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Remembering James Garner — Hollywood’s ‘reluctant hero’
Fast Freddy says:
Veterans from Charlie Company can relate to the military experience of James Garner
FILE – Veteran actor James Garner, seen in 2009 file photo taken in Los Angeles. Actor James Garner, wisecracking star of TV’s “Maverick” who went on to a long career on both small and big screen, died Saturday July 19, 2014 according to Los Angeles police. He was 86. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)
By Frank C. Girardot, Pasadena Star-News
In the era of Justin Bieber and Shia LaBeouf, it’s easy for an angry old man sitting behind a computer keyboard to decry modern entertainers
And yet, despite the affliction of age, I know I’m right if I do.
Which is why I say with certainty that our culture lost a great actor and a good man this weekend when James Garner died. Continue reading
Hal Moore: A Soldier Once, and Always
A rare color photograph of LTC Hal Moore and CSM Basil Plumley. Warriors!
Crazy Facts
- Even decades later the U.S. military is still tracking and arresting deserters from Vietnam. President Jimmy Carter pardoned civilian draft evaders in 1977. The pardon did not apply to those already serving in the military.
- In 1969, in response to one of the largest ever anti-war demonstrations, Richard Nixon wanted Army helicopters to hover over protesters and blow out their candlelit vigil.
Military Trivia Facts
Although some military experts have an incredibly in-depth knowledge of the military, no one person can know everything there is to know. I have searched books and the Internet and have come up with 15 military facts I bet you didn’t know.
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1. 30 of the 43 Presidents served in the Army, 24 during time of war, two earned the rank of 5-star General (Washington and Eisenhower) and one earned the Medal of Honor (T. Roosevelt)
2. Less than 28 percent of Americans between the ages of 17-23 are qualified for military service, that’s only about 1-in-4.
3. The U.S. Air Force was part of the Army until 1946. It was called the Army Air Corp.
4. Only one President (James Buchanan) served as an enlisted man in the military and did not go on to become an officer.
5. The Department of Defense employs about 1.8 million people on active duty. It is the largest employer in the United States, with more employees than Exxon, Mobil, Ford, General Motors, and GE combined!
6. The Department of Defense owns 29,819,492 acres of land worldwide.
7. The United States has 737 military installations overseas alone.
8. The Navy’s bell-bottom trousers, are commonly believed to be introduced in 1817 to permit men to roll them above the knee when washing down the decks and to make it easier to remove them in a hurry when forced to abandon ship or when washed overboard. In addition the trousers may be used as a life preserver by knotting the legs and swinging them over your head to fill the legs with air.
9. The Coast Guard seizes 169 pounds of marijuana and 306 pounds of cocaine worth $9,589,000.00 everyday.
10. The Coast Guard is smaller than the New York City Police Department.
11. The Marine Corps motto, “Semper Fidelis,” was adopted in 1883 as the official motto. It is Latin for Always Faithful.
12. The nickname “Leatherneck” originates from the stiff leather stock that early Marines wore around their necks, probably to protect their jugular vein against saber blows.
13. The English Bulldog, also known as “Teufel-hunden,” or “Devil Dogs,” is the unofficial mascot that symbolize the ethos of the Warrior Culture of the U.S. Marines. The U.S. Marine Corps earned this unofficial mascot during World War I, when many German reports called the attacking Marines “teufel-hunden,” meaning Devil-Dogs. “Teufel-hunden” were the vicious, wild and ferocious mountain dogs of German Bavarian folklore.
14. The U.S. Army was in charge of exploring and mapping America. The Lewis and Clark Expedition was an all Army affair. Army officers were the first Americans to see such landmarks as Pike’s Peak and the Grand Canyon.
15. The Air Force’s F-117 fighter uses aerodynamics discovered during research into how bumblebees fly.
So there they are, 15 facts you didn’t know, but now you do. Now you can amaze your friends and family with your knowledge of military trivia.
Uniform Descriptions
WWI – Soldiers wore the M1912/17 uniform which ranged in color from medium brown and mustard brown with a hint of green. As the war progressed, the uniforms became greener. They had stand-up collars, four patch pockets with single-point flaps, and steel trench helmets.
WWII – In addition to the woolen uniform worn by most U.S. soldiers in Europe, the Herringbone Twill fatigues saw frequent use in the Pacific theater and were eventually adopted by the Marines. The twill material was treated to protect from chemical burns. The first camouflage uniforms, with “Duck hunter” or “Frog” pattern, were also issued toward the end of the war.
Korean War – The uniforms of the Korean War were largely the same as WWII, but were modified to withstand the harshKorean winters. Also, in 1949, the U.S. Army separated uniforms into two categories: 1) Garrison and Duty, and 2) Field and Work. The iconic M-1951 Field Jacket was introduced during this time.
Vietnam War – By 1963, tropical clothing was produced specifically for fighting in the jungles of Vietnam. Buttons were covered to prevent snagging, and soldiers were issued insect repellant. The newly developed Mitchell camouflage was a reversible pattern for shelter and helmet covers. Though it was not official, Special Forces units also adopted the Vietnamese “Tigerstripe” pattern.
Iraq & Afghanistan – The Gulf War’s Desert Battle Dress Uniform, often called Cookie-Dough Camouflage, was replaced after a series of field tests in 2003 and 2004 with the current Universal Camouflage Pattern. Its pixilation is based on the Marine Corps’ “MARPAT” pattern. Recently, however, this pattern has been under scrutiny, with soldiers claiming it is ineffective against the rocky terrain of Afghanistan. In March of this year, five design teams were selected to improve upon the military’s uniform. If one proves successful, troops could see a uniform change in the coming years.
Unusual Facts About Vietnam
Here are some unusual facts that you may find hard to find:
- Vietnam has one the longest free flowing subterranean river in the world at Phong Nha – Ke Bang. The river flows through a huge cave or “grotto.” It is not known how far back the grotto goes (easily a couple miles) or how deep the water is in the grotto. This was also one of the largest North Vietnamese military bases during the Vietnam War and the major starting point of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The grotto is so big that you can literally fit a small city in side it.
- Hoan Kiem District of Hanoi has their business district designated with streets specializing in one kind of product or service. i.e. You buy shoes on the “Shoe Street”, Shirts on “Shirt Street”, etc. This has been so for hundreds of years.
- Halong Bay contains 1,969 limestone islands, and many have grottos in them. It is not known how many grottos there are in the islands of Halong bay or in all of Vietnam. It’s argued that Vietnam has more grottos than any place in the world. It is not known how deep most of these grottos go, due to the lack of technology to find out and the sheer number of them.
- What you will not read in the tour brochure of the famous Cu Chi Tunnels are the hundreds of bomb craters that ravage the area. Twenty foot wide by six to teen feet deep bomb craters are found everywhere in and around the Cu Chi area. Cu Chi was a major Viet Cong stronghold but is now within the city limits of Ho Chi Minh City. You can take a city bus to visit it.
- Vietnam repelled three Mongol invasions and was one of the few Asian societies not influenced by the Mongolians (the Japanese were another one). China was conquered by the Mongols during the same time. This is one of many reasons why the Vietnamese are distinctly different from the Chinese.
- Hanoi is protected from the Red River by a levee. The levee has been in place for hundreds of years. Most of Hanoi would be under 10′-15′ of water if the levee were to break during their rainy season. Such a disaster would make New Orleans look like a bad thunderstorm, because Hanoi is home to more than 6,000,000 people with no realistic means to evacuate most of the population if such would happen.
- The Vietnamese conquered the Cham empire, who controlled much of South Vietnam before their defeat.
- The Viet Cong controlled the jungle area South of the Saigon River during the Vietnam War. Much of that area is now being developed into high rise condo buildings and residential housing and bought mostly by the Vietnamese who had fled from the country after the War ended.
War Hero, Olympian Zamperini Dies at 97
War Hero, Olympian Zamperini Dies at 97
Associated Press | Jul 03, 2014
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Louis Zamperini , an Olympic distance runner and World War II veteran who survived 47 days on a raft in the Pacific after his bomber crashed, then endured two years in Japanese prison camps, has died. He was 97.
Zamperini’s death was confirmed by Universal Pictures studio spokesman Michael Moses . A family statement released early Thursday said Zamperini had been suffering from pneumonia.
He is the subject of Laura Hillenbrand’s best-selling book “Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption,” which is being made into a movie directed by Angelina Jolie and is scheduled for a December release by Universal. Continue reading
Charlie Company Vietnam 1966-1972 