Defense Secretary Robert Gates addressed this question and the growing divide between the civilian and military communities. Never was it more obvious than at Tuesday evening's final editing session for the campus newspaper.
I was working on my column, a compilation of news stories. Lately, I've been including the ranks, names and ages of our fallen military. That came under fire Tuesday evening, when, for want of space, I was asked why I print that, because "it seems like filler." I was then told that "We aren't the Military Times," and then spent the next fifteen minutes arguing that the ages bring our military to a more personal level -- I can look at those names and realize that the specialist killed by an IED last week was my age, that the staff sergeant who gave his life yesterday could have been my best friend. For those who have never had any sort of contact with the military community, this is one way in which we can all relate.
Also, since my college campus has little to do with the military, it seems hardly enough to even devote a few inches of column space to the deceased. Can we not give them that much? They have fought and died for my right and privilege to contribute to the mass media -- can we not show them perhaps the only form of respect we are able?
Thirdly, posting a list of the war dead appeases two groups: anti-war and pro-war. Those against the war are able to look at the list and realize that people are dying, even though combat operations have ended. Those for the war can be proud of the fact that a small, private liberal arts college is devoting a portion of its newspaper to researching and printing the names of our fallen military personnel.
Showing posts with label Military. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Military. Show all posts
07 October 2010
13 February 2010
How to Leave a Soldier
How to Leave a Soldier
"The war on terror may be impossible to resolve. Ending my marriage was easy."
I'm not quite certain where to begin with this article, so I'll leave the commenting to everyone else.
U.S., Afghan and NATO forces have entered Marjah and have begun an offensive against the Taliban. According to Major General Nick Carter, "'the operation went without a single hitch'" (FNC).
"The war on terror may be impossible to resolve. Ending my marriage was easy."
I'm not quite certain where to begin with this article, so I'll leave the commenting to everyone else.
U.S., Afghan and NATO forces have entered Marjah and have begun an offensive against the Taliban. According to Major General Nick Carter, "'the operation went without a single hitch'" (FNC).
25 January 2010
Devil Doc and Xavier Brightside will be deploying to the Middle East in the near future, and my prayers are with them, as well as Alex, who went to Haiti on the USS Comfort.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
14 December 2009
Hajji
The Department of Veterans Affairs has published a list detailing the vocabulary of Operation Iraqi Freedom -- a list that contains such entries as "death blossom," a term originating in the 1984 science-fiction film "The Last Starfighter." It is used by servicemen to describe fire sprayed indiscriminately in all directions. The list also includes the terms "Mortaritaville" and "Bombaconda," both referring to LSA Anaconda, a base near Balad, Iraq, that is frequently the target of mortar attacks.
"Soldiers use these terms because they try to make the best they can of their situation and give things kind of a humorous angle," said Lt. Col. Charles Kohler of the Maryland National Guard.
The term "Mortaritaville," a reference to the Jimmy Buffett song "Margaritaville," is only one of many terms soldiers use to take the edge off an environment that is potentially frightening and often beyond their control, said Indiana University linguist Michael Adams.
"It's making a really terrifying experience manageable by attempting to make it familiar," Adams said. . . .
"It's language for them made by them to consolidate their social relationships," he said. "In war, people's survival depends on (these relationships)."
Military slang is versatile and can refer to anything in a soldier's environment - equipment, locations, or people.
Maj. Liam Kingdon, who works for the Reserve Officers' Training Corps at the University of Maryland in College Park, said he has heard fellow service members referred to as "fobbits." The word is a contraction of Forward Operating Base (FOB) and "hobbit," a creature from The Lord of the Rings known for its sedentary habits.
"It's basically a soldier, sailor or airman who never leaves the base," Kingdon said. "You've got people there who leave the base all the time to go on patrol, and you've got people who literally just stay on the base."
"[Slang terms are] part of my everyday language now," said Matt Robbins, who lives in College Park and is a senior at the University of Maryland.
In 2008, Robbins deployed to Tikrit, Iraq, as a communications specialist, and said his stay there has made him acutely aware of differences in cultural customs.
"In Iraq, you don't show the bottom of your foot to people; it's considered impolite," Robbins said. "I still don't do that."
He also recalls the fact that soldiers referred to Iraqis as "hajis" -- an Arabic term describing a person who has made the pilgrimage to Mecca.
But in this particular case, Robbins said, the use struck him as derogatory, so "I don't use that anymore."
The term "haji" has various derivatives, such as the designation "haji shop" for a cart or booth run by natives, where DVDs, soda and other small items are sold.
Slang terms referring to features of a base are also common. . . .
Other terms link life in the military to items or concepts familiar from other environments -- often, the environment is home, or a favorite movie. For example, improvised vehicle armor made from scrap metal is also known as "hillbilly armor" and a truck with large amounts of add-on armor may be designated a "Frankenstein." . . .
The fascination with military-speak has also led to expressions of artistic creativity. Earlier this year, alternative rock band Cracker released a song called "Yalla Yalla" -- Arabic for "let's go" -- built around military slang, including such terms as "Bombaconda" and "haji."
At least some of these terms are likely to make it into everyday language, Adams said. When that will happen is unclear because "those serving have to bring the terms home and influence the use of those who haven't served."
But maybe the day when "couch potatoes" become "fobbits" is not so far off.
My primary reason for posting this excerpt was because I found the article interesting. My secondary reason was my frustration while reading the part about the term "haji."
First of all, the term is hajji, according to both Arabic and the AP Stylebook. Omitting a "j" changes the pronunciation of the word.
Second of all, although American military personnel tend to use the term derogatively, hajji is an honorable title, used to refer to Muslims who have completed the hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca (one of the five pillars of Islam). Although the hajj should be completed by all Muslims, not all Muslims to whom military personnel refer have done so. Therefore, the term is a misnomer.
"Soldiers use these terms because they try to make the best they can of their situation and give things kind of a humorous angle," said Lt. Col. Charles Kohler of the Maryland National Guard.
The term "Mortaritaville," a reference to the Jimmy Buffett song "Margaritaville," is only one of many terms soldiers use to take the edge off an environment that is potentially frightening and often beyond their control, said Indiana University linguist Michael Adams.
"It's making a really terrifying experience manageable by attempting to make it familiar," Adams said. . . .
"It's language for them made by them to consolidate their social relationships," he said. "In war, people's survival depends on (these relationships)."
Military slang is versatile and can refer to anything in a soldier's environment - equipment, locations, or people.
Maj. Liam Kingdon, who works for the Reserve Officers' Training Corps at the University of Maryland in College Park, said he has heard fellow service members referred to as "fobbits." The word is a contraction of Forward Operating Base (FOB) and "hobbit," a creature from The Lord of the Rings known for its sedentary habits.
"It's basically a soldier, sailor or airman who never leaves the base," Kingdon said. "You've got people there who leave the base all the time to go on patrol, and you've got people who literally just stay on the base."
"[Slang terms are] part of my everyday language now," said Matt Robbins, who lives in College Park and is a senior at the University of Maryland.
In 2008, Robbins deployed to Tikrit, Iraq, as a communications specialist, and said his stay there has made him acutely aware of differences in cultural customs.
"In Iraq, you don't show the bottom of your foot to people; it's considered impolite," Robbins said. "I still don't do that."
He also recalls the fact that soldiers referred to Iraqis as "hajis" -- an Arabic term describing a person who has made the pilgrimage to Mecca.
But in this particular case, Robbins said, the use struck him as derogatory, so "I don't use that anymore."
The term "haji" has various derivatives, such as the designation "haji shop" for a cart or booth run by natives, where DVDs, soda and other small items are sold.
Slang terms referring to features of a base are also common. . . .
Other terms link life in the military to items or concepts familiar from other environments -- often, the environment is home, or a favorite movie. For example, improvised vehicle armor made from scrap metal is also known as "hillbilly armor" and a truck with large amounts of add-on armor may be designated a "Frankenstein." . . .
The fascination with military-speak has also led to expressions of artistic creativity. Earlier this year, alternative rock band Cracker released a song called "Yalla Yalla" -- Arabic for "let's go" -- built around military slang, including such terms as "Bombaconda" and "haji."
At least some of these terms are likely to make it into everyday language, Adams said. When that will happen is unclear because "those serving have to bring the terms home and influence the use of those who haven't served."
But maybe the day when "couch potatoes" become "fobbits" is not so far off.
My primary reason for posting this excerpt was because I found the article interesting. My secondary reason was my frustration while reading the part about the term "haji."
First of all, the term is hajji, according to both Arabic and the AP Stylebook. Omitting a "j" changes the pronunciation of the word.
Second of all, although American military personnel tend to use the term derogatively, hajji is an honorable title, used to refer to Muslims who have completed the hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca (one of the five pillars of Islam). Although the hajj should be completed by all Muslims, not all Muslims to whom military personnel refer have done so. Therefore, the term is a misnomer.
01 September 2009
Laptops for Flat Tops
Every two months, Laptops for Flat Tops is giving away two laptops with webcams to families with deployed family members. Laptops for Flat Tops is sponsored by All-American Direct.
21 August 2009
MIL101
I meant to post this in January. I was reorganizing the post tags when I noticed that this was still in draft form.
13 August 2009
Is It Change, Or Just A Waste Of Time?
For some strange reason there seems to be a lot discussion about revising the don’t ask, don’t tell policy for the DoD. The great comrade appeaser said that he was going to change the policy throughout his campaign. Now to those that aren’t aware of the ways things are currently in the military, if this policy was changed, it wouldn’t really matter anyhow.
If I have to sit through another required lecture on diversity and equal opportunity I will go postal. The other day I had another one of those long boring lectures, about how America is a melting pot, and we should all be friends, hold hands, and expand our minds or some hippy garbage like that, and the subject of don’t ask, don’t tell was brought up, and it was mentioned that our “savior” was in the process of changing it to do tell. This would not accomplish anything except just maybe get him a few more votes. The unwritten current policy is don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t drop the soap. Basically it doesn’t matter if you are homosexual or not, and even if you are, they will have a very difficult time separating you. The way it was explained to me was basically: viewing homosexual type pornography, or having it does not count, neither does going to a gay bar. As long as it is off base and you can cross-dress and pick up people of the same sex providing your airborne tattoo doesn’t peak out of your corset. Pretty much the only way to get the boot is for someone to bring in a newspaper clipping from the Boston Tribune that says newlyweds and has a picture of you and your same sex partner, or if your roommate walks in with a camcorder while you corn hole each other. You could walk up to the CO and tell him that you are gay and even then they will probably keep you.
So what is the big deal? Why is this so important that when there are other more important issues that we need to worry about? Even if openly gay people were allowed to be in the military they still wouldn’t be able to hold hands while walking to the PX or to do whatever it is they do in the barracks. Of course they would have to change numerous articles such as article 125: (a) Any person subject to this chapter who engages in unnatural carnal copulation with another person of the same or opposite sex or with an animal is guilty of sodomy. Penetration, however slight, is sufficient to complete the offense. (b) Any person found guilty of sodomy shall by punished as a court-martial may direct.
According to FOXNews.com there are numerous people in the gay community that want the policy changed. Why? So, you’re telling me if we let powder puffs in the military that our ranks will swell? I doubt it. Granted this is a stereotype but most stereotypes are rooted in some truth, as an upside the “flaming”, femmy, types could be used for interior decorating of those ugly drab tents, and design new pink ribbons and uniforms that will spruce up our appearance.
Rumor has it that our “savior” is dragging his feet (the sound resembles that of nails on a chalkboard) because one of Ole Romancer himself Clinton’s first things in office was the don’t ask don’t tell policy, and as a result spent more time defending his actions than completing his leftist agenda.
The current or former policy has not prevented homosexuals from being in the military, Oliver Sipple was a decorated Vietnam combat veteran he saved President Gerald Ford’s life in the 1975 assignation attempt, was openly gay and a gay rights activist in San Francisco. (The location isn’t surprising) A first class I worked with had to treat a guy in Iraq for gonorrhea in his rectum. So they are here already. Rewording the rules isn’t going to amount to a fart in a windstorm.
Others worry about discrimination against homosexuals if officially allowed in. It happens now, it won’t ever stop. The discrimination for whatever reason will always be there in some form, example: they needed someone from my command to deploy with the army, I volunteered. I got turned down because the good Lord endowed me with male genitalia. What job in the military is only a female capable? I’ve heard numerous stories of what happens if they catch you doing things the normal person would call “homo”, it happens.
This is beyond ridiculous. If this is going to accomplish anything why wasn’t it done before? Oh but of course somebody probably from California is going to say it’s a sign that we are moving into the twenty first century and everybody is equal and we are enlightened, and cultured, its only the rednecks that have a problem with it blah, blah, blah, blah, whatever. If this is going to make any worthwhile change in our military will somebody please tell me what’s going to change and how it will be better.
If I have to sit through another required lecture on diversity and equal opportunity I will go postal. The other day I had another one of those long boring lectures, about how America is a melting pot, and we should all be friends, hold hands, and expand our minds or some hippy garbage like that, and the subject of don’t ask, don’t tell was brought up, and it was mentioned that our “savior” was in the process of changing it to do tell. This would not accomplish anything except just maybe get him a few more votes. The unwritten current policy is don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t drop the soap. Basically it doesn’t matter if you are homosexual or not, and even if you are, they will have a very difficult time separating you. The way it was explained to me was basically: viewing homosexual type pornography, or having it does not count, neither does going to a gay bar. As long as it is off base and you can cross-dress and pick up people of the same sex providing your airborne tattoo doesn’t peak out of your corset. Pretty much the only way to get the boot is for someone to bring in a newspaper clipping from the Boston Tribune that says newlyweds and has a picture of you and your same sex partner, or if your roommate walks in with a camcorder while you corn hole each other. You could walk up to the CO and tell him that you are gay and even then they will probably keep you.
So what is the big deal? Why is this so important that when there are other more important issues that we need to worry about? Even if openly gay people were allowed to be in the military they still wouldn’t be able to hold hands while walking to the PX or to do whatever it is they do in the barracks. Of course they would have to change numerous articles such as article 125: (a) Any person subject to this chapter who engages in unnatural carnal copulation with another person of the same or opposite sex or with an animal is guilty of sodomy. Penetration, however slight, is sufficient to complete the offense. (b) Any person found guilty of sodomy shall by punished as a court-martial may direct.
According to FOXNews.com there are numerous people in the gay community that want the policy changed. Why? So, you’re telling me if we let powder puffs in the military that our ranks will swell? I doubt it. Granted this is a stereotype but most stereotypes are rooted in some truth, as an upside the “flaming”, femmy, types could be used for interior decorating of those ugly drab tents, and design new pink ribbons and uniforms that will spruce up our appearance.
Rumor has it that our “savior” is dragging his feet (the sound resembles that of nails on a chalkboard) because one of Ole Romancer himself Clinton’s first things in office was the don’t ask don’t tell policy, and as a result spent more time defending his actions than completing his leftist agenda.
The current or former policy has not prevented homosexuals from being in the military, Oliver Sipple was a decorated Vietnam combat veteran he saved President Gerald Ford’s life in the 1975 assignation attempt, was openly gay and a gay rights activist in San Francisco. (The location isn’t surprising) A first class I worked with had to treat a guy in Iraq for gonorrhea in his rectum. So they are here already. Rewording the rules isn’t going to amount to a fart in a windstorm.
Others worry about discrimination against homosexuals if officially allowed in. It happens now, it won’t ever stop. The discrimination for whatever reason will always be there in some form, example: they needed someone from my command to deploy with the army, I volunteered. I got turned down because the good Lord endowed me with male genitalia. What job in the military is only a female capable? I’ve heard numerous stories of what happens if they catch you doing things the normal person would call “homo”, it happens.
This is beyond ridiculous. If this is going to accomplish anything why wasn’t it done before? Oh but of course somebody probably from California is going to say it’s a sign that we are moving into the twenty first century and everybody is equal and we are enlightened, and cultured, its only the rednecks that have a problem with it blah, blah, blah, blah, whatever. If this is going to make any worthwhile change in our military will somebody please tell me what’s going to change and how it will be better.
11 August 2009
Combat Paper
The young vets mixed the jigsaw pieces with water and beat them into pulp to make sheets of paper — blank canvasses on which they could write, paint or screen images to tell their personal war stories. . . .
Drew Cameron, who became opposed to the Iraq war after serving in an Army artillery unit during the 2003 invasion, started the group after moving to Burlington, Vt., where he learned paper making from a local artist while also becoming active with Iraq Veterans Against the War.
Cameron, 27, saw it as a way reach out to other Iraq veterans haunted by memories of friends slain in battle and men they had killed, wounded physically and psychologically by bomb and mortar explosions, and struggling to direct their own lives after years of being told what to do by the military.
03 August 2009
Operation Helmet
Operation Helmet is a volunteer-run organization led by veterans to send shock-absorbing helmet pad kits to our deployed troops. The military currently issues the cheapest pads, which often lead to discomfort and fitting issues, and can jeopardize a mission or a military personnel's life if he has a headache and cannot focus on the mission, or if his helmet is too lose and falls off in case of an explosion. These "non-standard loose chin straps allows the helmet to be blown backward or forward and [act] as a 'scoop' for a blast wave, concentrating it inside the helmet with disastrous results on the brain" (OpHelm).
Operation Helmet has been able to send over 44,000 helmet upgrade kits, potentially saving thousands of lives and lowering the risk of TBI.
For the month of August, 10% of my income plus donations will be donated to Operation Helmet.
Operation Helmet has been able to send over 44,000 helmet upgrade kits, potentially saving thousands of lives and lowering the risk of TBI.
For the month of August, 10% of my income plus donations will be donated to Operation Helmet.
26 July 2009
WWI: Harry Patch
Harry Patch, Britain's last survivor of the trenches of World War I . . . died Saturday at 111 . . . [he] was wounded in 1917 in the Battle of Passchendaele, which he remembered as "mud, mud and more mud mixed together with blood" (Yahoo).
WWII: B-25 & The Doolittle Raid
The B-25 was used during the Doolittle Raid, the first attack on the Japanese following Pearl Harbor. The Doolittle Raid was planned by Army Lt. Col. James Doolittle and involved sixteen modified B-25 aircraft.
Vietnam War: Too Tall
Major Ed "Too Tall" Freeman was born November 20, 1927 in Neely, Mississippi. After serving two years in the Navy, he switched to the Army and became a pilot. During the Vietnam War, he served as a flight leader and second in command of a sixteen-helicopter lift unit. A recipient of the Medal of Honor, Freeman saved thirty lives in fourteen rescue missions, which he flew using an unarmed helicopter when medevac refused to fly to landing zone X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley in 1965. His story was told in the book and later the film "We Were Soldiers." Freeman passed away August 20, 2008.
Sources
History.com
Military.com
Wikipedia
Sources
History.com
Military.com
Wikipedia
Vietnam War
2/3 of the men who served in Vietnam were volunteers.
The usage of helicopters caused the average infantryman to see 240 days of combat of 365.
The average age of the infantryman in Vietnam was 22.8 years.
Sources
Vietnam War Myths
The usage of helicopters caused the average infantryman to see 240 days of combat of 365.
The average age of the infantryman in Vietnam was 22.8 years.
Sources
Vietnam War Myths
Fisher House
Props to fellow Blogathoner Michele for supporting Fisher House.
Sponsor?
Supporting America's military in their time of need, we provide "a home away from home" that enables family members to be close to a loved one at the most stressful time -- during hospitalization for an illness, disease or injury.
Sponsor?
Security Contractors
U.S. military authorities in Afghanistan may hire a private contractor to provide around-the-clock security at dozens of bases and protect vehicle convoys moving throughout the country.
The possibility of awarding a security contract comes as the Obama administration is sending thousands of more troops into Afghanistan to quell rising violence fueled by a resurgent Taliban. As the number of American forces grow over the next several months, so too does the demand to guard their outposts.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said he wants to cut back on the use of contractors that now provide a wide range services to American troops in war zones, including transportation, communications, food service, construction, and maintenance. As recently as February, however, Gates called the use of private security contractors in certain parts of Afghanistan "vital" to supporting U.S. bases. A contract for the work also creates job opportunities for Afghans, he said.
Wars create jobs!
25 July 2009
OIF/OEF: The Hashish Army
This depressed me a great deal. The lack of discipline and will power is appalling. How can they not want to better their country?
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