Air America finally bit the big one!

Well, I have been predicting this since 2005, and finally the rich Liberals have gotten tired of pumping cash into a failed and dying network. I don’t think it ever made it over 100 stations, although Memphis actually had an affiliate for about a year, WWTQ. They gave up after they couldn’t fit a piece of paper between their Nielson rating and zero.

I listened to them from time to time, but finally gave up. I listened to them just to hear what they were saying. But years of “Bush lied!” “Bush is a Nazi!” “Bush is EEeevil!” tends to grate on even the faithful after a couple of years.

Of course, the Liberals who ran it and supported it will blame Conservative talk radio. And everybody else as well. The reasons why Liberal talk radio failed are many and varied, and none of the reasons are their fault.

Let us hope that no more liberals without radio experience try to start it back up again. I would rather drill a hole in my head with a 1/2″ paddle bit than listen to any more Liberal talk radio. I’m sure there are tens of millions of Conservatives who feel the same way as I do.

Goodbye and good riddance.

Well, unless the Liberals can pull 100,000 votes out of their behinds, We have 41 Republicans in the US Senate. Don’t start celebrating quite yet. There are still a couple of dirty tricks that the Liberals can pull. They can use the “nuclear option,” Which would get rid of the 60 vote rule (because the 60 vote thing is just a point of procedure for the Senate), or the House could quickly vote on the Senates passed bill, negating the need for a compromise committee to unify the House and Senate bills for a final vote. If the House passes the Senate bill, then the President can sign it into law and it wouldn’t matter for “health care reform” if the Senate Republicans could block it or not.

There are a couple of other dirty tricks they could try, but I can’t think of them right off the top of my head.

Anyway, the most Liberal state in the Union, (guess who voted Democrat in Reagans 1984 49 state landslide) put a Republican into office. I don’t know enough about him to say he is a Conservative, because just because you are a Republican doesn’t automatically mean you’re Conservative and vice versa.

He is not against health care reform, but he is against this bill of health care reform. After the citizens of Massachusets have already suffered under a microcosm of what the national health care reform would be, they don’t want it, and I can hardly blame them.

Be happy, but don’t start celebrating yet. We still have a lot of work to do.

I just learned this morning that Left Wing Cracker’s long time partner has died. All of the details are on Facebook, where I do not/cannot go, but from what I understand, she had a heart attack, then suffered brain death sometime last night. She will, however, live on in other people as LWC & family has donated her organs.

My deepest sympathies go out to LWC and all of the family and friends that surrounded Lauren.

I just got an email while I was on vacation that my win several months ago in a Flames of War tournament at Gamerz Depot has me qualified for the 2010 Nationals being held this summer, somewhere up in Eastern Pennsylvania. Some details are still up in the air, but I’m starting to save for the trip. I hope to split the trip with somebody so I don’t have to pay a whole lot more than I need to.

I figured that if I drove up by myself, and stayed by myself, it would be right around $1,100. I can pretty much cut that in half if I go with one other person, and even more if I split it with others. So, since I don’t do debt, I’m doing it in cash, that I’m socking away some every payday. I missed last years Nationals because I would have had to go on my own, and I didn’t have enough time to save up. This time I’m doing it right, and I should make it.

Which means, I have to get on the ball and actually develop a good tournament list, and paint it, since it is a requirement that I use all of their vehicles and that they are all painted. I have about 27 weeks, so I should be able to get it done, since I paint at a glacial speed. I’ll have some examples up as soon as I think they are presentable.

I know this comes a little late, but I just wanted to make sure that I told everyone who reads this blog that I wish them a healthy, wealthy and just generally good 2010! May all of your good dreams come true.

I’ll get back on the ball soon, I’ve spent the last 11 days off work, and I am looking forward to going back to work so I can rest up from my vacation! It seems that I have more to do and work a lot harder on vacation than I do at my day job!

You can find this poem and more at A Soldiers Christmas.

‘Twas the night before Christmas, he lived all alone,
in a one bedroom house made of plaster and stone.
 

I had come down the chimney with presents to give,
and to see just who in this little house lived.
 

As I looked all about, a strange sight I did see,
No tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.
 

No Stockings by mantle, just boots filled with sand,
On the wall hung pictures of far distant lands.
 

With medals and badges, awards of all kinds,
A sobering thought came through my mind.
 

For this house was different, it was dark and dreary,
 The home of a soldier, I could now see clearly.
 

The soldier lay sleeping, silent, alone,
Curled up on the floor in this one bedroom home.
 

The face was so gentle, the room in such disorder,
Not how I picture a United States Soldier.
 

Was this the hero of whom I’d just read?
Curled up on a poncho, the floor for a bed?
 

I realized the families that I saw this night,
owed their lives to these soldiers who were willing to fight.
 

Soon round the world, the children would play,
and grownups would celebrate a bright Christmas day.
 

They all enjoyed freedom each month of the year,
because of the soldiers, like the one lying here.
 

I couldn’t help wondering how many lay alone,
on a cold Christmas Eve in a land far from home.
 

The very thought brought a tear to my eye,
I dropped to one knee and started to cry.
 

The soldier awakened and I heard a rough voice,
“Santa don’t cry, for this life is my choice”.
 

I fight for freedom, I don’t ask for more,
My life is my God, my country, my corps.”
 

The soldier rolled over and drifted to sleep,
I couldn’t control it, I continued to weep.
 

I kept watch for hours, so silent and still,
as we both shivered from the cold night’s chill.
 

I didn’t want to leave, on that cold, dark night,
this guardian of honor, so willing to fight.
 

Then the soldier rolled over, with a voice soft and pure,
whispered, “Carry on Santa…., It’s Christmas Day…., All is secure.
       

One look at my watch, and I knew he was right,
Merry Christmas my friend…. and to all a Good Night.

                        ~ Author Unknown *~

Please remember those who fight for our freedom this Christmas. They are my brothers and sisters. They fight on far away battlefields, not knowing if they will survive the day, willingly laying down their lives for our freedom, and you’d better damn well remember that. If you don’t like it, then get the hell out of my country. Just the thought of what they are going through for us has me on the verge of openly weeping.

Those who refuse to support and defend a state have no claim to protection by that state.

A collaborator is someone who feeds his friends to the alligator, hoping he will be eaten last.

Back in this post I worte about the smart grid system, and how it will lead to a control of our home thermostats in the name of “energy conservation.”

This is what I wrote:

Also, with monitoring now, control inevitably follows. California is already trying to control the thermostats of homes and businesses because they don’t have enough power. So your house temperature would be set by the government, not by you. Doesn’t that sound a little, intrusive? But it will be the future, maybe not tomorrow, or next week, but within 5 years, it won’t sound so far fetched.

Well, this article has the following paragraph:

Someday utilities hope to use the meter to control consumption by major appliances like air conditioners. But experts are still debating what technical standards the meters and appliances should use to communicate.

If I want to keep my house at 87 degrees in the winter and 24 degrees in the summer, as long as I can afford the utility bills, that should be my right! This BS of telling us what is best for us by the regulation of my major appliances is just another nanny state step, brought on my those frackin’ Liberals who don’t think that I can make decisions on my own, or that I should not be allowed to make decisions like that, because I’m not “aware of the environment” and how I’m “damaging it.”

We don’t own the software we use on our computers, (what, you don’t read the EULA? Shame on you), now the power we purchase will not be ours, what’s next? What else will be taken away from us in the name of “You’re not smart enough, you don’t understand”? We are already on the bridge to losing most of our freedoms over our own bodies by nationalizing health care. How about rationing of gasoline, to end the “wasteful abuse” by all those “evil” SUVs?

But Liberals need SUV’s, and control over their own thermostats. They’re smart enough to do it the right way, just not the rest of us.

Lord, save us from those who think they are saving us from ourselves.

Okay, another case of a Liberal knee-jerk reaction. The new Memphis Mayor AC Wharton’s administration is going to take steps to clean up the streets of the homeless using the police by ostensibly directing them towards resources, but will have the effect of chasing them out of town or putting them in jail. Put me down on the record for this not being right. A mailed fist cannot gently solve the problem.

Anyhoo, this story talks about the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center, who has decided to get outraged over this issue. They want to protest until jobs and housing is made available for these people.

Umm, the reason why they are homeless in the first place is the fact that most of the homeless have a mental illness or a co-occurring disorder (substance abuse and a mental illness) which cost them their ability to hold jobs in the first place. Same thing with the housing, their illness precludes them from living in a stable environment. Their families won’t have them, and they bounce between the streets, mental health hospitals, or jail.

I know of four wonderful ladies that are doing exactly what needs to be done, and that is helping these people in a real way. I can’t mention who they are, or what they do. They are extremely Liberal, and I think I would expose them to embarrassment if I were to give their names on my blog. Just let it be known that they are doing the right thing, for the right reasons. They are counting the people who no longer need their help, not just those in their programs. They do it quietly, with only the praise of those whom they have helped as their reward.

Now, it seems like the MSPJC is going to do the same thing as detailed in prior actions of our illustrious President. They do press releases, make signs and stand on corners, and raise a lot of noise without really understanding the issue and doing anything sustentative about it. They will “raise awareness” and make a lot of noise and put public pressure on some people to “do something.” But, one or two news cycles after they are out of the limelight on this subject, they will pat themselves on the back, say they “did something” and go on their merry Liberal way, without doing anything other than giving the beehive a good whack. Meanwhile, the ladies who are doing the work get no recognition. That’s okay, they aren’t looking for any.

I may be wrong. I have been known to be wrong once or twice in the past. But this is my opinion of what will happen. MSPJC may just do something about the problem, even if only to get the mayor to stop this policy. But that still won’t affect the root problem and that is addressing why these people are homeless. Meanwhile my four ladies will continue on with their respective Good Fights, and help those who need and want help, one person at a time.

Okay. I found this post a few days ago and I wanted to let it simmer on the back burner of my mind. I think it’s ready to go.

The post talks about critical thinking and stuff like that. Read it if you’re interested. What got my goat was this:

I think the day will come when most people agree about most things, because they can’t be debunked. It will take generations, unfortunately, but it’s coming.

It is the nature of our species to want to understand. Just like few now contest the spherical nature of the Earth, the reality of human behavior in different social scenarios will eventually be beyond controversy. The reality, whatever it is (and as a progressive, I have my deep suspicions about what’s up) will just shine as fact.

I believe with every fiber of my being that the era of the Demon Haunted World is coming to a close. What we’re seeing now with healthcare reform, etc, is a death pang. A temper tantrum from the mythology-true-believers.

In the end, the truth always shines. It’s why Russia collapsed. 

At the end of the day, truth always wins. Humans are driven by nature to think critically and laterally. All they need is an (at least) mostly corruption-free fact base to derive facts from. So I don’t think it a coincidence that in 2008, Americans joined the rest of the developed world in proclaiming healthcare a basic human right. The masses are able, for the first time ever, to actually talk to and compare notes with citizens of other nations. And the truth, as it tends to do, shines.

This is wishful thinking. There is no truth. Even more important, there is no Truth. There are facts, but there is no “truth.” Don’t confuse the two. Truth is a universal idea, and I’m here to tell you that the universe is a pretty big place. What is the truth for me may not be the same truth for you, even when they share the same facts.

As long as there are at least two people, there will be disagreements. Even identical twins don’t agree on everything all the time.

Now, I’d like to poke a couple of holes in this quote above. When the Soviet Union started Glasnost, the newly freed press took the Communist government to task. The press pointed out all of the failures of the government, which pushed it to its downfall. With the Obama administration, the press is a willing partner in the coverup of what the administration is doing. Oh, they might report a little story, then drop the issue completely. That way they have plausible deniability. Oh, you didn’t read the 3 inch story on page E15? Sorry, you missed it.

When the press is in on the conspiracy, when appointed and unvetted ”Czars” make repressive policies based on new “interperations” of the existing laws of our country, When the administration out-and-out lies to the People and the press won’t call him on it, then we are in trouble.

When Republicans are in power, the highest form of patriotism is dissent. When the Democrats are in power, then the highest form of patriotism is obedience to the government. Does anybody see anything wrong here?

Other countries may have universal health care, but then again we aren’t other countries. Just remember, how many people leave their country for American health care, versus how many Americans go to places like Great Britain, Canada or Japan for their health care. I can give you the answer right now. Many and none.

Don’t think for a second that if we were to start universal health care, that we are going to maintain the same quality of health care that we enjoy now. It is physically and financially impossible. I’ve already gone into it, I don’t think I need to do it any more.

Besides, whatever happened to the “rugged individualism” that we Americans were known for? You know, personal responsibility and all that. Or have we become too dependent on the teat of government? Like Dr. Rogers said a couple of posts ago, if you get something without working for it, then someone else must work for it and not receive what they earned. Does that sound right to you? Because that is exactly what the Obama administration is doing.

They are taking from the “haves” and giving it to the “have nots.” But what happenes when the “haves” all get up and leave, and nobody is left but the “have nots?” When you’ve taken everything from the producers, and they have nothing left to give, how are you going to keep giving to the “have nots?” Because you can give the world to the “have nots” and they will waste it and still be the “have nots.” That’s why they are who they are. If they worked for what they had, if they earned it, if they took care of what they had, then they would be the “haves.”

If I were to take money from one person at gunpoint, then give that money to another (after keeping a modest 83% for overhead costs) then I would be arrested and charged with armed robbery. When the government does the exact same thing, it’s called taxation and “redistribution of wealth.” Tell me again how this is good.

Before I close, P L E A S E call, write, fax and visit your Senator. Tell them that you don’t want universal health care. This is going to be bad for the country and the People. If we don’t stop it here, there may be no stopping it. And that will be the disaster that will break this country.

The wisdom in the following quote just makes me shiver:

You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the industrious out of it. You don’t multiply wealth by dividing it. Government cannot give anything to anybody that it doesn’t first take from somebody else. Whenever somebody receives something without working for it, somebody else has to work for it without receiving. The worst thing that can happen to a nation is for half of the people to get the idea they don’t have to work because somebody else will work for them, and the other half to get the idea that it does no good to work because they don’t get to enjoy the fruit of their labor.

~Dr. Adrian Rodgers, three-term president of the Southern Baptist Convention (1979-1980 and 1986-1988).

That right there is a out-of-the-park kind of home run. I mean, just think about it. Look at each sentence individually and realize the depth of wisdom in each one. Each one is a wisdom into itself, and the synergy of all of them together is extremely powerful.

Hat tip to (believe or not) The Memphis Liberal, although I think he meant the opposite as to what I read into it.

And so, the privledged elite gather in “Hopenhagen” to tell the rest of us how to live our lives. Copenhagen climate summit: 1,200 limos, 140 private planes and caviar wedges. I think the sub headline really spells it out: Copenhagen is preparing for the climate change summit that will produce as much carbon dioxide as a town the size of Middlesbrough.

Now, this is a UK paper, so let me tell you how big Middlesbrough is. Middlesbrough is a town in the Tees Valley conurbation of North East England and sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire. It is the largest and most populous settlement within the Borough of Middlesbrough, which encompasses the town and several outlying villages which have become suburbs. Population, according to a 2001 census was 142,691. So, the 20,000 attendees will emit about seven times per capita the carbon footprint as a regular person during the same time.

Of course, all of the delegates and other attendees have bought “carbon offsets” to combat the immense load of carbon they are producing. Which is utter bull, because all the carbon offset companies do is charge outragious sums of money to plant….trees.

Here are some more quotes from the article:

And this being Scandinavia, even the prostitutes are doing their bit for the planet. Outraged by a council postcard urging delegates to “be sustainable, don’t buy sex,” the local sex workers’ union – they have unions here – has announced that all its 1,400 members will give free intercourse to anyone with a climate conference delegate’s pass. The term “carbon dating” just took on an entirely new meaning.

A British paper with a sense of humor. Who would’ve thunk?

Instead of swift and modest reductions in carbon – say, two per cent a year, starting next year – for which they could possibly be held accountable, the politicians will bandy around grandiose targets of 80-per-cent-plus by 2050, by which time few of the leaders at Copenhagen will even be alive, let alone still in office.

Even if they had agreed anything binding, past experience suggests that the participants would not, in fact, feel bound by it. Most countries – Britain excepted – are on course to break the modest pledges they made at the last major climate summit, in Kyoto.

So, another part of the Liberal playbook that spells disaster for the rest of us. They set unattainable goals, which will wreck everybodies life, in order to “save the planet.” They will set standards that they don’t have to live by, but everybody else will, to assuage their guilt that “something is wrong.”

What no Liberal has yet to answer me on, is what is the “correct” tempature of the planet supposed to be? Is it one number, a range in numbers, or what? The Earth is going to heat and cool by itself, generally because of the Sun. Trying to artificially hold the tempature to one abitrary number is only going to make it worse. You will do cooling things when it gets too hot, which would take a while to get rolling, and just as long to stop. If you don’t stop soon enough, then you end up too cool, so you have to do warming things. It never ends. So, unless you know how to truly adjust the weather, despite all of the forces acting against you, you will aleays overeact and make bigger cycle swings than if you had just left it alone.

 Here’s something else to think about:

In Copenhagen there was a humbler note among some delegates. “If we fail, one reason could be our overconfidence,” said Simron Jit Singh, of the Institute of Social Ecology. “Because we are here, talking in a group of people who probably agree with each other, we can be blinded to the challenges of the other side. We feel that we are the good guys, the selfless saviours, and they are the bad guys.”

Let me repeat that last line just one more time. “We are the good guys, the selfless saviours, and they are the bad guys.” So, just because I disagree, I am not just wrong, but EEEVIL. I want to wreck the planet. Oh please.

I live on the same planet that they do, and I don’t have an exit strategy when (not if) these wingnuts screw things up beyond repair. The Sun is going to have way more impact on the weather more than my cars exhaust or my electricity useage.

Lord, I beseech Thee, deliver us from the good intentions of fools.

Okay folks, here is President Obama’s master strategy: A plan to crash the economy and create a real redistribution of wealth. It’s called Cloward-Piven. Named after the two left wingers that came up with the tactic in the 60’s, it is an insidious plan that has already worked before. Here are articles one and two that clearly spell out the disaster that will soon befall us.

The plan is simple. You load up the welfare rolls with so many people that it collapses. The “poor” then riot, and demand “their” money, given to them by the government. This method bankrupted New York City in 1975, by having a whopping 30% of the population on Welfare.

If this were to happen nationwide, multiple cities begin to burn due to riots because the Federal Welfare system collapsed – as it is ready to do at this point – the President would have to “give in” to their demands, granting them a guaranteed income.

This will crash the economy; the higher that guaranteed income is, the sooner it will happen. Simply because workers, productive citizens, who make wages under or near that level will stop working to get the “free” money by going on Welfare. It will crash the economy because more and more workers will quit and become a tax burden rather than a tax producer.

The present Administration is planning on two things. First, that everybody on welfare will vote for “bread and circuses” e.g., Democrat to keep the money going. Second, that someone will always buy our debt. Which, if we become a nation of freeloaders no one including China will buy our debt anymore. The value of the dollar will fall to zero, it will stop being the world standard currency, hyperinflation will strike and we will become a third world country.

This is what undid the Roman Empire, too many people on public assistance, too many people voting for those who kept the good times rolling, never mind that the empire was running on empty and beyond. As long as Joeus Schmous kept getting money from the emperor without having to lift a finger, he was happy.

This is the plan. How to stop it is to stymie the President at whatever he wants to do, even if it seems to be a good idea at the time. Remember, there are good, sound ideas and then there are ideas that sound good. Always know the difference.

The President must be stopped. The Congress must be stopped. Health care must not pass. If your Congressman or Senator is voting for this, beat him like a dead mule until he changes he vote. While the bill has already passed the house, it must be voted on by the full house again when (hopefully not) the Senate bill passes and they come to a compromise bill for both Houses to vote on. Write, write and then start calling. Write your Senators and tell them the same thing. Passage of health care reform will not only be the biggest snatch of individual freedoms the United States has ever seen, but it will crash everything we have into a brick wall at 100mph.

Don’t let Cloward and Piven win.

I came across this story via Mike at MainStreetJ.com this morning, and it brings voice to my concerns about what the previous Mayoral administration (who shall remain nameless, but if you’re from Memphis, you know who I’m talking about) has set in motion.

I like how the article notes that these cameras just might be unconstitutional, which is my take on things. I have no problem if a police officer catches me, but I do not like it when I get a ticket by mail a week or two past my offense because a police officer sat down and reviewed that videotape with me on it. I like to face my accuser, but how am I going to face a camera or picture?

And before you go off about the cameras in police vehicles, those are manned by officers, and protects the public against the police on those rare instances where the police cross the line.

Two or three of the major intersections I pass through during my travels in Memphis has these cameras. They have drastically changed my driving habits around those intersections. Usually, when I get a yellow light, if I’m close to the line, I press the light. Most of the time it doen’t change to red until after I’ve passsed under the light. Usually, there is someone on my tail who is pressing the light as well. Now, because of those triple-damned cameras, I’m going to lock up my brakes as soon as I see yellow, and hope the guy behind me doesn’t try to press the light while I’m trying to stop.

These cameras do remind me of a story that went down in California back when I was stationed in San Diego in the 80’s.

You see, in California back then you had to have a license plate on the front of your vehicle as well. What the “Chippies” (California Highway Patrol) did was park a nondescript van on the side of the highway. Inside the van was a radar gun and a camera. If you were going over the limit, the camera snapped a picture of your car and its’ license plate, the driver and the radar guns reading of your speed. So, if you were violating the speed limit, they would send you a picture of a ticket, along with the picture  of you, your license plate and the speed.

Well, one guy wanted to be a smart ass. Instead of sending in his $40 check and being done with it, he sent a picture of 2 $20 bills.

The police were not amused, but they did have a sense of humor. They sent the offending citizen back a picture of a pair of handcuffs.

He paid the ticket properly.

I highly suggest that you do NOT do this in protest of the ticket. While it’s cute the first 47 times, pretty much after that they just issue an arrest warrant and let you figure out what you did to earn a trip down to 201 Poplar (the local jail and Justice center).

There are now three holidays we celebrate those in uniform. Memorial Day, where we celebrate the fallen, Patriots Day, where we thank those who are currently serving, and today, Veterans Day. Today we thank those who have put in their time serving their country and survived.

Here is a story from a veteran who served in Vietnam, published in the Commercial Appeal.

It began just after midnight with the sound of multiple explosions that shattered the stillness of a cool, rainy and moonless night within the garrison of the 1st Marine Regiment.

The garrison perimeter bordered two small South Vietnamese villages, Duong Son 1 and Duong Son 2, about 10 miles south of Da Nang.

The direction of the sound seemed generally westward, perhaps 2 miles from the regiment’s combat operations center, a bunker fortified with sandbags where I was on duty as the fire-support coordination officer.

The specific direction and distance would shortly be confirmed by a chilling radio transmission from an outpost manned by a platoon of the regiment’s 3rd Battalion. The outpost was 3,000 meters southwest of our position.

The fire-support radio channel crackled with the first devastating news.

It was delivered by a very young Marine speaking in a hurried, hushed voice choking with sobs. “Blackwell, Blackwell, this is Tango One, over.” Blackwell, the radio call sign for the regiment, was quickly repeated. When I responded, the Marine said, “They came through the wire with satchel charges.

“I think everyone else is dead,” he said. “I’m the only one left. I’m not sure the VC are gone. I need help fast.”

I signaled the operations officer on duty and sent a messenger for the artillery officer. Other staff officers assembled one by one, and soon the colonel was in the bunker. The radio sounded again with the young Marine’s urgent appeal for help. The sound of his voice over the radio speaker was unforgettable. “I can’t see them, but I think they are moving back in.” It was a chilling moment for everyone listening. We desperately wanted to help but were momentarily stymied by time, distance and weather conditions.

Quickly a plan was formulated. Another platoon would be dispatched to the outpost. It was critical that radio contact be maintained throughout the march. I would make sure the Marine knew troops were coming and would keep him informed of their position as they moved closer.

It was pitch black and raining hard as the second platoon assembled and began moving out. The young Marine’s voice over the radio was haunting. He was alone except for the tenuous radio contact, and his anxiety cut through the static. “Hold on, help is on the way,” he was told, but at that moment, the chances for a successful rescue seemed remote. Without knowing the enemy’s current location and movement, we were literally operating in the dark. It would prove to be an agonizingly slow process for men trying hard to help, and sheer terror for one young Marine.

As the second platoon made its way toward the outpost, I knew the sound of its movement might easily be mistaken for another enemy attack. Keeping the Marine informed about the platoon’s position as it closed the distance became the priority. Several times he said he intended to open fire at the first sound. He was convinced the enemy would reach him first.

Tension mounted with the platoon’s continued advance. No one could be certain the sounds of the first troop movement he would hear would be those of his rescuers.

The platoon leader monitoring the radio channel understood the problem, but in the conditions he could not pinpoint the enemy’s location. As the rescue platoon drew near the outpost, a senior officer in the command post ignored radio protocol and call signs and simply transmitted, “Son, it’s going to be all right. Second platoon is approaching you now from your northeast. That is your men you will be hearing very soon. Please don’t shoot.” When the second platoon reached the outpost a few minutes later, the emotional radio confirmation by the young Marine and his rescuers prompted long sighs of relief and smiles in the command bunker. There were no dry eyes.

As more information came in, it became clear that a large Viet Cong unit had launched a heavy mortar attack and raid against the outpost. By avoiding detection in the wind, rain and darkness, the enemy had penetrated the outpost perimeter wire and had hurled high-explosive satchel charges with devastating effect. Fifteen Marines were killed, some as they slept and others in their struggle to fight back. Twenty-eight men were badly wounded. In the darkness their incapacity had convinced the young Marine on the radio that he was the only survivor.

In the bleak dawn, several of us ringed the garrison’s helicopter landing zone, standing with rain soaking down, watching as the medivac choppers arrived to take 28 severely wounded Marines aboard.

While the wounded were being carefully tended and loaded, 15 body bags lay waiting, side by side, glistening in the rain. I noted the time and date. Back home in America, it was Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 1966.

I don’t think anybody who hasn’t been through experiences like this can have the imagination of what it was really like. Imagine having lunch with a co-worker, then having to put them into a body bag before the end of the workday. Now imagine having to do that every day for a year. Those kind of experiences change people.

This is why we must thank those who stood tall for our country when we needed them. Thankfully, in my service I never had to answer a real General Quarters, I never had to storm a machinegun nest. But I thank those who did. To be scared and still do things like that takes a courage that surpasses anything else in this world.

If you know a veteran, thank them for their service. Take them to lunch and if they share, listen to their stories and experiences.