General Paul Tibbets has Died

General Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr has died after a two-month decline in health. He was 92.

Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr was born in Quincy, Illinois, in 1915 and spent most of his youth in Miami. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1937 and led bombing operations in Europe before returning to test the Superfortress.

The then Col Tibbets named his B-29 Enola Gay after his mother.

Tibbets was the Commander of the 509th Bomb Group and piloted the B-29 mission which dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima Japan.

On the 60th anniversary of Hiroshima, the surviving members of the Enola Gay crew - Gen Tibbets, Theodore J "Dutch" Van Kirk (the navigator) and Morris R Jeppson (weapon test officer) said: "The use of the atomic weapon was a necessary moment in history. We have no regrets".

Gen Tibbets said then: "Thousands of former soldiers and military family members have expressed a particularly touching and personal gratitude suggesting that they might not be alive today had it been necessary to resort to an invasion of the Japanese home islands to end the fighting."

In 1995, Gen Tibbets denounced as a "damn big insult" a planned 50th anniversary exhibition of the Enola Gay at the Smithsonian Institution that put the bombing in context of the suffering it caused.

He and veterans groups said too much attention was being paid to Japan's suffering and not enough to its military brutality.

General Tibbets had asked for no funeral nor headstone as he feared opponents of the bombing may use it as a place of protest, the friend, Gerry Newhouse, said.

Harry Reid Blasts Limbaugh for not Being Patriotic

You know that Star Trek episode (pick one) where the someone in the crew wakes up in an alternate universe? Yeah, that one. Well it happened to me this morning,

As a habit, I have the TV turn on to Fox News in the morning. So as I was wafting in from a Good Dream about Divorce Court, there was "Pinky" Reid blasting Rush Limbaugh for blasting callers to the Limbaugh show lying about being soldiers.

Talk about through the Looking Glass. Harry "Surrender Me" Reid was really upset about this and he should be. It is an old horse in talk radio to have a flaming liberal call in and say they are a "veteran against the war". Rush threw a flag on the play and outed a particular caller and suddenly he was being denounced on the Senate floor by the Majority Leader himself.

Keep in mind that "Pinky" was not defending "Our Brave Soldiers". Instead he was defending the Liberal Democratic tactic of Lying.

When I hear "Our Brave Soldiers", I think of sweat soaked infantrymen blazing away in a fire fight or hugging their children on their return home. When "Pinky" says "Our Brave Soldiers" he's talking about those brave liberals who risk everything by talking on a phone.

Here's "Pinky"!


Rush Retorts!



"Phony Soldier", Jesse MacBeth-

WHAT KIND OF MAN WOULD DO SUCH A THING?

Jack Tilley, a Sergeant Major of the Army, was with a group of people who recently were visiting wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, DC. He saw a Special Forces soldier who had lost his right hand and suffered severe wounds of his face and side of his body. Sgt. Tilley wanted to honor him and show him respect without offending, but what can you say or do in such a situation that will encourage and uplift? How do you shake the right hand of a soldier who has none? He decided to act as though the hand was not missing and gripped the soldiers wrist while speaking words of comfort and encouragement to him.

However, there was another man in the group who knew exactly what to do. This man reverently took the soldier's stump of a hand in both of his hands, bowed at the bedside, and prayed for him. When he finished the prayer he stood up, bent over the soldier, kissed him on the head, and told him that he loved him.

Sgt. Tilley was awed by the powerful expression of love for one of our wounded heroes he was witnessing! "What a beautiful Christ-like example!" he thought, moved to tears. What kind of a man would do such a thing?

It was the wounded man's Commander-In-Chief, George W. Bush, President of The United States.

This eyewitness account was told by Sergeant Major Jack Tilley at a Soldiers Breakfast at Red Stone Arsenal, AL, and recorded by Chaplain James Henderson, who was stationed there. Pass it on.... the PRESS WON'T!!!!!!

War Souvenir 1943

This is a reason we won World War Two.




This is the reason we're losing the battle for Iraq. Any soldier caught with something along these lines would be court marshaled. Here's a clue people: War is by nature not politically correct. War is destroying the enemy by whatever means available for he is surely going to do the same to you.

Kindness in war is killing as effectively as possible to end the war as soon as possible. Everything else is rubbish.

Slang

"It's not slang", you say. Maybe, maybe not. Many words we use today come from slang used in the military. Here are some I thought you'd like to know.



From the Civil War

Bummer: "man, that was a bummer. Bummer was used in the Civil War to denote deserters, stragglers and looters. Following the Army's predilection to shorten words "Bum" came into use.

Deadbeat: From the Civil denoting anyone exempt from military action, even in uniform.

Fluke: Originally a failure or fiasco. Later used to describe a fortunate turn of events as a result of luck rather than skill or planning.

Mugger: A prisoner who preys on fellow, weaker prisoners.

Red Tape: Official orders were delivered with red ribbon tied around the packet denoted it's official origin and importance of delivery. To do something properly you had to get past the Red Tape. As more and more regulations and orders were issued to subordinate units, these units were said to be buried in Red Tape.

Slum: Not a place but a thing. Slum was a stew made from whatever was handy. If you were sitting there eating, you were slumming. Later changed to a verb for either getting by with little effort or resources or being idle.

Smart Money: Monies paid to soldiers who were wounded. "Not smart enough to duck." Also used to describe payment to avoid military service thereby avoiding the chance of being wounded and receiving "Smart Money".

Tap Out: Originally a drum beat to order all lights in the camp to be extinguished. That is why the bugle which replaced the drums was called Taps. General Butterfield ordered the change and thought the soothing, slow bugle call would express the darkening camp and urge soldiers to snuggle down and sleep. Falling aslepp was therefore referred to as "Tapping Out". Later any reason to fall from the formation was called Tapping Out.

Hooker: During the Cival War and Army in the field would be followed by it's Supply Train and in alot of cases the families of the soldiers. The Supply Train provided a ready source for all the soldier's needs. Fulfilling a need, prostitutes often were in the Supply Train. The Army of Union General George Hooker had an usually large contingent of prositutes and were therefore named "Hookers". The red light district of Washington D.C. was referred to as "Hooker's Division".

From World War Two

Dope: Coca Cola. Someone fond of the soft drink was called a Dope Head.

Goof: Marijuana. Hence...Goof Off, Goof Ball, Goof Head and of course Goofy. Think aboout that the next time you're at Disneyland.

Rat Race: An Aerial manuever. Also known as "Tail Chasing". An open formation usually used in air made turbulent by the planes in front.

Shack Up: To live with a woman you are not married to. Referring to the Native Shacks on Pacific Islands werein you might find eager and willing local women.

Swing Shift: As Industry geared up to support the War an additional work force was added to the workers who went home at 4PM. These folks worked from 3PM to Midnight. The Shift from Midnight to until the Morning shift came in was called Graveyard.

Big John Decommissioned Today

The aircraft carrier U.S.S. John F. Kennedy (CV-67) is being decommissioned today in Mayfort, Florida.

My Dad Fought in World War Two

Let me tell you about my Dad. He's 90 years old today, in frail health and living his days out in a hospice.

The girl he married in 1945 visits him every day.

He roots for his Red Sox and Patriots. His room is filled with pictures of his grandchildren and family.

My Dad served in the Third Infantry Division in World War Two. Yes, the same Division that drove into Iraq. He served in the North African Campaign when the Americans got their hat handed to them by the Germans. He invaded Anzio to liberate that country. As the landing craft approached the beach, Dad was concerned. Being all of Five foot Four he hoped they would get to the shallows. The cox wain of the boast said he'd get them so close Dad wouldn't get his feet wet. When Dad went off the end of the LCI he dropped into six feet of water. Weighted down with his equipment, he started to drown. Shedding his gear,he fought to the surface and SWAM ashore. So much for Naval support he thought.

The Anzio landings were uncontested. There were no horrific scenes that you see in "Saving Private Ryan". There was nothing. Silence. The day was filled with unseen heroics such as my Dad, fighting for his life.

The Third Division consolidated and strengthened their beach head and waited for the German counter attack. When it came it was ferocious.

Dad was leading a squad that day. During the fighting, Dad was shot in the leg. A German medic saw him and started to work his way over to Dad. His squad laid down a barrage aimed at the medic. Dad shouted, "Cease Fire! Let the sonuvabitch live! He's trying to help me."

The German got to Dad and dressed his wounds. Saving Dad's life. Dad then took him prisoner. Confiscating the German's helmet, knife and pistol.

Dad was evacuated to North Africa. In a MASH they put pins in his leg. Pins that still give him hell on a cold day. During the surgery some Rear Area Echelon Mother Fucker stole the stuff he "liberated" from the German medic.

Dad loves to watch "MASH". He says they are just as crazy (and worse) as they are in the show. He was hit in Korea too and woke up strapped to the skid of one of those helicopters.

My Uncle Louis died in Italy. My Uncle Vincent was sleeping in his rack when a Japanese torpedo went through his compartment. He was never right again.

When I was a kid I rifled his underwear drawer looking for porn. What I found was a little black box. In it were two Purple hearts and a Silver Star. I know how he got the Purple Hearts, but he never talks about winning the Silver Star. The only thing he said when I asked was;

"I was too stupid not to fall back when everyone else did."

I don't know if he won it that day at Anzio. Maybe he won it in Korea. He's quiet on that point. I know he cries almost every night and STILL has nightmares.

He's 90 years old.

He and his fellow Vets are living out their lives in silence. Their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren never knowing of their quiet heroics. I know he was pissed over Vietnam. I knew he was horrified to send his son to Desert Storm. "Keep your head down. Don't be a hero and come home soon.", he said to me.

When I did come home the VFW had put a giant yellow ribbon all the way around Dad's house. He took me to the VFW. Surrounded by the old Vets each one came up offered a beer and said just about the same thing. "Here, now you're one of us." I wasn't regaled with stories of jumping from airplanes. No stories of tanks destroyed or beaches stormed. Just stories of how sweet Life is.

Postscript- My Dad died on August 16, 2006. Five days after his 91st birthday. If you have a relative or a friend who is a WWII vet, go talk to them today. They are America's Greatest Generation and they are disappearing fast. Thank them before it's too late.