First order of business: It’s the last day of the Valour-IT Project campaign to collect funds in the “friendly competition” between service barnches. It is by no means the end of the doantions that are needed for this worthwhile project. The collection campaign was a great vehicle to get the competitive jiuces flowing for all involved. Please consider regularly donation to the cause. Thanks for the donantions, and if you’re inclined to give (or give more), please go to Mudville Gazette and donate for Team Air Force!

Today’s Topic:

An easy way to send a note of thanks to the troops is here. Please consider taking advantage of the opportunity to say it.

This day is a day to honor those who have served and are serving. Many others can speak to the subject far more eloqunetly than I, but I took a moment this morning to consider what is different about this day, this year.

It is part of a continuing trend to show respect and offer thanks to former and persent military members. This trend began about 15 years ago with Desert Shield/Desert Storm. That’s a good think, which occurred close to 20 years after we extracted ourselves militarily from the Vietnam War.

I graduated from high school and had no draft hanging over my head. I came of age the first year this occured, yet I enetered the profession, and stayed a total of 24 years.

Veteran’s Days were not the same back then. It was still a time when many in society only occasionally acknowledged your service.

It’s different now. I was too young to serve in Vietnam, and spent my years training against the Soviet Bloc threat, for the “big one,” where the realistic threat of global thermonuclear warfare wasn’t out of the question. I came how after we “won” by making the enemy spend themselves out of the picture.

I enjoy finding and talking to veterans. The ones from WWII as pretty much at peace with how they were treated then, and now. I can’t really say much about the Korean War veterans, for I have not had the chance to sit down and talk with any of them. Certainly those who were still wearing butter bars when I retired, and are now coming into their own as the leaders of large units, have been shown honor and respect worthy of their sacrifice.

Vietnam veterans still seem to be that group held off to the side in this entire equation. When I was out a few weeks ago doing a pick up, I ran into a man with a tree trimming service. We got talking and he had spent a tour in Vietnam with Special Forces. We talked some of the details with that, but then he told me about his return to the “The World.” Not a pretty sight. While he stated it matter of factly, you could feel the undercurrent of emotional distress, and see the pain in his eyes. A wound not healed, yet he acknowledged how much better it has become in these following years. As he finished his cigarette, I watched him unconsciously field strip the butt. I commented “old habits die hard.” At that point, he realized what he had done, then smiled and said “we did that so the enemy wouldn’t find us.” I knew that, but for a man with one enlistment, it was confirmation to me that he had been one of the men who stood up to face off against the surrogate enemy of the NVA and VC in those tenuous years.

If you know a Vietnam Vet, I’d ask you make a special effort to thank them today, in what ever way you can. While what’s done is done, a well delivered “Thank You” today will help offset the ones not received.

I think I’ll dig out Wayne’s card and give him a call today.

First things first: Happy Birthday (230th), USMC!

I don’t have a lot of time to round this out, but the Valour-IT Project has gone over the goal for Team Army and Navy. The Marines still have quite a hike to make it, which, surprises me, and the Air Force is stll pulling in the $$$, but they are “covering our six.” Thanks, Team AF, for guarding our tails as we take this challenge on. It’s still looking like a seesaw battle for number 1, Army and Navy fighting it out even now…

In 1980, as a young LT, I was put in charge of the Physical Readiness Test (PRT) for a 278 person department at a major training command. The CNO at the time, I think was ADM Heyward, put a renewed emphasis on the program. My ideas on why will have to wit for another day, but here’s what I learned, and how it applies to this project to collect funds.

The test was sit ups, push or pull ups, and either a 1.5 mi run or 500 yd swim. Grading was broken down not only by time/count, but also subdivided by decades of age groups. At the time, if you “exceeded 40,” you didn’t have to take it. Many of the “Old Men” opted out.

Here’s what has always stuck out about the thing I learned. I’d have 24-27 YO guys come up and ask: “How many sit ups do I have to do?” I’d ask their age, then consult the CNO Instruction on my clipboard and say something like “31.” This would be the number to achieve the minimum grade of “Satisfactory.” (Categories were Unsat, Sat, Excellent, Outstanding) When it came time to get a partner and see how many push ups they could do in the 2 minutes alloted, I’d see this guy (and many like him in excellent physcial shape), knock put the 31 “required” push ups in about 22 seconds, then the’d stand up and walk off to take a break. A few would come and ask “what’s the maximum I have to do?” I’d see these people at 1:55 staining to do “one more!” as their partner holding their feet would say to encougare the perrson with the screwed up face, eyes clamped closed, trying to press their elbows to their knees (that’s how we did it in the “Old Navy,” no “crunches” for us), while rivers of sweat in the Viginia summer ran down their faces. If they had passed the number for max points, it didn’t matter, it was about using every second alloted to do as much as they were able.

The same thing happened with the push ups, and the run times. Fine, strapping young men, most doing the minimum (“if the minimum wasn’t good enough, they wouldn’t make it the minimum” they would say), and a few doing everything they could do.

Over the subsequent years, as the PRT was done every 6 months, I saw this behavior over and over. In the work place, I saw the same thing. Guess what? It turned out that the people wanting to know the lowest performance they could turn in to get by, were more than likely to take that into their professional performance off the PT field. The ones who suffered the sore muscles from the straining for excellence for all that was in them that day, were more than likely the sailors and officers you could count on, no matter what it was going to take to get the job/mission/project done. I did note exceptions, but it was close to a 1:1 correletion in performance in the work place and for physical readiness. It’s an overall life philosophy, easiest noticed, in my observation, during the semi-annual PRT.

To bring this home today, Teams Navy and Army have met the self acknowledged “minimums” for the Valour-IT Project. Do we have it in us to use the time between now and 23:59 11/11/2005 to go for something that says what our life philosophy is?

I have emailed local and national radio talk show hosts and everyone on my personal mailing list, with a request to pass the email along. I have told others of the project as an “oh, by the way” comment when I could slip it in. And today, as I work, I’ll be thinking of who else to contact and email when work is done, encouraging them to consider this project.

Have you done it all for the wounded? Will you sweat and strain to the finish line? I think I still haven’t done enough….get creative, tell the story, help those who helped us.

I’ll see you in the virtual victory circle! Make it happen, people!

Thanks to Mudville Gazette and The Political Teen for the Open Posts!

Here Greyhawk expresses his discouragement at really neat stuff Neptunus Lex is giving out to those who donate to the Valour-IT Project in the name of Team Navy (who is now within less than $1000 of meeting their goal! Go Navy!).

If you’re reading this, Greyhawk Team, I suggest after you place your cash in Team Navy’s pot, and Lex gets your USS RONALD REAGAN ball cap (with scrambled eggs, of course) to you, you might consider leading off your blog with this picture:

MUWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

JUST DO IT, GH! (or Mrs GH can secretly donate and get it for a Christmas present for GH!)

And now to add insult to injury, thanks for the Open Post at Mudville Gazette! (Note: Haloscan is really busy, so this isn’t there yet to taunt my favorite USAF related bloggers, but trust me, I’ll keep trying to get it there).

Update 11/10/2005 0800 EST:

Team Navy surges ahead by a few hundred $$$, AND HAS EXCEEDED THE GOAL OF $21,000!!!! Yes, we “slid in” behind Team Army (Great sprint at the end Army – BZ!) at the planned finish line, scoring a second home run for the wounded service members. Lets see if Team Army was in a short sprint yesteday, when they finally passed Team Navy, or if they have the “legs” (yes, pun intended, you dogfaces!) to saty in the race as long as it leasts.

If you haven’t donated to Valour-IT Project, please consider sending your funds via Team Air Force, or at least Team Marines, even if you love the Navy (or Army).

I’m sure this cartoon will boost visibility….Thanks you, Cox & Forkum!

Let me take a moment to gloat, before the tables are turned….

First: Here’s the link to my post on Valour-IT.

Next: Well, the Navy got off to slow start being leaderless in this blitz to pull in some cash for the cause, but, the USN and supporters have been leaving the competition in the dust since day 2…How do you other services like that?

I’m thinking the USAF can’t step up to the plate because of a bunch of wanna be SEALS (and I think they have a leg up on getting to BUDS after painting the F-4 at the USFA grounds with Blue Angel’s colors) embarrassed them on the home field! My advice to the flyboys: Get on with life and get over it…:)

As to the Amry and Marine Corps: To paraphrase a quote from the game Battlefield 2: “Fight harder, or I’ll have to get someone who will!!!”

Stats worth that provide bragging rights:

As of 2046 EST:

Navy: $10691.00
Army: $9049.99
USMC: $7030.00
USAF: $2990.00

Total (as in nothing to sneeze at): $30030.99!

And, to make a point, there are 6 more days of this, so no excuses as to not being able to ante up some $$$, the Navy team has the chance to put up the goal of $21K by it’s lonesome. How about the rest of you? I think going for $21K/service team would help out a lot more of the wounded troopers…what say we go for $84K?

Geez, why stop there if we can bring in 6 figures? Dream big and ask all your friends….

Well, it looks like us squids have been caught out at sea in receive EMCON “A.”

No one had volunteered to lead the Navy effort to raise money for the Valour-IT project, which provides computers and software to our injured warriors (of all branches), so they can function by using voice activated technology. It’s a quality of life issue, let alone serious morale issue.

We have used technology to hunt down and destroy our enemies on the land, sea (on and under), and air. It’s time we use that same advancement of science and technology to give the wounded a fighting chance to be normal, despite the physical disabilities.

The donations go thru Soldier’s Angels, which is a 503(c) organization. That group has done many more things than this for our service members. Scan Holly’s site and see how you can help with other things she is workin on, too.

The Army, Air Force and Marines are already moving out and we’re looking pretty lame. Does it remind you of that feeling when you missed the last Liberty Boat back to the ship? Yep, lame….

Someone may have beat me too the duty to handle this, but if not, I’m on it….

Update: Get over to The Indepundit (LCDR Smash’s blog), where his wife is leading the charge for the Navy team.

Pass the word.

How about a nice panoramic view from the top of Mt Everest?

Maybe a scene from a small canyon during a white water rafting trip suits you better?

Anyhow, while scanning the ‘net to see if I had an orignal idea, I found someone else is using the term “blogvel” for online novels, and I tripped across Panoramas on the way.

So, take a virtual vacation for a few minutes and see some pretty cool scenery….like a climb up The Matterhorn or save the 24 hour Quantas flight and the jet lag for another time and see a sunset from the plaza in front of the Sydney Opera House.

BTW, don’t foget to look up and down, too.

Thanks to Mudville Gazette for the Open Post!

I spent last evening ravaging the magazine shelfs, reading several November issues.

I enjoy CPU Magazine and look for that one first during my forays into Borders around the 20 something of the month.

In the November issue of CPU, they had a short article on the Bionic Dolphin. No, it’s not Flipper and Col. Austin merged, but a you can buy it (for $60K) real thing that will do about 55 mph on the surface and also do about 10 mph submerged. Two people sitting in tandem and it can boach the surface and slam back down and keep going.

Update 11/1/2005: Bionic Dolphin on a trailer

I’ll have to start looking for a source of disposalbe income in that range. I feel the same as Capt Hiller (Will Smith) in “Independence Day.”

How about Subsunk and Chapomatic? Thing we can even talk Neptunus Lex into getting one? I think Skippy San could use one as the ultimate babe magnet in the far east, too. Of course, Cdr Salamander would need one…

After a while, we’d have enough for a squadron, then we’d have to put someone in charge of operations. Hmmm…maybe not as much fun as I first figured.

Thanks to Mudville Gazette for the Open Post!

What will those scientists think up next?

How about remote control for humans?

I heard someone on one of the radio talk shows discussing this yesterday and it sounded interesting enough to look up. Later in the evening, it was on another talk show, and the editor of Christian Computing Magazine was talking about the technology. Beyond being able to have your spouse make you get up and take the garbage out, it’s also being looked at as the method by which more realism could be added to simulators, in particular, PC gaming. By making you feel off balance, the sim program could provide the sensation of the movement of the vehicle, complete with the g force acceleration.

I vote for use restricted to simulators, just to curb any impluse by spouses to control their partner….

When this comes around, then Neptunus Lex will know we really get what he’s writing about in this serial web novel “Rhythms.” Part XXXV, the most recent entry is here (in case you haven’t been enjoying this fine work of digital literature).

From today’s Open Thread at Little Green Footballs comes a Lego device, that when coupled with a computer can put your Rubik’s Cube back to like when you ripped it out of it’s box…

I’ve been following the whole “bucky” thing since “buckyballs.”

Now, something with very intriguing applications:

A new kind of paper….

I wonder how well it folds and if “paper” airplanes will be banned as potentially really, really dangerous weapons in the classroom…