Brad Nelson
Administrator
עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on Jun 25, 2022 18:06:09 GMT -8
I was at my cousin's house this afternoon which is on Sinclair Inlet. We were there for a "celebration of life" for his recently-passed father. But we started seeing six or so Navy tugs headed out in a procession. That could only mean one thing: The entry of a CVN. In this case it was the USS Nimitz. Years ago they would announce when a ship was coming in. 9/11 changed that. Undoubtedly the families know. (And, frankly, you can't really hide a carrier in the waters of Puget Sound.) But none of us were aware that she was coming in to PSNS. Larger View
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Post by kungfuzu on Jun 25, 2022 19:18:51 GMT -8
Nice photo.
Sorry about your uncle.
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Post by artraveler on Jun 25, 2022 20:09:09 GMT -8
USS Nimitz. A fast ship going in harms way. may all who sail with her have fair skys and calm seas. Semper Fi.
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Brad Nelson
Administrator
עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on Jun 26, 2022 6:58:39 GMT -8
Thanks. He had a stroke several years ago and he was severely limited. Basically, he never regained the ability to speak. To some extent, his passing was a blessing to himself and his family. And the Navy connection continues. Lyle (along with his brother, my father) were instrumental in setting up the Puget Sound Navy Museum, a project that was dependent upon convincing the Navy to move historic Building 50 from inside the base to just outside. It was restored/remodeled and turned into a public museum near the ferry dock on the Bremerton waterfront. The Navy footed a several-million-dollar bill for moving/refurbing. Lyle had been in the Army in his younger years and stationed in Germany. He had a real passion for the American military. As his daughter noted, he knew every word of just about every major American military song. This is no kidding. And he had a nice Kraut German Luger collection and some other Nazi paraphernalia. His son is apparently getting big prices on eBay for some of that stuff (helmets, metal soldiers, but I think the Nazi stuff can no longer be sold on eBay). So, basically, Not a Marxist. Listened to Rush. Probably more of a moderate Republican. Retired at a quite high GS rating. Was an auditor a number of years and flew to shithole countries such an Ethiopia to audit any American aid being given...basically making sure that money for, say, desalination plants didn't go to buying a gold-plated Mercedes for the local chieftain. As his son noted, back in that day he could travel safely to these countries (including Turkey) in a white shirt and tie. Those days are probably gone. Later he was head of EPA enforcement on the Left Coast during the Jimmy Carter energy "crisis" years. So, yeah, a g-man in some form all his life. But, by all accounts, that rare thing: an honest public employee.
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Post by artraveler on Jun 26, 2022 7:51:42 GMT -8
that rare thing: an honest public employee.
There was a time about when your uncle was serving that, honest and government employee, was not an oxymoron. Sadly, today we expect government employees to, game the system, exceed authority, and exchange the term public event for public master. Your uncle is part. of the generation that saw public service as a duty not a job.
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Brad Nelson
Administrator
עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on Jun 26, 2022 9:44:47 GMT -8
I believe he thought integrity was an integral part of his job. I believe he thought he should follow the law impartially. There's no reason to believe he did otherwise.
But then how well do we ever really know other people? You go to a "celebration of life" ceremony where people shares small stories and anecdotes. And you think "I never knew that about him."
He was my uncle, the mellow-ish middle brother of three, and he was always a criticizer and a kidder. But everyone is a saint at his funeral and that's probably how it should be. But my brothers and I would always make fun about how Uncle Lyle was always too ready to give you some unneeded advice and subtle criticism. For instance, I would deal with him often when he was working directly at the museum. When he would call me, no matter the time of day, the conversation from him invariable started with, "Are you awake?"
Uncle Lyle was chock full of these little jibes and stabs. And we just took it as who he was. Nevertheless, he could often get on your nerves. But everyone is a saint at their own funeral.
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Post by kungfuzu on Jun 26, 2022 10:18:12 GMT -8
I wonder if that was a phrase he picked up from some drill sergeant? Sir, yes sir I know the video is supposed to be of the Marines, but you get the idea. The point around 1:10 minutes is classic. Who could every forget that face?
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Brad Nelson
Administrator
עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on Jun 26, 2022 11:21:14 GMT -8
That certainly makes sense.
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Post by artraveler on Jun 26, 2022 11:22:17 GMT -8
I wonder if that was a phrase he picked up from some drill sergeant? For a short period of time before the war the DIs at the navy training facility at Great Lakes was using marine DIs. It is possible that some of the impact training became a regular part of the Navy training regimen. One of my favorite scenes from FMJ and very much true to form. The only thing missing is the yellow foot steps at MCRD and PIRD. FMJ was filmed in part at PI.
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Brad Nelson
Administrator
עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on Jun 26, 2022 12:15:34 GMT -8
Wouldn't it be great to see that drill instructor do that on a college campus? I would pay to see that.
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Post by kungfuzu on Jun 27, 2022 20:19:41 GMT -8
I know the Navy people will not like it, but I think this is the closest we have to an Army string. Education no longer required This is not good. Maybe the fiasco is Afghanistan was not just Biden's fault. I thought a second and yes it was.
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Brad Nelson
Administrator
עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on Jun 28, 2022 7:02:11 GMT -8
I believe Artler has expressed similar sentiments. But I won't stuff words in his mouth. But I've heard from more than one military man who said they would never let their son or daughter join the military today.
I think it's fair to speculate that all this "wokeness" and forcing of experimental drugs on people is having an effect on recruitment.
The fiasco in Afghanistan started with Bush. And although Biden is a contemptible idiot, he would be the one giving the broad orders from above. It would be up to the command structure regarding how to carry those orders out and withdraw. And it does seem as if sections of the military are highly incompetent or dysfunctional. Yes, this we can blame on the Left and their namby-pamby policies, in general. But Biden, in particular, is just another cog in this wasting machine.
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Post by artraveler on Jun 28, 2022 8:14:00 GMT -8
I believe Artler has expressed similar sentiments Indeed I have. My two youngest grandchildren 15 and 13 I am discouraging from military service. My oldest three all served but that was an earlier time, the oldest is now 34 and the youngest just turned 25. They also feel the military has gone over to the leftists. The vets that I am in touch with, some Vietnam, some Gulf War I and II don't like the tone this, and previous administrations have taken with the military. As a group I would say we favor universal conscription male and female for two years, similar to the Israeli model. It doesn't mean that all the "wokeness" will be removed from the system but the worst of it can be minimal. As for my Israeli grandchildren all have or are serving in the IDF.
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Post by kungfuzu on Jun 28, 2022 11:00:48 GMT -8
I have my questions about the overall role females can or should play in the armed forces, but I would generally favor conscription.
Putting those who incubate future generations at risk, in large numbers, is not a good idea. It should only be done in extreme conditions. One might consider Israel's normal condition to be extreme. I do not consider the same to be the case, at least military-wise, as regards the USA.
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Post by kungfuzu on Jul 18, 2022 8:20:39 GMT -8
Below is a link to an article (and video) about a joint naval exercise off of Hawaii. I find the title of the piece a bit silly. I do not see how sinking a stationary ship is going to scare China. That said, this points to the necessity of drill, drill, drill as Artler mentioned. This is an area in which the US military has been pretty good. BoomThe video seems to confirm reports, which I have read about a major fault of cruise missiles. Since they are relatively slow, they are programmed to fly low to avoid radar. But since they are using the earth's/sea surface to determine the height at which they are flying, they can only fly so low thus cannot hit a vessel below the water line. Yes, they can do a lot of damage, but as anyone who has looked into naval battles in WWII knows, a lot of ships sustained huge damage, yet kept on fighting for some time. Getting a vessel beneath the waves is the best way to erase its threat to one's side.
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Brad Nelson
Administrator
עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on Jul 19, 2022 7:41:51 GMT -8
Some of the American carriers in WWII took a shit-load of damage and kept afloat. Our tech and training was probably far superior to that of the Japs at the time.
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