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Milblogger Sgt. Eric E. Williams, on coming home from Afghanistan:
This deployment is coming to an end, in a few days we will be on a plane back to the United States to rejoin our family and friends and to try to readjust to a certain semblance of what we think life should be. The truth is everything has changed, we collectively have changed. We have changed as people, as an army, as citizens of the United States. We face uncertainty in nearly every aspect of our lives. Our families have been without us for a year and we have only two weeks to try to enjoy the extremely limited time we have with them before its back to the daily grind.The North County Times:
A Murrieta soldier killed in combat Monday was just starting his long journey home when he came under enemy fire and died, according to a statement released Wednesday by the U.S. Army in Fort Bragg, N.C.
Sgt. Eric E. Williams, 27, who graduated from Murrieta Valley High School in 2002, was just completing his second deployment to the Middle East, the statement from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division said.
<...>
Williams is survived by his wife, Wendi. He was the only child of Bruce and Janet Williams. A family friend said the family has gone to Dover, Del., where Williams' body is being delivered.
The first comment on his final post: "Well written, son....Can't wait till you're on American soil once again. Right or wrong, it is your home, and always will be. I love you...and safe journey! XXXOOO Mom."
Sound familiar? If so, perhaps you can identify the business plan containing that quote and these:
(a) Organizations and Conferences
(1) Insist on doing everything through "channels." Never permit short-cuts to be taken in order to expedite decisions.
(2) Make "speeches," Talk as frequently as possible and at great length., Illustrate your "points" by long anecdotes and accounts of personal experiences. Never hesitate to make a few appropriate "patriotic" comments.
(3) When possible, refer all matters to committees, for "further study and consideration." Attempt to make the committees as large as possible - never less than five.
(4) Bring up irrelevant issues as frequently as possible.
(5) Haggle over precise wordings of communications, minutes, resolutions.
(6) Refer back to matters decided upon at the last meeting and attempt to re-open the question of the advisability of that decision.
(7) Advocate "caution." Be "reasonable" and urge your fellow-conferees to be "reasonable" and avoid haste which might result in embarrassments or difficulties later on.
(8) Be worried about the propriety of any decision - raise the question of whether such action as is contemplated lis within the jurisdiction of the group or whether it might conflict with the policy of some higher echelon.
The source for the above is the CIA's "Simple Sabotage Field Manual," from 1944. (Actually, the OSS - forerunner of the CIA.) "This classified booklet described ways to sabotage the US' World War II enemies," the CIA web page hosting the now de-classified document explains.
You might think it unreasonable, but I believe it would be worthwhile to print and distribute copies in all government agencies today, to ensure we aren't "unintentionally" sabotaging ourselves.
Certainly we could at least form a committee and consider it...
In 1826, Thomas Jefferson was invited to attend the fiftieth anniversary celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence to be held that July 4th in Washington, DC. With his health failing at age 83, he sent his regrets in a letter to Washington Mayor Roger C. Weightman. This was the last letter written by Jefferson, who died ten days later - on July 4, 1826...
