Via email — “Please see attached photo of a small portion of the 1,250 American flags erected by the local Rotary Club in honor of our Veterans Day. The flags extend for almost a mile along our bayfront. Each is individually sponsored in honor or remembrance of a veteran.” — Steve from Corpus Christi, TX
Well, maybe one.
CalFire: "Return to base. It's too dangerous!"
Cal NG: "This is why no one will remember your name". pic.twitter.com/QaaYBh2L9A
— Marcus The Revenant (@DeucianRevival) September 10, 2020
More here. Some think the characterization of CalFire is unfair, and they may have a point. And from the responses: “Just in case anybody who still wants to waste their time and or money watching overpaid millionaires in tight pants knelling [sic] on the football field. This is what real heroes do and look like!”
More photos.
Choppers coming in. Image taken by one of the people waiting. Image is NOT edited. Folks sheltered at the shore and in lake. A few burn victims, broken bones/ankles from the run from campsites to the shore. Took fire 45 mins to burn through/around the lake. pic.twitter.com/iJWiad9FS8
— N2PNZ (@Pinz4BobbyD) September 10, 2020
h/t to Colonialista
For naval history fans: The Battle of Jutland – Clash of the Titans – Part 1
Best detailed online account I have seen of that battle.
Two more parts should linked from the first part. Total almost three hours. Pour yourself a glass of your favorite beverage and enjoy.
Former White House war czar and three-star general Douglas Lute is quoted as saying, “We were devoid of a fundamental understanding of Afghanistan — we didn’t know what we were doing,” and, “We didn’t have the foggiest notion of what we were undertaking.” This was not the message conveyed by either the Bush or Obama administrations.
Even more alarming are revelations that false metrics were purposely cited to support the narrative that the war was proceeding effectively. Army Col. Bob Crowley relays, “Every data point was altered to present the best picture possible … surveys, for instance, were totally unreliable but reinforced that everything we were doing was right and we became a self-licking ice cream cone.” High-ranking members of two administrations and senior military commanders were aware of a clear lack of purpose in Afghanistan, yet lied to the American people to justify the continuing conflict.
Related: Enemy Combatant Terror Commanders Are Fair Game
h/t Robert
Lol so Trump accidentally just ended our forever war in iraq?? https://t.co/E3pXWwu2Zo
— Tim Pool (@Timcast) January 5, 2020
Supporters of the Iran-backed militia have begun to withdraw from @USEmbBaghdad after US reinforcements arrive in the form of 100 Marines and Apache helicopters.@EsperDoD announced 750 members of the 82nd Airborne will also be deployed to the region.https://t.co/vmIhKz2vUN
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) January 1, 2020
Do tell.
Winston Churchill once said there was no more exhilarating feeling than to be shot at and missed. Conversely there is nothing worse than to shoot at your sworn enemy and publicly miss. The ayatollahs have committed the ultimate diplomatic crime and walked out empty handed.
— wretchardthecat (@wretchardthecat) January 1, 2020
President @realDonaldTrump arrives at his third #ArmyNavyGame to roars after signing executive order allowing military academy athletes to play professional sports before their post-academy service.
This is HUGE for big-time athletes who also want to serve their country 🇺🇸
Wow pic.twitter.com/CI2G9lUqck
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) December 14, 2019
Not related, but close enough to mention here: Rep. Jeff Van Drew, a moderate Democrat who is strongly opposed to impeaching President Donald Trump, is expected to switch parties and become a Republican
Update: Why look. They’re showing up to riot.
In this partisan environment, people were quick to judge President Donald J. Trump’s reinstatement of anchors to my brother, Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward “Eddie” Gallagher.
Out of the woodwork came former military attorneys, indignant Pentagon officials and your typical Washington establishment types.
Their views were mainly the same. The president’s actions were a moral hazard! What message will it send our troops? What of good order and discipline?
I have one question for these people: Where in the hell were you the past year and a half?
Related: US Navy Secretary Richard Spencer fired over Seal case
More: Complaint letter to the Inspector General. (pdf)
Related: Lead investigator in Green Beret murder case pleads guilty to stolen valor charges
A gripping interview with Dakota Meyer. (3 hours)
And entirely predictable: U.S. Spends Millions to Train Bomb-Sniffing Dogs Gifted to Arab Nations that Abuse Them (sorry, link fixed)
It is a heartbreaking story involving the taxpayer-funded Explosive Detection Canine Program (EDCP), which also provides specially trained dogs to foreign nations—mostly Arabic—under an antiterrorism assistance project operated by the State Department. The goal is to enhance the ability of their law enforcement agencies to deter and counter terrorism. The State Department doesn’t bother following up to assure that the recipient nations are keeping their end of the agreement to adequately care for the precious animals. The sordid details resulting from the government’s negligence are only public because the State Department Inspector General received an anonymous complain on its hotline. The watchdog launched an investigation and published the findings in a lengthy report that includes agonizing pictures of the victims in the custody of their foreign handlers.
The federal government’s industrial benefits program for military procurement is so open to interpretation that instead of high-tech defence industry jobs Canada could end up with more plants that produce french fries, say procurement specialists.
The government has allowed Irving Shipbuilding to claim a $40-million industrial benefit credit for an Alberta french fry factory as part of a contract to provide the Royal Canadian Navy with new Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships, the Globe and Mail confirmed Thursday.
Under the government’s industrial and technological benefits policy, the prime contractors on such military procurements are required to do work in Canada equal to 100 per cent of the value of the contract they receive.
h/t Joe
They’re just asking for more than he can give right now.
h/t Colonista
Think of Quickstrike as the ultimate underwater weapon, being relatively inexpensive, autonomous relentless in carrying out its’ mission.
Via Austin Bay.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: […] So we have to talk about the billions and billions of dollars that’s being paid to the country that we’re supposed to be protecting you against. You know, everybody is talking about it all over the world. They’ll say, well, wait a minute, we’re supposed to be protecting you from Russia, but why are you paying billions of dollars to Russia for energy? Why are countries in NATO, namely Germany, having a large percentage of their energy needs paid to Russia and taken care of by Russia?
Now, if you look at it, Germany is a captive of Russia because they supply. They got rid of their coal plants. They got rid of their nuclear. They’re getting so much of the oil and gas from Russia. I think it’s something that NATO has to look at. I think it’s very inappropriate. You and I agree that it’s inappropriate. I don’t know what you can do about it now, but it certainly doesn’t seem to make sense that they paid billions of dollars to Russia and now we have to defend them against Russia.
SECRETARY GENERAL STOLTENBERG: You know, NATO is an alliance of 29 nations, and there are sometimes differences and different views, and also some disagreements. And the gas pipeline from Russia to Germany is one issue where allies disagree. But the strength of NATO is that despite these differences, we have always been able to unite around our core task, to protect and defend each other, because we understand that we are stronger together than apart.
I think that two World Wars and the Cold War taught us that we are stronger together than apart.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: But how can you be together when a country is getting its energy from the person you want protection against or from the group that you want protection?
SECRETARY GENERAL STOLTENBERG: Because we understand that when we stand together, also in dealing with Russia, we are stronger. I think what we have seen is that —
PRESIDENT TRUMP: No, you’re just making Russia richer. You’re not dealing with Russia. You’re making Russia richer.
A cluster bomb of truth only Trump could pull off. Read the whole thing.
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