Super professionals at work

I've observed all levels of operation within the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) composed mostly of dedicated Department of the Army Civilian personnel with a small percentage of military men and women assigned. Yesterday I was fortunate to have been hosted by Colonel Ron Light, commander of the Transatlantic Programs Center (TAC) in Winchester, VA, and his Public Affairs Officer Joan Kibler. What I saw and heard convinced me once again that there is no government agency anywhere in the world as professional as USACE, and in my view TAC stands at the top of that command in relation to what they do to support deployed Soldiers.

I was there to get information and to conduct interviews for an article to be published in the November-December, 2007 edition of Army Engineer magazine. There is no question in my mind that when that article is published, it will be one of the best I've had the pleasure of compiling for insertion. Look for it!

One more from Bristol

For some watching the Bristol race on TV last weekend, it was (in their words) boring. I suppose that what they wanted was total chaos lap-by-lap, complete with numerous caution laps, and lots of wrecks. Me? I was totally captured by the spectacle, the speed, and listening (on my race scanner) to the happy words of the drivers who were having a ball.

Bristol racin'

It was a tremendous experience for me to be a personal part of last weekend's Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Thank's to an Army buddy of mine (Retired Engineer Colonel Gary Wright)who was able to get hard-to-find tickets, I was able to go to Bristol.It's situated in a mountainous valley area of Eastern Tennessee; a place where you'd hardly expect to find such a MASSIVE facility, which seats 160,000 people, and has perhaps another 20,000 or so outside the track doing whatever they could to be a part of it all. Looking at it from about a mile away from where we'd parked the truck hours before the race (to share several beers with Gary's son Chris and his friend Jimbo) the track looks incredible. (That's me at the far right seated in the stands, Gary next to me, Chris, then Jimbo)

As we walked about a mile to the track for the 8PM start time, the track kept getting larger and larger, so by the time we entered the entrance way to the main track and vendor area, my jaw was continually in a dropped position, and my eyes were bugging out at the sights and sounds I experienced.

The pre-race ceremonies were incredible, complete with a military skydiver parachuting with a large U.S. Flag right onto the track, fighter jets overhead, and the world's largest "card-show" which portrayed the colors of the United States. NASCAR fans are perhaps the most patriotic people in the country. The race itself was super-fast with the new concrete surface, and there was enough excitement to keep us on the edge of our seats throughout.

Off to Bristol

Racing time again, this time courtesy of an Army buddy of mine who was able to get tickets to the most popular short track on the NASCAR circuit...Bristol. Short track racing is the best in my opinion (I live two miles from the next most popular short track...Martinsville). I'll take my digital camera and if any come out good enough, (it's a night race) I'll post one or two here. As a result of my trip, I won't be updating the blog until early next week. See you then.

Luck means a lot at times

There is no question that when I took this photograph last month at Katmai National Park in Alaska, I was at the right place at the right time. This is but one of many scenes and places I observed during a two week vacation to Alaska, the Bering Sea and Eastern Russia. However, without my Nikon D70S camera it would have all been nothing more than a memory. Luck was on my side so many days, I feel very fortunate.

Virginia Tech Hokie Nation

Our oldest daughter and I took her oldest daughter Jennifer back to Blacksburg yesterday, to start her second year at "Tech", a place she could not wait to get back to, after a summer in Martinsville working pretty much fulltime as a lifeguard. As soon as we pulled into the parking lot across the street from her new dormitory to start the unloading process, I knew by her almost constant talking and nervous energy, that she felt she was back at her real home... the only place she really wanted to be...a place she started to miss last May, well before we got five minutes off campus, when we picked her up to come home for the summer . She was a resident Hokie again...something I have to admit I would have loved to have experienced myself. I went to "Tech", but mine was in Michigan, and while we were Huskies up in the cold Upper Peninsula of the Great Lakes state, we had nothing like the pride, spirit, and feeling of belonging to something very special, which VT students, faculty and alumni have. Hokie Nation is that indeed, but it's also "family", and I suppose I am a part of that family now, albeit extended by distance and grandfather relationship to a single student there. We ARE Virginia Tech.

Recruiting and the Draft

While there has been a recent increase in the amount of talk from Congress and some in the Pentagon about a need to return to the military Draft, it's hard to accept the fact that such a prospect could make it through the decision process favorably, while there is so much happening in the political arena. However, given the fact the Army continues to face recruiting challenges year by year, it may be that the Draft issue will become much more of a hot topic. The Army is now meeting its recruiting objectives, but over the past couple of months it fell a bit short. And, each week seems to bring a new wave of recruiting and re-enlistment incentives, such a bonuses, educational offers and other hard to turn down rewards. Also, last year the Army changed many of its recruiting standards so that people who were previously not eligible to join, may now do so. Too early to tell what long term effects on the Army these policies might cause.

Quiet Steets on Fort Bragg

Army Times newspaper (online version) has an interesting article today about how quiet things are on post at Fort Bragg, NC. All four of the 82nd Airborne Division's combat brigades are deployed, as are many other XVIII Airborne Corps units (20th Engineer Brigade for example). According to the article, the strangest thing is to drive around early in the morning, and not see/hear thousands of Soldiers jogging in formation and chanting as they participate in physical training. Also strange is the relative absense of C-130's dropping paratroopers during training, hour by hour during the day and night. It's more of a "family" post now, with spouses and children waiting for the return of their loved ones. Such is the price we pay to keep America safe.

Random thoughts

The new Harry Potter book is very good, in case you're interested in such. My grandson got me into the series several years ago, and I've enjoyed every one. The newest book is the last in the series, and it has an excellent number of twists and turns in the plot toward the end of the book.

Who cares if Barry Bonds hits more home runs, not me. Any record he may establish is clearly tainted by steriods...as is his body...and mind.

Speaking of professional sports. I miss the good old days when players played for the game more than they did for the bucks involved. But then professional sports today is all about money.

The 31st Engineer Battalion recently re-activated at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. It was in-activated in the 1990's there, as a One Station Unit Training engineer unit, and that's it's new configuration now. The 31st has a proud record of service to the Army and the nation.

It's interesting to read more and more positive reports coming out of Iraq and Afghanistan lately, especially pertaining to measured progress with security. Unfortunately, the Iraqi government remains bogged down and has taken a "vacation". Some might say taking time off is an incorrect discription, since they've never been "at work" as far as getting anything significant done. Regardless, General Patreous seems to have a good handle on leading the effort, and it's hard not to be supportive of his work...even if you work at CNN.