military – Site Title

Trump Jong Un (Archives)

Update:

“We have the greatest missiles in the world. We have the greatest submarines in the world. We have the greatest army tanks in the world. We have the greatest weapons in the world. And we’re going to celebrate it.”

And celebrate he did. It was a show of force, Kim Jong Un style. Tanks rolled through the streets of Washington, D.C. and the petulant president got what he wanted. The cost of $45 million didn’t matter and neither did the additional cost of sending 4,000 National Guard members and 700 U.S. marines to Los Angeles to curb protests which is said to be around $134 million and I might add his deport-them-all policy brought about. Add another $16 million to repair damages caused by the tanks rolling though the streets and you have a whopper as far as costs are concerned.

A “Wannabe Dictator” needs and wants unchecked power to do as he pleases but the millions who took to the streets yesterday not in awe of the parade but to show a united front where “kings” are concerned did a mighty fine job of putting a clamp on his power hungry grab.

It’s not enough that he has tanked the economy and has blown up the WTO system of global growth and stability. The man who loves jumping at anything he sees as a money making scheme is off and running to another debacle, one which is more to his liking.

Rumor has it that he wants a military parade for his birthday. Nothing new here, he has been hinting at it ever since he attended one in Paris for Bastille Day in 2017. If it takes place at all, it would fall on his birthday which is Saturday, June 14 and coincidentally it just so happens to be the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. It is rumored that the Trump administration is “reportedly looking to add a parade that would stretch nearly four miles, from the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, across the Potomac River, into D.C. How about Hegseth leading the charge, bare-chested and flaunting his tattoos and wearing the Amerian flag? Patriotic enough? Let’s not forget Musk doing the Nazi salute and Trump grinning from ear to ear.

The cost of such a parade would be phenomenal but didn’t he say they’ve got 2 billion coming in each day from tariffs alone? Should be enough to cover the cost don’t you think?

Global economies are hanging in the balance and a full-blown Trade War is looming and hissing at the fringes so what’s missing? Let’s add a military parade to the mix why don’t we? One that proclaims America’s might as a superpower with a message that says, “Don’t fool with us!” Remind you of anything?

Enough said.

Trump Jong Un (Archives)

Update:

Looks like it is going to take place, the parade that is. The estimated cost could be as high as $45 million. Trump says, it is, “Peanuts compared to the value of doing it.” Why?

There you have it, right out of the horse’s mouth!

It’s not enough that he has tanked the economy and blown up the WTO system of global growth and stability. The man who loves jumping at anything he sees as a money making scheme is off and running to another debacle, one which is more to his liking.

The cost of such a parade would be phenomenal but didn’t he say they’ve got 2 billion coming in each day from tariffs alone? Should be enough to cover the cost don’t you think?

Enough said.

Trump Jong Un

The cost of such a parade would be phenomenal but didn’t he say they’ve got 2 billion coming in each day from tariffs alone? Should be enough to cover the cost don’t you think?

Enough said.

Heroes Deserve Better (Archives)

In Memory of Someone Very Special.

“Being a soldier is more than courage, it’s sacrificing yourself for something greater than yourself.” Unknown

A hero is defined as “a person who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” Soldiers are heroes in every sense of the word. They risk their lives to keep us safe. They fight against those who want to take away our freedoms and rights, many lose their lives in the process and some come home injured beyond repair both physically and mentality. These men and women are heroes and they deserve better.

How many of them come home and become an afterthought? I know of one who did not lose his life in battle, he survived those, but the inner demons or rather the aftermath of war were the battles he still had to fight even when his service in the military was over. A veteran is defined as “a person who served in the active military, naval or air service, and was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable,” or as I see it, it goes something like this:

A soldier is someone who “wrote a blank check payable to the United States of America for an amount up to and including one’s life.” Unknown

My friend, the soldier, came home intact. However, the demons he carried within him, would take its toll on his inner psyche. He used alcohol to drown out the voices but his mind and his heart wouldn’t let him forget. To make a long story short, he fell very ill and his organs started shutting down one by one. He was overseas at the time with no family and one friend to see him through his ordeal. He thought he was safe because the military would take care of its own but he thought wrong. He was just an afterthought in the grand scheme of things. He had done his duty for his country and he expected that his country would take care of him for services rendered but he was yet to find out that was far from the truth. As one person I spoke to told me, “Soldiers think they can run to us when they find themselves in dire circumstances but there is nothing we can do, he will have to find his own way out of it.” The “it” meaning his sickness notwithstanding his few months of life left to live..

I reached out to the powers to be in Germany but was told in no uncertain terms that there was nothing they could do. I asked if they could fly him home in one of their planes and that was met with a no. I spoke to the Embassy but was told that it would take months to get an approval and when I pointed out he didn’t have that, they said they were very sorry. The Germans saw him as a liability because he was an American and there was no help forthcoming from them. Flying him home on a commercial flight meant he would need an escort and it would cost an arm and a leg to do that. He spent the last month or so in and out of the hospital and towards the end was transferred to a hospice, only after I went to do battle for a dying man. He died there a week later.

“I stand ready not for politics or for leaders, but for my brothers next to me, my children at home, and for a country I protect.” Unknown

How often have we heard this phrase when referring soldiers who had served their country, “We are so grateful for your service.” It is a superficial phrase at best because there is no substance behind it. Heroes deserve better. They deserve to know that their unparalleled service to the country they love will be met with gratefulness not in words alone but with actions as well. It wasn’t the case for my friend. I am sure there are many out there who feel the same way. If you are in a foreign country, make sure you know what your options are if you find yourself in the same circumstances as my friend. The truth is you are on your own and you will have to fend for yourself as my friend did but the only problem was he wasn’t capable of doing that. He was too ill. Luckily for him, he had me to fall back on.

When I die and go to heaven to St. Peter I will tell, “One more soldier reporting for duty sir, I’ve served my time in hell.” Hal Popplewll CUSMG 1971-1979

Rest in peace soldier

Heroes Deserve Better

“Being a soldier is more than courage, it’s sacrificing yourself for something greater than yourself.” Unknown

My friend, the soldier, came home intact. However, the demons he carried within him, would take its toll on his inner psyche. He used alcohol to drown out the voices but his mind and his heart wouldn’t let him forget. To make a long story short, he fell very sick and his organs started shutting down one by one. He was overseas at the time with no family and one friend to see him through his ordeal. He thought he was safe because the military would take care of its own but he thought wrong. He was just an afterthought in the grand scheme of things. He had done his duty for his country and he expected that his country would take care of him for services rendered but he was yet to find out that was far from the truth. As one person I spoke to told me, “Soldiers think they can run to us when they find themselves in dire circumstances but there is nothing we can do, he will have to find his own way out of it.” The “it” meaning his sickness notwithstanding his few months of life left to live..

“I stand ready not for politics or for leaders, but for my brothers next to me, my children at home, and for a country I protect.” Unknown

How often have we heard this phrase when referring soldiers who had served their country, “We are so grateful for your service.” It is a superficial phrase at best because there is no substance behind it. Heroes deserve better. They deserve to know that their unparalleled service to the country they love will be met with gratefulness not in words alone but with actions as well. It wasn’t the case for my friend. I am sure there are many out there who feel the same way. If you are in a foreign country, make sure you know what your options are if you find yourself in the same circumstances as my friend. The truth is you are on your own and you will have to fend for yourself as my friend did but the only problem was he wasn’t capable of doing that. He was too ill. Luckily for him, he had me to fall back on.

When I die and go to heaven to St. Peter I will tell, “One more soldier reporting for duty sir, I’ve served my time in hell.” Hal Popplewll CUSMG 1971-1979

Rest in peace soldier