tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post6627917674446045764..comments2023-11-10T04:17:00.492-05:00Comments on View From The Porch: Politics: Plaster saints.Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-83286419754135098382008-02-01T14:28:00.000-05:002008-02-01T14:28:00.000-05:00http://www.sluggotinfantryman.blogspot.comIraq OIF...http://www.sluggotinfantryman.blogspot.com<BR/><BR/>Iraq OIF III/278th RCT link<BR/><BR/>Military history of a more current event, Iraq the continuing sagasluggotinfantrymanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01104355588166984987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-74792601558657043122007-07-30T14:55:00.000-04:002007-07-30T14:55:00.000-04:00"("F__k", while impossible to use as a conjunction..."("F__k", while impossible to use as a conjunction and hopelessly awkward in the adverbial, is so remarkably versatile in every other part of speech.)"<BR/><BR/>I've never found "f**k* awkward to use as an adverb. Examples: "Damn, that was f**king hard!" In that case, the universal word modifies "hard," an adjective. If I remember "Schoolhouse Rock" right, if it modifies an adjective, it's an adverb.<BR/><BR/>Using it as a conjunction is harder, although how 'bout this:<BR/><BR/>"I tried to lift that rock; f**king couldn't do it." The Word stands in for "but I," which is sort of a conjunction, isn't it?Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02283204126758018145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-77162519480169104382007-07-30T13:39:00.000-04:002007-07-30T13:39:00.000-04:00My dad was in the Navy in WWII but as D-Day approa...My dad was in the Navy in WWII but as D-Day approached he was sent to amphibious asault training and was in the 2nd wave on Utah Beach. He did not talk about that. He talked about training, about crossing the Atlantic, about being in England and Scotland, even about watching the naval shelling of the coast before the invasion -- but never about the landing and never about combat. Although I knew from things my mother had said that he sometimes had nightmares years -- even decades -- later, he did not talk about it. He talked about drinking and stealing a rack of lambchops from the officers' mess and pulling guard duty, and officious officers, etc. Humorous stories. <BR/><BR/>A couple of months before he died he was sitting around talking with me and my eldest (who was in his early twenties at the time) and for whatever reason (probably awareness of his failing health) he told us a few stories about the landing and its aftermath. I won't repeat them, but I can understand how they could trigger nightmares. That is the only time he ever mentioned anything that had happened in combat.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-11574553736974446952007-07-30T10:33:00.000-04:002007-07-30T10:33:00.000-04:00I am an army guy, who has trained with Marines (on...I am an army guy, who has trained with Marines (once, when in ROTC we were the "aggressor force" for a Marine Reserve unit), with Special Forces (ROTC students act as partisans for the special forces units to link up with), with SEALs (I did a "mud run" at camp pendleton with a friend who was a reserve SEAL. We both got reserve credit for it.) and with Airborne (my battalion's officers were were evaluators for 509th Infantry on an exercise.<BR/><BR/>My real service was as a mechanized infantry officer during the Carter Administration. We had 5 times the firepower of the Airborne, but nowhere near the press. So, I have been sceptical of press coverage for a long time.<BR/><BR/>The Army has more aircraft than the Air Force, more boats than the Navy, more amphibious landings than the Marines. In any fight, the Air Force will get the lion's share of the funding, the Navy will get the lion's share of the command billets, the Marines will get the lion's share of the publicity. The Army does the lion's share of the fighting.Don Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06057058763094040058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-72670040443547625672007-07-30T06:56:00.000-04:002007-07-30T06:56:00.000-04:00As a general rule, it's those who have seen the mo...As a general rule, it's those who have seen the most danger, and have accomplished the most amazing things, that are the most silent. <BR/><BR/>The French schoolteacher I once had, ugly as sin - that's because his face had been beaten to a bleeding pulp by the Gestapo. A member of the Resistance, he didn't crack at the time, and never mentioned it afterwards. I only found out decades later, in his obituary.<BR/><BR/>Here's to those whose valour in the face of immense adversity will never be made public while they live, whoever they are.Zoe Brainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13712045376060102538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-46918890482995093842007-07-29T23:09:00.000-04:002007-07-29T23:09:00.000-04:00January 1961. Basic training, Fort Ord, CA. One me...January 1961. Basic training, Fort Ord, CA. One meek, soft, little roly-poly kind of guy who rejoined the Army after his wife was killed in a traffic accident. He signed up to be a cook. The other guy a basic trainer, 12 years in and a corporal for maybe the fifth time. Picked on everybody but Mr. Roly Poly was his favorite. Graduation day. Mr. Roly Poly got to wear his medals. CIB and Silver Star. Look on the corporal's face: priceless.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-38949136878794353422007-07-29T22:23:00.000-04:002007-07-29T22:23:00.000-04:00I worked in sales, and for a while, had a sales ma...I worked in sales, and for a while, had a sales manager that I particularly liked. I found out, after several years, that he had been as platoon leader with Merrill's Marauders. He never talked about it. I never doubted him, but confirmed that he really was, and had a Silver Star that he never discussed. If he was as good a platoon leader as he was a sales manager, his men were lucky, indeed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-3648200414483799082007-07-29T19:38:00.000-04:002007-07-29T19:38:00.000-04:00I humped ruck for fourteen months in VN. When I g...I humped ruck for fourteen months in VN. When I got back, I never said anything to anybody about my duty. I did find out that there were not clerks in VN. Everybody was a hero grunt, SF, LRRP, etc. I got sick of it and bottled up (two contexts) things even more. The only thing that haunts me to this day are the comrades who were lost. The NVA don't matter - they hurt and killed my friends. If a vet does not mention his friends in combat I know they are BS'ing. That's all that mattered.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14986025600745321319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-36703892313364851542007-07-29T18:48:00.000-04:002007-07-29T18:48:00.000-04:00A mortar round hit our PX. I almost earned a CAB w...A mortar round hit our PX. I almost earned a CAB while flipping through the pages of a Maxim magazine 'cept I was protected from shrapnel by the rows of pillows, quilts and black plastic storage boxes for sale. <BR/>Damn. <BR/>Diggs<BR/>4th ID<BR/>Camp Liberty, Baghdad<BR/><BR/>PS. if the story doesn't change with every telling, it may be true.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-16116135007976923222007-07-29T18:32:00.000-04:002007-07-29T18:32:00.000-04:00I always claim to be a Naval Nuke. That gets respe...I always claim to be a Naval Nuke. That gets respect. Of course I was a Naval Nuke.<BR/><BR/>Any one want to talk neutron cross sections? Or how about heat transfer and fluid flow, fascinating subject. LOL. Or if you are from the A1W era we can talk lead pipes.M. Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09508934110558197375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-40333530209064561432007-07-29T18:25:00.000-04:002007-07-29T18:25:00.000-04:00SGT Phil Simcich,300th A.G. Co (POSTAL)late of FOB...SGT Phil Simcich,<BR/>300th A.G. Co (POSTAL)<BR/>late of FOB Caldwell, KMTB Iraq<BR/>OIF III<BR/><B>Official REMF</B><BR/><BR/>Cracked me up.<BR/><BR/>SimonM. Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09508934110558197375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-48262003054753627152007-07-29T18:21:00.000-04:002007-07-29T18:21:00.000-04:00Being Navy I'm especially attuned to the use of f....Being Navy I'm especially attuned to the use of f..k in ordinary conversation.<BR/><BR/>My general rule was: <BR/><BR/>every third word - morale fine<BR/>every second word - morale bad<BR/>three out of four - the fecal matter has hit the air moverM. Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09508934110558197375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-36034801818866276402007-07-29T18:08:00.000-04:002007-07-29T18:08:00.000-04:00I meet WWII vets all the time who are willing to t...I meet WWII vets all the time who are willing to talk about what they went through... The problem is that most of the time, folks only want to hear war stories. "Real combat vets" will talk, if they can trust you and if you've done a little homework, so that you can understand what they're talking about. I was ROTC and served 5 years in MDW and the only thing anyone asks about the 2 MSMs and ARCOM I earned was how many guys I'd killed... and that's after I've told them I did my time in the 80's as a lawyer...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-24727643929455478132007-07-29T18:01:00.000-04:002007-07-29T18:01:00.000-04:00My father and some of his (non-local) friends were...My father and some of his (non-local) friends were combat veterans in the Marines in WWII. Dad was in Carlson's Raiders, which certainly has had many stories told about them.<BR/><BR/>From the time I can remember, when they got together they told all kinds of stories about their service days, except for combat stories. They'd tell a little about the 'edges' of combat, like the foul-ups so common to beach assaults. They'd talk about friends (both those who lived and those who didn't), and they'd talk about stupid things 'someone' had done. And they'd tell funny stuff. Dad made Gunnery Sergeant in one of the toughest, most battle-hardened outfits in WWII, but you'd never know it if you just listened.<BR/><BR/>(And I'm pretty damned super-sensitive, so watch the F**kin' Tourette's jokes!! You B*st*rds.)JorgXMcKiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07509568525555189690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-70598346463335782402007-07-29T17:26:00.000-04:002007-07-29T17:26:00.000-04:00One other clue about war stories:"If the teller is...One other clue about war stories:<BR/><BR/>"If the teller is always the hero of the story, the smartest or bravest or noblest guy, it's almpost certainly a "war story.""richard mcenroehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10659450906647134430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-27277975875829231732007-07-29T17:08:00.000-04:002007-07-29T17:08:00.000-04:00"It's like the people who claim to have been royal..."It's like the people who claim to have been royalty in previous lives. No one ever claims to have been a pig farmer."<BR/><BR/>No, I wasn't royalty or a pig farmer "before". But, in this life, I did work on a cattle ranch as a kid. Which is why I went to college to get an office job.<BR/><BR/>And, as an SAL,<BR/>I closed many a "Legion Club" night with my friends singing "Amazing Grace".<BR/>I didn't sing.<BR/>I hadn't earned the right.<BR/>And, they never "talked real talk about 'Nam".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-46235808265020524932007-07-29T16:50:00.000-04:002007-07-29T16:50:00.000-04:00"...the US military effort in Vietnam consisted of..."...the US military effort in Vietnam consisted of thousands upon thousands of Ranger Sniper Green Beret SeALs, supported by one cannon-cocker, one truck driver, one helicopter crew chief, and one guy running a radio at Tan Son Nhut."<BR/><BR/>Well put. I've noticed myself that I have never once met anyone in the Navy who wasn't a SEAL. At least not in the bars that I go to. It's like the people who claim to have been royalty in previous lives. No one ever claims to have been a pig farmer.DanGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18059642184662054794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-65287044253581071692007-07-29T14:09:00.000-04:002007-07-29T14:09:00.000-04:00No shit, there I was...In FOB Speicher, near Tikri...No shit, there I was...<BR/><BR/>In FOB Speicher, near Tikrit, Iraq, sitting in the PX area having a latte from the Green Bean Coffee trailer (Green Bean is a sort of Starbucks for the ACU set), reading Stars and Stripes and trying to make up my mind if I wanted Burger King or Subway for lunch--their trailers were just across the PX area from the coffee shop.<BR/><BR/>As I sat and ruminated, I saw a few dusty, obviously tired GIs walk over to the trailer. They had obviously just come from a convoy and who knows how it went--I don't eavesdrop, it feels unseemly. And I found myself thinking, "Wow, here we all are--me, these guys just off a convoy--and we're all sipping lattes and eating Burger King in a war zone. What the hell kind of a war is this?"<BR/><BR/>SGT Phil Simcich,<BR/>300th A.G. Co (POSTAL)<BR/>late of FOB Caldwell, KMTB Iraq<BR/>OIF III<BR/>Official REMFAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-26037442449371836322007-07-29T13:45:00.000-04:002007-07-29T13:45:00.000-04:00I was lucky to get to serve with a number of WWII ...I was lucky to get to serve with a number of WWII submarine vets in the late 50s. About 98% of their tales were what we referred to as "no shitters". As joseph said, the humorous stuff. I know 1 WWII submarine vet today who tells a little about some of the depth charge attacks he survived. And yes, these have been verified in a number of books, patrol reports etc.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-75973506777083082012007-07-29T08:35:00.000-04:002007-07-29T08:35:00.000-04:00Some combat vets I have knows will talk about mili...Some combat vets I have knows will talk about military experiences (usually humorous) but rarely combat. I figure for them, it's like trying to explain color to a blind man: If you were there, you don't need to tell what it was like; if you were not there, you won't understand what it was like.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-61577432535348966702007-07-29T07:30:00.000-04:002007-07-29T07:30:00.000-04:00I am shocked that you use foul language in real li...I am shocked that you use foul language in real life. You should stop by my workplace sometime. It's a very good thing me and my two coworkers are behind two closed doors with a loud dedicated AC system for the server room between us and the rest of the world. It's amazing how many phone calls end with *click* "Jaysus. What an effing moron." in endless variation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-31149943771327774502007-07-29T07:28:00.000-04:002007-07-29T07:28:00.000-04:00I find your over-sensitivity offensive. Stop offen...<I><BR/>I find your over-sensitivity offensive. Stop offending me, damn it.</I><BR/><BR/>Offensensitivity? Sounds like a new syndrome in the making.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-662402489484297782007-07-29T05:55:00.000-04:002007-07-29T05:55:00.000-04:00It has also been my experience that combat vets do...It has also been my experience that combat vets don't tell war stories, except to say where they were fighting and and how scared they were.<BR/><BR/>Many Viet-Nam vets like myself stayed silent about our service. For some reason protestors thought the troops sent themselves and gave themselves all the orders.<BR/><BR/>I was of the non-combat variety. I worked at an airfield with a thousand others and ducked at the appropriate times, and then went back to work.<BR/><BR/>It is good to see that our service folk are getting the public support they deserve.<BR/><BR/>BRBbrbiswritehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07238551308132973791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-24673187600951165022007-07-29T01:53:00.000-04:002007-07-29T01:53:00.000-04:00Fuck you and the sheep you rode in on, Harrison Be...Fuck you and the sheep you rode in on, Harrison Bergeron.<BR/><BR/>Fucker.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-22107102074530148372007-07-28T22:03:00.000-04:002007-07-28T22:03:00.000-04:00Harrison Bergeron said... No, Bea Arthur with Tour...Harrison Bergeron said... <BR/>No, Bea Arthur with Tourette Syndrome is not what you meant and it's offensive to those who understand or otherwise have Tourette Syndrome.<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>I find your over-sensitivity offensive. Stop offending me, damn it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com