tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148193322009-07-12T06:49:55.836-07:00<center>The wartime thoughts of a "Fuzzybear Lioness..."<p> USO girl, Soldiers' Angel, Sheepdog caretaker and proud American</center>FbLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05719429913217863052noreply@blogger.comBlogger1217125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14819332.post-72893694582491514222009-07-12T04:00:00.000-07:002009-07-12T06:49:55.847-07:00

I haven't spent much time around ships, but this captures something I've sensed even in my limited exposure to the differences between ships active and retired:...when so much effort and care and design and work goes into building them, seeing them discarded like this is sad. The ports they’ve hit, the places they’ve been, the experiences they’ve seen, the waters they’ve sailed…a ship is an

FbLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05719429913217863052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14819332.post-91148577972528472362009-07-10T17:19:00.000-07:002009-07-10T18:27:10.578-07:00

I was cleaning out my work email and found a rather old one--from January 20, 2009.An acquaintance had sent me a collection of YouTube tributes to President Bush. I was busy at the time, but I think another reason I never got around to watching it was because I resented being sent it. I liked President Bush (still do), but I do not like acquaintances making assumptions about my political

FbLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05719429913217863052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14819332.post-7947419883199595072009-07-10T09:19:00.000-07:002009-07-10T09:44:22.891-07:00

We've gotten used to seeing our warriors in urban Iraq, living on built-up American bases, or even trudging up and down the mountains of Afghanistan, but these pictures remind me of the beginning of the Iraq war and the long slog through the desert...This time it's Afghanistan.They are young. They are brave. And they are ours. In fact, Soldiers' Angels has over 800 of them waiting for adoption.

FbLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05719429913217863052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14819332.post-38715681053608959362009-07-09T12:43:00.000-07:002009-07-09T13:37:44.138-07:00

From my favorite aviation blogger...Via Twitter: Reason #27 that flying is like sex: It's much better when you don't have to pay for it.At least that's what I've heard... Personally, that probably explains my hours of giddiness after recently receiving a certain gift certificate.Related?: Airbags for aircraft. Not that I plan on needing one when I redeem that gift certificate...

FbLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05719429913217863052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14819332.post-6110161749816520662009-07-08T06:55:00.001-07:002009-07-08T07:01:41.753-07:00

And here you thought Marines overestimated their prowess and skills...

FbLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05719429913217863052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14819332.post-90459837877353343482009-07-06T07:22:00.000-07:002009-07-06T07:58:06.245-07:00

The strange and wonderful trip of a musical instrument...Soldiers' Angels Germany has more on the story.

FbLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05719429913217863052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14819332.post-3991187829649202132009-07-05T22:03:00.000-07:002009-07-05T22:13:45.329-07:00

A story of brotherhood and heroism in the U.S. Navy at Chosin, 1950: Thomas Hudner and Jesse Leroy Brown.The fact that his friend hadn't got out of the plane meant one of two things. Either Jesse was too badly hurt to extricate himself, or he was somehow pinned in the wreckage. Without a second thought Lieutenant Hudner prepared to do the wrong thing, because it was the right thing to do.I

FbLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05719429913217863052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14819332.post-59203400782244658442009-07-05T09:48:00.000-07:002009-07-05T10:22:35.934-07:00

Via the Mudville Gazette...Marines on the 4th of July were "celebrating" by suffering through their third day traveling on foot in Afghanistan, carrying food, equipment and ammunition on their backs. Conditions were miserable:The high heat, heavy packs, limited water and three straight days of walking through tough farmland terrain were taking a toll, he said. Several Marines threw up or were

FbLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05719429913217863052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14819332.post-71084380486611943772009-07-03T14:46:00.000-07:002009-07-03T14:59:15.983-07:00

I'm no political scientist or strategist, but I can't see Palin choosing to resign the governorship as a political move designed to help her into the White House; saddling herself with the label of quitter after less than three years at the state level seems a lot like political suicide.I suppose we'll know more soon, but I'm beginning put my money on the idea that she did it because the abuse

FbLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05719429913217863052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14819332.post-17302168978983036802009-07-03T06:53:00.000-07:002009-07-03T08:12:05.698-07:00

Since I've been accused of being a "Jarhead Doxie" and also occasionally "poaching on Maggie's territory," I figured I'd indulge that characterization (talk about leaving oneself open to snark!) with a repost from my aborted attempt to create a new blog. This was originally posted elsewhere in the end of May."What is it with Naval Officers? Seriously. And it's not just the pilots...If I somehow

FbLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05719429913217863052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14819332.post-38200548534183040942009-07-02T21:17:00.000-07:002009-07-03T06:39:40.713-07:00

What I know/understand about men could probably fit in a thimble, but this really struck me...And then there was my dad, who told me the day of the Sanford news conference something to the effect that ‘you have no idea how easy it is for men to completely lose their minds because of infatuation with women.’Many sensible and happily-married women say "men are easy," meaning that if you give them

FbLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05719429913217863052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14819332.post-40454457381588662352009-07-01T14:55:00.000-07:002009-07-01T14:58:16.640-07:00

Well, not really. I'd make a terrible Marine. But we're both "Lionesses"--the spirit resonates...So the marines in Iraq called these all-female teams (3-5 women) Lionesses. Again, no shortage of volunteers, as female marines, even more than their sisters in the army, were eager to get into the fight.

FbLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05719429913217863052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14819332.post-43664635080416910222009-06-30T05:58:00.001-07:002009-06-30T06:12:51.725-07:00

Iraq took another step forward, as we again hold our collective breath:BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq regained full control if its towns and cities on Tuesday as U.S. troops pulled back, six years after the invasion to topple Saddam Hussein. [snip] "This day, which we consider a national celebration, is an achievement made by all Iraqis," Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said in a televised

FbLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05719429913217863052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14819332.post-24914858446341056752009-06-29T17:12:00.001-07:002009-06-29T17:17:43.133-07:00

If you have ever doubted the instruction to pack your care packages for deployed troops as if they'll be handled by a bunch of gorillas... check out the condition of the boxes.LA UNION, El Salvador (June 25, 2009) Postal Clerk 3rd Class Mark Gonzalez, assigned to the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20), sorts mail during a port visit. Continuing Promise is a four-month

FbLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05719429913217863052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14819332.post-19603769351370055912009-06-23T08:20:00.000-07:002009-06-23T08:38:43.539-07:00

If you've worked with small businesses at all, you probably know about the "entrepreneur type." There's definitely a type, at least among the successful ones. They are focused, energetic, imaginative,bright and persistent. They do not take "No" for an answer. If they want something from you... they'll probably find a way to get it.As part of my job, I am often giving electronic time and

FbLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05719429913217863052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14819332.post-78867308476442367112009-06-21T18:51:00.000-07:002009-06-22T06:52:37.282-07:00

You short-sighted, self-focused, nauseating hypocrites! And believe me, that was the nice version of what I wanted to write!If you want to think so highly of yourselves that you believe you are called to "tell the truth" regardless of the consequences, I can believe you to be simply misguided zealots. But you have now proven that belief misplaced. I am reminded of day after day of headlining

FbLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05719429913217863052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14819332.post-21495894198980938272009-06-21T08:49:00.000-07:002009-06-21T09:13:05.946-07:00

Yesterday I discovered Major Dad is now on Hulu. I thought it was funny back when it aired, but boy did I miss a lot! Between not knowing anybody in the military at the time and being a very naive teenager, I missed half the jokes and certainly didn't realize the subtlety of some of the humor and underlying messages.I spent 4 hours yesterday literally laughing aloud as I watched the first 10

FbLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05719429913217863052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14819332.post-86205763317520219782009-06-14T11:14:00.000-07:002009-06-14T11:27:01.809-07:00

Is there a more appropriate day to run this article than the Army's 234th birthday? Wounded soldier Erik Castillo embodies the warrior mentality applied to the stripped-down basics of living--improvise, adapt and overcome:Five years have passed since he woke up drooling and paralyzed in an Army hospital with a coconut-sized hole in his cranium... [snip]Castillo, she said, has succeeded at one of

FbLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05719429913217863052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14819332.post-34000154149642900192009-06-14T11:09:00.000-07:002009-06-14T11:30:16.358-07:00

I think this means I'm back, but I'm not sure. I just know I needed to make that post above here. So, there it is.I suspect there will have to be some redecorating--or maybe even some renaming--around here. We'll see...

FbLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05719429913217863052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14819332.post-23866493152816408482008-12-02T00:10:00.000-08:002008-12-02T07:27:02.584-08:00

I've written this post--or something like it--at least half a dozen times in the last 18 months and then been talked out of it. But I really don't want to blog anymore. This thing has been limping along for the last two years, and it's time to put it out of it's misery.I didn't start this blog as a place of personal expression. In fact, I gave it the name I did in a deliberate effort to not

FbLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05719429913217863052noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14819332.post-10928130097360070332008-12-01T14:37:00.000-08:002008-12-01T14:39:09.767-08:00

Soldiers' Angels has some great ways to support the troops while doing your regular Christmas shopping. Most of them don't even cost one cent extra to do!Check it out!

FbLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05719429913217863052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14819332.post-71872420289059424912008-11-30T14:54:00.000-08:002008-11-30T15:11:23.979-08:00

Just watched Master and Commander for the first time...Wow. Not so much for the story itself, but for the way it is told, for the characters, for the threads that run from those days right through the present U.S. Navy... especially as found in the complicated, fallible, fundamentally idealistic, stalwart hearts of those who serve.Humanity is amazing, isn't it?

FbLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05719429913217863052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14819332.post-69314398437150436712008-11-26T21:40:00.000-08:002008-11-27T08:30:15.998-08:00

UPDATE: Don't forget the Valour-IT book auctions, offering a variety of autographed books by famous authors. It's a great place to start your Christmas shopping...

FbLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05719429913217863052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14819332.post-54510851582855128002008-11-25T21:07:00.000-08:002008-11-28T10:12:36.165-08:00

"It really lets me know that there are people out there that still care about the troops and what they are sacrificing for this country." "Words cannot convey how very much this means to me." "It was the first time I felt whole." "I am proud to serve this country knowing there are people like you that I am protecting."--the words of recipients of Valour-IT-provided technology to support their

FbLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05719429913217863052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14819332.post-7140148745558696472008-11-24T04:28:00.000-08:002008-11-24T08:12:18.976-08:00

Times are tough right now, in more than just financial ways. Anxiety is high, and I suspect many people are looking forward to Thanksgiving as a respite from political, economic, and future-related worries.On the good side, Iraq seems to be winding down... some have even declared victory. Yet fighting continues in Afghanistan, and victory in Iraq doesn't speed the recovery of those who left

FbLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05719429913217863052noreply@blogger.com0