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

Author: Hondo

  • New Sheriff for ‘Frisco

    Well, it seems Sodom-by-the-Bay will soon have a new sheriff. Ross Mirkarimi, the incumbent, was soundly defeated in an election held yesterday.

    You may remember Mirkarimi (or at least his office, if not his name) from a few months ago. This is the same Sheriff whose jail released an illegal immigrant felon in spite of the fact that INS authorities had requested a hold on the individual. They did so because of San Francisco’s “sanctuary city” laws.

    That illegal immigrant, Francisco Sanchez, claims he later allegedly “found” a gun wrapped in a shirt; he further claims that when he picked it up, it “went off by itself” and killed an innocent woman – Kate Steinle – near San Francisco’s waterfront. (If you believe that cock-and-bull story, I’ll make you a great deal on the Golden Gate Bridge.)   Had Sanchez been held and turned over to INS as requested, Ms Steinle would doubtless still be alive today.

    It turns out Mirkarimi was a real piece of work in other respects, too. He had multiple other issues – issues that probably were more important to the “wonderful voters” of San Francisco than the sanctuary city/felon illegal immigrant release idiocy. This Fox News article details those issues.

    The lady elected to replace Mirkarimi, Vicki Hennessy, has called San Frisco’s policies in this area “misguided”. She has indicated a willingness to cooperate with INS in “certain cases”.

    Well, we are talking about Sodom-by-the-Bay; full-time use of common sense and complete cooperation regarding illegal immigration enforcement is probably too much to expect. Still, it looks like there soon will be one less bona fide idiot running the show there.

    That’s a good thing.

  • Throwing Good Money After Bad?

    Stripes today has an article  indicating the US Deputy SECSTATE has announced US pledges of another nearly $100M to support “Syria’s opposition”.  Presumably, that’s the “non ISIS”, moderate Syrian opposition – assuming any of those creatures still exist today.  The aid will go to “support local and provincial councils, civil society activists, emergency services and other needs on the ground inside Syria.”

    Well, whatever isn’t stolen or diverted theoretically will, anyway.  I’m guessing a fair chunk will end up used for other purposes – and possibly even in ISIS’s coffers.  But maybe I’m wrong.

    The article goes on to say that Saudi Arabia “wants Assad gone”, and that the timing of his departure – along with the departure of “foreign fighters” – are major sticking points in ending the Syrian civil war.  Gee, ya think?  I’d have never guessed.  How about we file that bit of wisdom in the “No Sh!t” category?

    Of course Assad’s departure is a sticking point – he has no intention of departing, and he’s currently running part of Syria.  Further, both Assad and those “foreign fighters” have their own interests in being there, and in preventing an ISIS takeover of Syria – kinda like we do, actually.  So that’s obviously a “sticking point”, too.  Sheesh.

    This new pledge brings to $500M the amount the US will have spent supporting the Syrian opposition since 2012.   Now it seems to me we could have spent all that money far more effectively, given the results we’ve gotten to date.  But maybe that’s just me.

    “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”  I said that years ago, and I see no reason to change my mind now.

    Sometimes the devil you know is indeed better than the one you don’t.  If you don’t believe that . . . think back 3 years, then look at ISIS today.

  • A Word of Caution Regarding DPAA’s Korean War “POW/MIA Lists”

    The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) has the mission of accounting for those who never came home. And they do a credibly good job IMO of doing so.

    However, here’s a caution regarding some of the information on their website.

    DPAA maintains publicly-accessible lists of those US personnel still missing from past conflicts going back to World War II. These lists are excellent sources, and seem to be kept reasonably well up-to-date as additional personnel from those conflicts are identified.

    These lists are differently structured for World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. A bit of background about each of those lists is essential to understand what the lists are actually telling you. I decided to write this article to give that background.

    World War II.

    The DPAA World War II lists (they don’t provide a consolidated one) are simple to understand, if perhaps not so easy to use. The DPAA World War II lists (found here) list only those who have not yet been formally accounted for – e.g., whose remains were never recovered.  These lists are clearly identified as what they are – lists of those still missing.  DPAA does not provide a list of POWs who returned alive, escaped, etc . . . , from World War II, and none of their lists would lead one to believe that’s its subject.

    The DPAA World War II lists are broken out alphabetically and by service, so there are a relatively large number of individual lists; as a result, they’re not necessarily too easy to use. But if you know an individual’s name, finding out whether they’re still missing is fairly straightforward (if perhaps a bit tedious).

    Vietnam.

    DPAA provides numerous lists for Vietnam  (by service, by state, etc . . . ) as well. However, for Vietnam DPAA also provides consolidated lists.  Four are IMO the most useful: the consolidated lists of Escapees, Returned, Accounted-For, and Unaccounted-For personnel. The lists’ names are self-explanatory: the Escapee list lists all personnel who escaped from their captors in SEA and returned alive to US control; the Returned list, those who returned alive from captivity at the end of the war; the Accounted-For list, all whose fate is definitively known (including escapees, returnees, and the turncoat bastard Garwood); and the Unaccounted-For list includes those who are still missing. The lists are comprehensive; thus, they’re quite useful for ferreting out fake Vietnam POW claims.  If the individual isn’t on the Escapee or Returned lists, DoD doesn’t recognize them as a Vietnam POW. Period.

    Korean War.

    DPAA also maintains a page it calls “Korean War POW/MIA Lists”.  Unfortunately, some of these Korean War lists are problematic. Bluntly:  taken at face value some of them can be hugely misleading.

    The Korean War lists are structured exactly as are the Vietnam lists; one would thus expect them to contain the same information.  One group of them does.  One does not.

    There are two types of Korean War “POW/MIA” lists: the “Accounted-For ” lists and the “Unaccounted-For”
    lists. The latter are good sources of data regarding those still missing, and appear to be both comprehensive and accurate.  However, there is a huge issue with the former group – the “Accounted-For” lists.

    On the DPAA Vietnam “Accounted-For” lists, those who escaped captivity and who returned alive from same are included in those lists; they are explicitly identified by their status code as having returned at the end of the war or to have escaped.  (They’re also broken out on separate lists for ease of review.)  In contrast, the Korean lists do not appear to include those US POWs who returned alive during/after the war, or who may have escaped from captivity during the war itself and returned to US control.

    What first tipped me off (some time ago) regarding this issue was when I looked at the consolidated Korea “Accounted For” list and found it had around 300 names (even today it only shows 322 names). This is far less than 10% of the number of US POWs documented to have returned alive during or at the end of the Korean War.

    I haven’t been able to find data on how many US personnel (if any) escaped from NK/Red Chinese captivity and returned to US control during the Korean War, or who might have been rescued by Allied forces.  However, near and after the end of the Korean War the US and NK/Red China conducted two major prisoner exchanges:  Operation Little Switch and Operation Big Switch.  Over 3,700  US personnel returned alive from POW status during these operations.

    Operation Little Switch occurred during April and May, 1953. During this exchange, 149 ill and/or wounded US POWs were returned to US control. Operation Big Switch occurred between the armistice ending the Korean War and the end of 1953; during multiple exchanges, 3,576 US personnel were repatriated. The total number of former US POWs known to have returned alive to US control in 1953 is thus at least 3,725.*

    None of the US personnel who returned in either “Switch” operation appear to be included on the Korean War “Accounted-For” lists.  Rather, those lists only appear to include the names of those whose remains were returned and/or definitively identified after the end of Operation Big Switch..  So the fact that someone (1) claims he/his dad/ his uncle/whoever is or was a Korean War POW s, when (2) their name doesn’t appear on any of the Korean War “Accounted-For” lists tells you . . . nada.  US POWs who returned alive at the end of the Korean War simply aren’t listed there.

    Why?  Dunno.  Seems to me that DoD must have a by-name list of who came back alive from POW status in Korea in its archives.  For whatever reason, apparently they’ve chosen not to make that list readily available through DPAA.  I wish they would, if for no other reason than to complete the historical record.

     

    * Historical Note:  per the armistice agreement ending the Korean War all POWs from both sides were given the opportunity to remain with the enemy if they so chose. A total of 3,597 US personnel were offered the opportunity to return from captivity during Operation Big Switch. Shockingly, 23 US personnel initially refused repatriation. Two later changed their minds (the Armistice agreement provided for a 90-day window during which a POW  initially declining repatriation could change their mind and opt to return home instead) and returned to US control in 1953. However, a total of 21 disloyal bastards ultimately declined repatriation to the US and opted to remain in Communist custody.  Most later decided that had been a mistake and returned to the US after several years. However, at least 4 (and possibly 5) never did. One died not long after the end of the Korean War.  The other 3 or 4 lived out the rest of their  turncoat lives under Communism.

    A well-meaning error by the military allowed those who later returned to the US to do so without facing severe legal consequences.  All of the US personnel opting to remain with the Communists were given a dishonorable discharge from the military in absentia.  When they later returned to the US, the result was that they could not be prosecuted for misconduct under the UCMJ – because due to their dishonorable discharges they were no longer in the military.  I  strongly suspect that’s why policy today is to keep the individual “on the rolls” in deserter status in such a case:  to ensure they can receive the appropriate UCMJ “tender mercies” on return.

     

    (A link to this article has been added to the “Military Records” button on the TAH site banner.)

  • Parachute Accident ROI Released

    On 16 April 2015, PVT Joshua Daniel Phillips traveled to the JRTC at Fort Polk, LA. Along with about 2,000 others from the 82nd Airborne Division, he participated in a night mass-tactical jump.

    PVT Phillips didn’t make it. His parachute was damaged during the jump; he did not deploy his reserve. He died on impact.

    The Army Times has an article detailing the findings of the official Report of Investigation concerning the incident. It appears to reveal errors by the personnel running the jump, as well as some judgement regarding the jump on the part of senior leadership that might be second-guessed.

    But in the main, absent cancelling the jump entirely my take is that this unfortunate incident appears to be something that was not reasonably foreseeable, and beyond reasonable control. Another jumper became towed. That jumper’s rucksack came loose, and struck Phillips’ parachute as Phillips exited, severely damaging it (and possibly knocking Phillips unconscious). It was Phillips’ first night jump; either inexperience or being knocked out caused Phillips not to deploy his reserve. Hell, even an experienced jumper might conceivably have missed the fact that they had a badly damaged parachute during a particularly dark night jump. And if you’ve been knocked unconscious, well, . . . .

    The Army has instituted some new control measures, intended to ensure jumpers get more experience before making their first night mass tactical jump. Even so, I’m not sure those new control measures would have made much difference here. Sometimes, reality bites – hard – and things simply go badly wrong in a way nobody foresaw. And even experienced jumpers sometimes make mistakes.

    It’s sad that a fine young man died. But there’s a good reason that being on jump status qualifies an individual for hazardous duty pay. It’s inherently dangerous. While the dangers involved can be reduced, they can’t be completely removed.

    Rest in peace, PVT Phillips. Rest in peace.

  • PhotoShop? Pfft. Try This Civil War Equivalent.

    Here’s a photo from the Civil War.  It’s entitled “General Grant at City Point”.

    There’s only one problem:  it’s fake.  It’s the Civil War era equivalent of a modern-day Photoshopped image. The event “recorded” in the photo never happened.

    Fox has an interesting story concerning the fake photo.  It’s a short article, and IMO is well worth a few minutes of your time.

    FWIW:  it’s also IMO a better job of combining photos than that done by someone we all “know and love”.  And based on its copyright date (1902), it was done over a century earlier.

  • Vietnam Vet to Receive BSM Today

    On January 28, 1968, a US helicopter crashed in Vietnam.   It was shot down.

    There was at least one survivor.  That survivor needed assistance.

    Vernon Rose was in the Army at the time.  He was serving in Vietnam, in the vicinity of the crash.

    Rose assisted in recovery efforts.  He moved through thick brush, under enemy fire, and reached the downed aircraft. He then carried a wounded crewmember to safety.

    Rose’s heroism was noted, and he was recommended for an award. That award was approved.

    Unfortunately, through an admin foul-up the approved award was never presented to Rose.  That oversight was recently discovered.  Rose will be presented the Bronze Star Medal (presumably with “V” device) today at Fort Knox, KY.

    Well done, Mr. Rose.  Damn well done.  Thanks for being an excellent example for soldiers of today and tomorrow.

  • Political Connections? You Decide.

    I’ll just leave this here, followed by  some brief comments.

    Watchdog: Feds sold horses for slaughter to rancher with reported political ties

    First comment:  this type of corrupt behavior is disgusting.  Second:  since the government apparently lost money on the deal – but the marketing specialist who approved the sales nonetheless got superior reviews (and bonuses) for several years while this was going on – I’m not sure I believe the “this matter did not warrant further investigation” finding.

    The full IG report can be found here.

    I guess this was just another bit of honest, above-board dealing from “the most transparent Administration in history”.

  • Two More Return Home

    DPAA has identified and accounted for the following formerly-missing US military personnel.

    From World War II

    • PVT John H. Klopp, 126th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Division, US Army, was lost on 5 December 1943 on Papua New Guinea. He was accounted for on 15 October 2015.

    From Korea

    • SFC Dean D. Chaney, K Company, 3rd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, US Army, was lost on 28 November 1950 in North Korea. He was accounted for on 8 October 2015.

    You’re no longer missing, elder brothers-in-arms. Our apologies that your recovery took so long.

    You’re home now; rest in peace.

    . . .

    Over 73,000 US personnel remain unaccounted for from World War II; over 7,800 US personnel remain unaccounted for from the Korean War; and over 1,600 remain unaccounted for in Southeast Asia (SEA). Comparison of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from recovered remains against mtDNA from a matrilineal descendant can assist in making a positive ID for unidentified remains that have already been recovered, or which may be recovered in the future.

    DPAA’s web site now has what appears to be a decent “Contact Us” page. The page doesn’t have instructions concerning who can and cannot submit a mtDNA sample or how to submit one, but the POCs listed there may be able to refer you to someone who can answer that question – or may be able to answer the question themselves. If you think you might possibly qualify, please contact one of those POCs for further information.

    If your family lost someone in one of these conflicts and you qualify to submit a mtDNA sample, please arrange to submit one. By doing that you just might help identify the remains of a US service member who’s been repatriated but not yet been identified – as well as a relative of yours, however distant. Or you may help to identify remains to be recovered in the future.

    Everybody deserves a proper burial. That’s especially true for those who gave their all while serving this nation.