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« Final Day | Main | A celebrity at Arlington »

November 11, 2009

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"Guns on the Q.T. - Thank God for That"

By Greyhawk

A Mudville Veterans Day tradition, I first posted this one from Baghdad in 2004. My grandfather (whose grandfather fought for Ohio in the Civil War) was a medic on the battlefields in WWI, the letter reproduced below was to the girl back home who would become his wife.

*****

Note: Veterans Day, 2007, and I'm in Iraq. And in November, 2004 I was also in Iraq. On that tour my mother sent me a copy of the following letter, written by her father from "somewhere in France" on November 11, 1918. His war was over - but a very few years later his sons would find themselves completing the mission. Take from that what lesson you would - for now, from two combat zones, from my family to yours, a safe and happy Armistice Day...

*****


The following is transcribed from my grandfather's letter home from the front to my grandmother.

Somewhere in France
Nov 11, 1918

My dear ____

A few lines to you dear one to let you know that I am still on top and getting along O.K. Thank the good Lord for that.

dboy.jpg I have not received any mail or had any chance to write any for about a week but the best of all is the war is over or just about so. The guns are on the q.t. now, thank God for that, and we hope and pray that they do not start again. We were almost blown of the map last night by shell fire but none of us were hurt but believe me we had some narrow escape. Though everything looks good today and we all expect to be home before many months. Unless the war starts up again in full blast, but we do not think it will start again for everything looks to be in our favor at present. The yanks sure have given the Huns a good whipping so I do not think they will be very anxious to start the ball to rolling again. And if they do the thing will not last very long so I hope to be back in the good old U.S.A. with my girl before so very long. Then I can tell you all about it. If possible I will send a message to you in the near future. That is if I find out just how things turn out over here and I can get any dope on how soon I will be starting back to the U.S.A. So do not be alarmed if you get a message from over here. But I would like if you will please let father and my grandparents know in case you do get a message from me. I have not had a chance to do much writing to any one for a few days, for we sure have been some busy over here. We are or have been cited by the general H.Q. of the A.E.F. for our work in the div. If possible to do so I will send you a copy of it soon. I am sending a German gas mask and a shoulder strap also a button off a Hun's coat. And I will send a helmet soon. In this letter I am sending a piece of paper gauze that the Huns must use in place of cotton for the wounded.

I must close this for tonight. We expect to be pretty busy for some time yet but I think I will have more time to write in the future than I have had. Please excuse the scribbling and the pen.

I remain as ever yours, hoping to be with you soon -

Love and best wishes to you and all,

xxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Interesting that they were shelled on the day before the war ended - when everyone knew it was going to end the next day.

More here.

(Original post: 2004-11-11 18:19:51)


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Posted by Greyhawk / November 11, 2009 11:11 AM | Permalink

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TrackBack URL: http://www.mudvillegazette.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/1556

Lest we forget those who took the ultimate sacrifice for our Nation. Today is a day to thank those who have served this country. Read More

Some recommended web reads honoring America's soldiers today.Generations of Valor-by Anne Morse on NRO. President Bush Commemorates Veterans Day, Discusses War on Terror-from The White House. Vice President Chaney at the Tomb of the Unknowns-from The W... Read More

Real World: - I made a major friend faux pas earlier this week by forgotting Riika's birthday. I'm a bad, bad friend. I deserved to be taken out and spanked severly. Riika's been such a good friend to me over... Read More

The Veteran I Remember from Soldiers' Angels New York on November 12, 2006 10:22 PM

I have been debating all day about whether I would post something today, and what I would post today. Veteran's Day makes me a little melancholy any year. Read More

13 Comments

Greetings from Atlanta, GA!

Today seemed an appropriate day to say hello (hughhewitt.com pointed me your way not long ago) and to say thank you. Your service to the cause of freedom is too precious for words - just like the service of those who came before you.

Because of the letter you posted, I was struck (again) by how "real time" our world has become. As one who cares so much how you all are doing and is praying for the most successful outcome, being "in touch" is amazing, reassuring, and a little scary, but seems our duty, too.

Not quite two weeks ago, I cheered my LT JG sister through the Marine Corps Marathon - her first. I hustled around and managed to see her at miles 4, 9, 16, 21, 24 and just before the finish line - I was pooped, and I was only cheering!

Just to let you know, we're keeping the faith and cheering you all the whole way home.

To you and all who serve (and have served), best wishes and many thanks on this Veterans Day.

One look at the date & I began to weep...what a treasure you've shared with all of us. Thank you & your family for your service to this Nation.

I stood in prayer today at the 11th hour for all of you.

With gratitude that I can't express, and a special thank you to your wife & your children for sharing you with all of us--I've learned that when one serves, you all serve, and I'm in awe of Military families,

God speed soldier, come home safely, and thank you from this grateful American.

My grandfather (another doughboy) is said to have arrived in France the day the Armistice was signed. And, yep, they were still shelling each other to the last.

Hang in there! You're doing the Lord's work!

A belated happy Veterans'Day! We love you! God be with you always, just as He was with Grandpa.

I dont know if i had any ancestors in WW I but i did have a father and three ucnles in WW II but only one ucncle is left

One of my treasures is a US printed history of The Great War printed in 1919, the year my father was born. It is mostly a collection of anecdotes interspersed with straightforward history.

Your grandfather's letter mentions the shelling the night before. One of the anecdotes from my book is of an American gun crew counting down the seconds to 11AM local time before firing "the last shot of the war."

I've often wondered who was killed or wounded by that shell, since it had to have landed and exploded after the war had ended.

Against that, it is interesting to read in the letter that, at the time, it was not known that the fighting would actually stop and that indeed it was over, over there.

So glad to have my own computer now so I can read your site everyday. Glad to read your Veterans Day post and to see your grandfather's picture. I am so proud of you. Stay safe. Love you. Keep up the good work.

This spring a distant cousin gave my father my great grandfather's dogtags that he wore in WWI. No letters though. Gramps spoke only a few words in English and could not even write his own name.

The US lost more troops in the last 11 hours of WWI than we have lost worldwide since 9/11...

*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*
Remembering All Our Vets
God Bless our Vets
One and All
*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*

That is if I find out just how things turn out over here and I can get any dope on how soon I will be starting back to the U.S.A. So do not be alarmed if you get a message from over here.

Interesting, I always assumed that the slang word "dope", meaning "information" was a product of the 60's drug culture. Dope being a shorting of the word Dopamine. It surprising to find it used that long ago. I wonder what it originally meant.

gryph,
I used to use dope as an indication of the sight accuracy of my rifle at the range, so I imagine (nothing more) that the term straight dope came from there. And from that the abbreviated form came into use.

good post. thnx

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March 17, 2010


Dawn Patrol 03/17/2010
[Mrs Greyhawk]
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Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs and various sources around the world. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. Hat Tips to the Dawn Patrol are greatly appreciated.Refresh for updates.


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Support Our Troops, Read Their Stories

----------------------------


AFGHANISTAN

Suicide attackers killed in Afghanistan -- [CNN]
Two suicide attackers, dressed as women, stormed a relief agency in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday and were killed by police before they could detonate their explosives.

US kills 8 terrorists in 2 new airstrikes in North Waziristan -- [LWJ - Bill Roggio]
The US launched a strike in the village of Hamzoni and another in Datta Khel, the second there in two days.

S.N.A.B.U. = Situation Normal All BAF-fed Up -- [Afghanistan My Last Tour - in Afghanistan]
After 2 hours of driving and being bounced around on the Afghan highways like a ping-pong ball, we arrived at our destination. Originally we were planning to drive on to
BAF and then off-load the Humvees. But when we found out about the mountain of paperwork and coordination required to escort our ANA counterparts on the installation, we opted to off-load outside the base and drive them the remainder of the way.

Post Office Doesn't Like Me -- [Afghanistan My Last Tour - in Afghanistan]
Imagine it's your first day on the job and you are responsible for picking up the mail and incoming packages for the camp. You visit the main post office and in a wooden bin they have a stack a mail of that hasn't been picked up in awhile. Then you ask the question "Is there any other mail?" The clerk has this sheepish grin and leads you out back to a metal storage container. Inside the container, there are hundreds of boxes marked with your camp's address. As you examine the boxes closer, you notice most of these boxes are marked for a SMSgt Rex Temple at your camp. You have never met this person and your vehicles don't have enough spare room to haul all of these packages.

Danger Room Explainer: Outsourced Intel in Afghanistan -- [Danger Room]
When is intelligence really intelligence, and when is it merely "atmospherics"? It may sound abstract, but it goes to the heart of a New York Times scoop about a defense official who apparently set up an off-the-books intelligence operation in Afghanistan.
On Monday, the Times ran a story about Michael Furlong, the Defense Department official being investigated over an ad hoc spy ring. The piece raised more questions than it answered, and Washington Post intelligence columnist David Ignatius is now filling in some of the blanks.
In a column today, Ignatius distills the story. "Under the heading of 'information operations' or 'force protection,' he writes, "the military has launched intelligence activities that, were they conducted by the CIA, might require a presidential finding and notification of Congress. And by using contractors who operate 'outside the wire' in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the military has gotten information that is sometimes better than what the CIA is offering."
Ignatius also unpacks some of the curious semantics around this..


IRAQ

Iraq Votes - Part VI -- [MEMRI]
The Elections Commissions announced yesterday the results of 79% of the votes counted. The results delivered a big surprise showing Ayad Allawi's Al-iraqiya slate ahead of Prime Minister Al-Maliki's State of Law by a few thousand votes. This is not much given that the counting of the votes is still going on, but the State of Law has already asked for a recount, particularly in the Province of Baghdad claiming fraud.[1]
The fact, however,...

Mission Accomplished: Astroturfing Baghdad -- [Danger Room]
Lots of strange press releases land in my inbox, but the first line of this one stood out: "The world leader in artificial turf is proud to announce that the first artificial turf sports field in Iraq for the U.S. Government has been installed at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad."




U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Allies everywhere feeling snubbed by President Obama -- [Washington Post]
The contretemps between President Obama and Israel needs to be seen in a broader global context. The president who ran against "unilateralism" in the 2008 campaign has worse relations overall with American allies than George W. Bush did in his second term.

Chahar-Shanbeh Souri -- [Planet Iran]
People are chanting a new message to Obama saying: "Hossein, Hossein, stop trying to talk to our murderers!"




WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

If bin Laden is found, he'll be killed, Holder says -- [AP]
Holder: If bin Laden found, he'll be killed -- Osama bin Laden "will never appear in an American courtroom," Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. told House members at a hearing Tuesday. -- "Let's deal with the reality here,"

ACLU files lawsuit for information on US Predator program -- [Threat Matrix]
The American Civil Liberties Union has followed up its Freedom of Information Act request that was filed in January seeking information on the US Predator program. Today, the ACLU filed a lawsuit against the the Defense Department, the State Department, and the Justice Department, demanding enforcement of its January request for information on the program. The full press release release from the ACLU is..


SUPPORTING THE TROOPS

Army Suicides Grow, but This Soldier Was Saved -- [Politics Daily]
...Alone in his barracks room at Forward Operating Base Rustamiyah, Sanders, a soft-spoken young man with a pleasant demeanor, seized his M-4 carbine, put the barrel under his chin, squeezed his eyes shut and pulled the trigger.
When Sanders pulled the trigger of his loaded carbine, there was only a light click. Horrified both at what he had done and what he had failed to do, Sanders tore open his weapon, searching frantically to find why it hadn't fired. He quickly identified the reason: no firing pin.
At that moment his roommate, Spec. Albert Godding, walked in. "Where's my firing pin -- I don't have a firing pin!'' Sanders yelled, terrified that he'd misplaced that critical piece and would get in trouble for losing it. "And how,'' Godding asked gently, "did you discover it was missing?'' When Sanders realized what had happened -- that Godding was worried enough that he'd removed the firing pin ...

Silver Star Winner Reprimanded for Afghan Battle -- [ABC]
Three Army officers have received letters of reprimand for failing to prepare adequate defenses for a combat outpost in Wanat, Afghanistan, where a mass Talibanattack in July 2008 resulted in the deaths of nine soldiers and 27 wounded, Defense Department officials confirmed to ABC News.
"These are essentially career-enders," said a military official of the letters of reprimand.
Two Defense Department officials said the actions are not yet final because the review that led to the letters of reprimand is still ongoing and the three officers have a period of time to respond and request reconsideration of the disciplinary action.
Among the three officers receiving the letters of reprimand is Capt. Matthew Myer, the company commander of the unit attacked at Wanat, who was awarded the Silver Star for his brave actions in repelling the attack.


Making today matter -- [Soldiers Angels Germany]
From Chaplain Campbell of Warrior's Sanctuary:
Last weekend while my wife and I were returning from a quick shopping trip we saw some flashing lights on the other side of the freeway. Not from a police car or a fire truck. The flashing lights were from large "Am Buses" transporting our wounded warriors to Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Navy Medical Center at Bethesda.
And it got him to wondering,


MILITARY

Arrrrrrmy Training, SIR! -- [This Ain't Hell]
I'm sure you've all read that the Army, for some stupid reason, is changing basic training. Their reasons are specious and indicative of why Army training was changed thirty years ago.
...The Army wants to do away with the endurance running and focus on some sort of short distance sprints and zig-zagging. Dicksmith seems pleased about. I'd remind the Army and dicksmith that endurance running builds soldiers' immune systems and their aerobic capacity - improving their overall internal health. Do away with distance running and you're going to make the force less effective.


WELCOME HOME

Bushrod honors were not misplaced -- [Fredericksburg.com]
Jermon Bushrod's return to King George after his Super Bowl victory resulted in some letters that I feel were way off mark ["Football players aren't 'heroes,' King George," Feb. 26].
Mr. Bushrod is a millionaire, no doubt. He also happens to be one of the most humble, respectful gentlemen you will come across.
He's a local boy who has done good and provides a positive role model for our kids. He deserves accolades for all his accomplishments and the example he sets.
To compare him and his welcome home to our troops in harm's way displays an agenda or maybe a misguided avenue to express a point.
As a 24-year military veteran, I certainly had no issue with the fanfare in which Mr. Bushrod was welcomed home. Nor, do I suspect, did any of my fellow service members, active or not. Maybe a more powerful message would come from a letter expressing a desire to read more of the positive stories involving our troops, instead of the dirty laundry.

They're Coming Home! -- [KBND]
We are going to have four welcome home celebrations. One in Portland, one in Bend, one in Medford, and one in the Eugene Springfield area.




THE MEDIA/CULTURE

It's just some ribbon. -- [From my Position...]
American Idol is one of the Mrs.' guilty pleasures. While I watched it tonight, I was treated to Andrew Garcia, a talented performer, singing something. I can't remember what, however, because I was way to interested in why he was wearing a series of ribbon devices on his pocket. One of those medals is the Army commendation medal. The others I haven't bothered to look up yet.

andrewgarcia.jpg




POLITICS

GE and Ronald Reagan: The Mutual Gift That Keeps On Giving -- [Politics Daily]
As part of a one-year celebration to honor the 100th anniversary of Ronald Reagan's birth, General Electric will run ads honoring the 40th president's legacy -- and will donate $10 million to The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library

Petraeus Testifies About DADT
PETRAEUS: It would include an assessment of the likely effects on recruiting, retention, moral and cohesion and would include an identification of what policies might be needed in the event of a change and recommend those polices as well.


The Petraeus briefing: Biden's embarrassment is not the whole story -- [Foreign Policy Blog]
The Mullen briefing and Petraeus's request hit the White House like a bombshell. While Petraeus's request that CENTCOM be expanded to include the Palestinians was denied ("it was dead on arrival," a Pentagon officer confirms), the Obama administration decided it would redouble its efforts -- pressing Israel once again on the settlements issue, sending Mitchell on a visit to a number of Arab capitals and dispatching Mullen for a carefully arranged meeting with the chief of the Israeli General Staff, Lt. General Gabi Ashkenazi. While the American press speculated that Mullen's trip focused on Iran, the JCS Chairman actually carried a blunt, and tough, message on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: that Israel had to see its conflict with the Palestinians "in a larger, regional, context" -- as having a direct impact on America's status in the region. Certainly, it was thought, Israel would get the message.
Israel didn't. When Vice President Joe Biden was embarrassed by an Israeli announcement that the Netanyahu government was building 1,600 new homes in East Jerusalem, the administration reacted. But no one was more outraged than Biden who, ...


HUMOR/SATIRE


Day By Day



(Need more? Dawn Patrols Archives are here.)



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Posted 2:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)


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The Mudville Gazette is the on-line voice of an American warrior and his wife who stands by him. They prefer to see peaceful change render force of arms unnecessary. Until that day they stand fast with those who struggle for freedom, strike for reason, and pray for a better tomorrow.
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  • Kir: good post. thnx read more
  • Mike H.: gryph, I used to use dope as an indication of read more
  • Patrick (gryph): That is if I find out just how things turn read more
  • patty: *:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:* Remembering All Our Vets God Bless our Vets One read more
  • DJ Elliott: The US lost more troops in the last 11 hours read more
  • Bullshark: This spring a distant cousin gave my father my great read more
  • grannylu: So glad to have my own computer now so I read more
  • oino sakai: One of my treasures is a US printed history of read more
  • blue eagle: I dont know if i had any ancestors in WW read more
  • bigsisevengreyerhawk: A belated happy Veterans'Day! We love you! God be with read more

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The Mudville Gazette is written and produced by Greyhawk. Unless otherwise credited, the opinions expressed are those of the author, and nothing here is to be taken as representing the official position of or endorsement by the United States Department of Defense or any of its subordinate components. Furthermore, I will occasionally use satire or parody herein. The bottom line: it's my house.

I like having visitors to my house. I hope you are entertained. I fight for your right to free speech, and am thrilled when you exercise said rights here. Comments and e-mails are welcome, but all such communication is to be assumed to be 1)the original work of any who initiate said communication and 2)the property of the Mudville Gazette, with free use granted thereto for publication in electronic or written form. If you do NOT wish to have your message posted, write "CONFIDENTIAL" in the subject line of your email.

Original content copyright © 2003 - 2009 by Greyhawk. Fair, not-for-profit use of said material by others is encouraged, as long as acknowledgement and credit is given, to include the url of the original source post. Other arrangements can be made as needed.

Contact: greyhawk at mudvillegazette dot com

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