All Purls. No Swine.
I learned that little Polish phrase from the late Mr. She, not very long after I met him, on a day when we were swapping stories about our eccentric and (in wholly different ways) exceptional families. It’s one of the few (SFW) bits of Polish I know, and I say it with great determination and… Continue reading Rosyjskie Diabły
LtCol Stuart Scheller’s service in the United States Marine Corps came to an end on December 23, 2021 when he was separated from that service with a General Discharge Under Honorable Conditions. Having served only seventeen of the requisite twenty years in order to qualify for a pension, he will not receive one. In addition,… Continue reading An Update on (Former) USMC LtCol Stuart Scheller
Some things never change. On 25th October 1854, during the Battle of Balaclava, 670 British soldiers under the command of Lord Cardigan, launched an ill-fated attack upon a well-defended Russian artillery battery and sustained 40 percent casualties in the form of approximately 120 killed, and at least 160 wounded. Fifty were taken prisoner. Also killed… Continue reading “Theirs But To Do and Die”
President Franklin D. Roosevelt asks the United States Congress to declare that a state of war now exists between the United States of America and the Japanese Empire: https://youtu.be/lK8gYGg0dkE On this eightieth anniversary, then U.S. Navy Seaman 1st Class David Russell, now 101 years old, revisits Pearl Harbor for the service commemorating those who… Continue reading December 7, 1941: A Date Which Will Live in Infamy
The dreadnought battleship was an iconic technology in the first half of the twentieth century. Nations poured millions into their construction. Despite – or perhaps because of – the money spent building them, they were rarely used. Clash of the Capital Ships: From the Yorkshire Raids to Jutland, by Eric Dorn Brose, presents one period… Continue reading Book Review by Seawriter–Dreadnoughts at War
Jack “Rattler” Owen had a dream when he was growing up--to become a US Navy fighter pilot. He is now a Navy pilot in today’s US Navy, but he is flying the E-2C Hawkeye, not fighters. Treason Flight, a thriller by T. R. Matson opens with Owen discovering flying the Hawkeye can be every bit… Continue reading Book Review by Seawriter: Adventure in the Persian Gulf
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We… Continue reading Quote of the day–“for us the living”
My subject is War and the pity of War. The poetry is in the pity"--Wilfred Owen Wilfred Edward Salter Owen, beloved son, accomplished poet, and soldier of The Great War, was born 128 years ago, on March 18, 1893 in Oswestry, a Welsh border town, in the county of Shropshire. Readers of Ellis Peters's Brother… Continue reading ‘Sweet and Fitting,’ or ‘Unworthy’ and ‘Distasteful?’ Wilfred Owen vs William Butler Yeats
I've always been fond of traditional country (no matter what country) and bluegrass (more specific country) music. Long story, but to shorten it a bit: Rhonda Vincent. An acquaintance of a dear friend, and someone who seems to be a genuine and dear person. So, a few of my favorites from this marvelously talented lady:… Continue reading Weekend Music: Rhonda Vincent
I'm pleased that this post, which I wrote yesterday (9/1/2021) has been promoted to the main (public) feed on Ricochet (you can view it here, and if you find the conversation interesting or stimulating, you can sign up for a free-month trial (after which--if you find it not worth your while--you can easily cancel here).… Continue reading USMC Commandant Berger: Is This a Crack in the Dam, Or is it Just More Fluff?