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Annual Training
The first few days of AT were filled with the usual settling-in activities- privates sleeping wherever and whenever they could; sergeants grabbing groups of privates to go unload supplies; specialists...
View ArticleMmm.. I Love Fall
For dinner- a creamy turnip soup with paprika, french bread, and a roasted beet and Bartlett pear salad with a balsamic dressing. To drink? Beer, of course. A Widmer brown ale for me, and a Blue Moon...
View ArticleJust In Case
...you missed it in the midst of wondering if the sky was going to fall:Iraqi Parliment passes Provincial Elections LawThe Washington Post opines:But it's now clear that the political progress that the...
View ArticleIn A Time Of War
I recently received a copy of In A Time of War, Bill Murphy Jr.'s book on the West Point Class of 2002. I started reading a random chapter in the middle of the book, and quickly stopped and restarted...
View ArticleBeating Up Old Ghosts
That was what the company 1st Sergeant called it last night, when he gave our toast to absent companions. That was why we were there- to talk, to drink, and to remember.We've been 2 years on now, but...
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So Much For My Pleasant Demeanor:
Have a Purple Heart?The government might be sending you a billNext up: billing for expended ammunition?(Hat tip: Jules Crittenden.I'd heard about this before, but refrained from posting because it...
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Spring Break!
I'm back in school now, after a 2 1/2 year break thanks to Basic Training and deployment. Most of my homework starts with this simple equation:It gets more interesting from there. I just started Spring...
View ArticlePlank Walked
Three times, anyway. Courageous captain is safe. Question: did these guys know they were pirating a US-flagged ship?I keep hearing about how canny and technologically-advanced these pirates are- how...
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I Just Fixed the Pentagon's Budget
So I came up with a great idea to save the military money.Get rid of this abortion:If you've never had the pleasure of sampling this questionable delight, let me just say this: there are hundreds of...
View ArticleThe Library
I've always been a bookworm. My parents raised me in a house that had virtually every open wall covered up by a bookcase. I read through most of the Encyclopedia Brittanica as a kid, and I hit up old...
View ArticleAcute Library, continued
Thanks to Jules Crittenden for the link last week. Jules has a great site, and he's a lover of books as well- Crittenden's Botique: Right-Wing Bookshop and General Store I got two books in the mail on...
View ArticleMemorial Day
I posted this last year. I don't see much to improve on this year. THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary ________________________________________________________________________ For Immediate...
View ArticleI don't even know what to say
1 dead, 1 wounded at the US Army recruiting station in Little Rock. Police have a suspect in custody. Unsuprisingly, he is a Muslim convert. Surprisingly, CNN reports that. My prayers for the victims...
View ArticleSOFA - Step II
Last fall, coalition forces began to turn over major military bases in Iraq to the Iraqi Security Forces.Today marks the second major step towards fulfilling our obligations under the Status of Forces...
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Shadows of the War
I was driving late Tuesday night, heading home from seeing some friends. The lights were soundless as they came up behind me. I’d had a beer, and I pulled over and worried for a moment as the lights...
View ArticleBadger's Forward is Back!
Long-time readers here remember Badger 6, my Company Commander while I was in Iraq. He extended for 6 months in Iraq after I left, and quit blogging on his return. Well, he's got more to offer us, and...
View ArticleBadger Update
Last week you read about SSG George Nickel. You know who he is and what he's been through. Many of you emailed and commented, asking what you could do to help.The people from the Idaho Veterans Network...
View ArticleRoundup
The Department of Defense may soon be releasing a comprehensive policy for social media. This would most likely include blogging, as well as Facebook and other social networking sites. ROBERTS: And...
View ArticleEt tu, VA?
The Washington Times reports that thousands of veterans have been approved for GI Bill funds but have not received their money:The Veterans Affairs Department blamed a backlog of claims filed for GI...
View ArticleThe Continuing Story
The VA jumped in to try to right the problems faced by thousands of veterans who switched over to the "Post-911 GI Bill" who then experienced delays in getting their money. This is now called the VA GI...
View ArticleThe 11th hour...
...of the 11th day of the 11th month...Happy Armistice Day, everyone. May someday all war actually cease.To the veterans among you, thank you, and to the rest, thank you for supporting us.I was walking...
View ArticleWinter Reading
I had one heck of a hectic semester of school this term. By the end of November, I was devoting a ton of time to keeping ahead in my classes- more than I have since I've been back to school after Iraq....
View ArticleRemembering
To Absent Companions!It's been three years now, and I can still taste the dirt, still feel the loss, and still remember watching my platoon slowly inching home. Rest in Peace: SGT Jim HoltomSGT Ross...
View ArticleNew Dawn
David Bellavia: That young woman wanted nothing else than the chance to explore her newfound freedom. She didn’t beg for help, or plead for her life. Voting would become her final act. In that moment,...
View ArticleEnd of Innocence
Staff Sergeant George Nickel is in court again today. Hopefully, this will be the last time. Hopefully, we’ll see him go somewhere where he can get the help he needs. He’s pleaded guilty to a felony,...
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