Some thoughts to ponder

I read today an interesting editorial in the New York Times, written by Bob Herbert. He has some interesting thoughts I thought I'd pass on. Here's what he wrote in part:

"Wars are not problems that need managing, which suggests that they will always be with us. They are catastrophes that need to be brought to an end as quickly as possible. Wars consume lives by the thousands (in Iraq, by the scores of thousands) and sometimes, as in World War II, by the millions. The goal when fighting any war should be peace, not a permanent simmer of nonstop maiming and killing. Wars are meant to be won — if they have to be fought at all — not endlessly looked after.

One of the reasons we’re in this state of nonstop warfare is the fact that so few Americans have had any personal stake in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. There is no draft and no direct financial hardship resulting from the wars. So we keep shipping other people’s children off to combat as if they were some sort of commodity, like coal or wheat, with no real regard for the terrible price so many have to pay, physically and psychologically.

Not only is this tragic, it is profoundly disrespectful. These are real men and women, courageous and mostly uncomplaining human beings, that we are sending into the war zones, and we owe them our most careful attention. Above all, we owe them an end to two wars that have gone on much too long."

Joining the E-reader club

Before it was released, I was sure I'd be an early buyer of Apple's iPad. I am truly an Apple product zealot so it's not hard for me to spend some cash on new products from the company. The iPad was to be the perfect product for me...as it has been and continues to be for millions of others out there. But...I changed my mind.

I decided what I really wanted to do with a device such as the iPad was read books. Many iPad owners report that reading books on the device is a bit of an eye-strain, and my eyes don't need any more straining. So, when Amazon released its new Kindle 3 device, I decided after weeks of thought and reading online reviews that it was what I wanted. And, it costs about one-quarter of what an iPad would have cost me, $139 vs $599.

I waited too long to order the new Kindle, and they are sold out at present. But, if all goes well according to Amazon, I'll have it by mid-September. In the meantime, I'll finish reading the last of my "paper" books. I hope this e-reader transformation works for me as it has for others. Times sure do change don't they?

Facebook and the AEA

Since AEA started its FACEBOOK fan page, almost 2300 interested people have joined. That statistic is representative of the manner in which our Army engineer community is united in a common bond of selfless, military service. Having said that as a compliment to what a FACEBOOK fan page can do, I have to admit I have little interest in getting too much involved with the personal social networking aspects of the service. I have a personal FACEBOOK page (I needed it in order to be the administrator for AEA's fan page) but I don't use it any more. Too much effort to do that, plus keep this blog and my Photo Blog relatively current. Anyway, as far as AEA's fan page is concerned, it's full speed ahead. Thanks to all who are participating. Link to the page is here.

Looking back at how we were

I ran across this link today, showing some very nice color photographs from 1939-1943. They show what it was like for middle to lower income people in our country, trying to escape the effects of the great depression. It's HERE for you enjoyment...or not.

No more combat troops?

I have to laugh when I listen to commentators on TV and radio announce, "All combat troops have been withdrawn from Iraq." What do these people think the remaining 50,000 or so men and women wearing Army combat uniforms over there are...if not "combat". Soldiers are soldiers and they will respond and adapt accordingly to whatever dangerous and deadly threats remain.

Fakers

Lots of news over the past several months about people in the military wearing awards and qualification badges which had never been approved, as well as people in and out of uniform lying about their past military service accomplishments. I remember one such "faker" from my days in uniform during the Vietnam War.

I was a company commander at Engineer Officer Candidate School (OCS) located at Fort Belvoir. We were graduating around 100 new lieutenants a week. Hectic to say the least. Candidates were guided through their rugged 23-week, OCS training period by Tactical Officers (TAC), some having just returned from combat duty. One such first lieutenant wearing a 1st CAV combat patch had been assigned as the senior TAC for a class of candidates in a company assigned to another battalion than the one I was in. From what I gathered by talking to my fellow company commanders, this guy was being noticed for the qualification badges he wore on his fatigues, and award ribbons he wore on his Class "A" uniform...one being a Bronze Star with "V" device. One evening at the nearby annex to the Officer's Club, the decorated lieutenant was approached by one of our battalion commanders who had himself served in the 1st CAV. They talked about where each had been assigned with the division, and what sort of combat they had experienced. Afterwards, the battalion commander concluded something was not right. Too many things about this guy's combat service did not add up. So, he called up a friend in the Engineer Officer's Assignment Branch and asked him to do some checking. Shortly afterwards, he got a call in return telling him no such person existed in the officer ranks in the Corps of Engineers. But, one of the same name DID exist in the enlisted ranks.

Turns out this guy was in fact a SP/5 personnel clerk, who had been assigned to the 1st CAV, and who had concocted a completely new and very official looking personnel file for himself as an engineer officer. He made sure the record showed that he had all the typical Vietnam era service awards, plus added the valorous Bronze Star for good measure. To top it off, he added fake Airborne and Ranger School qualification to his "record". He then prepared orders for himself having him assigned to Fort Belvoir as a first lieutenant, versus a SP/5 that he was. Got to give him an "A" I guess for guts, plus he must have been a pretty good personnel clerk to make this all work out as it did.

I know this sounds crazy when you look at it, but back then "paper" records were utilized...both in the field and at engineer branch. And, people were moving all over the place, back and forth to Vietnam. This guy simply slipped through the system. After he was exposed for what he really was by the battalion commander, it was decided to just let him quietly and quickly exit the Army with a general discharge, rather than to punish him more severely and thus having to explain how such a faker had gotten himself assigned to train OCS candidates for combat. True story, embarrassing as it may be to the Army's personnel system back then.

When politicians love the military

It irritates me when politicians seem to have little time to address in a timely manner, important issues which affect the military. They always find some way to delay decisions in that regard...decisions which could have an impact on their reelection chances. But look at them jump when it's announced that a military base or command is being eliminated to save tax payer dollars. All of a sudden, they sound off with strong statements about readiness, taking care of people, jobs, etc. Case in point is the recent announcement by the Sec Def to recommend closing JFCOM HQ in Virginia. Political pandering at it's best.

These are MY pickles!

Most people won't understand why we let our two cats sit on the table while we eat a meal. Unsanitary, stupid, whatever. Anyway, both do it almost everyday, but only during lunch. It's that meal when we usually have sandwiches, so we haul out all of the necessary "fixins" and spread them about the table, usually in some sort of barrier, to keep the cats from getting too close to us while we eat. They don't want any of the food, they just want to join us, as a part of their family. Note I said "their". What Boots was doing when I took this was to lay her head on the cool pickle jar, and when she did she quickly fell asleep...until I got my camera out.

Where are the storms?

The 2010 hurricane season has been predicted to be an active one with 15 named storms in the Atlantic region by the time the season ends. You can't tell that by what's been happening in the tropics up until now. Usually by mid August, there is lots more activity coming in waves across the Atlantic, headed to wherever...typically up along the east coast or into the Gulf of Mexico. Now, having written this, it's all definitely good news.

Rainy Saturday Morning

Anyone other than me enjoy a rainy Saturday morning from time to time? Not always, mind you—fish need to be caught, golf balls need to be hit, ocean water needs to be tested, and sun screen needs to be applied in abundance. But, waking up with rain falling on a Saturday (or Sunday for that matter) has always affected me generally in a positive way. Maybe it's some sort of message from the weather Gods telling me it's OK to stay in bed longer. Whatever, I like it.

Yes, it's raining here today in SW Virginia, as I type this on my Apple MacBook Pro laptop, sitting at our kitchen table, looking out the window at the dark skies. And as usual when I'm at this position, with our cat Boots sleeping right next to my computer screen. She don't care if it's raining or not—sleep is always a top priority—lower than being fed however.

New Camo Pattern

I like it. According to HQDA, soldiers deploying to Afghanistan will now go with a new uniform in their mobility bag— one that fights fire and fleas, and makes them more invisible to insurgents. The next generation of uniform for soldiers deploying to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom bears the new "OEF camouflage pattern"—called OCP for short. The pattern is better suited than the "Universal Camouflage Pattern" to blend-in in the Afghanistan environment. It is also known as "MultiCam."

Rude People

I'm assuming you're aware of the recent incident regarding the Jet Blue stewardess who "jumped ship" after having a run-in with a rude passenger. While he's in trouble with the law, he (the stewardess) has gained a large group of sympathizers, especially from others in the airline profession.

I'm one of those who feel his frustration when flying with so many rude people today—those who try to cram in as much carry-on baggage they can in the overhead, always jump to their feet to start unloading their stuff well before the plane has come to a full stop, have small babies sitting on their lap to save a seat fee, stand in long lines up the narrow aisle waiting to use the lavatories, slap their seat back to relax in front of me thus jamming my seat tray into my stomach, talk constantly in a loud voice telling everyone around them what a great time they had on their vacation, and generally making themselves a giant pain in the butt.

Rude people like these are everywhere these days it seems to me. It's like most have no manners at all, and care little for anyone else who does. Cell phones have not helped. Nor have laptops and music players. People always seem to be able to use these items in such a way to tick me off somehow. Maybe I'm too intolerant, but I don't think so.

My solution to much of this is to stay away from the masses as much as possible—most of whom are time bombs of rudeness waiting to explode onto some innocent soul like me. Like the Jet Blue stewardess hero, when I'm confronted by rudeness in the future, I'm going to shout, "Grab two beers and jump!"

The Bomb

65 years ago, we dropped two atomic bombs on Japan as a way to finally end the bloody and deadly war. After the war, the number of stockpiled nuclear weapons, their size and destructive power grew during the Cold War period with the USSR. Thankfully, they were never used as designed.

After recently reading biographies about Presidents' Truman and Eisenhower, I learned that both had been encouraged numerous times by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and political advisors to employ these type weapons against China, North Korea and North Vietnam. Both, to their credit, refused to accept that advice. Some have written that had Eisenhower not been President during the eight-year period he was, that the US might very well have used some of its vast arsenal of nuclear weapons to carry out its national objectives.

Given Eisenhower's unique and highly regarded military experience, he understood why such would not be a good option and held off those trying to convince him otherwise. In that regard, he worried after leaving the White House that the dwindling number of politicians with military experience might eventually lead to someone being elected to the nation's highest office who potentially might get us involved in situations where we would use these deadly and destructive weapons—something for which we might later regret. Interesting scenario to ponder.

Waiting for the Storms

I once was employed as Town Manager at a North Carolina beach community, and during the almost five years we lived and owned property there, we experienced the wrath of numerous tropical storms—with three major storms impacting us in one year (1999: Dennis, Floyd and Irene). One question I used to ask residents who had faced the prospect of losing everything each year for their entire lives, was, "Why do you guys do this?" Their response was always, "We love it here, and the threat of storms is just the price we pay to have our days in paradise." I never got it, however, because their definition of "paradise" and mine was entirely different. Flip-flop sandals and all.

It is always at this time of the summer (beginning of August) when stress levels begin to rise in hurricane country, given the fact that peak hurricane months are August-September-October. When we were living along the coast, the Weather Channel was checked many times during the day. And when storms were brewing at sea, it stayed on constantly, while we watched the "cone of impact" fluctuate around, always seeming to have Wilmington, NC at its projected center.

We used to joke about the storm Gods all getting together, deciding how best to track every low pressure system, such that "Wilmington, NC" would always be in the target zone. In fact that happened in October, 1999, when Irene tracked across the western tip of Cuba, supposedly headed into the southern Gulf of Mexico. We went to bed thinking we were safe. But, the next morning we awoke and learned that the Gods were getting their way by moving Irene back across southern Florida, into the Atlantic, and from then on it was "Wilmington here we come!" And it sure did, missing us by a hair, but still causing considerable damage.

So, for any of you reading this now living in hurricane country, I say you can have your paradise. I wish you a safe year, but keep your cordless drill, screws and plywood handy to board up those windows!

Moving Day (Month) in Iraq

Here's a nice article printed at Army Times online. It explains the "moving out" process ongoing in Iraq. Sure a different situation compared to 2003-2004.

Is this the end?

Today, the White House announced that the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) as begun by President Bush will soon end—at least in name. When President Obama took office, there were around 140,000 troops deployed there. At the end of this month (August) there are supposed to be around 50,000 remaining in the transition force—according to the White House. The new mission name is to be Operation New Dawn, where the residual force of deployed personnel will focus on training the Iraqi military, as well as performing counter-terrorism operations.

I also read today where "electricity" remains a serious problem in Iraq, even after billions were spent by the US to help modernize and expand the nation's electrical generation and distribution capability. When OIF began in 2003, it did not take the Army Corps of Engineers long to determine just how bad Iraq's electrical grid was, not counting damage done by bombing during the early stages of OIF. The regime in power at the time had cared very little about modernizing the power grid, unless it involved palaces and other high profile government facilities. Now, after all these years and dollars spent, much still remains to be accomplished—with poor neighborhoods in Baghdad averaging around five hours of electricity per day.

So, while from a political standpoint one might point to realization of a "promised end" to OIF, in my view there is much yet to be settled in Iraq before anyone can say it really is "the end".