August 2009 - Argghhh!

Open post for those with something to share, updated through the day. New, complete posts come in below this one. Note: If trackbacking, please acknowledge this post in your post. That's only polite. ****************************** In today's From the Front : (Click on link to read stories highlighted below) A World of Troubles : (VIDEO) Election fraud observed in Kunar, Afghanistan P.J. Tobia : (VIDEO) Election Day Combat In Kabul At War : Night Vision in the Korengal Valley Doc H : The Guard...

...that altereth the reality of the thing. John Lyly said that, in Euphues, The Anatomy of Wit, in1579. It came to mind (yes, snippets like that actually do come to mind at times) as I observed this bit of written buffoonery from Frank Rich, writing, where else, in the New York Times.This uptick in the radical right predates the health care debate that is supposedly inspiring all the gun waving. Nor can this movement be attributed to a stepped-up attack by Democrats on this crowd’s holy Second...

The Medal waited for over a century after its establishment in July 1863 to make an appearance, doing so in a sharp firefight in Quang Tri province - and the all-to-common covering a grenade, though it must be noted that Lance Corporal Anderson was fighting like a lion and already severely wounded.*ANDERSON, RICHARD A. Rank and organization: Lance Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps, Company E, 3d Reconnaissance Battalion, 3d Marine Division. Place and date: Quang Tri Province, Republic of Vietnam, 24 August...

Since I screwed up the code, some of you couldn't see the video. Since it's up on YouTube, we'll just snatch it from there, and try again. The video above has been making the rounds. One of the people who sent it to me suggested it might have utility as a caption contest... H/t, Ron P. for the vid. I agree. Here's J.W's caption, to start you all off and get you interested: “After repeated failures, Helmut Limpenschutzen’s successful 5th formula for armored glass is...

Even if they're hiding behind that ridge over there. 090814-A-1211M-004: KORENGAL VALLEY, Afghanistan. Mortar rounds racked and ready for use at the Korengal Outpost in Kunar province, Afghanistan's Korengal Valley, Aug. 14. The Co. B mortar team is one of the most active in Afghanistan. Since arriving in June, the mortar-men have fired more than 1,100 rounds. (Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. Matthew Moeller, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)

We open with the Civil War and a sailor out tweaking rebel sailors. And, Master-at-Arms Clifford is the *only* recipient for 22 August. A singular fellow! CLlFFORD, ROBERT T. Rank and organization: Master-at-Arms, U.S. Navy. Born: 1835, Pennsylvania. Accredited to: Pennsylvania. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864. Citation: Served on board the U.S.S. Shokokon at New Topsail Inlet off Wilmington, N.C., 22 August 1863. Participating in a strategic plan to destroy an enemy schooner, Clifford aided in the...

Open post for those with something to share, updated through the day. New, complete posts come in below this one. Note: If trackbacking, please acknowledge this post in your post. That's only polite. ************************************ In today's From the Front : (Click on link to read stories highlighted below) P.J. Tobia : Bravery And Afghan Voters Helmand Blog - Afghanistan : PICTURES: Polling day in Helmand At War : The Day After. Then the Wait Iraq the Model : Who Was Behind Wednesday's...

Another then and now....USS President Lincoln (1917-1918) "Boxing bout between troops" embarked on the ship, while en route to France during World War I. Note life jackets worn by the spectators. Photo courtesy the Naval History Center08/16/2009 - U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Henry Schermer and Lance Cpl. Anthony Sotelo, both with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, grapple in the Nawa district of the Helmand province of Afghanistan Aug. 16, 2009. The Marines are deployed with...