Townhall| Schlichter:
This month is the 30th anniversary of me arriving in the Persian Gulf for Operation Desert Shield, which became Operation Desert Storm, which finally became the Operation Desert Something that counts for the third star on my perfect attendance ribbon. And this milestone arrives coming just as our military ceases to be a serious organization.
Look, I’m no Audie Buttigieg terrifying the Taliban from my workstation, or a Dick Blumenthal giving Charlie what for during the Tet Offensive from Fort Connecticut. I just showed up a couple times. Thirty years ago right now, I showed up in a place called Log Base Alpha out in the middle of the Saudi Desert.
I ran a heavily armed carwash, and due to the might of VII Corps – the most powerful military formation in human history – the closest I came to seeing any action was watching CNN. Note that this was before CNN became a steaming cesspool of commie lies and talking taters.
But I was there in theater, as a small, insignificant part of a serious United States military. And a serious United States military was able to pick up the equivalent of a city of a half-million people, drop it in a wasteland in the center of one of the top five most isolated nations on earth, and proceed to annihilate an entire enemy army in under 100 hours.
A serious military can do seriously amazing things.
And an unserious one can do seriously terrible things.
h/t No longer confused
…the Saudi marching song during Desert Shield/Storm…
https://youtu.be/9CAFqaMthu8
I watched nine of ten episodes of Band of Brothers this week. Didn’t know they were having a B o B marathon, and borrowed my buddy’s and he borrowed my World at War. All the time I was watching it I kept thinking about the subhuman pieces of shit who don’t have any consideration for anything and everything, mostly the contribution America and Americans have made to the cause of lessening innocent human suffering, misery and death throughout the world.
The subhuman pieces of shit are hostile to The Good and wouldn’t know charity if it snuck up and bit them in the ass. The hate filled subhuman pieces of shit only know hate. They hate themselves most of all, rightfully so, and project the contempt they feel for themselves onto everyone else.
To say they disgust me is an understatement.
@JD Hasty.
Rest assured that we, the people, as opposed to, they the elected class, fully understand and appreciate the misery and sacrifices, you the warrior class have endured.
I salute all of you.
Ten Hut!
Thank you brave warriors!!!
Warriors win wars. Politicians piss victory away.
Everyone on this thread knows that.
…kinda hoped out vets would weigh in here, I can’t speak to the military because I wasn’t in it (couldn’t follow my dad into the Air Force because they wouldn’t take my GED that I had to get because my gym teacher was an ass and I went to voc school because I was going to be a world famous rock star/mechanic but I got as far as the ASVAB before the recruiter dropped the rock on me, its a long story, but the upshot is that I don’t know military things first hand), so I can only relate with my experiences in civilian life; but its kind of a parallel track because they were quite concerned with getting chick municipal firefighters at the time because, Democrats, so I saw some of that silliness too.
We had this one gal that was 90 pounds soaking wet, who was so tiny they had to special order turnouts for her because we didn’t have child sizes, but she was bound and determined to be on the big red truck and the city was afraid of lawsuits, so they went to any lengths to accommodate her.
It was a bit tricky because they had to stomp anyone who pointed out some physics issues like how she may have some difficulty carrying a fallen 200 pound comrade with 40 pounds of gear on out of a fire while wearing her OWN 40 pounds of gear (as the sparrow man said to Monty Python’s King Arthur, “Its a simple question of weight ratios”), and she couldn’t be on a defensive line ever on a Keenen loop because she didn’t generate enough down force to control it, and you had to REALLY back her on even an 1 1/2″ line if she was on the nozzle or the reaction force would rocket her backwards out of the room, but we all were expected to help her as the physical standards were basically dropped because they had to make an early SJW point before we were even calling it that. No one doubted her heart, she just was too darn tiny, and it was just an added and unnecessary danger that had to be dealt with. There was another issue with a pervy foot fondler in the bunk room that was stupidly NOT gender segregated (at first), ad while the perv was justly kicked out, the opportunity should never have existed in the FIRST place.
And the folks we were serving weren’t necessary on board with it, either. I wasn’t on the run but we had a female Squad captain (chicks tended to gravitate to EMS normally, just a female healer nature I suppose) who carped endlessly about how, when she went on a run with a younger male member, an older patient when his squad crew arrived said to her in disgust, “I called for help and they sent me a boy and a woman”.
She never got over that, but you really shouldn’t let patients get under your skin, because they’re already having a bad day and you can’t expect the general public to worry about your feelz.
We also had this larger sized gal that wasn’t a problem with down force, but I was always worried she was gonna have a heart attack and die in those heavy ass leathers and strenuous activity, again because they really set physical standards aside for the ladies. One run where I was on the air truck I had to sit her ass down because I refused to give her a new air bottle since she looked like she was gonna stroke out, and between gasps she was offended enough to go to one of the ACs, who ALSO sat her ass down because she looked like she was gonna DIE and it wasn’t the 2000s yet so things weren’t COMPLETELY stupid.
So yeah, it wasn’t a great place for social experiments, but they did them anyway because, Democrats.
And I would imagine the military is this, but 10x WORSE, because the fires aren’t ACTIVELY trying to kill anyone and wartime enemies ARE…
…but God Bless our soldiers for putting up with enemies both in front and behind.
I’d salute you of I were worthy, but I’m not so I will just humbly thank you for your service…
@SNS. You can still salute, I think.
It’s an American thing. I didn’t serve either but I will always salute the military. I served them in small ways as a civilian. I did some things. So did you.
I am proud to announce that my youngest grandson became a United States Marine on Dec. 23rd … he passed The Crucible & got his EAG … he is now a Rifleman
Semper Fidelis
Praise to your son, Molon. I salute him and wish God’s Grace be upon him. May the Lord protection him and make him lethal as hell.
Grandson. Sorry.
thanks PH
PHenry
DECEMBER 26, 2020 AT 9:30 PM
“I served them in small ways as a civilian. I did some things. So did you.”
…I did not serve IN the military but, but I DID serve the military, and still DO.
…I serve them MREs.
Participated in making them since ’95.
They may NEVER forgive me…
…in fact, our plant was built by a former competitor that failed because Desert Storm didn’t last long enough for them to pay their loans fir the new equipment, but that’s a different story for another day…
We civilians did much. I know you did. I know I did.
We weren’t shot at but we did what we could and we still do. Who needs an old guy on patrol? Ha.
…congrats to your grandson indeed, ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ.
God bless him, and may he always have leadership that is worthy of his service…
I reflect back as a civilian supporting the troops. Sure, I’ve sent snacks and toiletries, but the most interesting assignment was when asking what was needed is when my Buddy, USMC Daryl responded to what he needed when deployed on the USS Iowa Jima off the coasts of Yemen, Somalia and Sudan….he wanted books on the region.
That was a heavy lift. There aren’t many books on that. I found some. With glossaries.
His reason? An educated Marine is a deadly Marine.
That dude is a bad ass mutha.
Books now reside aboard ship.
My most satisfying shipment.
About glossaries. It’s helpful to know the words for mountain, River, road, village. Basic stuff.
He told me it was helpful. My best contribution, by far.
I enjoy reading Schlichter, but “I went through the whole war dressed like a tree in a place with literally no trees.” made me laugh til I stopped………
30 years ago I was at Ft Dix doing ONSTA, as I changed from Navy to Army. I knew I was going to the ME when I enlisted in Aug90, and never doubted my journey. Now with 37 years 3 branches and 6 components, I still do not doubt my course and may actually end up in the Space Force.
I ended up in Daharan Saudi Arabia in Feb91, and had a pretty good time, still enjoy serving.