Memorial Day 2012

I know that every one of you readers are patriots who love this nation and understand the sacrifices that help make it great.

Here at the No One house, we remember all the fallen on Memorial Day.  Yet, there is one we remember and miss every day.  I keep the really personal stuff under wraps most of the time, but Robert was an extraordinary fellow and worth sharing.  We were so blessed to have him in our lives for a time.

The Marine Corps was his true calling; above all else he wanted to serve his country.  A few years before 9/11 (back when we were young and gonna live forever), he introduced both my husband:

Robert giving Mr. No One his first salute

And me to military life:

“Welcome to the Navy, Mrs. No One.”

The military life has been a good one.  I just wish Robert were still part of it.  Semper Fi, buddy.

I hope everyone has a blessed day, and maybe some comfort from sorrow, should you need it.

On Women In Combat

Awhile back, I reblogged a post from The Patriot Perspective about the problems with allowing women in the Marine Infantry School.  In the comment section, I mentioned learning that, for the time being, the Marines were not going to “gender norm” the physical standards, i.e., they will not make it easier for women to pass than men, based on each gender’s physical capabilities.

Short Timer has been kind enough to elaborate on the issue, and it’s worth sharing.  Beyond the basic question of “is she physically strong enough,” he details a few other reasons why women-as-combatants are problematic even if the answer is yes, she is physically strong enough:

• Chivalry is an innate male behavior which cannot be entirely eradicated, and it will interfere with mission accomplishment.
• Mixing young and healthy men and women together in will inevitably cause, um, distractions, and interfere with mission accomplishment (I discussed this issue regarding Navy ships here).
• Accommodating the personal, private, and hygienic needs of men and women in a confined and dangerous space is logistically difficult, and makes mission accomplishment more difficult.

Even more important than all of that, Short Timer says that the Marines will use something called “gender neutral” tests, and that quotas will be imposed.  In other words, the Marines will simply lower the standards for both men and women, and require the Infantry School to pass at least “x” number of women.

Huh.

You see, when I read over at Outside the Beltway that there would be no “gender norming,” i.e., no differing standards for men and women like we have in the Navy, I assumed that the standards would not be lowered at all.

Confirmation is right here:

“. . . there is a plan to evaluate male and female Marines against new physical fitness standards that are being developed.”

New physical fitness standards for both men and women are being developed.  Tricky.

Important, too, are the quotas Short Timer mentioned.  My own quick Google search does not unearth anything about quotas, i.e., requiring a military school to pass a certain number of females.

However.  I specifically remember an old friend complaining about “the quota” when he was an instructor at Officer Candidate School.  The requirement that at least 7% of the graduating class be female was a real source of frustration.  It was hard to find that many female candidates worth their salt.  (I think he said it was 7%.  Wish I could ask him now.)

So, thanks for the additional info, Short Timer.  And thanks for your service in God’s own Corps.

And read the whole thing, ya’ll.  He includes a little Rule 5 bonus.

CORRECTION:  My friend was an instructor at OCS (Officer Candidate School), not TBS (The Basic School) as I originally wrote.  Whoops.

How a Real Hero Conducts Himself

If you haven’t yet seen this recent ad by Veterans for a Strong America, well wait no longer:

Some pretty shameless self-aggrandizement in that ad, huh?

Now.  To cleanse your palate, I want to share an example of a real hero.  His name is Bob Baird:

“[Baird's] description of the Dust Off pilot’s job and when he was wounded was matter-of-fact.

However, it was anything but, said Cheryl Fries . . . .

During Baird’s first tour, he was part of an extraordinary mission that saved almost 1 million lives . . . .  As a Dust Off pilot, Baird flew unarmed medical-rescue helicopters into the bullets, through the night, and in all kinds of weather to save lives.  He and his fellow Dust Off veterans put their own lives at risk every day to save others, including American troops, civilians and even, at times, the enemy, she said.

From May 1962 to March 1973, 496,573 Dust Off missions were flown and 900,000 casualties were airlifted. If not for the use of MEDEVAC helicopters, historians believe that U.S. killed-in-action rates in Vietnam might have exceeded those of World War II . . .

‘Bob, like most Dust Off veterans, is both humble about and reluctant to share his war experience.  To a man, they are quick to tell you that the Vietnam War heroes’ names are engraved on The Wall in Washington, D.C.  And yet, the heroes of Dust Off — those killed in action — and those who survived are heroes by every definition of the word.  Their intrepid courage and unhesitating commitment to face death in order that another might live not only saved thousands of people, but revolutionized battlefield medicine and came home to transform domestic trauma care,’ Fries said.”

I love you, Bob.  Thank you for your service, your sacrifices, and your bravery.  You’ve earned that spot in the Ohio Military Hall of Fame, and I am truly blessed to have you in my life, and in the lives of my boys.

UPDATE:  Here’s the write up of the conduct that earned Bob Baird his Distinguished Flying Cross.  An excerpt:

“Braving murderous fire, Mister Baird flew into the compound and landed. Bullets struck all around his ship, and the intensity of the fire increased. Ignoring his welfare, he remained on the ground until his ship was loaded to capacity. Then, skillfully operating the controls, he took off amid a furious enemy barrage and flew the patients to safety. Twice more during the day, he returned through the insurgent’s fusillade to evacuate casualties . . . .”

Female Marines to Infantry Officer School

Reblogged from The Patriot Perspective:

Via the insulting leftist social-engineers at  Gannett Marine Corps Times:

The Marine Corps school that produces infantry combat officers will enroll its first-ever female students this year, Marine Corps Times has learned.

As part of the service’s extensive research campaign to determine what additional jobs could be opened to women, an undetermined number of volunteers will attend the Infantry Officers Course in Quantico, Va., said Gen.

Read more… 511 more words

I found an interesting development and good analysis over at The Patriot Perspective. Saying that women don't belong isn't too popular a stance nowadays.  Still, it needs saying sometimes.  It doesn't mean women should have their opportunities limited because their gender is inferior.  It just means the constraints of reality can limit women's opportunities whether we like to admit it or not. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Homeschool Information for the Fort Leavenworth Area

With only three months until our next PCS, my eyes are on the horizon.  I’ve searched Tampa realty, church, school and homeschool websites ’til my eyes glaze over, and like most internet junkies, it takes a very very very very long time for my eyes to glaze over.

Since we’ve been in Kansas less than a year, the last move is still fresh in my mind.  As in:  didn’t I just unpack all this sh*t?

But seriously, I had another thought:

What information do I wish I had found online, when I was preparing for Fort Leavenworth?

This question is particularly important for those attending college here, because most are short-timers, only here for a year.  With the constant rotation of winter and summer classes, this large military community has a very real amnesia problem.

I have run into this problem a few times, when we homeschooling moms stumble into one another and share information.  Some Army wives are familiar with the area, and they say stuff like:  “There was a huge group here a few years ago, but now it seems to be gone.  What happened to CHALKline?”  Some are brand new and say, “What?  There is a Yahoo group?  But I searched Yahoo and didn’t get any result.”

So, without further ado, here is all the information I have compiled thus far:

1)  The on-post School Liason Officer should have local homeschooling information.  Jessica Brushwood is currently holding this position, and she has worked hard to compile homeschool info and statistics.

2)  The PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel) Ministry has a chapter on Fort Leavenworth, and (this year, at least) they provide to participants both nursery care and a “homeschool room” with supervision for the school age children.  Here is the Fort Leavenworth PWOC Facebook page.

3)  There is a Facebook page called “Fort Leavenworth Homeschoolers,” but it’s a closed group, so I can’t provide a public link.  Find it on the Facebook and request membership, if you are a homeschooling family on your way here.

4)  There is a Yahoo group called “ftleavenworthhomeschoolgroup,” and it has been a very active group for the 2011-12 school year.  Field trips, playground meets, and mom nights are planned regularly.  One mom coached an “Odyssey of the Mind” team.  Some overlap exists between the Yahoo and the Facebook groups, but they are different enough to warrant signing up on both.

5)  The Child, Youth and School Services (“SKIES”) on Fort Leavenworth has gymnastics and swimming classes for homeschoolers.  They are scheduled during school hours, which is pretty awesome.

6)  There is a state-funded “virtual school” off-post:  the Leavenworth Virtual School.  I understand that technically (particularly in the legal sense), signing up for this program means you are not homeschooling.  The curricula are state-approved.  The staff keep a loose track of school hours and academic progress.  Also, the children complete state assessments twice a year, like the rest of public school kids.

Still, I recommend Leavenworth’s virtual school.  I have no idea what other public-run “virtual schools” are like.  Principal Kevin Lunsford, however, runs a brilliant program, with monthly field trips and weekly “Fun Fridays” that the kids–all ages–really love.  He is both encouraging and accommodating to us parents, and boy does that help a newbie like me.

The fact that Mr. Lunsford and his wife homeschooled their (now-grown) children might have something to do with it.  After all, if the idea of homeschooling is alien to the guy in charge, how can he be expected to encourage the enterprise?

7)  The Fort Leavenworth Lamp recently featured military homeschoolers in a lengthy article, and of course this newspaper could serve as an ongoing source of information.

Okay.  I hope this helps some folks out there.  If it does, please make my day by telling me.  And if anybody has additional info, please add it in the comment section.

UPDATE:  8)  There is a greater-Kansas City area homeschool co-op called Clay-Platte Home Educators:  “We provide support to new homeschools via email and in person, individually and in groups with our monthly New Homeschool Orientations.”

Meet the .45%

A common theme heard in the No One household, as you can imagine, is how unbelievably, mind-bogglingly and stupendously spoiled some of “The 99%” sound when compared to the 1% who serve in the military.

Via my hubs, via his FB friend, via a random and completely adorable West Point cadet comes the must-buy fashion for the season:

The 0.45% T-Shirt.

The folks at that website, www.rangerup.com, included an anonymous essay that will knock your socks off.  I hope they don’t mind if I paste a large chunk here:

“I remember the day I found out I got into West Point.

My mom actually showed up in the hallway of my high school and waited for me to get out of class. She was bawling her eyes out and apologizing that she had opened up my admission letter. She wasn’t crying because it had been her dream for me to go there. She was crying because she knew how hard I’d worked to get in, how much I wanted to attend, and how much I wanted to be an infantry officer. I was going to get that opportunity.

That same day two of my teachers took me aside and essentially told me the following: ‘Nick, you’re a smart guy. You don’t have to join the military. You should go to college, instead.’

I could easily write a tome defending West Pont and the military as I did that day, explaining that USMA is an elite institution, that separate from that it is actually statistically much harder to enlist in the military than it is to get admitted to college, that serving the nation is a challenge that all able-bodied men should at least consider for a host of reasons, but I won’t.

What I will say is that when a 16 year-old kid is being told that attending West Point is going to be bad for his future then there is a dangerous disconnect in America, and entirely too many Americans have no idea what kind of burdens our military is bearing.”

The essay continues at length, so go read it.  And buy a shirt!  Looks like your ol’ blog bud Linda has just figured out half your Christmas shopping for you.

You’re welcome.

Oh, and read about the three guys behind Ranger Up–pretty awesome.  Internet searches did not reveal a prior source for the .45% essay.  Perhaps one of the three guys is the ‘Nick’ featured in it.

Oh, the internet searches did reveal that at least three other bloggers beat me to the punch, and they deserve a visit too, if’n you’ve got the time:

A Soldier’s Perspective, where blogger CJ speaks truth to power:  “You know, I get fed up with the Occupy Wall Street idiots. I’ve been going around and around with some of them on Twitter and am convinced that this has nothing to do with corporate greed and everything to do with individual greed.”

CJ is kindly and patiently suffering a fool in the comment section.  Anybody up for a game of whack-a-troll?

Eric at Threedonia will be proudly annoying liberal coworkers with this t-shirt on casual Fridays.  Ha.

And newish blog The World through the Eyes of a SheepDog scooped me too, dadgummit.  Good thing I like dogs now.

 Have a great weekend, everybody!

UPDATE:  They have it in women’s sizes too.

Assessment of Danger?

We don’t need no stinkin’ assessment of danger!

“I looked at your report. All I found was anecdotal evidence. I think if I would have done my dissertation or my report, I would have got an F. Don’t you think anybody that would render this as a Ph.D. would have gotten an F in the report?”

Wow, such a low view of generals who led the United States Army.  You’d almost think Mr. Cuellar dislikes the military.

Bet those generals don’t like him, either.  I can’t say for sure, seein’ as they keep their emotions in check.  Funny how, once a guy’s been shot at a few times, insult-slinging doesn’t cause much sweat. 

All this over an assessment of our border with Mexico.  Hmpf.  Just ask the people who live there.

I can’t seem to embed the video.  Do click over to Breitbart or Fox for the generals’ responses.

We Know That His Name and Legacy Will Live Forever UPDATED

Confusing someone for someone else is not necessarily a big deal.  It may mean a lot, or very little.

So, some background is necessary to better evaluate our president’s latest gaffe:  confusing the 10th Mountain Division’s dead Medal of Honor recipient, Sargeant First Class Jared C. Monti, with a living Medal of Honor recipient, Staff Sargeant Salvatore Giunta.  The president made this error while speaking to the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum.

President Obama has awarded the Medal of Honor five times in the last two-and-a-half years.

The President’s first Medal of Honor ceremony was held the year he took office, September 17th, 2009.  Sargeant First Class Jared C. Monti was the posthumous recipient.  Monti was serving with the 10th Mountain Division in Afghanistan in 2006.  He died while attempting to rescue a fellow soldier.  President Obama’s closing remarks:

“Sergeant First Class Jared C. Monti. In his proud hometown of Raynham, his name graces streets and scholarships. Across a grateful nation, it graces parks and military posts. From this day forward, it will grace the memorials to our Medal of Honor heroes. And this week, when Jared Monti would have celebrated his 34th birthday, we know that his name and legacy will live forever, and shine brightest, in the hearts of his family and friends who will love him always.

 

May God bless Jared Monti, and may He comfort the entire Monti family.”

We know that his name and legacy will live forever. 

 

A full video of the President’s remarks is available at the White House link above.

 

The second Medal of Honor ceremony was held one year later, September 19th, 2010.  Chief Master Sargeant Richard L. Etchberger posthumously received the award for heroic action in the Vietnam War.

 

The third Medal of Honor ceremony was held only one week later, on October 6th, 2010.  Staff Sergeant Robert James Miller posthumously received the award for his actions in Afghanistan.  The youngest member of A Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, he was killed by the Taliban in 2008.  President Obama’s closing remarks:

“Rob Miller — and all those who give their lives in our name — endure in each of us. Every American is safer because of their service. And every American has a duty to remember and honor their sacrifice. If we do — if we keep their legacy alive, if we keep faith with the freedoms they died to defend — then we can imagine a day, decades from now, when another child sits down at his desk, ponders the true meaning of heroism and finds inspiration in the story of a soldier — Staff Sergeant Robert J. Miller and a generation that ‘fought day and night, fighting for what they thought was right. ‘That is the meaning of this medal.”

 And every American has a duty to remember and honor their sacrifice.

A full video of the President’s remarks is available at the White House link.

President Obama presided over his fourth Medal of Honor ceremony a few weeks later, on November 6th, 2010.  This is the only Medal of Honor he awarded to a living recipient, Staff Sargeant Salvatore Giunta.  This should be a memorable one, for Giunta is the first living recipient since the Vietnam War. 

Staff Sargeant Giunta’s heroic actions occurred in Afghanistan, while he was assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team out of Italy.  In 2007, he rescued a fellow soldier who was being dragged away by enemy insurgents.  Blackfive has a wrenching video of Giunta recounting the event here.  Tragically, the rescued soldier did not survive.  The story is featured in the movie Restrepo.

During Giunta’s ceremony, President Obama remarked:

“Now, I already mentioned I like this guy, Sal. And as I found out myself when I first spoke with him on the phone and when we met in the Oval Office today, he is a low-key guy, a humble guy, and he doesn’t seek the limelight. And he’ll tell you that he didn’t do anything special; that he was just doing his job; that any of his brothers in the unit would do the same thing.”

The full video is at the White House link.

The fifth and final Medal of Honor ceremony happened last month, on May 2nd, 2011.  Private First Class Anthony Kaho’ohanohano and Private First Class Henry Svehla both received the award posthumously for heroic actions in the Korean War.

That’s the full background. 

Think of it this way.  Imagine addressing a group of people that you don’t know personally.  It just so happens that, eighteen months prior, you spoke at a ceremony honoring someone from this same group.  Now, you are a busy guy.  In the last eighteen months, you’ve spoken at lots of ceremonies, events, conferences, and fundraisers.

Do you remember the details of that one ceremony?

Maybe not.  Maybe that’s even understandable, given the circumstances. 

But it’s still a major problem, for a number of reasons.  First of all, this memory failure implies that our president doesn’t find Medal of Honor ceremonies to be significant events.  If he found them to be significant, wouldn’t he be more likely to remember them correctly? 

This isn’t the first time President Obama got Medal of Honor facts wrong, either.  Remember that Ft. Hood “shout-out?”  Apparently, he finds it easy to confuse this highest military honor with the highest civilian honor, the Medal of Freedom.

Here’s another problem.  President Obama acted as though he remembered quite specifically:

“First time I saw the 10th Mountain Division, you guys were in southern Iraq. When I went back to visit Afghanistan, you guys were the first ones there. I had the great honor of seeing some of you because a comrade of yours, Jared Monti, was the first person who I was able to award the Medal of Honor to who actually came back and wasn’t receiving it posthumously.”

Clearly, President Obama did not remember as well as he thought.  He sounds like he is just pretending to recall something of which he has no actual memory.  One must judge for oneself whether that is true, but it certainly is reasonable to reach that conclusion.

Perhaps I could give our president the benefit of the doubt.  Maybe he did have memory clear enough to recall Jared Monti’s full name.  Yet, if he could remember Monti’s full name and connection to 10th Mountain, how could he confuse Monti’s posthumous ceremony with Giunta’s living one?  This confusion seems especially strange in chronological context:  the two ceremonies were a year apart.

Even if one decides that it’s no different from the rampant Obama/Osama name gaffe, a final problem remains.

The problem is this:  the most innocuous mistake is still horrifying when made in the wrong circumstances.  Asking a non-pregnant lady when she is due would be a classic example.  It does not matter how harmless the question is.  It does not matter how pregnant the lady looks.

You have made a horrific error, for which you should turn beet red and apologize profusely.

The same logic applies here.  Even if it was as innocuous as a name flip, it was a horrific error.  The President should apologize profusely.  So far, the only response from the White House is a bland correction by Press Secretary Jay Carney.  Will anything more be said, or will it just be quickly forgotten?

[Update]  Here’s what other bloggers are saying:

What’s wrong with this guy?

Dumbest.  President.  Ever. 

Imagine the outrage the liberal media would have shown had this been someone like Sarah Palin making such a huge gaffe.

How does the Commander-in-Chief mix these heroes up? He put that medal around Giunta’s neck and he stood with Monti’s parents as they grieved.

Say what you will about George W. Bush, but there is no way on Earth that he would make this kind of mistake.

The least we can do for our honored dead is to remember them.

And the estimable Doc Zero says:  “This is not a tiny little goof. It’s a disgusting display of indifference from a man who has a gigantic taxpayer-funded retinue to prepare his speeches.”

UPDATE #2:  The President called the Monti family to personally apologize.  Good.  It was definitely necessary.  The impression of indifference to the military doesn’t just magically go away, though.  No sir.

Happy Dog

We’re all moved in.  Mostly unpacked.  Mostly still in disarray. 

I’ll be back to the blogging soon.  Got to do some more un-disarraying first.

In the meantime, here’s a photo of Sussie.

Happy Dog

Bits and Bobs

Okay, well.  We’re in Kansas now, and I’ve realized something.  Geography will dictate my Halloween costume this year.  Too bad Sussie won’t fit in a basket.

Things are moving fast.  As in a total blur.  We arrived last night and toured the available housing today.  We chose place number four, an on-base condo unit.  With new address in hand, we rang the storage company.

With typical “you-don’t-pay-us-the-military-does” brusqueness, the storage employee gave us a choice:  receive our belongings in two weeks, or tomorrow.

Tomorrow it is.  Gulp.

Meanwhile, the Time Warner Cable fellow can’t hook us up until Saturday.  So here’s some bits and bobs while I enjoy the hotel WiFi for one night.

First, Instawife’s post How to profit from “death panels” is well worth reading and bookmarking.  As you know, Dems stick like superglue to The Narrative:  ”death panels” are a fictional product of right-wing fear-mongering.  Yet, Dr. Helen runs smack into this frightening monster whilst fulfilling her continuing education requirements.  Sure, the article she encountered deals with psychiatric issues–not life-or-death per se–but the implication is clear to anyone who values life and liberty:  when healthcare is rationed, there might not be enough medication for Granny.

Next, in case you are not a comment-scroller like me, I am reposting all of Eric’s comment to Dr. Helen’s post.  I have heard the “healthcare is already rationed by insurance companies” argument aplenty, and this response is spot-on:

Telling Dr. Helen that there is already rationing is to commit the equivocation fallacy.

Rationing is generally understood as a finite amount of something which is then split up amongst the population desiring it. So, if you have 10 meals and 20 people, you have to ration the meals.

Currently, in the United States, there is healthcare for everyone. No rationing required.

Just as there is water for everyone.

It doesn’t mean everyone gets health care, nor does it mean everyone gets water. Someone stuck out in the desert may not have access to water unless they can afford to have it brought to them. This in no way means the water is rationed.

Don’t let supporters of Obamacare pretend like healthcare is rationed and it will be rationed under Obamacare just like it is rationed now.

It’s not. It’s a lie. There is plenty of healthcare in the United States, just as their is plenty of water.

Under Obamacare, there will not be plenty of healthcare for everyone for various reasons. Healthcare will become scarce. Just as water would become scarce if we did the same thing to water that we’re doing to healthcare.

Just as gasoline became scarce when Jimmy Carter was president and gasoline had to be rationed. It wasn’t that suddenly oil vanished from the face of the earth. It was government intervention that caused it to be rationed.

In the same way, your healthcare will go away.

Water, gasoline, healthcare, these things are not rationed under our current free market system. And it takes a fallacy to argue that it does.

Moving on to item number three:  you gotta watch these Croatian dudes, Stjepan Hauser and Luka Sulic.  Innocent Bystanders posted the duet’s version of “Smooth Criminal” a few weeks ago.  That’s right, Michael Jackson’s song.

I enjoyed it, but didn’t share it.  Now the Innocent Bystanders have posted a newer video, Welcome to the Jungle.  That’s right, Guns and Roses.  It’s a must share:

BONUS JUST FOR DAD:  I know you won’t fancy the vid above, so here they are playing Shostakovich:

Fourth and finally:  Veronique De Rugy speaks more truth to power, this time about the Alternative Minimum Tax.  But that’s not what I want to share.  I want to share another nugget of gold from a comment section.  Level Head, there’s another poet lurking in the blogosphere.  I hope you enjoy his verse as much as I did:

Tax the Rich! Tax the Rich!
The fat sheep flee the herder!
Call your Senator! —sire or bitch—
They’re getting away with murder!

Letter the Editor! show your spleen!
Let’s stop this vile unfairness!
Boost their percentage to heights unseen,
(Be damned to fiscal awareness!)

Tax the Rich! Tax the Rich!
Demand a committee hearing!
With your percentage a chronic itch,
The fat sheep need more shearing!

For 92 years it is safe and sound,
Well known to Pol and staffer;
That “revenue lost” is patronage found
(Be damned to Arthur Laffer)

Tax the Rich! in your envy lies
The key to this populist racket.
While productivity brings; “surprise!
You’ve moved to a higher bracket!”

Be a careful chump in demanding who
And where a levy exacts,
Soon little old you will be subject to
The Alternative Minimum Tax.

Ya’ll have a good week.  I can’t respond to comments for a few days, but your thoughtful contributions are appreciated.  Hopefully, the spammers won’t hit too hard before the cable guy gets me my fix.