I believe that every single pilot that flew helicopters in Vietnam has experienced "The Pucker Factor". For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, let me explain.
When things get real scary, I mean REAL scary, your butt puckers so much that you don't need a seat belt. Get my drift? All kinds of situations can cause the Pucker Factor to surface. The sound of an AK 47 round hitting the skids of your helicopter will do it. So will a round coming through the dog house. Pucker Factors are not necessarily the result of combat. Other situations can induce various levels of pucker.
A compressor stall will do it, especially if it occurs when you are leaving an LZ with a full load of troops in the back of a Huey. Inexperience can produce it, if the circumstances are right. As I recall it, the first time I experienced the real deal was during a day time mission flying as Craig Wollman's copilot.
We were flying a C&C mission with the Colonel in the back. I didn't know it at the time we departed but I found out immediately that we were heading to an area where a group of our people were in contact with enemy troops not far from Phan Thiet. That's a coastal town on the South China Sea.
The Colonel gave us directions to the site of the battle but that really didn't bother me at all as we were flying at 2,500 feet and everything looked rosy to me. When we arrived at an area that Craig described as "Budda Mountain", I could see some Charlie Model gunships making gun runs. That didn't bother me all that much either.
When I saw some green tracers coming from the mountain toward the gunships, that changed things a little bit but not enough to produce the pucker. When the Colonel saw it, he told Wollman to hold west of the target so we wouldn't be flying through artillery lines of fire.
With Wollman flying at max speed, the Colonel felt that he wasn't given enough time to view the target area. It seemed that we would have to do a 180 degree turn because the battle site wasn't spread out over a very large area. Even though we were flying at a pretty high altitude, the Colonel wasn't happy with the orbit or the time he had with eyes on the target.
I don't recall overhearing any further communications between Wollman and the Colonel but I do recall what happened next. It seemed that out of nowhere, Wollman decided to STOP. That's right. I saw the cyclic coming back and watched the airspeed indicator drop to nearly nothing.
I eventually figured out that Wollman knew exactly what he was doing but to me, it seemed as though he just hovered in one place and put us in a position that gave the bad guys a stationary target to shoot at. All he was really doing was putting the aircraft in a very slow orbit that let the Colonel have all the time he wanted to direct the battle below.
Despite that, having freshly read the book in flight school about NOT doing stuff like that, the ole pucker factor hit with a power that you wouldn't believe.
Wollman eventually explained that the book I read in flight school wasn't the book he was helping to write in combat situations. I eventually figured it all out and actually adopted it when I was flying in Cambodia but I will never forget the first time I experience the Pucker Factor.
I remember it as clearly today as the day it happened and all I have to do to see it is close my eyes and think about it. I would call that a very well remembered lesson in combat tactics from a pilot that was one of the best but I think my counselor at the VA would call that post traumatic stress.
Having explained all of this, let me say that I believe the recent nightmare experience I had was an experience that was stimulated by recent articles I've read about things that are happening in our Country right now. I won't get into them now but I think it's fair to say that any shock of any kind might reconnect your brain to other shocks you've had and produce some recollections of very scary times we've experienced in the past.
In defense of my justifications for these things, let me say: "that before you judge me harshly for thoughts such as these, try to consider that my shock index might be completely different than others and in reality, me and other guys like me, are probably better suited to recognize a real shitty situation than those of you who have never had that ass pucker so tightly that you simply don't know what it's like".
Please refer to the previous post regarding "Invisible Stuff". Thanks to Craig, Terry, Dudley and Kat for the lessons learned.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Nightmares, Food Stamps And The Idiots Among Us.
I've had a boat load of professionals tell me that they are quite pleased with the progress I've made since the brain surgery. That was July 9th, 2009, and to say that brain surgery, chemo and radiation is a "game changer", is an understatement. I am very much aware that time changes a lot of things but must add: "So does brain surgery".
Some where between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. this morning, I had one hell of a nightmare. It was a shocker to me as I almost never have nightmares. Maybe a hand full over the years and that's it. This one had to do with Cambodia. Many years ago, I had a similar one but it's been so long ago, I can't even remember when it came. Maybe in the 80's.
I don't understand why Cambodia seems to be the focus for so many of the guys I served with but it seems to be the common denominator.
I've written about the great guys that I flew Nighthawks with when I was flying with the 199th and even though I had the shock of a life time during a day light mission on July 4, 1970, the lion's share of near death experiences that occurred when I was flying with Fireball Aviation, came at night. I never flew a single night time mission in Cambodia and from that, it seems a bit unusual that the nightmare that remains is all about Cambodia and the battles fought in the Chup Rubber Plantation.
With this in mind, I wonder why the mass media considers us as "dangerous" or suffering from some kind of "disorder". To me, recalling these things is "order", not disorder. I still believe that forgetting things like that is more dangerous than anything.
When I was a kid, we held the World War II Veterans in the highest regard. I've often wondered why the Vietnam Veteran was not viewed with that same vision. The only difference I can see has to do with "WHO" is holding us in a bad light.
We were raised by depression era men and women who not only saw tough times in the economy but also saw a life of uncertainty that comes with a World War. As I consider the reality of that statement, I can't help but view today's population as one that didn't have to suffer the kinds of things that our parents did and therefore, don't have the same perspective that they had.
It may seem odd to some of you but I think we would be much better off if we returned to some of the things that happened during the depression. How does "Soup Kitchens" sound? If you compare it to today's nightmare of "Food Stamps", I think it's safe to say that the soup kitchens worked a hell of a lot better than today's situation where there's so much fraud in the system that's designed to provide food for those who don't have any, or don't want to earn the money to buy some.
Remember the lady I wrote about from the grocery store? She presented dog food to the check out lady at the store and was told that she couldn't use food stamps for pet food. Hearing that, she told one of her kids to go to the meat market and buy a huge package of ground beef. Do the math on that one. If she can drive to the grocery store, she can drive to the soup kitchen.
As I outline this post and think through all of these things I wonder if THEY are suffering from "Scrambled Brains" instead of me. I also wonder if the reporters from World War II are turning over in their grave because today's reporters simply don't report the realities but instead, they present their opinions about things.
I guess I will have to be satisfied in knowing that I did my duty and have to pay the price. Even though the price of recollection is pretty much the same as the price our World War II Veterans paid, I guess I'll have to be satisfied with the knowledge that today's news media gurus are simply full of shit. Ahhh, I feel better now.
.
Some where between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. this morning, I had one hell of a nightmare. It was a shocker to me as I almost never have nightmares. Maybe a hand full over the years and that's it. This one had to do with Cambodia. Many years ago, I had a similar one but it's been so long ago, I can't even remember when it came. Maybe in the 80's.
I don't understand why Cambodia seems to be the focus for so many of the guys I served with but it seems to be the common denominator.
I've written about the great guys that I flew Nighthawks with when I was flying with the 199th and even though I had the shock of a life time during a day light mission on July 4, 1970, the lion's share of near death experiences that occurred when I was flying with Fireball Aviation, came at night. I never flew a single night time mission in Cambodia and from that, it seems a bit unusual that the nightmare that remains is all about Cambodia and the battles fought in the Chup Rubber Plantation.
With this in mind, I wonder why the mass media considers us as "dangerous" or suffering from some kind of "disorder". To me, recalling these things is "order", not disorder. I still believe that forgetting things like that is more dangerous than anything.
When I was a kid, we held the World War II Veterans in the highest regard. I've often wondered why the Vietnam Veteran was not viewed with that same vision. The only difference I can see has to do with "WHO" is holding us in a bad light.
We were raised by depression era men and women who not only saw tough times in the economy but also saw a life of uncertainty that comes with a World War. As I consider the reality of that statement, I can't help but view today's population as one that didn't have to suffer the kinds of things that our parents did and therefore, don't have the same perspective that they had.
It may seem odd to some of you but I think we would be much better off if we returned to some of the things that happened during the depression. How does "Soup Kitchens" sound? If you compare it to today's nightmare of "Food Stamps", I think it's safe to say that the soup kitchens worked a hell of a lot better than today's situation where there's so much fraud in the system that's designed to provide food for those who don't have any, or don't want to earn the money to buy some.
Remember the lady I wrote about from the grocery store? She presented dog food to the check out lady at the store and was told that she couldn't use food stamps for pet food. Hearing that, she told one of her kids to go to the meat market and buy a huge package of ground beef. Do the math on that one. If she can drive to the grocery store, she can drive to the soup kitchen.
As I outline this post and think through all of these things I wonder if THEY are suffering from "Scrambled Brains" instead of me. I also wonder if the reporters from World War II are turning over in their grave because today's reporters simply don't report the realities but instead, they present their opinions about things.
I guess I will have to be satisfied in knowing that I did my duty and have to pay the price. Even though the price of recollection is pretty much the same as the price our World War II Veterans paid, I guess I'll have to be satisfied with the knowledge that today's news media gurus are simply full of shit. Ahhh, I feel better now.
.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
The Corner of Black Eye Blvd and F*** You Freeway.
Have you ever reached a point in your life where you were stopped in your tracks and forced to make a decision that you didn't necessarily want to make but knew you had to? Well, that's where I am today and I'm sure that it's my own fault.
I've been a participating member of the www.11thacraviation.com site for over 4 years. In view of the fact that we were only stationed in Vietnam for a year, we've pretty much written all we can write about combat missions in Vietnam and Cambodia that occurred during out time in Country. I always had a fear that we would reach a certain point and simply not have anything else to contribute unless we changed our direction and started talking about the effects of the war in our current day lives.
The way I saw it, I felt that we would need to transition into the way things played out in our lives because of Vietnam and if possible, explain to the general public or the history students that were interested, how we viewed those things. We've slowly but surely began the evolutionary journey from combat pilots and infantrymen to citizens of today. With that, there were stories of a different type that can only come from those who survived the war and lived with it for over 40 years.
Initially, there was a moratorium on editorials of a political nature. I posted an editorial or two that focused on the inability to tell the entire story if we couldn't discuss the political aspect of the war. For a time, I simply quit writing because I felt that I had contributed all I could.
At one point, a post was made about draft dodgers and, in my opinion, that post introduced the political aspect in a manner that was accepted by the group and it has slowly but surely grown from there.
If there's a lesson to be learned from that, I think that editorializing political matters during war time has nothing to do with politicians but more to do with the political agenda at the time. Initially, we were pretty careful not to point out any particular politician but eventually, the buck had to stop somewhere and we began to cite facts that came with the leaders of North Vietnam, South Vietnam and then, our own idiots.
Now, as time has progressed and we've become senior citizens, I think that we've reached a point where we either don't give a shit whether we offend anybody or get put on the proverbial "shit list". That attitude has produced some really informative editorials and comments about a number of issues and more than anything, that's why I put the address of the site at the top of this post. I would like to invite you guys and gals who haven't been there, to drop by for a visit and see what combat Veterans have to say about the war, their experiences then and how that has effected them now. It's an interesting read.
Most recently, some contributors appear to be fed up with the bull shit and have simply reached a point where the big picture is more important to history than the simple reports of various battles they took part in. After all, we fought like hell for a year but we've been forced to fight a number of after effects for over 40 years. I think there will be a ton of things unfolding as time moves forward. Stop in and give them a visit. You can go to older posts and read some good stuff about battles or just keep pace with the things that are happening now. No pun intended.
I've been a participating member of the www.11thacraviation.com site for over 4 years. In view of the fact that we were only stationed in Vietnam for a year, we've pretty much written all we can write about combat missions in Vietnam and Cambodia that occurred during out time in Country. I always had a fear that we would reach a certain point and simply not have anything else to contribute unless we changed our direction and started talking about the effects of the war in our current day lives.
The way I saw it, I felt that we would need to transition into the way things played out in our lives because of Vietnam and if possible, explain to the general public or the history students that were interested, how we viewed those things. We've slowly but surely began the evolutionary journey from combat pilots and infantrymen to citizens of today. With that, there were stories of a different type that can only come from those who survived the war and lived with it for over 40 years.
Initially, there was a moratorium on editorials of a political nature. I posted an editorial or two that focused on the inability to tell the entire story if we couldn't discuss the political aspect of the war. For a time, I simply quit writing because I felt that I had contributed all I could.
At one point, a post was made about draft dodgers and, in my opinion, that post introduced the political aspect in a manner that was accepted by the group and it has slowly but surely grown from there.
If there's a lesson to be learned from that, I think that editorializing political matters during war time has nothing to do with politicians but more to do with the political agenda at the time. Initially, we were pretty careful not to point out any particular politician but eventually, the buck had to stop somewhere and we began to cite facts that came with the leaders of North Vietnam, South Vietnam and then, our own idiots.
Now, as time has progressed and we've become senior citizens, I think that we've reached a point where we either don't give a shit whether we offend anybody or get put on the proverbial "shit list". That attitude has produced some really informative editorials and comments about a number of issues and more than anything, that's why I put the address of the site at the top of this post. I would like to invite you guys and gals who haven't been there, to drop by for a visit and see what combat Veterans have to say about the war, their experiences then and how that has effected them now. It's an interesting read.
Most recently, some contributors appear to be fed up with the bull shit and have simply reached a point where the big picture is more important to history than the simple reports of various battles they took part in. After all, we fought like hell for a year but we've been forced to fight a number of after effects for over 40 years. I think there will be a ton of things unfolding as time moves forward. Stop in and give them a visit. You can go to older posts and read some good stuff about battles or just keep pace with the things that are happening now. No pun intended.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Are we running out of time or running out of excuses?
The more I study the overall history of mankind, the more I wonder why we haven't done something a bit more positive, to change the stupidity that mankind has shown in his behavior. With all the statistics that are available on line, statistics that give you the body count in millions, I believe that the greatest thing we did was rid ourselves of tyranny when kicked every red coat ass we could get our hands on.
Don't forget that the first lesson that was given to Cornwallis when he was forced to surrender unconditionally to Washington, wasn't enough. Remember the Battle of New Orleans? I think that was sometime around 1812 or 1814.
With that in mind, please know that I for one, am more clear than ever, that Americans have done more to alleviate the sufferings of man than any other nation I can think of. If you are a regular reader here, I'm sure that you've been given enough statistics to prove that claim to be true.
If you don't agree completely with that statement, you might at least agree that we aren't seeing any more accounts of 6 million murders here, 20 million casualties there or anything that's even close to that.
Despite those facts, it appears that even though we helped remove the murderous dictators from power, dictators that murdered millions and caused the deaths of tens of millions, apparently, the job ain't over yet. We are now seeing signs that proclaim "We will dominate the world". With regard to that, I say: "You won't dominate my part of the world, asshole".
In recent years, after I came up with the idea that I needed to do something to help the cause, I concluded that the best thing I could do would be to inspire men like me, combat veterans, to do something positive to help out the guys that have to go undo all the things that threaten our lives. Some might say that it's a selfish idea that is intended to keep me off the roles of those who are listed as "killed in action", but I assure you, it's way more than that.
As a first step I took a look at the devotion to God, Country and then, the various units that every Veteran served with during their time in service. My first unit, The 199th Light Infantry Brigade, according to the net, is no longer around. I have remained in contact with several members of the old "Fireball Aviation" section, but there isn't a post or Fort that I'm aware of, where I can contribute anything.
On the other hand, the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment is still alive and, according to Curt, Ed, and John, they are doing very well in California and are commanded by the best of the best. I can not tell you how pleased I was to read about Curt's explanation that focused on the character that exists in their command staff.
It does my heart and soul good to know that but experience also delivered a little paranoia with Curt's report. I began to wonder what it would be like for the command staff to receive the kinds of orders that hindered their ability to perform.
I say that because I remember the shock we all had when we heard that we were no longer allowed to defoliate the jungle and take away the very foliage that the VC and the NVA hid behind. To this day, I consider that to be a lame ass decision that cost Dan and Blick their lives and further caused the medical evacuation of others who were so badly wounded that they could no longer fly combat missions. Many of you here know who they are, Manny, Mike O, Bock and many others.
In addition to that, I remember the concerns from Raider 6 when he realized that this particular decision aided and abetted the enemy in their efforts to ambush the ground troops and shoot down the Scout pilots that were trying to track them through the jungle.
I can only imagine what it's like now. I don't know the specifics that tie the hands behind the back of our commanders and the troops under their command, but you can bet your ass that they're out there. Having said all that and still being un-effective in my wishes to help them out, I began to wonder if I'm running out of time or running out of excuses. Thus the title of this post.
Hand salute to the command staff of our men and women. We support you much more than we are able to show..........at this time.
Don't forget that the first lesson that was given to Cornwallis when he was forced to surrender unconditionally to Washington, wasn't enough. Remember the Battle of New Orleans? I think that was sometime around 1812 or 1814.
With that in mind, please know that I for one, am more clear than ever, that Americans have done more to alleviate the sufferings of man than any other nation I can think of. If you are a regular reader here, I'm sure that you've been given enough statistics to prove that claim to be true.
If you don't agree completely with that statement, you might at least agree that we aren't seeing any more accounts of 6 million murders here, 20 million casualties there or anything that's even close to that.
Despite those facts, it appears that even though we helped remove the murderous dictators from power, dictators that murdered millions and caused the deaths of tens of millions, apparently, the job ain't over yet. We are now seeing signs that proclaim "We will dominate the world". With regard to that, I say: "You won't dominate my part of the world, asshole".
In recent years, after I came up with the idea that I needed to do something to help the cause, I concluded that the best thing I could do would be to inspire men like me, combat veterans, to do something positive to help out the guys that have to go undo all the things that threaten our lives. Some might say that it's a selfish idea that is intended to keep me off the roles of those who are listed as "killed in action", but I assure you, it's way more than that.
As a first step I took a look at the devotion to God, Country and then, the various units that every Veteran served with during their time in service. My first unit, The 199th Light Infantry Brigade, according to the net, is no longer around. I have remained in contact with several members of the old "Fireball Aviation" section, but there isn't a post or Fort that I'm aware of, where I can contribute anything.
On the other hand, the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment is still alive and, according to Curt, Ed, and John, they are doing very well in California and are commanded by the best of the best. I can not tell you how pleased I was to read about Curt's explanation that focused on the character that exists in their command staff.
It does my heart and soul good to know that but experience also delivered a little paranoia with Curt's report. I began to wonder what it would be like for the command staff to receive the kinds of orders that hindered their ability to perform.
I say that because I remember the shock we all had when we heard that we were no longer allowed to defoliate the jungle and take away the very foliage that the VC and the NVA hid behind. To this day, I consider that to be a lame ass decision that cost Dan and Blick their lives and further caused the medical evacuation of others who were so badly wounded that they could no longer fly combat missions. Many of you here know who they are, Manny, Mike O, Bock and many others.
In addition to that, I remember the concerns from Raider 6 when he realized that this particular decision aided and abetted the enemy in their efforts to ambush the ground troops and shoot down the Scout pilots that were trying to track them through the jungle.
I can only imagine what it's like now. I don't know the specifics that tie the hands behind the back of our commanders and the troops under their command, but you can bet your ass that they're out there. Having said all that and still being un-effective in my wishes to help them out, I began to wonder if I'm running out of time or running out of excuses. Thus the title of this post.
Hand salute to the command staff of our men and women. We support you much more than we are able to show..........at this time.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Important Dates In History
With recent studies of important dates in history, I stumbled across August 23rd. This just happened to be the date, in 1934, that Hitler and Stalin got together to sign the infamous Non-Aggression Pact. In Hitler's eyes, it prevented a two front war. For Stalin, it simply bought time. "In a secret side agreement, signed on the same day, they agreed on the imminent carving up between them of the nations of Eastern Europe, from the Baltic to the Black Sea".
On the same date, August 23rd, but this time, in 1996, there was another document drawn up that appears to hold promise of a catastrophe that is far worse than the Hitler and Stalin Non-Aggression Pact. This one was signed by Osama Bin Laden and it was a Declaration of War against America.
Now comes some of that Arithmetic . If you count heads, you'll see that the number of troops that Hitler and Stalin put together for the Second World War, and compare that to the number of Cult members that follow the teachings of Bin Laden, you'll discover that there are many times more than either Hitler or Stalin had. Isn't that an interesting note to make.
As I left August and proceeded into September, I came across September 11th, or as we refer to it, 911. I was already wondering what in the hell made 911 so special to the Cult when I came across a very interesting story.
It seems that the Turks wanted Austria and in 1697 the Austrian Emperor Leopold I, ordered Prince Eugene of Savoy to kick their asses out, once and for all time. They had already had one hell of a battle in 1693 when the Turks retreated to the Balkans, an area that allowed them to pose a never ending threat to return for another fight.
Having had enough of that, Eugene was ordered by Leopold I to move forward with an attack and forward he went. He caught up with the army of Sultan Mustafa II near Zenta which is or was present day Yugoslavia where the Danube meets the Tisza. At the time he arrived, he discovered that Mustafa had already transported his artillery across the river but left his infantry, for a moment, on the other side of the river while he did conducted that maneuver. That's when Eugene saw his chance to kick ass and not even worry about taking names.
He ordered an attack because he knew, that without artillery, their asses belonged to him. He also knew that the majority of the enemy was made up of "Janissaries" who were kidnapped from Christian families when they were kids, forced to convert to the Cult and would most probably haul ass when the fighting began. That's exactly what they did.
By the time it was all over, 20,000 Turks lay dead on the field with another 10,000 drowned in the river when they tried to escape. Austrian losses amounted to only 300 killed. Talk about a body count and a kill ratio! These boys did a J. O. B. on the Cult members and it all happened on September 11th. Credit for this information goes to W.B. Marsh & Bruce Carrick from "Great Stories From History For Every Day", The Fall River Press.
With all this history in place, I wonder if the 1996 declaration will end up providing the same result that the 1934 agreement did. I'll have a little more to say about that later. As a former 11th Armored Cavalry officer, I have my own version of what the "11th" will really mean. Enjoy your week end.
.
On the same date, August 23rd, but this time, in 1996, there was another document drawn up that appears to hold promise of a catastrophe that is far worse than the Hitler and Stalin Non-Aggression Pact. This one was signed by Osama Bin Laden and it was a Declaration of War against America.
Now comes some of that Arithmetic . If you count heads, you'll see that the number of troops that Hitler and Stalin put together for the Second World War, and compare that to the number of Cult members that follow the teachings of Bin Laden, you'll discover that there are many times more than either Hitler or Stalin had. Isn't that an interesting note to make.
As I left August and proceeded into September, I came across September 11th, or as we refer to it, 911. I was already wondering what in the hell made 911 so special to the Cult when I came across a very interesting story.
It seems that the Turks wanted Austria and in 1697 the Austrian Emperor Leopold I, ordered Prince Eugene of Savoy to kick their asses out, once and for all time. They had already had one hell of a battle in 1693 when the Turks retreated to the Balkans, an area that allowed them to pose a never ending threat to return for another fight.
Having had enough of that, Eugene was ordered by Leopold I to move forward with an attack and forward he went. He caught up with the army of Sultan Mustafa II near Zenta which is or was present day Yugoslavia where the Danube meets the Tisza. At the time he arrived, he discovered that Mustafa had already transported his artillery across the river but left his infantry, for a moment, on the other side of the river while he did conducted that maneuver. That's when Eugene saw his chance to kick ass and not even worry about taking names.
He ordered an attack because he knew, that without artillery, their asses belonged to him. He also knew that the majority of the enemy was made up of "Janissaries" who were kidnapped from Christian families when they were kids, forced to convert to the Cult and would most probably haul ass when the fighting began. That's exactly what they did.
By the time it was all over, 20,000 Turks lay dead on the field with another 10,000 drowned in the river when they tried to escape. Austrian losses amounted to only 300 killed. Talk about a body count and a kill ratio! These boys did a J. O. B. on the Cult members and it all happened on September 11th. Credit for this information goes to W.B. Marsh & Bruce Carrick from "Great Stories From History For Every Day", The Fall River Press.
With all this history in place, I wonder if the 1996 declaration will end up providing the same result that the 1934 agreement did. I'll have a little more to say about that later. As a former 11th Armored Cavalry officer, I have my own version of what the "11th" will really mean. Enjoy your week end.
.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Wood, Ass and Combat
I guess that's a bit of a strange title but I've had so many readers ask me where I come up with some of this stuff, I felt it was okay to add this.
I've been trying to make a point about the need of having a Patriot's Cabin where guys like us can meet. Knowing that I need to teach a few things that brings me to decisions like this one, I often think about some of the lessons I learned from Melissa about teaching and learning.
She used to say that "everybody has their own learning style" but she also said that "everybody has their own teaching style". She said that it was critically important to make sure that one's teaching style worked well with one's learning style". Recently, in the midst of thinking how I might get my point across, I came across an old saying that came with diction and articulation lessons.
"How much wood would a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood"?
As I have gone through debate after debate about many different military things, I considered the following as an appropriate attention getter when trying to make a humorous point about the seriousness of war.
"How many asses can ass kickers kick when ass kickers have to kick ass"?
The answer to that question is as follows:
Revolutionary War, the British lost 24,000 and we lost 10,000.
World War 1, the Germans lost 1.7 million.
World War 2, the Germans lost somewhere between 4.3 to 5.5 million. Sources vary on the number.
the Japanese lost 2,120,000.
I don't think that Korea and Vietnam needed to be added here but suffice it to say that we have shown a capacity to do a lot of killing when we are threatened. Since there's no way of knowing the answer to that question, if today's day and times brings us to a point where we have to kick a lot of ass, just remember the words about ass kicking and the statistics in the paragraph above.
I've been trying to make a point about the need of having a Patriot's Cabin where guys like us can meet. Knowing that I need to teach a few things that brings me to decisions like this one, I often think about some of the lessons I learned from Melissa about teaching and learning.
She used to say that "everybody has their own learning style" but she also said that "everybody has their own teaching style". She said that it was critically important to make sure that one's teaching style worked well with one's learning style". Recently, in the midst of thinking how I might get my point across, I came across an old saying that came with diction and articulation lessons.
"How much wood would a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood"?
As I have gone through debate after debate about many different military things, I considered the following as an appropriate attention getter when trying to make a humorous point about the seriousness of war.
"How many asses can ass kickers kick when ass kickers have to kick ass"?
The answer to that question is as follows:
Revolutionary War, the British lost 24,000 and we lost 10,000.
World War 1, the Germans lost 1.7 million.
World War 2, the Germans lost somewhere between 4.3 to 5.5 million. Sources vary on the number.
the Japanese lost 2,120,000.
I don't think that Korea and Vietnam needed to be added here but suffice it to say that we have shown a capacity to do a lot of killing when we are threatened. Since there's no way of knowing the answer to that question, if today's day and times brings us to a point where we have to kick a lot of ass, just remember the words about ass kicking and the statistics in the paragraph above.
General Wolfe promotion...again.
I don't know if one day as a Brigadier General is enough to give him another star but I've decided to do that anyway. He sent a comment to advise all that the prices for airline tickets to Little Rock are round trip prices. He also told me not to forget to add the fact that he also flew scouts for six months. In view of that, I decided to put shame on his....I mean promote him to Corp Commander and give him a second star. That way, he can appoint and promote his own people on the East Coast and simply inform me later. As the Patriot Group grows, we will need a lot of men and Eddie is a good one to do that. Congrats again to Major General Wolfe.
Now that I have that straight, be advised that I have heard from Colonel Malmay and will have a meeting with him shortly as I go to the hospital on Thursday. I've also heard from Colonel Dupuy. He sent a picture of a trout he caught on his fly fishing trip. He had it stuffed into a huge coffee mug but didn't add anything to that report other than "Have a nice cuppa trout". Must be some kinda code.
I have other stuff to say but I wanted to get Major General Wolfe's promotion and Scouting experience in here before I moved along. More to come. Gotta run.
Now that I have that straight, be advised that I have heard from Colonel Malmay and will have a meeting with him shortly as I go to the hospital on Thursday. I've also heard from Colonel Dupuy. He sent a picture of a trout he caught on his fly fishing trip. He had it stuffed into a huge coffee mug but didn't add anything to that report other than "Have a nice cuppa trout". Must be some kinda code.
I have other stuff to say but I wanted to get Major General Wolfe's promotion and Scouting experience in here before I moved along. More to come. Gotta run.
Monday, October 14, 2013
General Wolfe Reports
If you go back to August 15th, you'll see a post that I made entitled "Promotions and Appointments". Maybe it was: Appointments and Promotions but in either event, I have to make another one. I'm promoting Colonel Wolfe to Brigadier General.
At the moment, I'm not sure what kind of decision he will make as it relates to who will end up as the Commanding Officer of Ft Wolfe Pennsylvania but I will leave that up to him as he's in a much better position to make that decision than I am. While I'm dealing out the promotion cards, I think I will also make him a Corp Commander and have him take the position of point man to appoint other Colonels in his command area.
Yesterday, Colonel Dupuy, a French name that is pronounced Doo Pwee, reported from the Gilbert Café which is across the street from one of the Patriot's Cabins. He is the guy I mentioned earlier in some of my reports and I've been good friends with him since high school. He's a hefty 6'9" tall bad boy who sometimes describes himself as 5' 21" tall. Yesterday marked the second trip he's made to Gilbert and he is totally convinced that is the best possible place for all of us to meet. After all, if it was good enough for the Younger Brothers to hide there when the law was after Jessie James and his associates, it ought to be good enough for us.
I'm happy to report that he visited with the owner yesterday and while doing so, put her on the phone to me. She has offered "The Razorback Room", one of several dining rooms at the Gilbert Café, as a meeting room for all who can attend the meeting. You can see that particular room by going to Google and typing in Gilbert Café Arkansas Face book.
I think I need to appoint her as the Commanding Officer of Ft. Jernigan Arkansas. Jernigan is her maiden name but I'm using that because her father was a graduate from Marion Military Institute and a real hero from the Second World War.
We already have another woman in our group and she was promoted to Colonel, too. Her name is Lisa Jawar and she works with Colonel Waylon Malmay in the radiation department at the VA. I believe she is the Chief of Staff for The Patriot Cabin Medical Services but I will have to get with Colonel Malmay to make sure.
If you look back to some of the pictures posted here, she is one of the two blonds kissing me on the cheek when I finished my last day of chemo at the hospital. Her husband is a surgeon but I haven't asked her to bring him along just yet as I know his schedule is full. I met him at El Chico's one night and I am positive that he would fit right in. I'll let you guys know when I next see Lisa and Waylon...uh.....Colonels Jawar and Malmay.
In any event, I wrote about General Wolfe a while back. He was my first room mate in Vietnam when we were flying with the 199th Light Infantry Brigade in Long Binh and Xuan Loc. When the unit went home in September of 1970, I went to the 11th Cav at Dian to fly Night Hawk Gunships and Scouts on Hunter Killer Teams and he went to the 25 Infantry Division to fly Cobras from Cu Chi which was real close to our base.
As a last point to make this morning, I will pass along some of the flight information that General Wolfe submitted. He advised that there were several prices listed but let's just say that they come in between $350 to $450. That focuses on the costs to come from Pennsylvania to Little Rock. I'm not sure if it's one way or round trip but in any event, it's a hell of a lot cheaper than the $1600 round trip between Saigon and Shreveport in December of 1970.
Congratulations to General Wolfe and his foxy, Corvette driving wife, Ginny. More later when I hear back from Colonel Malmay.
At the moment, I'm not sure what kind of decision he will make as it relates to who will end up as the Commanding Officer of Ft Wolfe Pennsylvania but I will leave that up to him as he's in a much better position to make that decision than I am. While I'm dealing out the promotion cards, I think I will also make him a Corp Commander and have him take the position of point man to appoint other Colonels in his command area.
Yesterday, Colonel Dupuy, a French name that is pronounced Doo Pwee, reported from the Gilbert Café which is across the street from one of the Patriot's Cabins. He is the guy I mentioned earlier in some of my reports and I've been good friends with him since high school. He's a hefty 6'9" tall bad boy who sometimes describes himself as 5' 21" tall. Yesterday marked the second trip he's made to Gilbert and he is totally convinced that is the best possible place for all of us to meet. After all, if it was good enough for the Younger Brothers to hide there when the law was after Jessie James and his associates, it ought to be good enough for us.
I'm happy to report that he visited with the owner yesterday and while doing so, put her on the phone to me. She has offered "The Razorback Room", one of several dining rooms at the Gilbert Café, as a meeting room for all who can attend the meeting. You can see that particular room by going to Google and typing in Gilbert Café Arkansas Face book.
I think I need to appoint her as the Commanding Officer of Ft. Jernigan Arkansas. Jernigan is her maiden name but I'm using that because her father was a graduate from Marion Military Institute and a real hero from the Second World War.
We already have another woman in our group and she was promoted to Colonel, too. Her name is Lisa Jawar and she works with Colonel Waylon Malmay in the radiation department at the VA. I believe she is the Chief of Staff for The Patriot Cabin Medical Services but I will have to get with Colonel Malmay to make sure.
If you look back to some of the pictures posted here, she is one of the two blonds kissing me on the cheek when I finished my last day of chemo at the hospital. Her husband is a surgeon but I haven't asked her to bring him along just yet as I know his schedule is full. I met him at El Chico's one night and I am positive that he would fit right in. I'll let you guys know when I next see Lisa and Waylon...uh.....Colonels Jawar and Malmay.
In any event, I wrote about General Wolfe a while back. He was my first room mate in Vietnam when we were flying with the 199th Light Infantry Brigade in Long Binh and Xuan Loc. When the unit went home in September of 1970, I went to the 11th Cav at Dian to fly Night Hawk Gunships and Scouts on Hunter Killer Teams and he went to the 25 Infantry Division to fly Cobras from Cu Chi which was real close to our base.
As a last point to make this morning, I will pass along some of the flight information that General Wolfe submitted. He advised that there were several prices listed but let's just say that they come in between $350 to $450. That focuses on the costs to come from Pennsylvania to Little Rock. I'm not sure if it's one way or round trip but in any event, it's a hell of a lot cheaper than the $1600 round trip between Saigon and Shreveport in December of 1970.
Congratulations to General Wolfe and his foxy, Corvette driving wife, Ginny. More later when I hear back from Colonel Malmay.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Y'all wanna go to the cabin?
I can't seem to get the Patriot's Cabin off my mind. For several years now, I've been thinking about a mini reunion of sorts but the combat Vets I know live all over the Country and it just ain't that easy to pull off a reunion that's so far away from the guy's homes. Craig is in the Dakotas, Lt. Doug is in New York, Eddie and Bill live in Pennsylvania, Doc Young, Curt Lambert and John Finnerty as well as Ed Usrey live in California and Chuck lives in Alaska. Some of the guys from down here say "That's a fer piece" as in a long distance to travel.
I then thought about our 5th WOC Tac Officer, Bernie Diable, and when I did, the light bulb came on. Bernie lives in KC and he could make it to the Ozarks and the Buffalo River which would be a pretty easy drive for him to make. Mike, a Cobra pilot buddy of mine, could drive it in less than 2 hours as he lives close to Fayetteville, Arkansas and Greg Stevens, USAF, is only 90 miles south of the Buffalo River and has already been there.
I only need a few good men to show up and among those I've mentioned I think that it would be somewhat easy to get this done over a 3 day week end. That may not be easy for Billy, Ed and Doug but if just one of them from the Northeast could show up, he could pass along the information to the other guys as Billy and Ed don't live all that far from New York and they could talk to the famous Doug Womack in Maryland and Lt. Haywood in New York.
A high school buddy of mine is leaving here today and heading to the "Gilbert Café" in Gilbert, Arkansas for a six day long fly fishing trip. He's pulling a 29' long travel trailer and agrees that the Gilbert Café would be a great place for all of us to meet. I know the Mayor and I'm certain that he would not only welcome all of us, I'm sure he would give us the use of the Gilbert Town Hall to have our meeting in. Google Gilbert Café Arkansas and go to their facebook page.
If some of you forward thinkers would do a little planning, I would ask you to get on those computers and figure out how much a round trip ticket would cost for you to fly into Little Rock. We can pick you up at the airport and drive you to and from the Patriot's cabin for the week end. I did that for Curt Lambert and was quite happy with the round trip ticket prices from California to Little Rock and figured that many of you might be able to do that without it breaking the bank.
Now, with regard to the name "Patriot's Cabin", that name popped into my mind after I finished doing a little study of Paul Revere and all his buddies. He met with his guys in Taverns, Barns and Cabins to discuss current events from his day and time and quite frankly, I think it's time for us to do the same. It may even be past the time that we needed to meet.
For you faithful readers of this blog and the editorials posted on the aircav site of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, you are already aware of the facts from history that tell us what has to be done when certain things happen. As an example of that, let me ask a question: If the shit hit the fan right now, what would you do? If you are already prepared, you wouldn't have to worry about that. If you have to ask yourself what you would do, you may already be too late.
I have a 31' motorhome hidden away in the country side not far from home. Lots of deer, plenty of fish and some of the best farm land that the Red River Valley has to offer. I'll be fine even though I'm not sure what to prepare for. I just prepared for everything.
In any event, if we accomplish nothing but having a great reunion of friends from way back when, it should be well worth the time and effort to do it. If the shit hits the fan, it would sure be nice to have that connection re-established with men that I know as bad ass combat Veterans, who know how to take care of bidness. Just give it some thought, that's all I ask. Thanks, Tim
I then thought about our 5th WOC Tac Officer, Bernie Diable, and when I did, the light bulb came on. Bernie lives in KC and he could make it to the Ozarks and the Buffalo River which would be a pretty easy drive for him to make. Mike, a Cobra pilot buddy of mine, could drive it in less than 2 hours as he lives close to Fayetteville, Arkansas and Greg Stevens, USAF, is only 90 miles south of the Buffalo River and has already been there.
I only need a few good men to show up and among those I've mentioned I think that it would be somewhat easy to get this done over a 3 day week end. That may not be easy for Billy, Ed and Doug but if just one of them from the Northeast could show up, he could pass along the information to the other guys as Billy and Ed don't live all that far from New York and they could talk to the famous Doug Womack in Maryland and Lt. Haywood in New York.
A high school buddy of mine is leaving here today and heading to the "Gilbert Café" in Gilbert, Arkansas for a six day long fly fishing trip. He's pulling a 29' long travel trailer and agrees that the Gilbert Café would be a great place for all of us to meet. I know the Mayor and I'm certain that he would not only welcome all of us, I'm sure he would give us the use of the Gilbert Town Hall to have our meeting in. Google Gilbert Café Arkansas and go to their facebook page.
If some of you forward thinkers would do a little planning, I would ask you to get on those computers and figure out how much a round trip ticket would cost for you to fly into Little Rock. We can pick you up at the airport and drive you to and from the Patriot's cabin for the week end. I did that for Curt Lambert and was quite happy with the round trip ticket prices from California to Little Rock and figured that many of you might be able to do that without it breaking the bank.
Now, with regard to the name "Patriot's Cabin", that name popped into my mind after I finished doing a little study of Paul Revere and all his buddies. He met with his guys in Taverns, Barns and Cabins to discuss current events from his day and time and quite frankly, I think it's time for us to do the same. It may even be past the time that we needed to meet.
For you faithful readers of this blog and the editorials posted on the aircav site of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, you are already aware of the facts from history that tell us what has to be done when certain things happen. As an example of that, let me ask a question: If the shit hit the fan right now, what would you do? If you are already prepared, you wouldn't have to worry about that. If you have to ask yourself what you would do, you may already be too late.
I have a 31' motorhome hidden away in the country side not far from home. Lots of deer, plenty of fish and some of the best farm land that the Red River Valley has to offer. I'll be fine even though I'm not sure what to prepare for. I just prepared for everything.
In any event, if we accomplish nothing but having a great reunion of friends from way back when, it should be well worth the time and effort to do it. If the shit hits the fan, it would sure be nice to have that connection re-established with men that I know as bad ass combat Veterans, who know how to take care of bidness. Just give it some thought, that's all I ask. Thanks, Tim
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Defeating Political Correctness.
I've been doing a great deal of study to achieve a better understanding of Political Correctness. Oddly enough, during that study, I came across a guy named Maximilian Weber. He was a German scientist that died in 1920. Even though his death came before the development of the Nazi Party, I found it quite interesting to see that he was so curious about the conduct of certain groups.
Rather than posting a lengthy editorial about Max, let me suggest that you google him and read what you find there. I assure you that you will, at a minimum, find it to be interesting if not somewhat prophetic. Remember, he died before Hitler came along.
In any event, I would like to note a thing or two from Weber's study that made my light bulb come on. Initially, he said that his main concern was understanding the "rationalization" of some groups. He also mentioned the "Purpose and meaning that individuals attach to their own actions".
If you stop right there and think about it, you might conclude that a wide variety of groups who have an agenda that is outside the conventional boundaries of the status quo, you may be able to see why those groups are referred to as cults. Knowing who is listed in the top ten cults that are found within the Country, you may understand why they get so pissed off when you refer to them as a cult. Here's a quick note to explain that.
Charles Manson's Family, even though they weren't based on some kind of religious claim, was rated in the top 3. David Koresh and the Branch Davidians was up there and so was Jim Jones, the guy that led the cool aid drinkers that led to their mass suicide.
In any event, I wanted to post this thought about using the word "Cult" instead of using real words that might get one into trouble. Just so you'll know, I might use Cult Brotherhood as a word to describe the M*&$^) Brotherhood. Got it? Google ole Max and enjoy the read. It's not long but hopefully, it will turn on your light bulb like it turned on mine.
Gotta grab my tin foil hat and go meet Ed at the Kool Aid bar. Enjoy it.
Tim
Rather than posting a lengthy editorial about Max, let me suggest that you google him and read what you find there. I assure you that you will, at a minimum, find it to be interesting if not somewhat prophetic. Remember, he died before Hitler came along.
In any event, I would like to note a thing or two from Weber's study that made my light bulb come on. Initially, he said that his main concern was understanding the "rationalization" of some groups. He also mentioned the "Purpose and meaning that individuals attach to their own actions".
If you stop right there and think about it, you might conclude that a wide variety of groups who have an agenda that is outside the conventional boundaries of the status quo, you may be able to see why those groups are referred to as cults. Knowing who is listed in the top ten cults that are found within the Country, you may understand why they get so pissed off when you refer to them as a cult. Here's a quick note to explain that.
Charles Manson's Family, even though they weren't based on some kind of religious claim, was rated in the top 3. David Koresh and the Branch Davidians was up there and so was Jim Jones, the guy that led the cool aid drinkers that led to their mass suicide.
In any event, I wanted to post this thought about using the word "Cult" instead of using real words that might get one into trouble. Just so you'll know, I might use Cult Brotherhood as a word to describe the M*&$^) Brotherhood. Got it? Google ole Max and enjoy the read. It's not long but hopefully, it will turn on your light bulb like it turned on mine.
Gotta grab my tin foil hat and go meet Ed at the Kool Aid bar. Enjoy it.
Tim
Friday, October 11, 2013
Getting back on track
I've been very busy with a study about Cults and have not had an opportunity to post anything here in a few days. Stand by as I'm almost finished and have my hand written notes ready to go. Gotta go to the hospital today but should be finished by 2 p.m. or so. If I'm not exhausted by then, I'll try to get on it and pass it along.
Tim
Tim
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