Via Borepatch, you really need to read this one…
http://idrivewarships.wordpress.com/2013/11/10/a-sailors-dying-wish/
It just proves the ‘real’ traditions of the Navy are alive and well in that they truly take care of shipmates, young AND old…
RIP EM2 Cloud, the kids are picking up the tradition you helped start…
The Navy and Marines are doing their jobs and once again responding to a natural disaster…
WASHINGTON (NNS) — Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has ordered the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) and other U.S. Navy ships to make best speed for the Republic of the Philippines.
The aircraft carrier, which carries 5,000 Sailors and more than 80 aircraft, is currently in Hong Kong for a port visit. The crew is being recalled early from shore leave and the ship is expected to be underway later this evening.
In company with the carrier will be the cruisers USS Antietam (CG 54) and USS Cowpens (CG 63), and the destroyer USS Mustin (DDG 89). The supply ship USNS Charles Drew (T-AKE-10) is already underway and will rendezvous with the group as they get closer. USS Lassen (DDG 82) got underway yesterday for the region. Embarked on board USS George Washington, is Carrier Air Wing Five (CVW-5).
CVW-5 is a collection of aircraft designed to perform various functions including disaster relief and includes the “Golden Falcons” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 12 flying the MH-60S Seahawk; and the “Saberhawks” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 77 flying the MH-60R Seahawk.
As needed, these ships and aircraft will be able to provide humanitarian assistance, supplies, and medical care in support of the ongoing efforts led by the government and military of the Republic of the Philippines.
The ships should be on station within 48-72 hours. The Defense Department is continuing to work closely with the Philippine government to determine what, if any, additional assets may be required.
From the BBC.
Roughly 250 Marines and sailors with the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade are on the ground in the Philippines as of Tuesday morning. Their chief mission is to support the Philippine military in lifting support materials into the disaster zone, as well as evacuating Americans and injured locals. BG Paul Kennedy, the III MEB commander, toured the disaster zone by plane shortly after arriving there.
I understand from folks in theater there will be a pretty large effort, much like what USS LINCOLN did during the Indonesian earthquakes…
I’m sure the UN will try to take credit, and I really hope they don’t try (again) to make our Sailors and Marines wear the Blue Beanies…
But it’s interesting that there is little to no coverage of this other than Fox and foreign news services…
And I’m betting the administration won’t cough up any extra funds to replace what’s being used in the HA/DR efforts, or replace any of the consumables that go over the side to support those in need.
One could go on, but you get the point, even if the media does not. Clearly, there is a problem with Democrats and guns.
No NRA member, Tea Party member, or Republican conservatives are involved.
SOLUTION: It should be illegal for Democrats to own guns.
Makes sense to me , and the best idea I’ve heard to date…
h/t Clarke
OH my aching doggies… Sigh…
Three days of walking around on a hard concrete floor has my dogs ‘barking’ and then some…
My impressions were that the crowds were down, but a lot more women shopping alone or in packs, including home defense shotguns, carry pistols and CCW purses (there were at least four or five people selling directly to women which I believe is good)! ARs are coming back to reality (e.g. stripped ARs back below $1000) lots of barrels available, LOTS of nicky neat scopes/red & green dots (good = pricey), high dollar stuff was higher than last year, and even ‘junk’ pieces were pricey if either S&W or Colt on the side. The one thing I didn’t see were the big displays from manufacturers that were there in the past, and some of the bigger ‘players’ were scaling back. The blame seems to lie with Ebay (pieces/parts) and online gun auctions (trojan bidders at the last minute) and lots of guns with huge reserves on them.
The true idiocy is now becoming original wood stocks for pistols/milsurp rifles! I saw $500 for an original set of late 60s Python grips, $550 for an original 1903 C-stock with cartouches!!!
I saw milsurp parts going for big (to me) $$, $200 plus for complete 03-A3 bolts, $50 for complete barrel bands and milled bayonet lugs, etc; and I saw a guy spend over $1400 for an M-1 JUST to get the Winchester receiver out of it (he said he had all Winchester parts to build a complete Winchester M-1).
Forty-mumble years ago we literally FILLED a long bed pickup with 1903, 1917, M-1, M-1 Carbine and M-14 stocks that were ALL perfect and we sold them for $25-$40 bucks up through the late 80s… sigh…
And a damn wooden rifle box full of 1903 and 03-A3 parts including complete bolts, receivers, scope mounts, barrel bands and misc. parts we sold for $100 because we got tired of moving the damn thing around (it took two of us just to slide it across the floor)… double sigh…
Here are couple of better pics of the K-22 (again thanks to Tam for the advice), it was built in 1975, and on further inspection, looks like it was ONLY test fired! And in answer to the emails; yes, I did get the box, paperwork and tools with it.
There is a small nick in the left stock just forward of the screw, but I’m not going to worry about it…
Right side, it’s nicely blued!
No powder residue showing on the cylinder…
And no muzzle wear showing at all!
And I swear at LEAST a 12lb trigger pull in DA… Trigger finger is gonna get a workout breaking this puppy in…
To all those who’ve served, THANK YOU!!!
U.S. President Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed Armistice Day for November 11, 1919. In proclaiming the holiday, he said
“To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.”
The United States Congress passed a concurrent resolution seven years later on June 4, 1926, requesting that President Calvin Coolidge issue another proclamation to observe November 11 with appropriate ceremonies. A Congressional Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U.S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday: “a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as ‘Armistice Day’.”
In 1945, World War II veteran Raymond Weeks from Birmingham, Alabama, had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans, not just those who died in World War I. Weeks led a delegation to Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, who supported the idea of National Veterans Day. Weeks led the first national celebration in 1947 in Alabama and annually until his death in 1985. President Reagan honored Weeks at the White House with the Presidential Citizenship Medal in 1982 as the driving force for the national holiday. Elizabeth Dole, who prepared the briefing for President Reagan, determined Weeks as the “Father of Veterans Day.”
U.S. Representative Ed Rees from Emporia, Kansas, presented a bill establishing the holiday through Congress. President Dwight Eisenhower, also from Kansas, signed the bill into law on May 26, 1954.[3]
Congress amended this act on June 1, 1954, replacing “Armistice” with “Veterans,” and it has been known as Veterans Day since.
Whether the administration likes it or not…
Tulsa is as big as usual… 4000 tables, and a whole bunch of high dollar stuff…
Pieces/parts are out of sight too! AePilot Jim made it over for the day and he wins the smallest/most expensive part… But that’s ‘his’ story!
The usual assholes and lowballers were out in force, and got pissed when the price didn’t get dropped to suit them… Too bad, so sad… 🙂
Ammo is coming down (a bit), but still high. Availability was pretty good on the normal stuff and there was a good bit of .22 in evidence (and I did see hand trucks of ammo, including .22 going out the door today). ARs are coming back down with stripped lowers back around $125, and lots of barrels, etc. available. And for everybody that likes to rag on me about ‘expensive’ Colts, hate to tell you, but S&W are now right up there with them… Tables with $2000+ S&W and at least one ‘factory’ engraved Model 29 over $5000 (and the highest S&W box (empty) I saw was $125)!!!
As I alluded to, thanks to Tam I got the ‘right’ K-22 for instructing with, and here’s a quick pic of it.
Better pics when I get back to NOVA.
I’m on the road again, so not much time to do a good post, so in lieu of that, a compilation of Bud ads, going back to the mid-90s that somebody put together; they’re a nice break from the BS we’re seeing right now…
Enjoy!!!
Whatever you think about beer, you have to give Bud credit for some truly creative ads, and some truly moving ones too…
And here’s a bit of the backstory…
I are at Tulsa for the gun show, so don’t expect much outta me until next week!
Thanks to Tam’s advice, I got a decent buy on a K-22… Pics later…
Expecting AePilot Jim to show up tomorrow.
Prices are higher than ever, and lots of grumbling by dealers and others about E-Bay, Square (apparently refuses to handle gun purchases/credit card transactions) and Gun Broker running up prices…
238th Birthday for the USMC…
A little long at 15 minutes, but worth watching…
Semper Fi Marines!
And does one helluva job of telling truth to power, e.g. the Pres…
Dear President Obama,
I wanted to take a moment to say thank you for all you have done and are doing. You see I am a single Mom located in the very small town of Palmer, Texas. I live in a small rental house with my two children. I drive an older car that I pray daily runs just a little longer. I work at a mediocre job bringing home a much lower paycheck than you or your wife could even imagine living on. I have a lot of concerns about the new “Obamacare” along with the taxes being forced on us Americans and debts you are adding to our country. I have a few questions for you Mr. President.
Have you ever struggled to pay your bills? I have.
Have you ever sat and watched your children eat and you eat what was left on their plates when they were done, because there wasn’t enough for you to eat to? I have.
Have you ever had to rob Peter to pay Paul, and it still not be enough? I have.
Have you ever been so sick that you needed to see a doctor and get medicine, but had no health insurance because it was too expensive? I have.
Have you ever had to tell your children no, when they asked for something they needed? I have.
Have you ever patched holes in pants, glued shoes, replaced zippers, because it was cheaper than buying new? I have.
Have you ever had to put an item or two back at the grocery store, because you didn’t have enough money? I have.
Have you ever cried yourself to sleep, because you had no clue how you were going to make ends meet? I have.
My questions could go on and on. I don’t believe you have a clue what Americans are actually going through and honestly, I don’t believe you care. Not everyone lives extravagantly. While your family takes expensive trips that cost more than most of us make in two-four years, there are so many of us that suffer. Yet, you are doing all you can to add to the suffering.
I think you are a very selfish and cold hearted man, who does not care what is best for the people he was elected by (not by me) to represent, but more so out for the glory of your name attached to history. So thank you Mr. President, thank you for pushing those of us that are barely staying afloat completely under water and driving America into the ground.
You have made your mark in history, as the absolute worst and most hated president of the United States. God have mercy on your soul!
Sincerely,
Yolanda Vestal
Average American
Her facebook is HERE…
God Bless you lady!!!