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Sunday, February 28, 2010

TELEGRAM FROM HO CHI MINH

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For a larger view, please click on the picture.


This document, a telegram dated Thursday 28 February 1946, from Ho Chi Minh, President of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam to Harry S. Truman, the President of the United States of America, is in the National Archives.

This sort of thing sure makes me wonder if that war was totally unnecessary?

If that war was unnecessary, then how many other wars has our country been engaged in which were also unnecessary?

What of my own responsibility?

After all, I volunteered to serve in the old Republic of Viet Nam!

When I squeezed the trigger on that M-60 machine gun, I was actually trying to kill enemy soldiers, and (at that time) with no remorse.

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Saturday, February 27, 2010

ON THE EVE OF REVOLT

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NOTE:  I am not the author of this post, but this message is so good, and so important, I decided to add this to my own blog.


"Yeah, but what does that Three Percent thing MEAN?"

By Mike Vanderboegh

The other day I ran into a fellow who thought he was a Three Percenter, but he wasn't sure.

"Yeah," he said, "but what does that Three Percent thing MEAN?"

I explained more or less thusly:

THREE PERCENT: The number of colonists who took the field to actively fight against King George III.

THREE PERCENT: The number of America's armed citizenry today who can be counted on to actively resist any future restrictions on firearms, or indeed, any more attacks on the God-given natural liberties which are codified in the Constitution (and some that aren't).

There are, give or take, a hundred million firearms owners in this country. Three percent of that number is three million. So when we speak of the Three Percent, we are talking about three million firearms owners who are politically active, but no longer count on politics alone to defend their liberties. These three million have watched as our traditional right to arms has been attacked and diminished on the federal level for more than seventy-five years since the National Firearms Act of 1934. In that time, in almost every instance when a new firearm restriction has been proposed, we have lost the political argument and being law-abiding we have allowed ourselves to be shoved back, grumbling. The Three Percent are simply saying, "No more." One more restriction on our natural liberties - - - the liberties the Founders did their best to secure - - - and we will resist.

"But what do you mean, 'resist'?" he asked.

Very simple, I replied, we refuse to obey. If our right to peaceably assemble and personally trade our privately owned arms with other law-abiding citizens is restricted - - - the alleged "gun show loophole" - - - we will stage our own gun shows and dare the ATF to do anything about it. If the manufacture of ammunition is tampered with by further government restrictions - - - punitive taxes, "microstamping," or other such nonsense - - - we will make it ourselves or smuggle it in and dare the federal authorities to do anything about it. If more classes of firearms are added to their onerous bans - - - fifty caliber rifles for example - - - we will manufacture our own and dare them to do anything about it. We can only be oppressed with our consent, for we are armed. And WE DO NOT CONSENT.

"They will shoot you," said my new friend, immediately getting to the crux of the matter.

"Yes, they must," I replied reasonably. "It is what they do. That's the ultimate threat behind every federal infringement. 'Do this or we will shoot you.' But THEY must fire first. There must be no Fort Sumters. THEY must cede the moral high ground."

"What happens then?"

"Then," I replied, "we shoot back in righteous self-defense. There will be no more free Wacos for them. The only thing is, to the greatest extent possible, we must then take the civil war to the people who started it and who direct it - - - the political mandarin class who issue the orders - - - the elected officials, the unelected bureaucracy and their tyranny's cheerleaders in the intelligentsia and press who lay the predicate for it. 'No more free Wacos' will have personal implications for those people."

"Isn't that a threat?"

"It is a promise, but I hope they take it as a very real threat against their future misconduct. If they do, and they begin to internalize the fact that the people who they have shoved around these past seventy-five years are finally ready to shove back - - - and that it is THEY who will be personally 'shoved back' - - - then maybe, just maybe, we can avoid a shooting war. Like Mama Liberty says on my blog, 'If they don‘t want a civil disturbance, why don't they quit disturbing us?' We're not trying to tell them what to do and how to live, THEY are trying to force their beliefs on us - - - and take our liberty and property in the bargain while demanding we pay for the privilege of being robbed. If they don't want trouble all they have to do is leave us alone."

"Do you think we can? Avoid it, I mean."

I sighed. "I hope the Tea Party movement can save the day politically, but I doubt that they will be able to overcome the inertia of the two-party stacked deck. For some of those in the permanent political class, it is in their interest to provoke violence. 'Let no good crisis go unexploited', as a White House chief of staff would say. For these people, especially if they see they are about to lose power, they may think that it is in their interests to burn the American equivalent of a Reichstag or two, or three. The fault is ours, for we LET them shove us back for seventy-five years with not a single shove back. Why should they expect it now? You can't really blame them for being who they are. Such people have existed throughout history. You might as well blame a rattlesnake for biting your child when you knew the rattler was living under your porch for years and yet you did nothing about it. The blame is yours. That's what Ben Franklin was saying when he replied, 'A Republic, madam, if you can keep it'." We - - - us, our fathers and grandfathers - - - have let them get away with stealing our property and our liberty for generations. Now, with our backs to the wall and no further room to give and still call ourselves free, we must deal with the rattlesnakes and eradicate them or, like Saint Patrick, drive them into the sea."

"So we need a revolution?"

No, I replied, we need a RESTORATION. It is they who are the revolutionaries, overthrowing the Founders' Republic and the Constitution bit by bit, in Gramscian style. (I then had to explain Gramsci, but I shall not do it here. Look it up yourself, if you need to.) We simply want what the Founders wanted - - - a Republic of ordered liberty, the rule of law, the right to property, free markets and free men (and women, of course).

"Well, I don't think they're going to get it. I think we'll have to end up shooting them."

Perhaps, I said, if they have time to get around to it.

"What do you mean?"

"Deficit spending, mountainous debt, printing money to monetize that debt - - - the politicians of both parties have handed us a future that represents an existential threat to the country and its people. This administration may not get around to sparking a civil war by tyrannical misadventure, we may have a breakdown of civil order (which, in its worst form could be WORSE than civil war) because the whole house of cards collapses, suddenly and at once. And then it will be up to the Three Percent to save what can be saved."

"Why just the Three Percent?"

"Because we are the only ones with the numbers and the firearms, and because we think like citizens, not serfs."

He gave me a quizzical look.

"Citizens take responsibility for the safety of the community. They do this because they understand that this must be done in order to secure the safety of themselves and their own families. And we will do it because it is necessary, not because somebody pays us to. Look, have you ever come across a car wreck right after it happened?"

"Yeah. Twice."

"What did you do?"

"Well, I stopped and ran down to the wrecks to see if I could help. I - - - "

I interrupted him. "Stop right there. I don't need the details. Here's my point. You stopped, you ran down to see if you could help. That makes you a citizen. There's no better example of citizenship than that. And while you were down in the ditch, you had plenty of onlookers, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"Was there a big crowd close around the wrecked car?"

"No. Once it was just me and a couple of guys who were riding in my pickup, and the other time it was just me and another guy who stopped."

"Okay, that's the number of citizens on the scene. The guys who came down with you who had been riding in your truck, they came down because of your leadership probably, right?

"Well, I don't know, they probably would have stopped themselves."

"But you led them down into that ditch, right?"

"Yeah."

"So you are not just a citizen, but a leader of citizens. But there were lots of people who stopped, but only called Nine-One-One, or people who just stopped and stared, or people who kept on driving without doing anything, right?"

"Yeah."

"Serfs. They drove on because it 'wasn't any of their business' and most of the ones who called Nine-One-One instead of calling and THEN coming down to see if they could help did so because they have been conditioned that only 'authorities' are competent to handle an emergency, right? Some of them may be doctors or nurses. The driver or his passengers may be bleeding to death, but if it were up to the serfs, the victims would simply bleed to death before they stirred their stumps to help, right?"

"Yeah, I see your point."

"Serfs. They are not citizens because they take no personal responsibility. They are serfs. Willing, trained serfs. You took responsibility, so you are a citizen."

"Well, I had some training in the Marines, and I went to some classes after I got out - - - "

I cut him off again. "My point exactly. A citizen anticipates trouble, and thus, when he or she is called upon, they are not only willing to act, but competent to do so. Citizenship is a duty, a responsibility that is willingly assumed, along with the rights and liberties attendant to it. The problem is that the public schools no longer turn out citizens in this country, they are in fact serf factories because that's the way that the 'powers that be' want it. If you are a tyrant-wannabe, having to deal with citizens is at best inconvenient and at worst dangerous to your liberty and property stealing plans. Serfs are much more to their liking."

"But," I continued, "look beyond a simple car wreck to a car wreck times a hundred thousand like Katrina. The police did a number of things there that were in their way just as educational to anybody who paid attention as Waco was at the federal level. Some cops ran home to save Momma and the kids, leaving their posts and their duty. Some cops joined the looters. Other cops violated their oaths to the Constitution and either shot and killed innocents like some occupying army or disarmed the law abiding, leaving them helpless against the rapists, thieves and murderers that they didn’t disarm - - - again, like an occupying army. When the whole SYSTEM breaks down, God forbid, Americans, being a practical people, will make their own arrangements. They will work with those law enforcement officers who will stand by their duty and their oaths but, more to the point, they will resist at the muzzle of a rifle (or, I should say, at the muzzles of THREE MILLION RIFLES) anybody - - - feds, cops, or freelance criminals - - - who attempts to 'Katrina' them."

I told him that a nationwide social and economic breakdown will see the revival of citizens' militias in a huge way - - - instantly. However, tragedies will come to those who fail to see the need NOW for preparation, training and that "well regulated" stuff the Founders were talking about. (And if you haven't studied how the language has changed since the Second Amendment was written, you don't understand that "well regulated" meant at the time that the militia, the armed citizenry, should be trained, disciplined, with arms of common caliber and agreed upon tactics.)

"That's still going to be a bunch of tragedies," he observed.

"Yes, it is," I answered. "But the question is, do you want to be one of them?"

"No, I don't," he answered.

"Then," I said with a grin, "you've just become a Three Percenter, whether you were before or not."

"How do I join?"

"The Three Percent is NOT an organization. That would be too easy to kill, too simple to discredit. The Three Percent is an idea, a movement of like-minded people, and that is something that is far harder to kill. Almost impossible, really. You know the Oath, the one that you swore before God when you joined the Marines?"

He allowed that he remembered it, every word of it.

"Then just remember that the oath is not to a man, no matter how popular he is, or to a political party, or to an administration, even if a majority of the people gave them the power by voting, but to an idea - - - the Founders' Republic of God-given liberties and natural rights as expressed in the Declaration of Independence and codified in the Constitution. Remember that it is a life-time oath and has no expiration date. Once you realize those things and remember them every morning when you look yourself in the mirror, you're a citizen. Everything after that is tougher - - - organizing your friends and neighbors; preparing and training for the future date when (not if) your military competence and that of your friends will be tested; getting your county sheriff used to working with armed citizens; and finally, being awake, aware, and ready to stand in the gap, come the Waco hell of tyranny or the Katrina high water of natural or social disaster. It is tougher, way tougher, but it must be done."

He nodded his head, thinking. And in his eyes I saw his decision, if indeed there had ever been a question.

"Welcome," I told him, "to the Three Percent." We shook hands, and then fell to talking of his like-minded friends, how big an area of operations he thought he and they could protect, of beans and bullets, and equipment and training.

I hope this has given y'all a better idea of what the Three Percent is, and what it isn't. What it boils down to is this: the Three Percent are the folks the Founders counted on to save the Republic when everyone else abandoned it.

And we will.

There will be no more free Wacos and no more free Katrinas.

For we are the Three Percent.


We will not disarm.


You cannot convince us.


You cannot intimidate us.


You can try to kill us, if you think you can.


But remember, we'll shoot back.


We are not going away.


We are not backing up another inch.

And there are THREE MILLION OF US.

Your move, Mr. Wannabe Tyrant.

Your move.

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Friday, February 26, 2010

CNN GETS FOOLED!


This video was posted on the YOU TUBE web site on Thursday 25 February 2010 by "FUMBUCK".

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From the BUSINESS INSIDER web site:

Reported by: Gillian Reagan

Cable News Network aired a fascinating story about an ancient, one hundred and forty year old hot dog found in Coney Island recently.

Organizers from the Coney Island History Project put the "fossilized" hot dog and bun on display, saying that it was found while the city demolished Feltman’s Kitchen, one of Astroland's old eateries "where the first hot dog was made." It froze into a block of ice, according to the CNN report.

But, whoops!

The whole thing was a publicity stunt "in the grand tradition of Coney Island ballyhoo", Tricia Vita, spokeswoman for the history project, wrote in a press release.

Both CNN and a local cable station aired a story about the hot dog.

NEWS BUSTERS VIDEO

Thursday, February 25, 2010

ATTENTION TO ORDERS!

Comrades in Arms:

Look at the date on your calendar for this coming Monday, and you'll see your standing order for the day.

This order applies to all soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, military veterans, R.O.T.C. cadets, boy scouts, and cub scouts.

Therefore, on Monday, you must carry out that order before you can eat breakfast, check your e-mail, or commute to your office.

That standing military order, in case you haven't yet figured this out, is "MARCH FIRST"!

Cadence is optional, but recommended.

All day long this coming Monday, according to the calendar, you must March First.

Afterwards, you can do something else, but according to the calendar, you must March First.

With Tongue In Cheek,
Washington, D.C.  20011-8400

POST SCRIPT: Do you have any IDEA how much mental strain it took for me to think up this joke?

"BALLAD OF THE GREEN BERET"

"SEATTLE"



CHORUS:

The bluest skies
You've ever seen
Are in Seattle
And the hills
Are the greenest green
In Seattle.
Like a beautiful child,
Growing up, free and wild.
Full of hopes, full of fears,
Full of laughter, full of tears
Full of dreams to last the years
In Seattle, in Seattle!


VERSE # 1:

When it's time
To leave your home
And your kinfolk,
It's the boldest thing
A lad can do.
Your folks pray
That you will find
Someone warm
And sweet and kind.
But you're not sure
What's waiting there for you!


VERSE # 2:

When you find
Your own true love,
You will know it
By her touch,
By the smile in her eye.
Smell of pine trees in the air,
Never knew life
Could be so fair.
It makes a man so proud
That he can try!

"UTAH CAROL"

"THE END OF THE WORLD"

ADOPT A VETERAN

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This article, written by Elizabeth M. Collins, is in the March 2010 issue of "SOLDIERS" magazine.

The photographs were provided by Jeff and Becky Spencer.

For a larger view, please click on the pictures.
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Like many veterans, Sergeant First Class Rocky was looking forward to a long, lazy retirement, full of long walks, naps, and some rousing games of ball. He'd earned the downtime after multiple deployments, hours on guard duty, and some medical issues, including a partial amputation.

But unlike most veterans, Rocky couldn't simply enjoy his retirement party, take his pension, and move on to another job, or a relaxing retirement in Florida. Rocky, otherwise known as "Rocky B-106", isn't your average veteran.


He's an eleven-year-old Belgian Malinois, a military working dog trained in bomb detection. Well-trained and loved by his handlers, Rocky had been through multiple deployments, but his age and medical problems meant it was time to go.

Rocky, in other words, was "excess". A few years ago, that would have been a death sentence, but a law enacted in Two Thousand made the excess dogs available for adoption by civilians, after meeting a few criteria. According to Sergeant First Class Tedd Perry, kennel master at Fort Meade, Maryland, each dog must first be evaluated for its suitability for family life, as many have been trained as guard and attack dogs.

Handlers put the dogs through a range of tests, record them, and send the tapes to the Department of Defense Dog Center at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, for a panel to review. The panel makes the final decision on a dog's adoptability.

"I would say by the time these dogs come up for retirement, at that point, they're ready for real life, and I would say a good ninety percent of them are adoptable", Perry explained. "It's a great program. These dogs served their country just like soldiers do, so at the end of their tour of service, it's nice for them - - - to be able to go home and be a house dog for a little while."

"The thought of a dog being destroyed, especially a dog that's given years of military service, is a real tragedy", added Sergeant Anthony Moll of the Fort Meade kennel. "So, to know that there are plenty of dogs who will see a good home, who will get to lay on the carpet, and run around the yard, it's a really good thought."

The age a dog is ready to retire really depends on the dog. Both Perry and Moll explained that some dogs are ready for retirement at age six, while others are still going strong at twelve, but that the average age is nine or ten. As in Rocky's case, retirement is often due to health reasons, or sometimes because the dog is simply no longer interested in doing its job.

"There's not that much of an adjustment. Once they're deemed retireable - - - we don't take them out to work anymore. So instead of going out doing strict obedience, doing patrol training, detection training, we just take them out, play fetch, play with them. Their working time is over. We have fun with them until we can find a good home for them", Perry said.

Dogs' current handlers have priority when it comes to adoption, followed by former handlers, according to Perry, who said this is what usually happens. Some dogs are still capable of working in a less demanding environment and can go to civilian law enforcement agencies as well. If a dog is deemed too violent to be adoptable, or simply is not adopted, it will eventually be euthanized.


Rocky, who deployed to Iraq several times during his assignment at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, was one of the lucky ones. He found a new home, with Jeff and Becky Spencer and their Rat Terrier-mix, Sophia, just a few hours outside Fort Sill. Spencer had known of the adoption program from his time in the United States Air Force (when he even filled in as a kennel master) and wanted to give a fellow veteran a good home.

He contacted Debbie Kandoll at Military Working Dog Adoptions for help finding a dog, although anyone interested in adopting a military working dog can contact the MWD headquarters at Lackland Air Force Base directly, or call kennels at local installations. Perry said this was the best option because local kennel masters will know their dogs' personalities and which are ready to retire. Perry already has about five people on a waiting list in case a dog becomes available at Fort Meade, and is on a waiting list himself to adopt a dog he used to handle at Fort Carson, Colorado.

"That dog and I spent three to four years together. We trained together. We worked together, lived together over there. (There's) no telling how many lives he saved over there just with his nose, sniffing out those bombs. He was the most loyal partner I've ever had, so if I get the chance, I will pick him up and bring him home", Perry explained.

Kandoll, who provides a list of kennel telephone numbers on the Military Working Dog Adoptions web site, cautioned that the process can take months, but the Spencers found Rocky after only one false start. They live in Oklahoma and made the short trip to Fort Sill to meet Rocky, although new owners have been known to travel cross-country or even internationally to find their military working dog, immediately falling in love with the friendly Belgian Malinois.

They were able to bring Rocky home a few weeks later in November 2008, after the paperwork was complete (new pet parents must release the United States Army of any liability regarding the dog), and United States Army veterinarians removed a growth. Rocky is also blind in one eye and had his tail clipped after getting it caught in too many fences. According to Perry, the United States Army takes care of dogs' medical needs before adopting them out, and ensures the animals are spayed or neutered. He added that the United States Army will usually provide a month's supply of the dog's medications, but after that the dog's medical needs are the new owner's responsibility.


In addition to providing Rocky's hip and eye medication, the Fort Sill kennel master gave the Spencers Rocky's favorite ball, collar, and leash. It was a bittersweet parting and Spencer remembers how sad the military working dog soldiers were to see Rocky go. They demonstrated Rocky's commands for the Spencers and gave them pointers to help Rocky and his new sister, Sophia, get along. The soldiers even gave Rocky a retirement ceremony, complete with award, to mark his years of faithful service.

From there, it was a smooth transition from working dog to spoiled pet. Rocky and Sophia bonded and quickly figured out their individual roles in the family pack, while Rocky immediately took to his new "parents" and life of leisure.


"He likes to play with his Kong toy, tennis ball, and the big red ball the detachment sent with Rocky", said Spencer. "He enjoys searching and 'finding' things, maybe from his 'bomb dog' days. He enjoys going for walks and 'patrolling' the house and his backyard. Even though he's retired, he still has his training inside him, so he's every bit an MWD.


"After spending most of his life sleeping on concrete when he wasn't 'working,' he's enjoying his soft doggie bed. He also enjoys sleeping or resting on couches, chairs, and we catch him sleeping on our bed often, when we're not home.

"He seems to be wanting to relive his 'puppyhood' by the way he likes to play with Sophia, twist and scratch his back on the carpet, play with - - - toys", Spencer added. "He also enjoys chasing squirrels. He likes to lie on the floor and play with you, or will push up against you when he wants to be scratched or wants some affection. He follows me around the house all the time, wanting to know what I'm doing or afraid he'll miss out on something. I swear if he could speak, he'd be asking questions like a five-year-old."

According to Perry, many military working dogs like Rocky immediately settle into family life. Because the military looks for dogs that are already eager to please their handlers, they will likely be loyal to their new families, and the dogs also come well trained, well behaved, and make good watch dogs.

Spencer initially worried that Rocky would think his carpeting was synonymous with grass and relieve himself indoors, but he hasn't had a problem. He's just a great pet, said Spencer, adding that he would recommend the adoption program, but suggested anyone considering a military working dog take the time to educate themselves on the dogs' needs and personalities.

"A military working dog would make an excellent pet, because - - - they've served their country just like a soldier and they deserve their time to just be a dog, lay on the couch in front of a fireplace, run around the yard for awhile in their last years", said Perry.

I'm wondering if these retired military working dogs might also be useful as therapy dogs?

As I understand it, nothing is required of a therapy dog except having a friendly disposition and enjoying receiving endless petting and affection.

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Tuesday, February 23, 2010

ARLINGTON FAREWELL

For a larger view, please click on the picture.


In this photograph are myself, Doris M. Jones, who is the Commander of American Legion Post 70 at the Armed Forces Retirement Home, and Elder Gale Lim, a retired rancher from Blackfoot, Idaho, who is serving a full time mission in the Washington, D.C. North Mission of The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints.

This was on Wednesday 27 January 2010, and we had just attended the burial of Albert Stegall in Arlington National Cemetery.

Brother Stegall, who served aboard a submarine in the United States Navy during the Second World War, resided in the Armed Forces Retirement Home, and was a convert in The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints.

Sister Becky Lim, Elder Lim's wife, took the picture.

"SOLITARY MAN"

"THE GOODBYE GIRL"

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For the best effect, please be sure and watch, in "FULL SCREEN" mode, my homemade amateur video recording of ME (!) performing "THE GOODBYE GIRL".



"THE GOODBYE GIRL"

Composed By:
DAVID ASHWORTH GATES

All your life, you’ve waited
For love to come and stay,
And now that I have found you,
You must not slip away.
I know it’s hard believing
The words you’ve heard before.
But, Darling, you must
Trust them just once more.
'Cause, Baby,"goodbye",
Doesn’t mean forever.
Let me tell you, "goodbye",
Doesn’t mean we’ll never
Be together again.
If you wake up and I’m not there,
I won’t be long away,
’Cause the things you do,
My goodbye girl
Will bring me back to you.

I know that you’ve been taken,
Afraid to hurt again.
You fight the love
You feel for me,
Instead of giving in.
But, I can wait forever,
Helping you to see
That I was meant for you
And you for me.
So, remember, "goodbye",
Doesn’t mean forever.
Let me tell you, "goodbye",
Doesn’t mean we’ll never
Be together again.
'Though we may be
So far apart,
You still will have my heart.
So, forget your past,
My goodbye girl,
’Cause now, you’re home at last.

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"THIS MAGIC MOMENT"

"TENNESSEE WALTZ"

"LAST SONG"

"I GO TO PIECES"

"GO, MY SON"

"BLUE MOON"

NEWS BUSTERS VIDEO

NEW CAMOUFLAGE ARMY UNIFORMS

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These are official United States Army photographs of American soldiers in Afghanistan wearing the Army's new multiple camouflage design combat uniform.

For a larger view, please click on the pictures.




WASHINGTON, D.C. 
Army News Service
Friday 19 February 2010

Starting this Summer, soldiers in the United States Army sent to fight in Afghanistan will wear an army combat uniform with the "MultiCam" pattern instead of the standard-issue universal camouflage pattern.

Secretary of the Army John McHugh made that announcement on Friday 19 February 2010 after the service conducted a rigorous four month long evaluation of various uniform patterns to determine what could best protect American soldiers in Afghanistan.

The new uniforms are of the same material and cut that American soldiers are already wearing in the Army Combat Uniform or ACU.

It is the camouflage printed on the fabric that will be different.

The change allows commanders in Afghanistan to have more options in deciding how best to equip their troops.

"As a material provider, I want to be responsive to the soldiers I support," said Colonel William E. Cole, project manager for Soldier Protection and Individual Equipment.

"I want to give commanders options, I want to be responsive to soldiers.

That is what we were trying to do - - - we're working to give (them) more options."

The uniforms bearing the new pattern, like the latest ACUs, are fire resistant.

They are officially called the Fire Resistant Army Combat Uniform.

The decision to use the MultiCam pattern came after the Army evaluated its effectiveness at providing camouflage protection in Iraq.

That was done, in part, by consulting with nearly seven hundred and fifty American soldiers who had deployed to Afghanistan.

Those soldiers participated in a "photo simulation" study administered by the United States Army.

Additionally, feedback from soldiers who have already worn the uniform in Afghanistan was used to make the final decision.

About two thousand soldiers were involved in tests to see how effective patterns such as MultiCam and UCP-Delta were at providing concealment in the varying terrain of Afghanistan.

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Monday, February 22, 2010

DO YOU KNOW WHAT TODAY IS?

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Greetings and Salutations to All my Kith and Kin and All the Ships in Outer Space:

Do you know what TODAY is?

This past Saturday, there were some Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts visiting here at the Old Soldiers' Home, and they were very nice, handing each veteran a flower.

But, do you know what?

THEY didn't know what today, Monday 22 February 2010, is!

What about YOU?

Do YOU know what today is?

The Twenty-Second of February is the birthday of George Washington, born in 1732.


When I was a kid growing up, that was a national holiday, and in the school cafeteria, us kids always got cherry pie for dessert.

The Twenty-Second of February is also the birthday of Lord Robert Baden-Powell, born in 1857, who created the Boy Scouts.


Unfortunately, the staff here at the Old Soldiers' Home is obviously unaware of the significance of this day.

Just look at the menu for today's chow in our mess hall.

What's missing?

There ain't no CHERRY PIE for dessert - - - on George Washington's birthday!!!

Folks, these are ELDERLY American military veterans living here.

We were raised differently.

We like our old traditions.

We like remembering the way this country USED to be, a long time ago.

Well, mox nix.

Actually, I've got some LITTLE DEBBIE cherry pies sitting here in my room, which I bought in our PX, but they're really old and dried out, and now, they don't taste very good.

Anyway, I just want folks to be aware of this day, and how important it is to our heritage.

Please, let the young'uns know, ESPECIALLY the young'uns.

Gosh, gee whillikers, we CAN'T let this go by!

Thank you.
Offical Bard of Clan Henderson
Washington, D.C.  20011-8400

NOTE: "My unpopular and controversial personal opinions do not represent my Scottish clan."

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