VMI Archives
144 Years Ago
By Bull Nav
The Battle of New Market, 15 MAY 1864.
(John) From LtCol P's hometown rag, Readers Touch on Significant Points of Military History --
Recent columns have included information about the Marine Corps during the Civil War, and W.E. Crocken of Roanoke wrote that his "ancestors have a long record with the U.S. Marine Corps, and I thought it appropriate to share some family history with you. In brief, my great-grandfather, James Henry Crocken, served in the Corps for 20 years (1834 54). Following his discharge from his fourth re-enlistment, he was employed by the Virginia Military Institute as a musician (fifer), Ordnance and Quartermaster Sergeant and Manager of the Sutlers Store. He was the fifer at the Battle of New Market" on May 15, 1864.New Market was the introduction to combat of the 258-man Cadet Corps of Virginia Military Institute. The young gentlemen of the corps acquitted themselves with distinction. They filled part of the line of attack and came under murderous fire from Union artillery. The cadets refused to stop their attack, in spite of suffering about 20 percent casualties: 10 cadets were killed and 47 wounded. The Confederate forces ended a threat to the Shenandoah Valley and Gen. Robert E. Lee's source of food for his Army.
Crocken's account continues: "When VMI reopened after the war, he [great-grandfather James Henry Crocken] established and managed the Sutlers Store at the Institute until July of 1882. He left VMI in July of 1882 to return 17 Dec., 1884, again as Ordnance and QM Sgt. He replaced a Mr. Hook. His salary ... was set at $35 per month. He terminated his affiliation with VMI on 1 August, 1886, when his bid for the Sutler's concession was not accepted."
The story of a life well-spent ends, "Finally, James Henry Crocken raised his family of 10 children in Lexington, Virginia. His son, William Jacob Crocken (my grandfather), graduated from VMI in 1887 -- his diploma hangs on a wall in my office."
VMI In Command: LtCol Scott Leonard, USMC, VMI '89
By Lt Col P
First of all, apologies for my absence of late. My wife and I welcomed Honorable Number 2 Son exactly one month ago, and he's been keeping us busy. All hands are doing well too, I'm pleased to relate.
Here's another entry in our irregular series on VMI men in command throughout the military:
In the summer of 92, when I was a Lieutenant on active duty (FDO in A Battery, 1st Bn, 10th Marines), my roommate and BR, who was Motor-T Officer in 3d Bn, 2d Marines, came home one night and said, "Guess who I saw today at 3/2." I gave it the obligatory three tries and was wrong each time; "I give up-- who?"
"Brother Rat Scott Leonard."
"Scott Leonard?? What was he doing at 3/2??"
"Checking in, as an Infantry Officer!"
Sure enough, there he was, having heard the trumpet's blast in 1991, a good two years after we graduated. He sure as hell has made up for lost time, too; check out his bio:
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Death In The VMI Family: 1stSgt Luke Mercardante, USMC
By Lt Col P
This week I received a forwarded email from VMI:
The Superintendent regrets to inform the VMI community of the death ofMarine First Sergeant Luke J. Mercardante, who was killed in action April 15 by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan. He was serving as acting sergeant major of Combat Logistics Battalion 24, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit at the time of his death. First Sergeant Mercardante served as an Assistant Marine Officer Instructor in VMI's Naval ROTC from March 2003 to July 2005. He was an Honorary Brother Rat of the Class of 2007. Information concerning arrangements will be provided when it becomes available.
To become an honorary BR demonstrates just how much influence one man can have on a class, with its varied service options, backgrounds and career intentions. By all accounts he was the consummate Marine. He will be missed, but his legacy lives in his cadets and others who served with him, who are now taking the field across the globe.
Semper Fidelis, First Sergeant, and Godspeed.
Update John - There's a Facebook memorial site dedicated to Sergeant Mercardante, and already several hundred members of the VMI family have signed on to show their support. His daughter Cailin also logged on to write this note, which just broke my heart.
wow.. i cant believe this. this whole thing wasent supposed to happen to us. he was my daddy, my best friend, and my role model. just because hes not really in life here.. dosent mean that hes not HERE. I love this man so much. we shared so many memories together. i was his date to Ring Figure.. it was such an honor to be his date and to be the one lucky enough to put his class of 2007 ring on his finger. i remember this event like it was yesterday. and we were laughing and having a good time.. and now.. just this morning i was at an airport to meet his body there. it was heart breaking. and i remember when i first heard the news.. i was FLABBERGASTED! this man ment and still means so much to me and all of my family. i love you daddy.. and i know that your going to be watching out for me.♥ Cailin Christine Mercardante ♥
Like Col P said, to be elected an honorary Brother Rat by a VMI class is a tremendous achievement. Each year VMI's second class (juniors) bring two members of the VMI faculty or staff in their ranks. Two people who have had a lasting and powerful impact on the development of each class' cadets. It means that that person is forever a member of the VMI family, bonds which --as Sgt. Mercardante has proven-- can not be shattered even in death.
Sgt. Mercardante loved VMI and VMI loved Sgt. Mercardante. As long as the Virginia Military Institute stands, his name will be etched in the halls of our heroes. Godspeed.
Vail 2008!
By John
Met up with the old VMI crowd for our annual pilgrimage to the skiing mecca that is Vail, Colorado. Charlie --free from the bonds of his deployment-- was also able to join us.... which rocked.
So from our home base of a beautiful (rented) ski cabin, we drank, we skied, we marinated in the cabin hot tub, we drank some more, and I'm not sure I mentioned the drinking.
Charlie cracks me up. For some reason, he was quoting Gladiator all weekend..... lines that stuck with me as --during a super fast trip on the Lodgepole run-- I found myself separated from the earth in a most unexpected soaring catapult off one of the catwalk rollers. Adrenaline has a strange way of affecting the space time continuum, as I distinctly remember the moment lasting long enough for me to closely examine the passing ground below and think to myself:
If you find yourself alone, riding in the green fields with the sun on your face, do not be troubled. For you are in Elysium, and you're already dead!
Of course I didn't land it. Well, not properly at least. Upon recovery of my skis, poles, and a glove... I was told that the skidding lasted for a solid 20 meters *applause*
God it felt good though.
Aside: Skiing is where I'm a ninja!
Quantico Rugby
By Lt Col P
By way of Our Man Inside VMI, Op-For proudly brings you this tribute in today's Washington Post, about Quantico's never-say-die rugby team.
The article's about how the team and its devoted members have to "start from scratch twice a year" due to reassigmments and rotations.
The Quantico rugby club has been around for 35 years, and even at its best, it is not among the region's elite. The Hooligans play in Division III, the lowest in the Potomac Rugby Union, and their 40-year-old coach, Lt. Col. Jon Jacobs, said they will not move up in the foreseeable future. Division II clubs need to have an A and B team, which requires more depth than the Hooligans can hope to attain.During one stretch in the middle of the decade, when Jacobs said "the planets aligned" and a handful of good players were able to stay on the base for multiple seasons, the Hooligans were at the top of their division. But at Quantico Marine Base, known as the "Crossroads of the Marine Corps," such things are not meant to last.
Some members finish school or training and head to another base in the United States. Some are sent on tours of duty to England or Egypt or Okinawa. Others head to Iraq or Afghanistan. Last fall, the team lost five players in midseason because of deployments to Iraq. "And four of them were key guys," said Jacobs, who also plays.
Make that LtCol Jon "Shiner" Jacobs... VMI '89. And you can count on him not to quit.
At the beginning of each season, when newcomers to the game don't know what they're doing in practice, when passes are missed and there's no fluidity to the attack, Jacobs's affinity for the Hooligans keeps him going.He loves the camaraderie of socials after every Thursday practice, when the team heads to Sam's, a bar in the town of Quantico.
Check out the gallery with the text-- BR Jacobs is in images 8 and 12.
If you're in the greater Quantico area and know the game, I'm sure he would welcome the help... Good work BR, and good luck!
Hmmmm
By John
That wet smack you heard was 10,000 or so friends and alumni of Virginia Military Institute fainting dead away upon seeing the cover story of a recent New York Times Magazine: "Should Boys and Girls Be Taught Separately?" The piece features charming pictures of pupils in Brooklyn, Harlem, and Foley, Ala. — wearing uniforms, no less."Public education," the magazine reports, "is embracing the idea that boys and girls should be taught separately — and differently." If so, then it is simply catching on to what defenders of VMI's single-sex admissions policy argued for many years. Gender separation, the article reports, "is now gaining traction in American public schools, in response to both the desire of parents to have more choice ... and the separate education crises girls and boys have been widely reported to experience."
VMI, of course, was hounded all the way to the Supreme Court for recognizing that some boys and some girls can benefit from different pedagogical approaches at different stages of development.
Apparently the supposed bastion of knuckle-dragging sexism was simply ahead of its time.
— The Richmond Times-Dispatch
VMI Lends A Hand
By Lt Col P
We at Op-For generally lean towards the head-cracking aspect of military ops, but the "no better friend" part makes for some good press too.
USS John S. McCain Rescues ROK Fishing Vessel Crew MembersFrom Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet Public Affairs
USS JOHN S. MCCAIN, At Sea (NNS) -- Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) assisted in the rescue of 11 crew members of a Republic of Korea (ROK) fishing vessel off the Korean Peninsula, March 10.
The skipper of that ship would be one Cdr John Banigan, VMI 89.
And also in same the neighborhood...
POHANG, Republic of Korea (Feb. 29, 2008) Capt. F. Winton Smith, commanding officer of the guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins (DDG 76), gives a ball cap to Yi Hui-Dong, director of the House of Love Orphanage, during a community relations project. Higgins is deployed with the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group participating in the bi-lateral exercise Key Resolve/Foal Eagle 2008. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Gretchen M. Roth (Released)
That would be F. Winton Smith, VMI 89, proudly mentioned here before.
OK, warm-and-fuzzy time's over. Get back to boarding, seizing, taking and burning!
89! 89! 89! Or How Brother Rat Jones Conquered Death Valley
By Lt Col P
On 3 March 1986, the Class of 89 was born.
So it is perhaps fitting that this weekend, LtCol Wayne Jones '89, USMC, entered the Valley of Death, fearing nought, and emerged victorious. He rode his first Death Valley Double Century, an extraordinary feat.
He fought darkness, distance, vicious headwinds, tough climbs, cold, dehydration and mind-numbing fatigue, but he did it. He wrote earlier today that the race director told him those were, "the worst conditions they had experienced in the 6 years of running this event, and that over half the field had dropped out."
I want to say, "unbelievable," but it's all too believable if you know our Brother Rat Jones. Well done!
Newspaper Shenanigans
By John
Charlie and I were the editors of VMI's newspaper back in the day, and I still regard the times we spent laboring over that rag as some of the best I've ever had. This is an unusual thing to say about your VMI cadetship, but it's true. Mainly because Charlie and I were heavily invested in the mentality that our newspaper offices should be a "regulations-free" zone.
I think that this picture, of our good friends Chuck and Nate, effectively illustrates our overall seriousness and commitment to professional journalism:
The studious one, Nate, is on his way to Fort Campbell Kentucky. Small world that we live in, Nate was in the same platoon as my cousin in Army Ranger school. Chuck is teaching at an inner-city school, presumably relying on all of his ninja skills to survive.
Note the TV and stereo. Happy men were we, up there in those offices.
****Update: Serious commentary by Charlie below the fold.*******
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Now That's an Extra-Curricular Activity
By John
Just to piggy back off of Col P's VMI video, I had a cadet send me this 4 minute spot on VMI's Special Action Detachment. Not bad.
VMI really needs to start harnessing the power of these of cadet-made shorts for marketing purposes.
BTW, is Metallica the mandatory soundtrack for these vids or what?
VMI Video Of The Day
By Lt Col P
Two minutes of fun, Institute-style, courtesy of He-Who-Must-Remain-Unnamed. Looks like some good NVG sweat party footage there in the last few seconds...
RAH. VIRGINIA. MIL.
The Citadel Extends the Olive Branch
By John
A most unusual occurrence in the storied VMI-Citadel rivalry, Citadel graduates gathered this past Saturday for their monthly Northern Virginia alumni meeting.... and they invited VMI men?
Proving, I suppose, that Citadel boys can take a joke. Their alumni chapter invited Mike Judge (VMI '01), to give a short speech on his new book The Jeep (main plot: true story of VMI men and a legendary prank, at the Citadel's expense).
Mike wrote that there were roughly 100 people there, and that The Citadel guys donated 50 bucks from the breakfast to the Ryan Doltz '03 Scholarship. That's freakin' awesome. Here's the small VMI contingent that braved enemy territory (thanks to Mike -blue shirt, front center- for the pic).
Buy The Jeep here. All proceeds go to the Ryan's memorial scholarship fund.
Aside, here's Mike's thoughts:
The alumni breakfast was a huge success. Thanks again to the Citadel Alumni Association of Northern Virginia for inviting me to speak. There were about 100 VMI/Citadel alum at the event (including friends and family). It was great meeting new people and seeing some familiar faces.One VMI alumnus approached me before the event started and told me he couldn't stay for the speech but he asked if I had a copy of the book I could sell him. I happened to have a couple extras and he asked how much it was. I told him $15 if he wanted to make a check out to the Ryan Doltz Scholarship Fund. While I was signing his book he was writing the check and I didn't look at it until after he left. Turns out he wrote a check for $115. The Citadel alumni association also donated $50 cash.
I'm always dumbfounded by the generosity of VMI and Citadel alumni. I had heard or read somewhere that VMI alumni give more money per capita than any other college alumni. I don't know whether or not that's true but I believe it and I'm proud to be a part of the brotherhood.
Ryan Doltz's mom (Cheryl) and sister (Anne) were also in attendance. It was great to finally meet them and I was honored that they attended.
VMI and The Ratline
By John
This is the most intense alumni group in the United States, by far.
Yeah, you said it Si.
Not a bad synopsis, I think you can purchase the full version in VMI's bookstore. I was in the Rat class the year after this was filmed, can't believe it's almost been a decade.
Gun-Day Monday: The M1014
By Lt Col P
A commenter asked a question on the weapon brandished by the Marine in the video clip I posted below. I replied to him by email, but I thought it would be a good thing to educate the masses. Hold all questions til the end.
Meet the M1014, the Joint Services Combat Shotgun.
It's a Benelli 12-ga autoloader, with a telescoping buttstock-- huh huh, heh heh, I said "butt"-- a 1913 rail and good sturdy ghost ring sight. It replaced the Mossbergs and Remingtons previously in service. I saw several in service in Iraq back in 2004, and although like all shotguns a niche weapon, it is a useful piece of gear and a good thing to have around. The one drawback I heard about was that since it's an autoloader, it's not as omnivorous as a pump gun.
Write in and let us know what you think if you've carried one, or carry one now.
One more Monday gun fact below the fold...
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Early Breakout and Why I Would Have Missed It
By Bull Nav
I think I was back by now.
It’s been a while, but looking at a January 1989 calendar, I believe I got back to barracks after the Christmas Break 19 years ago today.
You see, had Breakout occurred for our Rats the last weekend in January 1989, I would have missed it, thanks to the US Navy and my desire for a commission.
I don’t have very good eyesight, so I was medically ineligible for an ROTC scholarship. Finally, long about the end of our second class year,the Navy folks decided they would try to get me a waiver. This was the same time they put me in for the Nuclear Power interview at Crystal City.
I come back for our first class year and I was in the “College Program” where you don’t get a scholarship, but you get a stipend and it leads to a commission. Went to the interview at NR right around Founder’s Day 1988, and then I had to do a Midshipman cruise.
I had not done one before, so they set me up for a Christmas cruise. I was to fly out of my home in Naples, FL, and go to Hawaii. The mighty USS HONOLULU (SSN718) was the boat, for a short transit to Yokosuka, thence to Chinhae, ROK. Something like 11 days I would be gone, just enough time to make it back for the last semester.
Alas, ‘twas not to be.
Yes, I flew out to Pearl Harbor on Christmas Day 1988 and met the HONOLULU. Great ship, great CO (CDR Enright, became an admiral later). Left the next day thinking that all would be well on an uneventful transit across the Western Pacific.
About two days in, things changed.
If I remember things correctly, we pulled into Yokosuka on 30 January. I flew back home the next day and then drove back to Lexington.
I will never forget arriving back in front of barracks after BRC (but not much after). There was a little fog, but the sun was starting to clear everything off. It was in the 30s, like it should be.
I was back at the “I”, the Rats were in the ratline, and life was good. Only 5 months to go…
My Breakout
By Charlie
John said: "Then we marched 3 more miles out to the mud hill and clawed up that awful cow-shit filled pasture. It was a full effing weekend. I still remember tipping my jungle boots upside down and watching a slow trickle of blood flow out, courtesy of all the open blisters on my feet. Anyway, if you're going to half-ass it, why even bother?:"
I've got my own story to tell, as does every VMI man. Back when I thought I could write a novel on my VMI experience, I transcribed my breakout experience, which I have posted below the fold. The pictures posted here are actually from my Rat's breakout, the VMI class of 2004+3. Our rats had the last mud hill climb, before the "new corps" came into fruition (which I claim total responsibility for holding off, the administration couldn't scrap the Ratline while I was there due to my tireless and effectively argued op-eds in the CADET newspaper.)
So there's the image. The event, in my scraped-together novel attempt (which I wrote right after I graduated) , is below the fold:
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Breakout...kind of
By John
So VMI's Rat Mass broke out this weekend. Watershed event in the life of a cadet. Means you still take shit from the classes above you, but it's a decidedly less-intense form of shit. And you don't have to do pushups anymore, which is nice.
Here's the article, though I'll be honest...I found it a bit depressing:
NEW MARKET — Step by step, the Virginia Military Institute’s “rats” marched from Lacey Spring to the New Market Battlefield — a part of the same path 257 VMI cadets hiked 143 years ago to help the Confederate Army prevail in the Battle of New Market.The 10-mile march was a symbolic representation of the much-longer trek their predecessors made in 1864 from Lexington to the battlefield, where they helped turn the tide in favor of the Confederates.
Saturday’s march by the class of 2011 was the first time in VMI history that freshmen, known as “rats,” made the trek as part of the traditional “breakout” ceremony at the battlefield.
“It’s a symbolic event when they break out from being a rat to a full-fledged cadet,” said Lt. Col. Stewart MacInnis, the institute’s associate director of media relations. “It’s a very intense and demanding period. The breakout is the end. It’s a relief for them.”
Breakout in January? No mud hill? 10 miles? And the sun was up!!!! when they mustered for the march. Ours was 19 miles, Harrisonburg to New Market, and we were up at 0300 for the damn thing. Then we marched 3 more miles out to the mud hill and clawed up that awful cow-shit filled pasture. It was a full effing weekend. I still remember tipping my jungle boots upside down and watching a slow trickle of blood flow out, courtesy of all the open blisters on my feet.
Anyway, if you're going to half-ass it, why even bother?
Sorry, I know I'm acting like the prototypical, bitter, "back in the old corps" type here.... but I just hate to see such a strong, proud system like the Ratline fall into the pits of mediocrity. Talk to VMI men who spent years as POWs in Hanoi, they'll point back to that one year as a Rat as the best preparation possible for that time spent on that square acre of hell. I kinda-sorta blame this shit on the safety fetish that's been sweeping the military (such is the reason that Annapolis' legendary Herndon monument climb is going the way of the dinosaur), but who knows what the admin is thinking. All I know is that I disagree with the wussification of what should be a hard-nosed, rough-and-tumble type of environment.
I open this to discussion. Should we not be instilling a daring, "damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead," risk-taking mentality in our cadets, as opposed to a "safety first, safety always" mindset? I understand the desire to guard against lawsuits, and to provide a safe training environment for young trainees.... but we are preparing these kids to go to war. More you sweat in training, the less you bleed in battle and all that...
Weigh in.
Two More '89 CO's
By Bull Nav
I was passed along information on our BR, CDR John Banigan, CO of the USS JOHN S MCCAIN (DDG56) some time ago, but never got around to posting on it in myself and LT COLP's effort to get the word out.
I also just came across my friend CDR Mark Joynt, who is CO of HM14. He and I worked together on several design projects during our First Class year and had more than a couple of cold ones.
Congratulations to both!
And for John, please note that of these two, one majored in Physics and the other in Mechanical Engineering.
VMI at the Rose Parade
By Bull Nav
Got this from a BR this morning.
Sorry to say I missed the parade. We were in the process of digging out from a somewhat large amount of snow we received early New Year's Day.
I must also say it has been awhile since I saw the regimental band perform: I don't remember bagpipes...
VMI-Citadel Connection
By Bull Nav
Once I graduated from VMI, I found that as I came across the occasional Citadel grad, we had a certain kinship. I mean, who else pays for the abuse we endure?
I ended up with a neighbor when I lived in Chesapeake, VA, who graduated from the Citadel. At some point in the mid-90's we set up a standing bet on The Military Classic of the South. When we won that year (gawd, I don't remember which one it was) the doorbell rang the next day and waiting for me was a case of Sam Adams. My neighbor was nowhere to be seen.
Well, this year, we had a little un-official wager with some of The Citadel bloggers out there (Skippy & Steeljaw Scribe) on the game. Obviously we came out with the short end of the stick, so I am going to hold up my end of the deal and post about a Citadel graduate of some notoriety.
Or at least some notoriety inside of VMI, specifically VMI athletics.
Mike Bozeman, BG (ret) USAR, The Citadel '67, was hired as VMI's track coach the month before I matriculated, July 1985.
I remember him because I tried out for track when I was a rat. I didn't make it because I could not hang with long distance running. Coach Bozeman was very laid back, very understanding and very encouraging. I could have remained on as an equipment manager, but decided that the ratline was for me.
Since that, VMI won 12 conference championships under his tutelage. He also spent two years as the Commandant of Cadets.
To go back a little in his history, he spent a year in Viet Nam as a LRRP platoon leader and was awarded the Silver Star.
He made an impression on me early in my cadetship, and has been a mentor and coach to many VMI cadets since.
The VMI Keydet website has his complete bio.
VMI Rules!
By Charlie
I took this during the Military Classic of the South at VMI this weekend. It was the first time I had been back to the “I” since I graduated. While I did get to try out my new Sony Cybershot digital camera, the main purpose of the visit was to catch up with my friends and classmates.
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Slab Speaks!
By John
From Anbar. Said via email that he couldn't log onto our dumb server for whatever reason, so I'm publishing his post for him.
Hello again. I thought now might be a good time for an update on the situation here in Al Anbar, from a firsthand perspective. First things first, however: happy birthday to all of my fellow Marines, and happy Veterans Day to all of the veterans out there, particularly those who went before my generation. I firmly believe that one of the reasons behind the performance of the current generation of service members is our sincere desire to honor the legacy of past generations. Those who went before set a standard of excellence that we have had to strive to emulate. I hope we’ve been successful.I’m currently living at a small outpost north of Fallujah. My team supports a cavalry troop, Apache Troop of the 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry. Before I arrived here, this was a pretty dangerous area. Apache Troop had some hard fights in here around late July. However, in August a local civilian watch began assisting with the security situation, which truly turned the corner on security in the Area of Operations.
The civilian watch is really an armed posse, unaffiliated with the Government of Iraq. Some of them are likely former insurgents. In a way, working with these groups is sort of “dealing with the devil”, as not all of them are particularly upstanding members of the community, and when U.S. forces are not present they might give in to the temptation to take advantage of being the “guy with the gun”. However, we’ve seen that, while the local Iraqis are wary of the civilian watch, they’re grateful for the increased security compared to just three or four months ago. In addition, the civilian watch has given Coalition Forces enough security to focus our operations on improving the quality of life in the local area. So if the civilian watch engages in “shady” activity from time to time, ultimately Coalition Forces end up being the good guys, which improves our relationship with the local populace. And eventually the civilian watch will be replaced with or incorporated into an official government security force. In some places that has already happened.
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Founders Day, Veterans Day
By Lt Col P
I hope you all recognized Veterans Day with the solemnity and import it is due. I did. (Read below.)
We must also recognize today as VMI Founders Day, as on 11 Nov 1839 the first cadet sentinel relieved the old arsenal guard. This act is well recorded in the annals of the Institute, and the name of that cadet-- John B. Strange, shown below as CO, 19th Virginia Infantry, in which post he was killed in action during the Civil War-- is memorized by all.
(I wonder when the first fight occurred between the cadets and the students of W&L, then Washington College? That date is lost to history, although we can safely guess the outcome.)
I celebrated the day in the most appropriate manner I could think of, that is, the joyous discharge of firearms at the local indoor range. I put another hundred rounds through the Smith & Wesson M&P15T, and about fifty through the old Springfield Armory .45. Altogether a satisfying day.
Let us not forget those alumni who are downrange today, among them Our Man Slab, Our Man '91 in Kabul, and two of my own BRs. "Ready in every time of deepest peril..."
A Couple of Reports from Afghanistan
By Lt Col P
Our Man in the 'Stan, Agent 91, has rogered up lately with some good reports, in response to a discussion we've been having that was prompted by something I read in The Torch. Not sure we'll post on the original question per se, but it produced some excellent material.
Bottom line: Afghanistan has a long way to go, but there is real progress being made. (Like Ted Nugent would say, Where have we seen this before?) Nine steps backward, ten steps forward. In case you missed these articles...
Afghanistan 'a success story,' World Bank says ALAN FREEMANOctober 16, 2007
OTTAWA -- Economic and social conditions in Afghanistan have improved dramatically since the fall of the Taliban, despite continuing problems with security, corruption and the drug trade, according to the World Bank's top official responsible for the country.
"This is a success story," Alastair McKechnie, country director for Afghanistan at the World Bank, said in an interview yesterday. "Afghanistan has defied predictions and has achieved a lot in a short period of time."
Mr. McKechnie, in Canada for meetings with officials in Ottawa and a speech in Toronto, pointed to a series of positive indicators, including double-digit economic growth, an expanding road network, a surge in school attendance - particularly by girls - and a drop in infant mortality from 165 per 1,000 live births to 135 in 4½ years.
He said it is easy to get a negative view of Afghanistan if one focuses on the south and east of the country, where the insurgency is strongest. In two-thirds of the country, there is no insurgency and conditions are improving more quickly.
Some of the credit goes to the World Bank, which has committed $1.5-billion (U.S.) of its own money to the country and set up the Afghanistan Reconstruction Fund, which has so far gathered $2.4-billion in pledges from two dozen countries.
This year's single top donor to the fund is Canada, with $211-million. Britain is second, with $145-million.
The Canadian money goes to a variety of projects and uses and is a major source of funding for the daily operations of the Afghan government, which still does not generate enough tax revenues to fund these activities on its own.
"Otherwise, teachers and health workers don't get paid," Mr. McKechnie said.
He conceded that much remains to be done in reducing corruption in the police and improving the functioning of the justice system.
Another challenge is to reduce the influence of the poppy trade. Afghanistan is estimated to furnish 93 per cent of the world's illegal opium supply, used in the manufacture of heroin, and opium production accounts for one-third of economic activity.
Even there, Mr. McKechnie said, the picture is not as bad as it seems, with only 4 per cent of the country's total arable land being cultivated with poppies and more provinces becoming poppy free.
To battle the opium trade, the most effective methods include the interdiction of traffickers, encouraging alternative cash crops such as grapes and appealing to the religious values of Afghans, he said.
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Oslo Syndrome
By John
Visit the Virginia Military Institute, in Lexington, and cadets will show you the statue of General George C. Marshall '01 on the edge of the parade ground, and add proudly that Marshall was (and remains) the only soldier ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize (1953). They do this partly because Marshall is VMI's most illustrious graduate, but largely because the prize, when Marshall won it, carried with it a significance and prestige that no longer obtains.This was painfully obvious last week, when Albert Arnold (Al) Gore Jr.--as the Nobel committee punctiliously identifies him--was awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize, in conjunction with the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
In fairness, when I was a cadet I was far more likely to "proudly" show you the secret compartment under my sink where I stashed my alcohol, not Marshall's statue. Such was my cadetship.
I don't really have much to offer on this bit, I'm just linking because the column mentioned VMI.
I will throw in this. Folks are all a-twitter over Al Gore winning the Peace Prize... why? The award has been a paperweight ever since Yasser Arafat won it back in '94. What the green movement has to do with world peace, I dunno. But I do know that it's a step up from giving it to that bug-eyed man-goblin Arafat, even if An Inconvenient Truth's sole purpose seemed to be to scare the bejeebus out of everyone.
Which, as any committed socialist will tell you, scaring the shit out of folks is okay as long as you have a higher purpose in mind... whether it be the dangers of second hand smoke, the Patriot Act, or Global Warming. So, with Gore's victory fresh in my mind, I hereby nominate Jason Voorhees for next year's Nobel Peace Prize, in recognition of his visionary "have premarital sex and I'll stab you in the face with a machete" teenage abstinence program. I hear that Mr. Voorhees' efforts have been just murder on teen pregnancy rates.
har har har. God this blog sucks.
Grenada (Heard From Today!)
By Lt Col P
23 Oct 1983, the same day as the Beirut bombing, a scratch joint task force assaults and takes the island of Grenada, overthrowing its tinpot Marxist government and ejecting Cuban soldiers and workers.
The Navy history website has a nifty little account of the campaign.
Meanwhile, Fox and Echo companies [of 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines] merged north of St. George's and secured a flat, stadium-like area called the Queen's Racecourse, which the Marines dubbed "LZ Racetrack" (LZ standing for landing zone). The battalion landing team commander set up headquarters there."We did a lot of humping today," said Marine Captain Mike Dick, Fox Company commander, after the first day of the operation. He looked over his men and added in a low tone, "It's quite a bit different from Camp Lejeune. We're doing this for real and for keeps."
Make that Capt Mike Dick, VMI '77, now Colonel, USMC, retired.
They Will Teach....
By John
AND YOU WILL LEARN!!!!
This is how Slab, Charlie, and I "met cadre" during our first week at VMI. Will have to ask Col P and Bullnav if they went through a similar ritual or if it was different back in '85.
The ceremony hasn't changed much, after all these years. I believe this particular video was shot this past August, with the only noticeable difference being that cadre "posted" at the end of each squad, instead of barreling directly into the rats upon the "MEET YOUR CADRE" command.
Oh and that slow march? Takes some serious drill precision and a line of drummers who know their business to pull off. Very, very tricky.
Thought my heart was going to beat through my chest, back when I suffered this rite in the fall of '99.
A VMI Man Makes a Cameo
By John
Ever since my VMI days, I've been a huge fan of Robert Kaplan. Back when I was a second classman, one of my professors had us read The Coming Anarchy. From then on out, I was hooked. I couldn't put Imperial Grunts down, and Balkan Ghosts is pretty much required reading for any military leadership deployed to Kosovo.
Right now I'm in the middle of Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts.... Kaplan's latest. So imagine my delight when, on page 146, I found a good friend and Brother Rat highlighted in a chapter that covered Kaplan's embeds on the USS Benfold and USS Houston.
Prior to departure, lunch was served in the officers' wardroom- a replica of the Benfold's, though so much smaller that the Formica-covered walls seemed almost to breathe. Instead of a picture of Eddie Benfold, there was, there was the Houston's insignia, featuring the American and Texan flags, along with the Latin words for "Always Vigilant." The officers sat jammed together, making light fun of a Virginia Military Institute graduate at the end of the table, Ensign David Bartles of Falling Waters, West Virginia, who, they told me, could never stop talking about how superior VMI was to the Naval Academy and every other institution of higher learning.
Try to picture the size of my sh*t-eating grin after reading that. My buddy Bartles (we never called him Dave), one of the most junior officers on the ship, sitting around the wardroom telling higher ranking officers that their schools sucked.... well, compared to VMI at least.
Bartles, by the way, was one of the sharpest guys in our class. He graduated number 2 in our class, and (I believe) top graduate in a Mechanical Engineering program that started with 60+ cadets our Rat year and was down to 10 by the time of graduation. He breezed through the rigorous Navy Nuke School in Charleston, as well as navy Dive School.
Those are the type of brains that it takes to get into the submarine service, or so I hear. Why do you think we let Bullnav post here???
Best Sunday Ship Post EVA
By John
Eagle1 of Eaglespeak combines two things near and dear to every VMI man's heart: The Goshen Pass and Matthew Fontaine Maury.
Although I barely recognized Eagle's pictures of Goshen. Place just doesn't look the same without half a company's worth of piss drunk VMI cadets exploring innovative new ways to break limbs on Goshen's rock-strewn waters.
I still have scars, folks.
Anyway, go over to Eagle's and learn something. I'm pretty sure that OPFOR only makes people dumber.
The Jeep
By John
It's VMI lore. One of the greatest pranks in the history of the storied rivalry between The Citadel and The Virginia Military Institute.
Now, thanks to Slab's Brother Rat Mike Judge, it's a book.
This autobiographical account chronicles the adventures of a group of cadets at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) on a mission to play an elaborate prank on rival college The Citadel. The story is engrossing and fluidly written in honest, accessible, and thoughtful prose. The reader is slowly introduced to the history, culture, and language of VMI through the building Jeep story, during the telling of which, Judge reflects lucidly on his relationship with the institution and its impact on his life.
To uncover the intricacies of the prank (and the prank itself), I'm going to make you guys buy the thing instead of me summarizing. Mainly because proceeds are going to the Ryan Doltz Memorial Scholarship Fund (my friend Ryan was felled by an IED in 2005, a terrible loss).
Mike Judge was my company master sergeant when I was a rat. We loved him, and that's unusual in the rat-cadre relationship. He didn't yell, he inspired. One hell of a leader, even at such a young age. I remember during Hell Week, he held an intense literary discussion with my roommate, who remained at stiff attention throughout. Sounds weird, but guys like that could motivate you to do... well, just about anything.
And those are the stories that make The Jeep. It's not just about one prank, it's about VMI as an experience... an experience, as anyone who has saluted Jackson's Statute will tell you, which is downright Shakespearean.
Mandatory reading for my brother Alumni, highly recommended reading for those who want an inside, uncut view of this remarkable Institution.
Purchase The Jeep.
I'll See your O6...
By Bull Nav
...and raise you a LGEN:
Lieutenant General Carl A. Strock.
Commander and Chief of Engineers
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lieutenant General Carl A. Strock, was born in Georgia and grew up in an Army Family. He enlisted in the Army and received his commission as an infantry second lieutenant following graduation from Officer Candidate School in 1972. After completing Ranger and Special Forces training, he served primarily with infantry units before transferring to the Engineer Branch in 1983. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the Virginia Military Institute and a master's degree in civil engineering from Mississippi State University. He is a Registered Professional Engineer
John, back to you...
Oh Yeah?
By John
Congratulations to both of our BRs, who both received engineering degrees from VMI (take note John).
Hey, I'll take your two engineers and raise you one history major:
WASHINGTON -- Army Colonel James B. Hickey's mission was to find Saddam Hussein, and those close to the determined, brainy military officer say he was born to accomplish it.
"He was the second of six children born to Irish immigrant parents, and he was the only one who came out of the womb wearing combat gear," said Maureen Moran of Naperville, Ill., Hickey's sister.....
"Hickey is not an average soldier," said Thomas Keaney, executive director of the Foreign Policy Institute at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, where Hickey received a master's degree in the early 1990s. "He's a guy with tremendous military qualities and the Army is clearly grooming him for bigger things."
Hickey, 42, grew up in the Chicago suburb of Hickory Hills, where as a youth he filled his room with toy army tanks, GI Joe action figures, and suspended model aircraft from the ceiling. "My father took him to see the movie `Patton,' " Moran recalled. "That really cemented him in the foundation that he wanted to pursue a military career." Hickey and his three brothers, Patrick, Kenneth, and Shawn, attended St. Laurence High School, a private boy's school in Burbank, Ill., where Hickey played varsity soccer and was an honor student who also ran for the student council. There, his love for history and military matters was nurtured by his history teacher, Tom Rezek. "He was a very good student, very respectful and a conscientious kid. He loved the military," said Rezek.
After high school, Hickey went to Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Va., where he was commissioned an Army second lieutenant by 1982.
"The one thing that sticks out in my mind is after he went to VMI -- he'd come back and was so proud of being a northern boy wh