Thinking Back Now to the Gulf War in 1991

The six day war. We began by bombing all the military facilities, the roads and bridges leading in and out of Bagdad. We pounded the desert rats with B-52 bombs for hours prior to the invasion. This was a modern military slaughter. Our troops fed warm meals every night. They could sit with their laptop computers and talk to love one's in a chatroom everynite. The war was like a movie that never ended on the news channels. When the tanks started rolling our troops hid behind them for cover. The enemy, surrenders by the thousands. This was no war. The military had war games tougher than this! Most of those killed in this war were from friendly fire. At the end of WW2, General Patton lined himself on the Russian Border, ready to move forward, only to be told by the president to retreat. Our troops had walk their way to the border of Bagdad, ready to move forward, only to be told to retreat. Saddam was a lucky devil!!

Have a Good Week
Daniel

The only thing we have to Fear, is Fear itself!

This was the famous quote from Franklin D. Roosevelt during his first inaugural address in 1933. It was during this time that the "Great Depression" had reached it's peak. Yes...and people were scared, no money, no food, and no work.

Tonight's story is about fear. Not the type of fear, that many Americans were suffering during the "Great Depression". The fear I'm talking about is the fear that wrenches down in your gut, and hangs on like an Alabama tick. You can't shake it off, or wish it away, you can't stop thinking about it, all you can do is face it, and live with the consequences.

It was early in the year of 1971. I was stationed at Camp Pendleton, California. Our Marine Company, among other things, was in charge of security for our President at the time, Richard M. Nixon. Our President had a beach home in San Clemente, CA., this was located right outside the gate of Camp Pendleton. The beach home itself was covered with controvery. It was located right on San Onofre Beach, which was one of the best surf beaches in southern California. The local surfing community was not a big fan of Nixon at the time. During Nixon's presidency, this part of the beach was closed to surfers. We watched the compound, and patrolled those beaches, 24/7, during his peresidency.

It was early Saturday morning, about six, when we were awakened, and told we had a Company formation in 5 minutes. Most of us were in such a hurry, we fell out for formation, still standing in our skivvys. Our Captain, a two tour Vietnam veteran, walked slowly across the small parade deck, stopped and called all of us to "Attention". He said "You have fifteen minutes to prepare and be back for departure. You will need full riot gear, M-16 Rifle, and all NCO's will carry a sidearm 45". It was by all definition, hustle time. I grab my gear, and my rifle in record time. Quite amazing was, no one was late. They loaded all of us in eight trucks, and headed into town. Those in the truck with me were still not quite awake, but were asking each other where they thought we were going. Finally the truck stopped, it was a grocery store parking lot, in San Clemente. We all jumped out of the trucks, and began a Company formation. This is when things got a little scary.

After calling us to "Attention", our Captain turned it over to the Battalion Colonel. The Colonel immediately gave us an order to fix bayonet's. He said, " Jane Fonda and a group of anti-war protesters were defacing the American Flag in downtown San Clemente. We intend on marching right through this group, and there may be casualties".
I must confess, I was scared to death. While I was still trying to make some sence out of my Vietnam experience. It was one thing to travel 4000 miles abroad to fight an enemy on foreign soil, but now, I was ask to cause casualty to American citizens. I had horrifying thoughts running through my head. Fear......... Fear........ Fear!........Will this madness ever end?

In riot formation, we went just a couple of blocks. The Colonel then told us the protester's heard the Marines were coming, and they dispursed.

Just another day at the office.

Have a good Week
Daniel

Happy Birthday America

Let's not forget these words written, so long ago. Before roads and bridges, computers, cellphones, McDonalds, and automobiles. If you read this you will hear of the tyranny displayed by the "British Boot". Yes.......they were defeated, not once , but twice.

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.


Have a Happy 4th of July
Daniel