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Archive for the 'Military' Category
21
May
11
Armed Forces Day 2011
11
Sep
09
Schrödinger’s Todd
Per Wiki, “Schrödinger’s cat is a thought experiment, often described as a paradox, devised by Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger in 1935.” One cat is placed into one of two boxes. If no observer knows where the cat is, then it is said to be equally in each box, until determined. The idea is often used to explain more complex thoughts in Quantum Mechanics.
Right now, Todd could be used for the same experiment. Is he still in Germany, at Ramstein Air Base? Is he in the U.S., awaiting his chance to interview with Homeland Security? Is he on a plane between the two places and thus no where at all? We don’t know. But what we do know is news worthy…
Todd has left Amsterdam! He’s not here. We’ve looked. And he’s not expected back any time soon.
Alas, for now, Schrodinger’s Todd is so everywhere that no one knows where he is. But we’re all expecting to soon hear that he’s somewhere on the east coast and amongst friends.
04
Aug
09
Almost ready to leave… (UPDATED)
Your raconteur is in the deep south of Holland visiting the nice folks at JFC Brunssum so that he can pick up a shiny new ID card so that he may travel back to CONUS.
I’ll be back in Amsterdam tonight, anticipating a departure for Ramstein AB sometime tomorrow.
More follows…
UPDATE: Today’s run was pleasant, but still resulted in total failure. My departure clock is on hold until I can procure an additional piece of ID… I have a cunning plan, we’ll soon see what it’ll take to pull it off!
28
May
08
Landmachtdagen 2008
I’m already thoroughly booked up for this weekend, or I’d be HERE watching the Dutch Army (Koninklijke Landmacht) showing off for the hometown crowds!
This kinda stuff makes me all nostalgic for the days I served as a combat medic in the 101st Airborne Division… (Mostly cos it was all “just” training back in the waning years of the Cold War, it’s MUCH easier to be nostalgic when nobody was shooting actual bullets and shit at ya!)
more about “Landmachtdagen 2008“, posted with vodpod
The Heritage Flight is a standard component of air shows where they round up aircraft from the oldest to the newest and fly them in formation for the adoring crowds.
This terrific shot is from Andrews AFB‘s AMAZING Joint Services Open House held last Saturday and features (from top down) the P-51 Mustang, F-4 Phantom, F-15 Eagle, and the F-22 Raptor.
I didn’t even have to look any of those up… 
When I lived in Baltimore, I was able to go to this show a few times and it’s obviously gotten MUCH bigger and better in my absence.
The coolest thing about JSOH is that all of the U.S. armed services are thoroughly represented and there’s also a big Special Ops presence as well.
Fascinating stuff for an old soldier like me…
It’s their yearly opportunity to show off for the “hometown” (DC) crowd and they always do it up right!
NOT your “average” air show by any means! (and NOT to be missed if you love this stuff as much as I did!)
THANKS to Jeff Quinton for the spectacular (and HUGE) Flickr set!
BBC NEWS | Americas | US veterans sue over ‘poor care’
US veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are suing the government, claiming inadequate care is leading to an increase in suicides.
A San Francisco court will hear the class action lawsuit against the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The veterans say the department has been unable to deal with the growing incidence of depression and suicides.
But government lawyers argue the department has been devoting more resources to mental health.
In court papers the two non-profit groups representing the veterans write “that failure to provide care is manifesting itself in an epidemic of suicides”.
“The bottom line is that we’re not taking care of the veterans and we need to change that,” says lead lawyer, Gordon Erspamer.
This is just way too sad on such a beautiful day, but it’s an issue that hits too close to home for your raconteur to ignore…
I left a comment, it may or may not get published, so here it is:
I have a disability retirement from the U.S. Army and received my medical care from the VA system until I came overseas in 2001. I also depend on them for my pension to this day.
I was a Registered Nurse after my military service which gives me quite a bit of additional insight into this issue.
While the care I received from a historically underfunded VA Health Care system was quite acceptable at the time, all current reports suggest that the situation today, particularly regarding mental health issues, has become dire for many of those most in need of care.
When you sign an enlistment contract or receive an officer’s commission in the U.S. Military, you are assured that if you get damaged in the line of duty, you’ll be taken care of.
It’s become painfully obvious that this simple promise can’t be effectively kept for many of the most vulnerable members of the U.S. Veteran community…
That must change.
In my experience, the staff are just as frustrated by these deficiencies as their patients. They’re all horribly ensnared in the same legendary bureaucratic mess that the VA has always been infamous for.
If a lawsuit can correct this, (and I have my doubts) I have to support their efforts.
In any case, I most certainly support my brothers and sisters in arms and the people that are tasked with caring for them.
They tend to be pretty thankless jobs, I’ve done both of them.
Maybe it’s just me, but this is beyond funny!
Semper Fi, dude! (and keep that wicked sense of humor dry!)
Affiliated with Canvas!
Just Lock It In & Rip The Knob Off!
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