Here's a lamb* who's made his way home ..................................

Friends mourn Milwaukie fighter pilot who served in three wars
by Rick Bella, The Oregonian
Saturday June 27, 2009, 10:00 AM

CLACKAMAS -- They came by ones and twos Friday, quietly slipping into the pews at New Hope Community Church. They smiled at the words honoring a man whose faith made him an inspiration and whose exploits in three wars made him a hero.

And when the last mournful drone of the bagpipes faded, they said goodbye to Col. Kenneth L. Reusser of Milwaukie, the most decorated U.S. Marine Corps aviator in history.

"He was the finest gentleman I've ever met," said Harley Wedel of Fairview, a fellow Korean War veteran. "I'm really going to miss him."

Reusser flew an amazing 253 combat missions in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. He was shot down in all three wars -- five times in all. He earned two Navy Crosses, four Purple Hearts and two Legions of Merit among his 59 medals.

In 1945, while based in Okinawa, he stripped down his F4U-4 Corsair fighter and intercepted a Japanese observation plane at an altitude much higher than usual. When his guns froze, he flew his fighter into the observation plane, hacking off its tail with his propeller.

In 1950, while serving in the storied "Black Sheep Squadron," he led an attack on a North Korean tank-repair facility at Inchon, then destroyed an oil tanker -- almost blowing himself out of the sky in the process.

During the Vietnam War, Reusser flew helicopters. He was leading a Marine Air Group in a rescue mission, when his own "Huey" was shot down. He needed skin grafts over 35 percent of his badly burned body.

Reusser was born Jan. 27, 1920, the son of a Cloverdale minister. While still a teenager, he became a committed Christian, which remained a big part of his life.

Reusser lived a "Tom Sawyer-ish" existence, Wedel said, jumping off a barn roof to test a parachute, racing motorcycles to help pay for college and earning a pilot's license before WWII broke out.

After retiring from the Marine Corps, he worked for Lockheed Aircraft and the Piasecki Helicopter Corp.

In recent years, he remained active in veterans groups.

"He had a great sense of humor," said friend Jesse Lott of Milwaukie. "One time, when the great Gen. Chuck Yeager was visiting, we told him about Ken's war record. Yeager just sniffed that he never saw any Marines in Europe.

"Well, when Ken arrived, we told him what Yeager had said," Lott said. "So Ken said, 'Well, if we had been there, it wouldn't have taken you so long to win the war.' Even Yeager laughed."

Reusser, who died June 20 of natural causes at 89, is survived by his wife, Trudy; and sons, Richard C. and Kenneth L. Jr. Interment was in Willamette National Cemetery.


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*The Whiffenpoof Song was the theme for "Black Sheep Squadron" TV series - lyrics are 'We are poor little lambs, who have lost our way, baa, baa, baa'


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I fixed this one a while back ...........................................

Slow Cooker Beef for Sandwiches, but when I mentioned my preps to the FodGuy, he wrinkled his nose & requested I make it with Mexican seasonings - did so {also added fresh jalapenos} - he REALLY liked it - our progeny & I like the Italian version - we ALL like 'em on onion rolls ............................... :;)



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Some food for thought, from Sigmund, Carl and Alfred .......................................

One of my all-time favorite cartoon/comic characters ................................

is Ziggy:

One of his classics is around 30 years old, where HE hopes the bluebird of happiness really lays it on you ......................... very similar to this, via Sigmund, Carl and Alfred:



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New blog {to me} ......................................

Found it meandering from The Return of Scipio - check out Let The Truth Be Known

I particularly LOVE this:





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Thank you, Mr. Pritchett!!

The author, Lou Pritchett, is a well-known public speaker who retired after a successful 36-year career as the VP World Sales for Proctor and Gamble.

Lou Pritchett is one of corporate America 's true living legends- an acclaimed author, dynamic teacher and one of the world's highest rated speakers. Successful corporate executives everywhere recognize him as the foremost leader in change management. Lou changed the way America does business by creating an audacious concept that came to be known as "partnering." Pritchett rose from soap salesman to Vice-President, Sales and Customer Development for Procter and Gamble and over the course of 36 years, made corporate history.

AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA
Dear President Obama:

You are the thirteenth President under whom I have lived and unlike any of the others, you truly scare me.

You scare me because after months of exposure, I know nothing about you.

You scare me because I do not know how you paid for your expensive Ivy League education and your upscale lifestyle and housing with no visible signs of support.

You scare me because you did not spend the formative years of youth growing up in America and culturally you are not an American.

You scare me because you have never run a company or met a payroll.

You scare me because you have never had military experience, thus don't understand it at its core.

You scare me because you lack humility and 'class', always blaming others.

You scare me because for over half your life you have aligned yourself with radical extremists who hate America and you refuse to publicly denounce these radicals who wish to see America fail.

You scare me because you are a cheerleader for the 'blame America' crowd and deliver this message abroad.

You scare me because you want to change America to a European style country where the government sector dominates instead of the private sector.

You scare me because you want to replace our health care system with a government controlled one.

You scare me because you prefer 'wind mills' to responsibly capitalizing on our own vast oil, coal and shale reserves.

You scare me because you want to kill the American capitalist goose that lays the golden egg which provides the highest standard of living in the world.

You scare me because you have begun to use 'extortion' tactics against certain banks and corporations.

You scare me because your own political party shrinks from challenging you on your wild and irresponsible spending proposals.

You scare me because you will not openly listen to or even consider opposing points of view from intelligent people.

You scare me because you falsely believe that you are both omnipotent and omniscient.

You scare me because the media gives you a free pass on everything you do.

You scare me because you demonize and want to silence the Limbaughs, Hannitys, O'Relllys and Becks who offer opposing, conservative points of view.

You scare me because you prefer controlling over governing.

Finally, you scare me because if you serve a second term I will probably not feel safe in writing a similar letter in 8 years.

Lou Pritchett

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Here's the link to Snopes.com, verifying/validating this letter - if you read to the end @ Snopes, Mr. Pritchett sent his letter to the NY Times, who didn't see fit to print or even acknowledge the letter.

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;-) I'll let Chely Wright say it ................................

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Now, I'm NOT a big country music fan - but sometimes, they just get it RIGHT!!


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The Bumper Of My SUV
Chely Wright

I've got a bright red sticker on the back of my car
Says United States Marines
And yesterday a lady in a mini-van held up a middle finger at me
Does she think she knows what I stand for
Or the things that I believe
Just by looking at a sticker for the US Marines
On The Bumper Of My SUV

See, my brother Chris, he's been in for more than 14 years now
Our dad was in the Navy during Vietnam
Did his duty then he got out
And my grandpa earned his purple heart
On the beach of Normandy
That's why I've got a sticker for the US Marines
On The Bumper Of SUV

But that doesn't mean that I want war
I'm not Republican or Democrat
But I've gone all around this crazy world
Just to try and better understand

Yes I do have questions
I get to ask them because I'm free
That's why I've got a sticker for the US Marines
On the Bumper Of My SUV

Cause I've been to Hiroshima
And I've been to the DMZ
I've walked on the sand in Baghdad
Still don't have all of the answers I need
But I guess I wanna know where she's been
Before she judges and gestures to me
Cause she don't like my sticker
For the US Marines
On the bumper of my SUV

So I hope that lady in her mini-van
Turns on her radio and hears this from me
As she picks up her kids from their private school
And drives home safely on our city streets
Or to the building where her church group meets

Yeah, that's why I've got a sticker for the US Marines
On the bumper of my SUV

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Outrage of the day from D.C., ......................................

Our military, in their centuries of existence, have developed some traditions ....................... one of which is the carrying of swords by non-commissioned officers, warrant officers, and commissioned officers - it's a pretty damned sad state of affairs that the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces is SO paranoid that these young Naval & Marine Corps officers are denied what they, each and every blessed one of them, has EARNED.

Swordless Sailors

And please, before I'm accused of "belligerence" - WHO among the higher-ups in the West Wing/Executive Office Building EVER served this nation in uniform?


As Tevye and his community in Anatevka knew, traditions are GOOD .............................



{And no, I'm not Jewish - but my great-grandparents came to this country (LEGALLY) from Middle Europe, where they lived much like the Jews of Anatevka - and appreciated their traditions ...................)


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'Specially for Gecko & KG ................................... ;-)

maybe someday soon, Boyd will calm down like this ........................ ;-)


see more Lolcats and funny pictures



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EXCUSE ME?!?!?!

Check out the link below - but don't bother trying to sign up - THIS is VERY prominently displayed .........................

"Please Complete the Following Enrollment Form:

"This service is not available in the United States"

"Truth" and "Transparency", my aching a$$!!!

Link. Nevermind that he's currently bragging about his Muslim roots - but WE are not to question where his loyalties lie?

Lying sacks of fecal matter ......................


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Lots of places around the 'Net discussing the Tiller murder .................................

WARNING: Do NOT click on the link @ work, or if there are children or "delicate types" around - VERY GRAPHIC!!!

several sites are linking to The Abortion Gallery - VERY upsetting photos {I couldn't watch too much of the video} - but I damn well DARE anyone to view those pictures & tell me "it's just a mass of tissue" ........................ I don't agree with the murder of Tiller; I didn't celebrate Saddam Hussein's execution - but I certainly won't be losing any sleep over either of their deaths ........................ I will, however, keep
2 Army hometown recruiters in my thoughts - THEIR murderer/attempted murderer "appears to have been upset with the military, the Army" - on his own, personal jihad, perhaps?


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If you have an extra $25.00 & like to cook ...............................

Please consider helping out these folks & purchasing their cookbook .............................

Recipes for Real Men


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Just took a test yesterday ........................

turns out, I have ADD - next step is getting my doc to refer me to someone to do the official diagnostics, then see what's what as far as therapy {medication vs. "talking"} - I scored 94 out of 100 on the test ...................... :-( Some of the questions seemed to have nothing to do with what I thought were the constellation of symptoms, like irritability at petty stuff .........................

One of the things currently irritating me is NBC's choice of Conan O'Brien to take over The Tonight Show - never been much of a viewer, but I will NEVER watch it now - far as I'm concerned, Conan O'Brien would gag an army of maggots - he's of the same ilk as Will Ferrell or Jim Carrey, in most of his roles ............................

I'm hoping the medication of choice would be Adderall XR - as I said above, it's gonna be a matter of primary care doc to diagnostician {whether a psychiatrist or psychologist is still undetermined} - if it's a psychologist, of course, I'll then have to see someone else, who can prescribe ......................... :-(

Fun-fun-fun .....................


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Dr. Bob Basso as Thomas Paine ................................

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;-) ;-) ;-)

While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75 year old rancher, who's hand was caught in the gate while working cattle, the doctor struck up a conversation with the old man. Eventually the topic got around to Obama and his bid to be our president.

The old rancher said, 'Well, ya know, Obama is a 'Post Turtle''..
Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him, what a 'post turtle' was.

The old rancher said, 'When you're driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that's a 'post turtle'.

The old rancher saw the puzzled look on the doctor's face so he continued to explain. 'You know he didn't get up there by himself, he doesn't belong up there, he doesn't know what to do while he's up there, and you just wonder what kind of dumb ass put him up there to begin with'.


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From Denmark, via friends in Colorado .......................................... ;-)

A far more
accurate account of the events of that fateful
morning....


Baby
bear goes downstairs, sits in his small chair at the table.
He looks
into his small bowl. It is empty. 'Who's been eating
my

porridge?'
he squeaks.


Daddy
Bear arrives at the big table and sits in his big chair. He looks into his
big bowl and it is also empty. 'Who's been eating my porridge?!?' he
roars.


Mummy
Bear puts her head through the serving hatch from the kitchen and yells,
'For God's sake, how many times do I have to go through this with you
idiots? It was Mummy Bear who got up first. It was Mummy Bear who woke
everyone in the house. It was Mummy Bear who made the coffee. It was Mummy
Bear who unloaded the dishwasher from last night and put everything away.
It was Mummy Bear who swept the floor in the kitchen. It was Mummy Bear
who went out in the cold early morning air to fetch The newspaper and
croissants. It was Mummy Bear who set the damn
table.


'It
was Mummy Bear who walked the bloody dog, cleaned the cat's litter tray,
gave them their food, and refilled their water.


'And
now that you've decided to drag your sorry bear-asses downstairs and grace
Mummy Bear with your grumpy presence, listen carefully, because I'm only
going to say this once....




'I
HAVEN'T MADE THE F***ING PORRIDGE
YET!!'


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From Political Castaway Blog .................................

Mexico: Have We Had Enough Now, America?

How much more damage does America’s little neighbor to the south need to do before Americans decide that the status quo relationship is plainly untenable?

As the most recent export from Mexico—Swine Flu—now spreads across America and the rest of the world at a lightening pace, threatening lives, businesses, schools, and anything else in its path, Americans should be asking themselves if this should not be the final straw that breaks the back of the politically-correct cultural receivership that Americans have been burdened with for decades now.


Full commentary here.


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;-) ;-) ;-) ;-)

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;-) Hmmmmmmmm ........................................

Seems the U.S. Department of State considers Texas a "foreign country" - if THAT's the case, then 'we' no longer have to pay federal income taxes, right?



Full article HERE.

Seems to me, Texas has just one-up'd Montana regarding firearms, too ............................. ;-)


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Had the privilege of meeting ............................

Bayou Renaissance Man today - Peter is GREAT {of course, the fact that he has a soft spot for U.S. Marines helps ;-) } - he credits much that has become 'second nature' to him to influences of Marines he's known ..................... altogether, a VERY pleasant afternoon.................... I thoroughly enjoy his South African accent - it's been softened by his time in bayou country, so it's almost a pure lilt, rather than the harshness one heard in the Lethal Weapon installment, where the accent of the pro-apartheid cretins was so guttural ............................

Also, I had the opportunity of speaking with Miss D, prior to her winging her way back to the wilds of Alaska ........................ what a NICE lady - she's a bush pilot, up there in Alaska ........................



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