Thursday, January 22, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
It's about damn time ...................................
Michelle Malkin notes that Dubya is FINALLY commuting the sentences {that should NEVER have happened in the first place, IMNSHO} of Ramos & Compean - congratulations to them & their families!!
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Saturday, January 17, 2009
Bill Faith, Smalltown Veteran, died today ....................................
his self-description was: Baby boomer, nerdy kid, Viet Nam veteran, engineer, daddy, grandpa. Politically incorrect. Proud anti-idiotarian.
In her homage, Michelle Malkin noted a couple of articles that are, God help us all, extremely timely - first is an article from BlackFive; the second was inspired by that BlackFive post .........................
From BlackFive:
The following essay (an extract from the book, 'On Combat') was written by Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman, U.S. Army (Ret.) Director, Killology Research Group (www.killology.com). Colonel Grossman is a somewhat controversial figure - he authored the book - "On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society" - a very interesting topic that our politically correct society would rarely discuss. (Thanks to Tom and Mark for sending the article)
On Sheep, Sheepdogs, and Wolves
By Dave Grossman
One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me: "Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident." This is true. Remember, the murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans are not inclined to hurt one another.
Some estimates say that two million Americans are victims of violent crimes every year, a tragic, staggering number, perhaps an all-time record rate of violent crime. But there are almost 300 million Americans, which means that the odds of being a victim of violent crime is considerably less than one in a hundred on any given year. Furthermore, since many violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders, the actual number of violent citizens is considerably less than two million.
Thus there is a paradox, and we must grasp both ends of the situation: We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep.
I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me it is like the pretty, blue robin's egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell. Police officers, soldiers, and other warriors are like that shell, and someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful. For now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators.
"Then there are the wolves," the old war veteran said, "and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy." Do you believe there are wolves out there that will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.
"Then there are sheepdogs," he went on, "and I'm a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf."...
If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero's path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.
Let me expand on this old soldier's excellent model of the sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. We know that the sheep live in denial, which is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids' schools.
But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid's school. Our children are thousands of times more likely to be killed or seriously injured by school violence than fire, but the sheep's only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their child is just too hard, and so they chose the path of denial.
The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, cannot and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheepdog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours.
Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn't tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports in camouflage fatigues holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, "Baa."
Until the wolf shows up! Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog.
The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough high school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not have had the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them. This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door.
Look at what happened after September 11, 2001 when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Remember how many times you heard the word hero?
Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed right along with the young ones.
Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, "Thank God I wasn't on one of those planes." The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, "Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference." When you are truly transformed into a warrior and have truly invested yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there. You want to be able to make a difference.
There is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, but he does have one real advantage. Only one. And that is that he is able to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the population.
There was research conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious, predatory crimes of violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers. The vast majority said that they specifically targeted victims by body language: slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their victims like big cats do in Africa, when they select one out of the herd that is least able to protect itself.
Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose which one they want to be, and I'm proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs.
Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When he learned of the other three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd dropped his phone and uttered the words, "Let's roll," which authorities believe was a signal to the other passengers to confront the terrorist hijackers. In one hour, a transformation occurred among the passengers - athletes, business people and parents. -- From sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground.
"Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself after that?"
"There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil of evil men." - Edmund Burke
Here is the point I like to emphasize; especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They didn't have a choice. But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision.
If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you. If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust, or love. But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior's path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.
For example, many officers carry their weapons in church. They are well concealed in ankle holsters, shoulder holsters or inside-the-belt holsters tucked into the small of their backs. Anytime you go to some form of religious service, there is a very good chance that a police officer in your congregation is carrying. You will never know if there is such an individual in your place of worship, until the wolf appears to massacre you and your loved ones.
I was training a group of police officers in Texas, and during the break, one officer asked his friend if he carried his weapon in church. The other cop replied, "I will never be caught without my gun in church." I asked why he felt so strongly about this, and he told me about a cop he knew who was at a church massacre in Ft. Worth, Texas in 1999. In that incident, a mentally deranged individual came into the church and opened fire, gunning down fourteen people. He said that officer believed he could have saved every life that day if he had been carrying his gun. His own son was shot, and all he could do was throw himself on the boy's body and wait to die. That cop looked me in the eye and said, "Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself after that?"
Some individuals would be horrified if they knew this police officer was carrying a weapon in church. They might call him paranoid and would probably scorn him. Yet these same individuals would be enraged and would call for "heads to roll" if they found out that the airbags in their cars were defective, or that the fire extinguisher and fire sprinklers in their kids' school did not work. They can accept the fact that fires and traffic accidents can happen and that there must be safeguards against them.
Their only response to the wolf, though, is denial, and all too often their response to the sheepdog is scorn and disdain. But the sheepdog quietly asks himself, "Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself if your loved ones were attacked and killed, and you had to stand there helplessly because you were unprepared for that day?"
It is denial that turns people into sheep. Sheep are psychologically destroyed by combat because their only defense is denial, which is counterproductive and destructive, resulting in fear, helplessness and horror when the wolf shows up.
Denial kills you twice. It kills you once, at your moment of truth when you are not physically prepared: you didn't bring your gun, you didn't train. Your only defense was wishful thinking. Hope is not a strategy. Denial kills you a second time because even if you do physically survive, you are psychologically shattered by your fear, helplessness, and horror at your moment of truth.
Gavin de Becker puts it like this in "Fear Less," his superb post-9/11 book, which should be required reading for anyone trying to come to terms with our current world situation: "...denial can be seductive, but it has an insidious side effect. For all the peace of mind deniers think they get by saying it isn't so, the fall they take when faced with new violence is all the more unsettling."
Denial is a save-now-pay-later scheme, a contract written entirely in small print, for in the long run, the denying person knows the truth on some level.
And so the warrior must strive to confront denial in all aspects of his life, and prepare himself for the day when evil comes.
If you are warrior who is legally authorized to carry a weapon and you step outside without that weapon, then you become a sheep, pretending that the bad man will not come today. No one can be "on" 24/7, for a lifetime. Everyone needs down time. But if you are authorized to carry a weapon, and you walk outside without it, just take a deep breath, and say this to yourself... "Baa."
This business of being a sheep or a sheep dog is not a yes-no dichotomy. It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees, a continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-sand-sheep and on the other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end or the other. Most of us live somewhere in between. Since 9-11 almost everyone in America took a step up that continuum, away from denial. The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors, and the warriors started taking their job more seriously. The degree to which you move up that continuum, away from sheephood and denial, is the degree to which you and your loved ones will survive, physically and psychologically, at your moment of truth.
Inspired by the above:
The Sheepdogs
Most humans truly are like sheep
Wanting nothing more than peace to keep
To graze, grow fat and raise their young,
Sweet taste of clover on the tongue.
Their lives serene upon Life’s farm,
They sense no threat nor fear no harm.
On verdant meadows, they forage free
With naught to fear, with naught to flee.
They pay their sheepdogs little heed
For there is no threat; there is no need.
To the flock, sheepdog’s are mysteries,
Roaming watchful round the peripheries.
These fang-toothed creatures bark, they roar
With the fetid reek of the carnivore,
Too like the wolf of legends told,
To be amongst our docile fold.
Who needs sheepdogs? What good are they?
They have no use, not in this day.
Lock them away, out of our sight
We have no need of their fierce might.
But sudden in their midst a beast
Has come to kill, has come to feast
The wolves attack; they give no warning
Upon that calm September morning
They slash and kill with frenzied glee
Their passive helpless enemy
Who had no clue the wolves were there
Far roaming from their Eastern lair.
Then from the carnage, from the rout,
Comes the cry, “Turn the sheepdogs out!”
Thus is our nature but too our plight
To keep our dogs on leashes tight
And live a life of illusive bliss
Hearing not the beast, his growl, his hiss.
Until he has us by the throat,
We pay no heed; we take no note.
Not until he strikes us at our core
Will we unleash the Dogs of War
Only having felt the wolf pack’s wrath
Do we loose the sheepdogs on its path.
And the wolves will learn what we’ve shown before;
We love our sheep, we Dogs of War.
Russ Vaughn
2d Bn, 327th Parachute Infantry Regiment
101st Airborne Division
Vietnam 65-66
Rest in Peace, Bill Faith ...................
.
In her homage, Michelle Malkin noted a couple of articles that are, God help us all, extremely timely - first is an article from BlackFive; the second was inspired by that BlackFive post .........................
From BlackFive:
The following essay (an extract from the book, 'On Combat') was written by Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman, U.S. Army (Ret.) Director, Killology Research Group (www.killology.com). Colonel Grossman is a somewhat controversial figure - he authored the book - "On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society" - a very interesting topic that our politically correct society would rarely discuss. (Thanks to Tom and Mark for sending the article)
On Sheep, Sheepdogs, and Wolves
By Dave Grossman
One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me: "Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident." This is true. Remember, the murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans are not inclined to hurt one another.
Some estimates say that two million Americans are victims of violent crimes every year, a tragic, staggering number, perhaps an all-time record rate of violent crime. But there are almost 300 million Americans, which means that the odds of being a victim of violent crime is considerably less than one in a hundred on any given year. Furthermore, since many violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders, the actual number of violent citizens is considerably less than two million.
Thus there is a paradox, and we must grasp both ends of the situation: We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep.
I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me it is like the pretty, blue robin's egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell. Police officers, soldiers, and other warriors are like that shell, and someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful. For now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators.
"Then there are the wolves," the old war veteran said, "and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy." Do you believe there are wolves out there that will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.
"Then there are sheepdogs," he went on, "and I'm a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf."...
If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero's path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.
Let me expand on this old soldier's excellent model of the sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. We know that the sheep live in denial, which is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids' schools.
But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid's school. Our children are thousands of times more likely to be killed or seriously injured by school violence than fire, but the sheep's only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their child is just too hard, and so they chose the path of denial.
The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, cannot and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheepdog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours.
Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn't tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports in camouflage fatigues holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, "Baa."
Until the wolf shows up! Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog.
The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough high school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not have had the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them. This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door.
Look at what happened after September 11, 2001 when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Remember how many times you heard the word hero?
Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed right along with the young ones.
Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, "Thank God I wasn't on one of those planes." The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, "Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference." When you are truly transformed into a warrior and have truly invested yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there. You want to be able to make a difference.
There is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, but he does have one real advantage. Only one. And that is that he is able to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the population.
There was research conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious, predatory crimes of violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers. The vast majority said that they specifically targeted victims by body language: slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their victims like big cats do in Africa, when they select one out of the herd that is least able to protect itself.
Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose which one they want to be, and I'm proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs.
Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When he learned of the other three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd dropped his phone and uttered the words, "Let's roll," which authorities believe was a signal to the other passengers to confront the terrorist hijackers. In one hour, a transformation occurred among the passengers - athletes, business people and parents. -- From sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground.
"Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself after that?"
"There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil of evil men." - Edmund Burke
Here is the point I like to emphasize; especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They didn't have a choice. But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision.
If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you. If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust, or love. But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior's path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.
For example, many officers carry their weapons in church. They are well concealed in ankle holsters, shoulder holsters or inside-the-belt holsters tucked into the small of their backs. Anytime you go to some form of religious service, there is a very good chance that a police officer in your congregation is carrying. You will never know if there is such an individual in your place of worship, until the wolf appears to massacre you and your loved ones.
I was training a group of police officers in Texas, and during the break, one officer asked his friend if he carried his weapon in church. The other cop replied, "I will never be caught without my gun in church." I asked why he felt so strongly about this, and he told me about a cop he knew who was at a church massacre in Ft. Worth, Texas in 1999. In that incident, a mentally deranged individual came into the church and opened fire, gunning down fourteen people. He said that officer believed he could have saved every life that day if he had been carrying his gun. His own son was shot, and all he could do was throw himself on the boy's body and wait to die. That cop looked me in the eye and said, "Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself after that?"
Some individuals would be horrified if they knew this police officer was carrying a weapon in church. They might call him paranoid and would probably scorn him. Yet these same individuals would be enraged and would call for "heads to roll" if they found out that the airbags in their cars were defective, or that the fire extinguisher and fire sprinklers in their kids' school did not work. They can accept the fact that fires and traffic accidents can happen and that there must be safeguards against them.
Their only response to the wolf, though, is denial, and all too often their response to the sheepdog is scorn and disdain. But the sheepdog quietly asks himself, "Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself if your loved ones were attacked and killed, and you had to stand there helplessly because you were unprepared for that day?"
It is denial that turns people into sheep. Sheep are psychologically destroyed by combat because their only defense is denial, which is counterproductive and destructive, resulting in fear, helplessness and horror when the wolf shows up.
Denial kills you twice. It kills you once, at your moment of truth when you are not physically prepared: you didn't bring your gun, you didn't train. Your only defense was wishful thinking. Hope is not a strategy. Denial kills you a second time because even if you do physically survive, you are psychologically shattered by your fear, helplessness, and horror at your moment of truth.
Gavin de Becker puts it like this in "Fear Less," his superb post-9/11 book, which should be required reading for anyone trying to come to terms with our current world situation: "...denial can be seductive, but it has an insidious side effect. For all the peace of mind deniers think they get by saying it isn't so, the fall they take when faced with new violence is all the more unsettling."
Denial is a save-now-pay-later scheme, a contract written entirely in small print, for in the long run, the denying person knows the truth on some level.
And so the warrior must strive to confront denial in all aspects of his life, and prepare himself for the day when evil comes.
If you are warrior who is legally authorized to carry a weapon and you step outside without that weapon, then you become a sheep, pretending that the bad man will not come today. No one can be "on" 24/7, for a lifetime. Everyone needs down time. But if you are authorized to carry a weapon, and you walk outside without it, just take a deep breath, and say this to yourself... "Baa."
This business of being a sheep or a sheep dog is not a yes-no dichotomy. It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees, a continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-sand-sheep and on the other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end or the other. Most of us live somewhere in between. Since 9-11 almost everyone in America took a step up that continuum, away from denial. The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors, and the warriors started taking their job more seriously. The degree to which you move up that continuum, away from sheephood and denial, is the degree to which you and your loved ones will survive, physically and psychologically, at your moment of truth.
Inspired by the above:
The Sheepdogs
Most humans truly are like sheep
Wanting nothing more than peace to keep
To graze, grow fat and raise their young,
Sweet taste of clover on the tongue.
Their lives serene upon Life’s farm,
They sense no threat nor fear no harm.
On verdant meadows, they forage free
With naught to fear, with naught to flee.
They pay their sheepdogs little heed
For there is no threat; there is no need.
To the flock, sheepdog’s are mysteries,
Roaming watchful round the peripheries.
These fang-toothed creatures bark, they roar
With the fetid reek of the carnivore,
Too like the wolf of legends told,
To be amongst our docile fold.
Who needs sheepdogs? What good are they?
They have no use, not in this day.
Lock them away, out of our sight
We have no need of their fierce might.
But sudden in their midst a beast
Has come to kill, has come to feast
The wolves attack; they give no warning
Upon that calm September morning
They slash and kill with frenzied glee
Their passive helpless enemy
Who had no clue the wolves were there
Far roaming from their Eastern lair.
Then from the carnage, from the rout,
Comes the cry, “Turn the sheepdogs out!”
Thus is our nature but too our plight
To keep our dogs on leashes tight
And live a life of illusive bliss
Hearing not the beast, his growl, his hiss.
Until he has us by the throat,
We pay no heed; we take no note.
Not until he strikes us at our core
Will we unleash the Dogs of War
Only having felt the wolf pack’s wrath
Do we loose the sheepdogs on its path.
And the wolves will learn what we’ve shown before;
We love our sheep, we Dogs of War.
Russ Vaughn
2d Bn, 327th Parachute Infantry Regiment
101st Airborne Division
Vietnam 65-66
Rest in Peace, Bill Faith ...................
.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
The recent dearth of posting was due to ............................
my being 'temporarily' employed ..................... I started on my birthday at a local gas station/convenience store. SuperNova trained me, & we became very good friends .................... anyhoo, on Monday, I went in to pick up my pay {"paydays" are ostensibly Sundays} - but it was $40.00 {5 hours} short. Please bear in mind, in order to open the store Monday through Friday, one gets up & out of bed by 0330. Also, due to a dead starter on one of our vehicles, I had to WALK to work at 0430 {this town doesn't waste a lot of money on streetlights} along a two-lane country road TWICE last week.
I called the owner at 0800 Monday {SuperNova was working the store, but we'd both been up since zero-crack-tweet}, & left a voicemail about the missing $40.00 {due to time off over the holidays, the FodGuy's checks were shorter - we were looking to MY pay covering the costs of replacing the starter} - the owner calls, not me, but SuperNova - HE doesn't appreciate being called "so early" about pay issues, & tells her to fire me. So, I hand in my keys. In the meantime, SuperNova is going through familial issues {a terminally ill parent, in Hawaii} - emergency surgery was performed last night, an ileostomy was introduced, and the family is left with palliative care. 'Nova didn't sleep for the past couple of nights, due to worries about her family - she asked the shirttail relative of the owner who's the nighttime cashier, to come in an hour early, so she can leave early today - for the past EIGHT MONTHS, she's been staying at least an hour late on Fridays, so this ................ individual ...................... can "go pray" {nevermind that the first question this missing link asks about a new female employee is "will she f*** me?" When I learned he'd asked it about me, I made it a point to stop by with the FodGuy .................. heheheheheheheh, ain't I evil?} When 'Nova brought up the FACT of her covering for his supposed attendance at mosque, he told her the owner wouldn't like her bringing that up - which got me thinking - THEY CHOSE to come to America - they had to have SOME idea of what America is about - first & foremost, that little idiosyncrasy of ours called "freedom of speech" - 'Nova seems to think the owner will eventually call me to ask me to come back - the FodGuy initially suggested that I call & apologize for having called 'so early' {I think he interpreted "the Look" very well}, but now agrees that, if the owner calls & offers a half-assed apology for his behavior, I go back but actively seek something else. Also, once we get some money ahead, I'm having my rose & EGA tattoo done on my left arm - underneath it, in Arabic script, will be "I will not submit".
Please keep SuperNova & her family in your thoughts & prayers, as they travel this very difficult road ..................
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I called the owner at 0800 Monday {SuperNova was working the store, but we'd both been up since zero-crack-tweet}, & left a voicemail about the missing $40.00 {due to time off over the holidays, the FodGuy's checks were shorter - we were looking to MY pay covering the costs of replacing the starter} - the owner calls, not me, but SuperNova - HE doesn't appreciate being called "so early" about pay issues, & tells her to fire me. So, I hand in my keys. In the meantime, SuperNova is going through familial issues {a terminally ill parent, in Hawaii} - emergency surgery was performed last night, an ileostomy was introduced, and the family is left with palliative care. 'Nova didn't sleep for the past couple of nights, due to worries about her family - she asked the shirttail relative of the owner who's the nighttime cashier, to come in an hour early, so she can leave early today - for the past EIGHT MONTHS, she's been staying at least an hour late on Fridays, so this ................ individual ...................... can "go pray" {nevermind that the first question this missing link asks about a new female employee is "will she f*** me?" When I learned he'd asked it about me, I made it a point to stop by with the FodGuy .................. heheheheheheheh, ain't I evil?} When 'Nova brought up the FACT of her covering for his supposed attendance at mosque, he told her the owner wouldn't like her bringing that up - which got me thinking - THEY CHOSE to come to America - they had to have SOME idea of what America is about - first & foremost, that little idiosyncrasy of ours called "freedom of speech" - 'Nova seems to think the owner will eventually call me to ask me to come back - the FodGuy initially suggested that I call & apologize for having called 'so early' {I think he interpreted "the Look" very well}, but now agrees that, if the owner calls & offers a half-assed apology for his behavior, I go back but actively seek something else. Also, once we get some money ahead, I'm having my rose & EGA tattoo done on my left arm - underneath it, in Arabic script, will be "I will not submit".
Please keep SuperNova & her family in your thoughts & prayers, as they travel this very difficult road ..................
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Wednesday, December 31, 2008
OK, I admit a fascination with language ............................................
I LOVE researching etymologies {hey, small town, no airport, whatcha gonna do? ;-) }
I also TRY to gear MY language to whomever I'm talking to; I don't discuss the theory of relativity as I was finally able to understand it, with someone who gives me vacuous stares & either a grunt or a "Hunh?"
There's a group of young men who come in every morning for coffee; there's horseplay, sugar/creamer all over, but the language is what gets to me - I asked them Monday morning if they kissed their mothers with those mouths.*
THAT being said, I do NOT agree with censorship of the 'Net - this is the greatest facilitator of communication ever developed by man - when one is able to instantly "talk" with someone in Australia or New Zealand or the UK, when one is able to research ANYTHING that interests one, the idea of censoring this source sends chills up my spine. Maybe it's because I've had the idea of 'freedom of speech' given to me from birth {it's one of those quaint American ideas}, but, due to the nature of the 'Net, there is NO comparability to shouting "Fire!" in a crowded theater. {If someone is stupid enough to act on the first thing they view, consider it Darwin in action.}
VDare has an interesting article of something I had not been aware of, but will be following closely: UK Censorship in league with Obama.
They link to the wonderfully erudite Martin Kelly: Human Stains.
If this doesn't concern you, you've NO IDEA of what "freedom of speech" means.
*One of the favorite words of these young men is the "F-word" - DID you know, WERE you cognizant, of the origins of this word? It's an acronym, for For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, or Fornication Under {meaning without} Consent of the King ........................ Thus endeth your trivia lesson for the day ............................ ;-)
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I also TRY to gear MY language to whomever I'm talking to; I don't discuss the theory of relativity as I was finally able to understand it, with someone who gives me vacuous stares & either a grunt or a "Hunh?"
There's a group of young men who come in every morning for coffee; there's horseplay, sugar/creamer all over, but the language is what gets to me - I asked them Monday morning if they kissed their mothers with those mouths.*
THAT being said, I do NOT agree with censorship of the 'Net - this is the greatest facilitator of communication ever developed by man - when one is able to instantly "talk" with someone in Australia or New Zealand or the UK, when one is able to research ANYTHING that interests one, the idea of censoring this source sends chills up my spine. Maybe it's because I've had the idea of 'freedom of speech' given to me from birth {it's one of those quaint American ideas}, but, due to the nature of the 'Net, there is NO comparability to shouting "Fire!" in a crowded theater. {If someone is stupid enough to act on the first thing they view, consider it Darwin in action.}
VDare has an interesting article of something I had not been aware of, but will be following closely: UK Censorship in league with Obama.
They link to the wonderfully erudite Martin Kelly: Human Stains.
If this doesn't concern you, you've NO IDEA of what "freedom of speech" means.
*One of the favorite words of these young men is the "F-word" - DID you know, WERE you cognizant, of the origins of this word? It's an acronym, for For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, or Fornication Under {meaning without} Consent of the King ........................ Thus endeth your trivia lesson for the day ............................ ;-)
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Wednesday, December 24, 2008
New job is right on a major north-south interstate ............................................
we were getting a LOT of folks over the last week headed to Mexico, Guatemala, etc. This morning, had a young, VERY sweet young Mexican with limited English proficiency in, getting coffee, etc. As he was leaving the first time, I wished him Feliz Navidad; apparently, he's not too used to kindness/respect from most folks he deals with - he came back & tried chitchatting - asked my name, asked if I was married {bear in mind, he's late 20's/early 30's - I'm 52 & LOOK it! ;-) } - he wanted to buy me a Coke, or a beer - I think it was merely loneliness, in that he was unable to go "home", wherever that might be, and a little bit of kindness was interpreted as something more - no biggie, I can pretty much handle "situations" ......................... but he's most likely illegal, and I AM vehemently opposed to illegal immigration - don't care where you come from, as long as you come here legally ........................ but I have to admit a certain sympathy for people such as this young man ................... if Mexico & other places spent as much time FIXING their countries, as they do haranguing the U.S. to leave their illegal citizens alone here, folks such as this young man wouldn't NEED to come here as economic refugees .........................
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Tuesday, December 23, 2008
I started a job 8 December ...............................
clerking in a convenience store - the lady who trained me {if she stops by here, her handle is SuperNova} is THRILLED that she's able to take some time off to visit family in CA & rest assured that at least "things" will be pretty well taken care of, while she's gone {she's been there over a year, so is pretty much the owner's right hand} - she initially was friends with the FodGuy, when he'd stop in on his way home from work in the mornings - HE gets really upset when I refer to her as his 'girlfriend' - here's the thing - they're both Harley aficionados, so they can talk cams, gear ratios, shifting issues, etc. - they're both VERY well-versed in how to put computers together {her degree is in IT} - which is a WONDERFUL outlet for him, as I'm not too into such, & any men around here who are into Harleys, can be rather snooty about the whole matter - 'Nova is just a really cool lady {built HER OWN BIKE, thank you very much!} - anyhoo, she's just so tickled that I'm there, that as a Christmas gift, she bought me a box of .380 ammo, that I can practice with, & save the expensive stuff for when I'm proficient & carrying on a regular {read: everyday} basis ........................... ;-) ;-)
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Just washed my hands with Baby Magic .........................................
but one can STILL smell the {gun} oil on them ......................... YES, I got my .380 today - now, from all the horror stories re: background checks, waits, etc., I was thinking it'd be next week, if not into January, before I was permitted to bring it home - I asked a county Constable yesterday who he'd recommend for gun purchases - he recommended a shop dedicated to guns, ~ 20 miles distant - I called them this morning, they HAD the .380 in stock, so I hied myself up there - chose the pistol, filled out the paperwork {had to come home & renew my driver's license online, as the feds would've claimed it was expired, even though Texas would give me to the end of the month}, took the printout back up there, he filled in HIS part, called & within five minutes, I was OK'd to bring it home - NOW, for "potential gunnies" out there, I have to provide a caveat - 6 years ago, I purchased a Mossberg 12 gauge shotgun, & went through a half-hour wait, while they ran my name & SSN background check - since THAT one came back clean {I was able to take the shotgun home the same day, too}, and I've no charges/convictions/etc., in the intervening 6 years, this second check was very quick ............................. got a box of expensive ammo {20 rounds for $14.00}, but will get some cheap for use on the range. {For comparison purposes, picked up a box of "regular" ammo (50 rounds/$20.00) for my spousal unit}
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Thursday, December 18, 2008
Don't hate me, Crusader Rabbit ......................................
my "big" Christmas present is going to be {drum roll, please} .......................
That's IF we can find one - Academy Sports is having problems getting them from Bersa ....................... pawn shops are selling them as soon as they come in ........................ I'll be going for my concealed carry class/certification in January, once I HAVE the pistol ....................
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That's IF we can find one - Academy Sports is having problems getting them from Bersa ....................... pawn shops are selling them as soon as they come in ........................ I'll be going for my concealed carry class/certification in January, once I HAVE the pistol ....................
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Friday, December 12, 2008
I had started avoiding WalMart for our day-to-day needs .............................
I can get cat food for less @ Sam's Club or Costco, OUR needs can be met at either the local independent grocery {spousal unit prefers their meats}, or the absolutely fabulous HEB in Kingwood - but, our prescriptions have been filled at WalMart for 6+ years now, so, when I needed to drop one off yesterday, I decided to check the cookie aisle & end caps, for Archway's Cashew Nougat cookies.
Now, LAST year, they were on the shelf before Thanksgiving; when I saw them then, I grabbed a pack - when I got to the checkout, the cashier couldn't get it to scan, so according to HER, they weren't in the computer, so she refused to sell them to me ....................... fast forward to yesterday - NO Archway Christmas cookies at all on the shelves - I went to one of the store managers & told him that his bean-counters were idiots & why {WalMart has a reputation for cancelling orders of products that don't produce a high volume of sales} - HE referred me to his grocery manager - I explained to her what I was looking for, etc., etc. - she realized then that she hadn't received ANY Archway Christmas products, so would be calling her reps ................ now, the REASON for my worrying about something as ultimately inconsequential as cookies - my Dad LOVED the cashew nougats - even after he was diagnosed with diabetes, he'd still indulge in them, and Breyer's Butter Pecan ice cream, in a serving bowl, "schmeared" with Hershey's syrup & Jif peanut butter - I just can't get into the ice cream/Hershey's/peanut butter routine too often - but I CAN {WHEN I can find the da## things!} enjoy Archway's Cashew Nougat cookies, and feel closer to my Dad for a bit .................... the grocery manager allowed as how HER Dad's favorite gnosh was cornbread soaked in milk; every once in while, she'll have some cornbread {even though she doesn't LIKE it too much}, and think of her Dad .....................
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Now, LAST year, they were on the shelf before Thanksgiving; when I saw them then, I grabbed a pack - when I got to the checkout, the cashier couldn't get it to scan, so according to HER, they weren't in the computer, so she refused to sell them to me ....................... fast forward to yesterday - NO Archway Christmas cookies at all on the shelves - I went to one of the store managers & told him that his bean-counters were idiots & why {WalMart has a reputation for cancelling orders of products that don't produce a high volume of sales} - HE referred me to his grocery manager - I explained to her what I was looking for, etc., etc. - she realized then that she hadn't received ANY Archway Christmas products, so would be calling her reps ................ now, the REASON for my worrying about something as ultimately inconsequential as cookies - my Dad LOVED the cashew nougats - even after he was diagnosed with diabetes, he'd still indulge in them, and Breyer's Butter Pecan ice cream, in a serving bowl, "schmeared" with Hershey's syrup & Jif peanut butter - I just can't get into the ice cream/Hershey's/peanut butter routine too often - but I CAN {WHEN I can find the da## things!} enjoy Archway's Cashew Nougat cookies, and feel closer to my Dad for a bit .................... the grocery manager allowed as how HER Dad's favorite gnosh was cornbread soaked in milk; every once in while, she'll have some cornbread {even though she doesn't LIKE it too much}, and think of her Dad .....................
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Sunday, December 7, 2008
On Tuesday, 9 December, it will be 9 years since my Dad's death ...................................
he is missed, every day; I completely understand Kinsley Penny's sentiments
I don't know HOW many times over the years we said 'goodbye' to my Dad, as he went where the Marine Corps needed him; from a child's perspective, it was always too many, for too long ...................... I miss you, Daddy
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I don't know HOW many times over the years we said 'goodbye' to my Dad, as he went where the Marine Corps needed him; from a child's perspective, it was always too many, for too long ...................... I miss you, Daddy
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Thursday, December 4, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
I want to wish ALL my visitors a Happy Thanksgiving ..................................
our anniversary is tomorrow {I think I've told y'all this, but - we were married the day after Thanksgiving, 1999, 26 November - ever since, though, per my spousal unit, our anniversary is the day after Thanksgiving - no matter the actual date .................. ;-) }, & I received my gifts today - a card, flowers, a new Dean Koontz book, and a 10 carat sapphire tennis bracelet, to go with my all-diamond tennis bracelet, my diamond-&-sapphire tennis bracelet & my gold-with-diamond-as-cat-toy cat bracelet ......................... SIGH! I am a MOST fortunate & blessed woman - soooooooo, we won't be responsible for a turkey's demise this year {the FodGuy isn't too much a fan of fowl} - we'll be having Jack Daniels enhanced steaks, pork tenderloin, various gnoshes, & Jack Daniels birthday cake ..................... ;-)
Thanksgiving MySpace Animations
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Thanksgiving MySpace Animations
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Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Crusader Rabbit started it ..........................................
here's my all-time choice for a drinking song ...................... ;-)
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Sunday, November 23, 2008
From a retired Master Sergeant friend ........................................... ;-)
What would Chesty do?
How history’s most decorated Marine would handle the issues of today
By Joe Bush - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Nov 21, 2008 18:28:52 EST
Nothing stays the same forever.
In 233 historic years, the Corps has evolved through technological revolutions, societal upheaval and changing attitudes.
Nicknames came and went. So did weapons and bases, customs and procedures. Every generation has had an Old Corps vs. New.
Not that it always mattered.
“Old breed? New breed?” Chesty Puller famously pondered. “There’s not a damn bit of difference, so long as it’s the Marine breed.”
Lt. Gen. Lewis B. “Chesty” Puller needs no introduction to Marines. From Haiti to the South Pacific to the Chosin Reservoir, Puller is the stuff of legend. Most of the time, you can’t go to bed at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., or MCRD San Diego, Calif., without sounding off, “Good night, Chesty, wherever you are.”
His lore defines for many what it means to be a Marine. Which brings to mind the question: What would Chesty do if he were alive today? How would he tackle the sticky questions that trip up Marines from Afghanistan to Okinawa?
So listen up, Marines. We’ve applied Puller logic to the great questions of today.
Here’s what Chesty would do.
Should drinking be allowed in combat zones?
Marines are not allowed to drink in Iraq or Kuwait. If caught, they face nonjudicial punishment and the possible loss of rank and pay.
Despite the stiff consequences, Marines still smuggle in alcohol and find ways to tie one on. What would Chesty do about Marines getting drunk in combat?
He would open an enlisted club and serve it to them.
“Get rid of the ice cream and candy,” said then-Brig. Gen. Chesty Puller, in an interview after Korea, according to the biography “Chesty: The Story of Lt. General Lewis B. Puller,” written by Reserve Col. Jon T. Hoffman. “Give ’em beer and whiskey — that’ll help some. Get some pride in them. Tell them they’re men.”
Chesty helped established several enlisted clubs, and even added lunchtime beers in some places. He was also known for handing out his personal stash of hooch to Marines in the field.
At Koto-Ri, in Korea’s Chosin Reservoir, Chesty went up to the line to check on his troops and stopped in to see a former buddy from Guadalcanal in one of the fighting holes. In the privacy of the snow bank, then-Col. Chesty Puller produced a miracle — a drink of Old Grand-Dad bourbon, according to the biography “Marine: The Life of Chesty Puller.”
“It was like something out of heaven, you can’t know what that did for a freezing man who’d be up there for six hours without relief,” the sergeant recalled later. “I never saw the old man drink, but he knew when a little nip would save a fellow from going mad or becoming a casualty.”
Could Chesty find Osama bin Laden?
Maybe not, but he would have torn apart al-Qaida and the Taliban looking for him.
Chesty was a master at limited warfare and guerilla tactics, which he displayed in Nicaragua. He conducted patrols deep within the jungle in enemy territory to root out rebel fighters, away from any support, often outmanned and outgunned.
Chesty and his platoon of Nicaraguan Guardia slaughtered the Sandinistas and their top leaders, rendering them ineffective. Unfortunately, he never caught the leader, Sandino.
“It would take a guy like Puller, thrashing around through the back country, to catch him,” Hoffman said.
According to his second Navy Cross citation, Puller was serving as a first lieutenant in the Guardia when his patrol drove deep into isolated and mountainous bandit territory nearly 100 miles from the nearest friendly base camp. His small patrol was ambushed by more than 150 rebels, armed with automatic weapons and various small arms, and well supplied with ammo.
Puller lost two men and had four wounded, but the patrol managed to defeat the larger force. “This single victory in jungle country, with no lines of communication and a hundred miles from any supporting force, was largely due to the indomitable courage and persistence of the patrol commander.”
How should Marines handle prisoners?
A number of high-profile incidents involving captured enemy insurgents in Iraq have sparked debate over the proper treatment of the enemy on the battlefield. It begs the question: How would Chesty treat prisoners of war?
Frankly, Chesty would rather kill his enemy than dishonor him.
Then-Lt. Col. Chesty Puller was walking through the jungles of Guadalcanal with the men of 7th Marines when they spotted a wounded Japanese soldier. Unable to take the man prisoner and fearing he might be concealing a grenade, Puller ordered his men to kill the soldier.
Instead, the Marines loaded him up with their gear, three or four packs at a time, and forced him to carry the load, according to “Marine.”
At the end of the day, Chesty passed the Marines again and saw the prisoner.
“Why didn’t you kill that bird?” Chesty asked. “Didn’t you hear my orders?”
One of the Marines replied, “Sir, I thought he could carry today, and we could kill him tonight.”
That didn’t sit well with Chesty. “No you won’t,” Puller said. “He did your work all day, and you’ll sit up and guard him all night.”
So they did. And in the morning, the prisoner was sent back to rear with the wounded.
For Puller, treating a prisoner fairly was a requirement.
In Korea, a Marine private was ordered by a chaplain to take charge of five North Korean POWs. Instead of escorting them, he opened fire with an automatic rifle, killing all five, according to “Marine.”
The incident was brought up to Chesty, who placed the Marine under arrest. “What outfit was it that lost all those boys last night?” Puller asked his aide.
“Barrow’s company, sir,” the aide replied.
“All right, give that boy an M1 and send him up there,” Chesty said. The story has become legend for Chesty’s brand of military justice.
But Puller wasn’t a fan of hammering good Marines who make mistakes, even if the mistakes were extreme. In 1956, then-Brig. Gen. Chesty Puller testified in the Ribbon Creek court-martial on behalf of Staff Sgt. Matthew McKeon, a Parris Island drill instructor accused of getting drunk and leading six recruits to their deaths during an impromptu night march through the creek.
This case was a black eye for the Corps, and reshaped the way Marines train. Even Puller, a former Parris Island recruit, called it a “deplorable accident.”
But Puller still felt the need to speak up for McKeon and try to save his career. “The important thing is the Marine Corps,” Puller said, according to “Marine.”
“If we let them, they will tear it to pieces. Headquarters won’t speak up. It’s my duty to do it.”
Are combat awards important?
Puller is widely recognized as the most decorated Marine in history, earning five Navy Crosses. But if he were alive today, there’s little chance Chesty would receive the same recognition.
“Not even for specific things he did, even if he duplicated them today,” Hoffman said.
Before World War II, the only medals for valor were the Navy Cross and the Medal of Honor. If a Marine did not get one of those, he got nothing, Hoffman said.
All five of Chesty’s Navy Crosses were for leadership. Today, the award is generally associated with individual acts of heroism.
Only 18 Marines have received the Navy Cross for action in Afghanistan and Iraq, and one Marine has received the Medal of Honor. Of the 19 awards, only two were awarded to officers — a captain and a lieutenant. Three of Chesty’s Navy Crosses were received at major or above.
Would Chesty pass the Combat Fitness Test?
C’mon, really?
As one of the greatest combat leaders in the Corps, Chesty stayed in peak physical condition. He didn’t need a test to remind him of why it was important.
While under fire from the Sandinistas in Nicaragua, for instance, Puller dashed across railroad tracks to the opposite flank to prepare his men for a coordinated counterattack, then dashed back across to his own lines. The move wasn’t all that different from the CFT’s 880-yard sprint, and it was during this fight that Chesty earned his second Navy Cross.
In another display of physical prowess, during the battle for Guadalcanal, Chesty came under enemy fire again.
“The colonel fell to the ground, rolled over, and was up on his feet again, like a rubber man,” said a fellow Marine officer. “He kept that up for several minutes: hit the deck, roll. Stand and bellow orders.”
Should ‘hazing’ be tolerated?
Chesty knew how to dish it out, and he knew how to take it.
The “Order of the Shellback” was a long-standing Marine and Navy tradition, but can be considered hazing by today’s definition. While on ship duty in the Pacific in 1937, Chesty joined the Order when he crossed the equator for the first time.
Puller was jokingly charged with unmilitary bearing and gross display of medals, according to the book “Chesty.” For punishment he had to kiss a sailor’s fat belly and crawl through a greasy gauntlet of paddles made out of canvas fire hose.
According to “Marine,” on return from Australia, he gave an Army officer the royal treatment. The Army lieutenant colonel asked if he had to kiss the sailor’s fat belly, and Chesty said yes. The soldier supposedly had his entire face pushed into the fat rolls when he went in for the kiss.
What should we do with deserters?
Kill ’em.
Oh, you think not? According to “Marine,” during the perimeter defense of Koto-ri, a unit of soldiers that Chesty’s men had rescued from an ambush was assigned to guard a portion of the perimeter. One officer asked Chesty about the direction of a line of retreat, to which Puller responded by jumping on the horn and calling his artillerymen with the soldiers’ position.
“If they start to pull back even 1 foot, I want you to open fire on them,” he told the arty guys. Then he turned to the soldier.
“Does that answer your question?”
Are war trophies OK?
Chesty believed that “gear adrift is gear, a gift” among the troops, and he didn’t mind grabbing something off the enemy, either.
In Chesty’s first days of fighting on Guadalcanal, he and his men captured a Japanese camp, where Chesty took a beautiful dress sword off a Japanese major he had shot and killed. A few days later, the sword was stolen from Chesty’s command post.
Asked if he wanted to turn out the troops to recover the missing sword, Chesty said no. “I don’t know who got it, but any one of those boys rate it more than I did. They carried the big load, let them keep it.”
The sword later surfaced on a Navy ship. A Marine sold it to a sailor for $1,000.
How would Chesty handle urban warfare, such as Fallujah?
He’d bomb ’em back to the Stone Age.
Chesty was familiar with urban fighting. In 1950, before entering Seoul, South Korea, Chesty nearly leveled it with a massive bombing campaign. It set a record for the Korean War, with 326 mortar rounds, 650 artillery shells and 30,000 .50-caliber rounds, as his four battalions used all their ammo and depleted a nearby Army ammo dump.
As for the civilians caught in the crossfire, Chesty felt sorry for them. “I hate to see people in a shack like that get hurt. The same family has probably been living for generations in that same dump.” But there was no other way.
Even after the bombardment, Chesty’s men spent several days in intense house-to-house fighting with the Koreans. In the end, Seoul was destroyed, but captured.
How do we treat PTSD?
Honestly, Chesty didn’t believe in it. “There is no such thing as shell shock,” he said, using the terminology of the time.
Once, while recovering from wounds sustained during the fighting on Guadalcanal, Chesty spent a little time in sick bay. According to “Marine,” he was put near a private suffering from shell shock.
Chesty tried to tell the Marine it was all in his mind. “Until I got here, I never saw a bit of it. We fought all the way up and down Haiti and Nicaragua without it. You’ll be okay.”
But the Marine was completely unresponsive. Chesty saw him looking at a picture of his girlfriend.
Puller told him he would never see her again, and she wouldn’t even spit on him. He might have mentioned his face would be on wanted posters, plastered in post offices, for desertion. In the end, the Marine picked up his rifle and went back to the front lines.
Sometime later, that same Marine was decorated for bravery, according to “Marine.”
And what about those pesky reporters?
Journalists loved Chesty because of his irreverent behavior and straightforward quotes. And Chesty was all for getting reporters out with the troops.
On the drive into Korea, after the landing at Inchon, a group of journalists showed up in Chesty’s camp. “Take them up and get shot at,” Chesty told his driver. “Let ’em see what this is all about.”
In the frozen Chosin, a reporter arrived without a jacket and asked Chesty if he would supply him with one. Chesty got the reporter a parka from sick bay, and it was marked up with blood. “I hope you didn’t take it from one of your own men, sir,” the reporter said.
“I don’t care if you freeze, if it means keeping them going,” Puller said. “The boy that had that parka will never need it again.”
And unlike many of the policymakers of today, Chesty would not have shied away from showing the human cost of war.
At Chosin, Chesty needed to bury 117 Marines, but the earth was too frozen to dig. Instead, the Marines had to roll a tank over the frozen bodies, crushing them into the ground.
According to “Marine,” a photographer filmed the whole thing, but the footage was later censored by Washington and kept from the public. Chesty disapproved.
“How I wish our people could have seen the sight,” he said later, “to see just what happened to us in Korea.”
Ten bucks says Chesty would have subscribed to Marine Corps Times. He probably would have made fun of some general on the cover, though.
Good night, Chesty. Wherever you are.
Just as a FWIW, bit of history - my uncle {mustang Dad's younger brother} was at the frozen Chosin; he came back to Texas to die while working on an oil rig on the plains of Texas. For much of my Dad's 21 years, he would be asked if he was related to Chesty, due to our family name being "Pullin".
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Sunday, November 9, 2008
I realize it won't be acknowledged in the MSM, or by most people ...................................
but tomorrow, 10 November 2008, is the U.S. Marine Corps' birthday. Founded in Tun Tavern, Philadelphia {yeah, all the Marines-to-be were in a drinking establishment - IMAGINE that! ;-) }
To all who have earned the Eagle, Globe & Anchor, past & present - Happy 233rd birthday, Marines!!!
USMC Marines Hymn Marine Corps Band Halls of Montezuma - Watch a funny movie here
I have attended Sunset Parades at 8th & 'I' Streets, in Washington, DC - should you ever have the opportunity, GO! You WILL need reservations; contact the Marine Barracks here.
From my Colonel ..................... - seems Bob Parsons of GoDaddy.com is one of The Few ........................ ;-)
Happy 233nd
Birthday to the United States Marine Corps!
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To all who have earned the Eagle, Globe & Anchor, past & present - Happy 233rd birthday, Marines!!!
USMC Marines Hymn Marine Corps Band Halls of Montezuma - Watch a funny movie here
I have attended Sunset Parades at 8th & 'I' Streets, in Washington, DC - should you ever have the opportunity, GO! You WILL need reservations; contact the Marine Barracks here.
From my Colonel ..................... - seems Bob Parsons of GoDaddy.com is one of The Few ........................ ;-)
Happy 233nd
Birthday to the United States Marine Corps!
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Thursday, November 6, 2008
Y'know, all this talk about "post-racial" ....................................
Harris County just elected an Hispanic sheriff {the incumbent, a 'good ol'boy', has presided over a LOT of scandals} - but, a Houston City Council member, an African-American, just HAD to make the election a racial issue, talking about how wonderful it is for 'engaging' the Hispanic community ......................... shouldn't the City Council member have just affirmed support for the sheriff-elect, without injecting race, if this whole election cycle was about 'getting past race'?
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Wednesday, November 5, 2008
God help us all ......................................
no, I'm NOT happy with our election; I believe we're in for 4 years of hell. As a friend noted, however, "we" survived Carter & Clinton, scarred, battered & bruised, but "we" are still here.
On a rather ominous note - Bidet apparently hedged his bets, as he was running for his Senate seat at the same time he was running for VP - my spousal unit notes that, should he decide to resign from his election as VP in favor of remaining Delaware's senator, "our" VP will be appointed - THERE'S a scary thought, as I've visions of William Ayers or Jeremiah Wright ............................. :-(
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On a rather ominous note - Bidet apparently hedged his bets, as he was running for his Senate seat at the same time he was running for VP - my spousal unit notes that, should he decide to resign from his election as VP in favor of remaining Delaware's senator, "our" VP will be appointed - THERE'S a scary thought, as I've visions of William Ayers or Jeremiah Wright ............................. :-(
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