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

Author: Hondo

  • Submarine Warfare’s First Success

    On the night of 17-18 February 1864, military history was made.

    On that date, the first ship was sunk by a submarine.

    During the blockade of Charleston during the US Civil War, the CSS Hunley – a small, human-powered submarine (literally; its propeller was powered via a hand-crank) submerged.  While submerged, it attacked the USS Housatonic with a spar torpedo.

    The attack sank the USS Housatonic.  However, the CSS Hunley also never returned to shore.  It also sank in the aftermath of the attack.

    The CSS Hunley’s sunken hull was located in 1995.  It was raised in 2000.

    Recent analysis indicates that the CSS Hunley may have been as close as approximately 20 feet away from their torpedo at time of detonation (they were originally thought to be much farther away).  That may have been close enough to allow the shock to have knocked the ship’s crew unconscious, making it impossible for them to either return to shore or escape from the disabled craft.

    May all 13 who lost their lives – 5 Union sailors from the USS Housatonic and entire 8-man crew of the CSS Hunley – in this historic event rest in peace.

  • More ObamaCare Issues

    We heard about the problems with the Federal government’s web-based enrollment system supporting “healthcare exchanges” under the   Plainly Puerile  and Absurd Collection of Asininity   Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, AKA “ObamaCare”.  But what about those states that run their own exchanges?  They’re doing great, right?

    Um, not so much.

    And finally:  it looks like ObamaCare coverage might not be so good for folks with preexisting conditions after all – they’ll likely see higher than previous out-of-pocket costs for drugs.  Higher, as in “no help at all from their insurance.”

    Yeah, that ObamaCare is really working great – ain’t it?

    Sheesh.  This turd simply can’t be polished.  It need needs to be scrapped, pronto.

  • So, Snowden Was Just An “Honorable Guy”, Eh?

    Believe that, and I’ve got a great deal for you on a bridge.

    An “honorable guy” doesn’t do a lot of things.  One of them is to trick his colleagues into helping him steal massive amounts of classified information.  Another is lie through his teeth.

    Per this story, apparently NSA has determined that Snowden tricked, cajoled, or conned at least three of his colleagues into providing him their login credentials on NSA systems.  (Some of the links in that article are marked FOUO, so if you’re accessing the article from a government computer system use due caution.)  Snowden then captured those credentials and used them at later times to gain access to material he would not have otherwise been able to access – and steal.

    Previously, Snowden has denied stealing others’ login credentials.  So this documents that Snowden is a damned liar, too (as if we didn’t already know that).

    One of the individuals Snowden duped has since “resigned” from NSA. (I’m guessing it was either that or be fired, as the article states his security clearance had been revoked.)  Reportedly, the other two have had their access to NSA systems revoked.  Other information in the article indicates the two may possibly face additional disciplinary action.

    Yeah, I’m guessing these folks thought they were simply “helping out” a co-worker by doing what they did.  But the guys and/or gals involved were still being fools when they were duped.  Security policies exist for a reason, and bypassing them can really cause problems.  Bypassing them did exactly here.

    IMO, this does rather conclusively prove that Snowden was anything but honorable.  Honorable people don’t hang their colleagues out to dry like this, or lie through their teeth publicly.  This also shows that Snowden meticulously planned his crimes in advance, and actively sought out information he knew he wasn’t authorized to see in order to steal it.

    I hope we one day get our hands on this damned turncoat.  Hopefully, that will be when we have an administration running things that knows how to deal with turncoats.

  • Why This Stuff Matters

    In the William Derek Church discussion, regular TAH reader and occasional commenter Wesley Wilson (Enigma4you) left a comment that very eloquently points out why stolen valor matters.  The comment is focused specifically on the Purple Heart, but the sentiment is the same – albeit different in degree, perhaps – for valor awards, service awards, and special qualifications/service.

    I thought the comment was worth repeating, virtually unchanged and nearly in full, here.  I certainly can’t say it better.

    In so many places around the world right now US service men and women are defending and protecting our way of life.  As you and I sit safe in our home my own son is getting ready to deploy on the USS Philippine Sea.  My best friend’s son is in his second deployment in Afghanistan.  He has already gotten one Purple Heart this deployment.  I can’t think of a single Military award that is more unwanted by those that truly have it than the Purple Heart.

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  • A Pop Culture “Guilty Pleasure”

    A comment the other day brought to mind a 1980s TV show I’d not thought about in a while: Magnum PI.

    Yeah, the show was pretty campy at times.  And yeah, the premise of the show was kinda ridiculous. I can’t say it was great drama, or one of the “all-time best” shows.

    Still, it was pretty entertaining – one of those “guilty pleasures” of pop culture. Selleck had the role down to a “T”. And the show definitely had its moments.

    It also had one of the all-time great closing scenes of any TV show – ever. That was the closing scene for the two-part first episode of season 3 (the two episodes were originally shown as a 2-hour single show):


    If you’re not familiar with the show – or that particular episode – the plot of that episode is summarized here (part 1) and here (part 2).  The summary unfortunately leaves out details regarding the primary motive for the scene (it involves a cold-blooded murder in a POW camp).  If you haven’t seen that episode, IMO it’s worth watching. It seems to be available (all 93+ min – it’s a double episode) on YouTube here.

    Let’s just say that considering the circumstances, I can’t blame the Magnum character – legality be damned.  I suspect anyone who’s served in the military would feel about the same.

  • “They Didn’t Just Talk to Him, They Listened”

    Marine_7002 posted this link in the comments to Jonn’s “Weekend Open Thread.”  I thought it was worth a mention here.

    I can’t add much.  The story speaks for itself – eloquently.  You might want a tissue handy when you read it.

    RIP, EM2 Bud Cloud.  When our times come, may we all be so lucky.

    Ya done good, USS Dewey.  Damn good.

  • Military Records and “the Records Fire”

    Many of us have heard something about a “records fire” that destroyed many military Official Military Personnel Files (OPMFs) years ago.  And we’ve also heard some people claim that “my records were destroyed in ‘the records fire’ – and that’s why there’s no record of my <insert award for valor/Special Operations qualification/service here>”.

    But many people don’t know much more than the fact that a fire once happened where many military records were stored.  The reality is that liars using the excuse of a “records fire” to justify false claims about their military service are regrettably common.  Such claims are very often if not almost always false.

    This article will give the facts concerning that fabled “records fire”.  In it, I’ll give some background about the storage activity, its history, and its design – which contributed to the severity of the fire.  I’ll also briefly discuss the fire and its impact.

    And, finally, I’ll discuss what records were – and what records weren’t – affected by the fire.  I’ll also provide some references that provide much more detail.

    BLUF:  if someone was an Army retiree alive in July 1973; served in the Army after 1959; served in the USAF after 1963; or served in the Navy or USMC – it’s a virtual certainty that their records of service were not affected by the fire.  Any claims to the contrary are pure, unadulterated organic fertilizer of the type produced by male bovines capable of reproduction.

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  • Another Two Return

    DPMO has announced the identification of two US MIAs from from Korea.

    • PFC James R. Holmes, Company K, 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, US Army was lost 1 December 1950, in North Korea. He was accounted for on 14 January 2014. He will be buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery in May 2014.
    • CPL Cristobal Romo, Company L, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, US Army, was lost 12 December 12, 1950, in North Korea. He was accounted for on 13 January 2014. He will be buried with full military honors in Riverside, CA, on March 22, 2014.

    Additionally, DMPO has announced funeral arrangements for CPL Billy M. McIntyre.  Identification of CPL McIntyre’s remains was previously announced last year.

    A belated welcome home, my elder brothers-in-arms.  Rest now in peace.

    . . .

    Over 73,600 US personnel remain unaccounted for from World War II; over 7,800 US personnel remain unaccounted for from the Korean War; and over 1,640 remain unaccounted for in Southeast Asia.  If you are a relative of one of the individuals listed here (World War II – critical need), listed here (Korea), or listed here (Southeast Asia) – please consider reading this link to see if you qualify to submit a mtDNA sample.

    If you qualify to submit a mtDNA sample, please submit one.   By submitting a mtDNA sample, you may be able to help identify US remains that have been recovered and repatriated but not yet positively identified.

    Everybody deserves a proper burial.  That’s especially true for those who gave their all in the service of this nation.