General Discussion Thread

[jemhouston]

Had a wild thought. Durin WW2 German POWS were held in the occupied territories. Were their reports of their sons (or possible themselves given some of the child soldiers the Third Reich had) going to see where the camps were?

[Poohbah]

Had a wild thought. Durin WW2 German POWS were held in the occupied territories. Were their reports of their sons (or possible themselves given some of the child soldiers the Third Reich had) going to see where the camps were?

Or they were visiting long-lost cousins in the Upper Midwest. Also, there were a lot of camps outside the occupied areas, too.

They'd then "just happen" to volunteer for the Army. The former child soldiers (who were in their mid-fifties) would typically be put in admin billets at replacement depots; the military-aged guys were frequently Bundeswehr veterans who were welcomed with open arms. Some of the ones who spoke excellent English were placed at Fort Knox and Fort Benning as part of the instructor cadre, but most went to frontline units. This led to the trope in postwar movies of the n00bie butterbar being mentored by a German-born sergeant from absolute cluelessness to a guy who could unironically sing the Panzerlied whilst slaughtering enemy AFVs by the battalion.

[clancyphile]

IC/Jeb Pruitt:

Is it just me, or are people starting to lose concentration a bit?

We just had a colleague of mine introduce a resolution to commend soldiers from I Company, 3-157th Infantry, 45th Infantry Division for their role in the liberation of Dachau - which specifically excluding 1LT William P. Walsh after a petition from some high school students.

I got a hinky feeling about Walsh's exclusion, so I held off. Turns out, a 2001 Boston Globe report explains the exclusion. Seems Walsh lost his cool during the liberation (to put it nicely), and a bunch of concentration camp guards ended up becoming GOOD concentration camp guards under dubious circumstances. Patton filed no charges, but let's just say there's some egg on people's faces.

Majority Leader wants answers (so does the Minority Leader) as to why Lindsey Graham, who is a smart guy (AFRES JAG and serving as a Judge on the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals) fell for this after having been caught not quite reading a previous bill too closely.

Meanwhile, some folks are yukking it up like a Rookie-league version of Impractical Jokers.

That was today in the Senate...

[Wolfman]

I feel sorry for you, Jeb…

[jemhouston]

Jeb, I hate to say this but any time a group of elected officials make fools of themselves, it's a good day.

[Wolfman]

Jeb, I hate to say this but any time a group of elected officials make fools of themselves, it's a good day.

Too true!

[Poohbah]

In the Good News Department, DoD's pre-publication review has cleared Fateful Lightning (the first book of the Patrick Henry Tetralogy) for publication, no redactions required, and the final draft of A Fiery Gospel has been sent to pre-pub review. The proposed final draft of Burnished Rows of Steel has been sent to the editor for review and approval, and I'm about one-third done with the first round of revisions to Never Call Retreat.

The publisher (Presidio Books) is slotting it for the Christmas season, and they've got a heavy publicity campaign planned. I'm arranging for leave across most of December, and will be doing some appearances here and there across the fruited plain. Advance copies will be going to reviewers this summer in the hopes of getting some blurb-worthy remarks.

[jemhouston]

Let us know when it's available for preorder.

[Poohbah]

And Roberta is on jury duty--got selected for a criminal case in Riverside. Trial starts Monday (she got picked Thursday afternoon, Friday is law and motions day, so the case starts Monday morning.

[jemhouston]

And Roberta is on jury duty--got selected for a criminal case in Riverside. Trial starts Monday (she got picked Thursday afternoon, Friday is law and motions day, so the case starts Monday morning.

How did it go?

[Poohbah]

And Roberta is on jury duty--got selected for a criminal case in Riverside. Trial starts Monday (she got picked Thursday afternoon, Friday is law and motions day, so the case starts Monday morning.

How did it go?

Pretty straightforward armed robbery case, and the accused was found guilty.

[Wolfman]

Well, Memorial Day weekend is almost over.

[Poohbah]

Well, Memorial Day weekend is almost over.

To absent friends.

[Matt Wiser]

Of which there have been all too many.

[Wolfman]

Amen, guys.

[Poohbah]

Well, my darling wife managed to get into a minor kerfuffle at the commissary today.

She was waiting in line, and a woman tried the "my husband is a major" schtick on an enlisted woman's husband.

Roberta said, "My husband is a two-star, get to the end of the line, please."

Major's wife got in Roberta's face and said that her husband was with (command name redacted because even that much is classified).

Roberta is no dummy--she hears command name she's never heard of, figures it's classified, and she calls the SPs and tells them she's got a RED HAND in the checkout line at the commissary...they rolled up pretty quick.

Major's wife got into a fight with the SPs while they're detaining her, got arrested for felony resisting with violence and unauthorized possession/disclosure of classified information.

Major's wife tested positive for dancer metabolites at the local jail. On-base quarters get searched, the CSPs find the stash.

Major is now in the stockade, kids are with County CPS, and we're going to have an all-hands safety stand-down tomorrow. I've been asked to give the talk about "don't do drugs, mmkay?"

The base commander swung by the house late this afternoon with a couple four-packs of Route 30 Brewing's Razztastic beer, and we drank a couple on my deck and asked each other WTF.

[jemhouston]

Taking two six packs kind of defeats the "Don't do drugs" message, but funny as hell.

[Wolfman]

Good grief, Poohbah. You and Roberta can’t even go to the store without something happening…

[jemhouston]

Good grief, Poohbah. You and Roberta can’t even go to the store without something happening…

In a previous life one or both asked, "Dear Lord please don't make my next life as boring as this one." The Good Lord took it as a challenge.

[Wolfman]

Good grief, Poohbah. You and Roberta can’t even go to the store without something happening…

In a previous life one or both asked, "Dear Lord please don't make my next life as boring as this one." The Good Lord took it as a challenge.

He didn’t just take it as a challenge, He told the closest archangel to hold His beer…