Blog Link…

I don’t often link to others, but this one is worth it…

JB has a post up worth reading, especially now…

In part-

When she surfaced again, Erich was still beside her and pushed her toward the south bank. His mother later said “I’m convinced that Erich gave no thought to saving his sister’s life… He just did it.” 
Erich pushed Hannele toward safety and before she could grab onto anything on the bank, she looked back toward her brother, watching as he was pulled under the surface.  
 
Hannele finally climbed out of the water. But Erich never did.  

 
/snip/
 
Erich gave to his community.  He gave to those who needed help, and he did so because that’s just what folks like him do.  To maintain that tradition, his family created the Erich Fritz Memorial Scholarship, which provides financial assistance to people entering a field of study in medical or healing arts.  
 
Please help me honor the memory of a fine man who lost his life helping his sister by donating to the scholarship.  
Go HERE and read the full story, and consider a donation please…

Veterans Day…

It’s that time of year again…

Next Monday, Nov 11 is Veterans Day and the following companies/restaurants/chains are offering discounts…

The following is a list of Veterans Day discounts on goods, services and dining that have been announced for 2013.

Keep in mind that most businesses require proof of military service, which can include a VA Universal Access Card, Military I.D., DD-214 (Discharge Papers), Veterans Service Organization Card (VSO’s include groups like the VFW, DAV, AmVets, MOAA, FRA, and the American Legion), or in some cases businesses will accept a picture of the veteran in uniform.

2013 Veterans Day Restaurant Offerings:

Applebees – Veterans and active duty military receive a free meal from a limited menu, on Veterans Day, Monday, Nov. 11.

Bar Louie– On Sunday, Nov. 10 and Monday, Nov. 11, all Bar Louie locations are offering veterans and military personnel a free meal up to a $12 value.

California Pizza Kitchen– Veterans and active military receive a free pizza on Monday, Nov. 11.

Champps– On Monday, Nov. 11, Champps will offer a free handcrafted burger with waffle fries to veterans and active duty military.

Charlie Brown’s Steakhouse– Charlie Brown’s is offering a free meal to veterans and active duty military all day on Monday, Nov. 11.

Chili’s – Veterans and active duty can get a free entrée all day from a special limited menu on Monday, Nov. 11.

Cheeseburger in Paradise– Veterans and military personnel receive a free All American Burger with fries on Monday, Nov. 11 with the beverage purchase of $1.99.

Denny’s– Active, inactive and retired military personnel can get free all you can eat pancakes on Veterans Day nationwide.

FATZ– Veterans and active duty military can enjoy a free entrée at FATZ, up to a $15 value. Veterans who dine at FATZ on November 11 will also receive a $2 coupon for use on their next visit.

Friendly’s– Veterans and active military receive a free Big Two Do Breakfast and coffee on Monday, Nov. 11.

Golden Corral – Golden Corral is offering a free dinner on Monday Nov. 11, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Military retirees, veterans, active duty, National Guard and Reserves are all welcome.

Hooters–Veterans and active duty military receive a free meal on Monday, Nov. 11.

Hoss’s Family Steak & Sea House– Veterans eat for free on Monday, Nov. 11 from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Krispy Kreme– Krispy Kreme stores are offering a free doughnut and small coffee on Monday, Nov. 11 when presenting a military ID or wearing a uniform.

Little Caesars– Veterans and active military members get a free order of Crazy Bread on Monday, Nov. 11.

Max and Erma’s – On Monday, Nov. 11, participating Max & Erma’s locations are saluting veterans and active military personnel with a free Best Cheeseburger in America Combo meal.

McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurants – On Sunday, November 10, participating McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurants will offer a complimentary entree to vets from a special menu.

Menchi’s —  All veterans will receive a free 6 oz. frozen yogurt on Monday, Nov. 11.

O’Charley’s– Veterans and active duty servicemembers get a complimentary meal from a limited menu on Monday, Nov. 11.

Olive Garden– On Monday, Nov. 11, all veterans and current servicemembers get a free meal from a limited menu. Family dining with them will also receive 10% off their meal.

On the Border– Veterans and active duty military can enjoy a free meal from the “Create Your Own Combo menu” on Monday, Nov. 11.

Paciugo Gelato Caffè– Paciugo is offering a free 12 oz. Gelatte® to veterans and active duty military on Monday, Nov. 11 at participating locations.

Red Robin– Veterans and active duty military get a free Tavern Double Burger and Bottomless Steak Fries on Monday, Nov. 11.

Shoney’s — Shoney’s will be offering a free All-American Burger to veterans and active duty servicemembers on Monday, Nov. 11.

Sizzler– Sizzler is offering active duty and retired military members a free lunch from a limited menu on Monday, Nov. 11 until 4 p.m.

Spaghetti Warehouse– On Sunday, Nov. 10 and Monday, Nov. 11, choose one original spaghetti entrée or 15-layer lasagna and get the second entrée free. This deal requires a coupon, which is available starting Nov. 6 at the Spaghetti Warehouse website, the Facebook page, and can be presented from a mobile phone.

Texas Roadhouse– Texas Roadhouse locations nationwide will offer veterans a free lunch on Monday, Nov. 11 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Offer is good for active duty, retired or former U.S. military.

TGIFridays– Veterans and active duty military get a free lunch from a select menu on Monday, Nov. 11 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Tucanos Brazilian Grill– Active duty, reserve and retired military and veterans receive a free Churrasco meal on Monday, Nov. 11. They are also offering 10% off the entire bill for veterans and troops who dine with their families, from Friday, Nov. 8 through Veteran’s Day, Monday, Nov. 11.

Travel Centers of America– On Monday, Nov. 11, all CDL drivers who are military veterans eat free at participating full-service restaurants.

Village Inn– All veterans and active military personnel receive a free breakfast on Monday, Nov. 11. Choose between Buttermilk Pancakes, Belgian Waffle, or French Toast.

2013 Veterans Day Travel and Recreation:

Knotts Berry Farm – Knott’s Berry Farm is offering free admission for veterans and active duty military personnel and one guest from November 4, 2013 to January 5, 2014.

National Parks – On Veterans Day weekend (Nov. 9-11) veterans will have access to over 100 National Parks that require entrance fees for free.

Red Roof Inn – Red Roof Inn is offering 15% off at more than 350 properties nationwide in the month of November to veterans, active duty military and their families.

Sea World Parks and Entertainment – Veterans and active duty military can get 50% off single-day admission tickets through Nov.11, 2013.

World of Coca-Cola– Military members receive complimentary admission year-round, but in honor of Veterans Day they also may purchase up to four half-price tickets for their friends and family Nov. 9-17.

2013 Veterans Day Retailer Offerings:

Bed Bath and Beyond – Bed Bath and Beyond is offering veterans 20% off their entire purchase on Nov. 9, 10, and 11. This is good for active duty, DoD, reserves, guard, retirees, veterans, and military spouses.

Grace for Vets – Car washes from around the world who join this program offer free car washes to veterans and servicemembers on Nov. 11.

Great Clips– On Monday, Nov. 11, customers who come in for a service can get a free haircut card to give to their favorite veteran. Veterans can also receive a free haircut or get the free haircut card. Haircuts are redeemable until Dec. 31.

Home Depot  – Home Depot offers a 10% discount to all veterans during Veterans Day, Memorial Day and Independence Day. Home Depot offers the 10% discount year round to for active duty and retirees.

Lowe’s – All veterans receive a 10% discount on Veterans Day, Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. The offer is available in stores only.

Massage Envy– Participating Massage Envy locations in the Washington DC, Maryland, and northern Virginia region are offering a complimentary 1-hour massage to active military, veterans and spouses on Monday, Nov. 11.

Sport Clips – Participating locations are offering veterans and active duty servicemembers free haircuts on Monday, Nov. 11.

Other:

America’s Parade– Veterans are invited to march in this New York City parade on Nov. 11.

Medal of Honor Stamps– The U.S. Postal Service will issue special Medal of Honor stamps on Veterans Day, Nov. 11.

Year-Round Veterans Discounts:

Foot Locker– Veterans, servicemembers (active, guard, and reserve), and their immediate families with a Foot Locker Veterans Advantage Card receive a 20% discount every day of the year. That offer is good both online and at any store location, including Foot Locker, Lady Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Footaction and Champs Sports — even on sale items.

Home Depot  – Home Depot offers a 10% discount (up to a $500 maximum) to all active military, reserve, retired or disabled veterans and their family members with a valid military ID. All other veterans qualify for a 10% discount during Veterans Day, Memorial Day and Independence Day.

Lowe’s– Lowe’s offers a year-round 10% discount offer for all active duty, National Guard and Reserve, retirees and disabled servicemembers and their immediate families. All other veterans receive the 10% discount on Veterans Day, Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. The discount is available on in-stock and special-order purchases of up to $5,000. The offer can’t be used on sales at Lowes.com, on previous sales or on sales of services or gift cards. You must present a valid military I.D. card to receive the discount.

Thanks to all these organizations for stepping up and remembering our Veterans!!!

What a view…

This is the view my old friend has out his office window…

IMG_1448

If I had this view, I’d never get any work done…

Just sayin…

Overheard this morning…

I woke up at 0 dark 30 and decided to go try to get a pic of San Diego across the bay, since it was dead flat calm.  While I was trying that, a 20something young thing came in and parked her little BMW convertible in the parking lot adjacent to where I was standing and got out and started stretching.

I had noticed an older man walking down the sidewalk and smoking a cigarette. As he got closer, I heard the 20something huff and mumble something under her breath.  As the old man got even with her, she snapped (words to the effect) “You need to put that cigarette out, you’re OFFENDING me.”

I turned around at that, and heard him say, “Don’t care, I’m not bothering you.”

She went off on a rant about how ‘she’ was concerned about her health and he ‘owed’ it to her to not poison her atmosphere with smoke, and he needed to be more considerate.

He just looked at her and said (words to the effect), “Missy, I really don’t give two s**ts in a handbasket for what you want or don’t want.  I’m 91 years old, I was in three wars to defend this country, and I did it to preserve the freedoms we enjoy today.  And one of ‘my’ freedoms is damn well to be able to smoke a damn cigarette on a public sidewalk when I want to.   You can take your political correctness and bulls**t and stick it up your scrawny ass.”  Pointing with the hand with the cigarette in it, he continued, “YOU are offending me with your attitude and whiney little voice, and I’m betting your parents never whipped your ass in your life. You don’t like my smoking, leave!”

She just stood there with her mouth open for probably 30 seconds and then burst out crying, ran to her car and burned out of the parking lot.  I just started applauding the old man…

He just chuckled and said, “Piss on em all.  My old lady won’t let me smoke in the house, and the hotels out here don’t either; so I was already in bad mood, and she just capped it all off.”

We chatted for about 15 minutes, come to find out he was in the tail end of the Iwo Jima landings, Korea and Vietnam and retired with 32 years active as an E-9 in the Marine Corps.  He also said he’d had both knees and both hips replaced, and he was damn glad he’d gotten it done before now.  He was very critical of the current state of affairs, and said he hadn’t done what he had during his career to have the country end up where it is today…

Which brought this one to mind-

image001

Apparently he and his wife are in town to attend a combined family reunion and 60th wedding anniversary for he and his wife.

I wished him well and thanked him for his service, and walked back to my hotel still smiling…

And I jumped on email and got this one from JP…

image001-1

And with IRS enforcement… sigh…

Oldie but a goody…

Waiting for the meeting to start and ran across this one.

George Carlin at his best…

And lots of truth in that routine!!!

Posted from my iPhone.

The Grey Man, update…

In response to a number of email questions, here’s an update for y’all…

I’m making the corrections passed back by the Alpha readers, and it’s gone to edit.  A cover has been selected and this is it.

The cover is an original work by one of my loyal readers, Mrs. Crankypants, who is a graphic artist in real life…  And I’m very happy with the way this looks and carries the ‘theme’ of the book…

Target1000vs2smbullets

 

Thank you to all those who have and are providing feedback and criticism, I do appreciate it and you ARE helping make the finished product better…

I thought writing it was hard, but DAMN I’m a lousy at punctuation and sentence structures… WAY too many years writing technical publications!!!  Editing all my mistakes is truly humbling and again appreciation to those who’ve provided feedback, honestly I missed damn near every one of the things y’all caught, and I can only blame the forest/TREE problem for that…

The editor I’ve picked is NOT a shooter, so I’m hoping she will catch some of the more egregious things that need further explanation; and yes, there will be an appendix with all the acronyms spelled out (along with the 10 codes)…

Can’t give a definitive publication date, but as things firm up and the editing winds down, I’ll put another update up…

Thanks for your patience!

There ARE still people that care…

From Johnny Jet’s travel blog…

Delta Flight 2255 from Atlanta to Los Angeles seemed to be an ordinary flight with the exception of Candy, who was the most loving flight attendant I’ve ever encountered. Besides using her southern charm to quickly defuse every situation, she began her welcome announcement by thanking the handful of uniformed soldiers on-board for serving our country. Her poignant message was followed by applause and put into perspective that none of us would be able to do what we do if it wasn’t for these brave men and women.

But this transcontinental flight turned out to be everything but ordinary. We later learned, when the captain got on the PA system about 45 minutes prior to landing, that we were transporting a fallen soldier.

Go read HERE, and bring a Kleenex or three…

Johnny is a travel editor and writer who flies more than I do, but this one impressed me. He actually took the time to this post, in addition to some earlier ones about how the airlines take care of our fallen.

United also boards military first, and I’ve given up my seat to them too… BTDT, I want them to be treated better than I was coming back…

Illustrated Guide to Gun Control…

Gleefully stolen from HERE. And Lawdog posted it HERE.

Lawdog did the words that were then taken by DS and turned into the graphic presented below…

lawdog gun control

The only thing I can say is KUDOS both to Lawdog for distilling the whole argument down to just a few well chosen words, and the folks (and DS the artist) at Hypocrisy and Stupidity of Gun Control Advocates for putting this in a graphic EVEN the left can understand…

And folks, this IS the reality of what is going on right now… Plain and simple…

Guam Bombs and other cars…

Brigid has a great post up on cars and travel HERE, which brought back a lot of memories…

Back in the day, we bought/traded/swiped deployment cars…

These ‘things’ were only cars in the ‘nominal’ meaning of the word, and a passing resemblance to their automotive heritage…

Some of the more infamous ones I personally remember are the $25 Guam Bomb, bought from an outgoing crew.  This thing was a late 50’s Chrysler something or other, all four fenders flapping in the breeze, and pieces of plywood nailed together to cover the missing back floorboards (and provide a ‘little’ stability to the seat cushion)…  The trunk was totally rusted out, no spare, and the lock was long gone.  The trunk lid was tied down with safety wire to the back bumper and never used, but it ran (kinda sorta), and you could pile 8 people in it as long as folks braced their feed on the frame rails…

Up in Misawa one year we got a ’73 Honda Civic for $50. It was a first year car, I think 50hp, and rusted all to hell and gone… And we were there on a winter deployment… Max of four people (especially in parkas), and I’m not sure the heater EVER worked!  We rolled this particular car on a road trip to Aomori to see the castle, and we just got out, flipped it back over and continued on.  I do remember all four side windows were broken out, but we had parkas…

Switching coasts, we did a Kef deployment, and the price went up, we paid $100 for an old 164 Volvo, all the side windows gone, and again a winter deployment, BUT they included a broom to sweep the car out with! 🙂  We drove that POS all over the place, out to the Blue Lagoon and even down to Reykjavik the one weekend we had off… Great car, other than being a ‘tad’ drafty at speed…

Bermuda didn’t have crew cars, but they had motorcycles/scooters/bikes… Suffice to say there were some ‘interesting’ days with those… Carrying golf clubs on a 100cc Kawasaki is an experience is all I’m gonna say!  And the rides back from the Swizzle Inn sometimes turned into walking and pushing the bike because you couldn’t maintain your balance (and didn’t want to get a ticket for drunk driving), much less have the Doc scrub the coral out of the road rash with a wire brush!!!

Italy was another set of crew cars, and ‘quite’ the lesson learned about driving without rules…  We picked up a little Fiat Abarth,  for ummm… Nothing I think… The two bases were split by about 10 miles so it made quiet a few trips between the two, both on the main highway (SCARY), and the back roads…

I do remember the XO got hit by a Fiat Cinquecento that was passing a car that was passing a truck that was passing a bus that was passing a car, on a bridge! The XO was up against the guard rail and slamming on brakes when he got hit (but walked away with no injuries). AND the Polizia tried to find him at fault!!!

Sadly today most bases ban crew cars and crews are NOT allowed to drive or even rent cars in a most places (safety and all that crap)… So the folks never get a chance to get out and actually interact with the locals (buying spare parts, getting repairs made, having interesting conversations with the police)…

But there was one ‘good’ car that got borrowed!  Utapao, back in the day, the AF wouldn’t give the OIC a vehicle.  One got ‘liberated’ from the motor pool, painted Navy Gray and acquired a ‘stock number’ that was, I believe, the OIC’s serial number… Last trip through there it was still in use and still being serviced by the AF motor pool… 🙂   

Things you DON’T want to see…

Talk about a Rut Roh moment…

Dunno if the photog survived, but the camera obviously did, well up till the last moment there…

In news closer to home, Sequestration strikes yet again…

Navy pulls plug on Patuxent River Naval Air Museum Lexingon Park, MD – By Dick Myers

Artist’s rendering of new Patuxent River Naval Air Museum <http://www.thebaynet.com/images/news/full/8AFF18391AC0CE6534806CD9CB61FEB2.jpg>

Artist’s rendering of new Patuxent River Naval Air Museum

The Navy has pulled the plug on the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum. With only a week’s notice the Navy in a letter dated September 24 informed the association that operates the museum that they were revoking a U.S. Government License that allowed the Navy to maintain the three buildings that constitute the museum. The effective date of the revocations was October 1. The Navy has also halted paying for the museum’s annual utility bill of $40,000.

In a letter to the county commissioners, Patuxent River Naval Air Museum Association (PRNAMA) President Arvid “Ed’ Forsman, Capt. USN (Ret) wrote: “The letter comes as no surprise to our Museum Association as they notified us approximately two years ago that this may eventually happen due to continued cutbacks to the DOD and Navy Budgets. Funding of other small Navy museums at other Navy sites has been terminated as well due to budget considerations.”

Forsman told the commissioners the Navy’s decision may have a silver lining. “While it is disappointing that they have terminated their relationship as a formal Navy museum, this decision will provide us with new opportunities that were not possible before this decision was made. We now have the flexibility to charge fees for the use of our museum for meetings and conferences, which we were not allowed to do previously according to Navy rules,” he wrote.

Forsman said charging rentals for events such as Change of Commands, Navy Retirement functions and community events could allow the museum to offset the lost Navy revenue. He wrote, additionally, “We will also be able to charge a small admission fee to visit the museum should it be necessary in the future.”

The lost $40,000 revenue amounts to 20 percent of the museum annual operating expenses of $180,000.

The Navy decision comes as the county is about to relaunch construction of a new facility after more than a year delay. The county rescinded the museum’s original construction contract with Broughton, a minority-owned business, when it was learned that the company had supplied “fraudulent performance bonds” according to the county Director of Finance Elaine Kramer.

In August the county accepted a new $4.8 million bid by Biscayne Contractors. The bid was $200,000 more than the original bid.  The county is now awaiting approval from the state for the new bid since the state is administering the federal monies that have been received for the project. Of the bid price, the federal government will kick in $3.373 million, the state $350,000 (from a bond bill), the museum association $945,000 and the county the remainder, which represents 10 percent of the total.

I have my doubts that they will be able to succeed and the Navy ‘may’ pull the airplanes back which are the real reason the few folks that actually go there want to see… To say it’s off the beaten path is putting it mildly…

And the Early Bird is dead too… 50 years…

The Early Bird is dead

By Gordon Lubold

The Early Bird is dead and Steve Warren is the one who shot it down. The Early Bird, the compendium of news stories distributed each day to DOD officials, other government officials and journalists since 1948, is gone, Situation Report has learned. The Bird, which had ceased publication due to the shutdown, never made a comeback after the government opened and Col. Steve Warren, who heads the Pentagon’s press operations, had said it was under review. Insiders knew it was on life support, but it was Warren who wanted the plug pulled. The Bird, which had an audience of 1.5 million each month, had grown too big, was too dated – simply providing a daily snapshot at 5:40 a.m. each day when it arrived by e-mail, and the publication, which was also appeared online to authorized users, had amounted to a copyright infringement against media outlets who never saw the “clicks.”

The Bird had also become a major headache to Pentagon officials who would in effect chase their tails each day after a story ran in it. Still, it was also a valuable and begrudgingly loved publication that had turned 50 years old. Longtime staffers Taft Phoebus and Linda Lee, who were behind the Bird for years, will remain on Warren’s staff.

“This is the end of an era,” Col. Steve Warren told Situation Report. “And I will probably be the first inductee into the Public Affairs Hall of Infamy. There is a lot of anger out there.”

What killed the Bird more specifically? Three things: Concerns over copyright infringement, the advent of the Internet and thirdly, the fact that it had become, as Warren termed it, “The Early Beast.” As the Bird’s audience grew over the years, and as “clicks” reflecting interest in any one story have become of extreme importance to media outlets, Pentagon officials knew they were increasingly pilfering content. The Early Bird did not contain Internet links to news site’s home pages but was an internal document containing whole stories. Media outlets had begun asking questions of the Pentagon. Also, it was also created at a time long before the Internet provided global information in real time. When Warren was a lieutenant in Korea in the 1990s, it was the only way for commanders to know what was in The New York Times that day, for example, was through the Early Bird. Not so anymore. But the Bird, once termed by The Times as the most influential government publication, had become too influential, Warren said, “driving the entire train at the Pentagon and across the force” every day. A story in the Bird was given sometimes disproportional weight simply because it appeared there. Warren: “The Early Bird would very often dictate the day’s events for countless numbers of staffers and commanders. People would organize their day around what was in the Early Bird.”

And while it was supposed to provide “situational awareness” to commanders and other DOD officials, Warren said, it was often seen as doing public relations  – containing only the stories top officials wanted people to see – instead of true SA. 

It must have changed from when I was reading it on a daily basis, because there used to be quite a bit of ‘consternation’ depending on what showed up in the “Bird”…

More impacts, not very visible outside a fairly small audience; but it’s looking like death by a thousand cuts…

Dammit…