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Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Monday, October 01, 2007
What We Are
This post was written by Sgt. Billy Knipper, who has joined Gunz Up as one of the writers. We moved this powerful post to the top of the blog because it defines the men we want to honor on Gunz Up. Sgt. Knipper was the Chief Instuctor for Camp Pendleton's Divisional Machine Gun Classes.
There are some who might ask if a young man today is as 'Rough and Tumble' as they were 60 or 70 years ago. If the iron will of the greatest generation has seeped away and left us with the shabby ram-shackle gathering of video gamers and I-Pod enthusiasts. Can Wars be won by such men?
Without a doubt the answer is YES!
All people are preprogrammed with survival traits and that fury of centuries old-anger and oppression that all people felt at some point in the earth's history, and the right kind of tempering will drive that Warrior to the surface. After that he will become an outcast, an anachronism seen amongst his former peers as an oddity. So we congregate together in our legions as "Brothers-of-the-Sword" have for millenia and wait.
And then a War strikes. And a person must decide if the metal and steel is sharp and hard enough.
Among who show merit-
We are gunslingers of the highest order. The Gear we carry is heavier than the others just as the burden which rests on our hardened shoulders. We know when the gunfight breaks out, whether it is reactionary of deliberate, our task will not change. We must become a ghost, a phantom, an in-human monster, that is not simply relegated to being part of the bullet-here, bullet-there, poke and hope rifleman way of the business. Our task will involve us leaving a covered area to get in to the fight with our two or three man team which is of one mind, one goal. To lay withering fires across the field and dominate the enemies real estate and their will. We know that the number of enemy we will destroy is tempered by the number of brothers that will not have to lay down their lives today because of the dragons fire we bring to the field.
We are not simply servicemen. We are not only Marines. Nor, or we just Marine Infantry. WE ARE MARINE MACHINE GUNNERS.
We will live by five truths.
The Marine Machine Gunner...
...Does Not Know Fear
...Does Not Know Pain
...Does Not Suffer From the Fog of War, but Creates It
...Seeks Position to Destroy Evil
...Is Not Human
We are avenging angels who will destroy the will of our enemy and bolster the spirits of our brothers for they know we watch the walls and dark places tonight. We are not simply a throwback to WWII or Korea, but the incarnation of all warriors who chose the path gauranteeing further destruction of those who would do their kinsmen harm. Like the perfect Spartan Phalanx in ancient times where each shield covers the man to your left or right thereby securing the safety of the whole we will become that perfect mesh of metal and iron will that will win the battle.
We are United States Marine Machine Gunners.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
A Moment of Your Time
A Time Set Apart for unity in prayer for
+++OUR Troops+++
+++Their Families+++
our leaders, the innocent, and our U.S. civilians
currently serving in the Middle East
Daily. 11:09 A.M. CST
Welcome to Gunz Up.Embrace the Journey.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Doors
When Aaron first learned that he and Tiff had lost their baby, three years ago today, he was bawling so hard when he called me that I could barely make out what he was saying. When he repeated himself, he was nearly shouting. That was perhaps the hardest place I've ever been in. My son, broken-hearted and in Kuwait, waiting to begin his 2nd tour in Iraq. Me, in Lovington, NM, unable to patch or fix one darn thing--after years and tears of trying to fix everything.
The delay in the phone, the cracking of Aaron's voice, the call lasted no more than three minutes and ended with, "I gotta go, Mom. I have to give a class and I don't want the Marines seeing me crying."
At the end of the day, all I could do was call Tiffany in Phoenix, send a plant, record it in my Bible, and pour my heart out to him in a letter that would take 2-3 weeks to arrive. At the last minute, I grabbed a card no larger than 2"x 2" that said, GOD NEVER CLOSES ONE DOOR WITHOUT OPENING ANOTHER. It was a little card we picked up off the table at the Methodist Church here for his Senior Breakfast.
I put that card in with the letter. It was one of the things that came back to me and is now in Zach's possesion to pass down to Weston.
I can think of no better way to close with a last post here at this address, than to share those words with you.
Truly, one of the comforts is that I know that Aaron holds my grandchild, a boy I think, in his arms even now.
Join us now in opening a new door to the same place that's been home to me since early October 2006. The URL is simple: http://gunzup.blogspot.com
and it is still and will forever be Gunz Up.
Semper Fi,
De'on
The delay in the phone, the cracking of Aaron's voice, the call lasted no more than three minutes and ended with, "I gotta go, Mom. I have to give a class and I don't want the Marines seeing me crying."
At the end of the day, all I could do was call Tiffany in Phoenix, send a plant, record it in my Bible, and pour my heart out to him in a letter that would take 2-3 weeks to arrive. At the last minute, I grabbed a card no larger than 2"x 2" that said, GOD NEVER CLOSES ONE DOOR WITHOUT OPENING ANOTHER. It was a little card we picked up off the table at the Methodist Church here for his Senior Breakfast.
I put that card in with the letter. It was one of the things that came back to me and is now in Zach's possesion to pass down to Weston.
I can think of no better way to close with a last post here at this address, than to share those words with you.
Truly, one of the comforts is that I know that Aaron holds my grandchild, a boy I think, in his arms even now.
Join us now in opening a new door to the same place that's been home to me since early October 2006. The URL is simple: http://gunzup.blogspot.com
and it is still and will forever be Gunz Up.
Semper Fi,
De'on
Blood Is Thicker Than Water: Guadalcanal-December and the Final Stages (cont'd) *3
FIRST OFFENSIVE: The Marine Campaign for Guadalcanal
by Henry I. Shaw, Jr.
The aerial buildup forced the Japanese to curtail all air attacks and made daylight naval reinforcement attempts an event of the past. The nighttime visits of the Tokyo Express destroyers now brought only supplies encased in metal drums which were rolled over the ships' sides in hope they would float into shore. The men ashore desperately needed everything that could be sent, even by this method, but most of the drums never reached the beaches.
Still, however desperate the enemy situation was becoming, he was prepared to fight. General Hyakutake continued to plan the seizure of the airfield. General Hitoshi Immamura, commander of the Eighth Area Army, arrived in Rabaul on 2 December with orders to continue the offensive. He had 50,000 men to add to the embattled Japanese troops on Guadalcanal.
Before these new enemy units could be employed, the Americans were prepared to move out from the perimeter in their own offensive. Conscious that the Mt. Austen area was a continuing threat to his inland flank in any drive to the west, Patch committed the Americal's 132d Infantry to the task of clearing the mountain's wooded slopes on 17 December. The Army regiment succeeded in isolating the major Japanese force in the area by early January. The 1st Battalion, 2d Marines, took up hill positions to the southeast of the 132d to increase flank protection.
By this time, the 25th Infantry Division (Major General J. Lawton Collins) had arrived and so had the 6th Marines (6 January) and the rest of the 2d Division's headquarters and support troops. Brigadier General Alphonse De Carre, the Marine division's assistant commander, took charge of all Marine ground forces on the island. The 2d Division's commander, Major General John Marston, remained in New Zealand because he was senior to General Patch.
With three divisions under his command, General Patch was designated Commanding General, XIV Corps, on 2 January. His corps headquarters numbered less than a score of officers and men, almost all taken from the Americal's staff. Brigadier General Edmund B. Sebree, who had already led both Army and Marine units in attacks on the Japanese, took command of the Americal Division. On 10 January, Patch gave the signal to start the strongest American offensive yet in the Guadalcanal campaign. The mission of the troops was simple and to the point: "Attack and destroy the Japanese forces remaining on Guadalcanal."
by Henry I. Shaw, Jr.
The aerial buildup forced the Japanese to curtail all air attacks and made daylight naval reinforcement attempts an event of the past. The nighttime visits of the Tokyo Express destroyers now brought only supplies encased in metal drums which were rolled over the ships' sides in hope they would float into shore. The men ashore desperately needed everything that could be sent, even by this method, but most of the drums never reached the beaches.
Still, however desperate the enemy situation was becoming, he was prepared to fight. General Hyakutake continued to plan the seizure of the airfield. General Hitoshi Immamura, commander of the Eighth Area Army, arrived in Rabaul on 2 December with orders to continue the offensive. He had 50,000 men to add to the embattled Japanese troops on Guadalcanal.
Before these new enemy units could be employed, the Americans were prepared to move out from the perimeter in their own offensive. Conscious that the Mt. Austen area was a continuing threat to his inland flank in any drive to the west, Patch committed the Americal's 132d Infantry to the task of clearing the mountain's wooded slopes on 17 December. The Army regiment succeeded in isolating the major Japanese force in the area by early January. The 1st Battalion, 2d Marines, took up hill positions to the southeast of the 132d to increase flank protection.
By this time, the 25th Infantry Division (Major General J. Lawton Collins) had arrived and so had the 6th Marines (6 January) and the rest of the 2d Division's headquarters and support troops. Brigadier General Alphonse De Carre, the Marine division's assistant commander, took charge of all Marine ground forces on the island. The 2d Division's commander, Major General John Marston, remained in New Zealand because he was senior to General Patch.
With three divisions under his command, General Patch was designated Commanding General, XIV Corps, on 2 January. His corps headquarters numbered less than a score of officers and men, almost all taken from the Americal's staff. Brigadier General Edmund B. Sebree, who had already led both Army and Marine units in attacks on the Japanese, took command of the Americal Division. On 10 January, Patch gave the signal to start the strongest American offensive yet in the Guadalcanal campaign. The mission of the troops was simple and to the point: "Attack and destroy the Japanese forces remaining on Guadalcanal."
Blood Is Thicker Than Water: Guadalcanal--U.S. Halftrack
U.S. Halftrack Mounting a 75mm Pack Howitzer and a .50-Caliber Air-Cooled Machine Gun
Blood Is Thicker Than Water: December and the Final Buildup (cont'd) *4
The initial objective of the corps' attack was a line about 1,000 to 1,500 yards west of jump-off positions. These ran inland from Point Cruz to the vicinity of Hill 66, about 3,000 yards from the beach. In order to reach Hill 66, the 25th Infantry Division attacked first with the 35th and 27th Infantry driving west and southwest across a scrambled series of ridges. The going was rough and the dug-in enemy, elements of two regiments of the 38th Division, gave way reluctantly and slowly. By the 13th, however, the American soldiers, aided by Marines of the 1st Battalion, 2d Marines, had won through to positions on the southern flank of the 2d Marine Division.
On 12 January, the Marines began their advance with the 8th Marines along the shore and 2d Marines inland. At the base of Point Cruz, in the 3d Battalion, 8th Marines' sector, regimental weapons company half-tracks ran over seven enemy machine gun nests. The attack was then held up by an extensive emplacement until the weapons company commander, Captain Henry P. "Jim" Crowe, took charge of a half-dozen Marine infantrymen taking cover from enemy fire with the classic remarks: "You'll never get a Purple Heart hiding in a fox hole. Follow me!" The men did and they destroyed the emplacement.
All along the front of the advancing assault companies the going was rough. The Japanese, remnants of the Sendai Division, were dug into the sides of a series of cross compartments and their fire took the Marines in the flank as they advanced. Progress was slow despite massive artillery support and naval gunfire from four destroyers offshore. In two days of heavy fighting, flamethrowers were employed for the first time and tanks were brought into play. The 2d Marines was now relieved and the 6th Marines moved into the attack along the coast while the 8th Marines took up the advance inland. Naval gunfire support, spotted by naval officers ashore, improved measurably. On the 15th, the Americans, both Army and Marine, reached the initial corps objective. In the Marine attack zone, 600 Japanese were dead.
(cont'd below)
On 12 January, the Marines began their advance with the 8th Marines along the shore and 2d Marines inland. At the base of Point Cruz, in the 3d Battalion, 8th Marines' sector, regimental weapons company half-tracks ran over seven enemy machine gun nests. The attack was then held up by an extensive emplacement until the weapons company commander, Captain Henry P. "Jim" Crowe, took charge of a half-dozen Marine infantrymen taking cover from enemy fire with the classic remarks: "You'll never get a Purple Heart hiding in a fox hole. Follow me!" The men did and they destroyed the emplacement.
All along the front of the advancing assault companies the going was rough. The Japanese, remnants of the Sendai Division, were dug into the sides of a series of cross compartments and their fire took the Marines in the flank as they advanced. Progress was slow despite massive artillery support and naval gunfire from four destroyers offshore. In two days of heavy fighting, flamethrowers were employed for the first time and tanks were brought into play. The 2d Marines was now relieved and the 6th Marines moved into the attack along the coast while the 8th Marines took up the advance inland. Naval gunfire support, spotted by naval officers ashore, improved measurably. On the 15th, the Americans, both Army and Marine, reached the initial corps objective. In the Marine attack zone, 600 Japanese were dead.
(cont'd below)
Blood Is Thicker Than Water: December and the Final Stages continues *5
The battle-weary 2d Marines had seen its last infantry action of Guadalcanal. A new unit now came into being, a composite Army-Marine division, or CAM division, formed from units of the Americal and 2d Marine Divisions. The directing staff was from the 2d Division, since the Americal had responsibility for the main perimeter. Two of its regiments, the 147th and the 182d Infantry, moved up to attack in line with the 6th Marines still along the coast. The 8th Marines was essentially pinched out of the front lines by a narrowing attack corridor as the inland mountains and hills pressed closer to the coastal trail. The 25th Division, which was advancing across this rugged terrain, had the mission of outflanking the Japanese in the vicinity of Kokumbona, while the CAM Division drove west. On the 23d, as the CAM troops approached Kokumbona, the 1st Battalion of the 27th Infantry struck north out of the hills and overran the village site and Japanese base. There was only slight but steady opposition to the American advance as the enemy withdrew west toward Cape Esperance.
The Japanese had decided, reluctantly, to give up the attempt to retake Guadalcanal. The orders were sent in the name of the Emperor and senior staff officers were sent to Guadalcanal to ensure their acceptance. The Navy would make the final runs of the Tokyo Express, only this time in reverse, to evacuate the garrison so it could fight again in later battles to hold the Solomons.
Receiving intelligence that enemy ships were massing again to the northwest, General Patch took steps, as Vandegrift had before him on many occasions, to guard against overextending his forces in the face of what appeared to be another enemy attempt at reinforcement. He pulled the 25th Division back to bolster the main perimeter defenses and ordered the CAM Division to continue its attack. When the Marines and soldiers moved out on 26 January, they had a surprisingly easy time of it, gaining 1,000 yards the first day and 2,000 the following day. The Japanese were still contesting every attack, but not in strength.
By 30 January, the sole frontline unit in the American advance was the 147th Infantry; the 6th Marines held positions to its left rear.
The Japanese destroyer transports made their first run to the island on the night of 1-2 February, taking out 2,300 men from evacuation positions near Cape Esperance. On the night of 4-5 February, they returned and took out most of the Sendai survivors and General Hyakutake and his Seventeenth Army staff. The final evacuation operation was carried out on the night of 7-8 February, when a 3,000-man rear guard was embarked. In all, the Japanese withdrew about 11,000 men in those three nights and evacuated about 13,000 soldiers from Guadalcanal overall. The Americans would meet many of these men again in later battles, but not the 600 evacuees who died, too worn and sick to survive their rescue.
(cont'd below)
The Japanese had decided, reluctantly, to give up the attempt to retake Guadalcanal. The orders were sent in the name of the Emperor and senior staff officers were sent to Guadalcanal to ensure their acceptance. The Navy would make the final runs of the Tokyo Express, only this time in reverse, to evacuate the garrison so it could fight again in later battles to hold the Solomons.
Receiving intelligence that enemy ships were massing again to the northwest, General Patch took steps, as Vandegrift had before him on many occasions, to guard against overextending his forces in the face of what appeared to be another enemy attempt at reinforcement. He pulled the 25th Division back to bolster the main perimeter defenses and ordered the CAM Division to continue its attack. When the Marines and soldiers moved out on 26 January, they had a surprisingly easy time of it, gaining 1,000 yards the first day and 2,000 the following day. The Japanese were still contesting every attack, but not in strength.
By 30 January, the sole frontline unit in the American advance was the 147th Infantry; the 6th Marines held positions to its left rear.
The Japanese destroyer transports made their first run to the island on the night of 1-2 February, taking out 2,300 men from evacuation positions near Cape Esperance. On the night of 4-5 February, they returned and took out most of the Sendai survivors and General Hyakutake and his Seventeenth Army staff. The final evacuation operation was carried out on the night of 7-8 February, when a 3,000-man rear guard was embarked. In all, the Japanese withdrew about 11,000 men in those three nights and evacuated about 13,000 soldiers from Guadalcanal overall. The Americans would meet many of these men again in later battles, but not the 600 evacuees who died, too worn and sick to survive their rescue.
(cont'd below)
Blood Is Thicker Than Water: Medal of Honor
President Franklin D. Roosevelt presents Gen Vandegrift the Medal of Honor for his heroic accomplishments against the Japanese in the Solomons. Looking on are Mrs. Vandegrift, and the general's son, Maj Alexander A. Vandegrift, Jr.National Archives Photo 208-PU-209V-4
It kind of looks like he's getting choked here, huh?
Blood Is Thicker Than Water: December and the Final Stages--FINALE
On 9 February, American soldiers advancing from east and west met at Tenaro village on Cape Esperance. The only Marine ground unit still in action was the 3d Battalion, 10th Marines, supporting the advance. General Patch could happily report the "complete and total defeat of Japanese forces on Guadalcanal." Nor organized Japanese units remained.
On 31 January, the 2d Marines and the 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, boarded ship to leave Guadalcanal. As was true with the 1st Marine Division, some of these men were so debilitated by malaria they had to be carried on board. All of them struck observers again as young men grown old "with their skins cracked and furrowed and wrinkled." On 9 February, the rest of the 8th Marines and a good part of the division supporting units boarded transports. The 6th Marines, thankfully only six weeks on the island, left on the 19th. All were headed for Wellington, New Zealand, the 2d Marines for the first time. Left behind on the island as a legacy of the 2d Marine Division were 263 dead.
The total cost of the Guadalcanal campaign to the American ground combat forces was 1,598 officers and men killed, 1,152 of them Marines.
The wounded totaled 4,709, and 2,799 of these were Marines. Marine aviation casualties were 147 killed and 127 wounded. The Japanese in their turn lost close to 25,000 men on Guadalcanal, about half of whom were killed in action. The rest succumbed to illness, wounds, and starvation.
At sea, the comparative losses were about equal, with each side losing about the same number of fighting ships. The enemy loss of 2 battleships, 3 carriers, 12 cruisers, and 25 destroyers, was irreplaceable. The Allied ships losses, though costly, were not fatal; in essence, all ships lost were replaced. In the air, at least 600 Japanese planes were shot down; even more costly was the death of 2,300 experienced pilots and aircrewmen. The Allied plane losses were less than half the enemy's number and the pilot and aircrew losses substantially lower.
President Roosevelt, reflecting the thanks of a grateful nation, awarded General Vandegrift the Medal of Honor for "outstanding and heroic accomplishment" in his leadership of American forces on Guadalcanal from 7 August to 9 December 1942. And for the same period, he awarded the Presidential Unit Citation to the 1st Marine Division (Reinforced) for "outstanding gallantry" reflecting "courage and determination ... of an inspiring order." Included in the division's citation and award, besides the organic units of the 1st Division, were the 2d and 8th Marines and attached units of the 2d Marine Division, all of the Americal Division, the 1st Parachute and 1st and 2d Raider Battalions, elements of the 3d, 5th, and 14th Defense Battalions, the 1st Aviation Engineer Battalion, the 6th Naval Construction Battalion, and two motor torpedo boat squadrons. The indispensable Cactus Air Force was included, also represented by 7 Marine headquarters and service squadrons, 16 Marine flying squadrons, 16 Navy flying squadrons, and 5 Army flying squadrons.
The victory at Guadalcanal marked a crucial turning point in the Pacific War. No longer were the Japanese on the offensive. Some of the Japanese Emperor's best infantrymen, pilots, and seamen had been bested in close combat by the Americans and their Allies. There were years of fierce fighting ahead, but there was now no question of its outcome.
When the veterans of the 1st Marine Division were gathered in thankful reunion 20 years later, they received a poignant message from Guadalcanal. The sender was a legend to all "Canal" Marines, Honorary U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Major Jacob C. Vouza. The Solomons native in his halting English said: "Tell them I love them all. Me old man now, and me no look good no more. But me never forget."
Source
On 31 January, the 2d Marines and the 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, boarded ship to leave Guadalcanal. As was true with the 1st Marine Division, some of these men were so debilitated by malaria they had to be carried on board. All of them struck observers again as young men grown old "with their skins cracked and furrowed and wrinkled." On 9 February, the rest of the 8th Marines and a good part of the division supporting units boarded transports. The 6th Marines, thankfully only six weeks on the island, left on the 19th. All were headed for Wellington, New Zealand, the 2d Marines for the first time. Left behind on the island as a legacy of the 2d Marine Division were 263 dead.
The total cost of the Guadalcanal campaign to the American ground combat forces was 1,598 officers and men killed, 1,152 of them Marines.
The wounded totaled 4,709, and 2,799 of these were Marines. Marine aviation casualties were 147 killed and 127 wounded. The Japanese in their turn lost close to 25,000 men on Guadalcanal, about half of whom were killed in action. The rest succumbed to illness, wounds, and starvation.
At sea, the comparative losses were about equal, with each side losing about the same number of fighting ships. The enemy loss of 2 battleships, 3 carriers, 12 cruisers, and 25 destroyers, was irreplaceable. The Allied ships losses, though costly, were not fatal; in essence, all ships lost were replaced. In the air, at least 600 Japanese planes were shot down; even more costly was the death of 2,300 experienced pilots and aircrewmen. The Allied plane losses were less than half the enemy's number and the pilot and aircrew losses substantially lower.
President Roosevelt, reflecting the thanks of a grateful nation, awarded General Vandegrift the Medal of Honor for "outstanding and heroic accomplishment" in his leadership of American forces on Guadalcanal from 7 August to 9 December 1942. And for the same period, he awarded the Presidential Unit Citation to the 1st Marine Division (Reinforced) for "outstanding gallantry" reflecting "courage and determination ... of an inspiring order." Included in the division's citation and award, besides the organic units of the 1st Division, were the 2d and 8th Marines and attached units of the 2d Marine Division, all of the Americal Division, the 1st Parachute and 1st and 2d Raider Battalions, elements of the 3d, 5th, and 14th Defense Battalions, the 1st Aviation Engineer Battalion, the 6th Naval Construction Battalion, and two motor torpedo boat squadrons. The indispensable Cactus Air Force was included, also represented by 7 Marine headquarters and service squadrons, 16 Marine flying squadrons, 16 Navy flying squadrons, and 5 Army flying squadrons.
The victory at Guadalcanal marked a crucial turning point in the Pacific War. No longer were the Japanese on the offensive. Some of the Japanese Emperor's best infantrymen, pilots, and seamen had been bested in close combat by the Americans and their Allies. There were years of fierce fighting ahead, but there was now no question of its outcome.
When the veterans of the 1st Marine Division were gathered in thankful reunion 20 years later, they received a poignant message from Guadalcanal. The sender was a legend to all "Canal" Marines, Honorary U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Major Jacob C. Vouza. The Solomons native in his halting English said: "Tell them I love them all. Me old man now, and me no look good no more. But me never forget."
Source
Blood Is Thicker Than Water
The temporary resting place of a Marine killed in the fighting at Lunga Point is shown here. The grave marker was erected by his friends. The Marine's remains were later removed to the division cemetery on Guadalcanal, and further reburial at war's end either in his hometown or the Punchbowl National Cemetery in Hawaii with the honors due a fallen hero.
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Virgie Bell's View: This Land IS Our Land
I read in the paper yesterday where T. Boone Pickens gave an interview saying that the world oil supply has peaked. He said that oil would be $70 a barrel probably from here on in. This man who hails from Amarillo has been quoted as having been correct with his predictions much of the time. If anyone needs to have a better reason to understand why the petroleum industry plays such a vital role in the world they would do well to remember that the countries that are the biggest producers of oil are in the Middle East.
The Middle East is also a country of sand, more sand, and oil. They will be left with the sand when their oil reserves are depleted. The USA leads the world in technical knowledge and manufacturing. We have what our enemies who threaten us desperately need. Put simply, they need our country and its natural resources. If one will really look at the landscape of these Middle East countries, it’s easy to see why it is so vital to them. Will Rogers remarked once that a person should invest in land because we are never going to grow anymore. How true.
If one shops around to buy a little place to live and to raise a family, the wise investment would not be the Middle East. It would be right here in the United States if for no other reason than we are the new world. We are therefore fighting a war that has been waged from the beginning of time. The war for survival of the entire civilization. The best way to understanding that is exemplified in the little homesteads of the western states here in the land of the free and home of the brave.
Wagon trains carried the pioneers to this vast area and for each mile that was accomplished they paid a price of three lives lost for each mile. This was solely for land so they could build for themselves a future. You can say what you will about this being Indian country and what happened to the tribes of these first American citizens as a result of this great surge of population, but also remember that these wagon trains were equipped with settlers. They did not use the wagon trains to attack the Indians. They also did not plan on acquiring vast sums of land. They needed just enough that a family could build a log cabin and raise a garden and a few farm animals. A cow for milk, a horse for travel, a few chickens for eggs, etc. They dug down in the ground to find wells for water. Remember they started with just what they could carry on a wagon. The trails of this vast wilderness were littered with grandfather clocks, pianos, and other frivolous items. What they arrived with was the things that would ensure survival: hand tools, pots and pans, and seed to plant.
I am grateful to God that the little place Jerry and I have carved out for ourselves is a brick home with a lot and two pecan trees that shade the entire back yard. Our little heaven on earth suits us just fine. A place to grow old together. If you live long enough you value that more than anything. But take Hugo Chaves of Venezuela. He has taken over the oil from the companies that installed and paid the upkeep. He told the peasants of his country to go build a little lean-to shack on anyone's land, that it was rightfully their own. He never explained that it was rightfully his own, because he took it.
This is the beginning of the wars that have been fought until the last war finishes us off. This land was paid for by the sacrifice of our forefathers. Because of the blood that was shed by them to travel across a vast unknown ocean and to traverse this continent in order have a home to raise a family. In the end when you finally get to what really matters is that place to grow old together and to be buried side by side.
The United States is very much like our backyard. It is perfect for us and anyone else with realistic goals. So oil aside...and all the factories, farms and cities that have been built up over our country remains the reason these other countries seek to destroy us. They do not want to take away our western ways as they claim. They want my little lot with my modest home and my beautiful backyard. They want yours too. Our military is the only thing that stands in the way of the desperate dictators like Hugo Chaves and Ahmadinejad and all the others who have gone before. If we don't fight this fight we won't have to worry about those that come after. They will control this country. They will own the homes, the farms and the factories. They will control the cities and the wealth thereof. They will retire in my backyard and they will retire in yours too. The War on Terror is about survival. Mine and yours too. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Support the leaders of this country that SUPPORT THE TROOPS!
The Middle East is also a country of sand, more sand, and oil. They will be left with the sand when their oil reserves are depleted. The USA leads the world in technical knowledge and manufacturing. We have what our enemies who threaten us desperately need. Put simply, they need our country and its natural resources. If one will really look at the landscape of these Middle East countries, it’s easy to see why it is so vital to them. Will Rogers remarked once that a person should invest in land because we are never going to grow anymore. How true.
If one shops around to buy a little place to live and to raise a family, the wise investment would not be the Middle East. It would be right here in the United States if for no other reason than we are the new world. We are therefore fighting a war that has been waged from the beginning of time. The war for survival of the entire civilization. The best way to understanding that is exemplified in the little homesteads of the western states here in the land of the free and home of the brave.
Wagon trains carried the pioneers to this vast area and for each mile that was accomplished they paid a price of three lives lost for each mile. This was solely for land so they could build for themselves a future. You can say what you will about this being Indian country and what happened to the tribes of these first American citizens as a result of this great surge of population, but also remember that these wagon trains were equipped with settlers. They did not use the wagon trains to attack the Indians. They also did not plan on acquiring vast sums of land. They needed just enough that a family could build a log cabin and raise a garden and a few farm animals. A cow for milk, a horse for travel, a few chickens for eggs, etc. They dug down in the ground to find wells for water. Remember they started with just what they could carry on a wagon. The trails of this vast wilderness were littered with grandfather clocks, pianos, and other frivolous items. What they arrived with was the things that would ensure survival: hand tools, pots and pans, and seed to plant.
I am grateful to God that the little place Jerry and I have carved out for ourselves is a brick home with a lot and two pecan trees that shade the entire back yard. Our little heaven on earth suits us just fine. A place to grow old together. If you live long enough you value that more than anything. But take Hugo Chaves of Venezuela. He has taken over the oil from the companies that installed and paid the upkeep. He told the peasants of his country to go build a little lean-to shack on anyone's land, that it was rightfully their own. He never explained that it was rightfully his own, because he took it.
This is the beginning of the wars that have been fought until the last war finishes us off. This land was paid for by the sacrifice of our forefathers. Because of the blood that was shed by them to travel across a vast unknown ocean and to traverse this continent in order have a home to raise a family. In the end when you finally get to what really matters is that place to grow old together and to be buried side by side.
The United States is very much like our backyard. It is perfect for us and anyone else with realistic goals. So oil aside...and all the factories, farms and cities that have been built up over our country remains the reason these other countries seek to destroy us. They do not want to take away our western ways as they claim. They want my little lot with my modest home and my beautiful backyard. They want yours too. Our military is the only thing that stands in the way of the desperate dictators like Hugo Chaves and Ahmadinejad and all the others who have gone before. If we don't fight this fight we won't have to worry about those that come after. They will control this country. They will own the homes, the farms and the factories. They will control the cities and the wealth thereof. They will retire in my backyard and they will retire in yours too. The War on Terror is about survival. Mine and yours too. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Support the leaders of this country that SUPPORT THE TROOPS!
ZEE BIG ANNOUNCEMENT
Well, I've never been a good one for holding a surprise! I'm the one that makes people open their Christmas presents early!
I've set us up with a new site that we will be using within a few days. I need the other authors to get set up and add what touches they'd like. I still have several links to put in, so if you don't see yours, don't worry. Just started some on that and Gunz and Ebyjo's is new, so I put it in thinking I could copy the others later.
The new site is really in Dress Blues. :). I tried so hard to make it in desert colors, but Blogger just doesn't have but one green that fits and the brown looks too strong, so see what you think about the new Gunz Up. I had to do this to switch to New Blogger because I made the switch before the owner (Steve) and therefore would be stuck.
The computer screen makes Steve so sick, so our new one, that will be awesome, it even has a chat on it, will have to be finished by him because I know absolutely nothing about that kind of thing. He is having a hard time, so we do appreciate your prayers on it.
BTW, I will be re-doing the Bible Study site as well. The constant Lime Green is too much. It takes too many pinks to try to blend in and I figure it will be hard enough to get the guys over there as it is, so, better do a knock down on that one.
So, look out. We're not just remodeling here. We're moving. Twice! But for now, our home within a short time will be @ CLICK HERE. The new address is gunzup.blogspot.com, which shouldn't be too hard to remember, but go ahead and add it to your FAVORITES LIST RIGHT NOW...BEFORE YOU FORGET! :)
I WILL BE AT MY DAD'S TODAY FOR A GOOD PORTION OF THE DAY, SO IT WILL BE SEVERAL HOURS BEFORE I'M ABLE TO POST TO ANYTHING. ANOTHER BLOG IS JUST WHAT I NEED, HUH?
VIRGIE BELL HAS A POST THAT I WILL GET UP AFTER I GET BACK HOME. SHE IS THE CUTEST THING. AND SO FAITHFUL. I LOVE YOU, MOM.
I LOVE ALL OF YOU.
SEMPER FI,
DE'ON
P.S. I WON'T BE DELETING THIS BLOG, SO ANYTHING YOU WANT TO READ BACK OVER OR LOOK AT AGAIN WILL STILL BE HERE. THIS SITE IS TOO PRECIOUS TO ME TO DELETE. IT WILL ALWAYS BE OUR ORIGINAL HOME.
DANG, I FEEL LIKE CRYING!
I've set us up with a new site that we will be using within a few days. I need the other authors to get set up and add what touches they'd like. I still have several links to put in, so if you don't see yours, don't worry. Just started some on that and Gunz and Ebyjo's is new, so I put it in thinking I could copy the others later.
The new site is really in Dress Blues. :). I tried so hard to make it in desert colors, but Blogger just doesn't have but one green that fits and the brown looks too strong, so see what you think about the new Gunz Up. I had to do this to switch to New Blogger because I made the switch before the owner (Steve) and therefore would be stuck.
The computer screen makes Steve so sick, so our new one, that will be awesome, it even has a chat on it, will have to be finished by him because I know absolutely nothing about that kind of thing. He is having a hard time, so we do appreciate your prayers on it.
BTW, I will be re-doing the Bible Study site as well. The constant Lime Green is too much. It takes too many pinks to try to blend in and I figure it will be hard enough to get the guys over there as it is, so, better do a knock down on that one.
So, look out. We're not just remodeling here. We're moving. Twice! But for now, our home within a short time will be @ CLICK HERE. The new address is gunzup.blogspot.com, which shouldn't be too hard to remember, but go ahead and add it to your FAVORITES LIST RIGHT NOW...BEFORE YOU FORGET! :)
I WILL BE AT MY DAD'S TODAY FOR A GOOD PORTION OF THE DAY, SO IT WILL BE SEVERAL HOURS BEFORE I'M ABLE TO POST TO ANYTHING. ANOTHER BLOG IS JUST WHAT I NEED, HUH?
VIRGIE BELL HAS A POST THAT I WILL GET UP AFTER I GET BACK HOME. SHE IS THE CUTEST THING. AND SO FAITHFUL. I LOVE YOU, MOM.
I LOVE ALL OF YOU.
SEMPER FI,
DE'ON
P.S. I WON'T BE DELETING THIS BLOG, SO ANYTHING YOU WANT TO READ BACK OVER OR LOOK AT AGAIN WILL STILL BE HERE. THIS SITE IS TOO PRECIOUS TO ME TO DELETE. IT WILL ALWAYS BE OUR ORIGINAL HOME.
DANG, I FEEL LIKE CRYING!
Friday, March 02, 2007
From FOXNews.com
APFormer Secretary of the Army Francis J. Harvey
XXX
WASHINGTON — The scandal over conditions at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center claimed its second victim Friday when Secretary of the Army Francis Harvey handed in his resignation to his boss Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
"The problems at Walter Reed appear to be problems of leadership," Gates said at the Pentagon at an unscheduled appearance before reporters.
Harvey's resignation follows the departure of a top Army official on Thursday. Army Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman was relieved of his command after senior officials said they lost trust and confidence in his leadership abilities. Weightman, a two-star general, oversaw the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command and Walter Reed.
"I am disappointed that some in the Army have not adequately appreciated the seriousness of the situation pertaining to outpatient care at Walter Reed. Some have shown too much defensiveness and have not shown enough focus on digging into and addressing the problems," Gates said.
Gates' announcement came on the same day that President Bush ordered a comprehensive review Friday of conditions at the nation's military and veteran hospitals.
bipartisan commission to assess whether the problems at Walter Reed existed at other facilities.
Officials were forced to respond after news articles drew concerns of a deteriorating environment at the 113-acre institution that helps soldiers recover from injuries. Building 18, a facility that houses hundreds of soldiers recovering from battle wounds, was reported to have mold and soiled carpets as well as mouse and cockroach infestations, among other problems.
A permanent commander for Walter Reed was expected to be named late Friday. Harvey has been the Army secretary since November 2004. Gates said Harvey will depart March 9. Gates said the Army under secretary, Pete Geren, will become acting secretary until Bush nominates a permanent replacement.
Congressional hearings on Walter Reed are scheduled for Monday. Reps. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and John Tierney, D-Mass., of the House Committee of Oversight and Government Reform, issued a subpoena on Friday to force Weightman to testify before lawmakers. Weightman was scheduled to come before the committee but the Army refused to authorize him after he was relieved of command.
An independent panel on Thursday began reviewing allegations of poor quality-of-life conditions at two military medical facilities treating soldiers injured in Iraq and Afghanistan plans to meet for the first time.
Bush devoted his weekly radio address — to be broadcast on Saturday — to the problems of veterans' care, and the White House took the unusual step of releasing excerpts in advance. A full text also was to be released later Friday. The administration's response came amid growing outrage about the poor treatment of some veterans — and the prospect that it could backfire on the White House.
"One of my most solemn experiences as president is visiting men and women recovering from wounds they suffered in defense of country," Bush said his prepared address. "Spending time with these wounded warriors is also inspiring because so many of them bring the same courage they showed on the battlefield to their battle for recovery."
The commission to be named by Bush is separate from a review panel appointed by Gates to investigate outpatient care at Walter Reed and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda. The presidential panel will look at all of the nation's military and veteran facilities, according to White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Which Kinda Cat ARE We Talking About, WRAMC?: The Rebuttal
Army denies patients face daily inspectionsBy Kelly Kennedy - Staff writerPosted : Thursday Mar 1, 2007 14:02:05 EST
Army officials are denying that soldiers in the Medical Hold Unit at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington will have daily early-morning wakeup calls and room inspections.
But one Building 18 soldier said he woke up Tuesday morning to the sounds of sergeants pounding on doors and yelling, “Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!”
“I was like, ‘Jesus Christ, I’m back in basic training,’” the soldier said.
The soldier said the outpatient soldiers at Building 18 were issued garbage cans and cleaning supplies and told to keep their rooms clean and organized because of all the officials who would be making their way through the building during the investigation next week.
Earlier in the week, soldiers in the unit said they had been told they would have to wake up at 6 a.m. and have their rooms ready for inspection at 7 a.m.
“Some soldiers believe this is a form of punishment for the trouble soldiers caused by talking to the media,” one Medical Hold Unit soldier said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
But Army spokesman Paul Boyce said Wednesday there will be no daily room inspections, and that standard formations would continue as before at 7:30 a.m. He also said there would be occasional health and safety inspections, but nothing “obtrusive.”
Soldiers also say their sergeant major gathered troops at 6 p.m. Monday to tell them they must follow their chain of command when asking for help with their medical evaluation paperwork, or when they spot mold, mice or other problems in their quarters.
Boyce said the brigade commander told 600 soldiers Monday afternoon that they should come to him if they have any problems, and that there would not be any retribution or reprisals for reporting problems.
Soldiers were also told they would be moving out of Building 18 to Building 14 within the next couple of weeks. Building 14 is a barracks that houses the administrative offices for the Medical Hold Unit and was renovated in 2006. It’s also located on the Walter Reed Campus, where reporters must be escorted by public affairs personnel. Building 18 is located just off campus and is easy to access.
Boyce confirmed that a move is being considered so Building 18 can be renovated.
The soldiers said they were also told their first sergeant had been relieved of duty, and that all of their platoon sergeants have been moved to other positions at Walter Reed. And 120 permanent-duty soldiers are expected to arrive by mid-March to take control of the Medical Hold Unit, the soldiers said.
Boyce said some personnel actions have been taken but could not confirm them Wednesday.
Boyce said the soldiers may speak to the media, but only with permission if the interview takes place in a government building, such as Building 18. However, he said, if soldiers at Walter Reed want to talk with reporters down the street at a coffee shop, “that would be fine.”
Boyce also responded to a gag order issued to military spokespeople after extensive media reports on the problems facing troops in the Medical Hold Unit with both the medical evaluation bureaucracy and their living conditions.
In a message Tuesday, the Pentagon clamped down on media coverage of any and all Defense Department medical facilities, to include suspending queries for interviews and filming by CNN, saying in an e-mail to spokespeople titled “Media inquiries related to Walter Reed”: “It will be in most cases not appropriate to engage the media while this review takes place,” referring to an investigation of the problems at Walter Reed.
Boyce, however, said he will continue to work with CNN and will continue to set up interviews on an individual basis for other interested reporters.
The order not to “engage the media” sparked discussion on Capitol Hill.
On Wednesday, Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., issued a press release in which she said “any attempt to silence the very soldiers who brought their own mistreatment to light, or to hide ongoing abuses from the public eye — if such attempts are occurring — would be morally reprehensible. It would be an abdication of one of the most fundamental responsibilities of our government: the protection of those who have fought to protect us.”
At a Senate defense appropriations subcommittee hearing, Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, asked for an explanation about the order not to speak to the media after reading reports on the problems at Walter Reed in the Military Times newspapers.
“That’s not our standard, to tell people to keep quiet,” said Adm. Edmund Giambastiani Jr., vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs. “If they’ve got problems, we want to hear about them.”
Army News: Walter Reed patients to to keep quiet
Walter Reed patients told to keep quiet
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Feb 28, 2007 20:26:13 EST
Soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center’s Medical Hold Unit say they have been told they will wake up at 6 a.m. every morning and have their rooms ready for inspection at 7 a.m., and that they must not speak to the media.
“Some soldiers believe this is a form of punishment for the trouble soldiers caused by talking to the media,” one Medical Hold Unit soldier said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
It is unusual for soldiers to have daily inspections after Basic Training.
Soldiers say their sergeant major gathered troops at 6 p.m. Monday to tell them they must follow their chain of command when asking for help with their medical evaluation paperwork, or when they spot mold, mice or other problems in their quarters.
They were also told they would be moving out of Building 18 to Building 14 within the next couple of weeks. Building 14 is a barracks that houses the administrative offices for the Medical Hold Unit and was renovated in 2006. It’s also located on the Walter Reed Campus, where reporters must be escorted by public affairs personnel. Building 18 is located just off campus and is easy to access.
The soldiers said they were also told their first sergeant has been relieved of duty, and that all of their platoon sergeants have been moved to other positions at Walter Reed. And 120 permanent-duty soldiers are expected to arrive by mid-March to take control of the Medical Hold Unit, the soldiers said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Army public affairs did not respond to a request sent Sunday evening to verify the personnel changes.
The Pentagon also clamped down on media coverage of any and all Defense Department medical facilities, to include suspending planned projects by CNN and the Discovery Channel, saying in an e-mail to spokespeople: “It will be in most cases not appropriate to engage the media while this review takes place,” referring to an investigation of the problems at Walter Reed.
Related reading:
Walter Reed soldier wins small victory
Gates’ candor on hospital woes lauded
Pentagon names members of Walter Reed panel
Renovations underway at Walter Reed
Wounded and waiting
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Feb 28, 2007 20:26:13 EST
Soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center’s Medical Hold Unit say they have been told they will wake up at 6 a.m. every morning and have their rooms ready for inspection at 7 a.m., and that they must not speak to the media.
“Some soldiers believe this is a form of punishment for the trouble soldiers caused by talking to the media,” one Medical Hold Unit soldier said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
It is unusual for soldiers to have daily inspections after Basic Training.
Soldiers say their sergeant major gathered troops at 6 p.m. Monday to tell them they must follow their chain of command when asking for help with their medical evaluation paperwork, or when they spot mold, mice or other problems in their quarters.
They were also told they would be moving out of Building 18 to Building 14 within the next couple of weeks. Building 14 is a barracks that houses the administrative offices for the Medical Hold Unit and was renovated in 2006. It’s also located on the Walter Reed Campus, where reporters must be escorted by public affairs personnel. Building 18 is located just off campus and is easy to access.
The soldiers said they were also told their first sergeant has been relieved of duty, and that all of their platoon sergeants have been moved to other positions at Walter Reed. And 120 permanent-duty soldiers are expected to arrive by mid-March to take control of the Medical Hold Unit, the soldiers said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Army public affairs did not respond to a request sent Sunday evening to verify the personnel changes.
The Pentagon also clamped down on media coverage of any and all Defense Department medical facilities, to include suspending planned projects by CNN and the Discovery Channel, saying in an e-mail to spokespeople: “It will be in most cases not appropriate to engage the media while this review takes place,” referring to an investigation of the problems at Walter Reed.
Related reading:
Walter Reed soldier wins small victory
Gates’ candor on hospital woes lauded
Pentagon names members of Walter Reed panel
Renovations underway at Walter Reed
Wounded and waiting
Out to Lunch
You can't imagine how hard at work I am for a HUGE, VERY BIG SURPRISE FOR US. iN FACT, i'M RAthER AmAZeD MEsELF.
SO NEVER FEAR, I haven't jetted you. i'm loving you all the more, baby!!
be patient. i know you're mission (oops), missing my million posts per day. xoxoxoppphhhsmack
Thursday, March 01, 2007
i've had to be domestically dutiful today in that we had 0 packages of meat left and one roll of toilet paper for 2 bathrooms. so, i went, i saw and i bought, brought and cooked it up in a pan.
lisa has added $10. to the shoes fund so we will be sending that check tomorrow.
i have also been struggling to get this blog over to new blogger. i've even deleted most of my employees--i may be stuck with old blogger. i'm out of ideas. and i'm not technically inclined.
so i shall return with more brilliant material later! gator.
De'on
lisa has added $10. to the shoes fund so we will be sending that check tomorrow.
i have also been struggling to get this blog over to new blogger. i've even deleted most of my employees--i may be stuck with old blogger. i'm out of ideas. and i'm not technically inclined.
so i shall return with more brilliant material later! gator.
De'on
Shower Love
March 1
I ALWAYS hear your cry. No sound escapes Me.
Many, many in the world cry to Me, but oh! how few wait to hear Me speak to them and yet to the soul, My speaking to it matters so much.
My words are Life. Think then to hear Me speak is to find Life, and healing and strength. Trust Me in all things. Love showered on all brings truly a quick return.
Just carry out my wishes and leave Me to carry out yours. Treat Me as Saviour and King, but also with the tender intimacy of One much beloved.
Keep to the rules I have laid down for you, persistently, perseveringly, lovingly, patiently, hopefully, and in faith, and every mountain of difficulty shall be laid low, the rough places of poverty shall be made smooth, and all who know you shall know that I, your Lord, am the Lord.
Shower love.
Russell, A.J., ed., God Calling, Barnes & Noble, 2002.
I ALWAYS hear your cry. No sound escapes Me.
Many, many in the world cry to Me, but oh! how few wait to hear Me speak to them and yet to the soul, My speaking to it matters so much.
My words are Life. Think then to hear Me speak is to find Life, and healing and strength. Trust Me in all things. Love showered on all brings truly a quick return.
Just carry out my wishes and leave Me to carry out yours. Treat Me as Saviour and King, but also with the tender intimacy of One much beloved.
Keep to the rules I have laid down for you, persistently, perseveringly, lovingly, patiently, hopefully, and in faith, and every mountain of difficulty shall be laid low, the rough places of poverty shall be made smooth, and all who know you shall know that I, your Lord, am the Lord.
Shower love.
Russell, A.J., ed., God Calling, Barnes & Noble, 2002.
Turtling Along
Click here for a look see at the totally uncompleted, but finally started Bible Study Blog I'm building. It's called sCRiVEnERs foR CHRIST and I think it's going to be pretty suavA once I get it going. There is a post on it you might like.
guess I better get some sleep.
Love and hope you're dreaming sweet!
De'on
guess I better get some sleep.
Love and hope you're dreaming sweet!
De'on
Pick a voice, any voice....
Hurl it on out of there....
.
.... I'm pretty good. Tired is all and trying to force myself to eat. But overall, pretty good.
...are you drinking Boost or something similar? Put bananas and make a shake out of it. get the extra calories one. how's your weight? Is it sweets you can handle? Buy frozen pancakes or waffles. Eat Malt o Meal or cream of wheat.
...Cool. Those are awesome tips. I'm gonna try them.
... I did the best post of my life today and had spent 4 or 5 hours and was within one or two words getting done and my computer went down and then started over and went down again so I wont even post today. It makes me so mad!
.... I know how Virgie feels. You want to throw the computer across the room. It's happened to us at the newspapers. We'd be close to deadline and the system would crash, losing our work. I wanted to shoot all the computers and anyone who tried to stop me.
Yes, looking at the computer screen makes me want to hurl. That's why I don't get on it much. So I just lie back and do a lot of thinking. I'm able to read some but not for long. Sometimes I just want to run out in the traffic!! But I won't. My luck all I'd do is damage someone's car and they'd sue me!
Well, I'm going to bed ... again!
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
How the Rules of War Work
by Julia Layton
Inside This Article that will be posted in future posts.
1. Introduction to How the Rules of War Work (previously posted)
2. Background (previously posted)
3. In the Field (previously posted)
4. Prisoners of War CURRENT
5. Civilians and Occupation
6. Cultural Property
7. Consequences of Violation
####
Prisoners of WarPrisoners are entitled in all circumstances to respect for their persons and their honour. (Geneva III)
First off, prisoners of war are prisoners of the country that captures them; they are not prisoners of the soldier, unit, or commander of the unit that captures them. Also, much along the lines of "innocent until proven guilty," any captured combatant is assumed to be a prisoner of war and must be treated accordingly; if there is any doubt as to the applicability of POW status, the rules regarding prisoners of war must be followed until a proper tribunal is convened to determine whether POW status is applicable on a case-by-case basis. When the United States systematically denied POW status to captured Taliban combatants in the 2001-2002 war in Afghanistan, it was in violation of the third Geneva Convention. In the course of an armed conflict involving parties to the Geneva Convention, captured combatants are POWs until proven otherwise.
Like the sick or wounded, prisoners of war (POWs) are protected under the Hague and Geneva laws from any violence, indignity, or biological experimentation. POWs must receive medical treatment if they need it, and medical staff must be brought in to the POW camp at least once a month to make sure everyone is okay. Unlike the sick or wounded, however, the military hierarchy is observed when it comes to prisoners of war: Officers can't be assigned to the same paid labor as enlisted troops; and while hard labor may be assigned to an enlisted troop as disciplinary action, an officer can't be punished in that manner.
Most of us have seen in movies and on TV the interrogation response of "name, rank and serial number." This stems from the third Geneva Convention, but its purpose is not exactly what it seems. It's true that prisoners of war have to provide their name, rank and serial number (as well as date of birth), but this is not only for identification purposes. It is also to assure that the person be treated "according to his rank or status." If an officer fails to make known that he is an officer, he can't be granted the privileges due an officer.
On the topic of questioning POWs, the interrogation tactics that seem to be common practice in a time of war are all illegal. The third Geneva Convention outlaws everything beyond the simple asking of a question:
No physical or mental torture, nor any other form of coercion, may be inflicted on prisoners of war to secure from them information of any kind whatever. Prisoners of war who refuse to answer may not be threatened, insulted, or exposed to any unpleasant or disadvantageous treatment of any kind.
Confinement is illegal (POWs can't be held in prison cells unless it is for their own protection), but internment is allowed -- they may be kept within certain boundaries. However, their location must be as far from the fighting as possible. Besides being held in a special "camp," prisoners of war are supposed to be granted all of the rights and privileges that their captor grants to its own armed forces, at least in terms of food, water, shelter, clothing, exercise, correspondence, religious practice and other basic human needs. They are supposed to be informed of their exact location -- supplied with their mailing address, in fact -- so that their relatives may send them letters and packages.
Beyond the protection from violence, intimidation and affronts to personal dignity, prisoners of war are supposed to be safeguarded from "public curiosity" (Geneva III). The broadcasting of pictures and video of wounded prisoners of war is an affront to their dignity and an appeal to public curiosity, and as such is prohibited.
Once captured by the enemy, prisoners of war are subject to the laws of the armed force that is holding them. They must act according to the rules and regulations of their captors, and breaking those rules leaves them open to the same trial and punishment as that faced by a member of the detaining military. They are under the control of the detaining power and their detention is legal; as such, their escape is a breach of that law. So if they escape, they can be punished. But only if they are recaptured before they make it make to their own army. If they successfully escape -- if they return to the territory of their own armed forces -- and then are captured once again, they cannot be punished for their previous escape. This same rule of success negating the offense applies to spies who escape their captors: If a spy breaks free and is caught before he makes it "home," he can still be tried as a spy; if he makes it back to his own side and is then recaptured, he is no longer considered a spy who is subject to trial and punishment -- he is considered a prisoner of war, and is therefore protected.
POW Status
When taken by the enemy, the following people are classified as prisoners of war:
from Howstuffworks
Inside This Article that will be posted in future posts.
1. Introduction to How the Rules of War Work (previously posted)
2. Background (previously posted)
3. In the Field (previously posted)
4. Prisoners of War CURRENT
5. Civilians and Occupation
6. Cultural Property
7. Consequences of Violation
####
Prisoners of WarPrisoners are entitled in all circumstances to respect for their persons and their honour. (Geneva III)
First off, prisoners of war are prisoners of the country that captures them; they are not prisoners of the soldier, unit, or commander of the unit that captures them. Also, much along the lines of "innocent until proven guilty," any captured combatant is assumed to be a prisoner of war and must be treated accordingly; if there is any doubt as to the applicability of POW status, the rules regarding prisoners of war must be followed until a proper tribunal is convened to determine whether POW status is applicable on a case-by-case basis. When the United States systematically denied POW status to captured Taliban combatants in the 2001-2002 war in Afghanistan, it was in violation of the third Geneva Convention. In the course of an armed conflict involving parties to the Geneva Convention, captured combatants are POWs until proven otherwise.
Like the sick or wounded, prisoners of war (POWs) are protected under the Hague and Geneva laws from any violence, indignity, or biological experimentation. POWs must receive medical treatment if they need it, and medical staff must be brought in to the POW camp at least once a month to make sure everyone is okay. Unlike the sick or wounded, however, the military hierarchy is observed when it comes to prisoners of war: Officers can't be assigned to the same paid labor as enlisted troops; and while hard labor may be assigned to an enlisted troop as disciplinary action, an officer can't be punished in that manner.
Most of us have seen in movies and on TV the interrogation response of "name, rank and serial number." This stems from the third Geneva Convention, but its purpose is not exactly what it seems. It's true that prisoners of war have to provide their name, rank and serial number (as well as date of birth), but this is not only for identification purposes. It is also to assure that the person be treated "according to his rank or status." If an officer fails to make known that he is an officer, he can't be granted the privileges due an officer.
On the topic of questioning POWs, the interrogation tactics that seem to be common practice in a time of war are all illegal. The third Geneva Convention outlaws everything beyond the simple asking of a question:
No physical or mental torture, nor any other form of coercion, may be inflicted on prisoners of war to secure from them information of any kind whatever. Prisoners of war who refuse to answer may not be threatened, insulted, or exposed to any unpleasant or disadvantageous treatment of any kind.
Confinement is illegal (POWs can't be held in prison cells unless it is for their own protection), but internment is allowed -- they may be kept within certain boundaries. However, their location must be as far from the fighting as possible. Besides being held in a special "camp," prisoners of war are supposed to be granted all of the rights and privileges that their captor grants to its own armed forces, at least in terms of food, water, shelter, clothing, exercise, correspondence, religious practice and other basic human needs. They are supposed to be informed of their exact location -- supplied with their mailing address, in fact -- so that their relatives may send them letters and packages.
Beyond the protection from violence, intimidation and affronts to personal dignity, prisoners of war are supposed to be safeguarded from "public curiosity" (Geneva III). The broadcasting of pictures and video of wounded prisoners of war is an affront to their dignity and an appeal to public curiosity, and as such is prohibited.
Once captured by the enemy, prisoners of war are subject to the laws of the armed force that is holding them. They must act according to the rules and regulations of their captors, and breaking those rules leaves them open to the same trial and punishment as that faced by a member of the detaining military. They are under the control of the detaining power and their detention is legal; as such, their escape is a breach of that law. So if they escape, they can be punished. But only if they are recaptured before they make it make to their own army. If they successfully escape -- if they return to the territory of their own armed forces -- and then are captured once again, they cannot be punished for their previous escape. This same rule of success negating the offense applies to spies who escape their captors: If a spy breaks free and is caught before he makes it "home," he can still be tried as a spy; if he makes it back to his own side and is then recaptured, he is no longer considered a spy who is subject to trial and punishment -- he is considered a prisoner of war, and is therefore protected.
POW Status
When taken by the enemy, the following people are classified as prisoners of war:
- Members of the armed forces
- Members of militias and other volunteer corps
- Members of the armed forces of a government not recognized by the enemy
- People who accompany the armed forces (such as members of the media)
- Crews of the merchant marine and civil aircraft
from Howstuffworks
Blood Is Thicker Than Water: Guadalcanal continues
As he tells it, "Too Many, Too Close, Too Long," is Donald L. Dickson's portrait of one of the "little guys, just plain worn out. His stamina and his spirit stretched beyond human endurance. He has had no real sleep for a long time ... And he probably hasn't stopped ducking and fighting long enough to discover that he has malaria. He is going to discover it now, however. He is through."
Captain Donald L. Dickson, USMCR
Blood Is Thicker Than Water: Guadalcanal - December and the Final Stages *1
FIRST OFFENSIVE: The Marine Campaign for Guadalcanal
by Henry I. Shaw, Jr.
On 7 December, one year after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, General Vandegrift sent a message to all men under his command in the Guadalcanal area thanking them for their courage and steadfastness, commending particularly the pilots and "all who labored and sweated within the lines in all manner of prodigious and vital tasks." He reminded them all that their "unbelievable achievements had made 'Guadalcanal' a synonym for death and disaster in the language of our enemy." On 9 December, he handed over his command to General Patch and flew out to Australia at the same time the first elements of the 5th Marines were boarding ship. The 1st, 11th, and 7th Marines would soon follow together with all the division's supporting units. The men who were leaving were thin, tired, hollow-eyed, and apathetic; they were young men who had grown old in four months time. They left behind 681 dead in the island's cemetery.
by Henry I. Shaw, Jr.
On 7 December, one year after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, General Vandegrift sent a message to all men under his command in the Guadalcanal area thanking them for their courage and steadfastness, commending particularly the pilots and "all who labored and sweated within the lines in all manner of prodigious and vital tasks." He reminded them all that their "unbelievable achievements had made 'Guadalcanal' a synonym for death and disaster in the language of our enemy." On 9 December, he handed over his command to General Patch and flew out to Australia at the same time the first elements of the 5th Marines were boarding ship. The 1st, 11th, and 7th Marines would soon follow together with all the division's supporting units. The men who were leaving were thin, tired, hollow-eyed, and apathetic; they were young men who had grown old in four months time. They left behind 681 dead in the island's cemetery.
The final regiment of the Americal Division, the 132d Infantry, landed on 8 December as the 5th Marines was preparing to leave. The 2d Marine Division's regiments already on the island, the 2d, 8th, and part of the 10th, knew that the 6th Marines was on its way to rejoin. It seemed to many of the men of the 2d Marines, who had landed on D-Day, 7 August, that they, too, should be leaving. These took slim comfort in the thought that they, by all rights, should be the first of the 2d to depart the island whenever that hoped-for day came.
General Patch received a steady stream of ground reinforcements and replacements in December. He was not ready yet to undertake a full-scale offensive until the 25th Division and the rest of the 2d Marine Division arrived, but he kept all frontline units active in combat and reconnaissance patrols, particularly toward the western flank.
The island commander's air defense capabilities also grew substantially. Cactus Air Force, organized into a fighter command and a strike (bomber) command, now operated from a newly redesignated Marine Corps Air Base. The Henderson Field complex included a new airstrip, Fighter Two, which replaced Fighter One, which had severe drainage problems. Brigadier General Louis Woods, who had taken over as senior aviator when Geiger returned to Espiritu Santo, was relieved on 26 December by Brigadier General Francis P. Mulcahy, Commanding General, 2d Marine Aircraft Wing. New fighter and bomber squadrons from both the 1st and 2d Wings sent their flight echelons forward on a regular basis. The Army added three fighter squadrons and a medium bomber squadron of B-26s. The Royal New Zealand Air Force flew in a reconnaissance squadron of Lockheed Hudsons. And the U.S. Navy sent forward a squadron of Consolidated PBY Catalina patrol planes which had a much needed night-flying capability.
continues below
Blood Is Thicker Than Water: Change of Command
American Division commander, MajGen Alexander M. Patch, Jr., watches while his troops and supplies are staged on Guadalcanal's beaches on 8 December, the day before he relieved Gen Vandegrift and his wornout 1st Marine Division.
U.S. Army Signal Corps Photo SC164898
Blood Is Thicker Than Water: Guadalcanal-December and the Final Stages cont'd * 2
The aerial buildup forced the Japanese to curtail all air attacks and made daylight naval reinforcement attempts an event of the past. The nighttime visits of the Tokyo Express destroyers now brought only supplies encased in metal drums which were rolled over the ships' sides in hope they would float into shore. The men ashore desperately needed everything that could be sent, even by this method, but most of the drums never reached the beaches.
Still, however desperate the enemy situation was becoming, he was prepared to fight. General Hyakutake continued to plan the seizure of the airfield. General Hitoshi Immamura, commander of the Eighth Area Army, arrived in Rabaul on 2 December with orders to continue the offensive. He had 50,000 men to add to the embattled Japanese troops on Guadalcanal.
Before these new enemy units could be employed, the Americans were prepared to move out from the perimeter in their own offensive. Conscious that the Mt. Austen area was a continuing threat to his inland flank in any drive to the west, Patch committed the Americal's 132d Infantry to the task of clearing the mountain's wooded slopes on 17 December. The Army regiment succeeded in isolating the major Japanese force in the area by early January. The 1st Battalion, 2d Marines, took up hill positions to the southeast of the 132d to increase flank protection.
By this time, the 25th Infantry Division (Major General J. Lawton Collins) had arrived and so had the 6th Marines (6 January) and the rest of the 2d Division's headquarters and support troops. Brigadier General Alphonse De Carre, the Marine division's assistant commander, took charge of all Marine ground forces on the island. The 2d Division's commander, Major General John Marston, remained in New Zealand because he was senior to General Patch.
With three divisions under his command, General Patch was designated Commanding General, XIV Corps, on 2 January. His corps headquarters numbered less than a score of officers and men, almost all taken from the Americal's staff. Brigadier General Edmund B. Sebree, who had already led both Army and Marine units in attacks on the Japanese, took command of the Americal Division. On 10 January, Patch gave the signal to start the strongest American offensive yet in the Guadalcanal campaign. The mission of the troops was simple and to the point: "Attack and destroy the Japanese forces remaining on Guadalcanal."
to be continued with 1 more post before getting back with Uncle Lonnie and Guam.
Source
Still, however desperate the enemy situation was becoming, he was prepared to fight. General Hyakutake continued to plan the seizure of the airfield. General Hitoshi Immamura, commander of the Eighth Area Army, arrived in Rabaul on 2 December with orders to continue the offensive. He had 50,000 men to add to the embattled Japanese troops on Guadalcanal.
Before these new enemy units could be employed, the Americans were prepared to move out from the perimeter in their own offensive. Conscious that the Mt. Austen area was a continuing threat to his inland flank in any drive to the west, Patch committed the Americal's 132d Infantry to the task of clearing the mountain's wooded slopes on 17 December. The Army regiment succeeded in isolating the major Japanese force in the area by early January. The 1st Battalion, 2d Marines, took up hill positions to the southeast of the 132d to increase flank protection.
By this time, the 25th Infantry Division (Major General J. Lawton Collins) had arrived and so had the 6th Marines (6 January) and the rest of the 2d Division's headquarters and support troops. Brigadier General Alphonse De Carre, the Marine division's assistant commander, took charge of all Marine ground forces on the island. The 2d Division's commander, Major General John Marston, remained in New Zealand because he was senior to General Patch.
With three divisions under his command, General Patch was designated Commanding General, XIV Corps, on 2 January. His corps headquarters numbered less than a score of officers and men, almost all taken from the Americal's staff. Brigadier General Edmund B. Sebree, who had already led both Army and Marine units in attacks on the Japanese, took command of the Americal Division. On 10 January, Patch gave the signal to start the strongest American offensive yet in the Guadalcanal campaign. The mission of the troops was simple and to the point: "Attack and destroy the Japanese forces remaining on Guadalcanal."
to be continued with 1 more post before getting back with Uncle Lonnie and Guam.
Source
Blood Is Thicker Than Water: The George Medal
The George Medal is legendary among 1st Marine Division veterans of Guadalcanal. Only about 50 were cast, in Australia, before the mold gave out.
The medal commemorates the difficult situation of the division during the early days on Guadalcanal, when ammunition, food, and heavy equipment were short and the Japanese plentiful. When the issue was no longer in doubt, Marine had time to reflect on the D-plus-3 Navy withdrawal in the face of increasing Japanese air attacks and surface action which left the division in such a tight spot.
In the recollection of then-Captain Donald L. Dickson, adjutant of the 5th Marines, the Division G-3, then-Lieutenant Colonel Merrill B. Twining, resolved to commemorate the occasion. Twining told artist Dickson in general terms what he had in mind. Dickson went to work designing an appropriate medal using a fifty-cent piece to draw a circle on a captured Japanese blank military postcard.
Dickson's design was approved and when the division got to Australia a mold was made by a local metal craftsman and a small number were cast before the mold became unserviceable. Those wanting a medal paid one Australian pound for it and received a certificate as well. The medals are now an even greater rarity than at the time. In recent years, reproductions have been cast, and can be identified by the different metal and a poor definition of details.
The obverse design shows a hand and sleeve dropping a hot potato in the shape of Guadalcanal into the arms of a grateful Marine. In the original design the sleeve bore the stripes of a vice admiral intended to be either Vice Admiral Robert L. Ghormley, ComSoPac, or Vice Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher, Commander Joint Expeditionary Force, but the final medal diplomatically omitted this identification.
Also on the obverse is a Saguaro cactus, indigenous to Arizona, not Guadalcanal, but representing the code name for the island, "Cactus." The obverse inscription if Facia Georgius, "Let George Do It." Thus it became known as the George Medal.
The medal's reverse pictures a cow (the original design showed a Japanese soldier with breeches down) and an electric fan, and is inscribed: "In fond remembrance of the happy days spent from Aug. 7th 1942 to Jan. 5th 1943. U.S.M.C."
The suspension ribbon was made, appropriately, of the pale green herringbone twill from some Marine's utility uniform. Legend has it that to be authentic the utilities from which the ribbons were made had to have been washed in the waters of Guadalcanal's Lunga River. Some medals were provided with the oversized safety pin used to identify laundry bags in Navy shipboard laundries.
Such unofficial commemorative mementos are not uncommon in military circles and recall, among other, the Soochow Creek medals recognizing the defense of Shanghai's International Settlement during the Japanese invasions of 1932 and 1937 which were inspired by the Military Order of the Dragon medals of veterans of the China Relief Expedition or Boxer Rebellion. —Brooke Nihart
l
$hoe$
- Karen = $15.60
- Semper Fi Mom = $15.00
- Hubby Greg Miller = $29.40
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
$HOE$$HOE$$HOE$@.50 PER PAIR
bOOT$BOOT$bOOT$@1.00 PER PAIR
TOTAL TO BUY SHOES AND BOOTS FOR CHILDREN IN AFGHANISTAN=$60.
Thanks to all the participants & protestors!
And Miss Karen will be writing our next test at a time of her choosing. The Teach will be required to take this test.
Further Congratulations go to Michael Reagan and Semper Fi Mom
A couple of days ago I announced Karen as the winner of the essay contest. While she, STAR STUDENT, still holds this coveted position, I felt it important to post this poignant piece as well.
THANK YOU SEMPER FI MOM FOR SHARING YOUR THOUGHTS AND A PART OF YOUR LIFE WITH US!!!
+++
Michael Reagan, Artist
When De’on assigned the essay portion of her test, I knew which artist I would write about. Michael Reagan’s Fallen Heroes Project caught my attention the first time I read about it on Gunz Up. When a loved one is lost, pictures of that loved one and the memories that go along with them, are a wonderful remembrance. A lovingly hand drawn portrait would be even more cherished.
I have, hanging in my bedroom, a pastel portrait done of my second son when he was in preschool. It is a profile view drawn as he watched Barney on TV. Not that he would admit today that he ever watched Barney! I never tire of looking at it. I see the sweet curve of his little four year old cheek and the tilt of his perfect nose. I see his wispy blond hair brushing the back of his neck right in that spot where he was so ticklish. That pastel portrait, even more than most of the photos I have of him at that age, is very dear to me. It is one of the first things I would grab if my house were on fire. Somehow it captures that time in his (and my) life. Maybe it is the attention and care that goes into the drawing of a portrait that makes it so appealing and timeless. It is something to be treasured and passed down from generation to generation, not just zoomed past in a busy photo album. I can only imagine how important a portrait done by Mr. Reagan would be to a family who had lost their loved one to war.
I truly admire Mr. Reagan, a Vietnam veteran, for using his God given abilities to celebrate the lives of those who have been lost in the War on Terror by hand drawing custom portraits free of charge. His portraits must be a source of emotional nourishment and healing to the families left behind. As God’s children, we are not on this earth to merely make a living or amuse ourselves. We must find the work that God wants to do through us. Mr. Reagan has found that work. May God bless him as he follows his calling.
THANK YOU SEMPER FI MOM FOR SHARING YOUR THOUGHTS AND A PART OF YOUR LIFE WITH US!!!
+++
Michael Reagan, Artist
When De’on assigned the essay portion of her test, I knew which artist I would write about. Michael Reagan’s Fallen Heroes Project caught my attention the first time I read about it on Gunz Up. When a loved one is lost, pictures of that loved one and the memories that go along with them, are a wonderful remembrance. A lovingly hand drawn portrait would be even more cherished.
I have, hanging in my bedroom, a pastel portrait done of my second son when he was in preschool. It is a profile view drawn as he watched Barney on TV. Not that he would admit today that he ever watched Barney! I never tire of looking at it. I see the sweet curve of his little four year old cheek and the tilt of his perfect nose. I see his wispy blond hair brushing the back of his neck right in that spot where he was so ticklish. That pastel portrait, even more than most of the photos I have of him at that age, is very dear to me. It is one of the first things I would grab if my house were on fire. Somehow it captures that time in his (and my) life. Maybe it is the attention and care that goes into the drawing of a portrait that makes it so appealing and timeless. It is something to be treasured and passed down from generation to generation, not just zoomed past in a busy photo album. I can only imagine how important a portrait done by Mr. Reagan would be to a family who had lost their loved one to war.
I truly admire Mr. Reagan, a Vietnam veteran, for using his God given abilities to celebrate the lives of those who have been lost in the War on Terror by hand drawing custom portraits free of charge. His portraits must be a source of emotional nourishment and healing to the families left behind. As God’s children, we are not on this earth to merely make a living or amuse ourselves. We must find the work that God wants to do through us. Mr. Reagan has found that work. May God bless him as he follows his calling.
About Michael Reagan, Artist
In case you weren't able to watch the video about this artist, here is some info copied from his site. His email is at the bottom if you or anyone you know are in need of his service. He is currently at work on mine.
What if all you had left of a loved one was photos and memories?
For those that have a family member killed as a soldier in the War Against Terrorism, that is all they have left of them. Using the family’s favorite photo, professional custom hand-drawn portraits are available free of charge to the families of all servicemen and women who have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan in America’s War Against Terrorism from portrait artist Michael Reagan.
Michael Reagan is an internationally-recognized portrait artist who has assisted charities such as the Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center raise over $10 million through his drawn and donated autographed celebrity portraits. As a portrait artist for more than 30 years, Reagan has drawn approximately 10,000 portraits including over 1500 portraits of celebrities, professional athletes, U.S. presidents and other heads of state.
As a Vietnam War combat veteran, Reagan understands and empathizes with the extreme challenges faced by servicemen and women, as well as the ultimate sacrifice their families make. It is his passion to share his portrait-drawing talents with the families of killed servicemen and women as a lasting memory of the soldier’s contribution, as a comfort to the family in their grief and as a service to the United States.
The first request for a soldier’s portrait commission came from the wife of a serviceman Michael Johnson who was killed in Iraq, Cherice Johnson. Cherice contacted Reagan after seeing a story about his work on Seattle’s Evening Magazine show.
As a war veteran Reagan’s heart went out to Cherice and her deceased husband - he would not accept payment for the commission. “Being a combat veteran that was fortunate enough to make it home has me thanking God every day,” he explained. “Because I truly consider all of us that have fought or are fighting for this country brothers there just isn't any way I could charge you for your picture.
Healing was found in capturing the essence of the fallen soldier in a portrait. “I am forever grateful you have opened your heart and are willing to share your great talent with others,” describes Cherice in thanking Reagan. “It is people like yourself, along with my family and friends, that make this grieving process even slightly bearable.” This rich experience with Cherice inspired Reagan to offer the opportunity to any family with a fallen soldier in the War Against Terrorism.
Reagan views his art as much more than work, he feels called to share his talent for larger purposes. While he is sought out to draw many commissioned portraits, even some as high profile as President and Mrs. Bush, he feels called to bring healing to difficult situations through his art. “After reading in the paper about a terrible car accident involving a drunk driver that had killed two daughters, I felt compelled to provide a memory of the girls through a portrait for the parents,” he describes. “When I met the family to present the portrait, the grandfather told me I had brought life back into the family. I can’t eliminate anyone’s grief, but I can provide some comfort and healing.” This is just one of many such examples of Reagan sharing his gift to bring healing to a family after loss.
Reagan discovered his talent for portrait drawing when as a youth he was looking for distraction while recovering from a football injury. While he enjoyed the praise his work received what he found important was the healing power of drawing. As a Marine in Vietnam, Reagan often drew portraits of the other Marines. “I drew portraits of a lot of Marines whose pictures came home but they didn’t,” said Reagan. “I was on the front lines in Vietnam during most of tour, it is only through the grace of God that I have come back alive. Given a second chance on life, I am making the most of it – including sharing my talent to help others.” Portraits are drawn from a photo of the soldier.
All requests for drawings of soldiers killed in the War Against Terrorism will be honored. Portraits will be completed on a first come, first serve basis. Requests can only be made by a spouse, parent or other immediate family member and are to be e-mailed to artguy@att.net.
NewsPortraits From The Heart - July 16, 2004'
When You Look At That Picture, There Is Joy' - November 11, 2004
###
Custom Portraits of Fallen Soldiers Drawn Free of Charge
Premier Northwest Artist Generous Offer to Draw Soldier PortraitsWhat if all you had left of a loved one was photos and memories?
For those that have a family member killed as a soldier in the War Against Terrorism, that is all they have left of them. Using the family’s favorite photo, professional custom hand-drawn portraits are available free of charge to the families of all servicemen and women who have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan in America’s War Against Terrorism from portrait artist Michael Reagan.
Michael Reagan is an internationally-recognized portrait artist who has assisted charities such as the Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center raise over $10 million through his drawn and donated autographed celebrity portraits. As a portrait artist for more than 30 years, Reagan has drawn approximately 10,000 portraits including over 1500 portraits of celebrities, professional athletes, U.S. presidents and other heads of state.
As a Vietnam War combat veteran, Reagan understands and empathizes with the extreme challenges faced by servicemen and women, as well as the ultimate sacrifice their families make. It is his passion to share his portrait-drawing talents with the families of killed servicemen and women as a lasting memory of the soldier’s contribution, as a comfort to the family in their grief and as a service to the United States.
The first request for a soldier’s portrait commission came from the wife of a serviceman Michael Johnson who was killed in Iraq, Cherice Johnson. Cherice contacted Reagan after seeing a story about his work on Seattle’s Evening Magazine show.
As a war veteran Reagan’s heart went out to Cherice and her deceased husband - he would not accept payment for the commission. “Being a combat veteran that was fortunate enough to make it home has me thanking God every day,” he explained. “Because I truly consider all of us that have fought or are fighting for this country brothers there just isn't any way I could charge you for your picture.
Healing was found in capturing the essence of the fallen soldier in a portrait. “I am forever grateful you have opened your heart and are willing to share your great talent with others,” describes Cherice in thanking Reagan. “It is people like yourself, along with my family and friends, that make this grieving process even slightly bearable.” This rich experience with Cherice inspired Reagan to offer the opportunity to any family with a fallen soldier in the War Against Terrorism.
Reagan views his art as much more than work, he feels called to share his talent for larger purposes. While he is sought out to draw many commissioned portraits, even some as high profile as President and Mrs. Bush, he feels called to bring healing to difficult situations through his art. “After reading in the paper about a terrible car accident involving a drunk driver that had killed two daughters, I felt compelled to provide a memory of the girls through a portrait for the parents,” he describes. “When I met the family to present the portrait, the grandfather told me I had brought life back into the family. I can’t eliminate anyone’s grief, but I can provide some comfort and healing.” This is just one of many such examples of Reagan sharing his gift to bring healing to a family after loss.
Reagan discovered his talent for portrait drawing when as a youth he was looking for distraction while recovering from a football injury. While he enjoyed the praise his work received what he found important was the healing power of drawing. As a Marine in Vietnam, Reagan often drew portraits of the other Marines. “I drew portraits of a lot of Marines whose pictures came home but they didn’t,” said Reagan. “I was on the front lines in Vietnam during most of tour, it is only through the grace of God that I have come back alive. Given a second chance on life, I am making the most of it – including sharing my talent to help others.” Portraits are drawn from a photo of the soldier.
All requests for drawings of soldiers killed in the War Against Terrorism will be honored. Portraits will be completed on a first come, first serve basis. Requests can only be made by a spouse, parent or other immediate family member and are to be e-mailed to artguy@att.net.
NewsPortraits From The Heart - July 16, 2004'
When You Look At That Picture, There Is Joy' - November 11, 2004
Perfect Work
February 28
SPEND more time alone with Me.
A strength and a Joy come from such times that will add much to your friendship, and much to your work.
Times of prayer are times of growth. Cut those times short and many well-filled hours of work may be profitless. Heaven's values are so different from the values of earth.
Remember that from the point of view of the Great Worker, one poor tool, working all the time, but doing bad work, is of small value compared with the sharp, keen, perfect instrument, used only a short time but which turns out perfect work.
Russell, A. J., ed., God Calling. Barnes & Noble, 2002.
SPEND more time alone with Me.
A strength and a Joy come from such times that will add much to your friendship, and much to your work.
Times of prayer are times of growth. Cut those times short and many well-filled hours of work may be profitless. Heaven's values are so different from the values of earth.
Remember that from the point of view of the Great Worker, one poor tool, working all the time, but doing bad work, is of small value compared with the sharp, keen, perfect instrument, used only a short time but which turns out perfect work.
Russell, A. J., ed., God Calling. Barnes & Noble, 2002.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
FEMALE ON THE FLOOR! The storming of Panama *3
where we left off:
Taking part in the operation were: the 82’s Assault Command Post, 1st Bde Headquarters: 1st and 2nd Battalions, 504th Parachute Infantry Regt: 4th Bn. 325th Parachute Infantry Regt.: “A” Co. 3rd Bn. 505th Parachute Infantry Regt.: 307th Engineer Bn.: 3rd Bn, 4th Air Defense Artillery, 307th Medical Bn. and the 319th Field Artillery Bn.
Securing Torrijos International Airport where the PDF’s 2nd Infantry Co. Airmobile (“Los Pumas”, “Cougars”) were stationed was one of the chief objectives of the airborne assault and was assigned to Task Force Red, made up of Rangers, and also members of the 4th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne) and elements of the 96th Civil Affairs Bn, all part of U.S. Army Special Operations Command and with the purpose of dealing with civilian targets.
The assault of Task Force Red was marred by a serious hitch. The ice storm in North Carolina meant that half of the troops to be deployed were delayed about three hours. This did not seriously affect the operation at Torrijos Airport but it delayed the operation which was to move out from Torrijos to attack the nearby PDF garrison at Fort Cimarron, home of the elite 2000 battalion. The Americans were to have secured the bridge over the Pacora River and prevent the 2000 Battalion from advancing down the only road to the Torrijos Airport and Panama City. This was the battalion which rushed into Panama City to rescue Noriega during the October coup when he was held captive by rebel officers in the Comandancia. The great fear of the Americans was that if this battalion broke through to Panama City, past the lightly armed Rangers by now in control of Torrijos Airport, they could cause immense trouble as an urban guerrilla force.
Before the Airborne troops could reach the Pacora Bridge, a convoy of the 2000 Battalion was already on the road bound for the city. Once again, the devastating air power of the Specter [sic] Gunships equipped with 105 mm Howitzer firing 40 lb shells was brought into play. They blew up the first nine vehicles in the convoy and the rest retreated to Fort Cimarron, which was itself pulverized later in the conflict.
Task Force Red also sent paratroopers to RÃo Hato, 90 miles west of Panama City. World War II airfield built by the U.S. and turned over to Panama. Based there were the 6th and 7th Rifle Companies of the PDF, known as the “Macho de Monte” (a feisty jungle animal). Paratroopers from the 2nd and 3rd Ranger Battalion engaged the Panamanians, supported by heavy air cover, and after a fierce fight, with loss of life on both sides secured the installation, taking about 300 prisoners.
Elements of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Group from Fort Campbell, Ky, flew combat missions in support of Task Force Red and other Special Operations units. Soldiers from Fort Bragg’s 528th Support Bn. (Airborne) 1st Special Operations Command (Airborne) established a forward armaments and refueling point in support of the 160th.
cont’d. below
Taking part in the operation were: the 82’s Assault Command Post, 1st Bde Headquarters: 1st and 2nd Battalions, 504th Parachute Infantry Regt: 4th Bn. 325th Parachute Infantry Regt.: “A” Co. 3rd Bn. 505th Parachute Infantry Regt.: 307th Engineer Bn.: 3rd Bn, 4th Air Defense Artillery, 307th Medical Bn. and the 319th Field Artillery Bn.
Securing Torrijos International Airport where the PDF’s 2nd Infantry Co. Airmobile (“Los Pumas”, “Cougars”) were stationed was one of the chief objectives of the airborne assault and was assigned to Task Force Red, made up of Rangers, and also members of the 4th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne) and elements of the 96th Civil Affairs Bn, all part of U.S. Army Special Operations Command and with the purpose of dealing with civilian targets.
The assault of Task Force Red was marred by a serious hitch. The ice storm in North Carolina meant that half of the troops to be deployed were delayed about three hours. This did not seriously affect the operation at Torrijos Airport but it delayed the operation which was to move out from Torrijos to attack the nearby PDF garrison at Fort Cimarron, home of the elite 2000 battalion. The Americans were to have secured the bridge over the Pacora River and prevent the 2000 Battalion from advancing down the only road to the Torrijos Airport and Panama City. This was the battalion which rushed into Panama City to rescue Noriega during the October coup when he was held captive by rebel officers in the Comandancia. The great fear of the Americans was that if this battalion broke through to Panama City, past the lightly armed Rangers by now in control of Torrijos Airport, they could cause immense trouble as an urban guerrilla force.
Before the Airborne troops could reach the Pacora Bridge, a convoy of the 2000 Battalion was already on the road bound for the city. Once again, the devastating air power of the Specter [sic] Gunships equipped with 105 mm Howitzer firing 40 lb shells was brought into play. They blew up the first nine vehicles in the convoy and the rest retreated to Fort Cimarron, which was itself pulverized later in the conflict.
Task Force Red also sent paratroopers to RÃo Hato, 90 miles west of Panama City. World War II airfield built by the U.S. and turned over to Panama. Based there were the 6th and 7th Rifle Companies of the PDF, known as the “Macho de Monte” (a feisty jungle animal). Paratroopers from the 2nd and 3rd Ranger Battalion engaged the Panamanians, supported by heavy air cover, and after a fierce fight, with loss of life on both sides secured the installation, taking about 300 prisoners.
Elements of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Group from Fort Campbell, Ky, flew combat missions in support of Task Force Red and other Special Operations units. Soldiers from Fort Bragg’s 528th Support Bn. (Airborne) 1st Special Operations Command (Airborne) established a forward armaments and refueling point in support of the 160th.
cont’d. below
FEMALE ON THE FLOOR! Aerial Bombardment
Aerial bombardment was a key factor in bringing the invasion to a swift conclusion.
A flight of Dragonfly jets over the Canal at the Bridge of the Americas. These planes are used in "forward air control" for combat escort, search, rescue and reconnaissance.
FEMALE ON THE FLOOR: Operation Just Cause
Troops run to helicopters arriving to take them to combat zones.
FEMALE ON THE FLOOR! Storming of Panama *4
Task Force Pacific, composed of the 82nd Airborne’s 4-325th, 1-504th and 2-504th Parachute Infantry Regiments, tackled the Panama Defense Forces Cavalry squadron at Panama Viejo and the 1st Infantry Co. (Los Tigres) at Tinajitas where they encountered stiff resistance.
One of the firefights which broke out in Panama City following the main assault took place at the Marriott Caesar Park Hotel. Dignity Battalion gunmen had made sorties on the hotel during the day of the invasion and had taken American hostages from among both staff and guests and held them for a few hours. Members of the 82nd Airborne arrived and evacuated the hotel freeing 14 Americans who had barricaded themselves in the basement. Shooting broke out during this operation during which a Spanish new photographer was killed and another photographer badly wounded. Other journalists at the scene say that American soldiers, nervous of snipers, began firing at each other. Some accounts say that snipers were indeed at work.
At Colon, the Atlantic gateway to the Panama Canal, Task Force Atlantic comprising soldiers from the 82 Airborne Division’s 3-504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, joined by the 7th Infantry Division’s 4-17th Infantry, reported that they easily subdued the PDF 8th Infantry Co. but encountered heavy resistance before overwhelming a PDF naval infantry company near the port of Coco Solo.
An element of Task Force Atlantic went to Gamboa midway across the isthmus to protect a U.S. housing area. They also took Gamboa Prison, releasing former PDF officers and men held there since October for their part in the unsuccessful coup against Noriega.
No bookmaker would have bothered to give odds on the outcome of the battle. The Americans launched 26,000 troops with massive air support in a night-time attack against about 3,500 soldiers of the Panama Defense Forces distributed in isolated garrisons throughout the republic. It is remarkable that Noriega’s army offered any resistance at all, knowing full well the might of the military machine which had been launched against them.
Psychologically, however, they had been prepared for the American invasion. The fighting elements of the PDF were tough, disciplined and well trained. A high proportion had in fact been trained at the U.S. Army School of the Americas which located in Panama from 1946 to 1984 when it was transferred to Fort Benning, Georgia. The PDF did a good job on brainwashing its soldiers, as do all armies, in the matter of discipline, loyalty to the flag and laying down of life for country and cause. The cause, apart from occasionally subduing un-armed civilian protesters, was to defend Panama from the Yankee aggressor, according to Noriega and his group.
The Panamanian soldiers who refused to surrender at the urging of the U.S. troops bellowing through their bellhorns, were doing their duty. The ones who shed their uniforms and melted into sidestreets and mountainsides can hardly be blamed for their pragmatism.
to be continued
Jones, Kenneth J., The Enemy Within: Casting Out Panama’s Demon
Copyright © 1990 Focus Publications, (Int.), S.A.
One of the firefights which broke out in Panama City following the main assault took place at the Marriott Caesar Park Hotel. Dignity Battalion gunmen had made sorties on the hotel during the day of the invasion and had taken American hostages from among both staff and guests and held them for a few hours. Members of the 82nd Airborne arrived and evacuated the hotel freeing 14 Americans who had barricaded themselves in the basement. Shooting broke out during this operation during which a Spanish new photographer was killed and another photographer badly wounded. Other journalists at the scene say that American soldiers, nervous of snipers, began firing at each other. Some accounts say that snipers were indeed at work.
At Colon, the Atlantic gateway to the Panama Canal, Task Force Atlantic comprising soldiers from the 82 Airborne Division’s 3-504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, joined by the 7th Infantry Division’s 4-17th Infantry, reported that they easily subdued the PDF 8th Infantry Co. but encountered heavy resistance before overwhelming a PDF naval infantry company near the port of Coco Solo.
An element of Task Force Atlantic went to Gamboa midway across the isthmus to protect a U.S. housing area. They also took Gamboa Prison, releasing former PDF officers and men held there since October for their part in the unsuccessful coup against Noriega.
No bookmaker would have bothered to give odds on the outcome of the battle. The Americans launched 26,000 troops with massive air support in a night-time attack against about 3,500 soldiers of the Panama Defense Forces distributed in isolated garrisons throughout the republic. It is remarkable that Noriega’s army offered any resistance at all, knowing full well the might of the military machine which had been launched against them.
Psychologically, however, they had been prepared for the American invasion. The fighting elements of the PDF were tough, disciplined and well trained. A high proportion had in fact been trained at the U.S. Army School of the Americas which located in Panama from 1946 to 1984 when it was transferred to Fort Benning, Georgia. The PDF did a good job on brainwashing its soldiers, as do all armies, in the matter of discipline, loyalty to the flag and laying down of life for country and cause. The cause, apart from occasionally subduing un-armed civilian protesters, was to defend Panama from the Yankee aggressor, according to Noriega and his group.
The Panamanian soldiers who refused to surrender at the urging of the U.S. troops bellowing through their bellhorns, were doing their duty. The ones who shed their uniforms and melted into sidestreets and mountainsides can hardly be blamed for their pragmatism.
to be continued
Jones, Kenneth J., The Enemy Within: Casting Out Panama’s Demon
Copyright © 1990 Focus Publications, (Int.), S.A.
Spirit Sounds
February 27
TAKE time for prayer. Take more time to be alone with Me. So only will you prosper.
Realize that the hearing of Spirit Sounds is more than the hearing of all earth's noises. I am with you. Let that content you, nay, more, let that fill you with rapture.
Seek sometimes not even to hear Me. Seek a silence of spirit-understanding with Me. Be not afraid. All is well. Dwell much on what I did, as well as what I said.
Remember, I touched "her hand and the fever left her." Not many words, just a moment's contact, and all fever left her. She was well, whole, calm, able to arise and "minister unto them."
My touch is still a potent healer. Just feel that touch. Sense My Presence, and the fever of work and care and fear--just melts into nothingness and health, joy, peace, take its place.
Russell, A. J., ed., God Calling. Barnes & Noble, 2002.
TAKE time for prayer. Take more time to be alone with Me. So only will you prosper.
Realize that the hearing of Spirit Sounds is more than the hearing of all earth's noises. I am with you. Let that content you, nay, more, let that fill you with rapture.
Seek sometimes not even to hear Me. Seek a silence of spirit-understanding with Me. Be not afraid. All is well. Dwell much on what I did, as well as what I said.
Remember, I touched "her hand and the fever left her." Not many words, just a moment's contact, and all fever left her. She was well, whole, calm, able to arise and "minister unto them."
My touch is still a potent healer. Just feel that touch. Sense My Presence, and the fever of work and care and fear--just melts into nothingness and health, joy, peace, take its place.
Russell, A. J., ed., God Calling. Barnes & Noble, 2002.
Marine Moms Online
Why Does My Son Want to be A Marine?
The reasons why some young Americans have chosen to become
United States Marines
As told by their mothers, fathers, wives, and other loved ones
The reasons why some young Americans have chosen to become
United States Marines
As told by their mothers, fathers, wives, and other loved ones
…When the recruiter brought came to our house, I looked my son straight in the eyes and asked "Why?" He said he felt called to do it. Our children become Marines for so many reasons: the challenge, the opportunities for advancement, the educational benefits, just to name a few.
…I do believe it is a "calling" of sorts.
…Some young men, and women, just have what it takes and they know it. My son said he just had to do it because he wanted to know he was making a difference.
…When my son left for Iraq, I told him what an honor it was to call him my son, the fact that he chose to be a Marine to protect "my country" to use his words. I had the opportunity to visit the Naval Medical Center of Bethesda 2 years ago and meet some of the wounded. What an honor and such a humbling experience. Every one of these young men told me they were "just doing their job."
…My son told me he did the right thing, for his freedom, the freedom of his family, and the freedom of his friends. He has been in the Al Anbar providence of Iraq since February. I think that some kids just have it in them that it is their duty. My son is also an Eagle Scout, where he learned duty at an early age. My husband served 4 years in the USMC, but I did not know him then, and he is not one of the vets you see doing all the vet stuff, until our son joined. So I say ‘thank you’ to your son for wanting to serve our country in a time such as this. Folks should be thankful of our sons volunteering theirs do not have to.
…There are probably as many reasons as there are Marines! My son wanted to prove to himself, and those who looked down on him, that he could do it. He told me he wanted to see if he could handle it and that he felt he needed the discipline. Whatever the reason, I hope you will honor and support your son’s choice. Please tell him ‘thank you’ too! We need as many with the drive to serve as possible. Bless their hearts!!
…I know for my son it was because you have to be tough to be a Marine, and I think he was trying to prove it to himself that he could do it. My son is now in MCT (military combat training) and will graduate on Friday and then off to his MOS. It has changed him so much, and all for the better.
…Good question. Why did MY son become a Marine? Why did I become a Marine, and why does ANYONE become a Marine? It is true what they say: It takes a certain kind of person to be a Marine. When I heard about it in high school, I was a hard working gal who made good grades and was graduating early, but I wanted something more than just college. I knew that I would go some day, but I wanted to experience life first. I liked the tradition of the Marine Corps, and I liked the fact that I wouldn't be doing what everyone else was doing. And I was always independent anyway. There were times I asked myself "What did I do?!" while in boot camp. That was 25 years ago. I served 4 years, and the lessons I learned in the Corps never leave me. Everyone that I tell "I am a former Marine" immediately has a look of respect in their eye that wasn't there before. I know I can make it through anything in life, because I made it through boot and so much more. I did my 4 years, went on to raise 2 sons, and I'm doing okay. I have owned 2 businesses; I have an undergrad degree in Marketing and a master's degree in Leadership. I am currently working in the field of non-profit fundraising for the YWCA "eliminating racism and empowering women.” I am training for my first marathon - The Marine Corps Marathon - on October 29th of this year. I'm doing it to raise money for Team in Training -The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I'm also doing it for my son who is currently serving in Iraq and due to come home in October. What I'm trying to say is, your son is doing this because he is not ordinary, and he doesn't think like everyone else. He is probably more driven than most his age, and more goal oriented. He will achieve much in life, more than likely, and there will be times where you will sweat out your own fear and doubt while he is a Marine. Be sure you make it to his graduation from boot camp. No matter how you feel right this minute, you will never be more proud of him in your life as you will the day he graduates.
Passing It On
I am passing on to all of you this message I received today.
Thanks
Dawn
***
This message came in to the American Gold Star Mothers Headquarters. I am mailing it to you for your own consideration as Dept of PA President. As a part of the PA Hometown Heroes Banner emailing list I thought you might be interested.
Ruth Stonesifer
***
Thank you for speaking with me this afternoon about Newsweek's efforts to contact family members who've lost loved ones in the Iraq War. In the next several weeks, Newsweek is attempting to write a history of the war that is composed almost entirely of the letters, emails and journals of men and women killed in the conflict. My own task is to contact families of service members killed in Iraq during 2006. But that is only part of the story and colleagues of mine are making similar efforts to amass the correspondence of those killed in the first year of the war, in Fallujah in 2004, and in 2005. We'd appreciate anything you can think of that would spread the word quickly to your members who might be willing to share their loved one's letters from Iraq with the public. Perhaps there are list serves, email lists or other ways you folks know about that might help spread our request quickly. It may help for folks to understand how project began. Last fall, Newsweek ran a lengthy piece about a Marine Captain, Robert Secher, who was killed by sniper fire in the Anbar province of Iraq. Secher was a prolific letter writer and, after receiving from his parents a stack of his letters home, we decided to run long excerpts. The letters told one slice of the Iraq story -- what it was like for Secher to train Iraqi troops, how his view of the war had evolved, and how bleak the mission seemed to him by the end of his nine months in Iraq. As a follow-up, we've decided to devote an entire issue to "voices of the fallen" -- letters from a variety of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who served and died in Iraq. We hope to get letters written during different periods, from the major battles of 2003 through the end of 2006. We will divide the letters into four periods and run excerpts verbatim. There will be no political analysis attached to the text and no editorializing; just introductions to the letters and transitions between the sections. This is the first time in years the magazine will devote most of its pages to one story.The key to this project is getting a large selection of correspondence. Family members willing to share letters or emails from loved ones killed in Iraq can reach me by email or by phone, listed at the bottom of this email. I'm also attaching a link to the story on Secher, which appeared in our November 6 issue, and attaching a copy below. The link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15458906/site/newsweek/.Thanks in advance for your assistance and regards, Andy Murr
**There was not a phone number or email, but I don't imagine it would be hard to find out. I've let this sit in my Inbox since the 19th. Some things take me longer than others. I don't know why I put stuff off like this.
Thanks
Dawn
***
This message came in to the American Gold Star Mothers Headquarters. I am mailing it to you for your own consideration as Dept of PA President. As a part of the PA Hometown Heroes Banner emailing list I thought you might be interested.
Ruth Stonesifer
***
Thank you for speaking with me this afternoon about Newsweek's efforts to contact family members who've lost loved ones in the Iraq War. In the next several weeks, Newsweek is attempting to write a history of the war that is composed almost entirely of the letters, emails and journals of men and women killed in the conflict. My own task is to contact families of service members killed in Iraq during 2006. But that is only part of the story and colleagues of mine are making similar efforts to amass the correspondence of those killed in the first year of the war, in Fallujah in 2004, and in 2005. We'd appreciate anything you can think of that would spread the word quickly to your members who might be willing to share their loved one's letters from Iraq with the public. Perhaps there are list serves, email lists or other ways you folks know about that might help spread our request quickly. It may help for folks to understand how project began. Last fall, Newsweek ran a lengthy piece about a Marine Captain, Robert Secher, who was killed by sniper fire in the Anbar province of Iraq. Secher was a prolific letter writer and, after receiving from his parents a stack of his letters home, we decided to run long excerpts. The letters told one slice of the Iraq story -- what it was like for Secher to train Iraqi troops, how his view of the war had evolved, and how bleak the mission seemed to him by the end of his nine months in Iraq. As a follow-up, we've decided to devote an entire issue to "voices of the fallen" -- letters from a variety of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who served and died in Iraq. We hope to get letters written during different periods, from the major battles of 2003 through the end of 2006. We will divide the letters into four periods and run excerpts verbatim. There will be no political analysis attached to the text and no editorializing; just introductions to the letters and transitions between the sections. This is the first time in years the magazine will devote most of its pages to one story.The key to this project is getting a large selection of correspondence. Family members willing to share letters or emails from loved ones killed in Iraq can reach me by email or by phone, listed at the bottom of this email. I'm also attaching a link to the story on Secher, which appeared in our November 6 issue, and attaching a copy below. The link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15458906/site/newsweek/.Thanks in advance for your assistance and regards, Andy Murr
**There was not a phone number or email, but I don't imagine it would be hard to find out. I've let this sit in my Inbox since the 19th. Some things take me longer than others. I don't know why I put stuff off like this.
Virgie Bell's View: Seasons
I finished Winds of War in the wee hours this morning. Again, I can't brag on Herman Wouk’s work enough. Isn't work a funny name for getting to weave plots around in writing? Writers love to write. They have to travel in order to research local color. Then they get to put their spin on the detail, intriguing us enough to purchase their books. They end up having created something lasting to an appreciative people. They also end up usually very rich and sought after.
I have started on the next to the last in his war series. It is called The Hope and I already find it fascinating. It is about the Six Day War between the Arab nations and the new Jewish state of Israel. After more than two thousand years, God has brought his Chosen People back to their homeland. These people come from all over the globe and are of every nationality. The battles and the leader of the day are the real historical people and places. They all spoke so many languages and had this small little rag tag military. Some actually fought the enemy with shovels and rakes. Against all reason and any logic, they won this war in just days. They fought against real armies with real tanks and guns, yet they won.
This little band of survivors had watched all of their loved ones die in a mass slaughter. They were reduced from millions of people to a few hundred thousand. They have been chased out from every place on earth and have this small little homeland that they believe to be their own, given to them by God. It is absolutely fascinating stuff and it is just like being there in person. I will admit that I find it all very mysterious in the way that they believe. How much time they devote to different feasts and celebrations. I also find the Amish belief strange. But I will say that I have nothing but the utmost respect for anyone to adhere closely to their religious practices. As long as it is kind and gentle, as many are, then who on earth does it hurt? What is a little land with a little peace and a little space in time going to hurt anyone else on the planet? It just is not going to. Yet look at us. Is the United States so impoverished that we would stand idly by as they are truly wiped from the face of the earth?
You can say it is not our fight but of course it is. How can you turn your back on anyone that asks so little? Here is one thing to keep in mind. They are chosen by God as His elected people. The blood of our Savior was shed on that soil. He was of that race and the Bible promises that in the end they all come together with nothing being lost. They have a special place in history; therefore they have a special place to me in my heart.
I am extremely provoked by all the hype about finding the earthly remains of Jesus and going to be examined for DNA. What a lot of rot. My Savior rose from the dead after He had won the battle over death and captured the keys to hell. Jesus is with us in every good thought and deed we do. The Bible tells us that we are forever of the priesthood of Melchizedek. That means we are of no genealogy. Thus they will not be finding any DNA.
I realize that this is hard to understand. I am a gifted reader and have quite a grasp of creative art, but when it comes to the math and science department, I am out to lunch. I learned long ago to bring something to the lowest common denominator. I have no more reservations about the resurrection of Jesus than I have of the fact that one day I met Roy who is my daughter’s husband and that in the fullness of time they married and gave birth to Kayla. She did not exist one day and then at a later date she did. I don't have to understand, I just have to hold his hand, as the old saying goes. As Aaron said" It is a belief man. You either believe in God or you don't."
Back to the present day and counting. It is day nineteen that Anna Nicole remains in a morgue. It is still all over the news. What a bunch of greedy clowns. I feel embarrassed for the career reporters for having to keep up with such nonsense. After riding with our troops in Iraq and facing the guns and weapons of the enemy, then having to report on such trivial junk. I mean, what is wrong with us? But I am just as guilty as the next in keeping up with it. I find that everyone has something to say about it. Most say they are just very tired of it all. I hate the fact that the deceased woman left behind a mother named Virgie. Lisa and Jerry were teasing me about it the other night and my reply was that I do have a couple of daughters that remind me of Anna Nicole, except she was prettier. Lisa said she would tell De'on what I said. It was of course, a joke. Oh well. I hope the whole thing is over soon. I do so long for my old hard news in politics and entertainment. I find my heart is very sad for the little baby daughter. May God protect her.
I have asked our editor to post Mr. Michael Creighton’s credentials and education on Gunz Up. Compared to the theory being put forth by the latest Hollywood Star, Al Gore, I think we should know more about nearly anyone else. One of the promises that we have from God is that we will always have our due seasons. To me, this means that we will not have to be here to endure a nuclear winter. I believe there will be a nuclear winter but we will be ruptured at that instant and just in time. Things are shaping up more and more for just such a catastrophic occurrence. Lisa and I were talking about this very thing yesterday and she asked me what would happen to us if we were to be conquered by the very ones who threaten us now. I replied that we would be given just enough food in order to work as slave labor. She was horrified and said, “Well, I would slit my throat first.” I told her that is self murder. And is forbidden. We both pondered the problem for a while and agreed that we would go out fighting the War on Terror to the best of our ability and we would gratefully SUPPORT THE TROOPS!
***i am making a correction in the post that I just wrote. The book is about when the Jewish people first returned to Isreal so it is not the six day war. I have no idea how long this war went on but they have just now returned. I have just gotten a little way into the book. the six day war comes later. signed Virgie Bell
I have started on the next to the last in his war series. It is called The Hope and I already find it fascinating. It is about the Six Day War between the Arab nations and the new Jewish state of Israel. After more than two thousand years, God has brought his Chosen People back to their homeland. These people come from all over the globe and are of every nationality. The battles and the leader of the day are the real historical people and places. They all spoke so many languages and had this small little rag tag military. Some actually fought the enemy with shovels and rakes. Against all reason and any logic, they won this war in just days. They fought against real armies with real tanks and guns, yet they won.
This little band of survivors had watched all of their loved ones die in a mass slaughter. They were reduced from millions of people to a few hundred thousand. They have been chased out from every place on earth and have this small little homeland that they believe to be their own, given to them by God. It is absolutely fascinating stuff and it is just like being there in person. I will admit that I find it all very mysterious in the way that they believe. How much time they devote to different feasts and celebrations. I also find the Amish belief strange. But I will say that I have nothing but the utmost respect for anyone to adhere closely to their religious practices. As long as it is kind and gentle, as many are, then who on earth does it hurt? What is a little land with a little peace and a little space in time going to hurt anyone else on the planet? It just is not going to. Yet look at us. Is the United States so impoverished that we would stand idly by as they are truly wiped from the face of the earth?
You can say it is not our fight but of course it is. How can you turn your back on anyone that asks so little? Here is one thing to keep in mind. They are chosen by God as His elected people. The blood of our Savior was shed on that soil. He was of that race and the Bible promises that in the end they all come together with nothing being lost. They have a special place in history; therefore they have a special place to me in my heart.
I am extremely provoked by all the hype about finding the earthly remains of Jesus and going to be examined for DNA. What a lot of rot. My Savior rose from the dead after He had won the battle over death and captured the keys to hell. Jesus is with us in every good thought and deed we do. The Bible tells us that we are forever of the priesthood of Melchizedek. That means we are of no genealogy. Thus they will not be finding any DNA.
I realize that this is hard to understand. I am a gifted reader and have quite a grasp of creative art, but when it comes to the math and science department, I am out to lunch. I learned long ago to bring something to the lowest common denominator. I have no more reservations about the resurrection of Jesus than I have of the fact that one day I met Roy who is my daughter’s husband and that in the fullness of time they married and gave birth to Kayla. She did not exist one day and then at a later date she did. I don't have to understand, I just have to hold his hand, as the old saying goes. As Aaron said" It is a belief man. You either believe in God or you don't."
Back to the present day and counting. It is day nineteen that Anna Nicole remains in a morgue. It is still all over the news. What a bunch of greedy clowns. I feel embarrassed for the career reporters for having to keep up with such nonsense. After riding with our troops in Iraq and facing the guns and weapons of the enemy, then having to report on such trivial junk. I mean, what is wrong with us? But I am just as guilty as the next in keeping up with it. I find that everyone has something to say about it. Most say they are just very tired of it all. I hate the fact that the deceased woman left behind a mother named Virgie. Lisa and Jerry were teasing me about it the other night and my reply was that I do have a couple of daughters that remind me of Anna Nicole, except she was prettier. Lisa said she would tell De'on what I said. It was of course, a joke. Oh well. I hope the whole thing is over soon. I do so long for my old hard news in politics and entertainment. I find my heart is very sad for the little baby daughter. May God protect her.
I have asked our editor to post Mr. Michael Creighton’s credentials and education on Gunz Up. Compared to the theory being put forth by the latest Hollywood Star, Al Gore, I think we should know more about nearly anyone else. One of the promises that we have from God is that we will always have our due seasons. To me, this means that we will not have to be here to endure a nuclear winter. I believe there will be a nuclear winter but we will be ruptured at that instant and just in time. Things are shaping up more and more for just such a catastrophic occurrence. Lisa and I were talking about this very thing yesterday and she asked me what would happen to us if we were to be conquered by the very ones who threaten us now. I replied that we would be given just enough food in order to work as slave labor. She was horrified and said, “Well, I would slit my throat first.” I told her that is self murder. And is forbidden. We both pondered the problem for a while and agreed that we would go out fighting the War on Terror to the best of our ability and we would gratefully SUPPORT THE TROOPS!
***i am making a correction in the post that I just wrote. The book is about when the Jewish people first returned to Isreal so it is not the six day war. I have no idea how long this war went on but they have just now returned. I have just gotten a little way into the book. the six day war comes later. signed Virgie Bell
From the Top (Not you, Steve :)
Wow, you know there's a lot of news today. During the early hours of the morning, right before I went to bed, I read about the explosion in Afghanistan. I emailed Doc and asked him to report back to me that he was okay. Here's his email pasted in.
###
I am OK, that bomb is actually a funny story. My convoy was about 4 minutes from the gate when that went off, we were doing our weekly run up to the airfield at Bagram for supplies and to take patients to the big hospital there. We were late taking off because of an unexplained radio malfunction, if our radios had been OK, we would've left on time and been sitting there when it went off. But thanks to the grace of god we weren't. Take care Doc Duty
+++
God holds every second, doesn't He? Sometimes our delays are for things exactly like this. Each and everyone of God's creatures doesn't go without His notice.
He notices the married brother and sister with children who think Germany's incest laws are archaic. I'm assuming they think as little of their Creator's laws. There came the time that God commanded this type of relationship to end. Being the one who holds the patent on DNA, He knew exactly at what generation inter-marriage and inter-breeding must end.
I bring this up for a reason. This kind of stuff has always sickened me, but God says that it will be. Lately, it sickens me more because of some of the comments we've gotten due to SPAM. I'M THINKING OF PUTTING A SPAM PROTECTION UP AGAIN. I've tried this before and then I've taken it down because I have trouble with deciphering some of the letters that one is required to type in the little box and since I know that I have a couple of readers that have a harder time than me as far as reading goes, I've tried to avoid these?
ALSO, DOES ANYONE KNOW WHO I CAN TURN THESE LOLITAS INTO THAT FEATURE LINKS TO EVERY PORNO SIGHT ONE CAN THINK OF? ALTHOUGH I DON'T CLICK ON THEM, THE READING OF IT ALONE IS SICKENING AND ILLEGAL!
So look for that to happen if it gets any worse. I pray over this site, so it shocks me that this is happening. And with everything else that is happening, I've wondered if the time for this blog has ceased. But then I get a comment from someone who was a gunner on the Spectre during Vietnam or a principal that Steve wrote about in a post over two months ago. There was the son of the combat artist from WWII (who we will lend some time to in the future) and from my regulars who I know I'd keep in touch with no matter what.
There are people I miss hearing from and concern myself everyday with: Diana, Julia, The Mushrooms, Howell, Andrew, and though the site has never heard from our Gunz Up Marine, Miles, Steve and I had some contact with him through email, but the last one I sent came back to me. Of course, the lists of names we can lay our hands on have nothing to do with those who are injured, and then with the Mushrooms, I've never known their true names, thus this job does have its drawbacks.
It's time for some new stuff. I've thought of painting our walls here! Semper Fi Mom did and when I clicked on, gone the black and in with the white. Our new site won't be ready for a while I fear, so it's time to do a little remodeling here.
There are some new links I want to add. And the biggest thing will be a new link for those interested in taking a Bible Study. I belong to a Friendship Coffee Bible Study that is non-denominational. I was invited to it not long after Aaron was killed. I went to be "nice" because I really didn't look for too much out of this because of the simplicity of it. As usual, I was wrong. I've learned a great deal in our studying of Genesis, and as some of us know, it's hard to grasp the middle or end of anything without first grasping the beginning. I've learned so much in it that I want to share it with anyone who is interested, so as time allows, I will be building a new Blog for that as well as other Bible studies and spiritual things, that of course will be easily linked from Gunz Up. For a while, I thought of putting it on Gunz Up, but we have so many posts already that I don't want this to get lost or unorganized in any way. SO IF ANY OF YOU WANT TO ADD TO IT IN SOMEWAY, I'M OPEN. IS THERE A GREAT NAME YOU CAN THINK OF FOR THE BLOG? LINKS YOU'D LIKE TO SEE?
Gunz Up will continue with the same content as well as new when it can be generated. Sgt. Knipper has said to expect a post from him in a few days. Kayla and Greg are lost to us I'm afraid, but I'll keep their names up. VB still needs a profile and Steve just needs health and energy which will come in time.
I will announce within the next couple of days how much money we've earned for shoes. I have to do some figuring and one of our reader's needed an extension due to a death in the family. And of course, we see how busy Doc Duty has been.
Well, I'll get busy with some posts. Hope you're not blowing away where you're at. We are here!
Later Gator!
De'on
COMING HOME: The Voice
From : Austin PFC Aaron C
Sent : Tuesday, July 8, 2003 11:26 PM
To : "'de'on miller'"
Subject : RE:
hey mom tell grandma and gradpa to be at horno about 1130 am on
saturday and
to just go down the 5 and take the onofre gate and it will say
it on the 5
hwy and then just ask the guards for better directions it will
not be hard.
and i just sent everything about the leave so let me get a reply
soon
because the email will be down after tomorrow at around
midnight. well tell
kayla i love her and for allie to call me i love you and tell
everyone else
i love them.
aaron
-----Original Message-----
From: de'on miller [mailto:deonmiller7@hotmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2003 6:07 PM
To: AustinAC@rushmore.usmc.mil
Subject:
Hi Babe..what an awesome forward about the wounded soldier and
President
Bush. Thanks. Kayla and I are at the Tech Library. She helped
Tonya at
the office today while I went to school. Then she helped me
pick up trash,
we swam, ate at Furr's and now we are here at the library. Busy
day, but I
think she is enjoying herself. Your Grandma got the cards and
stuff. I
talked to her for a few minutes yesterday. She said your ship
will be in
Sat. I know you are happy. I love you and let me know as soon
as you can
how leave is going to work out. Oh yeah, I saw Fonzie the other
day. He
works at Wal-Mart. He's anxious to see you and hear all the
stories! I
love you, Mom
Sent : Tuesday, July 8, 2003 11:26 PM
To : "'de'on miller'"
Subject : RE:
hey mom tell grandma and gradpa to be at horno about 1130 am on
saturday and
to just go down the 5 and take the onofre gate and it will say
it on the 5
hwy and then just ask the guards for better directions it will
not be hard.
and i just sent everything about the leave so let me get a reply
soon
because the email will be down after tomorrow at around
midnight. well tell
kayla i love her and for allie to call me i love you and tell
everyone else
i love them.
aaron
-----Original Message-----
From: de'on miller [mailto:deonmiller7@hotmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2003 6:07 PM
To: AustinAC@rushmore.usmc.mil
Subject:
Hi Babe..what an awesome forward about the wounded soldier and
President
Bush. Thanks. Kayla and I are at the Tech Library. She helped
Tonya at
the office today while I went to school. Then she helped me
pick up trash,
we swam, ate at Furr's and now we are here at the library. Busy
day, but I
think she is enjoying herself. Your Grandma got the cards and
stuff. I
talked to her for a few minutes yesterday. She said your ship
will be in
Sat. I know you are happy. I love you and let me know as soon
as you can
how leave is going to work out. Oh yeah, I saw Fonzie the other
day. He
works at Wal-Mart. He's anxious to see you and hear all the
stories! I
love you, Mom
Congratulations to Peter Hurd and Karen Grigsby
This brilliant color is a photograph of a window in a hotel in Albuquerque depicting the painting Karen speaks of in her essay.
Click here for a GIF image (which I can't save on Blogger) of this painting as well as the legend.
And now, on to the winning author, Karen Grigsby, STAR STUDENT.
can you $ay $hoes?
Peter Hurd and the Legend of San Ysidro
When Gunz up posted the portraits of Airmen painted by Peter Hurd, Life Magazine's war correspondent during World War II, I was particularly drawn back, time and again, to these wonderful paintings. I love how true to life they are and the attention paid to every detail of each man and his job is now a recorded part of our history that would be lost to us if not for these works. When the Teach requested an essay on either this artist or Michael Reagan, I immediately picked Peter Hurd because of this history. Life Magazine was one of the first publications that wanted to present the "mysteries and spectacle of war" and Peter Hurd was one of seven chosen combat artists sent to war theatres to create sketches and paintings of what they saw first hand.
As I researched further, I learned that not only did he serve our country in this way during World War II with his artistic talent, his whole life was dedicated to his art and he was also renowned for his murals and paintings depicting the history of Southwestern life here in America.
I was pleasantly surprised to learn that he was born in Roswell, New Mexico in 1904. He was raised in the life of ranching and farming and he found beauty in the New Mexico landscape. He loved the Military and attended West Point, but he also had a love of his art, painting. He left West Point after a couple of years in 1923 to go to Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, where he met and became a student of N.C. Wyeth, a renowned illustrator that he deeply admired and respected. For ten years he lived and painted under the strict guidance of Wyeth, and in 1929, he married Wyeth's oldest daughter, Henriette, who is also an accomplished artist. After marrying, he longed for home in his beloved New Mexico, so he moved his new wife to Sentinal Ranch in San Patricio, New Mexico, where they lived and shared a studio and their love of painting.
In 1959, Hurd was appointed to the Presidents Commission of Fine Arts by President Dwight D Eisenhower and in 1966 he painted the official portrait of President Lyndon B Johnson, which was rejected by Johnson, and now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery.
As I looked on the internet at his works, that to this day are displayed in galleries and museums throughout the country, I was pulled into the beautiful murals and paintings of farming and ranch life, the wonderful landscapes of the sometimes desolate beauty of his surroundings. Paintings with names like Artesian Windmill, Hondo Valley, Sunday Afternoon in New Mexico and Rio Hondo. I was especially touched by one of his paintings called “The Legend of San Ysidro". The painting is a tranquil scene of a valley, nestled beneath mountains, depicting a day in the life of San Ysidro. It is one of the most beautiful and peaceful paintings I have ever seen. Peter Hurd generously donated this painting to the St. Jude Catholic Mission in San Patricio, New Mexico in 1967 and the following is the text from the document, handwritten by Peter Hurd that accompanied the gift of the painting. I think it describes this beautiful painting perfectly, and you can feel his art, his love of capturing the moment and his love of the panoramic views surrounding him through his own words
:
“The Legend of San Ysidro"
Many years ago in far away Spain, which is a country that looks very much like New Mexico, there lived a man named Ysidro. A good man, being both devout and hard working he was destined to become a saint. Although Ysidro's last name is lost in the dust of centuries, it is known that he was a faithful and trusted laborer for a rich farmer named Juan Vargas. But as sometimes happens among people, a spirit of envy and resentment toward Ysidro arose among the other workers on the farm. At first Don Juan paid no attention to this but as the gossip continued and other workers reported that Ysidro really didn't work nearly as hard or faithfully as some people believed, Don Juan decided to see for himself.
So early one morning while dew glistened on the grass and before the sun had peeped from behind the foothills of the Sierra Guadarrama, Don Juan walked toward a field, which Ysidro had been told to plow. After pushing through a willow thicket that flanked a beautiful mountain stream, very much like our own Rio Ruidoso, he came suddenly to the field and there before him was Ysidro, but instead of plowing the earth as he has been told to do he was kneeling, his head bowed and hands clasped. His Patron was on the very verge of telling him angrily that he should be working and not loafing while the field went unplowed. But the scolding was never delivered for suddenly a most awesome and beautiful sight drew the attention of Don Juan Vargas. For there behind the kneeling figure of Ysidro who remained lost in a devotional dream, there gliding slowly across the field was a yolk of milk-white oxen. Holding the plow which the oxen were pulling was a winged angel wearing a golden surcoat
.
And so Ysidro's name has come down through the years ever since the 12th century when he lived. Throughout the Spanish speaking countries he is known as San Ysidro, El Labrador, the patron saint of farmers and ranchers and workers everywhere
.
This painting is a gift to the new church of San Patricio and to my neighbors up and down the valley. I hope that they will share with me my delight in the subject. As they will see, I have not painted the dress and implements of the 12th century in Spain; rather I have attempted to stress the universal and timeless beauty of the Legend of San Ysidro, making him someone who might have lived in our own valley and in Recent Times.
Peter Hurd
San Patricio
September 1967
by aunt karen
Key to the Test
Image © Verna Bice
1. a
2. a
3. c
4. d
5.d
6. T
7. F.
8. T
9. T
10. F
11. F.
12. T
13. T
14. F
15. T
16-30
literary cartoon- H
M1918 155mm howitzer- D
Friday- E, F
Jews of Jesus' day- G
Guadalcanal- C, I
Charles Gene Abrell- A, J
Momma Smurf- B, L
Fleet Admiral Nimitz- K, M
General Manuel Noriega- N
Michael Reagan- O
Monday, February 26, 2007
Roll Call
Gunz Up does
01 Sgt. Thomas E. Vandling Jr. 26 01 January 2007 303rd Psychological Operations Co., a subordinate unit of the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne), MND-Baghdad IED detonated near patrol, southwest of the Iraqi capital Jan. 1. The combined patrol was moving through a village south of Baghdad talking to residents about the sectarian violence in the area. As the patrol conducted their mission, a roadside bomb exploded near one of their vehicles.
H
O
N
O
R
01 Sgt. Thomas E. Vandling Jr. 26 01 January 2007 303rd Psychological Operations Co., a subordinate unit of the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne), MND-Baghdad IED detonated near patrol, southwest of the Iraqi capital Jan. 1. The combined patrol was moving through a village south of Baghdad talking to residents about the sectarian violence in the area. As the patrol conducted their mission, a roadside bomb exploded near one of their vehicles.
+++Thank you for your service and sacrifice Sgt. Vandling and family.
Click here for a message from his family and Amazing Grace on the bagpipes. Both are beautiful.
Click here for a message from his family and Amazing Grace on the bagpipes. Both are beautiful.
FIRST
do my students remember this?
The division's post exchanges began selling the patches almost immediately and they proved to be popular, with Marines buying extras to give away as souvenirs to Australian friends or to send home to families. Before long, newly established Marine divisions, as well as the raider and parachute units, and as the aircraft wings, sea-going Marines, Fleet Marine Force Pacific units, and others, were authorized to have their own distinctive patch, a total of 33, following the lead of the 1st Marine Division. Marines returning to the United States for duty or on leave from a unit having a distinctive shoulder insignia were authorized to wear that insignia until they were assigned to another unit having a shoulder patch of its own. For many 1st Marine Division men joining another unit and having to relinquish the wearing of the 1st Division patch, this rankled.
Shortly after the end of the war, Colonel Twining went to now-Marine Commandant General Vandegrift saying that he "no longer thought Marines should wear anything on their uniforms to distinguish them from other Marines. He agreed and the patches came off for good." —Benis M. Frank
Blood Is Thicker Than Water: Native guides ...
... lead 2d Raider Battalion Marines on a combat/reconnaissance patrol behind Japanese lines. The patrol lasted for less than a month, during which the Marines covered 150 miles and fought more than a dozen actions.
Department of Defense (USMC) Photo 51728
Blood Is Thicker Than Water: November and the Continuing Buildup (cont'd) *6
FIRST OFFENSIVE: The Marine Campaign for Guadalcanal
by Henry I. Shaw, Jr.
The buildup on Guadalcanal continued, by both sides. On 11 November, guarded by a cruiser-destroyer covering force, a convoy ran in carrying the 182d Infantry, another regiment of the Americal Division. The ships were pounded by enemy bombers and three transports were hit, but the men landed. General Vandegrift needed the new men badly. His veterans were truly ready for replacement; more than a thousand new cases of malaria and related diseases were reported each week. The Japanese who had been on the island any length of time were no better off; they were, in fact, in worse shape. Medical supplies and rations were in short supply. The whole thrust of the Japanese reinforcement effort continued to be to get troops and combat equipment ashore. The idea prevailed in Tokyo, despite all evidence to the contrary, that one overwhelming coordinated assault would crush the American resistance. The enemy drive to take Port Moresby on New Guinea was put on hold to concentrate all efforts on driving the Americans off of Guadalcanal.
On 12 November, a multifaceted Japanese naval force converged on Guadalcanal to cover the landing of the main body of the 38th Division. Rear Admiral Daniel J. Callaghan's cruisers and destroyers, the close-in protection for the 182d's transports, moved to stop the enemy. Coastwatcher and scout plane sightings and radio traffic intercepts had identified two battleships, two carriers, four cruisers, and a host of destroyers all headed toward Guadalcanal. A bombardment group led by the battleships Hiei and Kirishima, with the light cruiser Nagura, and 15 destroyers spearheaded the attack. Shortly after midnight, near Savo Island, Callaghan's cruisers picked up the Japanese on radar and continued to close. The battle was joined at such short range that each side fired at times on their own ships. Callaghan's flagship, the San Francisco, was hit 15 times, Callaghan was killed, and the ship had to limp away. The cruiser Atlanta (CL-104) was also hit and set afire. Rear Admiral Norman Scott, who was on board, was killed. Despite the hammering by Japanese fire, the Americans held and continued fighting. The battleship Hiei, hit by more than 80 shells, retired and with it went the rest of the bombardment force. Three destroyers were sunk and four others damaged.
The Americans had accomplished their purpose; they had forced the Japanese to turn back. The cost was high. Two antiaircraft cruisers, the Atlanta and the Juneau (CL-52), were sunk; four destroyers, the Barton (DD-599), Cushing (DD-376), Monssen (DD-436), and Laffey (DD-459), also went to the bottom. In addition to the San Francisco, the heavy cruiser Portland and the destroyers Sterret (DD-407), and Aaron Ward (DD-483) were damaged. One one destroyer of the 13 American ships engaged, the Fletcher (DD-445), was unscathed when the survivors retired to the New Hebrides.
With daylight came the Cactus bombers and fighters; they found the crippled Hiei and pounded it mercilessly. On the 14th the Japanese were forced to scuttle it. Admiral Halsey ordered his only surviving carrier, the Enterprise, out of the Guadalcanal area to get it out of reach of Japanese aircraft and sent his battleships Washington (BB-56) and South Dakota with four escorting destroyers north to meet the Japanese. Some of the Enterprise's planes flew in to Henderson Field to help even the odds.
(continues below)
by Henry I. Shaw, Jr.
The buildup on Guadalcanal continued, by both sides. On 11 November, guarded by a cruiser-destroyer covering force, a convoy ran in carrying the 182d Infantry, another regiment of the Americal Division. The ships were pounded by enemy bombers and three transports were hit, but the men landed. General Vandegrift needed the new men badly. His veterans were truly ready for replacement; more than a thousand new cases of malaria and related diseases were reported each week. The Japanese who had been on the island any length of time were no better off; they were, in fact, in worse shape. Medical supplies and rations were in short supply. The whole thrust of the Japanese reinforcement effort continued to be to get troops and combat equipment ashore. The idea prevailed in Tokyo, despite all evidence to the contrary, that one overwhelming coordinated assault would crush the American resistance. The enemy drive to take Port Moresby on New Guinea was put on hold to concentrate all efforts on driving the Americans off of Guadalcanal.
On 12 November, a multifaceted Japanese naval force converged on Guadalcanal to cover the landing of the main body of the 38th Division. Rear Admiral Daniel J. Callaghan's cruisers and destroyers, the close-in protection for the 182d's transports, moved to stop the enemy. Coastwatcher and scout plane sightings and radio traffic intercepts had identified two battleships, two carriers, four cruisers, and a host of destroyers all headed toward Guadalcanal. A bombardment group led by the battleships Hiei and Kirishima, with the light cruiser Nagura, and 15 destroyers spearheaded the attack. Shortly after midnight, near Savo Island, Callaghan's cruisers picked up the Japanese on radar and continued to close. The battle was joined at such short range that each side fired at times on their own ships. Callaghan's flagship, the San Francisco, was hit 15 times, Callaghan was killed, and the ship had to limp away. The cruiser Atlanta (CL-104) was also hit and set afire. Rear Admiral Norman Scott, who was on board, was killed. Despite the hammering by Japanese fire, the Americans held and continued fighting. The battleship Hiei, hit by more than 80 shells, retired and with it went the rest of the bombardment force. Three destroyers were sunk and four others damaged.
The Americans had accomplished their purpose; they had forced the Japanese to turn back. The cost was high. Two antiaircraft cruisers, the Atlanta and the Juneau (CL-52), were sunk; four destroyers, the Barton (DD-599), Cushing (DD-376), Monssen (DD-436), and Laffey (DD-459), also went to the bottom. In addition to the San Francisco, the heavy cruiser Portland and the destroyers Sterret (DD-407), and Aaron Ward (DD-483) were damaged. One one destroyer of the 13 American ships engaged, the Fletcher (DD-445), was unscathed when the survivors retired to the New Hebrides.
With daylight came the Cactus bombers and fighters; they found the crippled Hiei and pounded it mercilessly. On the 14th the Japanese were forced to scuttle it. Admiral Halsey ordered his only surviving carrier, the Enterprise, out of the Guadalcanal area to get it out of reach of Japanese aircraft and sent his battleships Washington (BB-56) and South Dakota with four escorting destroyers north to meet the Japanese. Some of the Enterprise's planes flew in to Henderson Field to help even the odds.
(continues below)
Blood Is Thicker Than Water: In the great naval Battle of Guadalcanal
12-15 November, RAdm Daniel J. Callaghan was killed when his flagship, the heavy cruiser San Francisco (CA-38) took 15 major hits and was forced to limp away in the dark from the scene of action.
Department of Defense (Navy) Photo 80-G-20824 and 80-G-G-21099
Blood Is Thicker Than Water: November and the Continuing Buildup (continued)*7
On 14 November Cactus and Enterprise flyers found a Japanese cruiser-destroyer force that had pounded the island on the night of 13 November. They damaged four cruisers and a destroyer. After refueling and rearming they went after the approaching Japanese troop convoy. They hit several transports in one attack and sank one when they came back again. Army B-17s up from Espiritu Santo scored one hit and several near misses, bombing from 17,000 feet.
Moving in a continuous pattern of attack, return, refuel, rearm, and attack again, the planes from Guadalcanal hit nine transports, sinking seven. Many of the 5,000 troops on the stricken ships were rescued by Tanaka's destroyers, which were firing furiously and laying smoke screens in an attempt to protect the transports. The admiral later recalled that day as indelible in his mind, with memories of "bombs wobbling down from high-flying B-17s; of carrier bombers roaring towards targets as though to plunge full into the water, releasing bombs and pulling out barely in time, each miss sending up towering clouds of mist and spray, every hit raising clouds of smoke and fire." Despite the intensive aerial attack, Tanaka continued on to Guadalcanal with four destroyers and four transports.
Japanese intelligence had picked up the approaching American battleship force and warned Tanaka of its advent. In turn, the enemy admirals sent their own battleship-cruiser force to intercept. The Americans, led by Rear Admiral Willis A. Lee in the Washington, reached Sealark Channel about 2100 on the 14th. An hour later, a Japanese cruiser was picked up north of Savo. Battleship fire soon turned it away. The Japanese now learned that their opponents would not be the cruisers they expected.
The resulting clash, fought in the glare of gunfire and Japanese searchlights, was perhaps the most significant fought at sea for Guadalcanal. When the melee was over, the American battleships' 16-inch guns had more than matched the Japanese. Both the South Dakota and the Washington were damaged badly enough to force their retirement, but the Kirishima was punished to its abandonment and death. One Japanese and three American destroyers, the Benham (DD-796), the Walke (DD-416), and the Preston (DD-379), were sunk. When the Japanese attack force retired, Admiral Tanaka ran his four transports onto the beach, knowing they would be sitting targets at daylight. Most of the men on board, however, did manage to get ashore before the inevitable pounding by American planes, warships, and artillery.
Ten thousand troops of the 38th Division had landed, but the Japanese were in no shape to ever again attempt a massive reinforcement. The horrific losses in the frequent naval clashes, which seemed at times to favor the Japanese, did not really represent a standoff. Every American ship lost or damaged could and would be replaced; every Japanese ship lost meant a steadily diminishing fleet. In the air, the losses on both sides were daunting, but the enemy naval air arm would never recover from its losses of experienced carrier pilots. Two years later, the Battle of the Philippine Sea between American and Japanese carriers would aptly be called the "Marianas Turkey Shoot" because of the ineptitude of the Japanese trainee pilots.
The enemy troops who had been fortunate enough to reach land were not immediately ready to assault the American positions. The 38th Division and the remnants of the various Japanese units that had previously tried to penetrate the Marine lines needed to be shaped into a coherent attack force before General Hyakutake could again attempt to take Henderson Field.
General Vandegrift now had enough fresh units to begin to replace his veteran troops along the front lines. The decision to replace the 1st Marine Division with the Army's 25th Infantry Division had been made. Admiral Turner had told Vandegrift to leave all of his heavy equipment on the island when he did pull out "in hopes of getting your units re-equipped when you come out." He also told the Marine general that the Army would command the final phases of the Guadalcanal operation since it would provide the majority of the combat forces once the 1st Division departed. Major General Alexander M. Patch, commander of the Americal Division. would relieve Vandegrift as senior American officer ashore. His air support would continue to be Marine-dominated as General Geiger, now located on Espiritu Santo with 1st Wing headquarters, fed his squadrons forward to maintain the offensive. And the air command on Guadalcanal itself would continue to be a mixed bag of Army, Navy, Marine, and Allied squadrons.
The sick list of the 1st Marine Division in November included more than 3,200 men with malaria. The men of the 1st still manning the frontline foxholes and the rear areas—if anyplace within Guadalcanal's perimeter could properly be called a rear area—were plain worn out. They had done their part and they knew it.
On 29 November, General Vandegrift was handed a message from the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The crux of it read: "1st MarDiv is to be relived without delay ... and will proceed to Australia for rehabilitation and employment." The word soon spread that the 1st was leaving and where it was going. Australia was not yet the cherished place it would become in the division's future, but any place was preferable to Guadalcanal.
Source
***This is the final post for November in Guadalcanal. Next we will wrap it up with December and then we'll head to Guam.
Moving in a continuous pattern of attack, return, refuel, rearm, and attack again, the planes from Guadalcanal hit nine transports, sinking seven. Many of the 5,000 troops on the stricken ships were rescued by Tanaka's destroyers, which were firing furiously and laying smoke screens in an attempt to protect the transports. The admiral later recalled that day as indelible in his mind, with memories of "bombs wobbling down from high-flying B-17s; of carrier bombers roaring towards targets as though to plunge full into the water, releasing bombs and pulling out barely in time, each miss sending up towering clouds of mist and spray, every hit raising clouds of smoke and fire." Despite the intensive aerial attack, Tanaka continued on to Guadalcanal with four destroyers and four transports.
Japanese intelligence had picked up the approaching American battleship force and warned Tanaka of its advent. In turn, the enemy admirals sent their own battleship-cruiser force to intercept. The Americans, led by Rear Admiral Willis A. Lee in the Washington, reached Sealark Channel about 2100 on the 14th. An hour later, a Japanese cruiser was picked up north of Savo. Battleship fire soon turned it away. The Japanese now learned that their opponents would not be the cruisers they expected.
The resulting clash, fought in the glare of gunfire and Japanese searchlights, was perhaps the most significant fought at sea for Guadalcanal. When the melee was over, the American battleships' 16-inch guns had more than matched the Japanese. Both the South Dakota and the Washington were damaged badly enough to force their retirement, but the Kirishima was punished to its abandonment and death. One Japanese and three American destroyers, the Benham (DD-796), the Walke (DD-416), and the Preston (DD-379), were sunk. When the Japanese attack force retired, Admiral Tanaka ran his four transports onto the beach, knowing they would be sitting targets at daylight. Most of the men on board, however, did manage to get ashore before the inevitable pounding by American planes, warships, and artillery.
Ten thousand troops of the 38th Division had landed, but the Japanese were in no shape to ever again attempt a massive reinforcement. The horrific losses in the frequent naval clashes, which seemed at times to favor the Japanese, did not really represent a standoff. Every American ship lost or damaged could and would be replaced; every Japanese ship lost meant a steadily diminishing fleet. In the air, the losses on both sides were daunting, but the enemy naval air arm would never recover from its losses of experienced carrier pilots. Two years later, the Battle of the Philippine Sea between American and Japanese carriers would aptly be called the "Marianas Turkey Shoot" because of the ineptitude of the Japanese trainee pilots.
The enemy troops who had been fortunate enough to reach land were not immediately ready to assault the American positions. The 38th Division and the remnants of the various Japanese units that had previously tried to penetrate the Marine lines needed to be shaped into a coherent attack force before General Hyakutake could again attempt to take Henderson Field.
General Vandegrift now had enough fresh units to begin to replace his veteran troops along the front lines. The decision to replace the 1st Marine Division with the Army's 25th Infantry Division had been made. Admiral Turner had told Vandegrift to leave all of his heavy equipment on the island when he did pull out "in hopes of getting your units re-equipped when you come out." He also told the Marine general that the Army would command the final phases of the Guadalcanal operation since it would provide the majority of the combat forces once the 1st Division departed. Major General Alexander M. Patch, commander of the Americal Division. would relieve Vandegrift as senior American officer ashore. His air support would continue to be Marine-dominated as General Geiger, now located on Espiritu Santo with 1st Wing headquarters, fed his squadrons forward to maintain the offensive. And the air command on Guadalcanal itself would continue to be a mixed bag of Army, Navy, Marine, and Allied squadrons.
The sick list of the 1st Marine Division in November included more than 3,200 men with malaria. The men of the 1st still manning the frontline foxholes and the rear areas—if anyplace within Guadalcanal's perimeter could properly be called a rear area—were plain worn out. They had done their part and they knew it.
On 29 November, General Vandegrift was handed a message from the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The crux of it read: "1st MarDiv is to be relived without delay ... and will proceed to Australia for rehabilitation and employment." The word soon spread that the 1st was leaving and where it was going. Australia was not yet the cherished place it would become in the division's future, but any place was preferable to Guadalcanal.
Source
***This is the final post for November in Guadalcanal. Next we will wrap it up with December and then we'll head to Guam.
Blood Is Thicker Than Water: A Japanese troop transport ...
... and her landing craft were badly damaged by the numerous Marine air attacks and were forced to run aground on Kokumbona beach after the naval Battle of Guadalcanal. Many enemy troops were killed in the attacks.
Department of Defense (USMC) Photo 53510
The Japanese Model 89 (1929) 50mm Heavy Grenade Discharger
Born out of the need to bridge the gap in range between hand grenades and mortars, the grenade discharger evolved in the Imperial Japanese Army from a special purpose weapon of infantry assault and defense to an essential item of standard equipment with all Japanese ground forces.
Commonly called Juteki by the Japanese, this weapon officially was designated Hachikyu Shiki Jutekidarto, or 1189 Model Heavy Grenade Discharger, the term "heavy" being justified by the powerful 1-pound, 12-ounce high explosive shell it was designed to fire, although it also fired the standard Model 91 fragmentation grenade.
To the American Marines and soldiers who first encountered this weapon and others of its kind in combat they were known as "knee mortars," likely so named because they generally were fired from a kneeling position. Typically, the discharger's concave baseplate was pressed firmly into the surface of the ground by the firer's foot to support the heavy recoil of the fired shell, but unfortunately the term "knee mortar" suggested to some untutored captors of these weapons that they were to be fired with the baseplate resting against the knee or thigh. When a Marine fired on of these dischargers from his thigh and broke his upper leg bone, efforts were swiftly undertaken in the field to educate all combat troops in the safe and proper handling of these very useful weapons.
The Model 89 (1929) 50mm Heavy Grenade Discharger is a muzzle-loaded, high-angle-of-fire weapon which weighs 10-1/4 pounds and is 24 inches in overall length. Its design is compact and simple. The discharger has three major components: the rifled barrel, the supporting barrel pedestal with firing mechanism, and the base plate. Operation of the Model 899 was easy and straightforward, and with practice its user could deliver accurate fire registered quickly on target.
Encountered in all major battles in the Pacific War, the Model 89 Grenade Discharger was an uncomplicated, very portable, and highly efficient weapon operated easily by one man. It was carried in a cloth or leather case with a sling, and its one-piece construction allowed it to be brought into action very quickly. This grenade discharger had the advantage over most mortars in that it could be aimed and fired mechanically after a projectile had been placed in the barrel, projectile firing not being dependent upon dropping down the barrel against a stationary firing pin as with most mortars, where barrel fouling sometimes caused dangerous hangfires. Although an instantaneous fuze employed on the Model 89 high explosive shell restricted this shell's use to open areas, the Model 91 fragmentation grenade with its seven-second fuze made this discharger effective in a jungle or forest setting, with complete safety for the user from premature detonation of projectiles by overhanging foliage. Smoke and signal shells, and an incendiary grenade, were special types of ammunition used with this versatile and effective weapons which won the respect of all who came to know it.—Edwin F. Libby
More of Howstuffworks
Photo courtesy U.S. Dept. of Defense
USAF Airman serving as a Chaplain Service Support Personnel: During wartime, his primary responsibility is to provide security for the Chaplain due to laws in the Geneva Convention that make it necessary for religious and medical personnel to be unarmed.
The Rules of War by Julia Layton continues....
Inside This Article: (topics to be copied in several posts.)
1. Introduction to How the Rules of War Work-posted previously
2. Background -posted previously
3. In the Field -CURRENT
4. Prisoners of War
5. Civilians and Occupation
6. Cultural Property
7. Consequences of Violation
In the Field
The Hague Conventions address not only armed conflict; the very first Hague law stresses peaceful settlement of disputes, going to great lengths to prevent war through very specific procedures intended to reach a diplomatic solution to any national and/or international disagreement. Arbitration, Committees of Inquiry, neutral mediators and what can be described as a 30-day "time out" are all called upon in order to avoid war. It is only once all of these steps have been exhausted that it is acceptable to declare war. And then, a formal declaration -- or an ultimatum indicating a formal declaration -- is necessary. An initial surprise attack is illegal.
Combat and Weaponry
The right of belligerents to adopt means of injuring the enemy is not unlimited. (Hague IV)
Many of the laws governing battle are fairly obvious: It is illegal to misuse a white flag, a symbol of surrender or truce (Hague IV); it is illegal to kill or injure a person who has surrendered; it is illegal to attack a defenseless person or place; it is illegal to attack a building that is being used as a hospital. Some of the rules, however, are less patent.
National and cultural symbols are protected. Armed forces may not use the enemy's flag, uniform or insignia, nor the symbol of the Red Cross, for their own purposes. The enemy's property is not to be taken or destroyed unless it's critical to military operations. Structures dedicated to art, science and charitable missions, as well as any historic or cultural objects, are off limits, unless, of course, they are being used for military operations. In that case, they're pretty much fair game.
In general, there is a ban on weapons whose purpose is to maximize pain and suffering: no poisoned weapons; no bullets that do additional damage once inside the body; no chemical or biological weapons.
Chemical and biological warfare is addressed by both the Hague and Geneva laws. Declaration II of The Hague Peace Conference made deadly gas attacks illegal back in 1899. The 1925 Geneva Protocol prohibited lethal gas and bacterial methods of warfare. The Geneva Convention of 1972 reiterated this prohibition by outlawing the "development, production and stockpiling" of these weapons and insisting on the elimination of any already in existence.
Genocide -- the systematic destruction of a particular group of people based on nationality or ethnicity -- is prohibited by a 1948 treaty.
Legal Detention
If one side of a conflict finds that it does not have enough medical personnel to care for the injured and sick under its care, it may hold onto the medical personnel of the opposing force until the medical crisis has passed.
Wounded or Sick Troops
In essence: If they're wounded or sick, HELP THEM! The first Geneva Convention addresses the issue of injured or otherwise debilitated troops (as well as medical personnel and chaplains), and takes the humanitarian stance that as soon as a soldier is no longer able to fight, that person ceases to be a a target. And beyond that, there is a call to action: Regardless of which side the wounded individual was fighting for, medical attention must be given. This includes actively administering treatment and allowing the Red Cross to administer treatment.
In the blanket protection of wounded or sick troops, medical personnel and chaplains, there is the assumption that these people are unarmed (or, in the case of troops, not able to use whatever arms they may have on them). In the case of medical personnel and chaplains, this raises the interesting paradox that these people are not actually prohibited from bearing arms in order to protect themselves; but if they do arm themselves, they give up certain aspects of their protected status. So in order to be fully protected from attack under the laws of war, they must be vulnerable to attack.
Sick or wounded troops must "in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria" (Geneva I). It is illegal to kill, mutilate, torture or perform "biological experiments" on a wounded or sick person. It is illegal to treat this person in a "humiliating and degrading" manner. It is illegal to hold this person hostage.
The Geneva Convention on the treatment of the wounded and sick discusses in detail the way to handle one of the most common aspects of war: death. The dead are to be collected, examined (only to be sure that the person is in fact dead), identified and properly buried. If necessary, fighting must be suspended in order for the dead to be recovered. The bodies must be treated with respect, and, if possible, buried according to their respective religions. Those who die in wartime have to receive the same treatment as those who die in peacetime. Communicating through a Graves Registration Service established at the onset of war, the location of the graves must be provided to the opposing force so that the bodies may be later exhumed and sent home, and all of the property found on the body must be returned to the next of kin.
Source: Howstuffworks
The Answer is in the middle of all the fluff
I received this message in reply to the email I sent yesterday. The link in ours is messed up as well as the comment section. I emailed from Lubbock Marine Parents.
Thank you for your message.
Thank you for your recent inquiry regarding the fabricdepartment in your local store. In keeping with our emphasis onbeing a store of the community, Wal-Mart is converting thefabrics and crafts department in some stores to a newly expanded assortment of merchandise that focuses on life's celebrations. We are thrilled to offer our customers this exciting new crafts and celebrations center that makes available craft and partyplanning needs along with information on current trends and new ideas in the area of life's celebrations, such as holidays,weddings and birthdays.
In those stores where the new crafts and celebrations center isplaced, merchandise commonly referred to as 'notions' will beincluded in the product offerings - such as sewing machines, yarn, needles, thread, etc. As a part of this conversion, most of our new and remodeled stores opening in early 2007, as well as a small number of existing stores, will feature the newcrafts and celebrations center in place of cut fabrics. Wal-Mart will continue to carry cut fabric in most of our stores. Due to the continued evaluation of our stores, we are unable to share a list of existing stores scheduled to receivet he new crafts and celebrations center at this time.
Thank you,
Wal-Mart Customer Relations
Here it is:
###Thank you for your message.
Thank you for your recent inquiry regarding the fabricdepartment in your local store. In keeping with our emphasis onbeing a store of the community, Wal-Mart is converting thefabrics and crafts department in some stores to a newly expanded assortment of merchandise that focuses on life's celebrations. We are thrilled to offer our customers this exciting new crafts and celebrations center that makes available craft and partyplanning needs along with information on current trends and new ideas in the area of life's celebrations, such as holidays,weddings and birthdays.
In those stores where the new crafts and celebrations center isplaced, merchandise commonly referred to as 'notions' will beincluded in the product offerings - such as sewing machines, yarn, needles, thread, etc. As a part of this conversion, most of our new and remodeled stores opening in early 2007, as well as a small number of existing stores, will feature the newcrafts and celebrations center in place of cut fabrics. Wal-Mart will continue to carry cut fabric in most of our stores. Due to the continued evaluation of our stores, we are unable to share a list of existing stores scheduled to receivet he new crafts and celebrations center at this time.
Thank you,
Wal-Mart Customer Relations
Virgie Bell's View: Magic Carpet Ride
Hooray for Hollywood. I know that comes as a shock coming from me, but I watched the entire Academy Awards last night. I have always watched the red carpet entrances to see the dresses and jewelry. For years it was the highlight event for me and finally I was able to again view the whole thing. Not one bad political remark against the War on Terror or the president. If Hollywood would stick to talent, I would be among their staunchest supporters.
I didn't catch the name or the type of award, but one went to the son of a Marine who survived the battle of Iwo Jima, and his thanks went to those in our military. My Uncle Lonnie survived this same battle. It was that award that got my attention and then they all acted so decent I was able to do my thing and look for that mole behind the ear to mar the looks. Ugly old women like me can do that in spades. Also I wanted to see Al Gore and hear his speech.
I know I have rejected the greenhouse gas theory and here is why. In his book, State of Fear, Michael Crichton gives scientific proof of a lot of the stuff that is thrown at us. He quotes each fact and gives test results. I highly recommend the book and the author.
I have probably a couple of thousand books and limited space for them and they get shoved in any old way. I write my posts off the top of my head. I use the spell check and that's it. I am factual in my reports but I don't know my way around a computer to do dictionary and all that. De'on remarked the other day that she liked that I used a thesaurus now, which I don't, and told her so, and guess what she said? "Well you should."...See? Anyway I believe Crichton is so far ahead in knowledge than Al Gore. I can hardly believe they are on the same planet. I predict that Al Gore’s little dandy win is going to cost us taxpayers out the kazoo. The Democratic Party is big government, so he did more harm to us poor suckers than any cost of the War on Terror.
Here is just a common sense test...I am a smoker and my family are smokers, thus I am in rooms and cars with second hand smoke constantly. I live on a corner lot across from the high school. The traffic is something else for about fifteen minutes a day .If I am caught outside during that time; I have a tough time with sinus that night. Smoke filled rooms are undesirable but set in the garage and smoke a cigarette with the door closed. It is unpleasant and yet it is suicidal to do so with the car going. Los Angeles has more cars per capita than any city in the USA. The smog is horrible so the ban on cigarettes in public is a big thing.
A few years ago, some town in Colorado took away gas lawn mowers and furnished electric ones because of greenhouse effect. In the little snippet of his movie, it showed Al Gore demonstrating his take on this gas sapping moisture out of the soil. Duh, that is called a drought. Traffic must have been terrible during the Great Depression because cracked earth and dust storms nearly ruined us. Yet there were only a few old Model T’s.
As a taxpayer, this stuff really gets to me. Melissa Etheridge nearly swooned when Al Gore won. She is just goofy. She thanked her WIFE and then almost announced the second coming with Al Gore. Al Gore is the son of a congressman or senator and he did serve in Vietnam as a cameraman taking pictures alongside his own BODYGUARD. Well, instant Snitville for me. Nothing will ever impress me about him again. I just heard that Mr. Gore has found his niche. Well goody. Now, on to important stuff, like Tipper on the red carpet.
Tipper had an off the shoulder with a hair style that looked like she was going to the junior prom. I refer Tipper to my post on shopping the Wal-Mart dress department. Nicole Kidman was stunning and the surprise of the night was Tom Cruise doing the presenting of an award. At any rate I will pester Jerry until I have seen all the winning movies except the one Martin Sheen is also in. Do the movie producers know that it is the quickest way to ruin a box office? We the public go there in order for good doses of escapism. I will forever think of Martin Sheen right alongside Jane Fonda. If I was the owner of these studios, I would put a stop to letting the political jerks ruin it for the talent. It is really not fair to the talent or the paying audience. Mr. Clooney, who I swear to you is another Rock Hudson, had a little quote that he told to Al Gore backstage, and he said he didn't think Al Gore was going to run for president. Mr. Gore and Tipper doubled over in laughter as if this crack was the most hilarious remark ever voiced. Anyway, A STAR IS BORN and taxes will go up darnnit! At any rate, SUPPORT THE TROOPS!
I didn't catch the name or the type of award, but one went to the son of a Marine who survived the battle of Iwo Jima, and his thanks went to those in our military. My Uncle Lonnie survived this same battle. It was that award that got my attention and then they all acted so decent I was able to do my thing and look for that mole behind the ear to mar the looks. Ugly old women like me can do that in spades. Also I wanted to see Al Gore and hear his speech.
I know I have rejected the greenhouse gas theory and here is why. In his book, State of Fear, Michael Crichton gives scientific proof of a lot of the stuff that is thrown at us. He quotes each fact and gives test results. I highly recommend the book and the author.
I have probably a couple of thousand books and limited space for them and they get shoved in any old way. I write my posts off the top of my head. I use the spell check and that's it. I am factual in my reports but I don't know my way around a computer to do dictionary and all that. De'on remarked the other day that she liked that I used a thesaurus now, which I don't, and told her so, and guess what she said? "Well you should."...See? Anyway I believe Crichton is so far ahead in knowledge than Al Gore. I can hardly believe they are on the same planet. I predict that Al Gore’s little dandy win is going to cost us taxpayers out the kazoo. The Democratic Party is big government, so he did more harm to us poor suckers than any cost of the War on Terror.
Here is just a common sense test...I am a smoker and my family are smokers, thus I am in rooms and cars with second hand smoke constantly. I live on a corner lot across from the high school. The traffic is something else for about fifteen minutes a day .If I am caught outside during that time; I have a tough time with sinus that night. Smoke filled rooms are undesirable but set in the garage and smoke a cigarette with the door closed. It is unpleasant and yet it is suicidal to do so with the car going. Los Angeles has more cars per capita than any city in the USA. The smog is horrible so the ban on cigarettes in public is a big thing.
A few years ago, some town in Colorado took away gas lawn mowers and furnished electric ones because of greenhouse effect. In the little snippet of his movie, it showed Al Gore demonstrating his take on this gas sapping moisture out of the soil. Duh, that is called a drought. Traffic must have been terrible during the Great Depression because cracked earth and dust storms nearly ruined us. Yet there were only a few old Model T’s.
As a taxpayer, this stuff really gets to me. Melissa Etheridge nearly swooned when Al Gore won. She is just goofy. She thanked her WIFE and then almost announced the second coming with Al Gore. Al Gore is the son of a congressman or senator and he did serve in Vietnam as a cameraman taking pictures alongside his own BODYGUARD. Well, instant Snitville for me. Nothing will ever impress me about him again. I just heard that Mr. Gore has found his niche. Well goody. Now, on to important stuff, like Tipper on the red carpet.
Tipper had an off the shoulder with a hair style that looked like she was going to the junior prom. I refer Tipper to my post on shopping the Wal-Mart dress department. Nicole Kidman was stunning and the surprise of the night was Tom Cruise doing the presenting of an award. At any rate I will pester Jerry until I have seen all the winning movies except the one Martin Sheen is also in. Do the movie producers know that it is the quickest way to ruin a box office? We the public go there in order for good doses of escapism. I will forever think of Martin Sheen right alongside Jane Fonda. If I was the owner of these studios, I would put a stop to letting the political jerks ruin it for the talent. It is really not fair to the talent or the paying audience. Mr. Clooney, who I swear to you is another Rock Hudson, had a little quote that he told to Al Gore backstage, and he said he didn't think Al Gore was going to run for president. Mr. Gore and Tipper doubled over in laughter as if this crack was the most hilarious remark ever voiced. Anyway, A STAR IS BORN and taxes will go up darnnit! At any rate, SUPPORT THE TROOPS!
Swift Help
February 26
THERE is nothing lacking in your lives because really all is yours, only you lack the faith to know it. You are like a King's daughters who sit in rags, and yet around them are stores of all they could desire.
Pray for more faith, as a thirsty man in a desert prays for rain, for water. Swift comes My help, swift and strong. Do you know what it is to feel sure that I can never fail you? As sure as you are that you still breathe? How poor is Man's faith! So poor. Do you trust Me as much as you would a friend if that friend came and said he would send you help? Pray daily and most diligently that your faith may increase.
Russell, A. J., ed., God Calling. Barnes & Noble, 2002.
THERE is nothing lacking in your lives because really all is yours, only you lack the faith to know it. You are like a King's daughters who sit in rags, and yet around them are stores of all they could desire.
Pray for more faith, as a thirsty man in a desert prays for rain, for water. Swift comes My help, swift and strong. Do you know what it is to feel sure that I can never fail you? As sure as you are that you still breathe? How poor is Man's faith! So poor. Do you trust Me as much as you would a friend if that friend came and said he would send you help? Pray daily and most diligently that your faith may increase.
Russell, A. J., ed., God Calling. Barnes & Noble, 2002.
A Few Minutes for the Families
I've mentioned Joanne to you before, though I think I called her Jay, because that's the way the emails from her come.
She is the lady who lost her brother in Vietnam. She also quilts for families of the Fallen.
I can attest to how important these quilts for the families are. Due to the work that goes into these, usually one per family is available.
Not long after Aaron was KIA, Donna requested a quilt be sent to me from one of the links on the Fallen Heroes Memorial website. As it turned out, Robbie, Doug's sister, had requested one for her brother, but Donna's request arrived first.
Like so many things during that time, I can't remember how I was given Joanne's email address, but somehow I was, and she and her family designed a Texas Marine quilt for Doug.
We forget how important a thing like supplies are until we don't have enough. The military, as well as the supporters need Big Business to support them. I've copied her email below. Thanks, readers!
###
I heard from a friend in NY that Walmart had planned to eliminate the fabric department in all of their stores. I confirmed it today at our Walmart. I talked to the lady in our fabric department and she said it was true. Because some store's fabric departments are losing money, they decided to eliminate all of them even if they are showing a profit. She told me that the new store that was built in the Villages, FL did not even have a fabric department.
This is not a totally done deal yet. They plan on implementing this over the next 1-3 years. We still have the possibility of influencing their decision.
She suggested that we call 1-800-walmart or
email: http://walmartstores.com/GlobalWMStoresWeb/navigate.do?catg=224
This decision directly impacts us as we buy all our military panels and coordinating fabric from them along with the 911 fabric to back some of our quilts. JoAnn's carries none of these.
Walmart thinks that eliminating the fabric will not affect their bottom line and are not taking into account all the other things we buy there besides the fabric we came for. If they eliminate the fabric, the notions like thread, needles, etc. will probably go, too.
Please take the time to let them know what you think.
Joanne M. Porter
Operation Homefront Quilts
OKAY, THE THING THAT WOULD BE MORE STUPID THAN SOMEHOW POSTING THE SAME COMMENT 37 TIMES WOULD BE TO HIT DELETE 35 MORE TIMES.
SOMEONE AS TRICKY ON THE TRIGGER AS ME HAS DISABLED THE COMMENTS FROM THIS POST. FOR MORE ON THIS SUBJECT, VISIT SEMPER FI MOM @ LUBBOCK MARINE PARENTS
P.S. Sorry, Blogger. My finger must've got stuck. I had honey with my chicken, but I've washed my hands at least 5 times since then. :)
She is the lady who lost her brother in Vietnam. She also quilts for families of the Fallen.
I can attest to how important these quilts for the families are. Due to the work that goes into these, usually one per family is available.
Not long after Aaron was KIA, Donna requested a quilt be sent to me from one of the links on the Fallen Heroes Memorial website. As it turned out, Robbie, Doug's sister, had requested one for her brother, but Donna's request arrived first.
Like so many things during that time, I can't remember how I was given Joanne's email address, but somehow I was, and she and her family designed a Texas Marine quilt for Doug.
We forget how important a thing like supplies are until we don't have enough. The military, as well as the supporters need Big Business to support them. I've copied her email below. Thanks, readers!
###
I heard from a friend in NY that Walmart had planned to eliminate the fabric department in all of their stores. I confirmed it today at our Walmart. I talked to the lady in our fabric department and she said it was true. Because some store's fabric departments are losing money, they decided to eliminate all of them even if they are showing a profit. She told me that the new store that was built in the Villages, FL did not even have a fabric department.
This is not a totally done deal yet. They plan on implementing this over the next 1-3 years. We still have the possibility of influencing their decision.
She suggested that we call 1-800-walmart or
email: http://walmartstores.com/GlobalWMStoresWeb/navigate.do?catg=224
This decision directly impacts us as we buy all our military panels and coordinating fabric from them along with the 911 fabric to back some of our quilts. JoAnn's carries none of these.
Walmart thinks that eliminating the fabric will not affect their bottom line and are not taking into account all the other things we buy there besides the fabric we came for. If they eliminate the fabric, the notions like thread, needles, etc. will probably go, too.
Please take the time to let them know what you think.
Joanne M. Porter
Operation Homefront Quilts
OKAY, THE THING THAT WOULD BE MORE STUPID THAN SOMEHOW POSTING THE SAME COMMENT 37 TIMES WOULD BE TO HIT DELETE 35 MORE TIMES.
SOMEONE AS TRICKY ON THE TRIGGER AS ME HAS DISABLED THE COMMENTS FROM THIS POST. FOR MORE ON THIS SUBJECT, VISIT SEMPER FI MOM @ LUBBOCK MARINE PARENTS
P.S. Sorry, Blogger. My finger must've got stuck. I had honey with my chicken, but I've washed my hands at least 5 times since then. :)
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Heroes of the Day
That's our handsome Doc Duty setting in front of Homad.
Experience this story in
Docs Duty
posted below.
sNIpPeTs FRom stEvE
"@#!*$To the moon lady, to the moon!"
I'd asked Steve to be a little more honest about how things were going for him. I told him I'd never played such a sanitized version of Companion to the Ill in my life.
Below are snippets of emails he sent to me after that. They're the first I've had from him that were more than five words long.
Remember: we get to laugh here ... especially about the really hard stuff! YOU HAVE TO!
.... You crack me up! I guess I'm not a good patient because I don't like to tell anyone when I feel bad. But I'll do my best to be a better whiner. I ordered a phone online because I couldn't bear the idea of going to a Sprint store and standing in line for hours. At least that's the way it is in Amarillo. You literally wait for an hour or more before you can talk to some pimply clerk who is busy text-messaging his girlfriend. So how's that for whining?!! I should get the phone tomorrow.
.... My spirits are up, but my body doesn't always cooperate with that mood. I just ignore it and focus on the positive.
.... My head is hurting some today, which is a novelty for me because I've never had a headache in my life. I'm trying not to be a grouch about it, but a couple of cats have decided to spar near the yard a few times, which sends the dogs into a frenzy. They despise cats (sorry Sarah!), and when they hear the commotion, they bark and run out the door. It doesn't help my head any, but the dogs get a lot of pleasure out of adding to the ruckus. Petey paws the ground, sending dirt flying for 20 feet in his display of canine machoness. The little s***! I'm glad they're here.
.... I've been a little testy lately. That's usually why I don't write much in my e-mails.
...I had to go to the store to get the dog's chicken earlier, and this woman in front of me had a basket full of groceries in the express lane. Usually, I wouldn't say anything out loud, I'd just think it, but I'm in no mood to suffer idiots right now, so I did say something. She and the clerk were a little shocked, and the woman said something testy to me. I told the clerk to call the manager, that it was the express lane and which part of that did they not understand?
Oh, Virgie would have been so proud of me. The manager came over, and I told him that if they weren't going to take the express lanes seriously, then they should just take the signs down. What good were they if they allowed people with a gazillion items to go through them? I said I have two items, and I'm not going to wait behind this lady. So the manager asked the lady to please go to one of the other lanes. She huffed and pulled her cart back, giving me the evil eye, but I responded with a glare that would have turned steam to ice. I'm not feeling well, lady, so you don't wanna mess with me right now!! I was hoping she would be waiting for me in the parking lot. I'd feel a lot better right now if I could just slap the tar out of someone! Aren't I horrible?
Other than wanting to wrestle in the grocery store parking lot, I'm doing OK.
.... I mentioned to one of the office people at the hospital that I felt horrible for not having insurance right now. She was great and she said, "You've been paying taxes for how many years now?" I told her for a lot of years, and she said, "Well, you have no reason to feel bad. You've more than paid for this treatment." That was nice of her. I thought about asking if they'd throw in a Lexus, too, since I'm sure I've paid in enough to cover one, but I'm not pushing my luck.
.... If you want, you can post my e-mails. I feel so bad for not posting the past couple of days, but I feel pretty weak right now and just moving my fingers around the keyboard feels like I'm running a marathon. Oh, honey, believe me. You don't want to open the flood gates to my complaining!!
I'll answer all your questions in a bit. Right now, I'm going to sit on the front porch for a bit. Honestly, you'd think I was a Yankee by how horrible I've been acting! We all know what atrocious manners they have! he he, just kidding all my East Coast friends!
***
And my answer to him:
So tell me more. Who else would you like to do in? What smells or foods make you want to hug the commode? Gripe complain call.
Communication
We missed yesterday's God Calling because Blogger had some problems and by the time they got it together, I was too tired to sensibly post anything. I feel they're especially important right now.
Some of you know that this little book is a way Steve and I tried to "stay on the same sheet of music" while he was in Iraq. This little book is powerful. I truly believe it is God's Word for these Two Listeners and for Steve and I as well. It's been one for me and my sister, for me and many friends. I've given away copy after copy. Friends of mine have the copies I wrote small memos and messages in while Aaron was at war.
A wordy way of saying I'm about to post two days of God Calling.
+++
Learn of Me
September 24
Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of Eternal Life.--John vi. 68.
LEARN of no one but Me. Teachers are to point the way to Me. After that you must accept Me, the Great Teacher.
The words of Eternal Life are all the words controlling your being, even controlling your temporal life. Take these too from Me. Have no fear. Abide in Me and accept My ruling.
Be full of gratitude. Wing up your prayers on Praise to Heaven. Take all that happens as My planning. All is well. I have all prepared in My Love.
+++
Come and Stay
September 25
Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.--Matt. xi. 28
YES, come for rest. But stay for rest, too. Stop all feverish haste and be calm and untroubled. Come unto Me, not only for petitions to be granted but for nearness to Me.
Be sure of My Help, be conscious of My Presence, and wait until My Rest fills your soul.
Rest knows no fear. Rest knows no want. Rest is strong, sure. The rest of soft glades and peacefully flowing rivers, of strong, immovable hills. Rest, and all you need to gain this rest is to come to Me. So come.
Russell, A. J., ed., God Calling. Barnes & Noble, 2002.
It's clear to me now that I was in the wrong month. BTW, all of Steve's and my communication problems were HIS fault!
I will take this as God's message for us today. It works for me.
Some of you know that this little book is a way Steve and I tried to "stay on the same sheet of music" while he was in Iraq. This little book is powerful. I truly believe it is God's Word for these Two Listeners and for Steve and I as well. It's been one for me and my sister, for me and many friends. I've given away copy after copy. Friends of mine have the copies I wrote small memos and messages in while Aaron was at war.
A wordy way of saying I'm about to post two days of God Calling.
+++
Learn of Me
September 24
Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of Eternal Life.--John vi. 68.
LEARN of no one but Me. Teachers are to point the way to Me. After that you must accept Me, the Great Teacher.
The words of Eternal Life are all the words controlling your being, even controlling your temporal life. Take these too from Me. Have no fear. Abide in Me and accept My ruling.
Be full of gratitude. Wing up your prayers on Praise to Heaven. Take all that happens as My planning. All is well. I have all prepared in My Love.
+++
Come and Stay
September 25
Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.--Matt. xi. 28
YES, come for rest. But stay for rest, too. Stop all feverish haste and be calm and untroubled. Come unto Me, not only for petitions to be granted but for nearness to Me.
Be sure of My Help, be conscious of My Presence, and wait until My Rest fills your soul.
Rest knows no fear. Rest knows no want. Rest is strong, sure. The rest of soft glades and peacefully flowing rivers, of strong, immovable hills. Rest, and all you need to gain this rest is to come to Me. So come.
Russell, A. J., ed., God Calling. Barnes & Noble, 2002.
It's clear to me now that I was in the wrong month. BTW, all of Steve's and my communication problems were HIS fault!
I will take this as God's message for us today. It works for me.
Virgie Bell's View: On Kinsley
I could have saved myself one great snit had I skipped Michael Kinsley’s article yesterday in Time. When I was solidly in the democratic court of politics I used to listen to him and really didn't like him then. He had such a wild stunned look in his eyes, as though he was constantly amazed at how brilliant he found himself to be.
In the article I read yesterday, it turns out he is just an old holdover from the Vietnam era. He feels these hippie movements saved literally thousands of lives with their demonstrations. I have not found that to be the case. Every radical group needs to have a defining issue to bring them together. Like Sheehan, it was anti-war. But as the mother of one of those hippies, I found that they knew as little about war as I know about putting together a cure for cancer. It was not the war in Vietnam that was at fault, but the fact that we were not allowed to win the darn thing. It was no different then as now. The thought of withdrawal before the completion of a goal in war is never a solution. If there is a war, it should be fought with all the might that can be thrown behind it. If anyone believes that Cindy Sheehan really cares about the death of our military men and women they need to grow up. It is her way of showing a shaved head to get attention. This is a communist movement just as it has always been, Note that the very first thing she did was give up a belief in God. Is this what we want to follow by our elected officials? To give up our God given right to believe in what we came to together in this country in the very beginning: the right to freedom of religion. It seems we are sinking further into an abyss of unbelief. Life is just a short span in the eternal plan of things laid down by our Creator.
Hitler went into Russia in order to capture the oil and other natural resources contained there. It was on his way to capture world dominion for his thousand years Reich. The great defining issue was to blame all the troubles of his country on the Jews. Pogrom is a massacre of helpless people, particularly Jews. It is genocide. The complete killing of a nationality or race. I have never understood the hatred of the Jews by other races. It is a peaceful and dutiful obedience to the laws set down in the first five books of the Bible. The Jewish race has never asked for anything other than to live their life out worshiping Jehovah God. For this there was over six million slaughtered by Hitler during World War II.
In 1948, during the Nuremburg trials, a demand was mad to account for these atrocities. Yet today the same thing is going on. The early Jews were firm believers in turning the other cheek. Finally there came the Zionist who believed in fighting back and they established a little homeland that is now Israel.
I get really aggravated at someone like Barbra Streisand who is full blood Jewish and yet will not turn a hand in order to protect her own flesh and blood. A Jew is a Jew. Just as any race, it has nothing to do with what religion you practice or do not practice. The Jews wait for the coming of the Messiah where we the Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah. The Jews do not include the New Testament in their worship, but in the eleventh chapter of Romans, we of the Christian faith are warned that the Jews are the root of our salvation and that they are dearly beloved by God as an elected people.
That aside, what religion was practiced by the tiny babies that were slaughtered by Hitler and others before him? None. They were just innocents. The cry or the laughter of a child is the same in any race. It is the first language of all humanity. We are warned over and over that to harm one of these. It is absolutely forbidden. A millstone around the neck and being tossed into the middle of the sea is preferable to the judgment that will come upon us.
In a war, many innocents will die. That is true. But when someone like Saddam Hussein can use poison gas to wipe out thousands of Kurdish citizens, then we have allowed genocide. When the events of 9/11 came upon us, we were compelled to fight an evil that could no longer be ignored. It comes from the root of evil. It is an Evil Empire. It is communism to the core. Christians are the enemy to this madness.
Vladimir Putin is a communist. We are a threat to him and others who are like him. We are the enemies of radical Islam, of the followers of the sun god, of so many different sects that it is impossible to name them all. We are few. We are the enemies of these monsters and they will not be satisfied until we are wiped off the face of the earth.
Ahmadinejad made it perfectly clear what he wanted with nuclear power, and that was to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. Michael Kinsley is a friend to our enemies. He would set back and ignore the ones who would wipe out all those who believe in Jehovah God. He would be among those who shout “peace”, peace when there is no peace. They are condemned by God as false prophets. They are sadly among our top leaders and would withhold our military the funds to fight the War on Terror. They do not SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!
In the article I read yesterday, it turns out he is just an old holdover from the Vietnam era. He feels these hippie movements saved literally thousands of lives with their demonstrations. I have not found that to be the case. Every radical group needs to have a defining issue to bring them together. Like Sheehan, it was anti-war. But as the mother of one of those hippies, I found that they knew as little about war as I know about putting together a cure for cancer. It was not the war in Vietnam that was at fault, but the fact that we were not allowed to win the darn thing. It was no different then as now. The thought of withdrawal before the completion of a goal in war is never a solution. If there is a war, it should be fought with all the might that can be thrown behind it. If anyone believes that Cindy Sheehan really cares about the death of our military men and women they need to grow up. It is her way of showing a shaved head to get attention. This is a communist movement just as it has always been, Note that the very first thing she did was give up a belief in God. Is this what we want to follow by our elected officials? To give up our God given right to believe in what we came to together in this country in the very beginning: the right to freedom of religion. It seems we are sinking further into an abyss of unbelief. Life is just a short span in the eternal plan of things laid down by our Creator.
Hitler went into Russia in order to capture the oil and other natural resources contained there. It was on his way to capture world dominion for his thousand years Reich. The great defining issue was to blame all the troubles of his country on the Jews. Pogrom is a massacre of helpless people, particularly Jews. It is genocide. The complete killing of a nationality or race. I have never understood the hatred of the Jews by other races. It is a peaceful and dutiful obedience to the laws set down in the first five books of the Bible. The Jewish race has never asked for anything other than to live their life out worshiping Jehovah God. For this there was over six million slaughtered by Hitler during World War II.
In 1948, during the Nuremburg trials, a demand was mad to account for these atrocities. Yet today the same thing is going on. The early Jews were firm believers in turning the other cheek. Finally there came the Zionist who believed in fighting back and they established a little homeland that is now Israel.
I get really aggravated at someone like Barbra Streisand who is full blood Jewish and yet will not turn a hand in order to protect her own flesh and blood. A Jew is a Jew. Just as any race, it has nothing to do with what religion you practice or do not practice. The Jews wait for the coming of the Messiah where we the Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah. The Jews do not include the New Testament in their worship, but in the eleventh chapter of Romans, we of the Christian faith are warned that the Jews are the root of our salvation and that they are dearly beloved by God as an elected people.
That aside, what religion was practiced by the tiny babies that were slaughtered by Hitler and others before him? None. They were just innocents. The cry or the laughter of a child is the same in any race. It is the first language of all humanity. We are warned over and over that to harm one of these. It is absolutely forbidden. A millstone around the neck and being tossed into the middle of the sea is preferable to the judgment that will come upon us.
In a war, many innocents will die. That is true. But when someone like Saddam Hussein can use poison gas to wipe out thousands of Kurdish citizens, then we have allowed genocide. When the events of 9/11 came upon us, we were compelled to fight an evil that could no longer be ignored. It comes from the root of evil. It is an Evil Empire. It is communism to the core. Christians are the enemy to this madness.
Vladimir Putin is a communist. We are a threat to him and others who are like him. We are the enemies of radical Islam, of the followers of the sun god, of so many different sects that it is impossible to name them all. We are few. We are the enemies of these monsters and they will not be satisfied until we are wiped off the face of the earth.
Ahmadinejad made it perfectly clear what he wanted with nuclear power, and that was to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. Michael Kinsley is a friend to our enemies. He would set back and ignore the ones who would wipe out all those who believe in Jehovah God. He would be among those who shout “peace”, peace when there is no peace. They are condemned by God as false prophets. They are sadly among our top leaders and would withhold our military the funds to fight the War on Terror. They do not SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!
Ahmadinejad: Iran's Nuke Program Like Train 'Without Brakes'
This space could well contain
the same
ugly mug
we see and hear
too much of!
I'm thinking of a B--- word....
TEHRAN, Iran — President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Sunday his country would move forward with its disputed nuclear program, comparing its nuclear drive to a train that has no brakes.
The hard-line leader also repeated his call for negotiations, saying the time for "bullying" had expired. International leaders have demanded that Iran halt uranium enrichment.
"The train of the Iranian nation is without brakes and a rear gear," the radio quoted Ahmadinejad as telling a gathering of Islamic clerics. "We dismantled the rear gear and brakes of the train and threw them away sometime ago."
The International Atomic Energy Agency last week reported that Iran had ignored a U.N. Security Council ultimatum to freeze its uranium enrichment program and instead had expanded the program by setting up hundreds of centrifuges.
The report came after a U.N Security Council deadline expired Wednesday for Iran to stop enrichment. Iran has repeatedly refused to halt enrichment as a precondition to negotiations about its program.
The United States and its Western allies have insisted Iran must suspend enrichment before any negotiations over its nuclear program.
Iran, which has rejected that condition, insists its program is peaceful. But the United States and its allies accuse Tehran of using its energy program as a cover to develop weapons.
Ahmadinejad said Sunday that Western countries feel threatened by Iran's nuclear program because they feel their own powers are diminishing.
"The Westerners are not concerned about the existence and activity of ... centrifuges in Iran; they are concerned about the collapse of their hegemony and hollow power," the radio quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.
Visit FOXNews.com's Iran Center for complete coverage
For Virgie Bell
I have always loved your music. It was some of the greatest in the world. Remember, it is I, your elder daughter, who knows every word to the Platter's 1955 Golden Hits.Then there's Leroy Van Dyke, Nat King Cole, and Brenda Lee. I knew all the words to the albums you had of theirs. And I love Ferrante and Teicher's instrumentals as well as most Jazz and Blues. I love most classical, rock, country and even some rap!
And like you, I will never forget all that it means to me as an aging woman now.
You've given me so much. My love of God's Word, reading and music are just at the top of the list. I also love the snits you send me every day and I hope our readers know that you're not joking. You really are in a true snit. I can read about it from your posts or come over there and watch it for myself. Each day brings it's own decisions!
I love you. And no, it's not Mother's Day. I find it amazing that you have trouble remembering the passing of the days and dates, yet you pay attention to how many times your TIME magazine arrived on Saturday as opposed to the regular Wednesday mail delivery.
It's neat. It makes me remember how Aunt Frances always mailed MaMa's letters on Tuesday so they would reach her on a certain day of the week for the rest of their years with health.
Because of the music, singing and dancing you brought into my life, you will be forever young to me.
Love,
De'on
1949
c. 2000
February 7, 2007 LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Frankie Laine, the big-voiced singer whose string of hits made him one of the most popular entertainers of the 1950s, died Tuesday. He was 93.
Laine died of heart failure at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego, Jimmy Marino, Laine's producer of more than a dozen years, told The Associated Press.
"He was one of the greatest singers around," Marino said. "He was one of the last Italian crooners type."
With songs such as "That's My Desire," "Mule Train," "Jezebel," "I Believe" and "That Lucky Old Sun," Laine was a regular feature of the Top Ten in the years just before rock 'n' roll ushered in a new era of popular music.
Somewhat younger listeners may remember him best for singing the theme to the television show "Rawhide," which ran from 1959 to 1966, and the theme for the 1974 movie "Blazing Saddles."
He sold more than 100 million records and earned more than 20 gold records.
"He will be forever remembered for the beautiful music he brought into this world, his wit and sense of humor, along with the love he shared with so many," Laine's family said in a statement.
Laine said his musical influences included Bing Crosby, Al Jolson and jazz artists including Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong and Billie Holliday.
Virgie Bell's View: Time and Other Dinosaurs
As usual I find that somewhere along the way I have completely missed the boat in things that should be common knowledge, but I plead guilty. I didn't know there was a magazine with the title SPLASH. But there is. I found out this remarkable oversight in my knowledge last night when I found out that Anna Nicole's mother had agreed to view her daughter’s body for this up and coming magazine. OK. I finally do feel sorry for the pitiful Ms. Smith, but not as much as I would have felt had she not sold pictures of her son within a week of his death. Money talks and B S walks as the old saying goes.
De'on was over last week and made the remark that without her make-up on she thought Anna Nicole was pretty. I never said that she wasn't pretty. I said that I didn't find her sexy. Of course I must keep in mind that I am not the target audience for sexy displays. It was always her teeth and gums that did her in for me, especially since her talent was throwing kisses to the crowd of paparazzi. The picture I am sure De'on was referring to was when the recently deceased Anna Nicole was sleeping with her newborn baby in her arms. But I really want to get past this event and on to other headlines.
In that regard it seems that Hillary and Obama will keep us entertained with mud slinging. This is twice I have received my TIME Magazine on Saturday. It always came on Wednesday, so I don't know what the change is. I like this liberal leaning news that breaks down the week’s news in one quick package. I did notice that this issue has for its cover an article about why the Shiites and the Sunnis hate each other. No Anna and no Britney. It does have an article about the passing of Franke Laine.
I have sung "That's My Desire" over and over again in my mind this last week. Music and lyrics used to be so great. Even the singers were great in entertaining us. I know that each generation holds its music close to its heart. It does my heart good that Kayla turns up her nose at her mom and dad’s music, yet she is still enthusiastic about the classical music she finds here at my house. As I said, sometimes it is embarrassing to be looked upon as an old fuddy duddy but we all get there it seems. Now Roy is among us has beens. Welcome! I am glad that Kayla enjoys her new much smaller school. I do hate it that she will no longer be taking band.
We are still trying to establish a new routine here at my house as Jerry is at a new job. He likes his new job and seems to enjoy his new co-workers. I am happy for him. Our life revolves around his job. He is actually only really happy when he is working 13 or 14 hours a day. I have come to accept that as a way of life. You can furnish a reader with enough good material and we are happy anywhere. I have been sleeping later because we get to bed later. But as this is the week-end and I’m all by myself, I think I will take my new Time and read a while and nap a while. Regardless of anything that ever changes in my life, I will SUPPORT THE TROOPS!
De'on was over last week and made the remark that without her make-up on she thought Anna Nicole was pretty. I never said that she wasn't pretty. I said that I didn't find her sexy. Of course I must keep in mind that I am not the target audience for sexy displays. It was always her teeth and gums that did her in for me, especially since her talent was throwing kisses to the crowd of paparazzi. The picture I am sure De'on was referring to was when the recently deceased Anna Nicole was sleeping with her newborn baby in her arms. But I really want to get past this event and on to other headlines.
In that regard it seems that Hillary and Obama will keep us entertained with mud slinging. This is twice I have received my TIME Magazine on Saturday. It always came on Wednesday, so I don't know what the change is. I like this liberal leaning news that breaks down the week’s news in one quick package. I did notice that this issue has for its cover an article about why the Shiites and the Sunnis hate each other. No Anna and no Britney. It does have an article about the passing of Franke Laine.
I have sung "That's My Desire" over and over again in my mind this last week. Music and lyrics used to be so great. Even the singers were great in entertaining us. I know that each generation holds its music close to its heart. It does my heart good that Kayla turns up her nose at her mom and dad’s music, yet she is still enthusiastic about the classical music she finds here at my house. As I said, sometimes it is embarrassing to be looked upon as an old fuddy duddy but we all get there it seems. Now Roy is among us has beens. Welcome! I am glad that Kayla enjoys her new much smaller school. I do hate it that she will no longer be taking band.
We are still trying to establish a new routine here at my house as Jerry is at a new job. He likes his new job and seems to enjoy his new co-workers. I am happy for him. Our life revolves around his job. He is actually only really happy when he is working 13 or 14 hours a day. I have come to accept that as a way of life. You can furnish a reader with enough good material and we are happy anywhere. I have been sleeping later because we get to bed later. But as this is the week-end and I’m all by myself, I think I will take my new Time and read a while and nap a while. Regardless of anything that ever changes in my life, I will SUPPORT THE TROOPS!
TEST THREE DUE DATE AROUND THE CORNER
Cumulative points earned on EACH test entered will earn 10 cents for each point. This money will be donated to The Afghan Children’s Fund in the name of each contestant.
Essay winner gets published on Gunz Up and writes up and administers Test Four, which I will be required to take.
WAY TO GO KAREN!
Essay winner gets published on Gunz Up and writes up and administers Test Four, which I will be required to take.
WAY TO GO KAREN!
Our early bird has contributed
$15.60
to
The Afghan Children's Fund
by simply taking
Test III
right here on
Gunz Up
Invest your time wisely.
Test due midnight Monday.
THE KIDS ARE THE WINNERS!
tHE tEACH
I've been in contact with Michael Reagan, the artist
He sent me this on one of his emails.He's a gracious and warm person.
I'm anxious to see
his work
in my home.
God bless you
and thank you
for your service in Vietnam
and now.
from
Gunz Up
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Docs Duty: Major Bea writes to supporters ...
This email was sent to Doc Duty. He was good enough to forward it to me (since I'm always asking!). The photos show all the "extra" ways our troops serve.
I've asked Doc Duty to get me the address of OPERATION OUTREACH.
We'll let the Major speak.
###
Hello,
Every once in a while you are blessed with the ability to make a difference and do something extraordinary. Today the TMC at Camp Phoenix had the opportunity to make a difference in a young boy’s life. Funding from Operation Outreach, your donations of clothing and the staff at TMC Phoenix made today’s heart-wrenching event a rewarding memory.
Homad is a 2 y. o. boy who somehow got up into a burn barrel and couldn’t get out. He was treated by the local hospital and monitored for two weeks. They couldn't do anymore for him and therefore he was released. The father was concerned that he wasn't getting the care he needed and showed up at our front gate. Our medics took one look at him and immediately brought him to the TMC. Homad was given some pain medicine and his burns were treated and wrapped. We all put our heads together and worked out a way to get him to the Cure Hospital in Kabul for their Burn Treatment Center. Homad was given some socks for when he is better and a sweatshirt to keep him warm. We were able to arrange for a taxi to take him to the Cure Hospital after his ambulance ride to the front gate.
These pictures will break your heart as they did everyone involved, they are graphic but do tell a story that is improving thanks to you. Your donations, support of the troops, and all of the clothing have once again worked miracles.
On behalf of the Camp Phoenix TMC and TF Phoenix, Thank you, Maj. Bea
I've asked Doc Duty to get me the address of OPERATION OUTREACH.
We'll let the Major speak.
###
Hello,
Every once in a while you are blessed with the ability to make a difference and do something extraordinary. Today the TMC at Camp Phoenix had the opportunity to make a difference in a young boy’s life. Funding from Operation Outreach, your donations of clothing and the staff at TMC Phoenix made today’s heart-wrenching event a rewarding memory.
Homad is a 2 y. o. boy who somehow got up into a burn barrel and couldn’t get out. He was treated by the local hospital and monitored for two weeks. They couldn't do anymore for him and therefore he was released. The father was concerned that he wasn't getting the care he needed and showed up at our front gate. Our medics took one look at him and immediately brought him to the TMC. Homad was given some pain medicine and his burns were treated and wrapped. We all put our heads together and worked out a way to get him to the Cure Hospital in Kabul for their Burn Treatment Center. Homad was given some socks for when he is better and a sweatshirt to keep him warm. We were able to arrange for a taxi to take him to the Cure Hospital after his ambulance ride to the front gate.
These pictures will break your heart as they did everyone involved, they are graphic but do tell a story that is improving thanks to you. Your donations, support of the troops, and all of the clothing have once again worked miracles.
On behalf of the Camp Phoenix TMC and TF Phoenix, Thank you, Maj. Bea
Docs Duty: Because of Camp Phoenix TMC and TF Phoenix
... Hope
Thank you so much, Docs and Medics the world over. I'm so glad this man loved his son so much and brought him to all of you.
It's like a story out of the Bible. Thank you for sharing it with Gunz Up.
Coming In and Coming Up
Karen's test pieces are coming in like crazy! What a student!
I haven't looked at her test yet, but I will tonight.
I haven't heard anything from Steve today. When I do, I'll let everyone know. I believe he feels pretty bad. I don't doubt for a second that that's the case. He has a nice place to stay and has his two dogs. I will go and see him when he feels more like having some company.
VB has a post in to me and I've got several I want to do. Doc Duty sent me some pictures today that I want to share. People, we've got such great troops. They never cease to amaze me. Our troops and our vets are the best people in the world. And so are the people who raised them. Thank you.
Later Gator,
De'on
I'm not Virgie; my name is De'on, but I see I've posted under her name all over the Panama place tonight.
It's late. Kayla is spending the night with me. She's on the couch with Hen and Aaron's pillow. Hen is breathing hard and it is warm in here with the fire and all.
I'm about to crash on the love seat across from them.
Maybe Steve will be better for the next couple of days since it's the weekend and that means no treatments. I sure miss him.
So, what's up with Walter Reed's outpatient care?
Well, just leave your password in the comments section and maybe tomorrow I can post under your name. :)
Love and nighty-night,
De'on
It's late. Kayla is spending the night with me. She's on the couch with Hen and Aaron's pillow. Hen is breathing hard and it is warm in here with the fire and all.
I'm about to crash on the love seat across from them.
Maybe Steve will be better for the next couple of days since it's the weekend and that means no treatments. I sure miss him.
So, what's up with Walter Reed's outpatient care?
Well, just leave your password in the comments section and maybe tomorrow I can post under your name. :)
Love and nighty-night,
De'on
FEMALE ON THE FLOOR! Massive
A helicopter is unloaded from a transport aircraft in a massive airlift from bases in the United States to augment the already formidable armaments available on U.S. bases in Panamanian territory.The Enemy Within: Casting Out Panama's Demon. Copyright 1990. Focus Publications, El Dorado.
FEMALE ON THE FLOOR! The storming of Panama *2
Where we left off …
It was a complex operation involving airborne and air-assault troops from the States linking up in the hours of darkness with on-the-ground armoured, light infantry and special operations units. More than 3,000 men parachuted in—the biggest combat drop since World War II. The time of the assault, designated “H—hour”, was set at 1 a.m. on December 20 but was brought forward half an hour at the last moment for fear that troop movements might alert the PDF. Shortly before H-hour, U.S. commandos apparently went in on a covert operation to try to kidnap Noriega but their mission failed … he was not where they thought he would be.
During Tuesday afternoon [19th], Military Airlift Command began moving troops from six bases in the U.S. The transport aircraft gathered in a giant rendezvous pattern over the Gulf of Mexico, many being refueled to enable them to continue to Panama. They were to co-ordinate with the ground operation on five main fronts, designated Task Force Bayonet, Task Force Red, Task Force Pacific, Task Force Atlantic and Task Force Semper Fidelis.
Leading the attack was Task Force Bayonet, composed of two Panama-based infantry battalions, the 1-508th [this Airborne unit was right across the street from us.] and the 5-87th plus the 4-6th Infantry from Fort Polk, the 519th MP Battalion from Fort Meade and an 82nd Airborne armour platoon. They were assigned to the central canal area and their mission was two-fold: to capture the Comandancia, the headquarters of the Panama Defense Forces in Panama City and base of the 4th Infantry Co.(Urraca) and to secure the central canal area including Balboa and Ancon. This also included Fort Amador a former U.S. military installation shared, since the 1979 implementation of the Torrijos Carter Canal treaties, by the Panama Defense Forces.
Sheridan tanks and M 113 armoured personnel carriers rolled into the narrow streets of the district of Chorillo, a densely-populated and generally poor residential neighbourhood surrounding the comandancia in what was to have been a swift and decisive assault. The Comandancia made a difficult enough objective, but matters were made impossible for the quick conclusion which the Americans hoped for, by the fact that unexpected and fierce resistence was met from cadres of Dignity Battalion members and possibly PDF groups which had spread out from the Comandancia at the approach of the Americans and into houses and commercial buildings throughout the area.
The pre-determined technique of the U.S. forces to use loudspeakers or “bull horns” to urge the besieged groups to surrender, was not fully effective. Task Force Bayonet had to use its crushing fire power. Supported by Apache assault helicopters and C131 Spectre gunships with sophisticated infra-red targeting equipment, the task force pounded the area all night.
Fires began in the streets of houses, the majority built of wood and dating back to Canal construction days at the beginning of the century. The area became an inferno casting an orange glow over the whole city.
At daybreak, as American troops entered the now-empty Comandancia an enormous pall of smoke rose over the city and an area of over 50 acres had been reduced to heaps of rubble. Eye witnesses said that some of the fires were set by members of the Dignity Battalions.
Another element of Task Force Bayonet had an easier task in blocking the PDFs 5th Infantry Co. (nick-named “Los Cholos-Victoriano Lorenzo”) stationed at Fort Amador. Soldiers from the 193rd Brigade’s 1-508th quickly neutralized the company after attacking their barracks with 105 mm howitzer and M 60 machine gun fire, although sporadic fighting continued into the second day.
Meanwhile Marines had secured the Bridge of the Americas which spans the canal at its Pacific entrance and brings the Pan American of the Highway into Panama City from the Western Provinces.
In another operation nearby, a covert unit of Navy SEALS from Little Creek, Va. moved in to secure downtown Paitilla Airport, home base of most of Panama’s light aircraft including Noriega’s Lear Jet which could have been used for an escape. The SEALS made a seaborne approach onto the end of runway 35 which is close to the beach. They used the loudspeaker technique as they advanced down the runway and spread out through the hangars which line it on either side. They called on the PDF guards to surrender but were met with a hail of fire and four SEALS lay dead before the airport was captured in fierce fighting.
The gigantic airlift was the key factor in Operation Just Cause. Nearly 3,400 soldiers, Rangers from Regimental headquarters and the 1st 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 75th Infantry Rgt., paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Div and other Special Operations Command Units, parachuted into Panama to spearhead the assault on Noriega’s army.
On December 17th the Joint Chiefs of Staff had ordered Lt. Gen Carl W. Stiner, XVIII Airborne Corps commander to alert specified units. Stiner, who became commander of Joint Task Force South in Panama, alerted Major Gen. James H. Johnson, commanding General of the 82nd Airborne Div to alert the 82’s 1st Brigade.
Within hours, scores of Air Force cargo planes began landing at Pope Air Force Base, adjacent to Fort Bragg, N.C. The following day, 2,200 troopers moved in to the base and on Tuesday December 19th the fully combat-ready soldiers boarded 20 C-141 Starlifters. At 9:30 p.m.—after an ice storm had caused an hour’s delay—the jets began to take off from the 28f temperatures of Fort Bragg destined for a drop into the soft tropical night of Panama.
Taking part in the operation were: the 82’s Assault Command Post, 1st Bde Headquarters: 1st and 2nd Battalions, 504th Parachute Infantry Regt: 4th Bn. 325th Parachute Infantry Regt.: “A” Co. 3rd Bn. 505th Parachute Infantry Regt.: 307th Engineer Bn.: 3rd Bn, 4th Air Defense Artillery, 307th Medical Bn. and the 319th Field Artillery Bn.
to be continued....
Jones, Kenneth J., The Enemy Within: Casting Out Panama's Demon Copyright 1990 Focus Publications, El Dorado.
It was a complex operation involving airborne and air-assault troops from the States linking up in the hours of darkness with on-the-ground armoured, light infantry and special operations units. More than 3,000 men parachuted in—the biggest combat drop since World War II. The time of the assault, designated “H—hour”, was set at 1 a.m. on December 20 but was brought forward half an hour at the last moment for fear that troop movements might alert the PDF. Shortly before H-hour, U.S. commandos apparently went in on a covert operation to try to kidnap Noriega but their mission failed … he was not where they thought he would be.
During Tuesday afternoon [19th], Military Airlift Command began moving troops from six bases in the U.S. The transport aircraft gathered in a giant rendezvous pattern over the Gulf of Mexico, many being refueled to enable them to continue to Panama. They were to co-ordinate with the ground operation on five main fronts, designated Task Force Bayonet, Task Force Red, Task Force Pacific, Task Force Atlantic and Task Force Semper Fidelis.
Leading the attack was Task Force Bayonet, composed of two Panama-based infantry battalions, the 1-508th [this Airborne unit was right across the street from us.] and the 5-87th plus the 4-6th Infantry from Fort Polk, the 519th MP Battalion from Fort Meade and an 82nd Airborne armour platoon. They were assigned to the central canal area and their mission was two-fold: to capture the Comandancia, the headquarters of the Panama Defense Forces in Panama City and base of the 4th Infantry Co.(Urraca) and to secure the central canal area including Balboa and Ancon. This also included Fort Amador a former U.S. military installation shared, since the 1979 implementation of the Torrijos Carter Canal treaties, by the Panama Defense Forces.
Sheridan tanks and M 113 armoured personnel carriers rolled into the narrow streets of the district of Chorillo, a densely-populated and generally poor residential neighbourhood surrounding the comandancia in what was to have been a swift and decisive assault. The Comandancia made a difficult enough objective, but matters were made impossible for the quick conclusion which the Americans hoped for, by the fact that unexpected and fierce resistence was met from cadres of Dignity Battalion members and possibly PDF groups which had spread out from the Comandancia at the approach of the Americans and into houses and commercial buildings throughout the area.
The pre-determined technique of the U.S. forces to use loudspeakers or “bull horns” to urge the besieged groups to surrender, was not fully effective. Task Force Bayonet had to use its crushing fire power. Supported by Apache assault helicopters and C131 Spectre gunships with sophisticated infra-red targeting equipment, the task force pounded the area all night.
Fires began in the streets of houses, the majority built of wood and dating back to Canal construction days at the beginning of the century. The area became an inferno casting an orange glow over the whole city.
At daybreak, as American troops entered the now-empty Comandancia an enormous pall of smoke rose over the city and an area of over 50 acres had been reduced to heaps of rubble. Eye witnesses said that some of the fires were set by members of the Dignity Battalions.
Another element of Task Force Bayonet had an easier task in blocking the PDFs 5th Infantry Co. (nick-named “Los Cholos-Victoriano Lorenzo”) stationed at Fort Amador. Soldiers from the 193rd Brigade’s 1-508th quickly neutralized the company after attacking their barracks with 105 mm howitzer and M 60 machine gun fire, although sporadic fighting continued into the second day.
Meanwhile Marines had secured the Bridge of the Americas which spans the canal at its Pacific entrance and brings the Pan American of the Highway into Panama City from the Western Provinces.
In another operation nearby, a covert unit of Navy SEALS from Little Creek, Va. moved in to secure downtown Paitilla Airport, home base of most of Panama’s light aircraft including Noriega’s Lear Jet which could have been used for an escape. The SEALS made a seaborne approach onto the end of runway 35 which is close to the beach. They used the loudspeaker technique as they advanced down the runway and spread out through the hangars which line it on either side. They called on the PDF guards to surrender but were met with a hail of fire and four SEALS lay dead before the airport was captured in fierce fighting.
The gigantic airlift was the key factor in Operation Just Cause. Nearly 3,400 soldiers, Rangers from Regimental headquarters and the 1st 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 75th Infantry Rgt., paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Div and other Special Operations Command Units, parachuted into Panama to spearhead the assault on Noriega’s army.
On December 17th the Joint Chiefs of Staff had ordered Lt. Gen Carl W. Stiner, XVIII Airborne Corps commander to alert specified units. Stiner, who became commander of Joint Task Force South in Panama, alerted Major Gen. James H. Johnson, commanding General of the 82nd Airborne Div to alert the 82’s 1st Brigade.
Within hours, scores of Air Force cargo planes began landing at Pope Air Force Base, adjacent to Fort Bragg, N.C. The following day, 2,200 troopers moved in to the base and on Tuesday December 19th the fully combat-ready soldiers boarded 20 C-141 Starlifters. At 9:30 p.m.—after an ice storm had caused an hour’s delay—the jets began to take off from the 28f temperatures of Fort Bragg destined for a drop into the soft tropical night of Panama.
Taking part in the operation were: the 82’s Assault Command Post, 1st Bde Headquarters: 1st and 2nd Battalions, 504th Parachute Infantry Regt: 4th Bn. 325th Parachute Infantry Regt.: “A” Co. 3rd Bn. 505th Parachute Infantry Regt.: 307th Engineer Bn.: 3rd Bn, 4th Air Defense Artillery, 307th Medical Bn. and the 319th Field Artillery Bn.
to be continued....
Jones, Kenneth J., The Enemy Within: Casting Out Panama's Demon Copyright 1990 Focus Publications, El Dorado.
FEMALE ON THE FLOOR! The Specter
Top left: A crewman loads a shell into the breech of the howitzer.
Top right: Another of the gunship's armaments was the "Rapid Fire" 40 mm cannon, which a gunner is seen loading.
###
THE DEADLY SPECTER
This U.S. Airforce AC 130 gunship was the deadly weapon which made it possible to finish the "war" almost before it began. Called "Specter"; the specially adapted plane, equipped with sophisticated infra red detection and targetting devices, inflicted much of the initial heavy damage.
The Specter gunship on the ground at Howard Air Force Base, displays its 150 mm howitzer.
Copyright 1990. Focus Publications, El Dorado.
Friday, February 23, 2007
FEMALE ON THE FLOOR! Me and My War
If I had known then what I know now, I’d have asked many more questions. But this was my first war, and I basically just did what they told me.
My NCOIC, we’ll call him SFC Grover, was an E-7 nearing retirement. He was a good ole boy who let me know right off that my main mission would be “coffee.” He said it was because I made such good coffee. Pulleezzz. It was a freaking coffee maker with a measuring spoon.
He also had me ride shotgun with him on every turn. I can’t even remember if I was locked and loaded with the safety in place. I do remember picking up huge crates of rounds and scores of cases of MREs from Ft. Clayton, which was located across the Bridge of the Americas. I also recall dropping them off at places unknown to me. I’d just gotten there!
SFC Grover was an all-out creep with red hair and a nasty temper. I had no job during that time. I was a soldier without any real mission or purpose other than to sleep in uniform and eat MREs (we did get C-rations or something in the chow hall on Christmas Day.) In between those times I rode with SFC Grover, pulled guard duty outside the section door, wrote letters, things like that. I don’t know if it was bad timing in my arrival there or just the culture of the place at that time. No doubt, part of the ‘tude was mine. I had been used to things being a bit different. I’d worked as a civilian for fifteen years and I’d worked hard at WRAIR. Now here I was stuck in the heat with people I’d hardly met, in a very full uniform and with my face breaking out like I’d just entered puberty. The sand fleas were eating me alive and bats made their appearance regularly. It turned out I was highly sensitive to the sand fleas and I can’t bear to itch. No Benadryl, no Lipton Tea, save for the one tiny PX near the Replacement Center; the beloved building 519. Every problem or benefit that awaited the soldiers in and near Ft. Clayton was born or killed in building 519.
But their tiny PX did have my brand of tea. Everyone carried Nestea. No. It’d been Lipton for years. And my job was coffee.
Yeah.
Like I said, if I had known then what I know now, I’d have learned a little about all that was going on around me. But I was just self-involved enough to believe the war had nothing to do with me. I sincerely believed this was punishment of some sort to be sent to this place and I intended to treat it as such, as if I was being punished.
I enjoyed the fact that my family back home was petrified for my safety. Yes, I was in the vicinity of war, but not close at all. Anyone whose ever lived and worked on a base knows what I’m talking about. I was well protected.
It was a different day then.
My Commander in Chief was President George Bush. Had we as parents known then what we know now, what would we have done differently?
For me, not really much of anything.
Aaron was seven at the time. He lived with his dad in Memphis, TX. I missed him desperately and I lived in that real time. I had no clue Aaron and his dad would join me in a few short months. At this time, I was counting down for twelve months, not thirty-six.
So this is my story of the war. I was an unhappy selfish wench surrounded by people with even less promise.
Hence my little book that I’ll be copying from to tell the story of the invasion. After the invasion itself, we’ll go back and cover Panama’s pre-invasion history as I continue with my own little soldier stories. Hopefully, we’ll all live through it, and maybe together we can enjoy some of the beautiful country and culture that I had an eye for, but not a heart.
My NCOIC, we’ll call him SFC Grover, was an E-7 nearing retirement. He was a good ole boy who let me know right off that my main mission would be “coffee.” He said it was because I made such good coffee. Pulleezzz. It was a freaking coffee maker with a measuring spoon.
He also had me ride shotgun with him on every turn. I can’t even remember if I was locked and loaded with the safety in place. I do remember picking up huge crates of rounds and scores of cases of MREs from Ft. Clayton, which was located across the Bridge of the Americas. I also recall dropping them off at places unknown to me. I’d just gotten there!
SFC Grover was an all-out creep with red hair and a nasty temper. I had no job during that time. I was a soldier without any real mission or purpose other than to sleep in uniform and eat MREs (we did get C-rations or something in the chow hall on Christmas Day.) In between those times I rode with SFC Grover, pulled guard duty outside the section door, wrote letters, things like that. I don’t know if it was bad timing in my arrival there or just the culture of the place at that time. No doubt, part of the ‘tude was mine. I had been used to things being a bit different. I’d worked as a civilian for fifteen years and I’d worked hard at WRAIR. Now here I was stuck in the heat with people I’d hardly met, in a very full uniform and with my face breaking out like I’d just entered puberty. The sand fleas were eating me alive and bats made their appearance regularly. It turned out I was highly sensitive to the sand fleas and I can’t bear to itch. No Benadryl, no Lipton Tea, save for the one tiny PX near the Replacement Center; the beloved building 519. Every problem or benefit that awaited the soldiers in and near Ft. Clayton was born or killed in building 519.
But their tiny PX did have my brand of tea. Everyone carried Nestea. No. It’d been Lipton for years. And my job was coffee.
Yeah.
Like I said, if I had known then what I know now, I’d have learned a little about all that was going on around me. But I was just self-involved enough to believe the war had nothing to do with me. I sincerely believed this was punishment of some sort to be sent to this place and I intended to treat it as such, as if I was being punished.
I enjoyed the fact that my family back home was petrified for my safety. Yes, I was in the vicinity of war, but not close at all. Anyone whose ever lived and worked on a base knows what I’m talking about. I was well protected.
It was a different day then.
My Commander in Chief was President George Bush. Had we as parents known then what we know now, what would we have done differently?
For me, not really much of anything.
Aaron was seven at the time. He lived with his dad in Memphis, TX. I missed him desperately and I lived in that real time. I had no clue Aaron and his dad would join me in a few short months. At this time, I was counting down for twelve months, not thirty-six.
So this is my story of the war. I was an unhappy selfish wench surrounded by people with even less promise.
Hence my little book that I’ll be copying from to tell the story of the invasion. After the invasion itself, we’ll go back and cover Panama’s pre-invasion history as I continue with my own little soldier stories. Hopefully, we’ll all live through it, and maybe together we can enjoy some of the beautiful country and culture that I had an eye for, but not a heart.
Virgie Bell's View: Dancing with the Wallflowers
Now for all us hard news junkies: I thought we were back in business. This last couple of weeks I have had the TV on mute in order to not be present in mind or body to the Anna Nicole Smith debacle and the Britney Being Britney Backlogs but we are still at it. Everyone who claims to be the father of Anna Nicole’s baby (of which there are many) are still all out to sue each other for the right to the money, even if they have to take the baby girl, as they haggle over custody of the body that continues to decompose.
Today Britney is beating up a SUV with an umbrella. There was no report on if she wore her panties to perform this artistic act or not. She did not have on her wig and gave this performance solo sans hair. K-Fed has taken custody of their children. He is among the most awesomely seedy looking men on earth. He looks as if he has never had a full night of sleep in his life. True heroin chick is still in.
You who’ve read this post in the past know how much I enjoyed Dancing with the Stars last season. Well I am miffed with them in the coming season. Paul McCartney’s soon to be very rich ex-wife will be one of the contestants. She did lose part of a leg in an automobile accident some years back but being a cheesecake poster girl has not gone away. As far as I am concerned she just as well shave her head. I am embarrassed for her. Yoko Ono made the newspapers this morning about how the protesters of today are in some way inferior to her and John Lennon's anti war antics. It seems there are truly standards to be met in this contest.
We took Kayla and her Mom with us to Santa Fe once and we really enjoyed a pretty intellectual vacation. It is a city that runs buckets full of history and culture. It is also multi-racial with the best Mexican Food on earth. I could vacation there for a year and still love it. To get to the point, in one of the art exhibits there, one of the artists gave credit for his inspiration to John Lennon. Well of course I pooh-poohed such a thought and Lisa took issue with my statement because it was the great John Lennon after all. Uh did anyone else mistake his antics as intellectual accomplishments? I think not. Just miles and miles of shaved heads in various degrees. All of them.
In politics I think we can look for a real out and out slug fest between Obama and Hillary. Of course I look to report to Gunz up all the wonderful dirt they throw. If I were the president and vice president, I would resign before I would put up with all the many protesters and political enemies. It might do the Democratic Party a real favor to see if they could get us out of what they and slick Willy got us into. In the mean time, I’m that we will still have Kim Jung IL firing off atomic bombs into the ocean in a timely manner and Hugo Chaves seizing oil industries and public information facilities in the name of the government. He is of course, the great admirer of Fidel Castro.
Speaking of Castro, the Cubans in Florida plan to use some famous football stadium to throw a party to celebrate when the old codger finally is dead. I understand it will rival the Mardi gras in its scope. I just hope that we do not have to bear witness to Fergie the constant reminder to the curse of the royals as performing alongside of Sir Paul's ex when we watch Dancing with the Stars. Until then, SUPPORT THE TROOPS!
Today Britney is beating up a SUV with an umbrella. There was no report on if she wore her panties to perform this artistic act or not. She did not have on her wig and gave this performance solo sans hair. K-Fed has taken custody of their children. He is among the most awesomely seedy looking men on earth. He looks as if he has never had a full night of sleep in his life. True heroin chick is still in.
You who’ve read this post in the past know how much I enjoyed Dancing with the Stars last season. Well I am miffed with them in the coming season. Paul McCartney’s soon to be very rich ex-wife will be one of the contestants. She did lose part of a leg in an automobile accident some years back but being a cheesecake poster girl has not gone away. As far as I am concerned she just as well shave her head. I am embarrassed for her. Yoko Ono made the newspapers this morning about how the protesters of today are in some way inferior to her and John Lennon's anti war antics. It seems there are truly standards to be met in this contest.
We took Kayla and her Mom with us to Santa Fe once and we really enjoyed a pretty intellectual vacation. It is a city that runs buckets full of history and culture. It is also multi-racial with the best Mexican Food on earth. I could vacation there for a year and still love it. To get to the point, in one of the art exhibits there, one of the artists gave credit for his inspiration to John Lennon. Well of course I pooh-poohed such a thought and Lisa took issue with my statement because it was the great John Lennon after all. Uh did anyone else mistake his antics as intellectual accomplishments? I think not. Just miles and miles of shaved heads in various degrees. All of them.
In politics I think we can look for a real out and out slug fest between Obama and Hillary. Of course I look to report to Gunz up all the wonderful dirt they throw. If I were the president and vice president, I would resign before I would put up with all the many protesters and political enemies. It might do the Democratic Party a real favor to see if they could get us out of what they and slick Willy got us into. In the mean time, I’m that we will still have Kim Jung IL firing off atomic bombs into the ocean in a timely manner and Hugo Chaves seizing oil industries and public information facilities in the name of the government. He is of course, the great admirer of Fidel Castro.
Speaking of Castro, the Cubans in Florida plan to use some famous football stadium to throw a party to celebrate when the old codger finally is dead. I understand it will rival the Mardi gras in its scope. I just hope that we do not have to bear witness to Fergie the constant reminder to the curse of the royals as performing alongside of Sir Paul's ex when we watch Dancing with the Stars. Until then, SUPPORT THE TROOPS!
How the Rules of War Work
by Julia Layton
Inside This Article
1. Introduction to How the Rules of War Work
2. Background
3. In the Field
4. Prisoners of War
5. Civilians and Occupation
6. Cultural Property
7. Consequences of Violation
In the context of any armed conflict, the topic of war crimes inevitably arises, especially in reports of civilian and military casualties and the taking of prisoners of war. The idea of a "war crime" seems to be pretty redundant: Most of us are familiar with the phrase "All is fair in love and war," and in an armed conflict, in which the killing of enemy troops is considered an acceptable means to an end, it may seem that the concept of a "crime" is out of place. But there are countless treaties that declare otherwise, signed by almost every nation in the world.
The Hague laws and Geneva Conventions are some of the most widely applied of these international agreements. These treaties address, among other issues, the participants of war, the victims of war, occupation by hostile forces and the status of cultural property. In the 2003 war in Iraq, Iraqi troops waved a white flag and then opened fire on the U.S. soldiers who approached to accept their surrender; this act is prohibited under the Hague laws. In World War II, the Nazis in Germany performed medical experiments on civilians; this act is prohibited in all of the Geneva Conventions.
In this article, you will learn about the basic "rules of war" and about specific acts that have been designated as war crimes by the Hague and Geneva Conventions.
Background
There have always been laws of war. Individual armies have their own laws that determine how their military actions will proceed, what is off limits and what is allowed, and "rules of engagement" that dictate the way they initiate battle. Throughout history, opposing nations have established ground rules for war, but until the nineteenth century, these rules applied only to a particular conflict and the countries it involved. Once that war was over, the rules were discarded.
With the 1864 Geneva Convention, the rules of war became an international matter. The laws that came out of Geneva and The Hague transcend any specific conflict. They attempt to "diminish the severity and disasters of war" (Hague IX) in general, applying to armed conflicts across the board.
The Geneva Conventions
Made official in 1949 and ultimately adopted by 190 countries, the Geneva Conventions establish the rules for the treatment of the "victims" of war -- wounded or sick soldiers, prisoners of war, and civilians.
The Geneva Conventions as we now know them were established in 1949, after World War II. But the first Geneva Convention was actually held in 1864. That first conference established a set of rules to protect wounded and sick troops on the field.
The initial 1864 treaty was initiated by an organization called the International Committee for Relief to the Wounded. This organization is now called the International Committee of the Red Cross. The Red Cross was originally established to provide medical care to those wounded in battle. It was created by Henry Dunant, who was traveling through Italy after the 1859 Battle of Solferino and saw dying soldiers left untreated. He asked civilians to help him gather and treat the wounded and insisted they not discriminate based on nationality. The Red Cross was founded on the belief that all soldiers, regardless of which army they belong to, should receive medical treatment.
That first treaty was amended and built upon in subsequent meetings, culminating in 1949 when nations gathered to address the horrors of WWII. The 1949 assembly resulted in the adoption of four Geneva Conventions:
I. Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field
II. Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea
III. Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War
IV. Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War
The Hague Conventions
Conferences regarding the international rules of war were held in The Hague, the Netherlands, in 1899, 1907 and 1954. Dubbed the International Peace Conferences, these meetings produced numerous rules, or conventions, that loosely fall into the categories of combat, weaponry, property rights and the duties of neutral countries.
The first two Hague conventions, the 1899 Hague Peace Convention and the 1907 Hague Convention on Land Warfare, are largely similar, the latter expanding and adding to the initial Hague sections on combat laws, illegal weaponry and financial concerns. Another conference was scheduled and then cancelled with the outbreak of World War I.
The severe destruction of cultural property -- artwork, literature, artifacts -- that occurred during World Wars I and II revealed holes in the existing laws. In 1954, the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict was signed into effect. This third set of laws addressed the issue of cultural preservation in greater depth than the first two, attempting to protect a nation's identity in the face of war and occupation.
As technology and awareness have progressed, the conventions produced in The Hague and those coming out of Geneva have progressively overlapped: Technological developments in the realm of war tend to threaten humanitarian concerns, and humanitarian concerns tend to want to stem the progress of weapons and methods of destruction. These major treaties comprise some of the most essential laws of war, attempting to protect humanitarian, cultural and financial concerns within a framework that inherently wants to disregard everything but the battle at hand.
###
Contracting Parties
A total of 190 countries have accepted the Geneva Conventions of 1949. For a complete list of countries and ratification dates, see ICRC: List of States
Remaining subjects outlined at the top will be covered in future posts.
Inside This Article
1. Introduction to How the Rules of War Work
2. Background
3. In the Field
4. Prisoners of War
5. Civilians and Occupation
6. Cultural Property
7. Consequences of Violation
In the context of any armed conflict, the topic of war crimes inevitably arises, especially in reports of civilian and military casualties and the taking of prisoners of war. The idea of a "war crime" seems to be pretty redundant: Most of us are familiar with the phrase "All is fair in love and war," and in an armed conflict, in which the killing of enemy troops is considered an acceptable means to an end, it may seem that the concept of a "crime" is out of place. But there are countless treaties that declare otherwise, signed by almost every nation in the world.
The Hague laws and Geneva Conventions are some of the most widely applied of these international agreements. These treaties address, among other issues, the participants of war, the victims of war, occupation by hostile forces and the status of cultural property. In the 2003 war in Iraq, Iraqi troops waved a white flag and then opened fire on the U.S. soldiers who approached to accept their surrender; this act is prohibited under the Hague laws. In World War II, the Nazis in Germany performed medical experiments on civilians; this act is prohibited in all of the Geneva Conventions.
In this article, you will learn about the basic "rules of war" and about specific acts that have been designated as war crimes by the Hague and Geneva Conventions.
Background
There have always been laws of war. Individual armies have their own laws that determine how their military actions will proceed, what is off limits and what is allowed, and "rules of engagement" that dictate the way they initiate battle. Throughout history, opposing nations have established ground rules for war, but until the nineteenth century, these rules applied only to a particular conflict and the countries it involved. Once that war was over, the rules were discarded.
With the 1864 Geneva Convention, the rules of war became an international matter. The laws that came out of Geneva and The Hague transcend any specific conflict. They attempt to "diminish the severity and disasters of war" (Hague IX) in general, applying to armed conflicts across the board.
The Geneva Conventions
Made official in 1949 and ultimately adopted by 190 countries, the Geneva Conventions establish the rules for the treatment of the "victims" of war -- wounded or sick soldiers, prisoners of war, and civilians.
The Geneva Conventions as we now know them were established in 1949, after World War II. But the first Geneva Convention was actually held in 1864. That first conference established a set of rules to protect wounded and sick troops on the field.
The initial 1864 treaty was initiated by an organization called the International Committee for Relief to the Wounded. This organization is now called the International Committee of the Red Cross. The Red Cross was originally established to provide medical care to those wounded in battle. It was created by Henry Dunant, who was traveling through Italy after the 1859 Battle of Solferino and saw dying soldiers left untreated. He asked civilians to help him gather and treat the wounded and insisted they not discriminate based on nationality. The Red Cross was founded on the belief that all soldiers, regardless of which army they belong to, should receive medical treatment.
That first treaty was amended and built upon in subsequent meetings, culminating in 1949 when nations gathered to address the horrors of WWII. The 1949 assembly resulted in the adoption of four Geneva Conventions:
I. Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field
II. Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea
III. Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War
IV. Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War
The Hague Conventions
Conferences regarding the international rules of war were held in The Hague, the Netherlands, in 1899, 1907 and 1954. Dubbed the International Peace Conferences, these meetings produced numerous rules, or conventions, that loosely fall into the categories of combat, weaponry, property rights and the duties of neutral countries.
The first two Hague conventions, the 1899 Hague Peace Convention and the 1907 Hague Convention on Land Warfare, are largely similar, the latter expanding and adding to the initial Hague sections on combat laws, illegal weaponry and financial concerns. Another conference was scheduled and then cancelled with the outbreak of World War I.
The severe destruction of cultural property -- artwork, literature, artifacts -- that occurred during World Wars I and II revealed holes in the existing laws. In 1954, the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict was signed into effect. This third set of laws addressed the issue of cultural preservation in greater depth than the first two, attempting to protect a nation's identity in the face of war and occupation.
As technology and awareness have progressed, the conventions produced in The Hague and those coming out of Geneva have progressively overlapped: Technological developments in the realm of war tend to threaten humanitarian concerns, and humanitarian concerns tend to want to stem the progress of weapons and methods of destruction. These major treaties comprise some of the most essential laws of war, attempting to protect humanitarian, cultural and financial concerns within a framework that inherently wants to disregard everything but the battle at hand.
###
Contracting Parties
A total of 190 countries have accepted the Geneva Conventions of 1949. For a complete list of countries and ratification dates, see ICRC: List of States
Remaining subjects outlined at the top will be covered in future posts.
More Marine Moms Online
Why Does My Son Want to be A Marine?
The reasons why some young Americans have chosen to become
United States Marines
As told by their mothers, fathers, wives, and other loved ones
The reasons why some young Americans have chosen to become
United States Marines
As told by their mothers, fathers, wives, and other loved ones
…Why did my son want to serve, I think it is a calling. My son was raised around no guns, not allowed near guns, but he always had the desire. He crawled through sewers and left greasepaint on our freshly painted walls and light switches. He wanted to be a Navy Seal, so he would don all his gear (bought at the military surplus store) and climbed the fence to the city pool and swam and swam to learn how to handle the cold and the gear in water. He would leave a smear of greasepaint so his friends would know he had been there the night before. He sat on our roof in the middle of winter so he could adapt to being in the cold. And he is very, very religious, but he saw that there is a need for warriors in our world to fight evil and he felt that is what he is meant to do. He changed his desire to be a Navy Seal to the Marines in high school after taking a military history class. IT IS HARD -- VERY, VERY HARD, I have cried and so has my husband, but we love our son and respect him so much. So we swallow our tears and wait for him to finish doing what he feels he is meant to. And we are proud that our son is not just our son, but our hero too.
…I don't know about any other guys and gals, but I do know about my son. He is using the Marines as a stepping stone. He knew we didn't have the money to put him through college, so that is one reason. He also said he wanted to travel. He is in Presidential Security. If there are any other motives, I don't know. These are the ones he gave me. I had the same questions you do and maybe even more. I want my son to be in church, a Pentecostal church, and that hasn't happened yet. I have put him in God's hands and I "bug" him all the time. When they are grown-up, maybe they will tell us.
…We have asked ourselves the same question you have about a million times. Our son has always been an "extreme kind of kid." He raced motocross and did everything to the limit. He is a wonderful kid and loves the Lord and has great friends but felt he wanted to go into the Marines. He didn't want to go to college and I think that he thought the Marines would be the answer to his future for right now. If he was going to join, he wanted to join the Best of the Best! When you are 15-21 years of age, you THINK you know what you want but you really have no idea what the future has in store. Our son has questioned his decision since being in boot camp but I think he is just homesick (in his sixth week). We write to him every day and support him 100%. We continue to tell him how proud we are of him, Marine or Not! We are trusting in the Lord to guide him through these trying times and Us too! The way we look at it is this: God doesn't make mistakes, and if you trust in him, all things will be for the good. That is what keeps us going.
…I'm sure there are many reasons. Some feel this is what they wanted to do for a long time, like being a doctor, or an attorney, or they just know it's what they want to do. My son knew he wanted to be in the military, but he also wanted to be the best of the best and that's why he chose the Marines. Why else? They train harder, they have to earn it -- it's not give to them, and once they are in, the Marines have to do more with less, compared to the other branches.
…Apparently your kid is the kind that needs to make a point! I had all of the same questions when mine joined and never got the answer that I wanted. My son was always very independent and did what he wanted, no matter what.
…There is a saying I came across a while back, it goes something like this: It is because you protected them, that they are so willing and able to protect you. I feel also that it is a calling. I think 9/11 had a huge impact on my son's decision. Like your son, my son also said that joining the Marines is something he "just felt like he needed to do." My son graduated from boot camp in October, 2003, so he's on his last year. He has done one tour in Iraq and will be going on his second tour after the first of the year. The whole Marine Corps experience has been a good for him. Good luck to your son and please thank him for his service.
…Freedom is not free and he firmly believed that he was helping the Iraqi people get freedom from Saddam. My son said what Saddam did to that country was unbelievable.
…Your son’s choice to become a Marine is an example of the leadership and selflessness that you have taught him. It is his choice to be one of the finest, and to challenge himself is a choice made by those who appreciate the gifts that God has given them, and the opportunities the USA has provided them. My son is a Marine, and it has been over twenty years since I was in. The challenge of being one of the few and the proud was something that lived with me for years. I passed up college to be a Marine, and I have since become a successful business owner. I am so proud that my son has continued with my commitment to serve not only my personal wants for him but the needs of a great society.
…That's a tough question to answer. Some want to be part of the best; be something not everyone can be. You usually picture a Marine as being the strongest, smartest, etc., but there are many that were small and not at all athletic. All find themselves in the process of becoming a Marine. I notice that whenever my son-in-law is in uniform he is taller, he stands straighter, and he is very proud. He has been a Marine for 10 years now - 4 years active duty (grunt) and the rest as an active reservist (combat engineer). He has deployed 4 times - 2 active duty, 2 reserve to Iraq. He left active duty to allow his wife to come home and finish college and have her career as a teacher. As a reservist he can still be a Marine which he loves. He just made Staff Sergeant. Even after being in Iraq twice, and seeing some friends die, his desire to be a Marine has not lessened. I'm sure there is a lot of fear in being over there, but they focus more on being there for the Marine next to them. Many who have left active duty miss it and come back - it's the brotherhood of the Marines. Being a Marine is never easy, and that challenge might be why many select it. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, I really was able to see the respect bestowed upon the Marines by those in the other services, and by the public.
…This would not have been the life I would have chosen for my son-in-law. He is a second generation Marine (father and 2 brothers were Marines), but I have seen the Corps build him into a fine young man. I hope your son will find himself as well and hope you're able to stand behind him. That is the toughest job, but one you will carry with pride.
…If you ask your son a few months from now why he wants to be a Marine, his answer may not be any different than it was before he left. But when you see him, I pray that you will receive answers to your questions without having to ask. Hang in there. He is an incredible person for doing what he is doing.
…He always had a strong personality and I think he needed a challenge. He also told me that if he stayed home and went to college first he didn't feel like he would become the man he wanted to be. He felt like he needed the discipline of the Marine Corps to motivate him to another level and he really wanted to be a part of something bigger than himself. He identified with The Commander in Chief and felt called to this. Face it, he is no longer your little boy.
THANKS TO DIANE, ONE TERRIFIC MARINE MOM!
Virgie Bell's View: Greenhouse and Gardens
Good for Prince Harry who remarked that there was no way he would sit on his "arse" while his troop mates went and fought for his country. He did something stupid when he came to a costume party dressed as a Nazi. This caused quite an uproar. I am sure if I was posting at the time that I had some snide comment about it. At any rate, my family got to hear me denounce him for such a stupid act.
I read Kitty Kelly's book titled The Royals and found it fascinating. I didn't know that the royal family descends from German stock, but they do. The genesis of the royal family was Fredrick 111 who was Emperor of Germany 1831-1888. In fact, during World War Two, they did all within their power to distance themselves from this fact, and did so admirably in my estimation. They stayed right in London while it was being bombed. So many other heads of states head for another country when their own is under attack. Actually it is the self imposed dictators that flee.
The United States is in a peculiar position in the world in that we are the New World. The Old World History is so very old that the Holy Bible is the first record of it. The history in the Bible holds up very well. The Pyramids still stand as testimony to that fact. If the world were to go on, they too would disappear and we would be left with our theories about them as we are with Stonehenge. The reason they will disappear is because of greenhouse gas, a “name” our language only recently adopted.
In Santa Fe, I saw fossils of sea creatures found in NM. If you want to believe that one day your ancestor grew legs and stepped out of the ocean, hey, have at it. Mine stepped out of an ark onto dry land. So the whole earth was covered by oceans. No problem there. The Flood sure happened. Proved by nature over and over again. When God looked at mankind and repented that he had ever made man he promised no more floods. He did not promise no more destruction. In fact, right up to the end God’s word promises that we will be destroyed by fire. The Bible also states that God made all things and that nothing made ever came to be with out Him. So Greenhouse Gas was always there and it always will be. If I were God, I would also throw in a few false trails to confuse the arch enemy.
People look at the beginning of the Bible and see the creation as actual days just like we have. If he wanted to he could have easily done so, but we are told that His ways are not our ways and His Time is not our time. Enough said. Now I don't know we can possibly how we can fix this greenhouse gas problem. It seems our politicians have taken on the role of playing God. We smokers are not the problem. The automobile is the cause. We are not going back to horse and buggy days. The Old World is not going to have its empire. We will continue on this course because it is the course we started on whether your relatives were fish or people. The Bible says so.
Oh yes, another thing I read is that some of our past presidents ran this country with a grade school education and did pretty well at that. Makes you wonder about all our posturing leaders today. Those kids of ours in the military are our leaders. For anyone to withhold one thin dime from them is treason. Sadly, our political leaders do not care one way or another about the War on Terror. They care about the party of choice in the coming election. This happened on Bush's watch. If anyone has the ability to do anything, it will be him.
If you look at the world today, you can see enemy dictators are after us. They want the New World as their own. They always have. At any rate, we are surrounded by enemies. We have one advantage right now. We have boots on the ground where civilization had its beginning. The Garden of Eden was right outside of Baghdad. The gardens of Babylon run beneath its bloody streets. Give our military the opportunity to complete the mission of protecting us … SUPPORT THE TROOPS!
I read Kitty Kelly's book titled The Royals and found it fascinating. I didn't know that the royal family descends from German stock, but they do. The genesis of the royal family was Fredrick 111 who was Emperor of Germany 1831-1888. In fact, during World War Two, they did all within their power to distance themselves from this fact, and did so admirably in my estimation. They stayed right in London while it was being bombed. So many other heads of states head for another country when their own is under attack. Actually it is the self imposed dictators that flee.
The United States is in a peculiar position in the world in that we are the New World. The Old World History is so very old that the Holy Bible is the first record of it. The history in the Bible holds up very well. The Pyramids still stand as testimony to that fact. If the world were to go on, they too would disappear and we would be left with our theories about them as we are with Stonehenge. The reason they will disappear is because of greenhouse gas, a “name” our language only recently adopted.
In Santa Fe, I saw fossils of sea creatures found in NM. If you want to believe that one day your ancestor grew legs and stepped out of the ocean, hey, have at it. Mine stepped out of an ark onto dry land. So the whole earth was covered by oceans. No problem there. The Flood sure happened. Proved by nature over and over again. When God looked at mankind and repented that he had ever made man he promised no more floods. He did not promise no more destruction. In fact, right up to the end God’s word promises that we will be destroyed by fire. The Bible also states that God made all things and that nothing made ever came to be with out Him. So Greenhouse Gas was always there and it always will be. If I were God, I would also throw in a few false trails to confuse the arch enemy.
People look at the beginning of the Bible and see the creation as actual days just like we have. If he wanted to he could have easily done so, but we are told that His ways are not our ways and His Time is not our time. Enough said. Now I don't know we can possibly how we can fix this greenhouse gas problem. It seems our politicians have taken on the role of playing God. We smokers are not the problem. The automobile is the cause. We are not going back to horse and buggy days. The Old World is not going to have its empire. We will continue on this course because it is the course we started on whether your relatives were fish or people. The Bible says so.
Oh yes, another thing I read is that some of our past presidents ran this country with a grade school education and did pretty well at that. Makes you wonder about all our posturing leaders today. Those kids of ours in the military are our leaders. For anyone to withhold one thin dime from them is treason. Sadly, our political leaders do not care one way or another about the War on Terror. They care about the party of choice in the coming election. This happened on Bush's watch. If anyone has the ability to do anything, it will be him.
If you look at the world today, you can see enemy dictators are after us. They want the New World as their own. They always have. At any rate, we are surrounded by enemies. We have one advantage right now. We have boots on the ground where civilization had its beginning. The Garden of Eden was right outside of Baghdad. The gardens of Babylon run beneath its bloody streets. Give our military the opportunity to complete the mission of protecting us … SUPPORT THE TROOPS!
Secret of Healing
February 23
LOVE the busy life. It is a joy-filled life. I love you both and bid you be of good cheer. Take your fill of joy in the Spring.
Live outside whenever possible. Sun and air are my great healing forces, and that inward Joy that changes poisoned blood, to a pure healthy life-giving flow.
Never forget that real healing of body, mind and Spirit comes from within, from the close contact of your spirit with My Spirit.
Russell, A. J., ed., God Calling. Barnes & Noble, 2002.
LOVE the busy life. It is a joy-filled life. I love you both and bid you be of good cheer. Take your fill of joy in the Spring.
Live outside whenever possible. Sun and air are my great healing forces, and that inward Joy that changes poisoned blood, to a pure healthy life-giving flow.
Never forget that real healing of body, mind and Spirit comes from within, from the close contact of your spirit with My Spirit.
Russell, A. J., ed., God Calling. Barnes & Noble, 2002.
Make A Wish
Riley Woina chats with Master Sgt. Alexander Barnett during a lunch break Wednesday at Camp J. Rudder on Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., during his Make-A-Wish Foundation trip to the camp. The U.S. Army Rangers and the Make-A-Wish Foundation helped Riley, who suffers from cystic fibrosis, live out his dream for a week.
When You Make A Wish
Riley Woina grins out of a military helicopter after taking a ride with the Army Rangers on Wednesday at Camp J. Rudder on Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., during his Make-A-Wish Foundation trip to the camp. The U.S. Army Rangers and the Make-A-Wish Foundation helped Riley, who suffers from cystic fibrosis, live out his dream for a week -- flying in helicopters, riding in zodiac boats and watching an airborne jump. When he completes his training, Riley will advance to Fort Benning, Ga., where he will participate in U.S. Army Ranger graduation ceremonies.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
FEMALE ON THE FLOOR! THE STORMING OF PANAMA BY U.S. FORCES Map 1
- TASK FORCE ATLANTIC
Mission: Neutralize the PDF 8th Infantry Company in Colon, the Atlantic gateway to the Canal, and also the PDF Marine Infantry Company at the port of Coco Solo. In the top left of the map above, this Task Force is situated near COLON.
- TASK FORCE ATLANTIC
Mission: Protect U.S. housing area at Gamboa and capture the Gamboa prison. Gamboa is below Colon.
- TASK FORCE RED
Mission: Take Rio Hato, headquarters of the 6th and 7th Rifle Companies. "Macho de Monte" of the Panama Defense Forces. Paratroopers, supported by heavy air cover, have a fierce fight. Bottom left where the three chutes are at.
- TASK FORCE PACIFIC
Mission: Engage PDF Cavalry squadron at Panama Viejo and the PDF 1st Infantry Co. (Los Tigres) at Tinajitas. They encountered stiff resistance. Mid-top, next to the Panamanian flag is TINAJITAS and then the next arrow points down to PANAMA VIEJO near the Marriot (Doug, Aaron and I stayed there for a couple of nights.)
- TASK FORCE RED
Mission: Capture Torrijos International Airport in an airborne assault. Move out to secure the bridge over the Pacora River to block the PDF's 2000 Battalion at Fort Cimarron from moving into the city. Ice storm delays airlift and 2000 Battalion convoy is attacked from the air. Top right: TOCUMEN, RIO PACORA, CIMARRON and 3 more chutes.
- TASK FORCE BAYONET
Mission: Capture the Comandancia, central H.Q. of the Panama Defense Forces, and secure the central Canal area including Ford Amador, joint military installation of U.S. and Panama. Bottom right. Just under Task Force Red.
- TASK FORCE SEMPER FIDELIS
Mission: Secure the Bridge of the Americas, spanning the Canal and the Pan American Highway and protect Howard Air Force Base. This mission was the job of Marines and MP companies. I guess they were protecting us at Ft. Kobbe too, since it's hard for a novice to tell where one ends and the other begins.
My job during this time, and I think I've already said, was to support the Marines with MRE's, ammo, and water. We would leave the supplies at drop off points.
Photo is copyrighted 1990. Focus Publications, El Dorado.
FEMALE ON THE FLOOR! THE STORMING OF PANAMA BY U.S. FORCES Map 2
Airborne Assault
13,000 TROOPS
- Ft. Lewis, Wash.
Ranger battalion
- Fort Ord, Calif.
Light Infantry Division
- Ft. Polk, La.
Infantry
- Ft. Bragg, N.C.
Paratroopers
- Ft. Benning & Ft. Stewart, Ga.
Ranger battalions
copyright 1990. The Enemy Within. Focus. El Dorado.
FEMALE ON THE FLOOR! The storming of Panama *1
The climax was near. On December 15 the 500-member Assembly of People’s Power, controlled by the Revolutionary Democratic Party and other parties loyal to General Noriega, proclaimed him Head State, eschewing further pretense of constitutional democracy and openly acknowledging a military dictatorship for the first time. This came just days before the last and most deadly serious incident of harassment of U.S. army personnel by the Panama Defense Forces in which Lt. Roberto Paz was shot dead as he gunned his car away from a PDF roadblock.
Television viewers in Panama City watching the late movie on Channel 8, the channel of the U.S, forces in Panama, on the night of December 19th 1989 knew something was about to happen. Suddenly, across the bottom of the screen where the Personnel Movement Limitation is intermittently broadcast, the message upgraded from PML Delta which means “movement off base prohibited except on designated routes” to PML Echo which means, in effect: War.
Shortly afterwards, the night was hideous with the din of explosions. The heavy “crunch” of mortar and howitzer shells and the rattle of machine gun fire continued through the night and the district of Chorillo surrounding the headquarters of the Panama Defence Forces went up in flames. The Americans had finally invaded. For over a year before, Panamanians had speculated on this eventuality, but few really believed it would happen, even though General Manuel Antonio Noriega, to supplement his already powerful army, had poured considerable resources into training a civilian paramilitary force to “give their lives” for Panama in the fight against the “Yankee aggressor”
As 1989 drew to a close, however, relations between the U.S. and the Noriega-dominated Panama government had deteriorated to the point where it was no particular surprise when the giant C141 transport planes began to arrive at Howard Air Force Base indicating that something was happening at last.
The American attack, which threw 26,000 troops against Noriega’s army, was the larges U.S. military operation since Vietnam and the largest ever to be undertaken as “intervention” in the affairs of a normally friendly country.
The U.S.A. had labeled the invasion “Operation Just Cause” and President George Bush appeared on network T.V. as the inferno at Chorillo was lighting the sky above Panama City, to explain its four objectives: to protect American lives, maintain the security of the Panama Canal, restore democracy to Panama and to capture Noriega and bring him to justice.
The military objective was to strike with sufficient force and suddenness to quickly disable the Panama Defense Forces. To accomplish this, a massive airlift was organized from various military bases in the U.S. to combine with forces already in Panama. Altogether 13,000 troops from the Southern Command based in Panama, including 9,500 combat soldiers, were supplemented by a further 13,000 troops, 10,500 of them combat soldiers, flown in from the U.S.
It was a complex operation involving airborne and air-assault troops from the States linking up in the hours of darkness with on-the-ground armoured, light infantry and special operations units. More than 3,000 men parachuted in—the biggest combat drop since World War II. The time of the assault, designated “H—hour”, was set at 1 a.m. on December 20 but was brought forward half an hour at the last moment for fear that troop movements might alert the PDF. Shortly before H-hour, U.S. commandos apparently went in on a covert operation to try to kidnap Noriega but their mission failed … he was not where they thought he would be.
copied from source: Jones, Kenneth J. Copyright 1990 Focus Publications. El Dorado, Panama, R.P.
Television viewers in Panama City watching the late movie on Channel 8, the channel of the U.S, forces in Panama, on the night of December 19th 1989 knew something was about to happen. Suddenly, across the bottom of the screen where the Personnel Movement Limitation is intermittently broadcast, the message upgraded from PML Delta which means “movement off base prohibited except on designated routes” to PML Echo which means, in effect: War.
Shortly afterwards, the night was hideous with the din of explosions. The heavy “crunch” of mortar and howitzer shells and the rattle of machine gun fire continued through the night and the district of Chorillo surrounding the headquarters of the Panama Defence Forces went up in flames. The Americans had finally invaded. For over a year before, Panamanians had speculated on this eventuality, but few really believed it would happen, even though General Manuel Antonio Noriega, to supplement his already powerful army, had poured considerable resources into training a civilian paramilitary force to “give their lives” for Panama in the fight against the “Yankee aggressor”
As 1989 drew to a close, however, relations between the U.S. and the Noriega-dominated Panama government had deteriorated to the point where it was no particular surprise when the giant C141 transport planes began to arrive at Howard Air Force Base indicating that something was happening at last.
The American attack, which threw 26,000 troops against Noriega’s army, was the larges U.S. military operation since Vietnam and the largest ever to be undertaken as “intervention” in the affairs of a normally friendly country.
The U.S.A. had labeled the invasion “Operation Just Cause” and President George Bush appeared on network T.V. as the inferno at Chorillo was lighting the sky above Panama City, to explain its four objectives: to protect American lives, maintain the security of the Panama Canal, restore democracy to Panama and to capture Noriega and bring him to justice.
The military objective was to strike with sufficient force and suddenness to quickly disable the Panama Defense Forces. To accomplish this, a massive airlift was organized from various military bases in the U.S. to combine with forces already in Panama. Altogether 13,000 troops from the Southern Command based in Panama, including 9,500 combat soldiers, were supplemented by a further 13,000 troops, 10,500 of them combat soldiers, flown in from the U.S.
It was a complex operation involving airborne and air-assault troops from the States linking up in the hours of darkness with on-the-ground armoured, light infantry and special operations units. More than 3,000 men parachuted in—the biggest combat drop since World War II. The time of the assault, designated “H—hour”, was set at 1 a.m. on December 20 but was brought forward half an hour at the last moment for fear that troop movements might alert the PDF. Shortly before H-hour, U.S. commandos apparently went in on a covert operation to try to kidnap Noriega but their mission failed … he was not where they thought he would be.
copied from source: Jones, Kenneth J. Copyright 1990 Focus Publications. El Dorado, Panama, R.P.
FEMALE ON THE FLOOR! Personal photos from Operation Just Cause
December 1989
Ft. Kobbe--across block from Burger King (one on wheels, I might add :)--Can you see the tents set up across the way? Those belong to 82nd Airborne.
This is the helicopter our 7th Engineer Detachment (Divers) pulled out of the canal. If I'm not mistaken, I believe this was the first U.S. casualty; the LT was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Friendly fire.
Ft. Kobbe--across block from Burger King (one on wheels, I might add :)--Can you see the tents set up across the way? Those belong to 82nd Airborne.
This is the helicopter our 7th Engineer Detachment (Divers) pulled out of the canal. If I'm not mistaken, I believe this was the first U.S. casualty; the LT was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Friendly fire.At the time, the Army had 110 divers. 536th Engr. Bn. had 12-14 assigned to them. They were such a neat group of guys. Gung ho!
SPC Moss and SPC Austin outside of S-4 (Battalion supply). I was assigned to S-4 when I first arrived. My section changed several times throughout the three years I was there. This was taken before the invasion, thus our shortage of gear. I think I gave away the only 2 photos I had of me "dressed up."
Panamanian refugee and SPC Austin a few days after the invasion. I went with SFC Frances (the very same guy who made me peel potatoes that first or second night after my arrival) to feed the refugees one day. Panamanian himself, SFC Frances felt comfortable riding around in his POV (privately-owned vehicle) which was a red convertible. We took a lot of photos that day of the war.
Virgie Bell's View: History
Well Anna Nicole is still at the top of the news along with Britney Spears. Britney begs for privacy while in rehab. She shaves her head in public and she wants privacy ... get real! I will not be sending in a bid to get her cut off hair where starting price is reported to be in the vicinity of a million dollars. Does anyone buy that perfume that is named for her? If so, poor you, but Kayla was absolutely smitten with Britney at one time. I think she may have gotten over this. Kayla gave me a Britney Spear’s Valentine years ago. I didn't even know who she was and when I finally did catch her on TV, she was wrapping an albino Python around her neck. I decided then that she was loco and nothing I've read of her ever changed that opinion.
As I reported before, I’ve been reading Winds of War. No one will ever know how grateful I am that God made me a reader. I can never tell you how much I enjoy Hermon Wouk's writing. I see that the end is near on this pleasure because I am just about through with his war stories. If you enjoy reading, this is a series you will love. I have read every book I could lay my hands on concerning World War II, and I can tell you the historical setting and the geographical descriptions are dead on.
I know that some people do not read fiction, but I enjoy it. MarilynVos Savant (with the highest IQ in the world) said that fiction writers have to know a little more than non fiction writers and I find it to be true. I was telling our editor yesterday that she could take this period in history and add just our family to it, throw in current news and entertainment, and with this, and we could write a novel. At any rate, here is a free tip from a proud mother of a great writer: If you read and do want some great material, then I can't endorse anyone more than her Hermon Wouk.
Here is the order that his books go in. First read , Margorie Morningstar, then Winds of War and War and Remembrance. Finish with The Caine Mutiny. He has also written The Glory and The Hope, which I know would fit in the same time period. Be warned that the only bad part of reading his works is that you get through much too quickly and find yourself back to reading the same old same old. I do enjoy other writers, but nonetheless, I recognize the difference. I try to stick with mysteries because a least there is a new story line. I love a historical and geographical accurate setting as well as the local color for that time that a novel is written. History is, after all, only the writer's interpretation of the time.
If you go to museums, you see that history is written in blood and preserved in weaponry. I didn't realize this until a couple of years ago. Santa Fe, NM is one of the oldest cities in the west. The Palace of the Governors is one of the oldest buildings and it has walls in excess of three feet thick. It is a collection of military equipment and uniforms. That is our history when you think of it. My history starts with being a slave in Egypt and my cry reaching the ears of God and the wandering around in the desert for forty years in the desert. Did you know that the desert was named Sin? And I am still wandering the same desert. I expect manna to rain down on my face anyday. Manna means "what is it" in the Hebrew language. My first choice in reading is usually the Holy Bible. Unlike Hermon Wouk, you will never get through with it. SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!
As I reported before, I’ve been reading Winds of War. No one will ever know how grateful I am that God made me a reader. I can never tell you how much I enjoy Hermon Wouk's writing. I see that the end is near on this pleasure because I am just about through with his war stories. If you enjoy reading, this is a series you will love. I have read every book I could lay my hands on concerning World War II, and I can tell you the historical setting and the geographical descriptions are dead on.
I know that some people do not read fiction, but I enjoy it. MarilynVos Savant (with the highest IQ in the world) said that fiction writers have to know a little more than non fiction writers and I find it to be true. I was telling our editor yesterday that she could take this period in history and add just our family to it, throw in current news and entertainment, and with this, and we could write a novel. At any rate, here is a free tip from a proud mother of a great writer: If you read and do want some great material, then I can't endorse anyone more than her Hermon Wouk.
Here is the order that his books go in. First read , Margorie Morningstar, then Winds of War and War and Remembrance. Finish with The Caine Mutiny. He has also written The Glory and The Hope, which I know would fit in the same time period. Be warned that the only bad part of reading his works is that you get through much too quickly and find yourself back to reading the same old same old. I do enjoy other writers, but nonetheless, I recognize the difference. I try to stick with mysteries because a least there is a new story line. I love a historical and geographical accurate setting as well as the local color for that time that a novel is written. History is, after all, only the writer's interpretation of the time.
If you go to museums, you see that history is written in blood and preserved in weaponry. I didn't realize this until a couple of years ago. Santa Fe, NM is one of the oldest cities in the west. The Palace of the Governors is one of the oldest buildings and it has walls in excess of three feet thick. It is a collection of military equipment and uniforms. That is our history when you think of it. My history starts with being a slave in Egypt and my cry reaching the ears of God and the wandering around in the desert for forty years in the desert. Did you know that the desert was named Sin? And I am still wandering the same desert. I expect manna to rain down on my face anyday. Manna means "what is it" in the Hebrew language. My first choice in reading is usually the Holy Bible. Unlike Hermon Wouk, you will never get through with it. SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!
You Must Trust
February 22
YOU must trust Me wholly. This lesson has to be learnt. You shall be helped, you shall be led, guided, continually. The children of Israel would long before have entered the Promised Land--only their doubts and fears continually drove them back into the wilderness. Remember always, doubts delay. Are you trusting all to Me or not?
I have told you how to live and you must do it. My children, I love you. Trust My tender Love. It will never fail you, but you must learn not to fail it.
Oh! could you see, you would understand. You have much to learn in turning out fear and being at peace. All your doubts arrest My work. You must not doubt. I died to save you from sin and doubt and worry. You must believe in Me absolutely.
Russell, A. J., ed., God Calling. Barnes & Noble, 2002.
YOU must trust Me wholly. This lesson has to be learnt. You shall be helped, you shall be led, guided, continually. The children of Israel would long before have entered the Promised Land--only their doubts and fears continually drove them back into the wilderness. Remember always, doubts delay. Are you trusting all to Me or not?
I have told you how to live and you must do it. My children, I love you. Trust My tender Love. It will never fail you, but you must learn not to fail it.
Oh! could you see, you would understand. You have much to learn in turning out fear and being at peace. All your doubts arrest My work. You must not doubt. I died to save you from sin and doubt and worry. You must believe in Me absolutely.
Russell, A. J., ed., God Calling. Barnes & Noble, 2002.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Blood Is Thicker Than Water: Medal of Honor Photo
2dLt Mitchell Paige, third from left, and PltSgt John Basilone, extreme right, received the Medal of Honor at a parade at Camp Balcombe, Australia, on 21 May 1943. MajGen Vandegrift, left, received his medal in a White House ceremony the previous 5 February, while Col Merritt A. Edson was decorated 31 December 1943. Note the 1st Marine Division patches on the right shoulders of each participant. Department of Defense Photo (USMC) 56749What have we previously learned about these patches?
Blood Is Thicker Than Water: November in Guadalcanal continues *4
FIRST OFFENSIVE: The Marine Campaign for Guadalcanal
by Henry I. Shaw, Jr.
November and the Continuing Buildup
where we left off previously:
On 1 November, the 5th Marines, backed up by the newly arrived 2d Marines, attacked across bridges engineers had laid over the Matanikau during the previous night. Inland, Colonel Whaling led his scout-snipers and the 3d Battalion, 7th Marines, in a screening movement to protect the flank of the main attack. Opposition was fierce in the shore area where the 1st Battalion, 5th, drove forward toward Point Cruz, but inland the 2d Battalion and Whaling's group encountered slight opposition. By nightfall, when the Marines dug in, it was clear that the only sizable enemy force was in the Point Cruz area. In the day's bitter fighting, Corporal Anthony Casamento, a badly wounded machine gun squad leader in Edson's 1st Battalion, had so distinguished himself that he was recommended for a Navy Cross; many years later, in August 1980, President Jimmy Carter approved the award of the Medal of Honor in its stead.
###
On the 2d, the attack continued with the reserve 3d Battalion moving into the fight and all three 5th Marines units moving to surround the enemy defenders. On 3 November, the Japanese pocket just west of the base at Point Cruz was eliminated; well over 300 enemy had been killed. Elsewhere, the attacking Marines had encountered spotty resistance and advanced slowly across difficult terrain to a point about 1,000 yards beyond the 5th Marines' action. There, just as the offensive's objectives seemed well in hand, the advance was halted. Again, the intelligence that a massive enemy reinforcement attempt was pending forced Vandegrift to pull back most of his men to safeguard the all-important airfield perimeter. This time, however, he left a regiment to outpost the ground that had been gained, Colonel Arthur's 2d Marines, reinforced by the Army's 1st Battalion, 164th Infantry.
Emphasizing the need for caution in Vandegrift's mind was the fact that the Japanese were again discovered in strength east of the perimeter. On 3 November, Lieutenant Colonel Hanneken's 23d Battalion, 7th Marines, on a reconnaissance in force towards Kili Point, could see the Japanese ships clustered near Tetere, eight miles from the perimeter. His Marines encountered strong Japanese resistance from obviously fresh troops and he began to pull back. A regiment of the enemy's 38th Division had landed, as Hyakutake experimented with a Japanese Navy-promoted scheme of attacking the perimeter from both flanks.
As Hanneken's battalion executed a fighting withdrawal along the beach, it began to receive fire from the jungle inland, too. A rescue force was soon put together under General Rupertus: two tank companies, the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, and the 2d and 3d Battalions of the 164th. The Japanese troops, members of the 38th Division regiment and remnants of Kawaguchi's brigade, fought doggedly to hold their ground as the Marines drove forward along the coast and the soldiers attempted to outflank the enemy in the jungle. The running battle continued for days, supported by Cactus air, naval gunfire, and the newly landed 155mm guns.
cont'd below
by Henry I. Shaw, Jr.
November and the Continuing Buildup
where we left off previously:
On 1 November, the 5th Marines, backed up by the newly arrived 2d Marines, attacked across bridges engineers had laid over the Matanikau during the previous night. Inland, Colonel Whaling led his scout-snipers and the 3d Battalion, 7th Marines, in a screening movement to protect the flank of the main attack. Opposition was fierce in the shore area where the 1st Battalion, 5th, drove forward toward Point Cruz, but inland the 2d Battalion and Whaling's group encountered slight opposition. By nightfall, when the Marines dug in, it was clear that the only sizable enemy force was in the Point Cruz area. In the day's bitter fighting, Corporal Anthony Casamento, a badly wounded machine gun squad leader in Edson's 1st Battalion, had so distinguished himself that he was recommended for a Navy Cross; many years later, in August 1980, President Jimmy Carter approved the award of the Medal of Honor in its stead.
###
On the 2d, the attack continued with the reserve 3d Battalion moving into the fight and all three 5th Marines units moving to surround the enemy defenders. On 3 November, the Japanese pocket just west of the base at Point Cruz was eliminated; well over 300 enemy had been killed. Elsewhere, the attacking Marines had encountered spotty resistance and advanced slowly across difficult terrain to a point about 1,000 yards beyond the 5th Marines' action. There, just as the offensive's objectives seemed well in hand, the advance was halted. Again, the intelligence that a massive enemy reinforcement attempt was pending forced Vandegrift to pull back most of his men to safeguard the all-important airfield perimeter. This time, however, he left a regiment to outpost the ground that had been gained, Colonel Arthur's 2d Marines, reinforced by the Army's 1st Battalion, 164th Infantry.
Emphasizing the need for caution in Vandegrift's mind was the fact that the Japanese were again discovered in strength east of the perimeter. On 3 November, Lieutenant Colonel Hanneken's 23d Battalion, 7th Marines, on a reconnaissance in force towards Kili Point, could see the Japanese ships clustered near Tetere, eight miles from the perimeter. His Marines encountered strong Japanese resistance from obviously fresh troops and he began to pull back. A regiment of the enemy's 38th Division had landed, as Hyakutake experimented with a Japanese Navy-promoted scheme of attacking the perimeter from both flanks.
As Hanneken's battalion executed a fighting withdrawal along the beach, it began to receive fire from the jungle inland, too. A rescue force was soon put together under General Rupertus: two tank companies, the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, and the 2d and 3d Battalions of the 164th. The Japanese troops, members of the 38th Division regiment and remnants of Kawaguchi's brigade, fought doggedly to hold their ground as the Marines drove forward along the coast and the soldiers attempted to outflank the enemy in the jungle. The running battle continued for days, supported by Cactus air, naval gunfire, and the newly landed 155mm guns.
cont'd below
Blood Is Thicker Than Water: 38 years later photo
In a White House ceremony, former Cpl Anthony Casamento, a machine gun squad leader in the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, was decorated by President Jimmy Carter on 22 August 1980, 38 years after the battle for Guadalcanal. Looking on are Casamento's wife and daughters and Gen Robert H. Barrow, Marine Commandant.
Marine Corps Historical Photo Collection
Marine Corps Historical Photo Collection
Blood Is Thicker Than Water: November in Guadalcanal continues *5
FIRST OFFENSIVE: The Marine Campaign for Guadalcanal
by Henry I. Shaw, Jr.
November and the Continuing Buildup
cont'd from previous post
As Hanneken's battalion executed a fighting withdrawal along the beach, it began to receive fire from the jungle inland, too. A rescue force was soon put together under General Rupertus: two tank companies, the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, and the 2d and 3d Battalions of the 164th. The Japanese troops, members of the 38th Division regiment and remnants of Kawaguchi's brigade, fought doggedly to hold their ground as the Marines drove forward along the coast and the soldiers attempted to outflank the enemy in the jungle. The running battle continued for days, supported by Cactus air, naval gunfire, and the newly landed 155mm guns.
The enemy commander received new orders as he was struggling to hold off the Americans. He was to break off the action, move inland, and march to rejoin the main Japanese forces west of the perimeter, a tall order to fulfill. The two-pronged attack scheme had been abandoned. The Japanese managed the first part; on the 11th the enemy force found a gap in the 164th's line and broke through along a meandering jungle stream. Behind they left 450 dead over the course of a seven-day battle; the Marines and soldiers had lost 40 dead and 120 wounded.
Essentially, the Japanese who broke out of the encircling Americans escaped from the frying pan only to fall into the fire. Admiral Turner finally had been ably to effect one of his several schemes for alternative landings and beachheads, all of which General Vandegrift vehemently opposed. At Aola Bay, 40 miles east of the main perimeter, the Navy put an airfield construction and defense force ashore on 4 November. Then, while the Japanese were still battling the Marines near Tetere, Vandegrift was able to persuade Turner to detach part of this landing force, the 2d Raider Battalion, to sweep west, to discover and destroy any enemy forces it encountered.
Lieutenant Colonel Evans F. Carlson's raider battalion already had seen action before it reached Guadalcanal. Two companies had reinforced the defenders of Midway Island when the Japanese attacked there in June. The rest of the battalion had landed from submarines on Makin Island in the Gilberts on 17-18 August, destroying the garrison there. For his part in the fighting on Makin, Sergeant Clyde Thomason had been awarded a Medal of Honor posthumously, the first Marine enlisted man to receive his country's highest award in World War II.
In its march from Aola Bay, the 2d Raider Battalion encountered the Japanese who were attempting to retreat to the west. On 12 November, the raiders beat off attacks by two enemy companies and they relentlessly pursued the Japanese, fighting a series of small actions over the next five days before the contacted the main Japanese body. From 17 November to 4 December, when the raiders finally came down out of the jungled ridges into the perimeter, Carlson's men harried the retreating enemy. They killed nearly 500 Japanese. Their own losses were 16 killed and 18 wounded.
The Aola Bay venture, which had provided the 2d Raider Battalion a starting point for its month-long jungle campaign, proved a bust. The site chosen for a new airfield was unsuitable, too wet and unstable, and the whole force moved to Koli Point in early December, where another airfield eventually was constructed.
Source
by Henry I. Shaw, Jr.
November and the Continuing Buildup
cont'd from previous post
As Hanneken's battalion executed a fighting withdrawal along the beach, it began to receive fire from the jungle inland, too. A rescue force was soon put together under General Rupertus: two tank companies, the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, and the 2d and 3d Battalions of the 164th. The Japanese troops, members of the 38th Division regiment and remnants of Kawaguchi's brigade, fought doggedly to hold their ground as the Marines drove forward along the coast and the soldiers attempted to outflank the enemy in the jungle. The running battle continued for days, supported by Cactus air, naval gunfire, and the newly landed 155mm guns.
The enemy commander received new orders as he was struggling to hold off the Americans. He was to break off the action, move inland, and march to rejoin the main Japanese forces west of the perimeter, a tall order to fulfill. The two-pronged attack scheme had been abandoned. The Japanese managed the first part; on the 11th the enemy force found a gap in the 164th's line and broke through along a meandering jungle stream. Behind they left 450 dead over the course of a seven-day battle; the Marines and soldiers had lost 40 dead and 120 wounded.
Essentially, the Japanese who broke out of the encircling Americans escaped from the frying pan only to fall into the fire. Admiral Turner finally had been ably to effect one of his several schemes for alternative landings and beachheads, all of which General Vandegrift vehemently opposed. At Aola Bay, 40 miles east of the main perimeter, the Navy put an airfield construction and defense force ashore on 4 November. Then, while the Japanese were still battling the Marines near Tetere, Vandegrift was able to persuade Turner to detach part of this landing force, the 2d Raider Battalion, to sweep west, to discover and destroy any enemy forces it encountered.
Lieutenant Colonel Evans F. Carlson's raider battalion already had seen action before it reached Guadalcanal. Two companies had reinforced the defenders of Midway Island when the Japanese attacked there in June. The rest of the battalion had landed from submarines on Makin Island in the Gilberts on 17-18 August, destroying the garrison there. For his part in the fighting on Makin, Sergeant Clyde Thomason had been awarded a Medal of Honor posthumously, the first Marine enlisted man to receive his country's highest award in World War II.
In its march from Aola Bay, the 2d Raider Battalion encountered the Japanese who were attempting to retreat to the west. On 12 November, the raiders beat off attacks by two enemy companies and they relentlessly pursued the Japanese, fighting a series of small actions over the next five days before the contacted the main Japanese body. From 17 November to 4 December, when the raiders finally came down out of the jungled ridges into the perimeter, Carlson's men harried the retreating enemy. They killed nearly 500 Japanese. Their own losses were 16 killed and 18 wounded.
The Aola Bay venture, which had provided the 2d Raider Battalion a starting point for its month-long jungle campaign, proved a bust. The site chosen for a new airfield was unsuitable, too wet and unstable, and the whole force moved to Koli Point in early December, where another airfield eventually was constructed.
Source
Blood Is Thicker Than Water: The First
Sgt Clyde Thomason, who was killed in action participating in the Makin Island raid with the 2d Raider Battalion, was the first enlisted Marine in World War II to be awarded the Medal of Honor.
Department of Defense (USMC) Photo 310616
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