Veterans Day

[Big Frank]

I didn't go out and get any free meals or a free haircut or anything else I thought of doing for Veterans Day, which gave me more time to sit around and think. All gave some, and some gave all, but no one served in the military to get rich. I never even made $800 per month as a Spec/4, but I tried to earn my keep and make a difference. I've been watching Vet TV more than usual the last few days. I think you can still see one episode each of several different shows free to see if you want to subscribe or not. It's only $5.99/month, or $69.99/year with a different limited edition T-shirt free every year you're a member.

This seems like a good time to mention the latest shows they have. Embed Actual will have 13 Episodes. In this hard-hitting docuseries, combat veterans embed with active troops to reveal the unfiltered realities of modern warfare. Season 1 takes us to Ukraine, where Ethan Nagel (USMC, Scout Sniper) and Chris Naganuma (Army, Infantry) from Project Leaflet follow units composed primarily of American and Western volunteers, the elite 3AB Ukrainian special forces, and courageous civilians risking everything to defend their homeland. This is more than just a story—it’s the frontline, as seen through the eyes of those who have lived it. And Drill will have 2 Seasons. They break you down and build you up. Strip you of your individuality. Roast you, train you, drill you. Everyone’s got a boot camp story…this is Drill, a sketch comedy series that recreates and parodies those most iconic moments and stories with drill instructors and drill sergeants. That brings back memories.

The last series I finished watching was Veterans Laughing Together. It's supposed to be 12 Episodes but 1 is missing. These American heroes have been hit, traumatized, and seen and experienced all of the worst that war has to offer, but now they tell their stories in a way very few people ever get to see or hear. They address the most difficult and absurd situations with a sense of irreverence and humor you can probably only get out of combat veterans. One of the guys is Anson “NubGunner" Roberts who learned how to shoot again, with almost no fingers at all. He uses what's left of his left thumb to pull the trigger. At the start of his episode he's talking about a female Marine whose rifle wasn't working right. All the instructors on the range gathered around and tore down her rifle and found out it was missing its buffer. She'd been using it as a sex toy in the evening and didn't put it back in her rifle. And that in a nutshell sums up what the military is like, except you're usually getting screwed by someone else.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO2k0t6lJUY

https://www.veterantv.com/

[alfsauve]

Thank you too all brothers and sisters who have served. 

I have crazy stories but take too long to tell and go down better with ample consumption of potent potables. 

I'm reminded of one Sec of Defense, forgot who, that was asked in a news interview what it was like being responsible for all the uniformed personnel?  He asked the reporter if she'd every heard of a news story about someone getting their big toe stuck in the tub faucet?  She said yes, that it's a one in a million type occurrence.  He replied, happens everyday in the military.

While the USAF doesn't have an official motto like the Marines, the one most applicable, and the one we used the most,  SEMPER GUMBY. 

[Big Frank]

ALL the time. Semper Gumby, Alf. Always Flexible.

Here's me at Fort Polk, and a less serious moment in Germany, 1983, both pics resized to fit my phone. And the truck I worked in the back of all day, parked in an ex-Luftwaffe hanger half of the time, and drove to the field to work in, parked at a range for 45-68 days at a time. This was before and after it was repainted after the amber lights were installed. I still have the Sp/4 ********** sign in my basement. I don't know why I keep t. The vehicle that looks like the corner of an APC in the 3rd pic is an M901 ITV (Improved TOW Vehicle) that Sarge had to fix.

Up until the M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) and M3 Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicle (CFV) were adopted, this was the only way to fire TOW missiles while under cover. Those were both used during the GWOT along side the 901. At Fort Polk they just had guys sitting on top of M113 APCs shooting missiles. They could also stand with the main hatch open and shoot. Watching the missiles go downrange made me think of flaming tennis balls shot from a beer can mortar.   They had M60A3 tanks with LASER Rangefinders, Tank Thermal Sights (TTS), solid state ballistic computers, and crosswind sensors in Germany. They still had M60A1 tanks with IR searchlights, mechanical ballistic computers, 18th century style coincidence rangefinders, and Kentucky windage at Fort Polk. All the good stuff was in Germany ready to fight off a Russian invasion. The A-10 Thunderbolt II (nicknamed Warthog) was made specifically to blow the snot out of Russian tanks coming though the Fulda Gap, a 2 hour drive from where I was, if they invaded.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M901_ITV

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M2_Bradley

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M3_Bradley

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M60_tank

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coincidence_rangefinder

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulda_Gap


P.S. Fort Polk was home of the 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized). If it wasn't Mechanized Infantry, the grunts would probably be shooting TOW missiles from tripods on the ground. TOW is short for Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided. It unspools a long piece of wire as it flies, and turns back and forth as the 6X(?) tracker is turned back and forth. The target had to be manually tracked until impact, then you had to move before you got shot. The steering rockets only have so much fuel and could run out if the tank it was shot at zig-zagged a lot. When I say it was a long piece of wire in the missile, it was automatically cut if the missile didn't hit anything in 3,000 meters, about 1.86 miles. As if its other limitations weren't bad enough, the wire was thin and fairly fragile. But it was still better than the smaller Dragon missile and unguided LAW rocket.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5th_Infantry_Division_(United_States)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BGM-71_TOW

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M47_Dragon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M72_LAW

[Big Frank]

Every year Vet TV gives you a free T-shirt with a one year membership. They have Option 1, their logo, and Option 2, which changes every year. I think this is my 3rd year and 3rd different T-shirt. The second one will be on it's way to me soon.   If you can appreciate the humor in that, go ahead and try a one month subscription for 25% off. You might like it.

https://www.veterantv.com/