Happy Birthday, United States Army. This is for all those who have served, are serving, and will serve.
Showing posts with label Military. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Military. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Semper Fi!
In honor of Armed Forces Day (a holiday I didn't even know existed until a few minutes ago. Pretty sad, I know.) I'm posting this slide show I found on youtube:
Fight on, brave soldiers. The citizenry appreciates what you do, even if some do not
Fight on, brave soldiers. The citizenry appreciates what you do, even if some do not
Sunday, May 1, 2011
BREAKING NEWS: BIN LADEN DEAD IN DRONE ATTACK!
President Obama is about to make a late night statement. No one truly knows what that statement will be, but everyone has one phrase on the edge of their lips: Osama bin Laden is dead.
I'm going to take a moment to let that sink in, as the news is still springtime fresh in my mind. As of this writing, Drudge Report and Hot Air, as well as Fox, are all reporting the same piece of news: Osama Bin Laden, mastermind behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks on our soil, as well as alleged mastermind of such attacks as the '93 bombing of the WTC, as well as the bombing of our embassies in Lybia. If this news is indeed true, it is a momentous occasion, as it vindicates ten years of conflict and ten years' worth of dead United States fighting men and women, as well as justification for ten years of soldiers being away from their families for inordinate amounts of time.
Drudge report doesn't seem to want to report on how he died, however, as the link leading to the story that Matt Drudge has provided leads to what amounts to a biographical account of the mass murderer's words and deeds throughout his life. Fox News and Hot Air, however, are providing preliminary information about the death of bin Laden, and that he was killed in a drone strike that was committed last week and killed approximately 23 people. If indeed bin Laden IS dead, then I will be dancing in the streets tomorrow.
UPDATE: bin Laden has just been confirmed dead by POTUS, who is as of this writing speaking now on Fox News Channel.
It was Ronald Reagan who said on the eve of his election, that it was morning again in America. With the most notorious terrorist of our time dead by the actions of our valiant military, I feel once again that such is the case. With this evil man now smoldering in the deepest circle of Hell, it is morning once again in my America. And also, we Americans have found an event that we can once again rally around, not in horrific grief, as with 9/11, but elated, and filled with triumph, for we, the United States of America, have brought down the head of one of the most poisonous snakes ever to sink its venom into our society.
UPDATE: AP is reporting that it was in fact a spec ops team that killed Osama, and NBC corroborates the story. Fox also has something on the subject.
UPDATE: AP is reporting that it was in fact a spec ops team that killed Osama, and NBC corroborates the story. Fox also has something on the subject.
Friday, February 25, 2011
I Have not Forgotten, and I Will Never Forgive
It's not even September, but for some reason I just spent the last half hour or so perusing YouTube for various videos, and found myself gravitating towards several different 9/11 tributes that were made on various anniversaries paying tribute to the brave men and women who died trying to save the thousands that were victimized by fanatics from the Middle East. I've heard all the cliches regarding that day. It was my generation's Pearl Harbor Attack, etc. I tend to liken it more to the assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, however. Why? Simply because more than be reminded of who attacked us and why we were retaliating against them, I tend to remember where I was and what I was doing on that fateful morning.
I was just turning 20 that year, and so I was still pretty stupid. Clueless, you might even say, though I thought I had a good handle on how things worked, like most people do at that or any age. And then, at six o'clock in the morning, Pacific Standard Time, I was informed by a customer using the drive through at what was then my place of work that two planes had crashed into the World Trade Center, and that the attacks had been perpetrated by terrorists. I wasn't really listening at the time, so at best it struck me as odd. Planes crashing into the two tallest buildings in the world? On purpose? Such a thing had never happened before in my lifetime. Was it a misreporting of the situation? Was it pilot error? I didn't know at the time, and I came later to regret finding out. It's true what they say, you know? Ignorance really IS bliss.
That day, I think, was the day that my descent into the depths of all things political truly began. For the first time, I watched the president's State of the Union address. Never had I done such a thing, before, believing (rightly, it turns out) that those speeches were boring and pointless. I mean, we were still here, right? America still existed. That was about all I understood the state of our Union to be. Not this time. This time I knew instinctively that something was wrong, though the full extent of what that was still eluded me. Also for the first time, I thought about what the people in our military had gone through throughout the years, from the Revolution all the way up to the current quagmire that Afghanistan has turned into. These heroes, for they are nothing less, literally give their lives, whether they are in combat or not, to protect and defend the people of this country. One could not ask for a more noble sacrifice. Even the Bible states "greater love hath no man than to lay down his life for another." That defines what our military does daily the best, in my own humble opinion.
My own cousins, in fact, serve now in the United States Marine Corps. One an officer, the other two NCOs. I admire these three men more than I ever did when I was younger, and wish I could do what they do. Alas, that's not my lot in life, apparently. Nevertheless, I still find ways such as this to express my support for all things America, and it seems to satisfy that desire enough to allow me to get on with other things in life.
To this day, however, I cannot understand those who blame the military for our (indeed the world's) problems. Clearly they simply do not understand what it is to be in said military, or to be in combat overseas, away from family and loved ones, sometimes for years at a time, with only the occasional letter or care package from home to link that brave soul with his civilian life back home. I don't claim to understand what it's like to be a soldier, but I do know what it is to lose those you love, having suffered, as everyone does, the death of a close relative or two. Do they not understand that they owe these soldiers their very lives? It's thanks to people like those belonging to the Greatest Generation that we are able to go to work in peace and safety, and spend that off time with our family and friends without fear of a mortar attack or ambush from the side of the road.
And so I ask this simple yet poignant question: Have you forgotten? Do you not remember that horrific scene of Towers One and Two crumpling to the ground like two houses of cards? Do you not remember the anguish that those families went through, and are still going through? If not, I seriously recommend a trip down Memory Lane. I just took one, and though not a pleasant trip, it did remind me of why I started this blog in the first place.
I was just turning 20 that year, and so I was still pretty stupid. Clueless, you might even say, though I thought I had a good handle on how things worked, like most people do at that or any age. And then, at six o'clock in the morning, Pacific Standard Time, I was informed by a customer using the drive through at what was then my place of work that two planes had crashed into the World Trade Center, and that the attacks had been perpetrated by terrorists. I wasn't really listening at the time, so at best it struck me as odd. Planes crashing into the two tallest buildings in the world? On purpose? Such a thing had never happened before in my lifetime. Was it a misreporting of the situation? Was it pilot error? I didn't know at the time, and I came later to regret finding out. It's true what they say, you know? Ignorance really IS bliss.
That day, I think, was the day that my descent into the depths of all things political truly began. For the first time, I watched the president's State of the Union address. Never had I done such a thing, before, believing (rightly, it turns out) that those speeches were boring and pointless. I mean, we were still here, right? America still existed. That was about all I understood the state of our Union to be. Not this time. This time I knew instinctively that something was wrong, though the full extent of what that was still eluded me. Also for the first time, I thought about what the people in our military had gone through throughout the years, from the Revolution all the way up to the current quagmire that Afghanistan has turned into. These heroes, for they are nothing less, literally give their lives, whether they are in combat or not, to protect and defend the people of this country. One could not ask for a more noble sacrifice. Even the Bible states "greater love hath no man than to lay down his life for another." That defines what our military does daily the best, in my own humble opinion.
My own cousins, in fact, serve now in the United States Marine Corps. One an officer, the other two NCOs. I admire these three men more than I ever did when I was younger, and wish I could do what they do. Alas, that's not my lot in life, apparently. Nevertheless, I still find ways such as this to express my support for all things America, and it seems to satisfy that desire enough to allow me to get on with other things in life.
To this day, however, I cannot understand those who blame the military for our (indeed the world's) problems. Clearly they simply do not understand what it is to be in said military, or to be in combat overseas, away from family and loved ones, sometimes for years at a time, with only the occasional letter or care package from home to link that brave soul with his civilian life back home. I don't claim to understand what it's like to be a soldier, but I do know what it is to lose those you love, having suffered, as everyone does, the death of a close relative or two. Do they not understand that they owe these soldiers their very lives? It's thanks to people like those belonging to the Greatest Generation that we are able to go to work in peace and safety, and spend that off time with our family and friends without fear of a mortar attack or ambush from the side of the road.
And so I ask this simple yet poignant question: Have you forgotten? Do you not remember that horrific scene of Towers One and Two crumpling to the ground like two houses of cards? Do you not remember the anguish that those families went through, and are still going through? If not, I seriously recommend a trip down Memory Lane. I just took one, and though not a pleasant trip, it did remind me of why I started this blog in the first place.
Friday, December 31, 2010
May the Lord Bless Them and Keep Them...
This video goes out to all our fighting men and women, retired or not active or reservist, serving in every one of the four branches.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
A Day That Still Lives in Infamy
Pearl Harbor Day. The Day that Admiral Yamamoto and the Japanese naval and air forces took to the skies and to the sea and rained death upon thousands of innocent and unaware soldiers, workers, family members, and civilians. On this day, it was decided that the United States could no longer sit back idly and watch as the Axis menace continued to spread like a plague across Europe, Asia, and North Africa.
This day was the day that America unified under the Stars and Stripes and swept forward like a cleansing tide and washed away the Nazi menace with nothing but American can-do optimism, a few rifles, tanks and planes, and a tenacity that is sorely lacking in today's wartime mentality. President Roosevelt, a man I disagree with on just about anything, was at least one thing that our current president is not: A leader. Franklin Delano Roosevelt may have been a big government Progressive, but at least he didn't shy away when a threat shoved itself directly into his face.
Our current president is nothing more than a thin-skinned wannabe by comparison. Listen to some of his own speeches as compared to FDR. FDR did everything he could to make certain that the people were involved in the war effort as much as the soldiers on the front lines were. If you weren't fighting, you were growing a victory garden. If you weren't growing a victory garden, you were working in a factory. And if you weren't doing that, you were probably at least buying war bonds so that the troops could get the material they needed to fight back the Fascists.
We've been in Afghanistan for eight years now. Eight years. We beat the Nazis in half that time, but we can't seem to handle a few camel riders in caves who saber rattle more than they actually fight. Is this current strategy really the best America can do to combat the new menace that is Islamic terrorism? If our FDR wannabe would just acknowledge the real threat, it would go a long way toward finally stomping them out and bringing our boys home. But fat chance of that. That's like getting Hank Williams to admit that he was an alcoholic. Not likely to happen in the near future.
On this day, I would like to extend my thanks to the brave servicemen and women who hold the line against the invisible enemy. I would also like to apologize for the actions of those who wouldn't know gratitude if it bit them in the ass.
Semper Fi.
This day was the day that America unified under the Stars and Stripes and swept forward like a cleansing tide and washed away the Nazi menace with nothing but American can-do optimism, a few rifles, tanks and planes, and a tenacity that is sorely lacking in today's wartime mentality. President Roosevelt, a man I disagree with on just about anything, was at least one thing that our current president is not: A leader. Franklin Delano Roosevelt may have been a big government Progressive, but at least he didn't shy away when a threat shoved itself directly into his face.
Our current president is nothing more than a thin-skinned wannabe by comparison. Listen to some of his own speeches as compared to FDR. FDR did everything he could to make certain that the people were involved in the war effort as much as the soldiers on the front lines were. If you weren't fighting, you were growing a victory garden. If you weren't growing a victory garden, you were working in a factory. And if you weren't doing that, you were probably at least buying war bonds so that the troops could get the material they needed to fight back the Fascists.
We've been in Afghanistan for eight years now. Eight years. We beat the Nazis in half that time, but we can't seem to handle a few camel riders in caves who saber rattle more than they actually fight. Is this current strategy really the best America can do to combat the new menace that is Islamic terrorism? If our FDR wannabe would just acknowledge the real threat, it would go a long way toward finally stomping them out and bringing our boys home. But fat chance of that. That's like getting Hank Williams to admit that he was an alcoholic. Not likely to happen in the near future.
On this day, I would like to extend my thanks to the brave servicemen and women who hold the line against the invisible enemy. I would also like to apologize for the actions of those who wouldn't know gratitude if it bit them in the ass.
Semper Fi.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Neither the Time nor the Place
This story from the Cape Cod Times really makes my blood boil. I'm all for dissent, and yes, I DO believe that it is the highest form of patriotism. However, I do not believe that one side has exclusive rights to patriotism.
The story basically goes down as saying that two teachers held a silent protest while attending a recognition ceremony for high school seniors who are entering the military after graduation. Okay, they can protest. They can express their way of thinking. That's what makes this country great. If they didn't think the ceremony should have been held they could say so. That's not what my beef is with these two.
My beef with these two is WHY DID THEY EVEN GO TO THE CEREMONY IF THEY DIDN'T AGREE WITH IT!?
They claim "captive audience" in the article, but I don't buy that for a minute. The students might have been required to attend, but the teachers could have found some way out somehow. If you don't believe that, you're a fool in my opinion.
Uh oh. I called people a name. The liberals must be going out of their minds trying to pin me as a terrorist Tim MacVeigh wannabe. Psh.
My personal favorite excuse, actually, is when one of the teachers says "I want them to be home and alive and well and going to college and dating and having kids and coaching Little League."
My question to that is...Who doesn't?
I may be a conservative, but that doesn't mean I enjoy watching our brave troops go into harms way. It's not like it's a game for me, who has three cousins in the Marine Corps, and who has a proud military tradition going all the way back to the days of the Founders.
The real issue here, though, is that they called this ceremony a "recruiting effort". Bull. There sole rationale for reaching this conclusion was that one of the organizers of the ceremony decided to show up in military fatigues. WHAT?!
According to that logic, everything the military shows up toin fatigues is a recruiting drive, and why the hell shouldn't they try to recruit? The military is a prestigious and honorable way of life to undertake. I myself tried to enter into that life just a year ago, as an Air Force reservist, but unfortunately did not pass the physical.
Again, how is showing up in military fatigues to a ceremony honoring those entering the military a recruitment drive? There was no one out there holding brochures or handing out fliers.
Just a bunch of idiocy to me, really.
The story basically goes down as saying that two teachers held a silent protest while attending a recognition ceremony for high school seniors who are entering the military after graduation. Okay, they can protest. They can express their way of thinking. That's what makes this country great. If they didn't think the ceremony should have been held they could say so. That's not what my beef is with these two.
My beef with these two is WHY DID THEY EVEN GO TO THE CEREMONY IF THEY DIDN'T AGREE WITH IT!?
They claim "captive audience" in the article, but I don't buy that for a minute. The students might have been required to attend, but the teachers could have found some way out somehow. If you don't believe that, you're a fool in my opinion.
Uh oh. I called people a name. The liberals must be going out of their minds trying to pin me as a terrorist Tim MacVeigh wannabe. Psh.
My personal favorite excuse, actually, is when one of the teachers says "I want them to be home and alive and well and going to college and dating and having kids and coaching Little League."
My question to that is...Who doesn't?
I may be a conservative, but that doesn't mean I enjoy watching our brave troops go into harms way. It's not like it's a game for me, who has three cousins in the Marine Corps, and who has a proud military tradition going all the way back to the days of the Founders.
The real issue here, though, is that they called this ceremony a "recruiting effort". Bull. There sole rationale for reaching this conclusion was that one of the organizers of the ceremony decided to show up in military fatigues. WHAT?!
According to that logic, everything the military shows up toin fatigues is a recruiting drive, and why the hell shouldn't they try to recruit? The military is a prestigious and honorable way of life to undertake. I myself tried to enter into that life just a year ago, as an Air Force reservist, but unfortunately did not pass the physical.
Again, how is showing up in military fatigues to a ceremony honoring those entering the military a recruitment drive? There was no one out there holding brochures or handing out fliers.
Just a bunch of idiocy to me, really.
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