The Long Ships, Ashore

W泠H次

I will give my name as Grim. Greyhawk, like Vortigern, has foolishly invited me to occupy liberate defend his home while he is away. I gather he has asked a few others to perform the same duty, though I do not know whom as yet.

While here at the Mudville Gazette, I plan a series applying military science to the question of Iraq.

We'll also highlight other MilBloggers. Consider Doc Russia, Marine and medical student, who has composed a proposal for health care reform. He asks for your comments on his thoughts.

Wretchard said that "Who goes there?" is a question that has returned to fashion. For those who wish to know more about me, there is a short introduction in the extended section.

I've been blogging for a little while now, both at Grim's Hall and FreeSpeech. You can visit either place if what follows isn't enough for you; I suspect, though, that this is probably more than most of you will care to know as it is.

I was born in the great state of Georgia, and lived most of my life in the North Georgia mountains. I am a Zell Miller Democrat, which where I come from is called a James Jackson Democrat, Zell (a former Marine) being just one of the latest of us.

Jackson's fiery temperament made him a political lightning rod. Never one to back away from a fight, his political career was studded with duels and bloody street brawls. Jackson's appreciation of the land hunger endemic to Georgians and his willingness to put his life and reputation on the line to control it made him the "colossus" of Georgia politics.

After watching the towers fall one too many times, I resolved to return to the Marine Corps. I spent a year and a half trying to get back in, and I finally did manage to settle certain medical questions that were keeping me out. Unhappily for me (though not for America), patriotism had spurned such a recruitment frenzy that, by the time I had the paperwork in order, there was no room for me before I turned the dreadful age after which you are no longer readmitted to the Corps.

Since I could not serve in a traditional way, I went looking for another. I ended up joining one of those shadowy "Defense contractors" that you've doubtless read about. My current contract has me based in the D.C. area, but it ends in six weeks; after that, who knows.

Those of you who have read Grim's Hall before probably remember it from this post, when a certain blogger sneered at dead American "mercenaries." Well, I am one of them, though I reject the label; doing my best to do my duty for my country in her time of need, such as I can, such as I am.

Now you know enough to get on with, as Tolkien would say.