Weekend Open Thread
The military is a dangerous profession. You often need a bit of luck just to make it through the day unscathed.
But sometimes, you need a whole lotta luck. Or a Guardian Angel working overtime.
That’s especially true for some duty positions and specialties. Here’s my pick for perhaps the luckiest guy ever in the history of the US Navy.
A 5+ minute clip of the incident, uncut, can be viewed here.
The incident happened on the USS Theodore Roosevelt on 20 February 1991. The lucky soul was saved from death or permanent disability when a crewmate witnessed him being sucked into the intake and signaled the aircraft’s pilot to kill his engines. (Other sources say the pilot of the aircraft in question heard his helmet and safety goggles beginning to impact the compressor blades and immediately shut down his engines.)
Remarkably, the man received only relatively minor injuries. And if he needed new trou and skivvies afterwards . . . well, I probably would have too. (smile)
The incident caused a change in Navy flight-deck training and procedures to prevent recurrence.
Enough for today. Enjoy the WOT – and the weekend – everyone.
Category: Open thread, YGBSM!!
1st
Congrats and I’m third today…
First!
Just a hair too late. Second.
May all you dickweeds here at the TAH Tavern have a great weekend!
It could well have been that HMC Ret used only three characters to your six and that was the difference between grabbing the WOT scepter or grabbing air. Live and learn.
Suck it all you losers. This is my second triumph in what, three weeks? Four weeks? I need to remind you that I was also the first, first of the year, which conveys certain rights and responsibilities to me. I want to assure you that I will reign with a fair but firm hand.
OK, bullshit session is over. Everyone have a safe weekend. Blessings …
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You wuz also the 1st to try and rat us out to Ex, and for sure the 1st to try and increase the brown upon your nose by said ratting out when she returned from her equipment failure enforced leave.
The only good thing to come out of your 2nd 1st in four weeks is you may and or may not show that wimp no lording over GDContractor how it is done.
Not only does it take a real sailor man (person) to get plastered, it takes a true lording over FIRST to lord it over a bunch of miscreant dickweeds.
You very begrudgingly have my congrats. Such congrats will be rescinded if proper lording over is not done.
Bwhaaaa
I plead the Fifth
Thank you, HMC Ret. That’s how it’s done. GDC: take notes. Being 1st in the WOT is not like winning a freakin’ Oscar. You don’t be nice and you don’t thank anyone.
Noted.
Congrats HMC. Long may you reign.
Yet another weekend and the False Commander “Phony” Phil Monkress (CEO of All-Points Logistics) works balls while avoiding calls seeking clarification of his Native American, Navy SEAL and LEO claims.
And Danni Boi is still maintaining minus 6 feet AGL.
anyone planning on a special post for the anniversary for Lawn Dart Danny?
Lawn Dart tournament – postal match
And since it hasn’t shown yet, I’ll just leave this here:
Terrain, terrain, pull up pull up, Terrain, Terrain, pullsplat
Giggling..
3rd First fuckers.
I’m here. Lurking around and trying to keep up with work and such at home and the interwebs.
Have a warm and safe and nice weekend.
GDC: Look. Even a loser takes it poorly. If you have to play nice, don’t play at all!
Fuck you too!
(How’m I doin?)
Nobody said anything at all about getting romantic with the losers.
Better but a week late. Keep practicing.
There was and ISIS (spit) suicide bomber this week that killed several American citizens. This is one of them, a Navy Chief Petty Officer. Sadness, great sadness.
REMEMBERING ONE OF OUR HEROINES:
CHIEF CRYPTOLOGIC TECHNICIAN (INTERPRETIVE) SHANNON M. KENT.
A US Navy Sailor, Chief Kent was one of four Americans killed in an ISIS suicide bombing attack in Manbij, Syria on 16 January 2019.
Chief Shannon Kent was killed along with three other Americans who were at a restaurant popular with US forces when the ISIS attack occurred on 16 January 2019.
Chief Kent was assigned to Cryptologic Warfare Activity 66 aka CWA 66, based at Ft. George G. Mead, Md. and was deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.
Chief Kent enlisted in the Navy in 2003 and her assignments included:
Navy Information Operations Command, Fort Gordon, Ga.; Navy Special Warfare Support Activity 2, Norfolk, Va.; Personnel Resource Development Office, Washington, D.C.; Navy Information Operations Command, Fort Meade, Md.; Cryptologic Warfare Group 6, Fort Meade, Md.
She reported to her current command in August 2018.
In addition to Chief Kent, Army Chief Warrant Officer Jonathan R. Farmer, and Department of Defense civilian Scott A. Wirtz were also killed in the blast. Media reports said an American military contractor was also killed in the attack.
Chief Kent’s death is the first on-duty death of a Sailor in 2019 and first in support of Operation Inherent Resolve since the death of Ensign Sarah Mitchell in the Red Sea last year.
REST IN PEACE SISTER!
Thanks for this update and add on Chief. A link was posted on this Wed (?) but hadn’t seen anythings since.
God Speed and Fare Well to these Warriors.
Peace be unto their Families.
Thanks, 5th. OK, folks, I’m going to tell on myself and this time I am being totally honest.
I have serious CRS. My short term memory is shot to a large degree. So … I often repeat a post. It’s not intentional. I’m not trying for face time, I simply can’t remember stuff.
Thanks and blessings to all, even to the posers. You guys need help. It bothers me that you posers would ruin your life as you do.
AnonArmy made the original post on the MidWeek Open Thread. It did not have the personal details you have added for us. You keep up the good work.
You think your CRS is bad, don’t walk a mile in my boots; spend about 30 minutes in my head.
RIP, Chief…
In the war we fight and in the places we fight it in, everyone may be in the line of fire, including cryptos and DOD civilians. In 2007, a female O-3 Army combat historian was killed when the convoy she had hitched a ride in was attacked by IEDs right in downtown Kabul. Hajji terrs don’t care if you’re a grunt, crypto, or historian, they just want to kill you…
Dammit! Very sad.
Fair winds and following seas, Chief.
This is a very sad day indeed – The American Contractor Scott A. Wirtz was identified as a former Navy Seal. The other contractor has not been identified at my last look.
RIP Chief Shannon Kent, CWO Farmer and Mr. Scott Wirtz
The initial report was that they were on a patrol but also pointed that there was an explosion at a restaurant. Now I read above that it was at a restaurant they were hit and that it is popular with our people. Now, I don’t pretend to be a G2 kind of guy but I have to ask: does it not seem likely an enemy would strike at such a place?
The Viet Cong did the same thing during 67-68 in Saigon, IIRC. Was kid then but it made all three networks, mostly because it was a popular spot for US & Allied troops.
RIP. It’s always sad when we lose a shipmate, doubly so if it’s a Navy linguist, and triply so when it was someone you have run into a few times. I checked then SN Smith out of DLI 13 years ago. She was a fantastic linguist, a true lioness, and a good friend to all her shipmates. RIP Sister.
CTIC(SS) (Ret)
This is too sad. We badly need people like these as live participants. When they are gone, it leaves a hole.
Fair Winds and Following Seas for all.
Condolences on behalf of a couple of the Army 98G community for her!
Rest easy, Chief. You and your family are in our prayers.
Once again, I missed out on the coveted “First.” So, to console myself, I’ll post this week’s trivia column. Hope you all like it! DID YOU KNOW…? Did actor Vin Diesel begin his career as a result of a burglary? By Commissioner Wretched Here we are, in the dead of winter. Why do we call it the “dead” of winter, anyway? If you ask me (and you haven’t), this part of winter is so alive it’s not funny. Sure, it’s chilly outside. It’s supposed to be when the North Pole is pointed away from the sun, like it is at this point in Earth’s orbit. But it’s not “dead,” not by a long shot. The trees aren’t showing any leaves, true; there aren’t any flowers poking through the frosty ground, I concede; even the birds have, by and large, abandoned our area for warmer climes. But that doesn’t mean it’s “dead.” In just a couple of weeks, they’re going to drag that silly groundhog out of his warm comfortable burrow in Pennsylvania and he’ll look for his shadow. But between now and then, I challenge you to show me how the phrase, “dead of winter,” is even remotely accurate. I’ll be over by the fire getting warm, if you’re looking for me. In the meantime, send your comments or thoughts to didyouknowcolumn@gmail.com and I’ll send you a somewhat witty reply. (It’ll be at least half-witty.) On to the trivia, to keep you warm this January day! Did you know … … people with poor mathematical skills aren’t bad at math because they’re “ungifted”? Psychologists recognize a condition called “math anxiety” which makes people perform worse, and sometimes even leads them to avoid math entirely. (I wish I’d known that when my father wanted to know about my lousy math grades.) … frogs do not drink? They absorb the water they need through their skin. (For some reason, those three frogs in that old beer commercial just popped into my mind. Draw your own conclusions.) … the old belief that standing in a doorway during an earthquake will help you is… Read more »
Thanks CW! Always enjoy the trivia column. Keep ’em coming.
War story alert!!
The day before I was to report for overseas transport Mama wanted me to spend the day with her and the younger kids. No problem to me. She had made some lunch and we sat by the TV to eat together. There was a soap on, don’t remember which one, the girl was going into labor with a baby that no one really had made up their mind who was the baby daddy. Very scandalous for 1971. Upon my return 2 years later we were again having lunch together. The baby had just been delivered the day before.
I love the Friday trivia. I remember the British Invasion and particularly the Beatles. I recall in 1963 or 1964 (?) the girls came to school with Beatles albums. They walked the halls holding them to their chest. In class they would sit on the albums. Yes, actually put their tush on the album. Not just one girl, either. There were dozens of girls walking the hallway with the albums and parking their butt on them in class. Wonder what caused their breakup? Probably either money or artistic differences.
Yoko Ono.
Oh, yeah, I forgot about her. I have nothing good to say. Maybe IDC SARC has an opinion. I do know that I wouldn’t.
The story with Vin Diesel goes into a bit of a stretch when it notates him with the title of “actor”. He plays parts in movies and does OK, but in the genre of real actors, he remains a bit on the low end of the teeter totter…
However, he still is a long ways above said “bad guy” actors that think that their on screen personna gives them license to spout off like they are such tough guys…
Deniro pretends to be a tough guy, I doubt he’s ever been in a boxing match, fistfight or gunfight in his life yet still maintains his personna of tough guy to the delight of millions of moronic fans…
I arrived in Alaska on December 16 of 1974, people were still marveling about the prank. Truly one of the great spoofs.
Somewhat like the Orson Wells broadcast of the H.G. Wells story, “War of the Worlds.” That broadcast triggered incidents in the Northeast corridor and across the entire country.
Talk about hilarious, there were calls to have him shot on sight !!!
It was all a spoof and the rest is history…
Great read here in the Smithsonian Magazine and way above the accuracy of Wikipedia !!!
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/infamous-war-worlds-radio-broadcast-was-magnificent-fluke-180955180/
Huge Beatles fan here, so I have to make one correction. “I Wanna Be Your Man” was sung by Ringo, but written by Lennon–McCartney. The only entirely Ringo-composed songs the Beatles ever performed were “Octopus’s Garden” and “Don’t Pass Me By”. The only other Beatles song he had any part in writing is “What Goes On” which is credited to Lennon–McCartney-Starkey.
I stand corrected. (Never was much into the Beatles, though I do enjoy their music.) Thanks!
hey…I’m early, cool. I hope everyone has a good weekend.
Too slow… but steady
Rest in peace CW2 Jonathan Farmer. May God Bless your family and grant them comfort.
DOL
Respect to all aviators but I had to post this:
NAVY AVIATORS:
On a carrier, the Naval Aviator looks over at the Catapult Officer (“Shooter”) who gives the run up engines signal by rotating his finger above his head.
The pilot pushes the throttle forward, verifies all flight controls are operational, checks all gauges, and gives the Cat officer a brisk salute, continuing the Navy and Marine tradition of asking permission to leave the ship.
The Cat officer drops to one knee while swooping his arm forward and pointing down deck, granting that permission. The pilot is immediately catapulted and becomes airborne.
AIR FORCE AVIATORS:
We’ve all seen Air Force pilots at the air force base look up just before taxiing for takeoff and the ground crew waits until the pilot’s thumb is sticking straight up.
The crew chief then confirms that he sees the thumb, salutes, and the Air Force pilot then takes off.
This time-tested tradition is the last link in the Air Force safety net to confirm that the pilot does not have his thumb up his a$$.
ARMY AVIATORS:
If you’ve ever seen an Army helicopter pilot preparing for takeoff, you will note that the pilot gives the ground guy a thumbs up before he is given hover and takeoff signals.
There are two theories about the origin of this gesture.
One is that it is to show that the pilot has identified which of his fingers is the thumb so that he will be able to properly operate his controls.
The most compelling theory says that this is to show the ground crewman that the pilot indeed knows which direction is up.
BUT I SALUTE AND THANK ALL MILITARY AVIATORS AND THEIR CREW!
I’ll go with 10th-ish. Have a fun weekend everyone.
Update on the SGT Troney post, and it ain’t pretty.
https://valorguardians.com/blog/?p=84127#comments
Read the Troney made up story in Navy Times.
Clicked on the link, went back and left the Dipshit some love… Sad & pissed me off!
You and me both. Hell I posted the thing. He’s just become famous, and not in a good way.
Sir, with all due respect. I posted a link to a news story about it in the original post on Troney, soon to be E nothing Phony Baloney. Sir.
*crisp hand salute*
I hear “Sir” and I look around to see who walked into the room.
I’ll gladly return your salute. Now stop that.
*grin*
TWENTY SECOND.
This from the book of face. Thought it might make good fodder for dickweeds discussion (attn Admins).
https://www.facebook.com/1778442735764473/posts/2300158080259600/
“Earlier today Rio Grande City #BorderPatrol Agents seized 705 lbs. of cocaine near Garciasville, TX
Working with Riverine Border Patrol units, agents secured 270 bricks of cocaine worth more than $22.5 million.
#BuildTheWall #SecureTheBorder #SupportBorderPatrol”
Picture goodness at the link.
About this post, that is indeed one lucky son of a bitch….
How he didn’t end up a slippery red mess on the aft part of the aircraft is one of life’s more amazingly lucky stories. I’d seen the video before, but not the follow up interviews.
It reinforces my opinions about safety items though, the more people work with dangerous gear in dangerous environments the more they relax. It’s not unique to this situation where the experienced person gets hurt.
With the sailboat I always reinforce the statistical reality of who typically ends up drowning versus who people think drown in the water. The vast majority of drowning victims related to boating are males between 25-60 with previous on water experience and a life jacket within reach that they were NOT wearing. It’s a sober reminder that the minute you forget to respect the environment you open yourself up to a poor outcome.
Truth VoV. This sailor was very very lucky. We see it all the time. In the line construction game we lose 100 + a year, killed/wounded to carelessness.
In any job there are 100 things that can happen. And 96 of those things aren’t good.
Familiarity is a cruel bitch, and you need only fuck up once.
I toured an open pit silicate mine in the ’80s as part of a college field trip: People were month likely to get injured in their first six months on the job or after fourteen years. “Familiarity breeds contempt” as Aesop said.
Especially deaths and serious injuries in our National Parks, i.e., the idiots who see how close they can get to the bison in Yellowstone, or those who want the perfect picture on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, etc. Nowhere is the word “safe”
in National Park System.
And the monthly idiot that climbs Mt Katahdin needing helicopter rescue thus
putting the crew in danger.
Yes!!!
If they don’t already, they should pay for everything a rescue involves.
Has everybody beer and propane for the storm (aka winter)?
Not first, not last.
Hope everyone in New England has plenty of bread and milk (and snow shovels) on hand. 12-20″ predicted at Casa de Sparky, and out west where I’m working, up to 2 feet.
There are 4 inches of that stuff on my front steps. Looks as though the storm is thinning out and moving on, but then we get the cold that follows, too.
This is when I wish for a house with a woodburning fireplace.
Don’t forget the tp.
Thirty something and Honorary First once again.
((((OVER))))
I’ll just leave this here.
If hatred generated heat, that bus would have been on fire. It couldn’t have happened to a more deserving group.
Should have made them ride in cattle cars like Basic. Mooo…
This is a win-win for Trump. First he gets to break it off in their collective butts. Now he has the public wondering why these assholes are going on a boondoggle when we have the issue of a partial ‘shutdown’. Let them explain this to the independents and Conservatives. They need not explain it to the liberals b/c they don’t care. Suck it, Nancy. On second thought, don’t. At least not mine.
Not just that, they’ve gotten ahold of just how many of our tax dollars would have been spent for just transportation on that junket and it’s over $130K along with the fact that Nanny Lugosi had a bunch of her family along for the ride.
The guy sucked into that engine is lucky to be alive, at all. The vacuum created by those engines through the intake funnel is enormous.
Speaking of strange things and stormy weather, the weather radar return says snow is in my area, but there is nothing reaching the ground, which means it is all up in the clouds and does not have enough volume to drop out of the sky. However, there is a dark streak in the midst of that radar return that is probably the snow that is falling, and it looks like it might/maybe not hit us.
I’m really hoping it does not produce more than one inch of white stuff.
> The vacuum created by those engines through the intake funnel is enormous.
Not nearly as enormous as the vacuum between Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s ears.
Just a passing thought
“De-plane! De-plane!”
“De-bus, de-bus. Git your grimy asses offa dis here bus. NOW!”
mwahaha
But boss
Here the guy that was the previous luckiest guy (or the man who tied). An A-6 is also involved (because the Navy flew A-6s so long, most likely), but an aircrew. “Irish Luck: Surviving a Partial Ejection.” See http://www.gallagherstory.com/ejection_seat/.
^Here’s
First!
And Bernath is still dead … according to my sources.
Not first, but who cares?
Was up at 0300 (on only 3-ish hours of sleep) to be present to do all the legal & med history stuff for my brothers cataract surgery.
But surgery went well, and he should have binocular vision for the first time in 4-ish years.
I’m too flippin’ old for these short-night/long-day shifts, but made it back in one piece.
He was a great supporter of the military, both active and retired. There is a 9 month backlog for burial at Arlington? Marine, Actor R. Lee Ermey Buried in Arlington National Cemetery By: US Naval Institute Staff January 18, 2019 1:52 PM ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, Va. – R. Lee Ermey, the actor and former U.S. Marine drill instructor who achieved iconic status after appearing in the 1987 film Full Metal Jacket, was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery on Friday. Originally from Kansas, Ermey enlisted in the Marines in 1961 and became a drill instructor in San Diego before being sent to Asia where he served tours of duty in Okinawa and Vietnam. Rising to rank of staff sergeant, he was medically discharged in 1972 due to injuries. After using his G.I. Bill benefits to study drama at the University of Manila, he landed a few minor roles, most notably in the Vietnam films Apocalypse Now and The Boys in Company C. He would later gain notoriety and critical acclaim as Gunnery Sergeant Hartmann in Full Metal Jacket. Initially working as a technical advisor, Ermey’s screen presence and natural ability to yell colorful insults made such an impression on director Stanley Kubrick that the he decided to have Ermey replace the original actor hired for the role. His breakout role in Full Metal Jacket launched a long film career in which he frequently portrayed military and law enforcement figures. His distinctive speaking style and cadence also made him a popular voiceover artist. In addition, he hosted a few military-themed reality television shows that usually included segments in which Ermey enthusiastically demonstrated various weapons. Ermey remained an outspoken supporter of the military throughout his life and believed all service personnel should be afforded respect, telling USNI News in a 2015 interview “I was in during the Vietnam era, so we weren’t widely respected at all. Matter of fact, that was the era when, when you came back from war, they spit on you. That was the hippie generation though. There’s still some problems, still some situations, and there’s… Read more »
Typical Military Huh Chief? Hurry up and wait. Are the delays caused by the increase in deaths among eligible Veterans or not enough staff to handle the “work load”? This seems to be a particularly longer time frame.
One motion picture, and 1 of the FIRST that the Gunny worked in was Boys in Company C. It didn’t get the press that Full Metal Jacket, but was an excellent picture. The Gunny had as much, if not a little more screen time in this one. His character in FMJ was an expansion of his character in Company C. If you boys haven’t seen that one, you may want to dig around and find it. Very historically accurate.
Thanks for the post!
Don’t miss “The Siege of Firebase Gloria” with the Gunny and Wings Hauser:
IMDB Link
Charlies’ in the wire!
Nice tribute vid to the Gunny.
Found this and thought it interesting. I pass it along as I found it and can’t attest to its veracity. Also I didn’t correct any misspellings … it’s as I found it.
After the Korean War in 1953, were there any American that refused to return to the United States and defect to the North?
ANSWER: Yes….21 American Soldiers and 1 British Soldier refuse to return to thier country and defected either to North Korea or China.
As of 2005…..10 have died…2 reportedly remain in China….2 apparently settled in Europe and 7 lives quietly here in the States.
The British defector returned back to Britain in 1960, and faced no disciplinary action.
Since the Korean war there has been 6 American Soldiers who were stationed at the DMZ in Korea at the 38th parallel that decided to walk across the border and defect to North Korea.
The last one was Private Joseph T. White in 1982.
According to the North Koreans….Private White died in August 1985 at the age of 23, by drowning in the Ch’ongch’on River and claimed his body was never discovered.
Interesting information. I’m sure we all wish some of the people here who think Communism is so great and that America sucks so bad would “defect” to North Korea.
Ditto.
There is a You Tube Special on James Dresnok who defected in the 60’s.
He was a real piece of shit. He lived high on the hog in NK ( at least by their standards).
A winter storm is being predicted. What else would it be? It’s winter, after all. If it were summer and a storm system came through it would be a summer storm, right?
Meanwhile, the reporters are acting as if having a storm in winter is something special. Near hysteria from them. Because there might be snow. In winter.
Excuse me while I continue with activities as normal.
Don’t you just love their hysterics?
1978 blizzard shuts down O’Hare Airport, and buries my little car in a snowdrift with other cars. No big deal.
1980 – another blizzard shuts down both airports but people still get to work.
12/31/99 – Another blizzard buries Chicago, but it’s New Year’s Eve, so who cares?
2/2/2011 – Another blizzard shuts down commuters on the northbound Outer Drive and there is thunder in the snowstorm. Big Deal! Life goes on.
1/2019: It’s winter. We have a few inches of snow. We’ll dig out and move on, and besides, it’s the weekend and none of my neighbors have to work. It’s winter.
At least the White House is using the secret weather making machine on a holiday weekend though this time.
I thought it was the Jews who controlled the weather?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/dc-lawmaker-says-recent-snowfall-caused-byrothschilds-controlling-the-climate/2018/03/18/daeb0eae-2ae0-11e8-911f-ca7f68bff0fc_story.html
(Facepalm)
Wait…
If I am -really- going to mock that crazy crap, my quip should have been:
(((Facepalm)))
Mr. White (in the article) is dumber than a bag of doorknobs. I have run into stupid people but he takes the cake.
“Make sure you have a full tank of gas”
What for? You are not going anywhere until the storm passes.
“Make sure you dress in layers”
What for? You are not going ouside in the storm.
“Make sure you have extra flashlight batteries”
What for? The next storm after this?
And to top it all off the government is shutdown. If this storm doesn’t cause Trump to be impeached nothing will.
Used to be that normal behavior included having supplies, food, and plenty of blankets on hand before cold weather hit. Part of normal preparations included plenty of canned goods, fuel (for cooking and heating), and anything else one might need if the power went out and weather isolated the family for days/weeks. Folks who do that now are called “preppers” and seen as odd by entirely too many.
Now folks grumble if the power is out 20 minutes and they run out looking for a generator after the storm hits. Not that there is anything wrong with being that goofy, but, yeah, maybe there is.
I heat with electricity.
Cheap Canadian Power. .10 per kwh all tolled. I am not on the US grid.
Iso New England can suck it.
I expect the power to go out with this storm but there is the diesel genset out in the shed with a 275 gal fuel tank.
Runs the electric heat with plenty of headroom. Expensive but reliable power.
We need snow here. It makes people visit and drop cash everywhere. Best part is they eventually go away with the snow.
I am not one who gets into storms or weather, generally. Exceptions occur and this storm is one of them. Predictions are for 1/4 inch of ice. That’s a helluvalotta (one word or two?) and it means limbs coming down on power lines. When that happens and power is lost, it means an idiot free-for-all will occur. That’s candles and drapes/curtains and people who think their SUV is different than all other SUVs, that theirs can maneuver on ice. Oh. I nearly forgot the heating idiocy: running a generator or a propane heater in a closed-up house.
“running a generator or a propane heater in a closed-up house”
Happens every winter. Sad. Entire families die in their sleep.
My rig is in it’s own outbuilding yet I have CO detectors in all rooms.
They are cheap and make great gifts.
Ah-HAH! The day so many of us have been waiting for – National Popcorn Day is finally here.
May each of you celebrate responsibly. And for those of us with the good sense to invest in processing facilities and popcorn futures, may we be amply rewarded for that foresight.
Oh shit…Gillette’s got Jocko’s eye.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/former-navy-seal-jocko-willink-toxic-masculinity-the-dichotomy-of-being-a-man
CDR Willink is very high on my, “List of People to Never Piss Off.”
Looks like Intellicast has been gobbled up by Weather Underground. Giant publicity laden storm this weekend and they go offline redirecting you to Weather Underground.
All those charts gone poof.
The weather channel aquired WU and now they have Intellicast. The weather channel has become climate change 24/7 and with the new aquisition has slain the deniers.
Yeah, more popcorn please.
WU was the place to go in days gone by. Too bad. Where are we supposed to look at weather stuff now? Yes, that is a serious inquiry. I haven’t settled on a reliable source.
Looks like the NWS for me. All the commercial sites get it from them anyway.
Then they mix it with politics and deliver a lecture instead of weather.
Or just call any Air Base METRO.
Yep. Seems like once again going to the source is the best option.
NWS is so easy to use, just type in your zip code and get what you need, all without the talking heads and their unnecessary b.s.
100
Happily sitting in the sun with MRS D and a cold beer, waiting for the LT Dan Band. I saved seats for all you dickweeds and lionesses. It’s a lovely 61 degrees.
Have a large time SFC D. And give your Bride a hug for all of us you lucky devil. Enjoy the show!
A large time was had by one and all! Awesome band, played songs from the 40’s to now, great crowd, and Gary Sinise is no slouch on the bass! They’re in Tucson at DM tomorrow, I recommend anyone in the area go!
(+_+) Wood of loved to have been wid ya! (and I spelt would like that for an obvious reason.)
Glad y’all enjoyed!
This just in SCOTUS—https://youtu.be/qro_wQXuYvQ
Keyboard safety protocol #02
https://youtu.be/qro_wQXuYvQ
On this date in history, 19JAN:
19 January 1770 – In an attempt to prevent the posting of broadsides by British soldiers stationed in New York, the Sons of Liberty, led by Alexander McDougall, engage in a skirmish with soldiers on Golden Hill. Along with the Boston Massacre and the Gaspée Affair, the event was one of the early violent incidents in what would become the American Revolution. During the imperial crisis with Britain in the 1760s, the Sons of Liberty (or “Liberty Boys”) in New York City sometimes erected “Liberty poles” to symbolize their displeasure with British authorities. The first such pole was put up in City Hall Park on May 21, 1766, in celebration of the repeal of the 1765 Stamp Act. After the New York Assembly finally voted to comply with the Quartering Act in December 1769, Alexander McDougall issued an anonymous broadside entitled “To the Betrayed Inhabitants of the City and Colony of New York”. In response, on January 17, 1770, British soldiers sawed down a Liberty pole. The “red coats” also posted their own handbills which attacked the Sons of Liberty as “the real enemies of society” who “thought their freedom depended on a piece of wood”. On January 19, 1770, six weeks before the Boston Massacre, Isaac Sears and others tried to stop some soldiers from posting handbills. Sears captured some of the soldiers and marched his captives towards the mayor’s office, while the rest of the British soldiers ran to the barracks to sound the alarm. A crowd of townsfolk arrived along with a score of soldiers. The soldiers were surrounded and badly outnumbered. Another squad of soldiers arrived and the officer gave the order “Soldiers, draw your bayonets and cut your way through them.” More soldiers arrived and a group of officers arrived to disperse the soldiers before the situation got totally out of hand. Several of the soldiers were badly bruised and one a had a serious wound. Some of the townsfolk were wounded and one had been fatally stabbed.
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I was just scanning Fox News on-line and saw that R. Lee Ermey was laid to rest at Arlington. He died last April. Anyway, while I’m reading the story, a video starts auto playing and some woman’s voice says, “We’re remembering our dear friend friend…R…Leeeee…Durmay.” Here’s the link. Some dear friend. She can’t pronounce his name. https://video.foxnews.com/v/5991405374001/#sp=show-clips
This has been a hot topic on TAH for some time. Both sides of the issue have made valid points. Posting it here for your consideration: OPINION That WSJ ‘Women In Combat’ Op-Ed Is A Complete Disaster — But It Still Presents A Threat Kate Germano January 18, 2019 at 05:45 PM Following Trump’s inauguration, some supporters of ground combat integration assumed he would quickly move to reinstate a ban on women in jobs like the infantry. When this did not happen, advocates breathed a collective sigh of relief, and hundreds of qualified women charted a course in history by entering the newly opened occupational fields. So earlier this week when the Wall Street Journal published an editorial against women in ground combat by conservative political commentator Heather Mac Donald, the inclination of many ground combat integration supporters was to dismiss it outright. But given Trump’s proclivity to make knee jerk policy decisions in response to falling approval ratings and the court’s tradition of deference to the military when it comes to policies affecting good order and discipline, it would be unwise to assume the 2016 lifting of the ban on women in ground combat is a done deal. To be clear, Mac Donald’s article is not grounded in sound data or representative of any service’s stated position except that of the Marine Corps. Although Mac Donald is correct in writing that female Marine participation has been limited in newly opened fields like the infantry, this is less due to physiology and job standards than the service’s overt and covert cultural barriers to inclusion. Had Mac Donald included Army statistics about the number of women who have successfully competed for ground combat jobs since 2016 and compared it to the number of confirmed violations of good order and discipline directly attributable to integration, her position would have been untenable. Because of her errors and omissions, ground combat integration advocates expressed frustration with the editorial on social media. Naval officer Andrea Goldstein wrote on Twitter, “not sharing/RT the article going around today written by a white woman who’s made a career… Read more »
Hmmmmm?
I’m a firm believer that anyone should have the same equal opportunity to attempt to do any job that they feel they are physically of doing. If they are physically, mentally, and emotionally capable of doing said job, then more power to them. However, if the standards have to be lowered, or the inclusion of someone not as capable of doing said job is going to endanger other people on the job site, or cause the job not to get done properly, then that person needs to go find something else to do. I use the term job site to include any location where any kind of job needs doing, including a battlefield.
Men and women are biologically, physically, and emotionally different. If Miss Girl wants to be a force recon Marine sniper Navy SEAL Special Forces Green Beret and can complete the required steps to qualify, then have at it girlfriend. Do I personally think it’s a good idea to mix the boys and girls together in full combat mode? Not really. Does it work in other cultures/Military Forces? Yes somewhat. You later serving folks can correct me if I’m wrong, but in my day the IDF had mixed units that worked, and the girls and boys had to be equally qualified. I presume that is still the case.
Some of us that were serving during the days of the draft remember how many people were doing their best to avoid service. Some said it was because of the war in the Viet of the Nam. Well we’ve been in a semi unwinnable war in the ‘Stan for nearly 18 years. Anybody see us leaving there or the ME anytime soon? Didn’t think so. If the draft was re-instituted next Tuesday, how many you think would be beating feet north?
These thoughts are just my opinion.
Anecdotal info here – no references or links, and sketchy on details like exact dates so bear with me, please.
Somewhere around 1980 I found myself in the company of some IDF troopers off and on. According to them, they had already unintegrated their combat units. They found that while the women were capable, well trained and did not shirk their responsibilities at all, they were more likely to engage in and the officers among them more likely to order more vicious attacks than were their male counterparts. There was a particular incident, details of which I have long forgotten (maybe mid-70s?), that contributed directly to the decision to pull women from direct combat assignments.
We also discussed some earlier studies I had read (done in the 1950’s and 1960’s) that showed that US police officers (all male in the studies) of small stature were involved in more fights and deadly interactions than their large counterparts.
So how much of this is due to size alone and how much due to gender? I dunno, and have no idea if any of us will ever figure out that one.
I believe that, OWB, regarding physical stature as a deterrent or invitation to fight. The thing is, the toughest SOBs are the smaller guys, a lesson many knuckleheads find out too late.
According to what I have read, the IDF abandoned co-ed infantry and other combat units.
The problem, ultimately, is biology, not standards.
Even if you select only physical equivalent specimens, they are still female. Men and women interact quite differently than men and men, and this is hard-wired by our very DNA.
They boys will be boys. The girls will be girls. And -that- is the heart of the problem. And it is -genetic- not “choice” or “social construct”.
Ignoring that is silly. Now, it may be possible to develop customs and traditions that counteract it, and allow high-power functionality. But this will -not- happen if we try to -ignore- reality as politically unacceptable.
It is very hard to come up with a historical example of successful gender-integrated combat troops, that was also -sustainable- and lacked major downsides.
” fair” has nothing to do with “survival”. Our military is either that which guarantees our survival,
Or it is -not-
One thing certain from the above article, however, is her thinly veiled dislike for Heather Mac Donald and all things Trump. Her passive aggressive sniping, IMO, tends to dilute any points she is trying to make with her audience. JMHO
I also like how she says Mac Donald’s arguments don’t stand up to “**fact checked**” but then doesn’t fact check anything or refute her arguments with anything but the feels.
These wymens are always about the feelz. Facts are irrelevant; that is one of the foundational principles of progdom.
Looks like The Little Drummer Boy from DC over the weekend is claiming to be a Vietnam Vet.
FOIA, anyone?
Who is that?
Nathan Phillips. Claims he was a Marine in Vietnam. He’s currently a professional agitator, as far as I’m concerned. I watched an unedited, hour-long video shot by another professional agitator spewing vile speech and he recognized another agitator from Phillips’ group as it passed by, calling one by name. On video Phillips lead the way to a group of teenagers and then beat a drum close to the face of a teen. The teen didn’t say a word or move but the narrative on every major news outlet is a little less favorable. Racist industrial complex and the media sewing division in this nation again.
Unfortunately I don’t have nearly enough for an FOIA, but I’d be really interested to see what it turns up.
I’m wondering about this guy. He’s stated that he’s “A co-founder of the Native Youth Alliance cultural and education group” but the one non-profit on Guidestar called, “Native Youth Leadership Alliance” has no mention of him on their website nor any Form 990 from 2014, 15 & 16.
Another organization called Native Youth Alliance of Minnesota has a 2016 form 990 with no mention of his name nor on their facebook page.
The media won’t check, I guess we have to.
FNC says he’s 64 years old, meaning he was almost certainly born in 1954.
Problem: that means he couldn’t have joined until (at least) 1971, and the last combat troops had left RVN by June of that year.
So either FNC got his age wrong by several years, or guys is full of shit when it comes to his claim of being a combat Marine who served in Viet of the Nam.
Here’s the video link:
https://youtu.be/UQyBHTTqb38?t=4341
The paid protesters bus him in for guaranteed outrage. He supports Leonard Peltier the convicted cop killer (X2).
He has told two different stories and the videos contradict them both. He lied when the cameras were rolling and the WaPo disregarded it. He is a victim. Hell no, I don’t need to see his DD214 to conclude that he was not in Vietnam in any capacity, let alone as a Marine. He is one plug ugly MF’er, isnt he?
Yes, and a Dipshit to boot!
Here’s a little more bio on him.
https://bigleaguepolitics.com/native-activist-who-harassed-catholic-teens-identified-as-actor-from-2012-skrillex-video-about-attacking-police/
Cop-hating, dope smoking lying sac-o-shit who likes to pick on little boys. The new hero of the Left and their media.
I’ve seen in other articles he apparently told the media he served between 1972 and 1976. Fits NHSparky’s time-line and assessment above. If he was born in 54, then I don’t believe he would have been a draftee.
Yes, he could have been among the last draftees, but not to the Marines at that time and not sent to Vietnam, except under the most unlikely scenario.
The Purple Nerple has teamed up Frank Dux again. See the bottom 1/3rd of this article.
https://artvoice.com/2019/01/19/stolen-valor-vultures-murder-veterans-not-just-reputations-part-4-stolen-valor-vultures-defame-maybe-murder-for-fbi-us-military-that-obstruct-justice
I’ve read crocks of crap before, but that is a 55 gallon drum of crap. That boy is smoking some serious high grade unicorn sighting stuff.
Who says you can’t make this sh^t up!
Stupid and crazy never mix.