San Lorenzo Valley High grad awaits fourth deployment

What is amazing here is that this story was the lead story for the Santa Cruz Sentinel. Santa Cruz is famous for its extremely liberal politics. I usually refer to Santa Cruz as the second most liberal city in America. While I was on my last deployment, my wife stopped telling people why I was … Read more

Thank The Troops…

…but only if it’s paid for by politically neutral entities. From the Associated Press: WASHINGTON (AP)–NBC reversed course Saturday and decided to run a conservative group’s television ad thanking U.S. troops. The ad, by the group

Report faults trainers in Hood death

This is a terribly sad story that should have never happened. Sgt. Lawrence Sprader died in the course of normal training. The report found that at least 12 other soldiers required medical attention. Warrior Leadership Course is intended to develop the leadership skills of new Sergeants. This is not a combat skills course. All sergeants … Read more

Pentagon cuts armored vehicles due in Iraq in 2007

This decision by the Pentagon is absolutely going to translate into dead soldiers. MRAP vehicles are the only general transport vehicles that provide any kind of real protection against explosively formed projectiles. This is all about money. Getting the vehicles to Iraq can happen overnight if we just spend a more money. read more | … Read more

At Walter Reed, a New Approach

Another long, hard road for the American military. However, it seems that we have to revisit this particular issue every time there’s a war. The stories of society’s miserable handling of the war wounded and disabled date back to the Napoleonic wars and before. The issue is made worse during unpopular wars when there are … Read more

Army Training Funded through Bake Sales

Here in the second most liberal city in the nation there is a bumper sticker that I see fairly often. It says, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if schools had all the money they need and the Army had to have bake sales to buy bombs?” For the last two Army training courses I’ve been to, … Read more

There’s Nothing Funny About a Soldier’s Tears

Get a box of kleenex before you read this. World War II veterans couldn’t talk about it. Neither could those who served in Korea. The guys who served in Vietnam did a little better but not much. Those are the words or the thoughts (or something very similar) of every soldier who has lost a … Read more

38B Reclass Course: Week One

I have finished week one at 38B Reclass. So far, the course has been good. Teaching is, what I would call, a modified death by PowerPoint. All of the classes are taught from a PowerPoint presentation as is the Army Standard these days. However, the instructors assigned to our class are interesting and animated. They … Read more