The Longest Day

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.

Dems in House May Spark Turkish/Iraqi War

In another bonehead move, House Democrats are moving forward on a non-binding resolution to censure Turkey for committing atrocities against Turkish/Armenians in 1915! During the Reagan administration a similar bill resulted in Turkey baning U.S. forces from using Incirlik AB for two years.

Turkey is a key staging area for the war in Iraq. If Turkey bans U.S. forces again, troops in Iraq will be hard pressed to get resupplied with food, medical supplies, weapons and ammunition. A pretty neat end around trick to force the U.S. out of Iraq without getting shit splattered on the Democrats.

President Bush called on House leaders Wednesday to abandon the measure. "Congress has more important work to do than antagonizing a democratic ally in the Muslim world, especially one that's providing vital support for our military every day."

Bush also said at a Wednesday news conference that "... one thing Congress should not be doing is sorting out the historical record of the Ottoman Empire."

The bill's sponsor is Rep. Adam Schiff, D-California.


Rep. Adam Schiff

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, has said the measure will be put to a floor vote before the recess, despite resistance from members of her own party, including Rep. Ike Skelton, powerful chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. By a 27-21 vote last week, the House Foreign Affairs Committee adopted the resolution, which formally identifies the killings as genocide. Turkish officials acknowledge the killings of Armenians during World War I but vehemently object to the designation "genocide."

As this stunt back fires, many in Congress are rethinking their position on the bill.

Reps. Alcee Hastings of Florida and John Tanner of Tennessee, both of whom serve on the House delegation to NATO have sent a letter to Pelosi urging her to drop the bill that would "threaten our operations and our troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan."

Eight former U.S. secretaries of state also oppose the resolution: Alexander M. Haig, Jr.; Henry A. Kissinger; George P. Shultz; James A. Baker III; Lawrence S. Eagleburger; Warren Christopher; Madeleine K. Albright; and Colin L. Powell. They sent a letter to Pelosi last month urging her not to let the resolution reach the House floor.

Six former co-sponsors have abandoned the measure since last week, leaving it with 218 co-sponsors.

At this stage, whether or not Pelosi drops the issue is mute, the damage has been done. Turkey is ratcheting up its military actions against Kurdish factions along the Turkish/Iraqi border. Turkish shelling has been reported and with an overwhelming majority, the Turkish government on Wednesday cleared the way for a cross-border military incursion into northern Iraq in order to chase down Kurdish rebels based there.

Thank you Nancy Pelosi. Has your naked quest for power completely blinded you to what's in the best interest of our country? Has the radical Left and their irrational hatred of the President taken such complete control of the Democratic Party that you're willing to do anything that furthers their agenda?

Lt. Michael P. Murphy Awarded the Medal of Honor

U.S. Navy SEAL team commander, Lt. Michael P. Murphy has been posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

On June 28, 2005, a SEAL Team 10, commanded by Lt. Michael P. Murphy was tasked to locate a high value Taliban leader in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan. The team was comprised of







Lt. Michael P. Murphy, commanding.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Danny P. Dietz
Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew G. Axelson
Petty Officer First Class Marcus Luttrell

The team's position was compromised when three goat herds stumbled on to the position. With about a hundred goats milling around, the SEAL team took stock of their situation. Fearing that the goat herders would report their position, they discussed executing them. One being a 14 year old boy. Their communication to higher headquarters was cut off and they were on their own. Although the civilians presented a clear and present danger to the team, it was decided that the goat herds would be released and the team would hope for the best.

Within hours after releasing their captives, the team was attacked by about 100 Taliban fighters. A two hour gun battle in sued. The entire team was wounded. With normal communications still cut off, Lt. Murphy resorted to his cell phone. Leaving his cover, Murphy exposed himself to direct enemy fire in order to make the call. He requested air support and immediate extraction of his team. "My guys are dying out here, we need help!" Murphy was then struck in the back by enemy fire. He picked the phone back up to give their position to Headquarters. Murphy then flanked the enemy and advanced on their position firing all the way.

A CH-46 helicopter with 16 Special Forces aboard and escorted by Apache attack helicopters. The CH-46 outpaced their escort and the pilot decided to land in the hot LZ unescorted. The helicopter was struck by an RPG. It crashed killing all aboard.

The team fought on. Dietz died first. Then Murphy. Luttrell cradled the mortally wounded Axelson in his arms. Axelson implored Luttrell to evade and escape. A grenade explosion blew the two apart, killing Axelson and wounding Lutrell again.

Luttrell successfully evaded the remaining Taliban and then with help of local Afghanis returned to his base.

Dietz, Axelson and Luttrell were awarded the Navy Cross for this action. Lt. Michael P. Murphy was awarded the Medal of Honor.

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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-

WTF? Syrian WMD's?

Israel attacked Syria and it would've never made the news if not for the Turks finding some F-15 drop tanks in their desert.


The big question is what did the Israelis hit?

Snippets of stories are coming out and rumors abound. I'll put my money on nukes. WMD's from North Korea, who now conveniently want to disarm.

Heard on either Fox or CNN today that the weapons were marked "cement" and the Israelis tracked the shipment from North Korea to Syria. Then they blew them up.

Syria is being rather quiet on the issue. Shouldn't they be dragging a "Baby Milk Factory" or such in front of the cameras and decrying loudly for the U.N. to condemn Israel?

President Bush held a news conference today saying that the White House had advanced knowledge of the air strike and approved of it. Beyond that the press got a big fat "No Comment".

The Democrats should be screaming any minute and won't wake up to the threat until one of our cities evaporates.

Russia has been flying "Routine Patrols" off of our shores and those of our NATO allies. In the light of the Israeli response, could they have been tipped off too and are hedging their bet?

The silence is deafening.

9/11 and Osama Bin Laden

I pondered about how to mark September 11th seeing as it's our generation's Pearl Harbor. Didn't want to get too heavy so what better way to mark the occasion than to rag OBL.

Have you decided whether or not the latest video is fake or not? This site gives you food for thought.

Patton Speaks Out about Iraq!

General George S. Patton speaks out about Iraq,Terrorism, Liberals, pacifist pussies and other things you REALLY need to hear.

Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs

This is a great letter and a salute to all those in the armed forces who serve for the betterment of their countrymen.

Subject: Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs (Long, but well worth the read)

Gen. Dula's letter to the University of Washington Student Senate Leader, Jill Edwards.

Jill Edwards is one of the students at the University of Washington who did not want to honor Medal of Honor winner USMC Colonel Greg Boyington because she does not think those who serve in the U.S. Armed services are good role models. I think that this response is an excellent and thought provoking response.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

General Dula is a Retired Air Force Lt. Gen.

To: Edwards, Jill (student, UW)
Subject: Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs

Miss Edwards, I read of your 'student activity' regarding the proposed memorial to Col Greg Boyington, USMC and a Medal of Honor winner. I suspect you will receive a bellyful of angry e-mails from conservative folks like me. You may be too young to appreciate fully the sacrifices of generations of servicemen and servicewomen on whose shoulders you and your fellow students stand. I forgive you for the untutored ways of youth and your naïveté. It may be that you are, simply, a sheep. There's no dishonor in being a sheep - - as long as you know and accept what you are.

###lease take a couple of minutes to read the following. And be grateful for the thousands - - millions - - of American sheepdogs who permit you the freedom to express even bad ideas.

Brett Dula

Sheepdog, retired

----------------------------------------------------------

On sheep, wolves and sheepdogs

By LTC(RET) Dave Grossman, RANGER, Ph.D., author of "On Killing."

Honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our time, that may mean social disapproval, public scorn, hardship, persecution, or as always, even death itself. The question remains: What is worth defending? What is worth dying for? What is worth living for?

- William J. Bennett - in a lecture to the United States Naval Academy November 24, 1997 One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me: "Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident."

This is true. Remember, the murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans are not inclined to hurt one another. Some estimates say that two million Americans are victims of violent crimes every year, a tragic, staggering number, perhaps an all-time record rate of violent crime. But there are almost 300 million Americans, which means that the odds of being a victim of violent crime is considerably less than one in a hundred on any given year. Furthermore, since many violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders, the actual number of violent citizens is considerably less than two million.

Thus there is a paradox, and we must grasp both ends of the situation: We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep. I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me, it is like the pretty, blue robin's egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell. Police officers, soldiers, and other warriors are like that shell, and someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful. For now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators.

"Then there are the wolves," the old war veteran said, "and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy." Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial. "Then there are sheepdogs," he went on, "and I'm a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf." If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero's path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.

Let me expand on this old soldier's excellent model of the sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. We know that the sheep live in denial, that is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids' schools. But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid's school. Our children are thousands of times more likely to be killed or seriously injured by school violence than fire, but the sheep's only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their child is just too hard, and so they chose the path of denial.

The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, can not and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheep dog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours. Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn't tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports, in camouflage fatigues, holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, "Baa." Until the wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog.

The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough high school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not have had the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them. This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door.

Look at what happened after September 11, 2001 when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Remember how many times you heard the word hero? Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be.

Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed, right along with the young ones. Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, "Thank God I wasn't on one of those planes." The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, "Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference." When you are truly transformed into a warrior and have truly invested yourself into "warriorhood", you want to be there. You want to be able to make a difference. There is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, but he does have one real advantage. Only one. And that is that he is able to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the population.

There was research conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious, predatory crimes of violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers. The vast majority said that they specifically targeted victims by body language: Slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their victims like big cats do in Africa, when they select one out of the herd that is least able to protect itself. Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose which one they want to be, and I'm proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs.

Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When he learned of the other three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd dropped his phone and uttered the words, "Let's roll," which authorities believe was a signal to the other passengers to confront the terrorist hijackers. In one hour, a transformation occurred among the passengers - athletes, business people and parents. -- from sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground.

There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil of evil men. - Edmund Burke- Here is the point I like to emphasize, especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They didn't have a choice. But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision. If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you. If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love. But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior's path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.

For example, many police officers carry their weapons in church. They are well concealed in ankle holsters, shoulder holsters or inside-the-belt holsters tucked into the small of their backs. Anytime you go to some form of religious service, there is a very good chance that a police officer in your congregation is carrying a weapon. You will never know if there is such an individual in your place of worship, until the wolf appears to massacre you and your loved ones.

I was training a group of police officers in Texas, and during the break, one officer asked his friend if he carried his weapon in church. The other cop replied, "I will never be caught without my gun in church." I asked why he felt so strongly about this, and he told me about a cop he knew who was at a church massacre in Ft. Worth, Texas in 1999. In that incident, a mentally deranged individual came into the church and opened fire, gunning down fourteen people. He said that officer believed he could have saved every life that day if he had been carrying his gun. His own son was shot, and all he could do was throw himself on the boy's body and wait to die. That cop looked me in the eye and said, "Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself after that?" Some individuals would be horrified if they knew this police officer was carrying a weapon in church. They might call him paranoid and would probably scorn him. Yet these same individuals would be enraged and would call for "heads to roll" if they found out that the airbags in their cars were defective, or that the fire extinguisher and fire sprinklers in their kids' school did not work. They can accept the fact that fires and traffic accidents can happen and that there must be safeguards against them. Their only response to the wolf, though, is denial, and all too often their response to the sheepdog is scorn and disdain. But the sheepdog quietly asks himself, "Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself if your loved ones were attacked and killed, and you had to stand there helplessly because you were unprepared for that day?"

It is denial that turns people into sheep. Sheep are psychologically destroyed by combat because their only defense is denial, which is counterproductive and destructive, resulting in fear, helplessness and horror when the wolf shows up. Denial kills you twice. It kills you once, at your moment of truth when you are not physically prepared: you didn't bring your gun, you didn't train. Your only defense was wishful thinking. Hope is not a strategy. Denial kills you a second time because even if you do physically survive, you are psychologically shattered by your fear, helplessness and horror at your moment of truth.

Gavin de Becker puts it like this in "Fear Less", his superb post-9/11 book, which should be required reading for anyone trying to come to terms with our current world situation: "...denial can be seductive, but it has an insidious side effect. For all the peace of mind deniers think they get by saying it isn't so, the fall they take when faced with new violence is all the more unsettling." Denial is a save-now-pay-later scheme, a contract written entirely in small print, for in the long run, the denying person knows the truth on some level. And so the warrior must strive to confront denial in all aspects of his life, and prepare himself for the day when evil comes. If you are warrior who is legally authorized to carry a weapon and you step outside without that weapon, then you become a sheep, pretending that the bad man will not come today. No one can be "on" 24/7, for a lifetime. Everyone needs down time. But if you are authorized to carry a weapon, and you walk outside without it, just take a deep breath, and say this to yourself..."Baa."

This business of being a sheep or a sheep dog is not a yes-no dichotomy. It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees, a continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-sand-sheep and on the other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end or the other. Most of us live somewhere in between. Since 9-11 almost everyone in America took a step up that continuum, away from denial. The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors, and the warriors started taking their job more seriously. The degree to which you move up that continuum, away from "sheephood" and denial, is the degree to which you and your loved ones will survive, physically and psychologically at your moment of truth.

"If It Weren't For The United States Military" "There Would Be NO United States of America"

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED

Caveats: NONE

Haji Girl Song

This video was banned by YouTube. I don't see why. US Marine Corporal Joshua Belile
is shown singing his song in Iraq. It's not nearly as offensive as some of the stuff on YouTube.
Read more about this at lazysupper.com

Xmas Sucks When....

If Today's Media Reported WWII

Midway Island Demolished. Yorktown, Destroyer Sunk.
Many US planes lost

June 7, 1942The United States Navy suffered another blow in its attempt to stem the Japanese juggernaut ravaging the Pacific Ocean. Midway Island, perhaps the most vital U.S. outpost, was pummeled by Japanese Naval aviators. The defending U.S. forces, consisting primarily of antique Buffalo fighters, were competely wiped out while the Japanese attackers suffered few, if any, losses.

In a nearby naval confrontation, the Japanese successfully attacked the Yorktown which was later sunk by a Japanese submarine. A destroyer lashed to the Yorktown was also sunk.
American forces claim to have sunk four Japanese carriers and the cruiser Mogami but those claims were vehemently denied by the Emporer's spokeman.
The American carriers lost an entire squadron of torpedo planes when they failed to link up with fighter escorts. The dive bombers had fighter escort even though they weren't engaged by enemy fighters. The War Dept. refused to answer when asked why the fighters were assigned to the wrong attack groups. The Hornet lost a large number of planes when they couldn't locate the enemy task force. Despite this cavalcade of errors, Admirals Fletcher and Spruance have not been removed.

Code Broken
The failure at Midway is even more disheartening because the U.S. Navy knew the Japanese were coming. Secret documents provided to the NY Times showed that "Magic" intercepts showed the Japanese planned to attack Midway, which they called "AF".
Obsolete Equipment
Some critics blamed the failure at Midway on the use of obsolete aircraft. The inappropriately named Devastator torpedo planes proved no match for the Japanese fighters. Even the Avengers, its schedule replacements, were riddled with bullets and rendered unflyable. Secretary of War Stimson dodged the question saying simply: "You go to war with the Navy you have, not the Navy you want or would like to have". Critics immediately called for his resignation.

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.

Remembering Tokyo Rose

Anyone who remembers anything about World War II, or has studied anything about World War II, will understand and remember that during World War II, the Japanese developed a way to demoralize the American forces.



The Japanese psychological warfare experts developed a message they felt would work.



They gave their psychological warfare script to their famous broadcaster "Tokyo Rose" and every day she would broadcast this same message packaged in different ways, hoping it would have a negative impact on American an GI's morale. What was that demoralizing message?



It had three main points:



1. Your President is lying to you.

2. This war is illegal.

3. You cannot win the war



Does this sound familiar?



Is it because---



Tokyo Hillary - Tokyo Harry - Tokyo Teddy - Tokyo Nancy - Tokyo Durbin - Tokyo Kerry –

Tokyo Murtha - Tokyo Barack Hussein Obama Jr, etc. have all learned from the former enemies of our country and have picked up the same message and are broadcasting it on:



Tokyo CNN, Wolf Blitzer

Tokyo ABC, Charles Gibson

Tokyo CBS, Katie Couric

Tokyo NBC, Brian Williams / Tim Russert etc., to our troops?



The only difference is that they claim to support our troops before they try to demoralize them.



Come to think of it... Tokyo Rose told the American troops she was on their side, also.

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.