Category Archives: Infantry OCS

Better late than never

Posted on November 16, 2008 | Comments Off on Better late than never

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Nice pix via Morgan at House of Eratosthenes. 

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Posted in Infantry OCS

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Barry’s intentions

Posted on September 11, 2008 | Comments Off on Barry’s intentions

In the verbal rugby at my OCS email group over why we should/should not vote for Barry, his champions have turned to CAPITAL LETTERS to express their indignation that the establishment media is wasting time over Barry’s "allegedly" calling Sarah a pig, when it should be discussing "the issues." Good Dems always get exercised when the MSM steps (oh, so, momentarily) outside its habit of criticizing Republicans to criticize one of their nobles. It certainly is one of the few, if not the only times, the sycophantic media has questioned His Holiness.

I side with Treacher on this one. Barry certainly did mean to call Sarah a pig, and his audience certainly picked it up that way. Just as he meant to give Hillary the finger back in the spring when she dared to criticize him in a debate. He folds under pressure. Not a good sign for a wouldbe president. Moreover, after twenty years in the pews of his racist Chicago church, Barry’d probably like to whack Whitey a lot more than he has. But he knows that he can’t do that and get elected. So he allows himself to wallow in the safer mud of sexism. As for "the issues," that’s the standard Dem dodge, only trotted out when they seem to be in danger of losing. As, indeed, they certainly are. Surprise, surprise.

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Posted in Blogosphere, Infantry OCS, Scribbles

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A windup Big Ben

Posted on September 5, 2008 | Comments Off on A windup Big Ben

We all got up a bit late this morning and had to rush to get Mr. B. off to school on time. He made it, but it’s not a good sign, considering Mom is flying out of town tomorrow for a week and I have to organize the morning rush by myself. But I have the solution.

It reminds me of my salad days in the 6th Cav, when I was late to the dawn regimental formation twice in a row. "Lt. Stanley, you need  a windup Big Ben," the First Sergeant, a short, stout Jamaican, told me. "Or else start sleeping in the barracks with your platoon." I got the clock. It worked, clanging me out of bed every morning. WestClox apparently no longer makes the old model with two big bells on the top, but Seth Thomas does. I’m going to buy one of those awful things today.

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Posted in Infantry OCS, Mr. Boy, Viet Nam

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Unawed by Baby Barry

Posted on August 29, 2008 | Comments Off on Unawed by Baby Barry

My OCS class email group is largely silent this morning, despite an exhortatory email about the still altogether-mysterious B. Hussein Obama from our one participating African-American. Most of the class are Republicans, and would not be moved by such rhetoric in any case, but no doubt wish to be polite and not rain on our old friend’s understandably-enthusiastic parade. In the privacy of the voting booth, however, I have little doubt that most of us will, like the majority of the American voting population, vote against BHO. I only wonder how hard he will be crushed. Significantly, I think, which might be why Mac put out a one-time congratulatory tee-vee ad last night. Pretty classy of McCain, considering BHO has almost no class at all.

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Posted in Infantry OCS, The War, Viet Nam

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Lock and load

Posted on August 12, 2008 | Comments Off on Lock and load

OCS classmate Bill Cunningham has finally provided the explanation for this phrase which has puzzled and annoyed me for years. Load and lock, okay. But lock and load? Huh?

I had previously found some good history on it, but it didn’t explain how the term applied to modern assault rifles. Bill harkens back to our days on the firing range at Fort Benning, reminding that we were told to lock our magazines into our rifles, "with that careful, upward tap for safety," and only then load a round into the chamber. Lock and load. Simple. Thanks, Bill.

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Posted in Infantry OCS, Troops, Viet Nam

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Fortieth anniversary

Posted on June 3, 2008 | Comments Off on Fortieth anniversary

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Sometimes, it seems like only yesterday…. Then I recall a 2003 reunion trip back to Fort Benning, which I found had changed almost beyond recognition, and I realize that June 3, 1968, graduation day, is long gone.

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Posted in Infantry OCS

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Surviving a tornado

Posted on May 17, 2008 | Comments Off on Surviving a tornado

Tom Higdon, an old Army buddy in Newtonia, MO, finally checks in with our email group to say that his family survived the tornadoes that killed twenty-one people in Southwest Missouri and Oklahoma on the night of May 10:

"WE are okay for the most part. Lost a garage, but the house pulled through. Newtonia is a war zone for sure. No injuries, but unbelievable destruction all over….No phone service since last Saturday until today…The tornado destroyed about 15 homes in the other end of town and damaged all others. We were very lucky on this one. We lost about 15 trees and everything not tied down in the yard. Yard and field are a mess." 

As always in these kinds of natural disasters, if you want to help, you should donate to the Red Cross (Missouri address here) or the Salvation Army nearest you. 

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Posted in Infantry OCS, Viet Nam, Weather/Climate

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