All Purls. No Swine.
The wise person acts but does not take credit. Leads, but does not rule--Lao Tze, Tao Te Ching and The Master, by residing in the Tao, sets an example for all beings. Because he doesn't display himself, people can see his light. Because he has nothing to prove, people can trust his words. Because he… Continue reading On Giving and Receiving Credit–For Those Brave Enough To Try
I am inspired by Seawriter's recent review of a biography of Major Donald J. Humphrey, written by Humphrey's son, to brush-up and re-post this jaunt down memory lane from early last year: From Sapper to Spitfire Spy: The WWII Biography of David Greville-Heygate DFC, by Sally-Anne Greville-Heygate is an endearing memoir of a father’s military… Continue reading A Book Recommendation–From Sapper to Spitfire Spy–And Some Notes on Diving For Pearls
"Medic!" That cry on the battlefield means a soldier is wounded. It also means someone will almost always respond, a normally-unarmed battlefield medic. This is the known and expected outcome of that call. But where did battlefield medicine start and how did evolve? Battlefield Medics: How Warfare Changed the History of Medicine, by Martin King,… Continue reading Book Review By Seawriter: Battlefield Medicine from Ancient Egypt to Modern Afghanistan
Here dead lie we because we did not choose To live and shame the land from which we sprung. Life, to be sure, is nothing much to lose; But young men think it is, and we were young. —A.E. Houseman I think of Alfred Edward Houseman (1859-1936) as my “hometown” poet, because he was born… Continue reading Uniquely Human Memories
When my father, who was quite a colorful character, died in 2007, he was the subject of several obituaries in the UK. This one, from the local newspaper, is my favorite because it’s the most personal and tells the most stories. Most of them referred to a verse from 1 Peter 2:17, which Dad, who considered himself an… Continue reading Occasional Quote of the Day–“Fear God, Honour the King”
This post was originally published on Ricochet in May of 2019. This year, in the midst of the Covid-19 epidemic, the commemoration of Memorial Day will be different, but no less heartfelt. Today is the nation’s officially designated Memorial Day. My mother-in-law never called it anything but Decoration Day, and never commemorated it on any day… Continue reading For the Gift I Have Received, I Am Truly Thankful–Memorial Day 2020
Season’s Greetings! I watched a segment on Fox News Something-Or-Other this morning which triggered action for me. The segment was about Luke’s Wings, a charity dedicated to providing the families of wounded, ill, and injured, service members the means to visit them during recovery and rehabilitation. A selfless and wonderful idea. What’s not to like about that? I… Continue reading Miles for Heroes: Please Consider
If Florence Nightingale were still alive, she’d have been 199 years old in 2019. She was born on May 12th, 1820, just a few short months after Mad King George (of American Revolution fame) breathed his last. By the time she died on August 13, 1910, George V (the current Queen’s grandfather) was on the… Continue reading Florence Nightingale: The Lady With the … Cats?
“Beware the enlisted man. He is stupid, but crafty.” Those words were first spoken to me by Bernie, my teacher, mentor, and friend. I met Bernie in 1972 when he was a teaching assistant, and I was a college freshman. My composition teacher had suffered a heart attack, was out for the rest of the… Continue reading Making Connections
Some months ago, a United States Marine Corps career officer of my acquaintance observed that, for a foreigner, for a civilian, and for a woman, I seem to have enjoyed the company of a quite a number of United States Marines in my life. And he’s right. (To be clear, I always call them “United… Continue reading United States Marines I Have Known and Loved–And a Couple of Others