Slow day today

If you write and manage a blog, like this one, then you'll understand when I say that some days are easier than others when it comes to picking a subject…and then trying to write something meaningful, at least to you. Today is one of those days for me. It's going to be hot again here in Martinsville, VA, my grass is mostly brown, I'm having to water my tomatoes a lot, the fish aren't biting that well (bass), I'm starting the next issue (Sep-Oct) of Army Engineer magazine, and am sorting out "beach items" to take next week on a family vacation to Emerald Isle, NC. If the weather holds today, I'm going to take my two granddaughters to a local lake to canoe/kayak (one is almost 20 and the other almost 16). Lots going on for me, but I just can't open my brain much more than I have in order to write a topical blog, or to find some interesting "link" to send you to. So, for today at least, this will have to do. But then, maybe no one is reading this anyway, so its not a big deal.

Pictures about and from the Moon.

There are some interesting photos here pertaining to future missions to the moon, as well as photos from past journeys there. It looks to me as if NASA is planning to send spacecraft to the Moon and maybe Mars and back. I'm not sure how the U.S. can afford to do this, but that's another subject. For now, the pictures are great to look at. Enjoy!

Military talk

There have been and continue to be numerous unique words and phrases which originated from within the military. "Short-timer", "battle-rattle" and "deuce-and-a-half" are just a few. Today, I saw a new one in the media…"re-missioned". No, it does not refer to a temporary recovery from a serious disease, but rather it refers to troop units that are about to be diverted from going to Iraq, and sent instead to Afghanistan. The unit will be "re-missioned". Interesting use of words.

Tall vehicles indeed

I read today, "The towering trucks that give U.S. troops the best protection against roadside bombs and enemy bullets also make them vulnerable to routine hazards like sharp turns, rutted roads and rickety bridges." I can attest to them being "towering". Last May I spent some time with troops in training on the Buffalo, RG31 and Husky mine resistant vehicles. Photographs do not convey how large and high off the ground they really are. Indeed, it was not easy for me to climb up the ladder into the back of a Buffalo vehicle. But then, my legs are not what they used to be. Certainly not the same as a young Sapper.

Cheerwine–ever had it?

If you're from NC, SC, VA, WVA, GA or TN then there's a pretty good chance you at least know about Cheerwine and may have tried it…diet or regular. It's a cherry flavored soft drink and personally it's one of my favorites. The company has a neat ad campaign that talks about "those up north" coming south to take large quantities back home, to hoard it for their very own supply. (Photo above shows two of those people involved). Funny to say the least. Check it all out here.

It's a better Army today

While I often express opinions about things in the Army today not being the "same" as when I served…sometimes not agreeing with all the changes that have occurred, last night I read an article in the latest issue of Army magazine (AUSA publication) that made me realize more than ever that what has resulted over the past ten years of so in terms of Army transition, has made the force better overall. The article was about the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, CA, and what observer/controllers (OC) there do, along with others assigned there full time to help prepare deploying units for combat. Regardless of your feelings about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, one fact leaps out at me. We have a very experienced group of mid-grade NCO and officer leaders in the field today, who really know what they are doing. Multiple deployments in combat have obviously built a tremendous level of experience and confidence in dealing with the rigors and dangers faced daily by those in the field. When I read the article, I wondered how I would perform under similar circumstances. I would welcome the chance to find out. But, that ain't possible.

Farewell to the good old M113

Most engineers having served in the Army from the Vietnam era forward until today, probably have had some contact with an M113 Armored Personnel Carrier (APC). Some engineers may have driven it, ridden it in, or were supported in some way by others doing exactly that. The M113 is now going to be retired from the Army's equipment inventory. At a time, the M113 (better known as an "APC") was a squad vehicle for engineers. It was also a great recon vehicle, and served in numerous other ways. But, it's lightly armored hull and aged mechanics can't keep pace on today's battlefields, so it will soon be gone. I'll miss it, but then I miss a lot of other things as well, that "used to be" in the Army.

Look out above!

Headlines today in some news media pronounced, "Parachutist lands in band, 4 hurt at ceremony". Seems that at Fort Riley, KS during a formal change of command ceremony (pass-in-review, etc) one civilian parachutist (there were two) landed on top of the 1st Infantry Division band, injuring several, none seriously. I wonder why during time of war, and when the Army's Training and Doctrine Command is altering it's initial entry training program away from "drill and ceremonies" type activities, that some senior Army officers still want to have more elaborate ceremonies that are necessary. Other than the "wow" effect, please tell me why it was a good idea to have two civilian parachutists be a part of an official military change of command ceremony in the first place.

Engineer BG Nominations

Latest list of Army officers nominated for promotion to BG includes two engineers: Colonel Bryan Watson and Mark Yenter. Given that I'm "old" I don't know either of them, but Mark Yenter is the son of a guy I served alongside in the Pentagon back in the mid-1970's. Made me feel even older. But, "old" is relative, and is totally in the mind. Maybe I should have written that I'm "less up to date" rather than just being old. Anyway, congratulations to those two selected.

Lost opportunities

I'm not complaining here, because I understand that there are lots of higher priority things to do within the Army today, but I am disappointed when I go online to various Army sites to get information, only to find out that the site has not been updated…ranging in time from months to years. For example, if one reads "Hot News" on a website, and then goes there only to find that the news is way out of date, where is the "hot" in HOT? A week or even a month old I can understand, but years? I also sit and watch people in positions of responsibility in the Army get on board the cyber-highway by publishing their own blog, and then after a few weeks or months of posting, they let it go stale, eventually to the point where people stop going there anymore. My point is, if you're going to have a website, or a blog, or anything else designed to keep people informed, then someone must be assigned to keep it up to date. Not necessarily daily, but at least weekly. Otherwise, all the work required to set up the site or blog becomes wasted, and the well intended opportunity to inform people will have been lost.

New Computer is operational

As an update to my post last Friday, all software and files have been installed on the new Mac Pro and everything is working just fine. I hope it stays that way! As an aside, the new computer came with Apple's latest operating system (Leopard) and it's a nice improvement from what I was using before (Tiger). Apple has done a great job rolling out new versions of it's operating systems, unlike Microsoft, who has had lots of issues with it's latest OS (Vista). Yes, I am biased toward Apple, but my wife has a new Vista machine (Dell) and it's definitely a pain in the butt to use, at times. Not as user friendly as is Apple's system, plus Dell loads all sorts of junk programs when you buy it, most never needed.

Terrible Insects

Yellow Jackets that is. I've been stung before, but not like yesterday. While weed wacking deep grass, I apparently went over an in-ground nest of those little devils, and as a result got stung six times on left hand and both arms. Did all the "home remedies" including peroxide, baking soda and ice. That helped at first, but later in the day I still suffered some bothersome pain. Those guys can sting multiple times…not like a honey bee which loses it's stinger the first time. Thankfully, no allergic reaction. Today, pain is gone, but the sting marks remain to remind me how bad those critters are to mess with. Now, how to deal with the nest in the area I was working on. No way am I going to try to cut grass there for now. Maybe burn the entire area out with gasoline. Naw, bad idea. They ain't worth the cost of the gas, I'll just let the grass grow in that spot for the rest of the summer, and then let cold weather take care of them naturally.

New computer

I'm setting up a new Mac Pro computer today, including loading all my software, etc. Hopefully all will go well. My older Mac has been moved to the "secondary" position, as back-up. It's four years old now, and the latest software I use to prepare the magazine is optimized for the newer processor Apple is now using, so it's a tad slow at times. Anyway, today is "computer day" for me, so time to get to work. See you Monday!

Hurricane Country

If you live in a region of the United States annually affected by tropical storms, this is the time of year when you will no doubt be paying much greater attention to weather news and forecasts. I speak from experience when I say that one can't be overly prepared for a possible tropical storm. We lived in coastal North Carolina for several years back in the late 1990's and experienced four major hurricanes in a two-year period, when we had to evacuate…one of those was Floyd, one of the most destructive storms ever to hit North Carolina. But most of the damage from Floyd was not from wind, it was from the storm surge followed by massive rains and resulting flooding. Major highways were closed for days, power was out for weeks in some areas, and it took even weeks more before things got back to a sort of normalcy. When we felt we were out of the woods that year, another storm came to call late in the season and we had to evacuate all over again…not a fun experience. It's been a fairly long time since a major storm hit land along the east coast, and I'm sure many living in harms way there are not paying enough attention this year. Bad move. Get prepared for whatever may come.

July-August issue of Army Engineer

For those who are interested, I'm sending the July-August issue of Army Engineer magazine to the printers today. It ought to be ready for mailing around the end of July…if all goes well. When you receive it, you will see a newly designed cover layout. No, I'm not going to show you what it looks like now, you have to wait. (Smile)

Reenlistment seems not to be a big problem

One indicator of troop morale and willingness to continue to serve are statistics pertaining to reenlistment. I read the other day about some 1200-odd personnel electing to reenlist in Iraq. Also, those with whom I spoke last Spring at Fort Leonard Wood, each said they planned to re-up. I've read conflicting reports about junior enlisted and officers staying in versus getting out; but again, what I hear and see makes me believe that there is no great mass exodus out of the military to civilian life. I suppose the present sad state of our economy is one reason why some decide to stay put in the Army, given a relatively secure status in relation to having a job that pays reasonably well. Also, I watched a documentary on C-Span this past weekend about an Infantry company located on a remote combat outpost in Afghanistan, along the Pakistani border. The company commander and his enlisted and officer leaders interviewed each said they "loved what they were doing", and felt they were making a big difference in terms of security, etc. My guess is that most in that company would have no problem deciding to remain in the Army. Morale that high, at such a remote and zero-comfort outpost, paints a good picture to me.

Have a good one

Independence Day, that is. I'm taking a holiday from blogging until Monday, July 7th. Going to celebrate being an American, starting with listening to a free country music concert tonight at Martinsville Speedway (Tracy Lawrence), along with probably 20,000+ others, and then watch a really nice display of fireworks there. Also, going to eat a couple or four famous Martinsville Speedway hot dogs! I hope all of you also have a great celebration wherever you are this year.

Staycation

Our local newspaper, the Martinsville Bulletin, has a front page story today about people in this rural region of southwest Virginia mostly staying home this year for the 4th of July week, instead of going to the beach or whatever. Gas prices, the economy in general, and other reasons have (obviously) curtailed things that millions used to do in the past, with hardly a thought. For many, a "staycation" will be taking the place of a normal vacation to places far away from home. That's not necessarily bad, because there are usually quite a lot of interesting things to see and do close to home, which most of us have never taken advantage of. Hard to say how deep our economic problems will go, but from all the gloom and doom you read and hear in the media, we ain't there yet. Whatever, here's to a great 4th of July for everyone reading this post. Proud to be an American!

Careless Americans

There seems to be another unfortunate trend developing in our country this year related to people saying others are not "patriotic" enough if they don't do certain things. I know it bugs me when I go to a high school sports contest and some people in the stands and on the field totally disregard the playing of the national anthem. It also bugs me when I watch a televised professional sports event where players and spectators do the same thing. Even with me being ticked off, however, I never felt any of those not paying attention were unpatriotic. They are Americans just like me. But, they are "careless" Americans, too focused on their own personal space in life, rather than all else going on around them. Our public schools are partly to blame, as are those at home (parents) who ought to be in charge of building better character in our young people, so that they become caring and responsible adults. I'd bet most (by far) young people below the age of twenty today, have absolutely no idea what Memorial Day or the 4th of July are all about. On second thought, there are probably a lot over the age of twenty who have no idea either. Like I say, careless Americans.