REMEMBERING

Looking out the window, it is still cold and snow covered.  Although not totally snowbound I'm staying indoors to avoid falling as I did a couple of years ago. Having turned to it takes too damn long to heal. 

Got an email showing at B-17 returning to England being shot to pieces from German flak with dead and wounded on board. This got me thinking of my second cousin, mom's cousin, who was killed over his fifth mission as a gunner over Vietnam.

From there my thoughts returned to the weather and the troops involved in the Battle of the Bulge. The cold conquered the overall misery of American troops and two of my uncles who were following General Patton to relieve Bastone. One lost the use of his leg during this period.

Another uncle jumped into north Africa then to Italy via Sicily and fought and walked to Germany. On the other side of the world another uncle was flying the Hump as an engineer as a cousin was following Stillwell out of Burma.

Back to the cold and misery my great uncle a WWI veteran was back at it in the Aleutian campaign.

Mom's brother spent over two years island hopping in the Pacific ending by being seriously wounded in Okinawa. Dad never left the US probably due to his age and physical problems but still served from 43 to 45 leaving Mom and home with my two brothers and myself living in a shack with no electricity, rationed kerosene, no government aid and 1 mile from the nearest store or food stuff. We did have an old pony and buggy.

All of this had a large influence on my decision to never be cold again.

©RonLynch

THINGS I SHOULD HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT

1957
Boot camp was easier than expected.  For me it was a change in that we slept in till 0530 and had nothing to do other than shower, shave, make our bunks and wait to be called to march to breakfast.  I remember seeing grits for the first time and had no idea why they were put on a tray rather than in a bowl.  

Another surprise was meeting people from the south.  About half our company was from Mississippi and Louisianna and had never seen snow.  They would all volunteer for snow shoveling.

Another first was seeing a black person other than at a distance such as riding thru a larger city.  His name was Robin Sparrow but never heard of after boot camp.

©RonLynch

ENLARGING MY CARBON FOOTPRINT

Read this article in The American Thinker

I received this in an email:

Subj: Government Run Bailout??????

Back in 1990, the Government seized the Mustang Ranch brothel in Nevada for tax evasion and, as required by law, tried to run it. They failed and it closed. Now we are trusting the economy of our country to a pack of nit-wits who couldn't make money running a whore house and selling booze?

Somewhere in the past few days I heard Sarah Palin was unqualified for the Vice Presidency due to her lack of education, B.A. only.

Where would this country be if this had been applied to Washington, Franklin, Lincoln, Reagan and the many other patriots who didn't possess the ways or means to continue formal educations?

Understanding and working with real people has more importance than sitting in some lecture hall agreeing with some Ph.D who has no real life experience.

There once was a Navy saying, "As dangerous as an Ensign with a pen." Most of Sarah's detractors fall into this category. For the uninformed, pens have no erasers.

Similarities to JFK good or bad?

How was JFK assigned to Pacific Area? Fraternization with female suspected of being axis agent.

How was PT 109, with speed capability of 40 Knots + , run down by Jap Destroyer which could maybe make 32 knots considering injection temperatures and days out of dock? Try using an old farm truck to run over a Corvette in a very large open field with both drivers sober and following orders. Good luck.

Explain voter discrepancy of Cook Co., Ill which gave JFK the State of Illinois and the Presidency.

Explain the Bay of Pigs, JFK's meeting with Khrushchev and the USSR missiles being placed in Cuba.

Experience, leadership and strength of the military bailed him out of this total boo boo.

Take a serious look at the build up in Vietnam, during his term. The press was either bought off, duped or so star struck they refused to report.

Yes, someone else reminds me of JFK. No real experience except the ability to smile and speak without saying anything.

By the time I had been aboard ship a couple weeks,
I had learned to not go to sea on a planned voyage
without a full load of fuel.

Somewhere, somehow the party of grasshoppers
have failed to learn this. They have proposed universal
health care for many years yet I have heard no plans
to increase the number of doctors, nurses and other
related trades. As I understand, it takes about 10 years
from high school to being a doctor, longer for different
specialties.

Now the magic cure is alternative energy sources which
generate electricity without any plans for a delivery
system. The grid cannot handle the present load as is
proved by the black and brown outs caused by weather
conditions.

Before believing any of the B.S. put forth by con men or
women, check their background, associates, friends,
parents and yes, their education and accomplishments.
Then look for the lack of planning in the proposals.