Stay in school

Servicemen overseas often get bundles of letters from pupils in the homeland. Most go unanswered, but I always tried to answer letters that came to me. This was a reply to a girl in Chicago who was hoping for Peace for the USA. I hope that she took my advice as she must be about 25 now.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Widest Road in Oregon Renamed in my Honor

Image
This is a very specific list of wars. I'd be bummed out if I'd fought in Kosovo, Syria, Somalia, or many other places where there have been conflicts, but who can complain about a road named for his three specific wars? Note that they didn't pick the usual (for Oregon) one-lane or even two-lane road, but a two-lane road with temporary third lane in the middle for turns.
Read more

Major General James N. Mattis and the Major James N. Mattis Marching Band

Image
A common theme between both authors and among all areas of combat operations is the appearance of marching bands. Stateside, I'm as big a fan of our marching bands as anyone. In combat -- well, I tend to grumble when the Marine Corps brings trombones, but not food. I've been serenaded during the Gulf War, in Iraq, and in Afghanistan, and tend to share the authors' cynicism. Gary, May 13, 2003: May 13, 2003, near Diwaniyah, Iraq. MajGen James N. Mattis: May 13, 2003, near Diwaniyah, Iraq. The MajGen James N. Mattis Marching Band:
Read more

They showed up

Image
Stepping Off frequently lauds men who showed up for battle, irrespective of the outcome, and frequently criticizes journalists for hyping battles beforehand but minimizing them after the fact. The men who landed on Omaha Beach 75 years ago were brave. So were the men who landed on Utah, Gold, Juno, and Sword Beaches. I knew a WWII vet who spent his whole enlistment chasing around the Pacific trying to catch up with the ship he was assigned to. Would he have fought just as bravely as the men at Normandy? I think so. I'm not diminishing the accomplishments of the men who took Omaha Beach. I've visited the cemetery there, spending many hours wandering the beach, rows of crosses, and the chapel. Designers of memorials alternate between nihilism and grandiosity, but the Normandy cemetery is perfect. Visit it if you haven't. Visit it again if you have. The men who fought there had no access to these: To say anything of these: They fought and d...
Read more