Category: Administrative

  • Inbox stuff

    Folks think that you guys pay attention to me so they email me stuff. here’s some of the stuff they’ve emailed me this week;

    Dear John,

    Would you please add this link to your Red Ribbon Week coverage? www.redribbon.org/contest National Red Ribbon Week starts tomorrow, Oct. 23.

    Will you please include a link to the video for parents and students? ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_8oR6zAGhHA ) It shows how easy it is for families and schools from your area to win a $1,000 drug prevention grant for their local school, and an iPad for their family. Studies show that substance abuse risks lessen when children talk to their parents about the dangers of drugs, and this is the goal of 2012’s contest: to encourage families to talk about prevention at home and in their neighborhoods.

    Hello. You’ve mentioned your large readership in Tampa several times on the blog. There is an event coming up in just under two weeks that it would be great if you could publicize.
    (more…)

  • Chicks and cars

    Here’s an ad from our buddy, Casey J. Porter for his photog sevices. But it has chicks and cars, and it’s a slow news day so…

  • TAH 6th Blogoversary

    It was six years ago today that I made the decision to leave the forums behind and carve out my own corner of the internet. So here we are 10,775 posts and 145,217 comments later. Our traffic over the last year has been stratospheric. This is just those of you who read us on the blog, not including the folks who read us on Network blogs and and Facebook;

    The most popular post remains the one about Soup Sandwich with 95,000 reads in the last year. The second most read page is the Stolen Valor page with the links to our candidates in the last tournament. The spike in the chart above is from TSO’s unmasking of Tim Poe. I’m kind of proud of the fact that we were responsible for 6000 days of wasted manhours in the last year.

    So welcome to our 7th year. Here’s the interview I did a few months ago about the founding and my vision for TAH. Thanks to all of the bloggers who think we have something important to say and thanks to you readers and commenters who find some measure of value in our ramblings through the English language.

  • TAH goes on the road

    Yesterday, our buddy, Pete Hegseth of Concerned Veterans for America invited us to live blog the Republican National Convention in Tampa next week, at their expense. So I jumped at it and then invited myself to the Democrat National Convention the following week in Charlotte, NC, ya know cuz I’m into the whole nonpartisan thing these days.

    I’m actually nonpartisan only because both of the national parties piss me off. That doesn’t mean I’m any less conservative than I ever was – I just don’t attach myself to any party because they both suck canal water. But, if you don’t hear from me occasionally, that’s why. By the way, I noticed that we get a lot of traffic from Tampa (I wonder who is in Tampa that would be interested in what we have to say) – but I’ve got several hours off on Wednesday next week if anyone wants to meet up, let me know.

    Then sometime in the next several weeks, TSO is taking an exciting embed with the Marines in Senegal to report back to us what is going on in Africa. I think I’d rather spend time with the Marines in Africa than with politicians just about anywhere, but that’s just how this one shakes out.

    So we’ve got some interesting stuff planned for TAH, better buckle up.

  • Band of Brothers’ Gallery

    Hack Stone thought we should start a gallery to companion our “Members Gallery” that would highlight the fact that our membership in the Grand Band of Brothers is a family thing and that we should all send in pictures of our family members who served. He starts off with a picture of his grandfather who served during The Great War in the 79th Infantry;

    I’m digging through my files to find a picture of my father and I’ll post it as soon as I can find it.

    Former3c0 sends him and his dad at BMT graduation;

    Laughing Wolf sends his dad, “Pvt. Cliff Powers, Guidon Bearer Quantico, VA 1935. Co. G, 2nd BN, Fifth Marines F.M.F (according to what I can decipher on the back of the photo)”

    More from Laughing Wolf; my Uncle Foster Powers, USN, Pilot, KIA Japan 1945. He died in one of the last conventional raids done by the Navy (as I understand it).

    Laughing Wolf’s Dad again, being a GI;

    From Ex-PH2; “The blond young man is my great grandfather, William Henry Rogers, my maternal (mother’s) grandfather. He was in Supply in the 33rd Infantry, Wisconsin 1st Regiment Cavalry.

    His brother, my great-uncle Gen. George C. Rogers, was in the 15th Illinois Regiment, in Hurlburt’s Division on the Shiloh Battlefield at Pittsburg Landing, TN — the Hornets’ Nest. He took the field when Col. Turner resigned. I haven’t found a photo of him in uniform, but I found a bad photocopy of a letter he sent home from Pittsburg Landing describing Shiloh.

    Their uncle, James Barton Rogers was a chaplain in the 1st Wisconsin Regiment.

    The other photo is my maternal (mother’s) grandmother Florence Chapman Rogers’ uncle, Jonathan Chapman, KIA in the Civil War, Company A, Wisconsin 1st Regiment Cavalry. ”

    Steve sends “This is from my Brother Frank’s retirement in Dec 70 at Ft Monmouth. I was the Post CG’s aide de camp. Unknown to anyone, especially me or my Brother, the General finagled the GO duty roster and assigned himself to the monthly retirement ceremony. FM 22-5 style he sidestepped to in front of my brother (I was holding the thing with all the awards) and my brother saluted, of course. The Gen did not return the salute and motioned me to take his place. My brother was still saluting so I saluted and the announcer told the crowd that I was retiring my brother. It was a very thoughtful thing of him to do. My Bro now rests with heroes at Arlington. ”

    I attached the one where my Bro swore me back into the Army a year or so earlier. I decided I didn’t like the army in VN and got out. 6 months later I decided I didn’t like civilians and came back in.

    Country Singer sends “One of these pics is my father and my uncle circa 1959; my dad would end up retiring after 22 years Navy, my uncle after 24 years USAF.

    The other picture is my Ggggrandfather, John Hamilton West, 4th Corporal, Co I, 5th Alabama Infantry Regiment. He was with the 5th Alabama Regt from its formation; at battles such as Seven Pines, Cold Harbor, Malvern Hill, Sharpsburg (at Bloody Lane), was captured at Fredericksburg (exchanged a week later), Chancellorsville (in the assault wave under Rodes), The Wilderness, and Spotsylvania. He took a minie ball to the right leg at Spotsylvania, an injury which ended his service and would plague him until he died in 1903 at the age of 72 from a rattlesnake bite he received while rabbit hunting. It took him ten days to die. He was one tough SOB.”

    Ray sends; “Dad in front of my Grandparent’s home after returning from WWII. Pictured with him are my Uncle Jack (mini me) and cousin Ken (micro me). Dad served as a Motor Machinist Mate 2nd Class onboard the LCI(L) 1094. He always said they should have gotten Sub pay and Flight pay because half the time they were out of the water, and the other half, under it. I have other photos from one of Dad’s old shipmates showing the 1094 off shore at Iwo Jima pulling harbor security after the island had been captured. ”

    Common Sense sends the next tn pictures; “Our newest member is my youngest son Alex who graduated from Air Force BMT in June, he’s currently at tech school at Sheppard. This is a picture of me, Alex, and my husband at graduation.”

    I’ll have to dig up a picture of my dad Pete in uniform. He was in the Army, stationed at Chitose, Hokkaido, Japan, where my sister and I were born. This is a picture of my parents with me in Japan. Their off-base accommodations were primitive to say the least, but people weren’t so spoiled back then.

    This is a picture of my uncle Jon Swanson, Medal of Honor recipient. He was born in San Antonio while my grandpa was at Ft Sam Houston. When he was home on leave in between tours, he gave us all helicopter rides. I was 9 when he was killed.

    A picture of my mom’s brother Gary.

    My grandpa Howard Swanson served as a doctor in WWII, mainly in North Africa and Italy. He was an amateur photographer so I have lots of interesting pictures from him. The second one from him was taken at Ft Sam Houston where he went for training before shipping out. The names of the other guys are on the back, in case anyone wants them.

    Next is Jim Leader, my grandpa’s brother who served in the Navy during WWII. My grandpa wanted to serve, but he was a truck mechanic in an essential industry so they wouldn’t let him. He regretted that the rest of his life.

    Howard Swearingen was my husband’s grandfather. This is a picture of him during WWI.

    My dad’s uncles John Henry and Dick Sullivan in WWII.

    My great-grandparents Edward and Josephine Sullivan during WWII. My great-grandmother is wearing her Red Cross uniform.

    Eggs sends: “[The first picture is] my father in WWII on the shoulders of his crew, he was a T/Sgt with the 514th SQ, 376th HBG, “The Liberandos” of the United States Army Air Forces. After the war he was an instructor at Chanute AFB, then was a TSgt in the newly formed Air Force Reserves.

    Smitty1 is my Uncle “Smitty”, 1st Cav in Korea. He passed away in 2004, and thanks to the work of his daughter, posthumously recieved his Purple Heart. She served in Desert Storm with the Mississippi National Guard.”

    SJ sends; “This of my son at AIT graduation 50 pounds ago. My greens were never the same after this wearing at his request (was retired then)…too much stress on the buttons. He regretted asking me to wear them and meet his DI, who was Airborne. The DI saw my 82nd combat patch and he had my son pull extra duty all night for “shaming me by not volunteering to go to jump school”. ”

    ROS sends; “My Pop before going to Vietnam, and my Papaw, a pilot in the Army Air Corps. I don’t recall if he flew P-43’s or P-47’s.”

  • NRA’s Life of Duty Free 1-year Membership

    I know I’m always plugging stuff that requires you to give up some money for someone, but this is FREE – a free one year membership in the NRA for active duty military, law enforcement and first responder folks. The folks at NRA sent us this;

    Active-Duty Military, Law Enforcement and First Responders: NRA members appreciate your continued service and have FREE NRA memberships waiting for you. Plus, you will receive $27,500 in no-cost accident insurance, exclusive gear discounts, a subscription to the NRA American Warrior digital magazine and more … All FREE for one-year!

    Just click the image above and sign up.

  • TAH Members’ gallery still going

    Just in case you didn’t stop by this weekend, first of all, shame on you, but, some of our members (about 40, I think) sent us their pictures, mostly in uniform, so you know who you’re talking to. Here’s the link to the post which has slipped back to the second page. Good lookin’ group and I guess we have a vast array of talent among us. I’m intimidated, now. I’ll still post pictures for those of you who only come here to avoid doing your paying job during the week.

    But I added two more photos this morning, so it’s still growing.

  • TAH members’ gallery

    doctorrich sends us his picture. He says he loves the Army and I know that feeling;

    SGT K sends a picture from 2006 in Iraq;

    CI sends; “Me with ‘Blue’ at COP Gator in Doura, Baghdad. The fellas at the COP belonged to Blue, instead of the other way around.”

    SFC Holland sends this one that he says was taken last week in Helmand Province, Afghanistan;

    Bubblehead Ray asks that we not be intimidated by his “massive fruitsalad”

    Lucky sends this from Iraq 2009-2010;

    SJ sends us this picture from his days in Vietnam at Phu Bi (Camp Eagle) in 1968;

    Ne Desit Virtus getting ready to send some pain! Khowst province, March 2009;

    Stu sends “Taken Christmas night 2005 at FOB Rustamiyah after mortar attack awaiting all clear and damage assessments. I got the important things covered, smokes, coffee, close quarters weapon, what more does a fella need?”

    From Rooster2005 “This pic is from Iraq, Anbar Province 2005. Occupied Hide Site – Team Rooster”;

    DefendUSA (in the middle);

    Nichevo “somewhere between Kabul and Jalalabad in November of 2011”

    AW1 Tim; “Here’s the best one I have of me to hand. This was taken in, I believe, 1979. while in Rota, Spain with VP-10. This is Combat Aircrew 10, and I am first row, 3rd from the left.”

    COB6 ordering 6 beers in Ranger formal wear;

    BOHICATwentyTwo; Camp Spearhead, Kuwait. 2004;

    TopGoz; “This is a picture of me standing on the roof of the JOC at Bagram Air Base in March 2009, three months prior to my retirement.”

    John: “taken in 1970, at the Communications Repair Shop, Headquarters Company, 501st Signal Battalion (Airmobile), 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile), at Camp Eagle (between Hue and Phu Bai), Republic of Viet Nam.”

    Kilo “in Iraq (FOB Rustimiyah) in 07. No combat patch because I was Air Force”;

    Just A Grunt “at the NTC circa 1985 pretending to be a Russian”;

    Dai Uy… “circa 1967 46th Company, Camp Nam Pung, Sakhon Nakhon, Thailand”;

    Lee1/75 Kunar Province, Afghanistan (2010)

    YatYas, “a retread Gunny and staff weenie visiting FOB Lima near Karbala in 2005”

    Pathfinder “running a reflexive fire range Kunar Province, Afghanistan 2010”;

    Currahee John with “Co. A 1/506th INF (AA) “Currahees” at Howard AFB in Panama, 1978. This was taken at the end of JOTC (aka Jungle School, with the nifty pocket patch), waiting to board a plane to go back to Ft. Campbell. ”

    Fiesty_Foust “Over watching a highway in Iraq 2007”

    TSO sends; “TSO with the Strom Thurmond of Ghazni Province, 2005”

    Virtual Insanity in front of his trusty OH-58C at Fort Polk, LA in 1986…18 years before retirement.

    NHSparky in 1995;

    Jorge in 1987;

    George loves 25mm AP HE rounds because they’re painted like candy corn and he says he went from PFC to SGT twice;

    Just Plain Jason;

    The Red Ghost;

    Jon the Mechanic in 2010 with his new lovely bride;

    LIRight and his newly-minted SF son in 2010;


    I think this is af_res_dep in the wrong uniform;

    Elric sends “Taken in Rawah, IZ in Aug 2005. One of my better memories of that tour. I used to carry the beanies on my Stryker to give to kids on cordon and searches while we did tactical questioning on the males. That and Jolly Ranchers (which probably is a war crime).”

    SGT Ted sent two pictures, one would have you oogling his bride or trying to bust him for SV, so I went with the other of SGT Ted in Karbala during 2003 “while serving in the 870th MP Co, when we were attached to the 3/7 Marines of the 1st MEF. I was piping for an Iraqi Police Graduation Ceremony.” The only downside is that it will make TSO wet his pants with joy. Sorry it took so long, Ted, but you were in my spam folder;

    Jacobite sends; “I’m on guard duty outside the main gate to Tallil Airbase, Iraq in late 2003”

    Old Soldier54 sends; “Po River Valley, Northern Italy. Winter around January ’74.”

    Ben sends; “Taken in March of 2007, myself and SPC Walter in position on an SKT, outskirts of Baqubah.”

    rhill325 sends; “this is me at FSB Mace, RVN, as a member of the 199th Light Infantry Brigade MP HHC MPs–taken in mid 1970, standing up behind an M60.”

    Whitey Wingnut sends; “Here is a picture of me when I was deployed in Afghanistan back in 06-07 at Camp Cobra/Dubbs”

    Twist sends; “This is a picture of me out the “Airguard” hatch of my Stryker during Operation Together Forward in Baghdad in 2006. During the operation my BDE cleared all of Baghdad. If it had 4 walls and a door, we cleared it.”

    Jon Not To Be Confused With Jonn sends this one;

    Eggs sends; Kandahar, Summer of 2005

    Bobo sends this from his CGSC yearbook;

    3C3P sends; “I served from 81-01 and retired as a SFC. Served many years in the 82ns ABN with
    A/1-17th CAV, 2nd and 3rd BN’s/505th PIR and retired as the CURROP’s NCOIC with G-3 18th ABC. This picture was taken in ’82 on Range 53 or 54 (M60 zero and qual) at Ft. Bragg.”

    Mudwhistle says; “I don’t post much, just lurk quite a bit but I figured what the hell, here’s me screaming at Wogs during a line crossing onboard USS Shiloh around 2006-2007. Not the most recent but one of my favorites.”

    NoSlackDelta – “.50 cal gunner in D. Co, 2/327 INF, 101st Airborne. 2003-2007. Tour in northern Iraq (Kirkuk and the immediate area north of the city) sept 05 – sept 06. I’m on the right, this was take right before our platoons first mission/patrol in Kirkuk – Sept 05. Had just arrived in country so no combat patch there.”

    BooRadley sends one with her new Navy Corpsman son. I remember him when he came up to about my waist;

    Grunt Sergeant sends one from his in-country R&R. Guess which war;

    Chris sends us from Facebook; me manning the Ma Deuce during the breaching operations at the start of the ground war [Desert Storm].

    CSE CSC writes; ” The photo is from Camp Fallujah, Iraq, March 2007. For a while my convoy security team had a habit of stealing signs from various places. I think that sign might have originally been at Camp Victory, Baghdad Intl Airport. Hopefully nobody missed it.”

    AF MSgt; This was taken in February 2010 about 200 yards from the Space Shuttle a day before lift-off. I used to be part of the JTF for search and rescue and recovery of the Astronauts if they had to bail out during launch.

    MSGRetired; “That’s me on the left 2006-2007 Mosul Iraq . I believe that pic was at the Iraqi Army base Al Kindi.”

    Streetsweeper and Melony; “…several days after our wedding (9/9/2011) attending the Paulding County(GA) Public Safety Appreciation Day, Dallas , GA. You will note I had gained a few pounds since we last saw each other in DC, Jonn.”

    Hack Stone: “My first renlistment, 1st Tracked Vehicle Bn, Camp Schwabb November 1984. The guy that reenlisted me was Capt. Robert P. Russell. Years later, I saw him featured on A Current Affair. They even made a televison movie about him. ”

    Steadfast and Loyal; “This is me at my promotion to captain in 2000 I believe. ”

    The long awaited Nicki while she was terrorizing Kosovar children in 2007;

    Biermann writes; “…the picture taken at my son’s commissioning at West Point will have to do. Last time I wore that uniform was 1997 at the NCO Academy, never did really care for the class A’s”

    Trent sends; “my little girl and I from the August 2010 Oregon OCS commissioning ceremony.”

    Hotel1 sends; “Oct 21, 1977, Dress Blues. Captains/Admirals Orderly, USS Independence CVA 62. Ships letter that we were “encouraged” to send family at ENDEX for Med floats had a line from the Captain that said, “come visit us when we dock”.
    My family lives in the Canadian end of NH so did not expect visitors. Volunteered to stand watch so other Marines could visit family on the pier. My grandparents decide to take the invite literally, and flew in from AZ. And, got a tour of the ship.”

    Old Tanker sends; “Getting 7.62 belted together for the gunners coax right before Desert Storm…”

    From Paul; “This picture is from Iraq 2009 with PA Army National Guard. I’m the guy on the right.”

    Our favorite Gold Star Mom, Mickey Bryant;

    Laughing Wolf sends; “taken of me in Iraq in 2007 while I was there as a civilian”

    Jabatam sends; “This is me posing with the poster of Kat Von D that we had in the roof of our Caiman MRAP…Baghdad 2008”

    Bill sends; “LCPL Benson and his “pig” (M60 Machine Gun) thinking thoughts of mayhem. HMG Plt, WPNS Co, 2/6 on UDP, Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Japan, 1986.”

    Marine_7002 sends; “…taken in late 1975 at Camp Fuji during Operation “Richochet 1″ when I was a Sergeant in the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing G-3 as an operations admin POG (we were supposed to go to Korea for cold-weather training, but some diplo/political/international frab-up prevented us from going, so we went to Fuji instead). I was a Sergeant then. The accomodations were Quonset huts (with a view of Fuji out the back window…a nice way to wake up in the morning) and shower/head blocks at the end of each row of huts. We used beer cans to decorate our Christmas tree in the hut. They make colorful ornaments, and we had tons of fun emptying them!”

    detn8r sends; “this is a picture of my Son pinning my EOD badge on my Chest in 1990. My first greatest accomplishment pinning my second greatest on my chest.”

    Joe says he was 18 years old when he went to ITR;

    Sporkmaster sends;

    “I have been posting as Veritas Omnia Vincit at your blog for a few weeks…here is a photo of me at basic training in 1978, I am the pale white kid on the far right, this is just before basic graduation and off to Benning for AIT…you can post this in the members gallery if you wish, if you need something else from me let me know. ”

    OEF_Veteran sends; “Taken in Farah Afghanistan 2004 inside Alexander the Greats citadel aka a giant fracking weapons cache.”

    Here is Zero during one of his many visits to Alongapo/Subic circa 1966. Went to “B” school and made E-5. Also cross-decked twice and got to spend well over a year in and around the Gulf of Tonkin. USS England, USS Parsons, USS Mahan, USS Worden.

    Taco Bell in Jalalabad, Afghanistan ’08, loving life;

    RayRaytheSBS sends a most hoo-ah picture;

    Kateser: Picture is from OEF 2009-2010, taken on BAF with one of the first MATVs to hit theater (snuck into the AfSB yard for a look before being able to draw some of our own). Currently back in AFG on KAF, but that picture would be of me in front of my computer with a headset on listening in on some meeting or in front of the poo pond…Not nearly as hooah.