drivers' uniform. The driver gave the lecture, flawlessly.
At lecture's end, a member of the audience asked a detailed scientific question about some of the subject matter. Without missing a beat, the "lecturer" replied, "Well, the answer to that question is so simple, I'll let my driver, sitting at the back there, answer it."
Naming Something Doesn't Make It So
This is especially apropos to our day
Failing to convince an opponent that his reasoning was faulty, Abraham Lincoln asked him, "Well, tell me how many legs has a cow?"
"Four, of course," was the quick reply.
"That's right," said Lincoln. "Now suppose we call the cow's tail a leg, how many legs would the cow have?
"Why, five, obviously."
"That's where you are wrong," replied Lincoln, "Simply calling a cow's tail a leg doesn't make it a leg."
A Piece of String
General Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969) used a simple device to illustrate the art of leadership. Laying an ordinary piece of string on a table, he'd illustrate how you could easily pull it in any direction.
"However, try and push it," he cautioned, "and it won't go anywhere. It's just that way when it comes to leading people."
Here is another one I just got from a retired USAF Pilot friend and I sure have to say it sure nails it, even if I did have to sanitize a bit, hopefully enough so Brooze won't get too upset, but this is something that I think needs to be said, it also fits in pretty well with the latest Soap Box entry:
Fighter Pilots, part 2
>
>
>>
> Probably generated as a result of the Navy officer relieved of command
of the aircraft carrier for "conduct unbecoming"........
>
> The AF weighs in.
>
>
> What timing.
>
>
> Some of you know that I was recently "retired" as the 162 Fighter Wing
> Commander. The decision was made by Brig Gen Mike Colangelo, the Arizona
> Air Commander, who replaced me because he "just wants to change the
> culture at the 162nd". Not for cause or performance or any other reason.
> This officer never commanded anything bigger than an Air Control
> Squadron and somehow he wound up in charge. Heck, the guy probably got
> beat up in grade school everyday. I think it is indicative of what is
> happening in our Air Force and reinforces what Bruce MacLennan and the
> anonymous author have to say below. Well, I also have something to say
> about our changing Air Force and it's quickly disappearing Fighter Pilot
> culture.
>
> How many scope dope drone operators does it take to change a lightbulb?
> Two. One to change the bulb, and one to kiss my a--. That's right. I
> said kiss my a--. 'Cause I've had it. The air superiority fighter and
> its PILOT are not dead and the Chinese are so far not impressed with
> drones. I am tired of Fighter Pilots suffering at the hands of all the
> pencil pushing REMFs and ladder climbing opportunists and s----y
> non-rated managers (who think they are leaders) just because the Air
> Force is currently more interested in feelings and sexual orientation
> than fighting.
>
> Not all officers have what it takes to lead warriors yet too many of
> them are in charge in our military. At this rate we may lose the next
> real war. These s-- bird officers need to be run out of leadership
> positions and get out of my face already. We have too many people in
> our military that feel the need to play political victim and go to
> court instead of just dealing with it themselves, no one can have
> any kind of fun anymore. Men and women can't flirt, hug, look at anyone
> sideways, or drink beer out of mermaid mug because of you "victims" and
> your lawyers. Are you happy?
>
> And while I'm at it... Fighter Pilots, who are willing to die so that
> we can have low prices at the gas pump and shop at the mall, should
> be able to throw the wildest parties they can manage without one
> uptight biddy coming in and stopping it. There were scads of women
> at The '91 Tailhook party who were having the time of their lives,
> voluntarily being just as debauched as any of the men were. Everyone
> who flew a plane, or even knew someone who flew a plane, knew how
> wild those parties were and what went on. What does our society
> expect? A prayer service?
>
> It's worse now than it was then.? "Victims" need to just throw some
> punches of their own whenever guys, gals, lesbos, or homos get out
> of line. Doesn't our tax money go to teach all of our military how
> to fight? I'm not trying to make the idiotic "she had it coming"
> argument here, which would go something like "of course they grabbed
> her breasts, look how big they are." Plus, just reaching out and
> grabbing some boob is wrong no matter what. When I was at Tailhook,
> even at our most drunken admin parties we never acted like that.
> No matter how hard I try I can't think of an excuse good enough to
> do something like that. But it's still nothing to lose a career over or
> get your panties in a wad. Besides, fighter pilots are supposed to be
> aggressive a------s. That's how we used to train them. I don't know
> about you, but I don't want a military of fighter pilots who are
> gifted at giving sensitivity seminars. I want mad-dog, rabid killers
> going to battle for me and mine. Man or woman.
>
> When our homeland is threatened by Middle-Eastern Muslim radicals,
> or when we want to force our form of government on some poor,
> unsuspecting poppy growing s--t hole, or when uppity North Korean
> despots develop nuke weapons, I want to be able to call on men and
> women who like to fight and drink. I want an officer who knows how
> to whack some drunk in the b---s when he grabs her t--s, not call a
> press conference and a lawyer. If you're a wimp who doesn't know
> how to find the exit at a rowdy party, go fly a kite, not a jet fighter.
> Fighter Pilot should always be capitalized because it is a hard earned
> title - So there. Perhaps it's time for me to retire.
>
> Greg "Mongo" Stroud
____________________ Not Racist; Not Violent; Not
Silent Anymore.
GO GATORS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Recently, there was a titanic air show at Genesee, New York. This “gathering of eagles” brought in WWII aircraft from all over the United States and Canada. Aircraft from all American military branches were there, along with combat fighters and bombers from the RAF, the Soviet Air Force, the Luftwaffe, and the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy. It was warbird heaven.
Try as I might, I couldn’t adjust my schedule to attend. Feeling somewhat like the kid who didn’t get picked for the team, I helped get our bomber tuned up, spit-shined, and polished. I was pretty dispirited when they left. I smiled and waved when they took off, never telling anyone how disappointed I felt. I watched until they flew out of sight, then quietly went home.
When our crew returned several days later, they brought with them a story that put my misery in its proper perspective. Just when you think that you have troubles, you always seem to hear about someone who is facing a real trial.
He was an old man, suffering from serious depression and an incurable illness. His future, such as it was, looked grim. Just a few weeks earlier he had been diagnosed as having Hodgkin’s disease.
In an effort to cheer their father up, his sons had driven him from Massachusetts to the great air show taking place in Genesee. Their dad had been a Navy combat pilot in WWII. He’d often told them stories about his days as a younger man, a man they’d never met and perhaps never really believed existed. But they knew how is eyes would light up when he talked about his wartime experiences. Dad became young again, if only for a moment, as he remembered being strong and healthy, fighting against fascism so many years ago. The boys hoped that being around the old warbirds would lift his spirits for at least a day.
His sons, loving and attentive, helped him out of the car somewhere on one of the fields reserved for parking. He’d been glancing up more frequently as they go closer to the airfield. With a veteran’s practiced eye, he identified the aircraft as they wheeled and banked over the field or taxied to the parking positions. He’d already told his boys that “his” plane wouldn’t be there. They weren’t saved after the war like the more glorified Flying Fortresses or Liberators. Still, young men by the thousands had flown and fought in “his” type of aircraft, and not all of them had made it home. He knew that the model he flew was only a memory shared by a dwindling band of old men like himself. His own sons had never even seen one of the planes that carried him to war. For the most part, no one knew they ever existed. The old planes, like the old man himself, were fading away.
Once they had been young, the hope and pride of a nation. But now…no one cared anymore.
They walked slowly along the crowded flight line. Over the rumble of the engines, Dad gestured for his boys. “That one’s a B-17,” he’d explain, “we had those in the Pacific, too. There’s a P-38 Lightning. You can always tell by the twin tail booms. They were good escorts. They went in with us sometimes. We were glad to have them around.”
Further down the line they passed a Japanese Zero. The old man glared at it silently for a moment, some strange emotion passing briefly across his face. His sons didn’t know if it was grief, fear, anger, or a combination of all. He turned and without a backward glance continued his slow walk.
The memories were becoming stronger for him. The breeze carried the scent of rubber, aviation gas, and hot oil, just like his base used to smell. Planes jockeying into position along the line revved their engines, sending gale-force prop wash blowing across the tarmac as people clutched at their hats and leaned into the wind. Overhead was the deep-throated roar of ancient propeller-driven fighter formations passing in review, a sound unlike any other. Air show announcers all over the country call it the same thing: The Sound of Freedom.
The father and his sons ambled along, pausing occasionally to look up at whatever was flying over. After one particularly low pass by a British Spitfire, the boys turned to remark to Dad and saw him standing as if he were frozen in place. He had walked around the aircraft they’d been looking at and was staring like a man possessed with the next plane in line. A look of incredulous wonder began to spread across his face…
“My God,” he whispered. “My God, there it is. It’s…someone…how…I never thought that I’d ever…”
“What is it, Dad? Are you okay?”
He seemed to stand taller and his shoulders squared. “Okay? Hell yes, I’m okay! THERE’S MY PLANE!”
It just so happed that “his” plane was also “our” plane. Lockheed PV-2 “Harpoons” were never immortalized by Hollywood like the Flying Fortresses of “12 O’clock High,” the B-25 Mitchells of “Catch-22” or any of a score of other films. Why this is so remains a mystery, for the missions they flew were some of the most heroic—and harrowing—of the war. Flying out of New York, Norfolk, and Pensacola, PV-1s and 2s scoured the Atlantic for Nazi U-boats. The WWII cliché “sighted sub, sank same” is attributed to a PV-1 crew. In the Pacific theater, astonished Navy pilots soon realized that the PV-1 could actually outrun the dreaded Japanese Zeros, a feat unheard of for a medium bomber. The Lockheed’s phenomenal speed saved scores, perhaps hundreds, of American lives.
With the debut of the heavier and more stable PV-2, Marine Corps pilots and ground crews, as usual, made a few non-standard “field modifications.” This normally meant torching extra holes in the nose and welding in as many .50 machine guns as they could cram into the forward bay. The Marines also tore out the torpedo and depth charge racks in the somewhat pregnant-looking bomb bay and installed hooks for 500 pounders and napalm. As if this wasn’t enough, industrious gunneys even bolted rails under each wing and loaded them with air-to-ground rockets! Aeronautical engineers were appalled when they heard this, but soon reports came back from the combat zones of Harpoons taking on everything from subs and fighters to tanks and heavy cruisers, all with disastrous results to the enemy. The Harpoons could—and did—fight anything. And somewhere amidst the fire and fury, somewhere between the Philippines and the Aleutians, there was a young Navy pilot who would live to be taken to Genesee, New York by his sons…
The old man stood at the front of the plane and, after a long moment, simply reached up and placed his hand on the underside of the nose. “I never knew they saved one,” he said softly. “I never thought I’d see one again.” To his sons, the man sounded as if he had suddenly found something priceless that he had lost many years ago.
One of his boys slipped around to the port side of the harpoon. He’d seen an open hatch and one of our crewmen standing near it. The younger man had decided to ask, plead—beg if he had to—for permission to let his father climb aboard a Harpoon just one more time. Please, please…
To his surprise and delight, he was informed that we welcome visitors aboard our plane. In fact, we encourage them to climb in and take a look around. It’s no fun having a bomber if you can’t show it off once in a while, right? Besides, we’re maintaining a living piece of American history, and we’re rather proud of that fact.
The fellow who climbed into the hatch did so with the grace and familiarity of a young naval aviator, not an old man suffering from Hodgkin’s disease. Our crewman offered to show the old gent around and point out objects of interest in the plan, a courtesy we perform for all visitors, but one of the man’s sons tugged at his sleeve. “Dad
knows his way around in here. Can we talk outside for a moment?”
Our crewman was somewhat bewildered, but he was beginning to realize that something out of the ordinary was going on. He’d seen that eerie look in the old fellow’s eyes and it was plain that these other two guys wanted to explain his behavior. He hopped out of the hatch and listened to them. They told our man about their dad’s crushing depression upon learning of his incurable disease, how they had hoped to just cheer him up a little, and how overjoyed he was to see that a bunch of characters from Indiana were actually flying around the country in a plane that he thought no longer existed.
Our man knew there was more to it than that. There was a lot of happiness and relief in these men, too. Their mission was accomplished: against all odds, they’d broken the black spell on their father.
While the old aviator was still merrily poking about in our plane, a couple more of our crew strolled up munching on hamburgers. “What’s up? Anything going on?”
“Yeah. Wait’ll you hear this…”
Within minutes, two of our crewmen set out to round up the rest of the gang. The old man was still climbing in and out of the plane, kicking the landing gear and inspecting the bomb bay, when they all arrived. Our whole “away team” shook his hand and took pictures of him and his boys. The old fellow’s joy was infectious, and our guys were glad to be a part of it. Then someone in the crew came up with a brilliant idea. It was whispered from man to man and a hasty conference was held under the huge wing. Heads nodded all around. Yeah. It was agreed. They had to do this…
We were scheduled to make a flight the next day for “Aviation Classics” magazine. They wanted some pictures of our rare Harpoon doing its stuff. A photographer had been sent, a swift chase plane had been reserved, and takeoff was set for the following morning.
As is always the case, every seat available was already spoken for. Despite its size, and not counting the pilots and flight engineer, there are only five seats aboard our plane. She was designed as a combat aircraft, not a passenger plane. Even among the members of our organization, a flight is a rare treat. To be honest about the matter, at a fuel consumption rate of nearly two hundred gallons an hour we can’t afford much joyriding. At air shows, our fuel and other expenses are paid for by the promoters of the show so every time we lift off five lucky people get to take a “free” ride. These seats are always reserved well in advance, usually for our own people who’ve spend countless hours of hard work and a lot of their own money to “keep ‘em flying.” It’s a privilege we all look forward to every summer.
Our crew looked at the ancient Navy pilot standing beside the Harpoon. He constantly touched the aircraft as if to assure himself that it was really there and not just a dream. There was a haunted look about him, as if he were surrounded by the ghosts of his former comrades. He had survived the Zeros, but there would be no escape from the disease that now had a grip on him. The old veteran was fighting his last battle even as they watched…
“He can have my seat,” one of our guys said softly.
“Naw. You haven’t gone up for a while. Let him take mine.”
Soon there was a near fight among all five over who would give up their seat. It was a point of honor. Besides, people who fly and maintain old warbirds are slightly crazy anyway.
The argument was settled and, beaming delightedly, the whole crew marched over to the man and his sons. They told him about the photo run that was scheduled for the next day and that we just, ahh, happened to have a spare seat available. Would he like to ride along on the flight?
The question stunned him. “Are you serious?” He looked from man to man, and their faces answered for them. They were all grinning like idiots and nodding their heads in encouragement.
The aged Harpoon pilot blinked a few times and cleared his throat. Then, with his sons standing beside him, he lifted his chin and answered. “Yes,” he said. “I’d love to go. Thanks…thank you very much.”
His sons didn’t comment on our crew’s invitation. For some reason they were suddenly having trouble with their voices. But the way they looked at our people spoke volumes on the subject of heartfelt gratitude. The men from Massachusetts stood with the men from Indiana on an airfield in New York state, and the axiom of a brotherhood among airmen demonstrated its truth once more.
The old aviator arrived at dawn the next day. Only a couple of our people were up and at the aircraft at that time, groggily sipping coffee and still yawning. One of our guys commented that the veteran pilot looked surprisingly wide awake for that early hour. He replied that most of his combat missions had begun at dawn or even earlier. Besides, he admitted sheepishly, he had been unable to sleep the whole night. “I felt like a kid waiting for Christmas morning,” he grinned.
Someone reached into a tool box and produced a thermos of coffee. The old fellow accepted a cup and sat a package down on the work bench. “I thought some of you might be interested in this.” He carefully unwrapped a tattered and patched photo album.
“My boys talked me into bringing it from home when we came up here. I’m glad I have it with me now.” He opened the cover.
Our crewmen took one glance inside and snapped completely awake, nearly choking on their coffee. They stared at the book, then at each other.
The album was a gold mine. The then-young Navy pilot had taken dozens of black and white photos of his aircraft, both inside and out. Equally important, he’d taken many close-ups of the mechanics at work on his forward island bases. We had only been able to guess at where some of the equipment was mounted in the interior of our plane, and how some of the field-expedient repairs had been accomplished under combat conditions. This book could allow us to rebuild and refurbish our plane to her exact wartime appearance, the goal of all military aircraft restorers. We have a thick manual for the bird, but it’s no longer possible to do everything “by the book.” Lockheed hasn’t made parts for this aircraft for over fifty years. We knew that Navy and Marine mechanics had accomplished wonders with baling wire, tin cans, and friction tape: the big question was how? Which backyard repairs could we get away with and which ones could cause a crash? What do you do when a control cable snaps at 12,000 feet or the port engine starts blowing oil or the landing gear jams halfway down?
Our crewmen suddenly realized that the fellow sipping coffee and looking calmly back at them was not merely an old man suffering from Hodgkin’s disease. He was also a retired United States Navy officer, a combat experienced aviator, and a government-trained expert on Lockheed PV-2 Harpoons. A few hours earlier, they felt as if he needed them. Now it dawned on our crew that they needed him—badly—and the knowledge he had carried for nearly half a century.
“Sir, when the rest of our people get here, would you consider giving us a, uhh, briefing?”
He sat his cup down and smiled. “Be glad to.”
Later that morning they were assembled around the elderly pilot, hanging on his every word. His constant touching and staring at the aircraft had not been the ghostly reminiscences of days gone by, but a careful and professional examination. Instinctively, he’d been giving our Harpoon a pre-flight inspection. He’d been quietly “grading” us on our reconditioning, maintenance, and craftsmanship. He’d noted where we had done well—and where there was need for improvement. Our crew jotted don page after page of memos on everything from how the navigator’s table folded up to which hydraulic lines to inspect frequently. To no one’s surprise, he said that some portions of the manual were nonsense, then went on to tell us how to do things the right way.
He gave our pilots detailed information on how to crash-land the plane in the event of total power failure. Harpoons are not noted for crash survivability, something we all keep in the back of our minds. His crew in the Pacific had been lucky to have him at the controls. He ran out of fuel once and had to belly in on a beach. The plane was a total loss, but the young Navy flyer saved his crew. Someday—God forbid—we may have to try it ourselves.
The veteran continued on for some time without any apparent fatigue or effects from his illness. Presently a civilian aircraft noisily taxied up to the Harpoon and braked to a halt. Two men clambered out of the plane, the photographer and his pilot. They exchanged information with our pilots on how the photo flight was to be handled, shook hands, and hopped back in their plane. The Cessna turned and began to taxi back out to the runway.
Flight line workers began to circle the Harpoon, warning spectators away from our bomber and clearing a path for it to roll out from the parking area. Our pilots and engineer climbed up into the cockpit and began their pre-flight checklist. Two of our people, one at each engine, stood guard outside with fire extinguishers while four more eagerly entered the plane.
For the first and only time in their lives, the old man’s sons watched him climb into a PV-2 Harpoon. Just inside the hatch, he turned and looked at his boys for a long moment. Something seemed to pass between them for an instant, then he gave them a “thumbs up” and shut the door.
He never thought that he’d see another of “his” planes and certainly never dreamed he’d fly in one again, if even only as a passenger, but fate had reserved him one more takeoff, just one more time.
The last flight was under way
Our pilot shouted out his window. “Clear!” The ground crewmen stood by with the fire extinguishers, just in case. The number one starter motor engaged the flywheel, causing that eerie high-pitched whine that quickens the blood of anyone who ever heard it. Then the pistons fired, coughed, and fired again, blowing out rapid puffs of smoke as the Hamilton-Standard prop began to spin. The engine smoothed and revved to a high idle, pounding out a sound like nearby thunder. Number two engine whined, backfired, and blew out a great cloud of white smoke. Its prop remained motionless. Doubtless cursing under his breath, the pilot initiated a restart while the ground crew eyed the engine suspiciously, extinguishers at the ready.
The flywheel built up speed again, the switch was thrown, and this time the mighty Pratt & Whitney radial roared into life, fairly bellowing strength and defiance. The whole aircraft shook visibly as the great 2,000 horsepower engines warmed up. The brakes strained to hold the ship in place while the preflight was completed, then they were gradually released and the bomber started to roll.
As always, she gained speed rapidly. Halfway down the strip, the barn-door sized tail lifted and the plane seemed to balance on her main gear. Then, with the awesome sound of a warbird—the Sound of Freedom—the Harpoon thundered into the sky.
They circled the field once, gaining altitude. The chase plane fell into formation with them, the photographer taking advantage of a beautiful cloudless day. The Harpoon banked gracefully, easing back over the airfield. Together the two aircraft made repeated passes giving the cameraman every shot he could wish for. When the photo run was over, both planes slowed and dropped into a landing glide path, flaps and gear down. The smaller plane led the way, touching down well ahead of the big blue Navy patrol bomber.
It was the moment our crew had been waiting for. The airspace was now clear.
The Harpoon’s gear went back up and the engines throttled forward. She picked up speed, streaked over the runway at a breathtaking fifteen feet, and rocketed back up in a tight climbing turn.
One of our ground crew grinned at the old pilot’s sons. “I think your dad is in for a little treat.” The Harpoon was now going in excess of two hundred fifty knots. The bomber stood on one wing, whirled around in a high-stress turn, and dove like a falcon—straight towards the field. Her engines were audible for miles, and the vast crowd of spectators looked up as one. “What the hell are they up to?” Hot dogs and soft drinks were dropped by the score as people snatched for their cameras. The plane shrieked over the flight line, a blue streak above the Mustangs and the Liberators and that thrice-damned Zero. In the wink of an eye they blew past the throng of spectators as babies cried, women covered their ears, and children howled with delight. The slipstream sent hats, programs, and paper cups flying in every direction.
The plane rocked back on its tail and flew into the sun. The crowd squinted and tried to follow it. Eventually even the sound of the engines grew faint. The plane was gone—but to where? A few minutes passed, then someone shouted, “There! To the north!”
They’d gone for altitude, and were now diving back in again. But this time something was different. The plan was flying strangely. A teenager asked his father, “Are they in trouble?”
The Harpoon was dodging rapidly left and right and flinging itself up and down in the dive. Experienced combat pilots—and there are many at air shows—knew at first glance what the Navy bomber was doing. “Jinking” is how pilots are trained to avoid ground fire in combat. The plane was coming in under evasive action and gaining speed at an alarming rate. Two hundred sixty knots, two seventy, two ninety…Then the aircraft straightened and flew with determined precision, seeming to aim itself at a point just opposite from the crowd on the other side of the runway.
The bomb bay doors snapped open and half dozen dark oblong shapes spilled out.
Spectators gasped as the objects tumbled and fell, whistling loudly as they came. The missiles hit the field and exploded into a spectacular red and green spray. The crowd sent up a mighty cheer as they realized what they’d seen, and the sons of our passenger laughed and cheered loudest of all.
Genesee, New York had just been bombed by a planeload of Indiana watermelons.
After pulling up from its surprise “bomb run,” the Harpoon slowed to cruise speed, circled, and came back for a final pass before landing. She swooped in low and slow, one wing tipped in salute to the crowd while cameras clicked and video recorders whirred. Then the great flaps lowered, the gear came down, and the tires screeched on contact with the tarmac. The bomber taxied to the parking apron, turned, and rolled slowly to her assigned area.
Flight line workers held back the crowds who surged in around her, waving, applauding, and holding children on the shoulders. The old aviator’s sons stood with our ground crew, shielding their eyes from a final wind blast as the port brake was locked, the starboard engine revved, and the plan ground-looped perfectly into exactly the same spot she had left. The engines were cut, number two giving its characteristic double backfire, and the props clattered to a halt. The elevator surfaces on the huge tail lowered and thumped softly down to their rest positions. The flight was over, the bomber now silent.
Our crew formed a semicircle around the hatch, the veteran’s sons standing expectantly in the front. For a long moment the hatch remained closed. Then the handle rotated, the door swung slowly open, and a figure appeared at the top of the access ladder. The sons looked up solemnly, as if seeing their father for the first time, He paused there, returning their gaze. Then the emotion became too great for even him to control, and his loving, joyous smile became framed by streams of tears that rolled down both cheeks. He hopped down the short ladder and into the arms of his boys. Our crew surrounded them as they gripped each other, laughing and weeping, in an impassioned, back slapping, three-way hug.
The scene was best described to this writer by one of our female crew members.
“Oh, you should have seen it! These macho guys of ours in the plane came out and they were all crying. They were embarrassed by it, but they had to keep wiping their eyes. The old man was the happiest person I’ve ever seen in my life. He kept on laughing and crying at the same time and asking his boys if they saw the bomb run. They were nodding and hugging him. The ground crew was sniffing and snorting and looking at everything except each other. I finally gave up myself and said ‘What the hell?’ So I started crying too.”
The aviator told everyone within earshot how happy he was to have been with us, even if only for a short while. Another of our ladies appeared at his side and asked if he would like to join our organization. Before she could even finish the question he exclaimed, “Yes!” She pulled an application out from behind her back and, grinning, handed the old fellow a pen. He quickly read the document and signed it on the offered back of our flight engineer. After handing the paper back, he reached inside jacket. “I have my checkbook with me. I can pay my first annual dues right now and…”
There was a cry of outrage and our “recruiting officer” steadfastly refused to take a cent. She looked around threateningly at the rest of the team and called for a forum. By immediate and unanimous voice vote, the veteran was made a life member of our crew on the spot, all dues waived forever.
Addresses and phone numbers were exchanged. The retired naval officer was told that he could expect our first organizational newsletter within a week and that we’d stay in touch by mail, keeping him abreast of developments with the plane. He replied that he had many photographs and notes pertaining to PV-2 Harpoons that he’d send us, as well as personal observations and letters answering any questions we might have in the future.
After some time, they had to leave for the long drive back to Massachusetts. Our men shook his firm hand for the last time, our wives and girlfriends each gave him a kiss, and it was time to leave. One of the sons kept repeating to our crew, “You don’t know. You don’t know what this has done for Dad. This has brought him back. He’s his old self again. You just don’t know…”
Well, maybe we don’t. But we have a pretty good idea. We know what he did for us.
Whatever else life may have in store for him the veteran will always know that one of his planes is still flying, crewed by a new generation. And we will know that we have a friend, our senior member, who we can turn to when the skies grow dark and we need advice.
Sometimes people ask me why I love air shows.
I never know what to tell them.
•••••
About the Author
<!--[if !vml]--> <!--[endif]-->Kent Ballard is a masterful writer who lives near Brazil, Indiana. While he made his living as a Journeyman Machinist for many years, he also fascinated a small group of writer friends with his tales of history, adventure, and of the military.This is the third cover story from Kent Ballard. More to come. Stick around and enjoy!
____________________ Not Racist; Not Violent; Not
Silent Anymore.
GO GATORS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mustng959 wrote: Darn it Old Cuz, I kept getting something in my eye trying to read that one.
Ain't it the truth, I seemed to have the same problem, particularly when it comes to our precious few of the oldest greatest generation left, old airplanes, and all our veterans and current military heroes. They can make as much fun as they want but stories like that sure bring out the tears in me and I won't make any excuses as well as when I feel that our Nation is in danger, not for my sake, but for the sake of our descendants. I guess everyone saw how, the blame for the tragedy in Arizona was brought to bear as the fault of conservatives, Tea Partiers etc, It certainly had noting to do with the suspects' rantings as well as his choice of reading material.
____________________ Not Racist; Not Violent; Not
Silent Anymore.
GO GATORS!!!!!!!!!!!!
It looks like we did some good after all! On Saturday, July 24th, 2010 the town of Prescott Valley, AZ, hosted a Freedom Rally. Quang Nguyen was asked to speak on his experience of coming to America and what it means. He spoke the following in dedication to all Vietnam Veterans. Thought you might enjoy hearing what he had to say.
35 years ago, if you were to tell me that I am going to stand up here speaking to a couple thousand patriots, in English, I'd laugh at you. Man, every morning I wake up thanking God for putting me and my family in the greatest country on earth.
I just want you all to know that the American dream does exist and I am living the American dream. I was asked to speak to you about my experience as a first generation Vietnamese-American, but I'd rather speak to you as an American.
If you hadn't noticed, I am not white and I feel pretty comfortable with my people.
I am a proud US citizen and here is my proof. It took me 8 years to get it, waiting in endless lines, but I got it and I am very proud of it.
I still remember the images of the Tet offensive in 1968, I was six years old. Now you might want to question how a 6 year old boy could remember anything. Trust me, those images can never be erased. I can't even imagine what it was like for young American soldiers, 10,000 miles away from home, fighting on my behalf.
35 years ago, I left South Vietnam for political asylum. The war had ended. At the age of 13, I left with the understanding that I may or may not ever get to see my siblings or parents again. I was one of the first lucky 100,000 Vietnamese allowed to come to the US. Somehow, my family and I were reunited 5 months later, amazingly, in California. It was a miracle from God.
If you haven't heard lately that this is the greatest country on earth, I am telling you that right now. It was the freedom and the opportunities presented to me that put me here with all of you tonight. I also remember the barriers that I had to overcome every step of the way. My high school counselor told me that I cannot make it to college due to my poor communication skills. I proved him wrong. I finished college. You see, all you have to do is to give this little boy an opportunity and encourage him to take and run with it. Well, I took the opportunity and here I am.
This person standing tonight in front of you could not exist under a socialist/communist environment. By the way, if you think socialism is the way to go, I am sure many people here will chip in to get you a one way ticket out of here. And if you didn't know, the only difference between socialism and communism is an AK-47 aimed at your head. That was my experience.
In 1982, I stood with a thousand new immigrants, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and listening to the National Anthem for the first time as an American. To this day, I can't remember anything sweeter and more patriotic than that moment in my life.
Fast forwarding, somehow I finished high school, finished college, and like any other goofball 21 year old kid, I was having a great time with my life. I had a nice job and a nice apartment in Southern California. In someway and somehow, I had forgotten how I got here and why I was here.
One day I was at a gas station, I saw a veteran pumping gas on the other side of the island. I don't know what made me do it, but I walked over and asked if he had served in Vietnam. He smiled and said yes. I shook and held his hand. The grown man began to well up. I walked away as fast as I could and at that very moment, I was emotionally rocked. This was a profound moment in my life. I knew something had to change in my life. It was time for me to learn how to be a good citizen. It was time for me to give back.
You see, America is not a place on the map, it isn't a physical location. It is an ideal, a concept. And if you are an American, you must understand the concept, you must buy into this concept, and most importantly, you have to fight and defend this concept. This is about Freedom and not free stuff. And that is why I am standing up here.
Brothers and sisters, to be a real American, the very least you must do is to learn English and understand it well. In my humble opinion, you cannot be a faithful patriotic citizen if you can't speak the language of the country you live in. Take this document of 46 pages - last I looked on the internet, there wasn't a Vietnamese translation of the US Constitution. It took me a long time to get to the point of being able to converse and until this day, I still struggle to come up with the right words. It's not easy, but if it's too easy, it's not worth doing.
Before I knew this 46 page document, I learned of the 500,000 Americans who fought for this little boy. I learned of the 58,000 names scribed on the black wall at the Vietnam Memorial. You are my heroes. You are my founders.
At this time, I would like to ask all the Vietnam veterans to please stand. I thank you for my life. I thank you for your sacrifices, and I thank you for giving me the freedom and liberty I have today. I now ask all veterans, firefighters, and police officers, to please stand. On behalf of all first generation immigrants, I thank you for your services and may God bless you all.
Quang Nguyen
Creative Director/Founder
Caddis Advertising, LLC
____________________ If you are ashamed to stand by your colors, you had better seek another flag.
~Author Unknown
Although not being a golfer myself and certainly not trying to promote Ping, still I felt this was certainly worth passing on:
Subject:Fwd: Good For Ping
A note from a golfing friend!
Jane and I have just returned from a short trip to Disney in Orlando to decompress from the Thanksgiving holiday. Our plan was to see the holiday decorations at Disney and while Jane shopped, I would play a little golf. On Monday, I played the Disney, Lake Buena Vista course. As usual the starters matched me with three other players. After a few holes we began to get to know each other a bit. One fellow was rather young and had his wife riding along in the golf cart with him. I noticed that his golf bag had his name on it and after closer inspection, it also said "wounded war veterans".
When I had my first chance to chat with him I asked him about the bag. His response was simply that it was a gift. I then asked if he was wounded and he said yes. When I asked more about his injury, his response was "I'd rather not talk about it, sir". Over a few holes I learned that he had spent the last 15 months in an army rehabilitation hospital in San Antonio Texas . His wife moved there to be with him and he was released from the hospital in September. He was a rather quite fellow, however, he did say that he wanted to get good at golf.
We had a nice round and as we became a bit more familiar I asked him about the a brand new set of Ping woods and irons he was playing. Some looked like they had never been hit. His response was simple. He said that this round was the first full round he had played with
these clubs.
Later in the round he told me the following. As part of the discharge process from the rehabilitation hospital, Ping comes in and provides three days of golf instruction, followed by club fitting. Upon discharge from the hospital, Ping gives each of the discharged veterans, generally about 40 soldiers, a brand new set of custom fitted clubs along with the impressive golf bags.
The fellow I met was named Ben Woods and he looked me in the eye and said that being fitted for those clubs was one of the best things that ever happened to him and he was determined to learn to play golf well enough to deserve the gift Ping had given him. Ben is now out of the service,
medically discharged just a month ago. He is as fine a young man as you
would ever want to meet.
Ping has the good judgment not to advertise this program.
God Bless America and the game of golf!
____________________ Not Racist; Not Violent; Not
Silent Anymore.
GO GATORS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Old Cuz wrote: Although not being a golfer myself and certainly not trying to promote Ping, still I felt this was certainly worth passing on:
Subject:Fwd: Good For Ping
A note from a golfing friend!
Jane and I have just returned from a short trip to Disney in Orlando to decompress from the Thanksgiving holiday. Our plan was to see the holiday decorations at Disney and while Jane shopped, I would play a little golf. On Monday, I played the Disney, Lake Buena Vista course. As usual the starters matched me with three other players. After a few holes we began to get to know each other a bit. One fellow was rather young and had his wife riding along in the golf cart with him. I noticed that his golf bag had his name on it and after closer inspection, it also said "wounded war veterans".
When I had my first chance to chat with him I asked him about the bag. His response was simply that it was a gift. I then asked if he was wounded and he said yes. When I asked more about his injury, his response was "I'd rather not talk about it, sir". Over a few holes I learned that he had spent the last 15 months in an army rehabilitation hospital in San Antonio Texas . His wife moved there to be with him and he was released from the hospital in September. He was a rather quite fellow, however, he did say that he wanted to get good at golf.
We had a nice round and as we became a bit more familiar I asked him about the a brand new set of Ping woods and irons he was playing. Some looked like they had never been hit. His response was simple. He said that this round was the first full round he had played with
these clubs.
Later in the round he told me the following. As part of the discharge process from the rehabilitation hospital, Ping comes in and provides three days of golf instruction, followed by club fitting. Upon discharge from the hospital, Ping gives each of the discharged veterans, generally about 40 soldiers, a brand new set of custom fitted clubs along with the impressive golf bags.
The fellow I met was named Ben Woods and he looked me in the eye and said that being fitted for those clubs was one of the best things that ever happened to him and he was determined to learn to play golf well enough to deserve the gift Ping had given him. Ben is now out of the service,
medically discharged just a month ago. He is as fine a young man as you
would ever want to meet.
Ping has the good judgment not to advertise this program.
God Bless America and the game of golf!
I heard about this program from a friend who works with the Wounded Warrior Program. If not taken too seriously golf can be a relaxing game.
I just received this from my USAF Retiree info Website:
Release No. 01-09-11
Jan. 20, 2011
Department begins project for Vietnam War veterans
By Terri Moon Cronk
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON (AFRNS) -- More than three decades after the war's end, the Defense Department has begun a project to pay tribute to the nation's Vietnam War veterans.
The 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War Commemoration was spawned from the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act.
"It was a very important time period for veterans, because most Vietnam veterans as a whole never received the homecoming that our troops receive now," said Army Lt. Col. Hunter Holliday, public affairs officer for the commemoration.
At the center of the project is a website, "50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War Commemoration," at http://www.vietnamwar50th.com, which will serve as a clearinghouse for information on commemoration activities once it is fully functional, a milestone expected this spring.
Information gleaned from the website is expected to be used for myriad purposes, such as to chronicle facts, provide educational materials, and offer resources for a commemorative partners program, Colonel Holliday said.
The partners program will comprise guidance and materials for agencies, veterans groups, local government and nongovernment organizations to conduct their own Vietnam War commemoration activities.
The website is expected to play a major role in the campaign, said Jeff Wilson, who handles marketing for the project, noting it will be highly interactive and will include content on historical events, a timeline, photos, documents, video and audio. A calendar will list major Defense-sponsored events.
The website offers a prelude of activities and ceremonies to:
-- Honor Vietnam War veterans and their families -- including prisoners of war and those listed as missing in action -- for their service and sacrifice on behalf of the United States.
-- Highlight armed forces service during the Vietnam War, in addition to contributions made by government and private organizations.
-- Pay tribute to the contributions made on the home front by U.S. citizens.
-- Highlight the advances in technology, science and medicine in military research made during the war.
-- Recognize contributions and sacrifices made by U.S. allies during the war.
"Hopefully [the commemoration] will be a healing process for the veterans who were never recognized properly when they came home," Colonel Holliday said, noting the volatile political landscape that surrounded the war.
From: WVA Chapter 20 <wvachapter20@gmail.com>
Subject: Warning from VA about scammers pretending to be VA reps
To: "WVA Chapter 20" <wvachapter20@gmail.com>
Date: Friday, January 21, 2011, 12:54 PM
WARNING TO VETERANS – Please Forward
Forwarded by Kevin Secor, VSO Liaison, Office of the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
An organization called Veterans Affairs Services (VAS) is providing benefit and general information on VA and gathering personal information on veterans. This organization is not affiliated with VA in any way.
[Websites with the name "vaservices" immediately after the "www" ARE NOT part of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the US Government agency. Do not go to them or if approached or called, do not offer them any information concerning yourself or data on other veterans.
Keep in mind that the real VA website ends in .gov. Also, be aware that the Department of Veterans Affairs does not randomly call veterans, nor does it ask veterans for information which it does not already have--like Social Security Numbers. In particular, if you have not dealt with the VA previously--and in person--and all of a sudden, you receive a call from someone saying they are with the VA or something similar sounding, hang up the phone. Also, do not respond to emails which suggest that they are from the VA. The VA never conducts official business nor asks for personal information by email.]
VAS may be gaining access to military personnel through their close resemblance to the VA name and seal. Our Legal Counsel has requested that we coordinate with DoD to inform military installations, particularly mobilization sites, of this group and their lack of affiliation or endorsement by VA to provide any services.
In addition, The General Counsel requests that if you have any examples of VAS acts that violate chapter 59 of Title 38 United States Code, such as VAS employees assisting veterans in the preparation and presentation of claims for benefits, please pass any additional information to Mr.Daugherty at the address below.
So if your VA rep is useless and doesn't help you file claims, you should report someone who actually does try to help you.
Makes perfect sense. I guess they are concerned about personal info being given. I just wish they were as concerned about actually helping vets file claims. Got a hearing tomorrow at the VA regional office to dispute a claim I've been fighting for 5+ years. Now they are going to have a VSO rep show up and assist me. Where were they years ago when I first started?
____________________
Equal rights for unborn women.
"Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president."
- Theodore Roosevelt
VAS info Go read the whole thing, including the whole letter by Mr. Foster.
The following is just the tail end of the letter.
"...VAS was totally exonerated! I spent around $600,000 of my own money fighting this attack on my reputation and I closed down VAS in 2005.
So let me say this to all of you that so blindly send out anything you see on the net without checking it out and doing your homework; VAS has been closed for 5 years and VAS never did anything wrong. If it can happen to me it can happen to you……Remember this: When you deal with the military or the VA…no good deed goes unpunished!
Thank You and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
And May God Bless our Troops and these United States of America
Michael Foster
National Director (Ret)
Veterans Affairs Services
m.foster@vaservices.org..."
____________________ MGySgt USMC
(Ret)
Note: No trees were killed in the sending of this message, but a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.
I've been a member of the Air Force - Together We Served for starting my 4th year now (I believe that some here are already members). I have met many new people on the site and have found old acquaintances that I served with over 30 years ago. I want to give each of my military brethren the opportunity to join their respective sites also. I think it's great that we can have a strong bond between us all and to know that someone "always has our back". With this link, I do get credit as a recruiter, so my name will be at the bottom of the invitation. Just click the link.
Hope y'all will join us!
I've been a member of the Air Force - Together We Served for starting my 4th year now (I believe that some here are already members). I have met many new people on the site and have found old acquaintances that I served with over 30 years ago. I want to give each of my military brethren the opportunity to join their respective sites also. I think it's great that we can have a strong bond between us all and to know that someone "always has our back". With this link, I do get credit as a recruiter, so my name will be at the bottom of the invitation. Just click the link.
Hope y'all will join us!
This video is about a song called "Angel Flight" and how it came about. The first part is about how and why they decided to write this song and the last part is the song. Listen to the words of the pilot and the tower, and make sure you listen at the very end. This is beautiful. God bless all those who keep us free!!.
The USS John C. Stennis...Flying off a carrier WOW!
click on the link and prepare to be impressed... and proud!
USS John C. Stennis
An excellent video of carrier operations without the cornball up-close-and-personal segments included in the PBS Carrier series.
Note this nuclear powered carrier can steam for years without refueling. The Navy has had nuclear-powered ships and submarines at sea for decades without accident or incident. Maybe we ought to commission the U.S. Navy to develop, administer, manage, train and supervise our national nuclear power program.
This is pretty amazing, you can look all around, including up and down, in the
cockpit of the Enola Gay B-29.
This gives you an HD 360 Degree view from the cockpit of the Enola Gay; the plane that dropped the 1st Atomic bomb on Hiroshima. This plane was built at the Martin Bomber manufacturing plant in Omaha in Building D (now Offutt AFB).
CLICK ON THE FULL SCREEN ICON AND THEN CLICK AND DRAG MOUSE AROUND FOR DIFFERENT VIEWS......
This is pretty amazing, you can look all around, including up and down, in the
cockpit of the Enola Gay B-29.
This gives you an HD 360 Degree view from the cockpit of the Enola Gay; the plane that dropped the 1st Atomic bomb on Hiroshima. This plane was built at the Martin Bomber manufacturing plant in Omaha in Building D (now Offutt AFB).
CLICK ON THE FULL SCREEN ICON AND THEN CLICK AND DRAG MOUSE AROUND FOR DIFFERENT VIEWS......
Cherokee Bill wrote: loner1115 wrote: Old Cuz wrote: As best I can remember, your parachute was the seat padding.
Thanks for the info.
Yep Loner, Cuz is exactly right.
Here's another link that mentions the seat as well as giving an insight into Enola Gay's pilot, Paul Tibbets.
Thanks CB for that interesting link, I found it very interesting and I also listened to the wave file about her (Enola Gay's) restoration and was really glad that I did, The only thing that I sometimes get ticked off about was how at first the liberal egg heads at the Smithsonian tried at first to brand US as almost the agressors in WW II,Ithink a whole lot of veterans organizations got that knocked in the head real quick.
____________________ Not Racist; Not Violent; Not
Silent Anymore.
GO GATORS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Old Cuz wrote: Cherokee Bill wrote: loner1115 wrote: Old Cuz wrote: As best I can remember, your parachute was the seat padding.
Thanks for the info.
Yep Loner, Cuz is exactly right.
Here's another link that mentions the seat as well as giving an insight into Enola Gay's pilot, Paul Tibbets.
Thanks CB for that interesting link, I found it very interesting and I also listened to the wave file about her (Enola Gay's) restoration and was really glad that I did, The only thing that I sometimes get ticked off about was how at first the liberal egg heads at the Smithsonian tried at first to brand US as almost the agressors in WW II,Ithink a whole lot of veterans organizations got that knocked in the head real quick.Good point Cuz. Thank goodness for all the veterans groups!
Unfortunately, liberals seem to be "drawn" to curator jobs (and other positions) in museums, etc. Thus, they can't seem to help trying to inject their personal political ideologies into the historical pieces. Sadly, this will probably just get worse as time goes on.
____________________ If you are ashamed to stand by your colors, you had better seek another flag.
~Author Unknown
____________________ MGySgt USMC
(Ret)
Note: No trees were killed in the sending of this message, but a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.
Welcome, new Air Force Retiree News Service subscribers! For optimum viewing and hyperlink support, please view this message as HTML.
Release No. 02-05-11
Feb. 18, 2011
People invited to ‘Ask the Chairman’
by Navy Adm. Mike Mullen
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
WASHINGTON -- I am getting ready to launch my third installment of "Ask the Chairman: A Virtual Town Hall," and I need your support.
Over the next few weeks, I will be seeking and collecting your questions on any topic you want to raise. This is a great opportunity for troops past and present, their families, and other concerned citizens to get to me directly and in an interactive manner.
For service members, especially those who have served abroad, this is your chance to address the decisions we make here in the Pentagon that affect you on a day-to-day basis. Let me know what's working, and what's not. Let me help explain something that may seem confusing to you now.
But, as I said, "Ask the Chairman" is not limited to our troops. I hope to hear from family members, other concerned Americans, and citizens of the world as well, because in these critical times, there are challenges across the globe which demand our attention and our steady focus.
To participate, just send your question via YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Skype, or any other medium from now until the end of the month. I will answer those questions in the next and future segments of "Ask the Chairman." Send your questions today. I'm waiting to hear from you.
____________________ MGySgt USMC
(Ret)
Note: No trees were killed in the sending of this message, but a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.
for now,
