One Hundred Years

At the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the guns fell silent.

Temporarily.

Conventional wisdom says that the "Buddy" the song is about was KIA on the Western Front.

Turned on the TV today and TMC was running the first part of the Veteran's Day (AKA Poppy Day, AKA Decoration Day) Marathon. Caught the end of Hell Below (1933), a World War One submarine drama I'd never heard of, then The Fighting 69th (1940), finished up (for now) with Sergeant York (1941).

Once in khaki suits

Gee, we looked swell!
Full of that Yankee-Doodle dee-dum!

Ten thousands boots

Went marching through Hell

And I was the kid with the drum!

I'm currently reading Thunder in the Argonne: A New History of America's Greatest Battle, a 21st Century US Army officer's analysis of the final campaign of the First World War. It's pretty good, although occasionally the 21st Century operational terminology -- jargon, if you will -- can be jarring.

Nevertheless, it's an excellent analysis of the performance under fire of the American Expeditionary Forces. I'm not sure how realistic it is to regret (a hundred years ago, or now) that the US military had no experience with conducting combat operations on that scale, since... well, the closest the US military had to having that level of expertise was 50+ years in the past, in the Civil War. Even if Pershing had listened to all the advice the French and British had offered, it would have been too much to expect command and staff at all levels to do so.

Anyway. Recommended.

This showed up in my Twitter feed today. Not bad. World War I Centenary: 100 Legacies of the Great War.

And in my in box:

• Echoes of Our Great War
• Remembering World War I

Memorial Day, 2018

Or, Remembrance Day, or Decoration Day, depending on where and when you're from.




I don't now if this story is true -- I certainly never heard it before -- but I usually post a recording of "My Buddy"...

Memorial Day, 2017

Well, that's not supposed to happen...

Members of the US military are covered under Servicemembers Group Life Insurance, or SGLI. It's a pretty good deal, considering that you are subject to going to unpleasant places and living an unpleasant lifestyle, which you may not survive.

Upon separation from the service --  discharge, retirement -- one has the option of converting it to Veteran's Group Life Insurance, or VGLI.

For years decades there has been a rumor that would periodically pop up that a "dividend" was being paid based on performance, or over-payments, or something. I don't think anyone knows how it started, I first heard it back in the early 80s. I always suspected it was part of some kind of scam that I was too naive to unravel.

Until now.

I got a refund check for overpayment. Not huge, it'll pay for a nice, but not epic, night out.

So I suspect that someone got a refund, and the rumor mill took over, and the next thing you knew...

Magical Thinking

Or The Obama Misadministration summed up in one picture:

Stolen from.

Earworm, 11/11 Edition

This popped up on the satellite radio "40's" station on the way home from work:

One thing that impressed me was that it was correctly labeled "The Duckworth Chant."

Here's a period recording of the Duckworth Chant, recorded at the post where Private Duckworth made it up; it included a lengthy intro.

(The Wikipedia article about the Duckworth Chant quotes that page; it has more info on cadences in general, though.)

I am impressed that the brass seem to have been OK to references to Jody from the start...


My favorite renditions:

At one time I had quite the rep for knowing all the good Jodys. 

Here's some more info: Cadences

Merry Christmas

One for the troops:

Being away from home at the holidays sucks. There's usually an attempt made to make up for it, but even when you're in garrison in the States it hardly makes up for ti.  (Actually, being Stateside can be worse.)  So please remember that we still have thousands of troops in uniform away from home, many of them in places most people don't even think of.

RIP

Mildred Dalton Manning, Army nurse and WWII prisoner, dies at 98 - The Washington Post

“I had a job to do,” she said. “I was a nurse.”

Ooo-rah!

Marine with concealed carry permit stops man from beating woman | FOX6Now.com

Nil nisi bonum

Dear Ron Paul,

In re: Chris Kyle

If you can't say anything nice, then please shut the ***CENSORED*** up.

Love,

Drang

h/t TCinVA on Pistol Forums.com.

Duty, Honor, Country

Seen on Facebook:

Note: Above is reportedly from September 2012, not today, during Hurricane Sandy.

Taken today; seen at Ace of Spades:

From Bad to Worse -- UPDATE

Instapundit » Blog Archive » IRONY, THY NAME IS PANETTA: “Defense Secretary Leon Panetta calls the criticism of the Obama administration’s handling of the Libya terror attack ‘Monday morning quarterbacking,’” CBS-DC reports.

Ed Driscoll, posting that at Instapundit, notes that the Left has spent the last 12 years second guessing everything about President George W. Bush.
I would note that, during the 4 +/- years I spent stationed in the Monterey, CA, area, of which Mr. Panetta was the Congressional Representative, you could barely turn around without having some aide of his crawling up your ass investigating something-or-other.

Instapundit » Blog Archive » IT JUST GETS WORSE: AC-130U Gunship was On-Scene in Benghazi, Obama Admin Refused to Let It Fire.

I might have posted that already.  I forget. Also, Instapundit » Blog Archive » #STANDDOWN: U.S. Had Two Drones, AC-130 Gunship, and Targets Painted in #Benghazi. RELATED: “Yesterday the CIA said they didn’t say no to a rescue mission for Ambassador Stevens and other Americans under attack. Today the White House said it wasn’t Obama.… But it gets worse...

Father of Slain SEAL: Who Made the Decision Not to Save My Son? | The Weekly Standard

A couple of salient points from this article:

“When [Obama] came over to our little area” at Andrew Air Force Base, says Woods, “he kind of just mumbled, you know, ‘I’m sorry.’ His face was looking at me, but his eyes were looking over my shoulder like he could not look me in the eye. And it was not a sincere, ‘I’m really sorry, you know, that your son died,’ but it was totally insincere, more of whining type, ‘I’m sorry.’”
Woods says that shaking President Obama’s hands at his son’s memorial service was “like shaking hands with a dead fish.”

So, comparisons of Bush v Obama should be trite by now, yet they remain ever green, largely due to the constant flow of egregious violations of propriety and professionalism and the public trust by the denizens of the Obama Regime, led by His Imperial Majesty Barack Hussein Obama himself.

I have no doubt whatsoever that President George W. Bush would have looked Mr. Wood sin the eye and, with a firm handshake, expressed his condolences with a promise that "We're gonna get the goat-fucking neo-barb savages that murdered your boy."

Quite possibly in so many words.

From the same article:

“Well, this is what Hillary did,” Woods continues. “She came over and, you know, did the same thing—separately came over and talked with me. I gave her a hug, shook her hand. And she did not appear to be one bit sincere—at all. And you know, she mentioned that the thing about, we’re going to have that person arrested and prosecuted that did the video. That was the first time I had even heard about anything like that.”

First off:  "I gave her a hug..."?! Ewwww!

Second:  "And you know, she mentioned that the thing about, we’re going to have that person arrested and prosecuted that did the video."

Think about this.  By the time this transpired, there was no question at the National Command level that the attack on the consulate in Benghazi was an organized, pre-planned attack by Al Queda,  that had nothing whatsoever to do with the puerile, amateurish "Innocence of Muslims" YouTube video, but, instead of promising to go after the goat-fucking neo-barb savages that murdered his son, the Secretary of State of the United States promised to Make Things Better by going after an American citizen for exercising his Constitutional rights. 

Everyone used to say how BJ and Hillary Clinton were the consummate politicians; she's lost it. 

Finally, this is all over the blogosphere...

Interesting Rumor Concerning General Carter Ham and Stand Down Order @ TigerDroppings.com

Now, that is a chat board for Louisiana State University alumni. So I don't know what kind of authority the original poster, or his source, speaks from.  I do note that, in the original article I started this post with, in which Leon Panetta committed irony, he also claimed that the decision to not send in troops to the rescue was made jointly by himself, General Dempsey (the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff), and... General Carter Ham, Commander of African Command. (AFRICOM)

OTOH, Panetta is a lifelong politician, so you know how to tell he's lying, right?

Anyway, the OP in that thread first quotes that bit of Panetta's statement, and then says

The information I heard today was that General Ham as head of Africom received the same e-mails the White House received requesting help/support as the attack was taking place. General Ham immediately had a rapid response unit ready and communicated to the Pentagon that he had a unit ready. 
General Ham then received the order to stand down. His response was to screw it, he was going to help anyhow. Within 30 seconds to a minute after making the move to respond, his second in command apprehended General Ham and told him that he was now relieved of his command. 
The story continues that now General Rodiguez would take General Ham's place as the head of Africon. {sic}
I found this story when I got home after hearing this story. 

I dunno.  The only part of that I find  truly strains my credulity is the bit about General Rodriguez "apprehending" and "relieving" GEN Ham "within 30 seconds to a minute".

OTOH: Obama to nominate Army Gen. Rodriguez to lead AFRICOM - News - Stripes

Like I said, that thing is all over the internet, but all the cites of it go back to that OP in that thread on that chat board.

Highly unusual that the replacement for a "Four Star" General would be announced with no notice of where the replaced General was moving to.  By the way.

If there is any truth to this story, then the entire chain of command* needs to be tried by Court Martial, for those elements subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the Manual for Courts Martial, or impeached and sentenced accordingly for those who are not.

Back in The Old Days, they would have returned to their quarters and found a revolver and a single round of ammunition on their nightstand...

Meanwhile: Instapundit » Blog Archive » HMM: Navy replaces admiral leading Mideast strike group.
Linked to there, Ace of Spades says this is much ado about little or nothing, that it is about time for GEN Ham's replacement to be named anyway, but that GEN Ham himself has not been relieved or announced his retirement.

Odd that the White House has not responded to these rumors.

UPDATE:  A quick check of AFRICOM's website indicates that GEN Carter Ham is still in command there,  so I think it is safe to say that the "apprehended" and "relieved" portions of that story were pretty much products of someone's fevered imagination.

*And selected individuals outside the chain of command.  The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the individual service Chiefs of Staff, for example, are not actually in anyone's chain of command. Ditto the Secretary of State.  General Rodriguez should resign for his part.

Rogue Corps

Sounds like a comic book.  Or a computer game.

Nope.

Rogue Corps

Rogue Corps aims to facilitate the efforts of wounded veterans who wish to take part in the outdoor adventures they use to enjoy prior to injury, or veterans who would like to discover new ones. These outdoor adventures include but are not limited to offshore fishing, lobster fishing, multiple kinds of shooting, hunting and mountain biking. Rogue Corps feels it is a unique entity, because our goal is to retain or give back the feeling of independence and self reliance that is usually taken away from wounded persons immediately following their injury. The Rogue Corps founders are combat veterans whom {sic} were medically retired from active duty and are familiar with the various stages of recovery.

More at Legless veterans at the shooting range [10 pictures] - 22 Words.

Pass it on

Disabled American Veterans - News & Info - News

Disabled Veterans Sought for PBS Documentary

A PBS station that is developing a historical TV documentary about public attitudes toward disability wants to find veterans from different wars who are willing to talk about their experience of coming home as a vet with disabilities.

We want to profile vets from World War II, Korea, Vietnam and Iraq-Afghanistan to see if disabled vets in different time periods have experienced different reactions. We’re interested in your experiences looking for work as a disabled vet, and attitudes from neighbours and people in general, as you re-integrated into your community.

Did disabled vets in the 1940s and ’50s have a different experience from Vietnam vets in the 1970s? Do Iraq-Afghanistan vets come back to another kind of experience?

If you are willing to talk about your experience for our film, please contact the researcher by email for more details. Mary Malone, Researcher, “I’m Not Broken” (working title), a documentary about disability in America: images, rights and realities for Illinois Public Media (WILL), the PBS affiliate in Urbana-Champaign, Ill. Tel: 519-432-7395; email: [email protected]; website - Illinois Public Media : http://will.illinoise.edu/.

Care Package pro-tip

Costco currently (as of today's coupon pack) has a manufacturer's instant rebate of $3.25 for a 24-pack of Starbucks VIA instant coffee.*  That's $12.74 instead of $15.99, which brings it down to what about a cup of coffee should cost. 

If you're not a coffee drinker I can't explain to you how unusual it is for instant coffee to taste as good as VIA does--it's a good cup of coffee.  (Many will tell you that it's better than a cup of Starbucks' drip.  A matter of taste, of course.)

If you've never actually  had your muddy boots on the ground someplace in close proximity to unfriendly natives, I can't explain to you what a cup of good coffee can do for your morale.

If you know someone who's deployed, or know someone who is putting together care packages for the Troops, I highly recommend this as an addition.

Another pro tip: Don't go shopping at Costco on the first day the new coupon pack is valid. Egad!

*"Limit three."  I have no idea, as yet, if that's "three per membership, ever", or "three per visit."  I have a co-worker who is deployed, and Mrs. Drang is a Soldiers Angel for a Marine, so I suspect we'll find out...

Not my normal cup of tea

Her off-hand rifle stance needs work, and I don't get the binding of the breasts...Maybe Elmo had something to do with that, LOL
 But she looks like she hung out with real Marines for the making of the video, which is cool.

Mostly I'm posting it here because some Libtard Feminazi has her panties in a twist over it:   Feminist writer calls for boycott of Katy Perry video because it's 'propaganda for the Marines'

s*i*g*h

"Act Of Valor"

Just got back from the matinee.

Oh.  My.  God.

I'll add to that:  HOO-AH!

I understand that some liberal movie reviewers--but I repeat myself--have been panning this film.  Apparently, the fact that it paints US military personnel in a positive light, and shows goat-raping, baby-murdering neo-barbs as bad guys means that it's propaganda.

The sacrifices of heroes and warriors like the SEALS depicted in this movie make your pathetic, defeatist, dhimmi whinging possible.  Keep it up, and they may start trying to find a way to only defend the parts they like. 

Furthermore, the dhimmi say, the SEALs who were the main characters weren't exactly Lawrence Olivier.  Duh.  They're SEALS.  Anthony Quayles* are in short supply in any generation.

On a personal note there, having spent so much of my life around warriors, I can say that the lines these guys were fed don't exactly resonate; they might say the things being said, but not that way, not even now that we're well into the fourth generation of warriors who grew up exposed to Hollywood hooey.

Anyway.  I don't remember the last time I went to a movie where I spent so much time on the edge of my seat, where I had to remind myself that it was only a movie, relax, enjoy the show...


Characterization is minimal.  The plot is simple--although not simplistic!  Cinematography was superb.  Gear was The Real Deal, duh!  Weapons handling was better than I have ever seen in any Hollywood production.  Again, duh.

Soundtrack was good, where I noticed it...

Mrs. Drang was giving me crap for going to a movie without her, so I guess I'll just have to force myself to go see it again.

Links to other reviews: View From The Porch:  Went to see Act of Valor at a matinee...
Farmer Frank:  MOVIE REVIEW: ACT OF VALOR...
BLACKFIVE: Question: So Why Do The SEALS Need (according to Hollywood) "a Propaganda Movie"?
BLACKFIVE: D-list actor compares Act of Valor to Nazi propaganda film
Powerline:  Liberals Decide They Don’t Like Propaganda
(Note:  Post title links to official movie website.)
*I read somewhere that Anthony Quayle was the only actor in SOE who actually did a good job in the field; most were poseurs.

Borepatch: The Marriott Casa Monica Hotel in St. Augustine is run by unpatriotic jerks

Borepatch: The Marriott Casa Monica Hotel in St. Augustine is run by unpatriotic jerks

ISTR that an Olive Garden restaurant recently told some community group they could not put American flags on the tables when they had a dinner there, "due to corporate policy." The subsequent corporate fallout led to corporate backpedaling and someone getting his metaphoric ass handed to him. I imagine that Night Manager #3 will soon be Night Janitor #28 at the Rayford Marriot...

A Confession

The last time I "danced like no one's watching":

Some club in ITaeWon, for an NCO's going away party.  "Holy, crap, lookit SFC Drang!"

Not sure whether that was a good thing, or a bad thing...

Ding, dong, the bitch is dead!

Apologies to female dogs.

Good job, SEALs! I notice the early suggestions that this was a combined op are turning out to be greatly exaggerated.

And that the usual suspects are
a) suggesting that the War on Terror is now over, and
b) Obama is somehow a better Commander in Chief than GW Bush because of this.

Phooey.

sent from The Salt Mines on my Droid