Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Lt/Gen H.R. McMaster, the new National Security Advisor to the President of the United States.  A great choice.
 I met MG McMaster at Camp Rudder Florida when he came to award the Silver Star Medal to a 6th Rangers, Ranger Instructor/Combat Dive Team leader; SFC Tony Fuentes. 
At the reception in the Gator Lounge, following the award ceremony, I had the pleasure of a one on one conversation with the general.  He impressed me as a dedicated warrior, (and I knew nothing about his past, his overwhelming victories in Iraq), and a man that truly "gives a damn" about his troops.
This "Superstar" didn't ride into town in a Limo, with an entourage, but rather came in his "work vehicle", a US Army Blackhawk Helicopter:


 My friend Jonn Lilyea said it best:
"The Marines have Mattis, the Army has McMaster, and now President Trump has them both."

Friends, our Nation is in good hands.
 
 

Friday, February 17, 2017

Where do you spend your spare time?

       I feel quite fortunate to be living near the Eglin AFB area.  This part of Florida is very dense in military, especially the Special Operations type of warfare.  Here, we have Hurlburt Field with its Spectre Gunships,  Combat Controllers, and other Air Force Special Operations.   Duke Field has more Special Operations based there.  The Navy EOD School, (where all service branches get their EOD training), is located here as well.  Since 1950, or so, the Swamp Phase of Army Ranger School has been taught here at Camp Rudder.  A few years ago, the 7th Special Forces Group (A), relocated to a new campus here as well.  And, Eglin AFB itself, has increased its duties.  It is training in the new JSF F-35, and developing new weapons and systems at the main base.
      I found my way into an organization of patriots, whose mission is to give moral support to the Army Ranger Instructors and their families, at Camp Rudder.  Outside of immediate family, this has proven to be the best calling of my life. 

    That I have been recognized for my time at the camp has been icing on the cake.  These Ranger Instructors are the best of the best within the Ranger Community, and have all "Been there, Done that".  Going to the Ranger Camp is my opportunity to "Walk among Heroes".

       I love to attend their awards ceremonies, their change of command and responsibility events, but most of all I enjoy being able to interact with their family, social events.  They know me, as do their wives and children.  I love my dogs, and love being able to share the love of the dogs with these people.


    I have been going out to the camp for 10 years now, and will do it as long as I am able, and they continue to invite me back.


    One of the coolest times to be there are on Class "Day 5" and "Day 6".  On Day 5 the Ranger Instructors make parachute jumps, to maintain proficiency, raise their jump numbers, and to maintain "jump status".  After the jumps there is a party in their "bar", "The Gator Lounge", that shows how close they all are.  Rangers, Wives, Children and Friends are all there for the good time.  I take one or more of my dogs along and let the Rangers enjoy them while chuting up, and to the Lounge so the kids can play with them.  On Day 6 the Students of the class go to the field for 12 days of  very intense training and evaluation, to take them beyond their normal limits, expecting them to lead under less than good conditions.  As the students get ready for either the helicopter assault or parachute exercise, they get to interact with my dogs,  and to be shown that their service matters to a civilian.

      If you have a military installation near you, thank those heroes for their service, and interact with them if you can.  They will love it, and you will too.

Saturday, February 4, 2017

Real Heroes VS Phony Soldiers

Because I know many troops that have stepped forward and answered the call, I find the phonies to be especially distasteful, and not worthy of anything that they gain by making false claims.  They choose to stand in the blood of better men than they, and claim to have faced the elephant, when the nearest they've gotten is on some damned game site.  There is one in particular, a serial phony, who has been doing this since before 2010 when he was first exposed by the blog "This Ain't Hell", and shown to be a serial liar.  Since that time, he has been found guilty of 4 felony counts, in 2 Felony trials, one of which was in Federal Court.  He has been to prison, and on parole, and still has not seen fit to stop this charade.  I seriously doubt that KYLE CHRISTOPHER BARWAN, can stop being a phony.  The best that can be done will be to make his name famous on Goooogle, in the hope that potential victims, his targets, will look into him, and take heed of what they see.
This is not a good person, nor can he tell the truth.  If he told me, at high noon, that it was daylight, I would look outside to be sure.  Do what you care to in order to spread his name, to give him the fame that he so desperately seeks, so that others won't fall victim to his scams.  Since January 25th he has in the Polk County, Florida Jail, (just one day after marrying one of his suckers), but has lived in Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky before moving to Florida.  He is trash!
He has claimed to be:
An Army Captain, a Warrant Officer, a Major, Airborne, Ranger, Special Forces, CIA, (with a list of people that he must "eliminate" here inside the USA), and he claims to have been wounded in combat, and to have earned the Combat Infantryman's Badge.  None of which are true. 
When a phony, like Barwan, does get caught and put in jail, he meets a whole new batch of friends.  Friends who will keep him company, for their entertainment and his:
 He has been given his tentative court dates, and it looks like he will have about 4 months jail time before he goes to trial.  There will be a "Status Conference" on 4/13/17, and a "Pretrial Conference" on 5/17/17, with a trial date sometime after that if he doesn't plead guilty before.