This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Author: Dave Hardin

  • USMC considers no first enlistment Grunts.

    USMC considers no first enlistment Grunts.

    This kind of thing was toyed with back in the early 80’s.  Some people think Marines that are at least on their second enlistment are better killers.  Marine Corps Times reports:

    Older. Wiser. More seasoned. Deadlier.

    There’s a controversial idea taking root at the ­Pentagon: That Marines should wait an enlistment before joining the infantry, coming into traditional rifle squads only after getting some experience in another career field.  It would be a profound change that would make Marine infantry units older, but potentially stacked with additional skill sets.

    It would also further blur the line between ­conventional infantry Marine and special operator, as they’d be plucked from the same pool.

    I got plucked from the pool…we just worded it a bit different.

    Whether the 18-year-old grunt Marine model can continue to compete on the future battlefield is a question being scrutinized at the top levels of the Defense Department and among top officials close to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who is himself a former Marine infantry commander.

    One such man leading the charge is a retired general who chairs Mattis’ Pentagon task force focused on boosting lethality of grunts.

    “The optimal age for a close-combat soldier, the ­balance is … mid to late 20s,” retired Army Maj. Gen. Robert Scales told Marine Corps Times.

    That’s probably about right, I started at 17.  Most are done with their first marriage by their second enlistment, their pay goes out in allotments and the Driftwood has them  on the banned list, death doesn’t scare them anymore.  Some of us even have a stripe or two left.

    Today’s grunts have increasingly taken up the mantle of special operations missions where small detachments of Marines have deployed to advise and train foreign military units in remote and hostile ­environments — missions that require mature ­operators and problem solvers.

    Oh, they mean like Marines have always been doing.  I can tell them from experience, maturity comes on pretty fast when you’re on the chopper flying into a country you can not pronounce in the middle of the night.

    “Significant focus is being placed on the human dimension,” Marine spokeswoman Capt. Karoline Foote told Marine Corps Times. “We are evaluating and implementing improvements in how we recruit, train and retain our infantry Marines.”

    Ahh, I have read that kind of stuff before.  It’s one of those “say nothing in 20 words or more” things.

    “The way JSOC [Joint Special Operations Command] operates is a telling point,” he explained.

    Aaaaaaand there we have it.  People who have no idea what an EGA is, trying to dictate the manner in which Marines are to kill people.

    One option the Corps could consider is saving a large portion of infantry slots for a second enlistment. A benefit to this would be the added ­experience and skill sets carried over by Marines hailing from other support billets and functions into ground combat units.

    Infantry squads could potentially be stacked with Marines with experience in intelligence, electronic warfare, engineering or communications.

    WTF?  Ok, so I have to prance up to a platoon with Sgt (electronic warfare)  and tell every one he is the skulling coach.  Get the F*** outta here with that s***.  The average 19 year old LCpl will break his ass.  All I am trying to say is Combat Arms Marines can be a bit brutal…age got nuttin to do with it.

    “With 16 years of infantry background, I learned 80 percent of my ground pounding in my first four years,” one Marine combat instructor told ­Marine Corps Times. “And as the war has kind of slipped away from us, the majority of the seasoned fighters have moved on because with no war they feel cheated.”

    Bingo, all we are asking is Give War a Chance.   People, we have to keep our heads about us until this peace craze blows over.  They go on and on but you will have to follow the link because they start quoting General Neller and it gives me gas.   I have led Marines into the unknown, never questioned the maturity of a singly one of them.

    FOLLOW LINK HERE

     

     

     

  • Friday morning feelgood stories

    Friday morning feelgood stories

    From Brooklyn, NY

    An off-duty police officer shot a robber in the face in Brooklyn Thursday morning, said police.

    A cop shot the man who tried to rob him near the corner of Livonia and New Jersey avenues at about 4:55 a.m., police said.

    The would-be robber, a man in his 20s, was rushed to Brookdale Hospital in serious but stable condition and the police officer was treated for ringing in his ears at Methodist Hospital, said police.

    I hate that ringing in the ears, but statistics have shown that criminals will stop what they are doing when shot in the face.

    From CRYSTAL CITY, MO

    An 80-year old homeowner asked News 4 not to reveal his identity but he said he returned home recently to find clues that someone had been in and around his house. The first clue he saw was a garden hose stretched across the driveway and was turned on. His wife also suspected someone was inside the house. “She heard the door open, she said something but nobody answered. And when she came to come out the back door, the deadbolt lock was locked on the inside,” he said.

    The man didn’t wait for police, he grabbed a handgun and started searching the house himself. When he looked in the basement he saw more clues someone had been in the home.”Well I had to reach in and turn a light on under the steps and that was a little bit concerning but I did it. When I stepped inside he was really on his knees. I guess when I turned that light on he was starting to get up,” said the homeowner. The man said he checked the burglar to make sure he wasn’t armed and then marched him outside to wait for police. The homeowner’s 53-year-old son was outside and on the phone with a police dispatcher.

    Note to my sons: If I live to be 80 and a burglar is in my house…I better not find your ass sitting out in the yard on your damn phone.

    From Yukon, Oklahoma

    Mr. Davenport directed the intruder to crawl to the front yard and started calling for help. Either he didn’t feel comfortable reaching for his cell phone, or (more likely) he didn’t happen to be surgically attached to it.

    “He started pleading, ‘I just wanted some water, please sir, let me go, I’ll never come back,’” said Mr. Davenport. But he didn’t feel like playing catch-and-release. “I just got mad. You don’t get to come in my house.”

    Fortunately, it wasn’t long before a jogger came across the situation and was able to help, using her telephone to call 9-1-1 and also (since it’s 2018) snap a glamour shot…err, gather photographic evidence of Mr. Davenport and the perp.

    Why do they always get thirsty?

     

    From Indianapolis, IN 

    This here is from one of TSO’s neighbors.  Ya’ll be careful in dem neck of the woods.

    Police in Indiana believe a pet pig might’ve thwarted would-be robbers from burglarizing a home in Indianapolis.The thieves broke into the home this week and “completely damaged [the back] door,” the homeowner, who wished to remain anonymous, told Fox 59.

    “The officers were guessing when the person broke in they were probably surprised I had a pig and were like, ‘We don’t want to deal with this,’” the single mother of four said. “The cop was like we definitely think they got in and made it to where Dumplin was and thought, ‘Nope. We don’t want no part of this.’”

    The woman told the news station she adopted Dumplin from a rescue last year, calling him the “perfect animal.”

    “The moment I saw him I knew he loved me instantly,” she said, encouraging others to adopt the “tons of pigs in shelters that don’t have homes.”

  • Defense Department modifies “Deploy or get out” policy

    Military Times is reporting the new changes to the Defense Department’s “Deploy or get out instruction” .

    Service members wounded in combat will be exempt from the Defense Department’s new policy to be deployable in 12 months or face separation from the military, the Pentagon announced this week.

    The policy tweak came after criticism that DoD was going to remove personnel who were only in non-deployable status because of their combat injuries, when the overall goal of the program was to target the thousands of military personnel who for fitness, health or other administrative reasons have not been deployable. The initiative is part of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis’ effort to improve the lethality and readiness of the services.

    “Service members whose injuries were the result of hostile action, meet the criteria for awarding of the Purple Heart, and whose injuries were not the result of their own misconduct” are approved for retention, DoD said in its July 30 policy.

    The DoD Instruction is available HERE in its entirety.   They list the exceptions as follows:

    1. Combat wounded. “These are service members whose injuries were the result of hostile action, meet the criteria for awarding of the Purple Heart, and whose injuries were not the result of their own misconduct.” The policy goes on to say that “disapproval of retention for non-deployable combat wounded service members, who wish to be retained and whose reason for non-deployability is a direct result of their combat wounds, may not be delegated.”

    2. Pregnant and post-partum service members. Females are exempt for pregnancy-related health conditions during pregnancy through the post-partum period. Under the policy, pregnancy is considered a temporary non-deployable status, and the duration of that status after childbirth is left to the individual service secretaries.

    3. Case-by-case exemptions. The service secretaries may grant exemptions on a case-by-case basis if the service member is filling in a specific position critical to the service.

    4. Soon-to-retire. The service secretaries may grant exemptions for active duty service members who are three years away from regular retirement, or reserve component personnel who have accumulated 17 years of reserve service.

    So now people can stay in the military without deploying just because they are missing a few body parts.   And, am I the only one that sees the injustice in merely being pregnant as some kind of excuse for not deploying?  It all seems a bit soft, why I can remember when…

  • PEOPLE ON THE RISE TO COUNTER MIKEY WEINSTEIN

    We have written about Mikey Weinstein and his militant bullying via the legal system for years.  It now seems the effort to stand up to the likes of Mikey and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation is on the rise.   Mikey and his ilk are anything but supportive of religious freedom in the  military.  The ACLJ has begun to push back.  There is a great article over at  christianfighterpilot.com.

    One would hope most military leaders were aware of Mikey Weinstein and his disdain for Christian service members by now (guidance on dealing with Weinstein was published by the Air Force nearly a decade ago), yet there remain some who are blissfully ignorant — and who could therefore use some mentorship from their senior leaders. Then, of course, there are those in the military chain of command who support Weinstein’s bigotry; they could use a bit of “focused” leadership attention, as well.

    The systemic problem with the MRFF has everything to do with Mikey Weinstein.  I firmly believe he is little more than a charlatan who found a niche to get some people whipped up into enough of  an emotional fervor to throw money in his direction.  Even Seth Andrews of thethinkingatheist, who attacked me for trying to bring some balance to his discussion on religion in the military, has recently dimmed his view of Mikey.  He now states that Mikey is no longer his “cup of tea” and how he is a bit too much “in your face”.

    All hucksters like Weinstein paint themselves as the protagonist defending their flock from a generally fictitious and hysterically inflated evil.   It is about time the military and veteran community at large begin to push back.  Jesse Duplantis, the televangelist, says God wants him to have a new jet airplane but at least he is  honest about what he is going to do with  the money.  The bulk of what the MRFF collects goes to Mikey insofar as I can tell.

    Most of our regular readers know I am an ardent Atheist.  However, I will stand shoulder to shoulder with anyone who is having their right to free religious expression trod upon by the likes Mikey Weinstein.  Being an American requires its citizens to stand and defend the right of their neighbor to prose on about that which they themselves have spent a lifetime in opposition.   The notion that I, as an Atheist, have been burdened in anyway by being exposed to the religious expression of others is ludicrous.  I bow my head during public prayer and stand silent out of respect for my brothers with whom I serve.   The vast majority of those I served with were Christians and the finest men I have ever known.

    I have come to believe Mikey Weinstein has crafted his cause to do nothing more than stuff his own pockets by bilking the gullible out  of money.  He and the MRFF do not represent the interests of veterans be they Christian, Muslim, Jew or Atheist.

  • Edward Liroff sentenced for claiming false military service.

    Jonn posted about Edward Liroff here.   Never use a bogus DD214 discharge certificate to apply for anything.  Its like using copy and past to put your picture on a VA card…its just stewped.   Now WPTV  is reporting that Edward has been sentenced.  They have a great video there done by  Tory Dunnan that is definitely worth watching.

    In court, a judge credited him with some of the time he has spent behind bars but he still must serve nine more months in jail.  Liroff apologized and said, “this wasn’t his brightest moment.”

    “My actions, which I thought were for a good reason. To help my family overall,” he said. “I’ve dishonored myself, my sons, my daughters, my family, my country, and veterans everywhere. For that, I am truly sorry,” said Liroff who could barely get through a prepared statement.

    Once he pays back all the money he received from veterans benefits, his one-year probation will be dropped.

    Jerry Klein, an Army Vietnam veteran, who is also a Silver Star recipient, is among those outraged by the case of stolen valor from St. Lucie County.  “There is no excuse whatsoever. If you weren’t in service, don’t fake being in service,” he said.  He has a warning for those who are doing this.

    “The veteran’s community knows,” said Klein. “There is no excuse. None whatsoever. If you weren’t in service, don’t fake being in service.”

    Ahhh, no Eddy… Stealing Valor is no way to help your family.   He still has no clue, its his families fault for depending on him.  Are you serious Eddy?  You have not dishonored your kids dumbass, we don’t hold kids responsible for their father being a fake and a fraud.  I don’t think Eddy is sorry for what he did, I bet anything he would still be doing it if he could get away with it.  He is only sorry he got caught.

  • Thursday morning feel good stories.

    Thursday morning feel good stories.

    From Centreville, Virginia

    A man who was shot outside a Centreville, Virginia, home early Monday is now facing a charge of unlawful entry, but his shooter likely won’t face charges.

    Fairfax County Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Casey Lingan confirmed that the homeowner likely won’t face charges in the incident, as first reported by NBC 4.Early Monday morning, Ethan Redd, 29, tried to enter the residence in the 6300 block of Fairfax National Way when the homeowner fired several shots and wounded him, Fairfax County police said Tuesday following a preliminary investigation.

    Officers had been called to the residence around 5 a.m. over a reported burglary after the homeowner saw a man in his backyard.

    Redd, of Chantilly, fled the scene after being shot and was found at a Loudoun County hospital. He was later transported to another hospital in Reston, where he’s still being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

    From Las Vegas, NV

    Las Vegas police are investigating Wednesday morning after a man shot at a burglar standing in the bedroom in his east Las Vegas home.

    Police were called about 3:30 a.m. to a home at 2727 San Vincente St., near Pecos Road and Carey Avenue, according to Metropolitan Police Department Lt. David Gordon.

    The man was home alone when he woke up to a noise and saw another man in his bedroom, Gordon said. He grabbed a handgun and fired three shots at the other man, who ran away.

    Gordon said police didn’t find any evidence inside the home that indicated the would-be burglar had been shot, but are still searching for him.

    May I suggest a little more time at the range or  a shotgun with #4.

     

    From Tulsa, OK

    Tulsa man arrested after using reportedly stolen gun to shoot at home invaders.  The man, Robert Doxey, 24, reported the shooting and burglary to police. Officers arrested him on allegations that the gun he possessed had been reported stolen in Muskogee, Tulsa Police Capt. Mike Williams said.

    Police later reported that Doxey was inside his residence playing video games when someone knocked at the door. He then reportedly heard someone pulling an air conditioner from the window in an apparent attempt to get into the house.

    Doxey is alleged to have fired four rounds through the wall from a pistol that was reported stolen.

    The man arrived at his residence, located in the 4800 block of East King Street North, around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday and saw a red sedan parked nearby. Williams said the homeowner didn’t think much of it until the sedan’s occupants attempted to break into his house.

    He gets an “A” for effort but an “F” in execution.  Still, something about this just makes me smile.

     

     

  • Judge humiliates Christian Gerald Desgroux, who is now wearing a perfectly legit Orange Jumpsuit.

    Judge humiliates Christian Gerald Desgroux, who is now wearing a perfectly legit Orange Jumpsuit.

    Jonn had posted about Christian Gerald Desgroux here, here, and here.  This guy  is a gift that keeps giving.

    The Associated Press reports:

     A judge demanded to know Tuesday why a North Carolina man repeatedly used an Army general’s uniform to fool others, asking if “it was like Halloween every day,” as he sentenced him to six months’ imprisonment for an impersonation that ended with an alarming helicopter ride.

    One would think he should spend more time behind bars than most of us have on any single deployment.  Sad thing is it seems there are some women who would have been better off if he had deployed to the middle of some place.

    But he has multiple pending charges from 2017: assault on a female (April); misuse of the 911 system and violating a domestic violence protection order (May); felony conversion (November); and interfering with emergency communications, felony fleeing to elude arrest, misuse of the 911 system and misdemeanor stalking (December).

    This Judge does not seem to be impressed with Christians excuses.

    That November landing at SAS Institute wasn’t the only time Desgroux pretended to be a general despite never serving in the U.S. military, prosecutor Barbara Kocher said Tuesday. She told the judge that Desgroux had convinced a now-estranged wife that he was going on fake deployments and had worn a military uniform while getting kicked out of strip clubs.

    “He liked the sense of importance he gained by masquerading as a general,” Kocher said, adding that Desgroux “has used this persona for years.”

    Federal sentencing guidelines called for no more than six months’ imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Terrence Boyle made clear how serious it is to impersonate a military officer.

    “You can be a danger to people,” Boyle said. “What made you think you could act like a general?”

    Wearing an orange jumpsuit, Desgroux apologized, saying he hadn’t realized what he was doing was illegal.

    “So it was like Halloween every day of the week?” Boyle asked. “Why not wear a top hat and a tuxedo?”

    The defendant then meekly added, “It was a mental issue, sir.” He said he bought the uniform from a surplus store.

    I should put on my uniform and see if women swoon over me.  In all honesty, I should report that my Spousal Unit seems to be immune to it all.

     

  • Bentivolio vs Raczkowski; “Dumb and more Dumber”

    If an individual is going to use their military service to promote themselves or their business in any way; they should be prepared to back up their claims.  This is a case where two Army veterans are posturing and  bloviating over their military careers.  There are reports that Bentivolio made statements about having Bronze Stars, Purple Hearts and a Silver Star from his service in the Viet of Nam.   So the petulant acting Raczkowski decides to question the veracity of Bentivolio’s claims.

     

    Bentivolio sued Raczkowski in May seeking $10 million in damages, alleging that Raczkowski conducted a “malicious defamation campaign” about his military record, including questioning his medals.

    Raczkowski has called the lawsuit frivolous, while maintaining there are credibility issues regarding some of the Vietnam-era medals that Bentivolio has claimed in political campaigns and which Raczkowski investigated.

    Both men are U.S. Army veterans seeking the Republican nomination in next week’s primary election for the in the 11th District, where U.S. Rep. Dave Trott is retiring.

    I checked our email, nobody by the name of Raczkowski has asked us to verify the service of a Bentivolio.  It’s really not all that hard to submit a request.   We could have saved Rocky a whole lot of energy and produced a professionally conducted investigation that  would have stood up in any court.  Why use professional Private Investigators that verify military service every day when you can call someone at Fort Benning and make an ass of yourself.   It does not seem like Rocky Raczkowski is much of a protracted thinker.

    Oh but wait, there is more.

    The Detroit News obtained a partial recording of the 2012 meeting.

    In the recording, Raczkowski tells Bentivolio that he inquired with the Combat Infantryman Badge command office at Fort Benning and was told they had no record of Bentivolio’s Combat Infantryman Badge award.

    Bentivolio says, “My records for my awards for a Silver Star and three Purple Hearts disappeared, too.” Bentivolio adds, “There’s no proof.”

    In the recording, Raczkowski points out that Bentivolio should still have his medical record to show he was wounded, but Bentivolio says that was lost, too.

    Raczkowski later presses him: “So, what happened to the Silver Star?”

    “I never read it. I just know that I was put in for it,” Bentivolio replies in the recording.

    I have some advice for Bentivolio, if an award or in his case three separate Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star and a Silver Star are not in his records how about he STFU about having them.  Bentivolio says he never made any claims to having Purple Hearts and a Silver Star.  Ya, I guess he is attempting to say he was “Put In for Them”.  The great thing about going to Civil Court is the Discovery Process.  In Court you will have to provide your entire Service Record which can be held to the scrutiny of an “Expert” in the field.  It is easy to find a copy of Bentivolio’s DD214, he posted it on his web site.

    I got lots of questions, but I will just point out the low hanging fruit.  Kerry here is going to have to explain how long he was in Iraq.  I am no math wizard but according to his foreign service,  8 months and 6 days minus how long he was in Iraq does not give our boy much time to get 3 Purple Hearts, a Bronze and Silver Star while in the Viet of the Nam.   I am going out on a limb here, but I am guessing Kerry Bentivolio’s records can be used to prove beyond a doubt he was never even considered for all of those awards nor could have he been.

    That’s my opinion and I am sticking to it.