I can't say, but I know this. I was born and lived through the best possible times, unless a miracle happens, and I don't believe in miracles, it is all downhill from here. And although when young I wanted to live forever. I see it as a blessing that I am 85, and with my genes a prediction, that (not withstanding an accident some disease…
I can't say, but I know this. I was born and lived through the best possible times, unless a miracle happens, and I don't believe in miracles, it is all downhill from here. And although when young I wanted to live forever. I see it as a blessing that I am 85, and with my genes a prediction, that (not withstanding an accident some disease or a recurrence of my lung cancer, that I will live to see an 100 or more. And truthfully I am not sure I want that.
I know this, no one has the answers, in fact no one has any answers, existence is one long struggle. And some folk,like the billionaires, hedge fund investors, Wall Street Trades , Lawyers, military get off on that, the struggle is what invigorates them,like fire fighters they and others run towards struggle, conflict, danger not away from it.
Let's not envy the billionaires, hedge fund investors, Wall Street Traders, Lawyers, and military. When world agriculture collapses under the stress of global heating, they are going to discover that their money is not edible and their oil is not potable.
Actually, you may want to reconsider associating the military with your billionaires and other malefactors. As a former third-class quartermaster in the Navy, (1967-1969) I can testify that there is a lot more hard work and a lot less wallowing in privilege than you might think. (Once, partway back across the Atlantic, our power plant failed and we were wallowing in the swells for a day or so.)
Perhaps you are thinking of the big cost-plus suppliers of massively expensive planes, ships, etc.
Mr Schumacher, where do you get that I envied the hedge fund investors, wall street traders, lawyers etc from my comment? Actually just the opposite, they think they are inured and riding high and that their money will save them.
As regards the military, you might be interested that I was an E-7, got a college degree, went to officer training graduated in the top 7%, vacated my reserve commission became a regular officer, served 26 years and retired.
Unlike you I have enlisted and officer experience, in special operations, with 200 jumps .
Yes, sir! I do find your military history interesting. You certainly can say that you served your country.
I can say that I am proud of my little contribution as an enlisted man to the security of the United States. I wish more of my fellow citizens were willing to consider a few years of service.
All of which suggests another topic. Should young people, both men and women, be expected to serve a couple of years in some capacity? Should the draft or other form of compulsory service be reinstated? What are the benefit/cost considerations?
I definitely believe in the draft. Libertarians have a contrary opinion, they consider conscription to be use of force.
My opinion is that a volunteer army is a mercenary army,and it is easier to deploy them.
WWII a draft was necessary, but not in Vietnam as America was not under threat.
Nixon had to draw down and leave because middle America, was tired of seeing it's sons, brothers, fathers, uncles come home in caskets.
Iraq was invaded using volunteers, and Bush hid the casualties from the public, forbade the photographing or news coverage of the C-141's bring back aluminum caskets, and the news coverage and announcement of funerals.
It was so bad, so much censorship, that the media had to have people scour local papers throughout the country to accumulate stats.
I also believe that women can serve in any position that a man can, including infantry and specialops.
Women make better fighter pilots, lower center of gravity and can withstand more G's, faster reflexes too, better eyesight.
They also make good SEALS, betterand longer distance swimmers and more tolerance to cold and pain.
Having undergone the physical training required to earn the beret an badges of a special operator, and the physical demands of the job after graduating, the only purpose of the rigorous PT is to wash out people and bolster the macho image.
My situation I graduate jump school, airborne training at Ft Benning in October 1965, after three years as a drill instructor, I stood 5'10" and weighed a whopping 133 lbs. I finished specialist training and reported to my permanent team. My NCOIC, had me pack a parachute adjustable bag with railroad ties, that weighed 90 lbs, and that was my first parachute jump, a night jump, and then had to heft it like a rucksack and run an infiltration problem.
The rest of my career was like that, some jumps were "pay jumps" to qualify for the monthly hazardous duty pay, but half were equipment jumps, with PAE bags or rucksacks followed by running a problem, exercise or practice.
I often stood in the door, with 45 lbs of main and reserve parachute, 20 lbs of web gea. munitons and weapon and then after ditching the parachutes, hefting the ruck or PAE bag and running a problem. Which could be anywhere from 5 to 20 miles,mostly over mountains, but in the snow and in the desert. Jumped into Death Valley (we carried revolvers and live ammo, to kill the sidewinders)
Worst was a Joint Canadian, US exercise when we jumped onto a frozen lake in Alaska, I landed in a snow drift of 6 ft, and had to disrobe , to extricate myself, it was 20 below zero and I was sweating inside the parka and arctic gear.
A similar situation is when we jumped on Lanai Island, after a low leverl , 200 ft, ocean skimming flight from McChord AFB, WA. I land in stick saw grass in what had been a pineapple plantation.
Here is the thing, when I retired I weight 135 lbs, and kept that weight until I was 65 and came down with insulin resistance.
As a team leader I always humped a ruck heavier than any of my troops, and had them calling for breaks while I still pressed on.
It is all in the mind, and one does not have to be a fucking Hulk, lift telephone poles, and do 100 push ups to meet the demands of the job, but since special ops is macho mystique, you can't have mere women, "polluting" the mystique.
And SEALs are not supermen either. When the Rucksack war kicked off (Invasio of Grenada) some SEALS, maybe they were PJ's (Parachuting rescue swimmers) were dropped out of a helicopter into the Caribbean, and drowned.
Interesting that so many SEALs and other special operators wind up as right wing extremists, like Eric Prince, in Congress they are Ryan Zinke, Morgan Luttrell, Elijah Crane, Morgan van Orden and Dan Crenshaw all Republicans all MAGAts.
Finding a liberal or progressive, like me, among the Vets and in politics is quite rare.I think it is something about image and the "macho mytique".
I can't say, but I know this. I was born and lived through the best possible times, unless a miracle happens, and I don't believe in miracles, it is all downhill from here. And although when young I wanted to live forever. I see it as a blessing that I am 85, and with my genes a prediction, that (not withstanding an accident some disease or a recurrence of my lung cancer, that I will live to see an 100 or more. And truthfully I am not sure I want that.
I know this, no one has the answers, in fact no one has any answers, existence is one long struggle. And some folk,like the billionaires, hedge fund investors, Wall Street Trades , Lawyers, military get off on that, the struggle is what invigorates them,like fire fighters they and others run towards struggle, conflict, danger not away from it.
I was one of them, till I no longer could.
Mr Farrar:
Let's not envy the billionaires, hedge fund investors, Wall Street Traders, Lawyers, and military. When world agriculture collapses under the stress of global heating, they are going to discover that their money is not edible and their oil is not potable.
Actually, you may want to reconsider associating the military with your billionaires and other malefactors. As a former third-class quartermaster in the Navy, (1967-1969) I can testify that there is a lot more hard work and a lot less wallowing in privilege than you might think. (Once, partway back across the Atlantic, our power plant failed and we were wallowing in the swells for a day or so.)
Perhaps you are thinking of the big cost-plus suppliers of massively expensive planes, ships, etc.
\Vince S
Mr Schumacher, where do you get that I envied the hedge fund investors, wall street traders, lawyers etc from my comment? Actually just the opposite, they think they are inured and riding high and that their money will save them.
As regards the military, you might be interested that I was an E-7, got a college degree, went to officer training graduated in the top 7%, vacated my reserve commission became a regular officer, served 26 years and retired.
Unlike you I have enlisted and officer experience, in special operations, with 200 jumps .
Mr Farrar:
Yes, sir! I do find your military history interesting. You certainly can say that you served your country.
I can say that I am proud of my little contribution as an enlisted man to the security of the United States. I wish more of my fellow citizens were willing to consider a few years of service.
All of which suggests another topic. Should young people, both men and women, be expected to serve a couple of years in some capacity? Should the draft or other form of compulsory service be reinstated? What are the benefit/cost considerations?
\Vince S
I definitely believe in the draft. Libertarians have a contrary opinion, they consider conscription to be use of force.
My opinion is that a volunteer army is a mercenary army,and it is easier to deploy them.
WWII a draft was necessary, but not in Vietnam as America was not under threat.
Nixon had to draw down and leave because middle America, was tired of seeing it's sons, brothers, fathers, uncles come home in caskets.
Iraq was invaded using volunteers, and Bush hid the casualties from the public, forbade the photographing or news coverage of the C-141's bring back aluminum caskets, and the news coverage and announcement of funerals.
It was so bad, so much censorship, that the media had to have people scour local papers throughout the country to accumulate stats.
I also believe that women can serve in any position that a man can, including infantry and specialops.
Women make better fighter pilots, lower center of gravity and can withstand more G's, faster reflexes too, better eyesight.
They also make good SEALS, betterand longer distance swimmers and more tolerance to cold and pain.
Having undergone the physical training required to earn the beret an badges of a special operator, and the physical demands of the job after graduating, the only purpose of the rigorous PT is to wash out people and bolster the macho image.
My situation I graduate jump school, airborne training at Ft Benning in October 1965, after three years as a drill instructor, I stood 5'10" and weighed a whopping 133 lbs. I finished specialist training and reported to my permanent team. My NCOIC, had me pack a parachute adjustable bag with railroad ties, that weighed 90 lbs, and that was my first parachute jump, a night jump, and then had to heft it like a rucksack and run an infiltration problem.
The rest of my career was like that, some jumps were "pay jumps" to qualify for the monthly hazardous duty pay, but half were equipment jumps, with PAE bags or rucksacks followed by running a problem, exercise or practice.
I often stood in the door, with 45 lbs of main and reserve parachute, 20 lbs of web gea. munitons and weapon and then after ditching the parachutes, hefting the ruck or PAE bag and running a problem. Which could be anywhere from 5 to 20 miles,mostly over mountains, but in the snow and in the desert. Jumped into Death Valley (we carried revolvers and live ammo, to kill the sidewinders)
Worst was a Joint Canadian, US exercise when we jumped onto a frozen lake in Alaska, I landed in a snow drift of 6 ft, and had to disrobe , to extricate myself, it was 20 below zero and I was sweating inside the parka and arctic gear.
A similar situation is when we jumped on Lanai Island, after a low leverl , 200 ft, ocean skimming flight from McChord AFB, WA. I land in stick saw grass in what had been a pineapple plantation.
Here is the thing, when I retired I weight 135 lbs, and kept that weight until I was 65 and came down with insulin resistance.
As a team leader I always humped a ruck heavier than any of my troops, and had them calling for breaks while I still pressed on.
It is all in the mind, and one does not have to be a fucking Hulk, lift telephone poles, and do 100 push ups to meet the demands of the job, but since special ops is macho mystique, you can't have mere women, "polluting" the mystique.
And SEALs are not supermen either. When the Rucksack war kicked off (Invasio of Grenada) some SEALS, maybe they were PJ's (Parachuting rescue swimmers) were dropped out of a helicopter into the Caribbean, and drowned.
Interesting that so many SEALs and other special operators wind up as right wing extremists, like Eric Prince, in Congress they are Ryan Zinke, Morgan Luttrell, Elijah Crane, Morgan van Orden and Dan Crenshaw all Republicans all MAGAts.
Finding a liberal or progressive, like me, among the Vets and in politics is quite rare.I think it is something about image and the "macho mytique".