THIS DAY ONE-HUNDRED FIFTY YEARS AGO– Mighty Stonewall’s flank march at the Battle of Chancellorsville, and the epic quote, “The Institute will be heard from today.” (See also THIS. Scroll down and look for a link from the Huffington Post, and read it carefully. What say you now?)
New SecDef Makes His Presence Felt
MajW DC sent this in with the comment, “Ironic his first big push is trying to limit a commanders discretion.” Yep. Ironic, and telling. So far, not impressed with Our New SecDef. One would have thought that with everything going on in DOD, he would have addressed the Department by letter and established his positions and policies, whatever they may be. Nothing. Or did I miss something? If someone in the Air Force can shed some light here, please do.
Mosby’s Raid on Fairfax, 9 March 1863
Many thanks to ETP0802 for passing this along! In the early morning hours of March 9, 1863, Lt. John Singleton Mosby led 29 Confederate partisans east along the Little River Turnpike in northern Virginia, quietly passing through a gap in the Union lines and soon arriving at Fairfax Courthouse. Mosby already had a fierce reputation for leading his “rangers” on stunning strikes behind enemy lines; most notably, he had helped plan J.E.B. Stuart’s famous 1862 ride around Gen. George B. McClellan’s army parked near Richmond, Va. Mosby’s Rangers would become so effective that the area of northern Virginia stretching east [...]
Hagel Gets the Nod
On the second try. What’s the consensus on this guy?
Wednesday, or Woden’s Day…
Woden —> Odin, the Norse god of war. Seems like a good day then to air a pic sent to us by Tony-Sahib, of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, apparently making good on her obligations of national service. I’d be happy to pay close attention to her five-paragraph field order. Especially the “desired end state.” Seriously, as T-S put it, it’s good to see royalty setting the example.
RIP, Senator Inouye
We are slightly tardy honoring the late Senator Inouye (D, Hawaii), but let not our praise go unheard. The man was a warrior king in WWII. (His MoH citation.)
“A Challenge for Female Marines”
Interesting. Some might challenge the irreducible strength standards demanded of Marine Corps infantry officers. But being able to lift oneself—while wearing body armor and carrying a pack—up and over walls is essential in modern combat. So is being able to move a wounded fellow Marine across a field to safety, or to haul part of a dismantled mortar to an ambush site. We would put Marines in danger and risk mission failure by lowering such requirements. Moreover, no female Marine officer would be able to command the respect of the enlisted Marines in her platoon without holding her own physically. [...]
PETRAEUS RESIGNS (UPDATED *AGAIN*)
HOLY SHIT. Who will replace him? Is this payback for Benghazi? I wonder if this is the start of a real ugly cabinet-level blood-letting. VFRMarine sent this link too, with what I believe is the text of the letter. UPDATE: Here she is– Paula Broadwell, his biographer! More: The biographer for resigning CIA Director David Petraeus is under FBI investigation for improperly trying to access his email and possibly gaining access to classified information, law enforcement officials told NBC News on Friday. I’m sure there will be lots more. Indeed there is: Official tells me sevrl people who knew Petraeus [...]
“A ‘Star’ Is Porn”
Had a stroke of genius today while ruminating on a possible creative venture. I think it would be great fun to make a porn video that re-enacts, in exact detail and with an eye toward correct uniforms and rank insignia, the evidence and testimony in BG Sinclair’s court martial proceedings. Sort of a dramatized documentary– a cock-umentary, if you will– but with no artistic license taken. Just a strict adherence to the facts and evidence. And I have the perfect title: “A ‘Star’ Is Porn.” And an even better idea: use young Army vets for the actors. What former SPC [...]
