As the year comes to an end...

It seems to me as if we average Americans are getting squeezed between the opinions on Iraq and Afghanistan from an increasingly larger number of retired military senior personnel, and opinions from those in uniform on the ground. Making this even more frustrating is the fact people like me have no "on the ground experience" over there ourselves, to help form our own assessment of the situation. I wish I understood better, for example, what a realistic military "objective" might be, other than to side with well worn, overly simplistic phrases such as to "assure democracy succeeds", etc.

I guess any new "strategies" or whatever you want to call them, will not become apparent (officially) until next year. Keeping so many soon to be deployed and already over-extended troops in limbo much longer is not good.

The Army Chief of Staff is correct when he recently warned that the Army is near being broken, without some major increases in manning and equipment to do it right. We're spread too thin. If I can believe what I read today in the news media, the Joint Chiefs of Staff appear united in that position.

The person I admire the most in relation to how we ought to fight militarily and win is retired Army General Colin Powell, who is now calling the Army overextended and "about broken." He's also skeptical that solutions now being debated will work. What he said in his biography about not repeating the mistakes we made in Vietnam have always been powerful words to me. So, when he speaks, I listen carefully.

Bad news

I learned that a recent fire destroyed a popular restaurant in Owensboro, Kentucky. That alone is bad news, but it gets worse when you understand the building also served as a "museum" for artifacts and memorabilia donated by veterans of the World War II 297th Engineer Combat Battalion. The owner of the restaurant helped organize unit reunions for the battalion and offered to help keep the history and traditions of WWII engineers alive by using his facility to educate the public of their service.

Veterans of the unit are obviously devastated by the tragic fire, but fortunately no one was hurt. Please keep these valiant warriors in your thoughts during the holiday season.

Experts…or whatever you want to call them

It seems to me as if there are an awful lot of experts in the U.S. today who have opinions on just about anything you want to name. That's OK, but where I get ticked off is when you are automatically judged as incorrect or ill-informed if you don't happen to totally agree with their views.

What can't engineer troops do?

I just finished doing the layout on a feature for the January-February 2007 issue of Army Engineer, which involves the 84th Engineer Battalion's construction of the Libby Bridge during the Korean War. The project was more suited for a large civilian contractor to take on, and the Soldiers involved from the 84th had almost zero experience and training in building this sort of massive, long, high, concrete pier and deck bridge over the Imjin River. And they had to do it in the midst of a Korean winter, with orders to be done in only seven months.

The Operations Officer of the battalion was quoted as saying, "We didn't do anything on time except finish." That pretty much sums it up. They got the job done, under exceptionally harsh working conditions, during a war, with little prior experience and construction expertise pertaining to needed skills, and with daily challenges that would cause most others to say "it's too tough!".

It's always been this way with Army Engineers. They get the job done, no matter the challenges placed before them.

Photography is fun

One of the nicest things I get to do in relation to being Editor of Army Engineer, is to spend a lot of time taking photographs for use therein, or to use in my personal collection. When I took "Fundamentals of Photography" at Iowa State University in 1972, it was only because I needed some "easy" credits my last term there, so I could remain a full time student...in the eyes of the Army which had funded my attendance. (I'd already completed all the courses I needed to graduate with an MS in Geodetic Science, and the Army could not move me early, thus the need for some additional courses.)

Actually, the course was a lot harder than I thought it would be, since we were required to spend many hours out in the field taking roll after roll of pictures, and then return to the lab to develop the film. The "final exam" consisted of having to prepare a photo essay on some subject that could be told only with photos taken...no text. I decided to do an essay about the local bar where my Army classmates and I had gathered weekly during our two years together. Having to take pictures, for example, of full pitchers of cold beer with sweat beads slowly dripping down the outside was interesting, and after several glasses had been consumed, my ability to compose picture after picture was progressively degraded. It took me several weeks to complete the essay, but in the process I had a lot of great fun. I kept the notebook I placed the photo essay in, and it's always interesting to go back and look at it. Oh, I received an "A".

My photographic abilities improved quite a bit after I left active service, and now I'm fairly proficient with my Nikon D70S digital camera, and can operate rather well in Photoshop to prepare images for insertion into the magazine.

I even bought a photo journalist's "vest", and generally try to imitate being an "embedded reporter" as I travel about. It's surprising how many places you can get into when you carry a camera with a big lens, a photo backpack, and wear a photo vest. Say cheese!

A neighborly welcome home

Our neighborhood recently welcomed an Army Captain home from Iraq by placing flags, signs and other patriotic items on windows, doors and mailboxes. He's home, but only for two weeks.

He's an Army MP officer who is working to help train Iraqi police. Last month he was wounded during a mortar attack, and after recovery was sent home for two weeks leave. He's doing just fine, and I saw him yesterday morning out jogging. I'm sure both he and his family and close friends enjoyed their time together over the Thanksgiving Holiday period, but time goes way too fast under such circumstances, and now it's time for him to return to the combat zone.

His tour of duty over there is up next February, and if all goes well he'll be returning home maybe for good. He's been thinking about whether or not to stay in the Army, but has yet to make up his mind. I wish him well in that regard, but more importantly I'm looking forward to having another neighborhood welcome home celebration, which I'm sure can't come soon enough for him.

Cowboy Football

If you read one of my previous posts, you learned I am no big fan of the Dallas Cowboy football team. But, I have to admit, I am getting interested in what they are doing, and it's because of one person...their quarterback.

Tony Romo took over a few weeks back, and since then he's been spectacular. I like to see that sort of thing. Even T.O has mellowed a bit as a result and has (probably temporarily) stopped his self centered antics on and off the field.

Their game against the NY Giants next week ought to be a good one.

Thanksgiving in South Vietnam

First time was in 1965. Phan Rang. 62nd Engineer Battalion, constructing a 10,000 foot aluminum matting runway and parallel taxiway. I was in Delta Company, and the First Sergeant and I decided (with the permission of the Battalion Commander) to issue some free beer to the troops to have with their meager portion of turkey and associated delights. It went pretty well, except for a few who swapped their ration of beer for pieces of extra turkey from their buddies. Result...a few had too much to drink and had to suffer the wrath of the First Sergeant the next day, by going on latrine clean-out duty for a week.

Second time was in Can Tho in 1968. I was an advisor to the ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam). My Navy Seabee buddy and I had turkey in the local MACV (Military Assistance Command, Vietnam) compound and that was pretty much it. Afterwards, we went back to the small building where our advisory team had it's headquarters, and shared a few beers with the Team Chief, while watching a movie issued by the Red Cross. The Army Engineer Lieutenant Colonel who was our team chief was a pretty resourceful guy. He told the Red Cross office in Saigon that our team had over one hundred men assigned; from the Army, Air Force and Navy. Actually, we had less than ten, and only one non-Army person...my Seabee buddy mentioned above. The result was that we got issued a new film projector and screen from the Red Cross, and received movies before most others in our region. I was the designated projector operator. We also were the only MACV separate advisory detachment in the region to receive a very large artificial Christmas tree with decorations from the Red Cross, a week or so after Thanksgiving. There is no way you could get away with this sort of stuff in today's military...unfortunately in my view.

Enough with things too serious

I decided to cease writing things in this blog that concern politics, Army policy, or anything too serious or mind boggling. Much of what I read in the news today is the latter, and it's starting to give me a "serious case of the ass" ... an Army term that was popular in my time in service. So, I'll stick to things more light hearted for awhile.

In that regard, I just turned 65. I remember having a party thrown for me by friends and family when I turned 40, and again at 50. Those were military times, and as such I did not feel that old, because I could "max" out the Army PT test, and run 4-5 miles daily.

When I hit the big "six-oh", my family had a party for me, but it was no big deal. By that time there was no way I could still max the PT test, and I had ceased running, substituting 2-3 mile brisk walks each morning with my dog Mystee (our wonderful female Alaskan Malamute).

Last week was number "six-five" for me, and my wife and I planned to spend the evening at a local Chinese restaurant with my oldest daughter and her three kids; one home on vacation from Virginia Tech, one a Sophomore in high school, and one in eighth grade. We drove to pick up my daughter and kids, and when we arrived I found the inside of the house festooned with black balloons, black paper ribbons, and other assorted things appropriate to the occasion. I was presented with a small cone-shaped hat to wear that said Happy 65th Birthday. The others wore Pirates of the Carribean hats, and we had party favors with the movie "Cars" theme...paper plates and napkins. And this was all before we were to go to dinner!

The Chinese dinner was great, and I was a amazed at how much Jennifer (VA Tech student) ate, in relation to what I was used to seeing in the past. I asked her if she got enough food at school, and she said "yes, but I ran low on money the last couple of days." Good thing she came home on break!

After we returned home, we ate my birthday Apple pie with ice cream, and they sang Happy-Happy, etc, while I blew out the candles. I had forgotten to make a wish, so my wife said the candles could be reused, since they still had a wish in them. I did not know that superstition existed.

So, all in all it was a great 65th birthday for me. My next birthday milestone I guess is 70. But my wife Barb turns 65 herself next May, so we have lots of time until then to plan something special for her too.

President in Vietnam

I saw this morning that some veterans of the Vietnam War have concerns about the President's visit there. I'm a Vietnam veteran, with two tours, and I think it's good that the United States is working to expand our relationship.

Vietnam is growing faster economically than most countries in the Far East, and with its part communist-part capitalist society, the country seems far better off that it ever has been. Yes, those in the north were our enemy and fought hard against us, but so were the Germans, Japanese, and Chinese at one time.

Where are all the flags?

It does not seem that long ago when just about everywhere we went, we saw U.S. flags big and small...on cars, on buildings, on suit lapels, in yards, on mailboxes and so forth. Seems as if there are far less flying today doesn't it...I wonder why that's so.

Maybe it's because many Americans today have a low level of patience and commitment. Maybe it's because it's no longer "the thing to do".

On and near military bases in the United States today, flags continue to fly, and other indicators of troop support are seen everywhere. One would think with so many troops deployed overseas, there would be the same level of visible support, displayed in cities and towns that we saw immediately after September 11th, 2001 and during the first year of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Apparently, what it's going to take to convince many Americans that they need to bring out their flags again, is for another terrorist attack to take place on U.S. soil. As insensitive as that statement may read, I have a low level of confidence that it's anything else, given what I read in the news media, and see first hand as I travel about.

Veterans Day – Remember the Significance

World War I officially ended on June 28, 1919, with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. The actual fighting between the Allies and Germany, however, had ended seven months earlier with the armistice, which went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918.

Armistice Day, as November 11 became known, officially became a holiday in the United States in 1926, and a national holiday 12 years later. On June 1, 1954, the name was changed to Veterans Day to honor all U.S. veterans.

In 1968, new legislation changed the national commemoration of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. It soon became apparent, however, that November 11 was a date of historic significance to many Americans. Therefore, in 1978 Congress returned the observance to its traditional date.

(Source: Infoplease)

How easy can it get…to vote that is

I voted today using one of the new electronic touch-screen machines. Piece of cake. In and out in less than five minutes, and there was a steady stream of voters present.

The volunteer workers helping with registration and machine operation here in southwest Virginia were courteous and knowledgeable. In short, they were well prepared, and from what I observed were doing a great job.

I'm talking about back street America stuff here…there are less than 50,000 people in the entire county where we live, including the City of Martinsville. If people here can figure out how to make the new voting machines work, than anybody ought to be able to.

After I got home, I heard a news report about voting problems people are having with the new electronic machines in some really BIG cities. People voting must be dumber than a sack of sticks if those reports are true.

Leaves and football

Not much in common with the words in the title, except for the fact football comes in the fall when leaves change color, drop slowly to the ground, and litter our yards. If you have a big yard as I do, leaves become an obstacle to the execution of more leisurely activities.

I could have spent yesterday (Saturday) and today (Sunday) raking leaves, but I decided to defer that chore to another day. I decided to work to finalize the next issue of Army Engineer magazine (Nov-Dec) and to give me something to listen to in the background today while I sat at my Apple computer, I tuned in to the NFL TV games being broadcast.

While I still have an interest overall in the outcome of the weekly NFL games, I've lost, over the past few years, the same level of enthusiasm I once had with the NFL. I used to be a fanatic Washington Redskins fan, but after the team was sold a few years back to a money grubbing, egotistical individual (he who shall not be named), I decided to mostly root for other teams. But not today.

One thing has remained constant for me over the years. I absolutely love to see the Dallas Cowboys lose a game, especially a close game. And they did not disappoint me today. Redskins 22, Dallas 19. My most enjoyable moment was watching Terrell Owens drop a sure touchdown pass for Dallas that might have sealed the game for them. Hot dog got too confident.

Our local high school football team won, as did Virginia Tech. So, with the Cowboys going down, it's been a wonderful weekend for me. Unfortunately, many more leaves also fell yesterday and today, and I am very near the line of departure for Operation Rake.

Army Times Editorial

Based on a report today in the national media, military oriented newspaper publications such as Army, Navy and Air Force Times have written an editorial to run in the November 6th edition, that is very critical of the way things are going in Iraq. Here's an excerpt from the editorial:

"…despite the best efforts of American trainers, the problem of molding a viciously sectarian population into anything resembling a force for national unity has become a losing proposition. For two years, American sergeants, captains and majors training the Iraqis have told their bosses that Iraqi troops have no sense of national identity, are only in it for the money, don't show up for duty and cannot sustain themselves."

In the past, Army Times has not always been supportive of actions within the service, and it appears as if we are now seeing another example of that trend. One thing is for sure, there will be people from both sides of the issue who will have strong opinions.

From where I sit, it's hard to take a position either way, because I'm not a personal part of the action on the ground. Still, I suspect there is probably at least some aspect of truth to the main conclusions in the Army Times editorial. You have to have your head tucked totally in the sand to not understand the challenges in Iraq we now face are much different from what most thought they would be when we began the operation in 2003. It's not that the troops on the ground haven't done a superb job…they most certainly have, and will continue to do so. The main issue as I see it rests with the Iraqi people themselves.

Theory of 1000 Marbles

I was sent the following story by a person I’ve been working with as a result of being the Editor of Army Engineer magazine. Our Army Engineer “family” is quite large, and when you are involved as I am in reporting on many of the stories originating therein, I’m often the recipient (via email) of some nicely written original materials, many of which I often like to share with others. I’ve taken the main point of an original article sent to me and condensed it into a more concise presentation. It involves a theory of “a thousand marbles” and may help you keep things in proper perspective, the older you get.

First, assume that most of us really enjoy Saturday mornings, perhaps because of the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise in the family, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a typical Saturday morning are usually enjoyable for most of us.

Now, consider the following. Wikipedia (online encyclopedia) lists our average lifespan today as 80. Take that number and multiply it by 52 (the number of Saturday mornings in an average lifetime) and you arrive at a figure of 4160. Take your current age (say it’s 50) and multiply that number also by 52. You get 2600. Subtract that number from 4160 and you arrive at the future number of Saturday mornings you have left to enjoy, assuming all goes according to averages.

Next step is to go and buy an amount of marbles equal to the number of future Saturday mornings you have left to enjoy, and place them in a container that you keep readily available, say a glass container. Each Saturday morning, remove one marble and throw it away. Then, over time, as you watch the number of marbles decline, you will probably focus more on the truly important priorities in your life. As the original author said so well, “There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out, to help get your priorities straight." He added at the end of his story, "Now let me tell you one last thing. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure that if I make it until next Saturday, then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time."

Thanks to Marion Chard for passing the original story to me, and thanks to the author for writing such appropriate words of advice.

"Flags" Revisted

Per my prior post about the new Clint Eastwood movie, "Flags of our Fathers", I saw it yesterday, and took my fifteen year old grandson with me. We both liked the movie. My recommendation is to go see it yourself if you have not already done so.

Factually correct as best I could tell, and the computer generated visual effects are superb, especially the aerial view of the massive ship convoy, as seen from the cockpit of passing fighter planes providing escort.

Reading the book by James Bradley helped me understand better the total context of the battle at Iwo Jima portrayed in part during the movie. Bradley's Father was one of the flag raisers and is a central figure in the movie.

I understand there is a "companion" to this movie to be released in early 2007 titled, Letters from Iwo Jima, also directed by Clint Eastwood. The movie is to portray the battle from the Japanese side, and will have English sub-titles. Should be an equally good movie to see if you're so inclined.

Army Change

For Army veterans unaware, the new Class "A" uniform will soon change from the standard green color that has been around for decades, to Army Blue. Similar to the current day Dress Blue (formal) uniform worn by men and women in the Army, the new Class "A" uniform will certainly change the way the Army looks.

The Army explains its purpose in making this major change, as wanting to go to essentially one uniform other than the ACU (Army Combat Uniform). Today, the Army Green jacket and trousers is worn for routine business, while the Dress Blue uniform is worn for more formal occasions. Junior enlisted Soldiers will wear the beret with the new dark blue uniform with light blue trousers, while NCOs will wear a service (billed) cap, and have a yellow stripe along the trouser side seam, the same as worn by commissioned officers today. The light green long and short-sleeve shirt worn today with the green uniform, will be replaced with a light gray color, long and short sleeve shirt.

I understand the Army's rationale for making the change, but I would have selected a different color than blue if I could have been a one-man decision committee. I've always thought the Army should have kept the brown jacket and light tan trouser, belted uniform worn by officers during World War II and after, as it's Class "A" uniform. When I was a cadet in Junior ROTC back in the 1950s, I wore that uniform, and really liked the way it looked. By the time I got to college ROTC, the Army had shifted to the green uniform, and I wore that for almost thirty years.

It will be interesting to see how this all works out. In addition to the new blue uniform, over the past few years the Army made the black beret the standard head gear for Class "A" wear, replaced the BDU/DCU (green or tan camouflage combat uniform) with the computerized pattern green-gray ACU, and also recently changed its recruiting slogan from "Army of One" to "Army Strong".

Lots of "change" underway in the Army in addition to the above. Again, it will be interesting to see how it all works out.

Pollsters at the door

Living in the politically charged Commonwealth of Virginia, as we near the 2006 mid-term elections, I'm getting pretty weary of being interrupted during the day by pollsters calling me on the telephone, and asking about my opinions. Will I support one or the other candidate for the US Senate? What are my main concerns today? And so forth.

Frankly, my main concern is that I'm sick of politics. If the democratic and republican parties were each running a for-profit business like a fast-food restaurant for example, they would put each other out of business in a heart beat, with all the negative advertising going on. No sane person would eat in either establishment!

No matter who wins, not much will change overall when you get right down to it. The animosity and hate-filled accusations spouted off by people from each political party over the past decade has caused a festering wound that will be hard to heal.

Oh well, at least Virginia Tech thrashed Clemson in football last night. But on the other hand, Detroit lost game four of the World Series.

Valor

Short word...big meaning. Valor.

The new movie "Flags of our Fathers" opened up last weekend, and is one I have placed on my "must-see" list. Reviews are great, but attendance is not.

Why? People today younger than 30 apparently have little interest in going to see a movie about the unbelievable valor displayed by US Marines at Iwo Jima during February-March 1945. Based on media reports about last weekend's opening movie attendance, our younger generation was much more interested in seeing movies about magic and crime solving. Sad, but true.

I read James Bradley's book about the Iwo Jima flag raising, and it is one of the best I've read. Another book he wrote, "Flyboys" is equally good. Both of his books are full of examples of the highest level of valor, displayed by men from what is called "our greatest generation".

It's a shame that more of our youth today, who are of the same age as those who fought at Iwo Jima, have such little interest in our nation's military history. I don't include today's men and women in uniform in this category...they fully understand military valor and sacrifice.

If you go to a movie-plex where "Flags" is being shown along with other current movies, why not point one of the younger people walking out from just having been dazzled by magic, to the door marked "Flags of our Fathers". It will do them some good to learn what military valor really means.

Friday Night Lights

If you've read the book, or seen the new TV series (same name as the title here) you'll appreciate what I'm about to say. Going to a local high school football game is pretty good stuff.

Living where I do in Southwest Virginia, surrounded by hard working families with a large amount of loyalty to their local roots, allows me to sit in the midst of high school band boosters; and screaming students, parents, grandparents and fans all cheering for the home team. Last night "my" team from Henry County, played arch rival Martinsville High School from the nearby city. Martinsville players dressed in bright red and white, and Magna Vista players dressed in dark blue and red both fought hard. In years past Magna Vista won easily. But last night they were beaten badly by the kids from the city.

The consolation to me and my family was that our band out performed Martinsville at halftime, and that fits the formula I devised years ago when we moved here, and started attending high school sports functions. "If a school has a good football team, their band won't be that good. On the other hand, if a school has a bad football team, then it's likely their band will be great." Last night proved my formula is correct.

Army changing standards...good or bad

Let me see if I got this right. First, I read where the Army lowered its entry standards in order to be able to meet recruitment goals this year, and is now allowing people to join who last year would have not made the cut.

Second, I read that during initial entry training the Army is spending a lot more time re-training people who may have been injured, or had difficulty meeting performance standards, in order to keep attrition rates lower than before.

Third, I just read where a high level Department of Defense civilian in charge of personnel has concluded that as a result of a shift in the manner in which Drill Sergeants relate to those in their charge, the Army is better off than it was before. Those in charge say they have found that today's generation responds better to Drill Sergeants who take a more "counseling approach". It's OK, they say, to be harsh, but that ought to be the exception rather than the rule.

Now don't get me wrong, I strongly agree there is a need to have Drill Sergeants perform their duties in an appropriate, professional and dignified manner, but it bothers me that the Army is now saying it's altering the way it trains, because those coming in are different from those in the past. My conclusion based on the first two points above, is that the Army is changing the Drill Sergeant culture in order to meet initial entry training graduation objectives. Quantity over quality.

My view is that if young people today can't meet essentially the same standards that others who went before met (lets say from 1985-2003 to put things in perspective), then tough! Go sell burgers or something.

Amphibious Engineers

I'm in the process now of putting together a magazine presentation (November-December 2006 issue) about WWII amphibious engineers who were so critical to the success of beach assault landings and follow-on logistical build up as forces moved inland. The main part of that presentation is an article written by the daughter of one of the veterans of those operations. Before I read her article, and had an opportunity to view many photos she provided, I had always assumed that engineers involved in beach landings during WWII were mostly engaged in clearing obstacles. I did not know, for example, that engineers were also responsible for much of the unloading of supplies onto the beachhead.

The unit involved in the presentation entered the war in 1942 from the U.S. and was a part of actions in North Africa. Afterwards, they supported beach assaults on the Italian island of Sicily, and then onto the Italian mainland at Naples and Anzio. Afterwards, they moved from Italy to France and then into Germany where they remained until the war's end in 1945. In all, they were overseas a long time...1942-1945.

I've always been amazed at how the people back home during World War II, with loved ones deployed and away from home for such long periods, kept their faith and remained so supportive for so long. It was a special time for the United States that's for sure. Makes you proud of those who were there at the time.

Naming the war

For the past 3 years or so, most have been referring to the fight against terrorists as the "Global War on Terror". Some called it the Global War on "Terrorists". Now, it seems that the name has been officially changed to the Long War.

In the annual report publication of the Association of the U.S. Army (2006-07 Green Book) the Army Chief of Staff uses the term Long War in his portion of the report, and as I read through other articles written by senior Army staff people, military and civilian, I saw it used again and again. So, that must mean it's official...we're now involved in the Long War.

I wonder who came up with that term. I guess it sort of makes sense, but for some reason it doesn't seem right to me. For example, how long is "long"? World War Two was pretty long it seems to me, as was the war in Viet Nam. The Cold War was longer still.

How do we define victory in the Long War? Is it over when we defeat all the enemies we have, or when they surrender or quit the fight? And, exactly who are the enemies we face in the Long War? My assumption is that the enemy are terrorists throughout the world, who seek to eliminate all influences and domination of nations in the democratically free world. If that assumption is correct, then are we not in a war against terror/terrorists? If so, what was wrong with the previous name…Global War on Terror?

Overuse of acronyms

One thing that has bugged me for years and years is the way in which we teach our folks in the Army how to write. For some reason way beyond my understanding, many believe that they HAVE TO create an acronym for anything they are too lazy to write out in full. It's crazy!

To make matters worse, acronyms change as popular military terminology changes, and unless you are directly involved in the subject area being discussed, you may have absolutely no idea what the author is trying to say. This is especially bad for people inside the Army's Training and Doctrine Command. Just look at a typical piece written by anyone in the Engineer School for example, and you will probably be able to count as many acronyms as you can sentences.

Maybe it's phone text messaging that's making this situation worse today, but whatever the reason, I say "let's stop overusing acronyms" (LSOA)!

Take time to relax

Last winter when I was suffering a bit of cabin fever, wanting to load my kayak on top of the truck and go fishing on a day when the weather was right, but realizing the weather would not be "right" for several more months, my almost 65 years old muscles seemed to hurt a bit more. Then, by chance as I was browzing around on the internet late one afternoon after finishing up magazine duties for the day, I found this short quote. I can't remember where I found it, or who wrote it, but I printed it out and keep it sitting right in front of my computer monitor, so I can read it when I start work every day. Here it is:

"A most pleasant day will be in the offing for you today, if you can just relax and enjoy yourself instead of trying to steer things into place. Let life tell you what to do and where to go"

I'm not one to normally get much out of such quotes, but this one did the trick for me.

Many Questions

Having served in Viet Nam for two tours (12 month deployments) I fully appreciate the feelings many of our Soldiers and families have today, as they experience multiple combat deployments. In short, it's tough, especially on those we leave back home. It's understandable that frustrations will increase, and that some decide to get out of the Army. Morale may dip a bit too, and equipment gets worn out and difficult to replace.

On top of that, the challenges we now face in Iraq and Afghanistan are a far cry from what I thought we'd be seeing by now. In that regard, I'm sick and tired of listening to "experts" on TV who care only about second guessing decisions made, rather than seeking to unite everyone toward a reasonable objective. I'm not smart enough to come anywhere close to being able to say what we ought to do: it's bad if we stay too long, and bad if we leave too early. Have we already been there "too long"? Can the Iraqis and Afghans hold their own if (when) we come home? Will there be civil war? Is there already a civil war ongoing? What effect does this all have on our ability to protect the homeland? Too many questions in my mind, which is too shallow to swallow it all and make me feel (generally) comfortable.

Still, my time with the Army taught me that we put military people in charge who know what they are doing. More importantly, it's those on the ground doing the hard work that count, not the opinions of those on the sidelines doing all the second guessing.

Nice Software

If you have a MAC computer system, and if you would like to experience a nice program titled "Journler" that can be used to keep track of many things, like your thoughts, plans, activities, experiences, visit Journler website and download a great piece of software...and use it free if you wish.

Why don't more engineer units tell their story?

Over the past couple of years I have consistently received articles for publication written by men and women from essentially the same units…over and over. Why is that?

I don't want to list the units involved because as soon as I do, I'll find out I overlooked one or two; so, let's say that, for example, fewer than fifteen battalion-size units have sent materials over the past twelve months. All of them were/are deplolyed in either Iraq or Afghanistan, so don't tell me your unit is too busy.

My view is that by not spending some time telling the story of what your Soldiers are doing, is a dis-service to their overall efforts as a part of your unit. Organizations that have been successful in doing what I am suggesting, generally appoint a junior ranking officer or mid-grade enlisted person to handle "PAO" actions. In each case, articles tend to get written, published, and well rememberbered by those involved.

I'm pleased to continue to publish the work of those organizations who consistently send materials for publication in Army Engineer, and if it appears I am favoring the same units, then that's the way it will be until I receive more from others.

20th Engineers

If you have an interest, check out the 20th Engineer Battalion's website which contains a lot of historical images about the battalion. Nice site.

Baghdad vs Anbar

The title reads like a Friday night high school footbal game headline, but, in reality represents a serious situation in Iraq right now, as coalition forces work to improve conditions in Baghdad, as well as to battle insurgents in adjacent Anbar Province... a continuing challenge.

I receive emails from some on the ground who tell me things are much different (not as bad) as what's being reported in the mainstream media, but all agree that the challenges are great.

Meanwhile, back home in Washington DC, politicians take many positions, positive and negative, on the entire situation regarding the war on terrorists, with seemingly impossible divides to cross in order to reach consensus and unity.

I wish we could "fast-forward" and learn where this is all going.

AEA's Website

AEA's website www.armyengineer.com continues to be a popular site for Army Engineers. Statistics reflect an average of near 800 visits per day thus far in 2006, with more than that amount during the Spring as the AEA's annual conference and ENFORCE nears. The most popular area visited is the Engineer Unit page which has links to a large number of engineer units, to include alumni groups. In that regard, one of the best alumni group websites relates to the 6th Corps Combat Engineers, veterans of WWII.

A Big "Whoops" for the Army

My cousin lives in Hawaii and he sent me a news link today describing a recent accident on Oahu where an Army lowboy carrying an excavator struck several overhead highway signs and an overpass...causing massive traffic tie-ups and lots of unhappy people. The story is posted at armyengineer.com.

Apparently the 82nd Engineer Company was involved, and the excavator was being transported from Pearl Harbor to the unit, after having been used in Kawjalein. An AR 15-6 investigation is underway.

Not a good public relations situation for the Army, but things like this do happen. Hard to understand how it did, however, if proper DOT permits were obtained. The jury is out on determining causes, so no reason to speculate here. What this shows to me, is that stuff happening in Hawaii is apparently not news at all here on the "mainland". If it had been Washington DC beltway or Dallas TX involved, CNN would have been all over it.

September-October 2006 AE Magazine

Today I mailed the Sep-Oct 2006 finished edition of Army Engineer Magazine to the printers in Rolla Missouri. If all goes well, I'll have a color proof to review next week, and then a week or so after that, it will be mailed to AEA Members from the AEA's Fort Leonard Wood office.

The new issue has some great stuff in it, which I hope you will like. The major theme involves reconstruction in Iraq and Afghasnistan, but I also included an original article involving Army Engineer OCS in 1966-1967, when it was located at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. I was a part of the cadre back then (two assignments) so had some background, and a lot of memories and photos to share. If you are a grad of that era Engineer OCS, you'll be transported back in time.

I would have liked to be more specific in the article concerning all the stuff Tactical Officers put candidates through at the time, but felt I ought to leave that out, other than to mention there were some good and bad "correctional measures" taken by sometimes overly creative TACs.

I did not include the following in the article, but I remember one time when two of the TACs assigned to the company I commanded, decided, after they caught their class had secretly ordered and received a stack of pizzas late one night, to eat said pizzas INSIDE a garbage dumpster container located behind the company mess hall. Not everyone in the platoon could fit into the dumpster, so the TACS make them line up and take their turn. To make it worse, the TACS poured water on top of the candidates as they entered the dumpster. There were apparently lots of laughs, and the TACS got their point across, but when I found out about it the next day, I had to sit them down and have a talk about being less "creative". This was but one incident, in one company, and there were four battalions worth of companies in the Officer Candidate Regiment at the time, each with their own TAC creativity.

Maybe some of you reading this have some OCS stories to share.

First at Bat

This is the first entry in my AE Magazine Editor's Independent View Blog, which I hope will allow me to be a bit more "editorially free" than I want to be in the print version of Army Engineer Magazine. The Blog will also allow me to place links to sites, images and whatever else I feel may be of interest to members of the Army Engineer Association. And, it amy not be all just "Army" stuff.

I'm a Lifetime Member of AEA, and was one of the first to join. But, I'm not a staff member of AEA, and edit their magazine and publish their website as an independent contractor. As such, I want to remain as fair and balanced as I can in reporting, but I also want to solicit opinions from those of you out there who may not always subscribe to the views of those "in charge".

So, for awhile I'll post tid-bits here designed to elicit a response...positive or negative. If I sense an interest, I'll keep at it. If nothing comes forth, I'll trash the whole deal. After all, setting up a Blog is free and easy so why not give it a shot.