Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Here I go again. I'm in train-up to go overseas again. This time we're headed to Kosovo, so again, no CIB4ME.
I'm also a squad leader now, an E-6 type. The pay is really nice. The rest of it isn't terribly hard, although the paperwork is tedious and some of the battle drills seem a bit dated. I have a couple of really reliable team leaders, two solid assistant team leaders, and a squad full of solid performing soldiers.
I'm also learning Serbo-croatian and finding that I like it a lot. Hopefully I can find more classes and learn more while I'm there.
Anyway, it's been a long time. I'm back.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
I'm now banned at RedState
Well. I'm disappointed, frankly. I read RedState regularly, because the people there tend to aggregate news faster than other sites, and so being up-to-speed on that site tells you a lot of conservative news before you hear it from other sites or on the news. By following RedState for the last 6 months, I've been 1-to-3 days ahead of the TV media on most important stories.
But now, I'm banned. For posting something that I thought was relatively innocuous.
A debate had come up about whether or not it was appropriate for citizens to have a position on President Obama's birth certificate, with the website promoting a diary that said, in essence, that in order to help the Republican party win in 2010, we should leave the issue alone, completely.
Many people responded, saying that it boils down to the US Constitution, and do we follow it or do we not care? Several people responded that, in essence, if you care about the issue, then you are a fool, with a "lower IQ than a toaster."
To me, it's not something the republican party should focus on, but it is something that should be looked into. And no, the "Certificate of Live Birth" that's been posted on the web doesn't count as a "Birth Certificate." When I have to take my kids to get them signed up for TriCare or any military support, I have to have their LONG-FORM BIRTH CERTIFICATE. A short form doesn't count. The COLB is a "Short-form" birth certificate, and not a legal document proving that you are a US Citizen.
Anyway, I won't belabor the point. I am just disappointed, because I enjoyed reading RedState. I made the mistake of thinking it was a conservative website, when actually it's a Republican website. Won't do that again!
But now, I'm banned. For posting something that I thought was relatively innocuous.
A debate had come up about whether or not it was appropriate for citizens to have a position on President Obama's birth certificate, with the website promoting a diary that said, in essence, that in order to help the Republican party win in 2010, we should leave the issue alone, completely.
Many people responded, saying that it boils down to the US Constitution, and do we follow it or do we not care? Several people responded that, in essence, if you care about the issue, then you are a fool, with a "lower IQ than a toaster."
To me, it's not something the republican party should focus on, but it is something that should be looked into. And no, the "Certificate of Live Birth" that's been posted on the web doesn't count as a "Birth Certificate." When I have to take my kids to get them signed up for TriCare or any military support, I have to have their LONG-FORM BIRTH CERTIFICATE. A short form doesn't count. The COLB is a "Short-form" birth certificate, and not a legal document proving that you are a US Citizen.
Anyway, I won't belabor the point. I am just disappointed, because I enjoyed reading RedState. I made the mistake of thinking it was a conservative website, when actually it's a Republican website. Won't do that again!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Warhammer 40K
So, I'm getting back into Warhammer 40,000. Great game, lots of fun. It involves modeling, painting, and tactical thinking. I've gotten my wife and three of the kids involved, too.
My oldest is playing Space Marines. Next oldest is playing Tyranids. Youngest kid who's playing, is playing the Orks. I'm playing Tau, and my wife is playing Imperial Guard. Of course, I'm still the only one who's read the rulebook or the army guides, but hey, gotta take baby steps, right?
Fun game though. Wish I could afford to spend hundreds of dollars on it, but there's lots more important stuff.
My oldest is playing Space Marines. Next oldest is playing Tyranids. Youngest kid who's playing, is playing the Orks. I'm playing Tau, and my wife is playing Imperial Guard. Of course, I'm still the only one who's read the rulebook or the army guides, but hey, gotta take baby steps, right?
Fun game though. Wish I could afford to spend hundreds of dollars on it, but there's lots more important stuff.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Health Care costs. Do the math, and engage your brain.
I was on my way back to the house after dropping the kids off at school this morning, and I heard this story on NPR.
It's a sad, sad story about how health insurance is costing more and more. How paying health insurance premiums is eating up more and more of an employee's total compensation package. About how, if health care premiums would just drop, and the amount that the insurance company paid stayed the same, employees could make more in take-home pay.
An electrical contracting firm was interviewed in the article, very sad story. The cost of health insurance for the firms employees has gone up, and the amount covered has gone down. The owner said she would love to be able to pay the employees more, but so much of what the company makes goes into paying the insurance premiums.
Well. Let us take the business owner at her word, since she is on NPR and therefore presumably NOT a greedy capitalist, despite being a business owner.
Twenty minutes later, I heard this article on the same NPR station. Now, let us ask the question that was left out of the "snoring causes poor quality sleep" article.
"Were the treatments for snoring covered by health insurance?"
"How much did the diagnosis and treatment cost, in total?"
"How much did you, the consumer, pay out-of-pocket for those diagnoses and treatments?"
"How much did your insurance company pay for those diagnoses and treatments?"
"Are you satisfied with the care you received for these sleeping disorders?"
"What would you have done if your health insurance had not covered treating these disorders?"
"Would it have been worth it to you to pay for the entire treatment out of pocket?"
And finally:
"Do the producers of NPR realize the cognitive dissonance created by juxtaposing an article that complains of how expensive health insurance is, with an article detailing expensive (presumably) treatments for quality of life issues, rather than actual critical care issues? Do the listeners of NPR realize the disconnect here, or do they accept both as gospel and blithely drive on by?"
It's a sad, sad story about how health insurance is costing more and more. How paying health insurance premiums is eating up more and more of an employee's total compensation package. About how, if health care premiums would just drop, and the amount that the insurance company paid stayed the same, employees could make more in take-home pay.
An electrical contracting firm was interviewed in the article, very sad story. The cost of health insurance for the firms employees has gone up, and the amount covered has gone down. The owner said she would love to be able to pay the employees more, but so much of what the company makes goes into paying the insurance premiums.
Well. Let us take the business owner at her word, since she is on NPR and therefore presumably NOT a greedy capitalist, despite being a business owner.
Twenty minutes later, I heard this article on the same NPR station. Now, let us ask the question that was left out of the "snoring causes poor quality sleep" article.
"Were the treatments for snoring covered by health insurance?"
"How much did the diagnosis and treatment cost, in total?"
"How much did you, the consumer, pay out-of-pocket for those diagnoses and treatments?"
"How much did your insurance company pay for those diagnoses and treatments?"
"Are you satisfied with the care you received for these sleeping disorders?"
"What would you have done if your health insurance had not covered treating these disorders?"
"Would it have been worth it to you to pay for the entire treatment out of pocket?"
And finally:
"Do the producers of NPR realize the cognitive dissonance created by juxtaposing an article that complains of how expensive health insurance is, with an article detailing expensive (presumably) treatments for quality of life issues, rather than actual critical care issues? Do the listeners of NPR realize the disconnect here, or do they accept both as gospel and blithely drive on by?"
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Israel and Iran
Hamas, I have heard, is a front for Iran. I've even read that Hamas has been threatened with losing their "sponsorship" from Iran (read: weapons and money shipments) if they give up in this recent conflict with Israel.
Israel, according to NPR this morning, has suffered 13 fatalities in this latest round of fighting. The "Palestinians" have suffered over 900, about half of which were civilian. Which means that, at the cost of 10 soldiers, Israel has killed approximately 450 Hamas militants. 45 to 1 is a fantastic ratio, and in all fairness, probably at least 5 of those IDF deaths were caused by fratricide, rather than by the enemy.
It also appears to me that Israel is pressing the advantage hard, in an attempt to send a political message to Iran. "When we decide to whip you" they are saying, "we will whip you badly. It may take us a long time to decide to move, but when we do move, we will be nearly unstoppable."
In my opinion, this is a poorly thought-out plan. I don't think Iran will respond to the "message" the way Israel expects. In fact, if Iran is demanding that Hamas fight to the last man for their weapons and money, it seems likely that Iran is using Hamas as a distraction from something else they are about. Never waste a good diversion.
I wonder if Israel really has a plan to take out Iran's nuclear capability? And I wonder how they could do that short of some sort of space-based weaponry...
Israel, according to NPR this morning, has suffered 13 fatalities in this latest round of fighting. The "Palestinians" have suffered over 900, about half of which were civilian. Which means that, at the cost of 10 soldiers, Israel has killed approximately 450 Hamas militants. 45 to 1 is a fantastic ratio, and in all fairness, probably at least 5 of those IDF deaths were caused by fratricide, rather than by the enemy.
It also appears to me that Israel is pressing the advantage hard, in an attempt to send a political message to Iran. "When we decide to whip you" they are saying, "we will whip you badly. It may take us a long time to decide to move, but when we do move, we will be nearly unstoppable."
In my opinion, this is a poorly thought-out plan. I don't think Iran will respond to the "message" the way Israel expects. In fact, if Iran is demanding that Hamas fight to the last man for their weapons and money, it seems likely that Iran is using Hamas as a distraction from something else they are about. Never waste a good diversion.
I wonder if Israel really has a plan to take out Iran's nuclear capability? And I wonder how they could do that short of some sort of space-based weaponry...
Monday, December 8, 2008
Sex and the single child...
Psychologists have known since the '90's that we "model" behavior that we see, and that we're more likely to model behavior that we witness from those actors whom we respect or like more. Actor, in that sense, meaning anyone who executes a given action, so it can refer to computer game characters, television show characters, or real people.
I was a pyschology student in the early 1990's, at The Citadel, and the obvious logical conclusion of the research in question (which was mentioned repeatedly in our texts) was that people behave in a manner similar to that which they witness their idols/heroes behaving.
Now, the primary objective of the research then was, I think, to convince the education establishment that corporal punishment was evil and resulted in our raising violent children who would respond with force every time they became angry. This belief is reinforced by the fact that, as I am now a teacher, fellow teachers tell me that it was the mid-'90's when corporal punishment was phased out completely. Even here in South Carolina where it is still legal by state law, school boards everywhere have banned it, and professional education organizations speak of it as if it were akin to pedophilia.
I find it amusing in a dark way that, while we have removed that tool from our toolbox as educators, children have not become any less violent, and are instead modelling behavior based now not on their teachers, but on the games they play and the television they watch. But no one in education wants to address that, because it's not our place to tell parents that their precious little snowflakes should watch less TV, play fewer violent videogames, and play outside more. It IS our place to criticize parents if they use corporal punishment or any other physical punishment (I thump my kids in the head as a "warning," for example. Have been given the evil eye by several teachers for it, too).
Finally, I'd like to point out that the abolishment of corporal punishment has fundamentally changed the nature of the relationship between teachers and students. When someone can cause you pain at will, they are not likely to be your friend. You fear them. You might respect them, especially if they are fair, but you have a big wall of separation between you. The loss of corporal punishment in the schools has led to the loss of this "wall," and that leads directly (in my opinion) to the epidemic of young teachers having sex with their students.
The confluence of the loss of corporal punishment, driven by a misunderstanding of the studies you mention in your column, and the continued and even increased sexualization of popular culture, is sowing the seed of a tremendous change in teacher-student and even adult-child relationships. The worst part is that we won't recognize the impact of these two factors until 5 or 10 years AFTER we reach a point where we say "this behavior is beyond the pale."
So, in short, our culture is unavoidably going to continue to become more septic.
I was a pyschology student in the early 1990's, at The Citadel, and the obvious logical conclusion of the research in question (which was mentioned repeatedly in our texts) was that people behave in a manner similar to that which they witness their idols/heroes behaving.
Now, the primary objective of the research then was, I think, to convince the education establishment that corporal punishment was evil and resulted in our raising violent children who would respond with force every time they became angry. This belief is reinforced by the fact that, as I am now a teacher, fellow teachers tell me that it was the mid-'90's when corporal punishment was phased out completely. Even here in South Carolina where it is still legal by state law, school boards everywhere have banned it, and professional education organizations speak of it as if it were akin to pedophilia.
I find it amusing in a dark way that, while we have removed that tool from our toolbox as educators, children have not become any less violent, and are instead modelling behavior based now not on their teachers, but on the games they play and the television they watch. But no one in education wants to address that, because it's not our place to tell parents that their precious little snowflakes should watch less TV, play fewer violent videogames, and play outside more. It IS our place to criticize parents if they use corporal punishment or any other physical punishment (I thump my kids in the head as a "warning," for example. Have been given the evil eye by several teachers for it, too).
Finally, I'd like to point out that the abolishment of corporal punishment has fundamentally changed the nature of the relationship between teachers and students. When someone can cause you pain at will, they are not likely to be your friend. You fear them. You might respect them, especially if they are fair, but you have a big wall of separation between you. The loss of corporal punishment in the schools has led to the loss of this "wall," and that leads directly (in my opinion) to the epidemic of young teachers having sex with their students.
The confluence of the loss of corporal punishment, driven by a misunderstanding of the studies you mention in your column, and the continued and even increased sexualization of popular culture, is sowing the seed of a tremendous change in teacher-student and even adult-child relationships. The worst part is that we won't recognize the impact of these two factors until 5 or 10 years AFTER we reach a point where we say "this behavior is beyond the pale."
So, in short, our culture is unavoidably going to continue to become more septic.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Stupid America
Kids in Florida were arrested for vandalism in a school bathroom today. No more of that inappropriate corporal punishment, nor any of that stupid "make them clean it up" stuff.
Nope, now they go DOWNTOWN to lockup.
Imagine what would've happened if they'd have made this on the playground:
Nope, now they go DOWNTOWN to lockup.
Imagine what would've happened if they'd have made this on the playground:
Monday, October 6, 2008
Where I've been in the US
Found this on a Farker's bio page, thought it was neat, so I did one myself.
create your own personalized map of the USA
or check out ourCalifornia travel guide
create your own personalized map of the USA
or check out ourCalifornia travel guide
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Moving On...
Well, here's how it is:
Sgt. Arflin has moved to a different job. He would prefer I not mention him in the weblog. He's no longer with the Fountain Inn unit.
SSG. Knight is working with a Special-Forces Liason unit, and will have to go through several years of military training. He's no longer attached to the Fountain Inn Unit (which, by the way, is now ALPHA company, 1/118th)
Anderson has married his girlfriend, and they have moved back to St. Louis, Missouri. So he's no longer attached to the Fountain Inn unit.
Horne is a construction engineer in a unit in Rock Hill, and he lives up thataway, so he's no longer with the Fountain Inn unit.
White is in the Wellford unit, so I don't ever see him, either.
Kind of a shame that I don't get to see any of the mortar guys anymore. My email has been acting up, too, plus I can't get to my us.army.mil email right now, so even if they tried to contact me that way it wouldn't work.
I do see several of the guys from FOB Lindsey at guard drills though. At least one platoon of Bravo company was stationed there, so I know about a third or so of the people that show up to guard drill now. Well, except for the fact that about half of the unit is made up of soldiers from the low-country who didn't deploy, so I guess really I know about 1/6th of the unit. heh.
Teaching, incidentally, is very challenging work. It's hard work trying to come up with ways to keep the students interested from day to day. I'm glad that this is a Christian environment, because that's really helpful to me personally. I don't know how teachers in secular Government schools manage to deal with it.
Sgt. Arflin has moved to a different job. He would prefer I not mention him in the weblog. He's no longer with the Fountain Inn unit.
SSG. Knight is working with a Special-Forces Liason unit, and will have to go through several years of military training. He's no longer attached to the Fountain Inn Unit (which, by the way, is now ALPHA company, 1/118th)
Anderson has married his girlfriend, and they have moved back to St. Louis, Missouri. So he's no longer attached to the Fountain Inn unit.
Horne is a construction engineer in a unit in Rock Hill, and he lives up thataway, so he's no longer with the Fountain Inn unit.
White is in the Wellford unit, so I don't ever see him, either.
Kind of a shame that I don't get to see any of the mortar guys anymore. My email has been acting up, too, plus I can't get to my us.army.mil email right now, so even if they tried to contact me that way it wouldn't work.
I do see several of the guys from FOB Lindsey at guard drills though. At least one platoon of Bravo company was stationed there, so I know about a third or so of the people that show up to guard drill now. Well, except for the fact that about half of the unit is made up of soldiers from the low-country who didn't deploy, so I guess really I know about 1/6th of the unit. heh.
Teaching, incidentally, is very challenging work. It's hard work trying to come up with ways to keep the students interested from day to day. I'm glad that this is a Christian environment, because that's really helpful to me personally. I don't know how teachers in secular Government schools manage to deal with it.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Hurricane Duty, Sept '08
Well, Hurricane Gustav scared the tar out of people in Louisiana, and I guess Governor Mark Sanford didn't want to look like he'd been caught not doing his homework, because when Hanna looked like she might impact Florida, Georgia, and SC, they decided to activate the SCARNG.
I got the call Tuesday afternoon, and had to report on Wednesday morning. We were doing prep-work at the armory Wednesday and Thursday, and then by Thursday afternoon, things looked pretty good, so the govt. decided not to pre-deploy us to the coast, and instead sent us all home.
That was the drill floor as we were getting ready. Most of the black boxes are stuff that got shipped home from Afghanistan. We have about 50% of the unit as guys who were deployed, and about 50% who were "stay behinds" for whatever reason.
I got reassigned to SSG Anderson's squad, in SSG Simpson's platoon. This is the best place for me, honestly, because SSG Simpson was my squad leader when he first joined the unit, and SSG Anderson and I were junior enlisted soldiers together, many years ago (like 10+), so I know both of them and have a lot of respect for them.
No pictures of my gear all spread out to be packed, nor pictures of the hurricane, sadly. Maybe next time.
I got the call Tuesday afternoon, and had to report on Wednesday morning. We were doing prep-work at the armory Wednesday and Thursday, and then by Thursday afternoon, things looked pretty good, so the govt. decided not to pre-deploy us to the coast, and instead sent us all home.
That was the drill floor as we were getting ready. Most of the black boxes are stuff that got shipped home from Afghanistan. We have about 50% of the unit as guys who were deployed, and about 50% who were "stay behinds" for whatever reason.
I got reassigned to SSG Anderson's squad, in SSG Simpson's platoon. This is the best place for me, honestly, because SSG Simpson was my squad leader when he first joined the unit, and SSG Anderson and I were junior enlisted soldiers together, many years ago (like 10+), so I know both of them and have a lot of respect for them.
No pictures of my gear all spread out to be packed, nor pictures of the hurricane, sadly. Maybe next time.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
First Week of School
Well, I haven't written anything in a while, because I've been getting ready for school. The first week of school has passed and it was an interesting experience.
I have learned that the 4 and 5-year olds really tire me out, even though I manage pretty well to keep them under control. The 6th, 7th, and 8th graders are usually pretty well behaved, although they do get a bit rowdy at times. I wonder if I've started off in too relaxed a manner, and things will get worse later, but there's no way to know right now.
I am mostly teaching typing to the older children, and basic computer skills to the younger children. Typing is an essential skill these days, and now that I think about it, is probably the only skill I learned in high school that I still use on a regular basis.
My wife and I have given up on EQ, and have tried trial accounts of World of Warcraft (several times, in fact) but can't afford to have WoW accounts this year. We've also looked at EVE Online, and we're watching with interest the development of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. We've both applied for the beta test, but haven't been accepted, sadly. We'll see if we can get into the open beta, and if our computers can run it with anything approaching stability.
Our children have started school, so that's fun for my wife. But other than that, not much is happening here. I hope your summer ended well (for those of you with children).
I have learned that the 4 and 5-year olds really tire me out, even though I manage pretty well to keep them under control. The 6th, 7th, and 8th graders are usually pretty well behaved, although they do get a bit rowdy at times. I wonder if I've started off in too relaxed a manner, and things will get worse later, but there's no way to know right now.
I am mostly teaching typing to the older children, and basic computer skills to the younger children. Typing is an essential skill these days, and now that I think about it, is probably the only skill I learned in high school that I still use on a regular basis.
My wife and I have given up on EQ, and have tried trial accounts of World of Warcraft (several times, in fact) but can't afford to have WoW accounts this year. We've also looked at EVE Online, and we're watching with interest the development of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. We've both applied for the beta test, but haven't been accepted, sadly. We'll see if we can get into the open beta, and if our computers can run it with anything approaching stability.
Our children have started school, so that's fun for my wife. But other than that, not much is happening here. I hope your summer ended well (for those of you with children).
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Lack of Contact
Well, we've been home now for... almost two months, I guess.
In that time, I've seen Anderson once, talked to him about four times on the phone, seen White once (at Dave Liembach's funeral), and traded MySpace messages once with SSG Knight. Other than the folks I saw at Dave's funeral, I haven't seen, or talked to, anyone else from Bravo company.
Because Captain Pinson is a member at my church, I've seen him about three times. But other than that, no contact with anyone from the unit.
I've found that if I hear one of the songs SSG Knight used to play over the radio while we were on missions, I tend to space out for a bit. But other than that, I'm not really suffering any side effects from the deployment. Well, I do tend to get a bit more uptight if somebody doesn't do their job, or if they cover for someone else who isn't doing their job. But that's basically it.
In that time, I've seen Anderson once, talked to him about four times on the phone, seen White once (at Dave Liembach's funeral), and traded MySpace messages once with SSG Knight. Other than the folks I saw at Dave's funeral, I haven't seen, or talked to, anyone else from Bravo company.
Because Captain Pinson is a member at my church, I've seen him about three times. But other than that, no contact with anyone from the unit.
I've found that if I hear one of the songs SSG Knight used to play over the radio while we were on missions, I tend to space out for a bit. But other than that, I'm not really suffering any side effects from the deployment. Well, I do tend to get a bit more uptight if somebody doesn't do their job, or if they cover for someone else who isn't doing their job. But that's basically it.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Latest Creations
Well, since I've been home, I've been working my butt off. I've been getting the children to do their chores, cleaning up around the house, trying to get a bit ahead of the housecleaning, mowing the grass, keeping the yard up, etc etc.
I've also been playing computer games, looking for useful stuff online to share with the children at GCS and that sort of thing. In addition, I've been reading Terry Pratchett and various other non-fiction stuff.
The only thing I've really put any effort into has been carving. I've done several more swords. I'm working on making one for each of the children, and considering possibly carving some to auction on E-bay. I mean, what's there to lose? I enjoy doing it, and if they sell for more than the lumber I use, then it's like getting paid to do something I like.
So, here is a picture of the latest four creations, with a large carpenters hammer to show scale:
I've been experimenting with using a saw to cut out the hilts. Sometimes this works well and shortens the carving time to a bare couple of hours. Sometimes it leaves the hilt very weak, though, so I'm not sure I want to do it very much. I've worked on making smaller two-handed swords, and on making "Link" style swords on a child's scale, and on making single-edged blades, kind of vaguely like machete's.
Anyway, the kids all like their swords, although they don't seem to do much of anything organized with them, they seem to use them to run around for a few minutes and carve up the air, then they kind of give up and go do other stuff. Maybe it's because of the humidity here making things hot, or maybe they just aren't terribly physically fit. Either way, I'm having fun carving them swords, and they're all excited about having them.
I've also been playing computer games, looking for useful stuff online to share with the children at GCS and that sort of thing. In addition, I've been reading Terry Pratchett and various other non-fiction stuff.
The only thing I've really put any effort into has been carving. I've done several more swords. I'm working on making one for each of the children, and considering possibly carving some to auction on E-bay. I mean, what's there to lose? I enjoy doing it, and if they sell for more than the lumber I use, then it's like getting paid to do something I like.
So, here is a picture of the latest four creations, with a large carpenters hammer to show scale:
I've been experimenting with using a saw to cut out the hilts. Sometimes this works well and shortens the carving time to a bare couple of hours. Sometimes it leaves the hilt very weak, though, so I'm not sure I want to do it very much. I've worked on making smaller two-handed swords, and on making "Link" style swords on a child's scale, and on making single-edged blades, kind of vaguely like machete's.
Anyway, the kids all like their swords, although they don't seem to do much of anything organized with them, they seem to use them to run around for a few minutes and carve up the air, then they kind of give up and go do other stuff. Maybe it's because of the humidity here making things hot, or maybe they just aren't terribly physically fit. Either way, I'm having fun carving them swords, and they're all excited about having them.
Friday, June 13, 2008
I am now a teacher
I have accepted a postion with a local christian school, managing their IT infrastructure, and teaching computer classes for a year. It promises to be a challenging, and rewarding position.
I also saw that the Supreme Court yesterday somehow decided that POWs should have access to the US Federal Court System, which is only going to motivate us infantry soldiers to try harder to ensure that we don't take any prisoners. Very smart on the part of the government. Really good.
I also saw that the Supreme Court yesterday somehow decided that POWs should have access to the US Federal Court System, which is only going to motivate us infantry soldiers to try harder to ensure that we don't take any prisoners. Very smart on the part of the government. Really good.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
New meaning to Memorial Day
When we left Afghanistan, two soldiers in our company had signed up to extend their tour by 12 months.
One of those soldiers died in late May in a firefight. Yesterday, we buried him at a Veteran's Cemetary in Anderson, SC. Dave Leimbach got a horse-drawn caisson, a 21-gun salute, and an Honor Guard.
Dave Leimbach was a reserved guy. He didn't stand out, he struck me as kind of quirky, but he loved being a soldier. He was also saved, so I'm glad he died doing something he enjoyed and believed in, although I'm sorry for his wife's loss.
I still don't have a job, sadly. It looks like we've just transitioned from the early-fiscal-year flush where companies do lots of hiring, to the fiscally-slow, tight-budgetted latter half of the year where I will have lots of trouble finding a job. I look forward to seeing God's Will for my future.
One of those soldiers died in late May in a firefight. Yesterday, we buried him at a Veteran's Cemetary in Anderson, SC. Dave Leimbach got a horse-drawn caisson, a 21-gun salute, and an Honor Guard.
Dave Leimbach was a reserved guy. He didn't stand out, he struck me as kind of quirky, but he loved being a soldier. He was also saved, so I'm glad he died doing something he enjoyed and believed in, although I'm sorry for his wife's loss.
I still don't have a job, sadly. It looks like we've just transitioned from the early-fiscal-year flush where companies do lots of hiring, to the fiscally-slow, tight-budgetted latter half of the year where I will have lots of trouble finding a job. I look forward to seeing God's Will for my future.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Now I'm home
Well, now I'm home. Have been for almost 3 weeks now. No CIB, no purple heart, no great, exciting war stories...
I have, however, undertaken several projects around the house. I've started out by whipping the children into shape with regard to chores. They come home from school, they do their homework, then they do their chores, before they can do anything on the computer, the GameCube, or anything else fun. That has worked pretty well. In fact, yesterday they did their chores without me having to watch them every minute, and the two older children fought over whose turn it was to do the vacuuming.
With my wife's help, I've assembled an 8'x 10' metal storage building, on top of a floor we hand-built out of treated lumber. Those were both accomplishments she and I are quite pleased with.
In the process of building the outbuilding, I discovered my hair has thinned out on top quite a lot over the last year, and I'm well on my way to developing a SERIOUS bald spot. This was quite a shock.
The outbuilding holds lots of junk that was lying around the yard previously, so the yard and porch look MUCH nicer now. It's really good. Plus, of course, several things that were exposed to the weather before are now safely under shelter. Hopefully this will help keep them running (the lawnmower primarily, but the ladder and a golf bag as well).
I have, however, undertaken several projects around the house. I've started out by whipping the children into shape with regard to chores. They come home from school, they do their homework, then they do their chores, before they can do anything on the computer, the GameCube, or anything else fun. That has worked pretty well. In fact, yesterday they did their chores without me having to watch them every minute, and the two older children fought over whose turn it was to do the vacuuming.
With my wife's help, I've assembled an 8'x 10' metal storage building, on top of a floor we hand-built out of treated lumber. Those were both accomplishments she and I are quite pleased with.
In the process of building the outbuilding, I discovered my hair has thinned out on top quite a lot over the last year, and I'm well on my way to developing a SERIOUS bald spot. This was quite a shock.
The outbuilding holds lots of junk that was lying around the yard previously, so the yard and porch look MUCH nicer now. It's really good. Plus, of course, several things that were exposed to the weather before are now safely under shelter. Hopefully this will help keep them running (the lawnmower primarily, but the ladder and a golf bag as well).
Monday, May 12, 2008
Back at home
I'm home now, after a 7-day demobilization process at Ft. Bragg. Actually, I've been home for a few days now. I'm getting paid by the National Guard through the end of the month, so I have a little time to find a good job.
Wish me luck, pray for me, whatever works for you. (Prayer works for me)
Wish me luck, pray for me, whatever works for you. (Prayer works for me)
Sunday, April 27, 2008
overnight at KIA
So, finally today we were bussed out to Kabul International Airport, after a few days of waiting, and more days spent at Camp Phoenix than we really wanted.
Lets see, what all sort of interesting things have happened.
I've beaten SSG Billingsley at Cribbage repeatedly over the past few days. He hasn't won a match since before we left KAF. Several nights here I completely blanked him, sometimes even coming back from a 20 point deficit late in the game to beat him by 2 or 3 points. Cribbage really is a lot of fun once you get to know what's going on.
Anderson sang at Karaoke night at Camp Phoenix and that was moderately fun, I guess. I'm not one for public embarrassment, so I didn't. I did, however, buy a couple of really bright yellow towels that have Operation Enduring Freedom embroidered on them, as well as some small helicopters. I also bought a Green Beans coffee mug that says Afghanistan on it. Oh, and a locally made bowie-style knife at the bazaar, which was neat, because it had a lot more variety than the one in Kandahar.
Right now I'm at Kabul International Airport, because I got bumped from the flight that left earlier today. Allegedly the flight didn't have enough seats for the 20 of us who were left behind. SSG Billingsley snuck onto the flight anyway, and I contemplated doing the same, but decided to stay with Anderson, and other guys from Bravo Company.
Lunch and dinner at the Supreme chow hall on KIA was pretty good, and the accommodations here are MUCH nicer than at Camp Phoenix, so overall it's a win. Plus I'm one step closer to going home!
Lets see, what all sort of interesting things have happened.
I've beaten SSG Billingsley at Cribbage repeatedly over the past few days. He hasn't won a match since before we left KAF. Several nights here I completely blanked him, sometimes even coming back from a 20 point deficit late in the game to beat him by 2 or 3 points. Cribbage really is a lot of fun once you get to know what's going on.
Anderson sang at Karaoke night at Camp Phoenix and that was moderately fun, I guess. I'm not one for public embarrassment, so I didn't. I did, however, buy a couple of really bright yellow towels that have Operation Enduring Freedom embroidered on them, as well as some small helicopters. I also bought a Green Beans coffee mug that says Afghanistan on it. Oh, and a locally made bowie-style knife at the bazaar, which was neat, because it had a lot more variety than the one in Kandahar.
Right now I'm at Kabul International Airport, because I got bumped from the flight that left earlier today. Allegedly the flight didn't have enough seats for the 20 of us who were left behind. SSG Billingsley snuck onto the flight anyway, and I contemplated doing the same, but decided to stay with Anderson, and other guys from Bravo Company.
Lunch and dinner at the Supreme chow hall on KIA was pretty good, and the accommodations here are MUCH nicer than at Camp Phoenix, so overall it's a win. Plus I'm one step closer to going home!
Sunday, April 20, 2008
YAHTZEE!!!
So, whiling away the hours on KAF, living in a big stupid tent with 300 other guys, the first priority gets to be killing time. Yesterday I played 3 games of cribbage with SSG Billingsley (I won all 3, which is very unusual), I played 3 games of Yahtzee with Anderson last night in the Green Beans coffee room in the MWR facility (I won 1 out of 3 games), I watched the second half of The Departed, having seen the 1st half at Camp Shelby (and I think the movie was much improved because I didn't have to tolerate the whole thing in one go), and I finished Monster, by Frank Peretti.
Plus I read some news articles in a Popular Science magazine (one in particular about a Plasma Gasification waste disposal unit was really impressive), used the internet for an hour (checking news stories mostly), and spent lots of time walking back and forth on the base.
Today, however, I'm scheduled to fly to Kabul. So here's hoping my flight isn't cancelled and by this time tomorrow I'm at Camp Phoenix, turning in sensitive items and sleeping through dull out-processing briefings. UGH. But at least I'm going home!
By the way, I don't recommend either the book Monster, or the movie The Departed. And I DEFINITELY don't recommend the movie that followed The Departed, which was called Ballistic, I believe. It was singularly stupid, pointless, poorly directed and in general abysmal.
Plus I read some news articles in a Popular Science magazine (one in particular about a Plasma Gasification waste disposal unit was really impressive), used the internet for an hour (checking news stories mostly), and spent lots of time walking back and forth on the base.
Today, however, I'm scheduled to fly to Kabul. So here's hoping my flight isn't cancelled and by this time tomorrow I'm at Camp Phoenix, turning in sensitive items and sleeping through dull out-processing briefings. UGH. But at least I'm going home!
By the way, I don't recommend either the book Monster, or the movie The Departed. And I DEFINITELY don't recommend the movie that followed The Departed, which was called Ballistic, I believe. It was singularly stupid, pointless, poorly directed and in general abysmal.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Thanks for coming to Afghanistan
I got my Thanks for Coming to Afghanistan awards the other day. Here's a photo of them:
In addition, I have been moved over to KAF to out-process from ARSIC-S, and will fly to Kabul sometime soon. At first we were told it would be the 18th, then the 20th or 21st. Now we just don't know. But, that's life in the military. You're at the mercy of a nameless faceless bureaucrat who has higher rank than you, so you might as well just wait and see what happens.
Here's a picture of the transient quarters we're staying in on KAF:
Other than that, not much news to report. I watched Aliens vs. Predator 2 (Requiem?) and was not terribly impressed with it. The directors did a good job of killing lots of people, which is essential to making a believable Aliens movie, but something about it just left me cold. I'd give it a 3 out of 10. Definitely not something I'm going to get my wife to watch.
In addition, I have been moved over to KAF to out-process from ARSIC-S, and will fly to Kabul sometime soon. At first we were told it would be the 18th, then the 20th or 21st. Now we just don't know. But, that's life in the military. You're at the mercy of a nameless faceless bureaucrat who has higher rank than you, so you might as well just wait and see what happens.
Here's a picture of the transient quarters we're staying in on KAF:
Other than that, not much news to report. I watched Aliens vs. Predator 2 (Requiem?) and was not terribly impressed with it. The directors did a good job of killing lots of people, which is essential to making a believable Aliens movie, but something about it just left me cold. I'd give it a 3 out of 10. Definitely not something I'm going to get my wife to watch.
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