A Veterens' Day
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Posted:May 27, 2008 12:14 pm
Last Updated:Jun 13, 2008 1:49 am 10586 Views
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Blogged by "Arthur L Farash CW3 RET"
Our local American Legion and VFW Posts combined today to hold cermonies at three local cemeteries and one high school flagpole memorial. Was on the honor guard with four other guys older than me (73) also trying to fire the VFW's WWI 30.06's none of which fired all 3 rounds at any one of the cermonies.
One old guy actually fired off a round when we released the safety. Should have fired the Legions M1's. Other than a small group of Boy Scouts and about 15-20 spectators there was no other interest. No mayors, no local politicos, no one.
The Legionnaires are for the most part in their late 70's and the younger guys are mostly all "combat-era" vets who were not actually in the combat area. I wore correct BDUs with my 4th ID combat patch and none of that veteran regalia.
Art, CW3 Ret, North Bend WA
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The French are going to hate me for this one!
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Posted:Apr 17, 2008 2:25 pm
Last Updated:May 14, 2008 9:43 am 11252 Views
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An elderly British gentleman of 83 arrived in Paris by plane. At the French customs desk, the man took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry-on bag.
'You have been to France before, monsieur?' the customs officer asked sarcastically. The elderly gentleman admitted he had been to France previously. 'Then you should know enough to have your passport ready.
'The elderly gentleman said, 'The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it.' 'Impossible' said the customs officer. The British always have to show their passports on arrival in France!'
The Man gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then he quietly explained. 'Well, when I came ashore on the Beach on D-Day in 1944, I couldn't find any f***ing Frenchmen to show it to.'
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I authorize it!
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Posted:Apr 15, 2008 3:46 am
Last Updated:Apr 27, 2008 1:53 am 10445 Views
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It was early spring in 1995. We had just taken over the contingency hospital which supported the 23 Nation United Nations Mission in Haiti (UNMIH). I worked directly for the UN Surgeons Office and was a senior Medic with our medical mission there.
The sign for the hospital had just been put up and the previous unit was packing it’s things and was getting ready to redeploy back to the US.
SGM “Mo” and I were sitting under a shade tree going over our next requirements and putting things in order when one of the perimeter guards ran up and said that there was a little boy at the base of the east tower that had just been shot in the back.
You all have heard the stories and seen on TV how incompetent the UN can be and how slow to react they are. This was one of the situations where that was just the case. Mo and I went immediately to the guard tower and sure enough just at the base outside of the perimeter was a little boy about 11 years old lying face down with a bubbling wound just at the base of his shoulder blade.
Our rules of engagement and treatment were specific. We could not engage aggressive acts against us nor treat locals without permission from UN Operations. Communications had already been sent to them to obtain permission to go out and treat this but the minutes we waited for some response seemed like hours.
It could not have been more than 5 to 10 minutes we waited there watching that little boy bleed but I can tell you it was one of the most agonizing times of my life. Finally, I couldn’t wait for them any longer and told Mo that I was going over the wire and help him I didn’t care what happened with any regulations and recourse for doing it.
Mo looked at me and said “I authorize it”. So I took a medic bag and jumped down from the tower treated the little boy who had a sucking chest wound, stabilized him with IVs and with a litter team that came after me we moved him back into the compound.
By this time a wreck of a Haitian Ambulance showed up and we loaded up the little boy and they took him off to God only knows where. As I was walking back up to the hospital emergency room to return the medic bag and the litter one of the previous unit’s NCOs who was in charge of ER came out and walked up to me and said “What ? Are we taking care of Haitians now?”
I was so furious having just seen and did what I had to do and grabbed her by the arm and took her over to our newly erected hospital sign and pointed at it and said, “This is the 86th CSH, our hospital, we take care of people here”.
Till this day I often think of this situation. And when I see movies like what happened in Rwanda or the Balkans it makes me angry to no end to think that there are people sometimes who just put no value on life.
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Do Cats Hold Tails?
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Posted:Apr 10, 2008 10:35 am
Last Updated:May 13, 2009 2:42 am 9744 Views
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People hold hands but what do cats do? I was surprised to see Samuel and Rebecca doing their thing the other day. They couldn't seem to keep their tails off of each other. And, like Elricardo's pride they are multiplying... Lord help us all the world is going to be taken over by cats. 
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Have you ever wondered why
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Posted:Apr 8, 2008 4:05 am
Last Updated:Apr 15, 2008 3:16 am 9873 Views
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When we make a posting there are those who regularly post a comment and then our blogs seems to go into suspended animation.
You can see that as time goes by that more and more people read the blog but after that initial post no one seems to want to make any further comment.
Is it that what has been said by the group in general has been enough? Or is it that people are just afraid to have their comments posted on an open forum? Or, do they think that no one would be interested in further discussing things that maybe a little older in the postings?
Whatever the reason it's generally the same for most everyone and I just wondered what most of you think about why this is.
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Contemplating Yesterday
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Posted:Mar 17, 2008 8:45 am
Last Updated:Mar 23, 2008 6:44 am 9830 Views
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When Lydia and I were walking in the park the other day we came across the date 1936 carved in red sand stone. That’s all that was chiseled into the stone just the date. I assume that is the date when the park was opened but I’m not absolutely sure. It got me to thinking about what was going on here during that year and here’s a few things I came up with.
Hitler plans and decides to destroy the British Navy and subsequently invade Great Britain. January (Several Meetings)
The IV Olympic Winter Games opens in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, February 6.
The Swiss Federal Council decided to prohibit all Nazi organizations and activities among German residents in Swiss territory. (Feb. 4 the leader of the Nazi organization among the German residents in Switzerland had been assassinated by a Yugoslavian Jew, and the German press responded with a volley of abuse against the Swiss and their Government), February 17.
German communiqué repeated that the Franco Soviet pact was incompatible with the Locarno treaties and the Covenant of the League of Nations. (Because of "the provision of the protocol to the Franco Soviet Treaty of Alliance, under which the 'two partners while undertaking to apply to the Council of the League before proceeding to any such action such as they could base upon the well known Article 16 of the Covenant of the League, have, nonetheless, to carry out the obligation of assistance agreed upon between them if for some reason or other the Council fails to dive a recommendation in this sense or is unable to reach a unanimous decision.” February 21st
German Government informed the British of their willingness to enter negotiations for a bilateral naval agreement. (Britain had invited such negotiations with a view to incorporating the terms of the general treaty to be signed at the London Confer¬ence in order to prevent Germany from initiating a competition in, types contrary to qualitative limitation, February 29th.
The Remilitarisation of the Rhineland by the German Army took place when German forces re-entered the Rhineland, March 7th.
Germany offered to enter negotiations to create a mutually demilitarized zone with France, Belgium, and the Netherlands; to conclude 25 year nonaggression pacts with France and Belgium; to ask Britain and Italy to sign the pacts as guarantors; to conclude an air pact; to conclude nonaggression pacts with countries bordering Germany on the east, including Lithuania; to reenter the League of Nations. ("In order, however, to avoid any misinterpretation of their intentions and to establish beyond doubt the purely defensive character of these measures, as well), March 7th.
Hitler approves and orders the embarkation of the troops to begin to intervene militarily on the side of the Nationalists, in the Spanish Civil War, July27th.
Summer Olympics open in Berlin, Germany, and mark the first live television coverage of a sports event in world history, August 1.
Ernest Nash flees Germany for Rome, August 30.
Admiral Graf Spee' (Heavy Cruiser), Also completed were three Transport Flotilla's, a Destroyer flotilla and a U-boat flotilla
Well, you can see where this is going or went. It is amazing that everyone all over the world was looking at another war as early as 1936. They all knew it was coming and no one was willing to do anything about it. This is a good year for us all to see how the old saying “History Repeats Its Self” applies.
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It's Easter Time again
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Posted:Mar 17, 2008 8:17 am
Last Updated:Mar 17, 2008 2:07 pm 9703 Views
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Germans are much like Americans in their love for Easter and Christmas. Decorations are popping up everywhere around this place.
We went out to a local castle which had not only a display of local hand made textile items but also things to decorate around the house for Easter.
One of the most beautiful things they do is the Easter Eggs. Very colorful and they are hanging everywhere, in the gardens and in the windows. Just about everywhere you look you will see them.
It's also a time for the to be taken to the park. Everyone is looking and anticipating the coming of spring.
Some of the locals have opened their gardens to people walking in from the streets. Not something to often seen in this world anymore.
Took lots of photos and loving every minute but headed back to Hungary and time to get back to work or something like it.
Probably more like time to go fishing. I hope it certainly turns out that way.
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Frankfurt Fine Arts Museum
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Posted:Mar 17, 2008 8:01 am
Last Updated:Mar 18, 2008 4:15 am 9856 Views
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Lydia and I went to the Frankfurt Fine Arts Museum day before yesterday and for a walk about town.
This is a fairly good museum focused mostly on German artist but there were several good paintings by artist such as Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir and a few of Rodin's sculptures. I did find a German that I didn't know much about named Thoma who I like very much.
Of course probably the most famous of the paintings there is the one of the arrogant old fart "Goethe" laying down on his sofa.
It's worth a see if you visit Germany. The best part of the day was the coffee shop next door in the Liebieghaus Sculpture Museum. Old early 20th century atmosphere. It was the villa of Baron Heinrich von Liebieg.
You can get a great cup of cappuccino and some fine pastry there and get out of this windy, cold German spring weather.
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Here's Myrtle
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Posted:Mar 16, 2008 4:26 am
Last Updated:Mar 17, 2008 5:52 am 9823 Views
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I think this is where she is going to make her nest. She was hanging around here all afternoon yesterday while Burt was off chasing the other girls and being beat up by the guys.
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This is my favorite Duck
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Posted:Mar 16, 2008 4:16 am
Last Updated:Mar 17, 2008 9:10 am 10050 Views
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I named him Burt and his girl's name is Myrtle. They live here in Lydia's hometown of Frankfurt, Germany at the local duck pond. Burt is always showing off just like he does in this picture. Burt is a bit of a ladies man as ducks go and is always getting into trouble with his rivals there on the lake. Myrtle doesn't seem to mind I guess because he always gets ran off by the other males and never seems to make contact with the girls. I will send you a picture of Myrtle she seems to be taking his behavior all in stride can't wait until I see Myrtles little ones later this spring.
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