Time flys,...faster every day!

Sorry for not being more diligent about writing, but I've been working my butt off with the new job as well as filling in about twenty some odd hours a week at the old one, trying to catch a couple of free minutes for a pint, and getting enough rest. Phew! I'm getting tired just writing this!
It's memorial day today, and a good time for me to think back on the guys I grew up with, was in the Navy with, and whose paths have crossed mone that are no longer with us, and there are many.
Having been born at the tail end of WWII I really have no recollection of that time, just that the world seemed to be growing and popping and everyone's lives were getting better. Then came the Korean "Conflict", and again not much rememberance, but peoples lives kept improving and I do remember some inklings of people beginning to question the "my country right or wrong" thing. Whacko Joe McCarthy was out hunting "communists"(and in retrospect anyone that could possibly have taken this clown seriously,...well, ....seek professional help!) Things just seemed to get better, we found the cure for polio, Dr. Jonas Salk in 1955, people were moving out to the "burbs", lots of 3 bedroom little ranches were going up, remnants of the "military" still were seen in the popularity of the Boy Scout movement, Drum and Bugle Corps, and our pendchant with uniforms. Parades still were impressive in those days as well.
Then along came Viet Nam. It's still very hazy why we got involved, but as time goes on the only thing that is clearer is that we never should have. It cost us thousands and thousands of deaths, showed us that the very face of war had changed. We were the only ones wearing easily identifiable uniforms, we were the only ones with "rules of engagement", and we were the only ones that were missing the boat on how "war" was going to be conducted in the future. I suspect to this day we still have deep seated illusions that the way we are fighting this middle eastern thing is the wy it shoud be fought. But I'm beginning to disagree, big time.
Like everything else in life, if you're going to do it, then just do it! (Gee, sounds like a good line for a commercial!) In other words take off the velvet gloves, put down the cloak of "civility", and do what it is,......WAR! Sure some innocents are going to get killed, sure there will be some atrocities committed, by both sides I might add, but fight the damn war. Wade in there and just start killing folks, blowing up everything in sight, (and who gives a shit if it's a mosque or a cathedral, seems we did our share of that in WWII as well. You want to hide in a church we'll blown the damn church into dust, and you with it!). This is war, this is what war is, war is not civilized, it's crude, it's barbaric, it's stupid, it's dumb, it's dirty, it's unfair,....but it's war. So if you want to do war, we'll do war! Not play ring around the rosie! We will use every weapon at our disposal, including tactical nuclear, but make no mistake, and I mean absolutely no freakin' mistake,.......we will "win",whatever that means, we will "prevail",whatever that means, and we will kick your sorry ass back into the stone age.
You either grow up and learn to play nice with all the kids, or get the living shit kicked out of you. Pray to whatever God you like, face the east west north or south, but the bottom line is don't even think of messing with me, my friends and family, my country, or my freedoms, or you will in fact and indeed pay a price far beyond your ability to concieve,.....because when I do war, I do WAR!!!!
Like the old revolutionary war flag says, "Don't tread on me!"

Off to work see you soon
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