Tag Archives: military

28

May. ’23

I Should Have Been A Congressman

I have had a full-time job (including the military) since I was fifteen years old. There were times I worked seven days a week, working two jobs and once I had three. Hours working was from twelve to sixteen hours with a smile on my face. Why? I was making a dissent living and after paying the bills I had a little left over to have something in my pocket. Except for the military, there weren’t enough hours in the day for much partying, but I wasn’t angry about that.

               While in the military there was once a time when the military had just started direct pay to the bank for us and that was at the time when Congress didn’t pass the budget or something like that. I was stationed in Europe and really didn’t know what was going on. When I was in the military, I didn’t keep up with what the politicians were doing. Well, those that did not have direct pay did not get a paycheck. I was lucky because I opted to have direct pay because I regularly went TDY (temporary duty) elsewhere and I didn’t have to be on base to get paid.

               I said all of that to say this. As I write this millions of people are set to not get paid because Congress is not increasing the debt limit. They can’t get their act together and lookout for the little guy. This affects the entire world, economies will tumble, especially ours. The people in Congress have left town for the Memorial weekend. I had very few holidays off before I retired, I should have been a congressman.

               Thinking about being a congressman, they not only left town before okaying the debt bill, but they will get paid when the rest of us do not. This means social security checks, retired pay checks, government debt, etc. will not get paid but congressmen will. A little while ago they asked for a pay raise. I should have been a congressman.

               I also look at how congressmen act. They act as if they are above everyone else and can say and do whatever they want. Even the few that are caught in the act of doing wrong know that it will take a very long time to actually be formally charged, then another very long time to go to court. If convicted there will be appeal upon appeal before any possibility of jail. During all these years the congressman will be out on bail, most likely on their own recognize and will still be in office. Normal people would have been tried, convicted, and done the time in jail before the congressman goes to trial. I should have been a congressman.

               To be a congressman would make me feel dirty and I would hate to see people I know are doing wrong. I know it sounds bad to say I don’t want to be a congressman because it is a dirty job, but I have morals and most of them do not. But the bottom line is, I have worked all my life and I want and need my money. The congressmen need to do the job they are overly paid to do. 

Posted by . Categories: AAH-RETIREMENT, politics, RETIREMENT. Tags: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

14

May. ’23

Oaths

Oath: A solemn promise, often, invoking a divine witness, regarding one’s future action or behavior.

               Everyone takes an oath, whether they realize it or not. I will name a few, not all, because I know I will miss a lot of them. Oaths are given when someone is taking a government job (federal, state, or local). This includes enforcement of the law, military, doctors, nurses. Lawyers, etc. When you rent an apartment, you will sign a contract or when you buy a car (promise to pay or that what you put on the form is truthful). There are many organizations and clubs that require it. I think you understand what I mean. Oath covers a lot of territory.

               Rep. George Santos has admitted he is a liar and took the oath of office. Now he is charged with several things including lying to Congress. A breach of the oath. He stated he will not resign but the people that voted for him and elected him knew most of what he is accused of before the election. Even the Speaker of the House stands by him and said he wants to see if he is found guilty or not. There have been many other people that have been accused of something and were made to resign. The Republicans can not afford to lose one vote and I think that is why they are standing by him until this is bought to a head.

               Another (this will ruffle feathers) is ex-President Donald Trump. Becoming President, he took the oath of office and shattered it into a million pieces. Before and after becoming President, he signed many contracts and rarely was he true to them. When he was charged with rape, he was given a chance to meet his accuser in court and did not appear. Yet, he told his followers he was not given the chance. I believe he did not appear because he would have had to take an oath. I do not understand why that matters to him because he broke his oath numerous times in the past.

               I will mention one last person and that is the guy that was in intelligence service for the military and posted on the internet what he wanted. Of course, he had to take an oath and he shattered that oath for whatever lame brained excuse he gave. He not only hurt our government but other governments around the world.

               To list all the government officials that took the oath and broke it is impossible to list. That list is too long to even think about, especially those from the last administration. Today, oaths mean nothing. Back in the day, a simple handshake was all that was needed. There was also a time when a person gave their word and that was all that was needed.

               I have taken many oaths and kept all of them. I could not afford to be caught breaking an oath because I am a little guy and before I could recite my name, I would be so deep into the catacombs of prison that daylight wouldn’t reach me. I guess keeping true to the oaths taken is for the little people like me.

Posted by . Categories: AAH-RETIREMENT, politics, RETIREMENT. Tags: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

30

Apr. ’23

Burn Baby Burn

Every day looks gloomier, and gloomier when you look at the world of politics. I guess I am looking for a country set in a world of utopia but, as I wrote in a previous blog, there is no such thing as utopia. There will always be mistakes, miscalculations, and the inevitable upper crust people greed. Greed is one thing but being overly greedy is too much for me. However, there are those that are mindless about all of this and want the rest of us to fall into the same fire that has engulfed them.

               I am thinking about all the problems our country is mired in and there seems to be no end to any of this. Especially when there is a faction that wants to unravel what is good and decent and only wants to cause discontent. When you add the craziness of some of these people into the mix, there is nothing but chaos and either nothing gets done or there is a slowdown of everything. Then again you add into the mix liars that are only out to destroy everything.

               There are many things on the table that need to be resolved including the abortion issue, the Supreme Court issue, our conflict with China, Russia and, in minor form, some other countries. Add in humanitarian aid to several countries and aid to many states in this country. There is still a big border problem which is not going to go away any time soon. Yet, there is a blockage in Congress to get the money to resolve some of this plus we have the upcoming debt ceiling deadline.

               Thinking about the upcoming debt ceiling deadline, I cannot see why Republicans want to cut money to our military, especially VA (Veteran Administration) hospitals, when they have said they wouldn’t. They want to cut employees from the VA as well as funding. How can we care for our injured vets (we can barely do it now) with fewer personnel and less money? Who would want to join our military knowing that if they get injured care is not a priority?

               Looking again at the Supreme Court and I see a court I would not want to handle my case, if I had one, because I would know they will decide on which way the money, politics, and friendship flow. This is the highest court in the country, and it is so tainted that being corrupt is the lowest I can think of without using a cuss word.

               The country is on fire, and we are all burning in the flames that are thrown in our direction. As the perpetrators of this mess will burn in hell for continuing to cause this, those that condone this mess and are attempting to drag others into this mess will burn also. I wrote about this in my other blog www.faithingodministries.net and I see it all coming true. The devil needs more fuel for his fires, and we are supplying it. Souls will add to the fuel, and I do not want any part of it. There is so much more I could write but I do not want to write a book. We all will burn because of this fiasco. Burn, baby, burn.

Posted by . Categories: AAH-RETIREMENT, politics, RETIREMENT. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

05

Mar. ’23

Yes I Can

I am a loner. A strong statement but one that is true. I’ve found that staying to myself and keeping my thoughts to myself have taken me further than I thought I would go. Playing one side against the other and simply listening to what is said around me have given me insight into those that pretend they are my friend but is giving hints of attempted manipulation. Some attempts are under the table, softly spoken, and some are outwardly loud. I see them and most of the time I go along with them to meet my own end, but sometimes, when I feel it is necessary, I reject them.

               I was born during segregation and schooled under segregation going to an all-Black school. I used secondhand books with barely a whisper of Blacks mentioned in them. I learned Black history the way most Black people did, orally, the way it has been passed down for generations. As I read the hand-me-down books, I soon learned that much was left out, much was bull, and much was manipulated to the benefit of the White people.

               CRT theorist still does not want the learning of Black history and probably does not want a Black History month in which we tell our children about the accomplishments of Black people nor who they were and are. We were always told that we were incapable of doing anything, but that is untrue. We, as it was said back in the day, were to ‘get back’, meaning ‘get to the back of the bus’. Rosa Parks and others stood against that because they had enough of the BS.

               When I went into the military, I went primarily to beat the draft (I did not want the army, I wanted my own choice). I still could not get into what I wanted but it was still better than what I would have been in the army. I had been on the radio all of my high school years, but the military did not accept Blacks into any part of the communication services, including radio or tv (AFRTN).

               As an air policeman (later as a security policeman and I am not sure what they call it now), I was used as an augment for K-9 but could not formally be a K-9 handler because I was Black (this was whispered to me). I made a promise to myself to do it anyway and four years later I made it (this went well with me being a loner. Just me and my dog doing our thing). I went through much shunning, racial harassment, and I had to fight my way to the top of the K-9 field (I had to do more and know more than the average airman). I even made it to being a First Sergeant in the security field. Low rank equal low pay but I had my pride knowing I and others can do it as Blacks especially when told you can’t do it or that field is closed to you (remember the Tuskegee Airmen?).

               So, we have had the Black History month. With CRT theorist getting a stronger following, how many more Black History months will we have? When or how will people learn the true Black History? When will Black people stop being denied something because of their color? I will always say ‘yes I can’ and I did.

Posted by . Categories: AAH-RETIREMENT, politics, RETIREMENT. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

18

Sep. ’22

The Borinqueneers

I just returned from a week in Puerto Rico, just ahead of the hurricane/tropical storm. My wife and I go there often and have been to most of the other major islands. However, after watching a segment of history about Puerto Rico on a morning talk show, I thought about I have never heard about Puerto Rican military people when I was in the military nor read about them in history books. It was as if, like Black military people and Native Americans, they never existed. I did some research, and it did not take long to find a lot of information.

               Like Black people, Hispanic people volunteered for military service and was delegated to segregated units. During WWI they formed the 65th Infantry Regiment and served as the U.S. military’s last segregated unit composed primarily of Hispanic Soldiers. This have echoes of Black soldiers in the military. These soldiers are known as Borinqueneers.

               There is a short piece in the history pages that I found, and it say ‘shortly after Puerto Rico became part of the United States in 1898, a regiment of Puerto Rican Soldiers was formed, and they served our nation bravely ever since. In World War I, they defended the homeland and patrolled the Panama Canal Zone. In World War II, they fought in Europe. In Korea, they fought in mud and snow. They are the 65th Infantry Regime, U.S. Army. They are also known as Borinqueneers’. The nickname ‘Borinqueneers’ originated from the Borinquen – one of the native Taino Indian names for the island of Puerto Rico.

               One interesting fact is that two hundred Hispanic women joined the military and was given the job as code talkers, just like the Native Americans. Now that I have a taste of Hispanic history, I will delve more into it because I know there is much more to discover. Like all the other ethnic groups of people, the Hispanics have done well in many things for the United States including doing better than average in the military. Also, like other ethnic groups in the military, the Hispanics were short changed when it came to receiving medals. When ex-President Obama was in office, he gave out a record twenty-four Medal of Honor at one award ceremony.

               Although Puerto Rico is a possession of the USA, they have trouble getting USA support when there is a disaster, need of an influx of money for infrastructure upgrades, and so forth. I really love that island and would love to live there if the hurricanes would skip the place. The island is usually in the path of most hurricanes that leave the coast of Africa. And, while I was there, the news said there were earthquakes on the east coast of the island. I didn’t feel them.

               I invite all of you to join me and dig deeper into Hispanic history (music also), especially the Borinqueneers. These people are as interesting as the Tuskegee Airmen and others. Mexico is not the only place for Hispanics, but most people only think of Mexico and southward as the only Hispanics. Duh, not so. Look at Puerto Rico and other places. Huum, I have to do more traveling. By the way, HAPPY HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH!!

Posted by . Categories: AAH-RETIREMENT, politics, RETIREMENT. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

21

Aug. ’22

Classified Material

I have handled classified material all through my military and civil service career, but I have never imagined anything like what is in the news today. I had both respect and fear of the material I was handling. Respect because I knew what it was, what it could do if the wrong eyes saw it and honored to be able to handle such sensitive material. I feared it because I knew if I mishandled it, lost it, or allowed the wrong eyes to see it I was in very big trouble and the trouble would come very quickly. I used to say, ‘they would dump me in a very deep hole, fill it in, and build a prison over me’. Evidently not so today.

               When the boxes of material were taken from the White House, when the ex-President was reluctantly leaving, I asked then how he was allowed to take the material or is it the law had changed. Eighteen months ago, the removal of classified material was known. Yet, people are acting like it is new news. A year after the material was taken Trump was asked for the return of the material. See-sawing back and forth through delay after delay got the government nowhere with just asking for the return of the material. In June a subpoena was issued for its return. Again, delay after delay resulted in just some of the material being returned, although his lawyers said that was all of it. Now the raid produced boxes of highly classified material. Surprise-surprise-surprise!

               In my civil servant job, when I handled classified correspondence, I had to be very careful. I signed for the material, took it where it had to go, stood there while the individual read it, they signed for it, I took it to a secure storage place, signed in and stored it. When it was time to destroy it, there was a strict procedure that had to be followed to the letter. I could not just flush it down the toilet. If I did not follow the rules to the letter, there would not be a warning nor a chance to delay nor a subpoena nor more than a year going past before I was in handcuffs. Oh, I get it. I am not an ex-President.

               I have said from day one, if I did anything remotely close to what Trump have done, I would have been in prison years ago serving a very long sentence. My leading question is, what was he going to do with that trove of classified material? I know Putin blackmailed people with material like that (he is ex-KGB). Was he trying to do something like that? Was he going to sell it for the money he needs? I guess we will never know. We can only speculate.

               The handling of classified material takes obvious precautions with harsh penalties if you miss the mark, regardless of who you are. There are people for Trump calling for the disbandment of the law enforcement agencies involved or just leaving him alone. I guess they are saying you and me must follow the law and/or rules but Trump does not. He is above the law. He was given time to return the material where-by anyone else would immediately be in jail for the slightest misstep.  Who said this world is fair?

Posted by . Categories: AAH-RETIREMENT, politics, RETIREMENT. Tags: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

07

Aug. ’22

Higher Education

I have been told I would not amount to anything nor have a good job without a degree. I have been told that a degree is the only way to success. A degree will ensure a comfortable senior life. A degree will, after a good job, guarantee a good pension. I was also told that it is the people with degrees that have made the finer things that have been invented. I say, not necessarily so.

               The Great Pyramids were created by people that were versed in the construction of such things. The labor, as in many things before that and since then, was done by slaves and common people. Some may have been versed on the subject, but the overall majority were not, maybe none. Those structures still stand after thousands of years yet today we have structures that fail after a few years of wear.

               I am going to tell a story of facts that happened to me while I was in the military. I only have a high school education because, at the time, I did not have the money to attend college and the draft was looming. When I became the kennelmaster at a base in Germany, I had my own budget to care for the kennels. My budget was separate from the squadron’s budget. The squadron’s budget was maintained by a sergeant that was college educated in finance and an officer. My budget was a few hundreds of thousands of dollars and the squadrons was, of course, much more than that. The yearly money was broken into four quarters, yet each quarter they came to me to borrow from my budget. I maintained a well-balanced budget for a few years and the squadron decided to replace me by putting me in another section of the squadron and putting a college educated sergeant in my place. From what I heard; the kennels was never the same. There were always problems, and both the squadron and kennels were always in trouble with the money.

               It does not take a degree to do everything. Look at the British military. In the United States Military, a person must have a college degree to even be considered to become an aircraft pilot. In England a Warrant Officer, who is not a full officer, can fly. I have met a few. If that is not enough, look at the pilots that are in high school and can fly.

               One last example about education. Back in the day, the days of slavery in the United States, just about everything was done by the slave. Without the slave, America would not have been built. The slave worked hard and to make his labors easier, the slave invented ways to ease the situation. Since the slave was denied applying for or having a patient the slave owner acquired the patient for himself. Everyone knows the slave was not educated and, in most cases, neither was the slave owner.

               These were just a few cases that say a higher education is not needed for success nor to get anything of value done. All that is needed is a good brain, volition, and wherewithal for any endeavor. Never say never nor that something is impossible to do. Just say, no one beats a failure but someone that never tries. Higher education is great, but it is not everything.

Posted by . Categories: AAH-RETIREMENT, politics, RETIREMENT. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

10

Apr. ’22

War Crimes

Although the United States have tried to do the right thing when in battle, occasionally there is a hic-up, a rogue combatant that does the wrong thing. However, when these things come to light the United States government comes down on them with a heavy hand along with our justice system. War crimes are not tolerated, no matter who commits them. Not so in some other countries and Russia have joined that list.

               Our adversary has done many things that we consider wrong but not bad enough to stop talking to them nor co-operating with them on many projects. To the Russians we are made to be taken advantage of and they have done it to us for many years. When caught the Russians will try anything and everything to bribe their way out of the situation, i.e., they do not like what is being said about them in Ukraine, so they threaten to use nukes, they want oil products paid in rubles, they tell lies, etc.

               The Russian military is not as good as I thought they were. In fact, they have shown me the opposite although I have suspected them not being so good for many years. Every now and then I would hear about planes crashing for no reason or ships sinking and submarines going down and never coming back up. However, I never thought about the military being so untrained as they are. I even thought their commanders were more capable than they are. We can not forget about their logistics and equipment which leave a lot to be desired. They even had a few of their newest and best fighter aircraft shot down by the Ukrainian army.

               Getting back to the war crimes, Russia has denied them and have said there is no proof that it even happened. Well, because of poor equipment we know the truth. Russians use unencrypted communications plus open channel communications to talk to each other. One thing overheard was how to get information from captured Ukrainian forces and civilians and then shoot them in the head. They even talked about raping women and children, then razing the entire city, killing everyone that they can. This is proof that can not be denied. They even say the pictures of mass graves, the dead civilians lying all around for days, even in the middle of the road, is fake (where have I heard that word before) and have banned the media in Russia.

               I learned many good things when I was a kid and one of them was to never fight someone in their own back yard, you will never win. The United States found that out in Viet Nam, Afghanistan, and a few other places. Russia has, or should I say suppose to have, every piece of modern war equipment the world has to offer. The Ukrainians did not have much until the world started helping them with equipment plus teaching them how to use it. The Russians, who started a fight in the Ukrainian’s back yard is moving backward. Now the Russians want to holler about war crimes being committed on them. They are the invaders and should have never invaded but Putin wanted to make Russia larger and thought Ukraine was a pushover. He is responsible for everything that have happened, war crimes and all.

Posted by . Categories: AAH-RETIREMENT, politics, RETIREMENT. Tags: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

06

Mar. ’22

The War in Ukraine

I am watching the war in Ukraine, and I am sad about this on two accounts. First, I am too old to go there and take up arms against the invading forces. Second, this reminds me of a civil war because a portion of the Ukraine populace speak Russian, and some have family in Russia. This is a war started by a mad man and he does not care about anything except what he wants.

               I see the civilian buildings shattered and burned, children and women dying, not even understanding what is going on nor why. I also see fearless people taking on the invaders knowing they could die at a moments notice. I see the people that have never held a weapon trying to quickly learn to shoot and protect their country. This should never happen.

               The Russian military is not as good as they think they are. There is video of them giving up because their vehicles are out of fuel, they are hungry and tired. The Ukraine people gave them food and comfort and, from the videos I saw, did not harm nor restrain them. But that is only some of the military because others followed orders and purposely targeted civilians and their domiciles. Why is it taking so long to overrun a country the size of Ukraine with a large Russian army? Incompetence, leadership, the will to fight, what?

               Everyone is afraid of a nuclear war if a nation with nuclear powers joins the Ukraine fight. Never to worry, worry about Russia targeting the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and going after another. We were lucky that the bombing did not cause the release of any radiation on the first one, but we may not be lucky if they bomb the next one. Nuclear radiation does not know the difference between friend or foe nor boarders.

               Of course, President Biden is accursed of not doing enough to stop the start of the war, among other things he is falsely accused of. The Congressmen that released unauthorized video, when there was a video talk with the Ukraine President, will not even get a slap on the wrist. The rules Russia goes by, our rules, and the rules of the rest of the world are not the same rules. Plus, no one can believe anything Russia say. Russia told the world, before the invasion, that they were conducting war games. We knew better because we now have a President that listens to the intelligence reports. The reports were correct.

               But the question now is ‘what can the world do to stop this invasion’? Not much besides the sanctions. The rest of the world could take up arms to help Ukraine, but the Russian mad man may be crazy enough to drop a nuclear bomb. Roll the dice. Then the entire world is in jeopardy. The world can not negotiate with a mad man.

               The bottom line is to watch and wait to see what develops and hope it is good. We all must support Ukraine anyway we can with whatever we have. We can also pray for them and keep them in our prayers until this is over. When this is over it will take years to rebuild the country.

Posted by . Categories: AAH-RETIREMENT, Imperial Plaza, politics. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

22

Aug. ’21

The Difference of Two Wars

There is a debate about should we have left Afghanistan, or should we have stayed and all fingers are pointed at President Biden because he COMPLETED leaving Afghanistan. Some say he was right, and some say he was wrong. The agreement to pullout was agreed upon a couple of years before he came into office, and he could not stop it. Then there are those that compare leaving Afghanistan to the way we left Viet Nam, which, in a way, is true. Also, there are some that compare how Viet Nam was and lives lost to the war in Afghanistan. Not true. The majority that are saying this were not born at the time.

               During the time of Viet Nam there was a draft that all eligible American males had to register for. They even alluded all branches of the military was involved in the draft. Wrong, the air force did not participate in the draft. The air force never drafted except when it was a part of the army which was called the Army Air Corp.

               We got into Viet Nam the same way we got into Afghanistan. The French were there and left the country. Next came the American advisors to teach the people how to fight, etc. When things started to go bad, America started sending in ground personnel and air support. Years later we, like the French, pulled out of the country. In Afghanistan and Viet Nam, there was a warning about the pullout and the Vietnamese that wanted to go left the country. But, in Afghanistan, most waited until it was too late.

               Let us not forget the American men and women that died. There is no comparison. There was a couple thousand that died in Afghanistan (Americans yelled long and hard about that) compared to a couple hundred thousand that died in Viet Nam (I do not have the exact number, but most Americans rarely spoke about the lives lost). I was air force, and I was among the first waves of American troops going to Viet Nam. I remember, every base was either mortared or attempted to be over run or both by enemy forces. Everyone wondered if the next mortar round or next bullet would have their name on it and they would go home in a casket, so many thousands did. That is a big difference in the two wars.

               Another big difference is upon returning home because the Viet Nam veterans were hated by the American populace. I still remember returning home, in 1966, I landed at Travis, AFB, California and had to change into civilian clothes, before leaving base to catch a plane to my next base, for fear of being cat called, spit on, or assaulted. I then hoped my haircut did not give me away.

               As far as leaving the country’s people behind (news media also), there was ample time to leave because for a long time it was known that the American forces were leaving. There was more than enough time to get out. Those that waited until the last minute and found themselves stuck want to put the onus on someone else and want someone to risk their life to save theirs. This have happened in every conflict and, rest assured, it will happen again because we do not learn from history.

               There is much more between the differences of the two wars, I have only lightly touched of a few points. To get into the political points would take one or two more blogs. It is a very complicated subject, and it would ruffle a lot of feathers. I was there, on the ground in Viet Nam and Thailand (which some people do not know was a part of the Viet Nam war), I was not a draft dodger, but I did dodge the bullets and mortars and made it home. I was not in Afghanistan, but I read enough and watched enough news reels to know the difference.

Posted by . Categories: AAH-RETIREMENT, politics, RETIREMENT. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment