Chasing links via VA Joe, I found A Soldier’s Mind, and…on the sidebar of that blog, a series of cartoons named “BOB on the FOB” by SGT Albert J. Merrifield.

Click the pic for the big, readable version
There’s more….I’m sure I don’t even get all the humor, but they sure seem funny enough to me.Update 6/13/2007: More of SGT Merrifield’s cartoons.
Update 6/14/2007: I foundstumbled upon the source. It’s the old blind squirrel routine…

Around the world, winning hearts and minds
11-Jun-07
by U.S. Navy Builder Construction Apprentice Nick Emanuele
CJTF-HOA

ADDIS, Ethiopia – The American Ambassador to Ethiopia, Honorable Donald Yamamoto paid a visit to the Seabees of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133 (NMCB 133), Detachment Horn of Africa (HOA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Seabees in Addis Ababa have been tasked by the Combined Joint Task Force, Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) to construct three concrete masonry unit (CMU) block structures for the Abiot Emerja Primary School. One structure will house the school’s library, the second structure will become an administrative building, and the third structure will be a latrine facility.
[…]
Builder Second Class (Seabee Combat Warfare) Scott Anderson, Addis Ababa Crew Leader remarked, “The Ambassador was surprised to see how much the project was impacting the surrounding communities. He [Ambassador Yamamoto] also said he never seen a project get so much attention as this one.”

The SEABEES: Building to make a difference. Read it all and see.

Yes, that’s right. The philosophy of the late ’60s and ’70s finally sunk in at the Pentagon…or maybe just with the Air Force.

Check out this article on the “Gay Bomb.”

The US military investigated building a “gay bomb”, which would make enemy soldiers “sexually irresistible” to each other, government papers say.

Other weapons that never saw the light of day include one to make soldiers obvious by their bad breath.

The US defence department considered various non-lethal chemicals meant to disrupt enemy discipline and morale.

The 1994 plans were for a six-year project costing $7.5m, but they were never pursued.
[…]

Ok, we, the US Military is constantly being beat up for using kinetic weaponry. There has been, for almost a decade that I know of, a push for “Green” weapons, too (I guess that means you have to file environmental impact statements from the cockpit, combat information center, or the tank commander’s hatch prior to firing…).

Along comes a non-lethal method, that falls in line with many posters and bumper stickers I have seen since the early ’70s, and you’d think the Left would be happy, wouldn’t you?

From CBS 5 6/8/2007:

[..]
Gay community leaders in California said Friday that they found the notion of a “gay bomb” both offensive and almost laughable at the same time.

“Throughout history we have had so many brave men and women who are gay and lesbian serving the military with distinction,” said Geoff Kors of Equality California. “So, it’s just offensive that they think by turning people gay that the other military would be incapable of doing their job. And its absurd because there’s so much medical data that shows that sexual orientation is immutable and cannot be changed.”

Somehow I don’t think the gay community leaders understood the scope of the weapon. The plan would have called for an powerful aphrodisiac effect to provide the “distraction.” I doubt seriously the plan was to just make people gay and let it go at that.

On the other hand, I am a little surprised that the gay community doesn’t stand up and call for this to be fully developed, and then demand it be used not aboard in conflict, but generally for the entire US. It certainly would slove a few problems for them if everyone turned gay…

Other “non-lethal” plans included causing wasps and rats to attack the enemy troops, a method to cause extreme halitosis, so those blending with the local population would still stand out, and also one your dog would really hate, the “Who? Me?” flatulence producer.

As it turns out, some people were on this years ago. This post from 12/29/2004:

Military Lab Proposed Gay-Aphrodisiac Chemical Weapon

Thanks to a FOIA request from the Sunshine Project, a fascinating document has now come to light. In June 1994, the US Air Force Wright Laboratory wrote a proposal titled “Harassing, Annoying, and ‘Bad Guy’ Identifying Chemicals.” While listing the categories of chemical weapons they planned to develop, the military scientists wrote:

Chemicals that effect [sic] human behavior so that discipline and morale in enemy units is adversely effected [sic]. One distasteful but completely non-lethal example would be strong aphrodisiacs, especially if the chemical also caused homosexual behavior.

The Air Force Lab was quite serious about the proposal, listing a timetable and estimate of expenses for the overall project.

Total cost through fiscal year 2000: $7.5 million

Having enemy soldiers throw down their guns and start humping each other: Priceless

Scientists. You gotta love them.

Media;

You gotta love how they can recycle news of old when it suits some agenda to raise the ire of someone.

With luck perseverance, this will beget a series of weekly postings to cover issues of maritime interest.

My jumping off point will be to bring forth some history of the US Navy, specifically keying on notable people, providing background on them, and then the ships named after them.

The impetus? A wonderful book, “Six Frigates” by Ian Toll. It is the story of how our Navy came into being, and it is chock full of interesting discussions regarding the very beginnings of our Nation, The Constitution, early maritime commerce issues, and many detailed facts about the (this is a euphemism) “polite” verbal and written interactions between politicians, ship builders, and Naval Officers of the day.

Subject number 1: Joshua Humphreys. Born 6/16/1751. Native of Pennsylvania, and a shipwright. A Quaker by religious upbringing, yet did not shy away from supporting the Revolutionary War effort, as many of his religion did as a matter of doctrine.

Why is Joshua Humphreys important? He was the first “Naval Ship Constructor” for this United States. Being a trained shipwright in a busy seaport (Philadelphia), he was chosen by the Continental Congress, along with John Wharton, to design our first warships, with a plan of building 13 light frigates. These ships were poorly built and poorly outfitted. The ignoble end to that phase of building our fledgling Navy amount to seven of the frigates being captured by the British, and four more being destroyed to avoid capture.

Over the next several years, after the war ended, the debates raged as to whether we even needed a Navy, and if so, what would it be used for. The discussions between the Founding Fathers became rather acrimonious at times, proving today’s politics might just be “normal” by historical standards. In the meantime, American mechantmen roamed the oceans of the world, having a neutral status in the conflict between the British and the French, and making a lot of money along the way.

Much more is covered in this period, before we set out to put a Navy to sea, which make for fascinating reading about international diplomacy and economics, but that’s for another realm.

When the United States of America, in 1794, the straw that broke the discussion’s back, as it was, was what to do about the Barbary Pirates, who continued to capture our merchant vessels in the Mediterranean, and enslaving their crews. President John Adams had had enough,as did Congress. On Mach 10th, 1794, the House passed, by a margin of 50-39, an “Act to Provide a Naval Armament.” The authorization was to build six frigates, four rated at 44 guns and two at 36. The authorization further stipulated that the purpose of the ships was to police the Mediterranean against piracy and, in the event a truce was reached with the Dey of Algeria, the building program would come to a stop. Contrast that with the mood of today.

Secretary of War, Henry Knox was tasked to implement the ship building program. He turned to Joshua Humphreys. Joshua had become a master shipwright and owner of a shipyard at the age of 20, when John Wharton died He now had many years of experience, including the conversion of merchant vessels as warships.

Joshua Humphreys was the visionary that conceived, pitched and built the new frigates, smaller and faster than British “Ships-of-the Line,” yet larger and more powerful that European frigates. Tough enough to stand up for a fight, yet fast enough to make more sail and run away to return when conditions were better. Not only would these vessels handle the light, lesser armed ships of the pirates, they would be suited for defending the commerce and Nation against the established navies of the world.

The work did not flow easily to design or build the ships. Toll discusses the personality conflicts between Humphreys and Josiah Fox later in the process. Secretary Knox, not a sailor by profession, was involved.

The “Six Frigates:”

Frigate	Guns	Shipyard	Captain	Constructor
UNITED STATES	44	Philadelphia, PA	John Barry	Joshua Humphreys
CONSTELLATION	36	Baltimore, MD	Thomas Truxton
CONSTITUTION	44	Boston, MA		Edmund Hartt
PRESIDENT	44	Brooklyn, NY	Thomas Truxton	Christian Bergh
CONGRESS	38	Portsmouth, NH	James Sever	James Hackett
CHESAPEAKE	44	Norfolk	James Barron	Joshia Fox

USS HUMPHREYS (DD-236)The details flow, but now the second part of the story: In honoring the man who conceived and put to sea our first warships, we have named only two vessels. The first HUMPHREYS (DD-236 and later APD-12) was launched 28 July 191 and commissioned in Philadelphia, PA July 21st, 1920. The ship saw action the Crimean War in the 20s and in the 30s was involved in developing tactics for carrier battle group operations. During WWII, initially the HUMPHREYS was an escort ship between the West Coast and Hawaii, then was converted to an APD to conduct high speed landing operations.Sailing to Australia, HUMPHREYS served in the Solomon Islands Campaign and at New Guinea, and later delivered UDT 5 to Leyte Gulf on 18 Oct, 1944 and also supported the invasion of Okinawa. She was decommissioned Oct 26th, 1945 and sold for scrap.
USS JOSHUA HUMPHREYS (AO-188) later USNS JOSHUA HUMPHREYS (T-AO-188)The second ship of the KAISER Class of fleet oilers was commissioned sometime in the early-80s to replace the aging ships of the logistics force. Beginning her life as a commissioned naval vessel, she was later transferred to the Military Sealift Command and manned by a merchant marine crew. She is presently out of service, at the Inactive Ship Facility in Philadelphia, PA.

Click for a bigger version Photo credit: Unknown. Entertainment credit: Someone going too fast and not keeping their eyes on the road.Check out CDR Salmander for his version of Sunday Funnies”Check out the boat’s name, it explains a lot!

The news of the defeat of the “Comprehensive Immigration Reform” bill is a victory for America, certainly those who comprehend that what this Nation has accomplished in 231 years, compared to any other nation on earth in history, is something worth hanging on to.

For those who either have purely financial gain to gather from opening the floodgates of foreigners, or those who have effectively, by the penumbra right to privacy, aborted themselves to the brink of irrelevance in American politics, they actually see the defeat as a defeat. They do not understand the concept of America.

The Democrats wanted this to pass so they could present themselves, for the next several generations as “the party who granted you access to the ‘American Dream.'” This, of course, to a largely under-educated labor class, would sound great, and draw their loyalty to that party’s candidates.

Ironic sidebar: For a party that regularly campaigns for “equality” for all, this bill would have legitimized a sub-class of manual laboring peoples, that we need to do what the American’s won’t do. Consider how much of the need for this bill was portrayed in that light, then understand that there has become a subconscious caste system development in our collective psyche by this line of “reasoning.” Would “they” ever be allowed access to the American Dream, or would they be kept in enclaves to perform agricultural and hospitality industry jobs? What if they got “uppity” like the slaves in the 1800s and thought they were actually granted upwards mobility by the passage of such a bill as proposed and defeated? Would we then have to remind them we only brought them here to cut grass, pick oranges and change the sheets at our hotels?

Pardon me, but for all who supported this bill, would actually have been a great leap backwards, where a more “compassionate” form of slavery would have developed, but in this case, the modern days slaves are risking their lives to get here, as opposed to being run down by the Arabs or competing tribesmen to be sold to the WASPs.

The lies rolling out of the mouths of our politicians, who have become allergic to public discourse, are too many for mee to count. One that caught my attention several times over the last few weeks: “We can’t just go up to groups of ‘them’ and ask for their Green Cards.” Excuse me? Federal law says you have to have authorization to be here. When you are gathered, in the open (NOT IN THE SHADOWS!), awaiting work, why can’t you show your card? If you have it, then you get a job and not further hassles. If you don’t, then you are in violation of the law (a concept in our culture, in most areas, has become allergic to) and you have to deal with the consequences.

Ironic sidebar: It seems the illegal aliens received even more comprehensive civil rights, even before this entire debate, than did American citizens. I’m sure drug dealers would have liked not to have been stopped for “probable cause” circumstances, in parallel to the case of “probable cause” of groups of illegal aliens standing in the open in full violation of many local, state and Federal laws. I’m not advocating drug dealing, I’m using the issue of law enforcement being allowed to exercise their responsibility to exercise their duty to investigate suspicious activity.

Another striking lie: “It’s not amnesty.” Yes, there was a provision of a path to citizenship included, analogous to a constriction in a hose designed to throttle a flow. Good start. Problem: If, using a gross example of fluid dynamics, I set a sewer pipe sized component next to the small garden hose in the same flow of rushing water, both leading to the same place in the final reckoning, just where do you think the water will flow? Yep, straight into pipe “Z Visa.” No fines, no penalties, and, in many cases, you’ll not only be refunded all the taxes you paid, you most likely will qualify for a tax credit, as well, so you will forgo holding the money each week, but come the following summer, you’ll have a larger pile of cash as a reward. Think of it like an interest bearing account, courtesy of the American taxpayer.

Ironic sidebar: The press and others seem to get semi-apoplectic when they discuss the cash flow out of the US and into China. “THE TRADE DEFICIT!” they shriek. So what did the “Z Visa” do? Simple: You get to stay here, don’t have to become a citizen, and keep doing what you are doing now: Work, spend as little as you have to in the American “system,” and send the bulk of the money out of the US. Rape, economic style. Thank you “Big Business” and Democrats. Once more, a dichotomy exists as we tell our fellow citizens to buy American. look for the union label, and decry the shifting of work to foreign shores, then we say “Hey, come on down, we’ll pay you and you can take it home to your county!”

Check this out from “The Dark Side of Illegal Immigration:”

[…]
An article in the San Francisco Chronicle stated that Mexicans living in the U.S. send between $6 and $8 billion back to their families every year, making them the third-biggest legitimate force in the Mexican economy, after oil and tourism. Additionally, US taxpayers pay for all the direct and indirect costs of “housing” the Mexican illegal aliens. In essence, it’s an unofficial form of foreign aide. Mexico isn’t about to control its borders, since Mexicans fleeing their country for work in the U.S. send plenty of money back to their own country.

While the $6-8 billion number is often quoted, a fairly recent story in The Brownsville Herald, Banks seek stake in billions sent home, notes that some estimates place the amount of dollars going south in 2006 will be $45 Billion, which was up from an estimated $30 Billion in 2004.

Regardless of the amount, all that money is leaving the US economy and not creating additional job opportunities here. Additionally, all that money represents jobs Americans used to have.
[…]

The net result of the above deficiencies are we would allow massive excusing of illegal acts, and absorb massive quantities of low paid, uneducated talent. At the same time, the bill would have reduced the number of well educated, high tech workers coming to the States. Many of those fully appreciate what the American Dream is and want to come, and on top of that, we need them here. Why? Because…

Ironic sidebar: Back in the early ’90s, the Airlie Council chartered a study, projecting the number of high tech job in the country and the number of high tech graduates projected. Guess what? One was climbing exponentially, and the other falling off a cliff. You guess which one is which. Add to that, India had established a national goal to become the best software engineers in the world and put the plan to work. Go figure why you see so many people of Indian heritage in top level positions in our IT and other technical related industries?

Enough of rehashing the past. My point today is the demonstrated voice of the American public, long thought to have developed laryngitis (something I’m sure the President, Senator Kennedy and McCain counted on), left the realm of the “Silent Majority” and spoke up. That is encouraging and actually, expected of this society. This voice can be put into play when issues of such significance arise, as it should be. Therein lies the opportunity: Using “The Voice” to let our elected representatives hear what we have to say, and ask their thoughtfully considered votes along those lines.

I’ve long been a person who looks at “situations,” and then devised a solution. Having reached that point, the long term strategy of reaching the “end game” begins. Tactically, much of the plan then is devised to come into play in phases, with the given that each step to the end is taken on the most direct path, while recognizing some temporary inefficiencies are required along the way. Those are to be kept to a minimum, but the key is to lay out the phased plan to get there, and ensure they are all interlocking pieces of the puzzle, and not a series of disjointed efforts that waste much. The elephant, as Dr. Deming taught, is to be eaten one bite at a time. The President and the Senate wanted to stuff the entire elephant in our mouths, while we slept.

Now that the text of the “Immigration Reform” bill is out to the general public, I submit the other half of “The Voice” is to not just say what we don’t like, but to now offer suggestions on how to take care of a significant National issue. That is our responsibility to stand up and be counted as not just complainers, but people concerned about moving forward intelligently.

I often considered, early in the run up to the current war, why President Clinton kept sending the FBI around to all the trouble the al-Qadea visited upon us, while President Bush was sending the military. The best answer to myself is one of their professional training: President Clinton was a lawyer by training and professional practice. President Bush was a business man. President Clinton see pretty much everything as crimes to be investigated, President Bush sees things outside or shores as military issues.

My point here is they are limited by their professional filters, as we all are, when working out plans of actions on any topic. I submit, however, when people of differing backgrounds get together, then far more coherent results are the outcome. The real bottom line: Congress is comprised of a vast majority of lawyers, with little other differentiation to bring other experience to the table. That’s where “we” come in.

Want to make a difference? Get a copy of the immigration bill, some strong coffee (or Red Bull) and go to it. When you see holes, omissions, etc, make a note and then consider how you would fix the noted issue. Draft up a letter to your Senators and representatives and let them know you have an idea and would like to help, attached for their consideration.

What an opportunity. We all have it. Why not exercise that part of “The Voice” now we have stabilized the situation?

Expanded opportunities lie in gathering groups of like minded problem solvers, in person or virtually, and blend an array of disciplines and backgrounds, then send a more detailed input into the system.

I used this in a post long ago about N.O.W., but it applies once more to us: (SU)³

And along the way, consider these words of Teddy Roosevelt, for they also, have a message for us today, in these times, in these circumstances.

Tracked back @: Yankee Sailor

Between work, and too many grand ideas, and being engrossed in the story of Preble and Decatur working over Tripoli, I haven’t gotten much up her the last two days.

MEGEN is still lurking about. A new, diabolical plot is being hatched. Some digital editing has already happened, but I need some organizational graphics to add before the roll out of the project, suggested by an astute member of Team Navy.

Fun for all, mind you, and many will be able to participate.

Last night I took time off to view the idiot box and settled in on “Creature Tech.” Vanderwall’s force. Learn it and get with the program, it will help you with attaching in the future!

Open trackbacks.

I don’t feel much like pontificating today, this day being related to two major WWII battles of significance.

Consider for a moment the men who went towards the sounds of the guns over the Pacific in 1942, and across and over the beaches of Normandy in 1944.  Did they calculate the risk, take a poll, or “test the water?”  Nope, it was the throttle to the firewall into the wind and past the bow into history, as well as out the door, or down the ramp.  Orders.  Following orders of the President of the United States and the officers appointed above them.

Some still are here to maybe tell the tale.  Many are not.  Some left 65 years ago, a legacy of courage, others 63 years ago.  No offspring, no telling stories around the fireplace in response to “What did you do in the war, Grandpa?”  Just silence, echoing into the future of things not done, of families not raised, but the sound of freedom is the outcome of their deaths.

D-Day Order – June 6, 1944
by Dwight D. Eisenhower

You will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.

Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped, and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely.

But this is the year 1944. Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41.

The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeat in open battle man to man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground.

Our home fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men.

The tide has turned.

The free men of the world are marching together to victory. I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty, and skill in battle.

We will accept nothing less than full victory.

Good luck, and let us all beseech the blessings of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.

Jim, Sr. and I sat down at dinner last night and I asked him what he was doing on 6/5/1944. He pondered the question a moment, then said “We had been on alert for almost 30 hours.” I didn’t go into chasing that rabbit trail, but he then talked about how, on the eve of his (their) first combat, they were “relieved.” Why, you ask? Well, he explained, they had had all this training and now they were finally getting the order to “GO!” He said the apprehension of the timing of the invasion had been “horrible.”

They spent their time, packing up stuff, labeling their foot lockers and writing home, with “hints of goodbye” for they certainly couldn’t divulge any more than they were heading into combat. He talked about living in quonset huts, heated by a pot bellied stove at each end of the building. How breakfast was a big bowl of corn flakes, that you scooped into your bowl, then you scooped your powdered milk on it and you also got a boiled potato. The bacon was thick and not well cooked, when you did get it. He remarked the rations got much better when they based in France, usually having a local French woman cook up their K rations.

The gliders didn’t fly at night, but the C-47s had been flying to deliver the 82nd All American and 101st Screaming Eagles Airborne Divisions. The CG-4A gliders flew after the landings had begun.

He discussed the visions of the shores of Normandy he will never forget, and then they went further inland.

They had only practiced with maybe 24-36 gliders approaching one landing zone before, and they had practiced with a set, planned landing pattern. Not this day. More gliders, no set pattern, toss in ground fire, land mines and hedge rows.

“I watched men sacrifice themselves so others could have a clear place to land.”

They would land and jam the control column forward to bury the nose of the gliders as a landing skid, and a way to plow up dust and dirt clods as camouflage from enemy gunners in the area. They would try to bounce down hard on the tires and hopefully leap back into the air to an altitude about 10 ft or so, to maybe clear the hedge rows while getting stopped.

Jim was one who was designated a flight leader, and also had been trained to determine the airworthiness of the gliders in the landing zone. He was responsible to select one, then get it set up for a snatch recovery by a C-47 with a tailhook. The passengers on his first return leg were not wounded, but other glider pilots, so they may get airborne again for more flights into the combat area. He said he prayed as he held tight to the steering column, awaiting the catapulting force when the snatch line went taught, that the glider he had picked was sound and that they would not have the wings fall off as they began to get airborne.

After all these years, he still wonders why he survived without injury, in combat or otherwise, from 4.5 years of service, and admits he still feels some guilt for having come home, when so many other great men did not.

He will have his American flags flying this day.