Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Let's Chat for a Moment


If you were expecting another episode in the tale which began way back in June of 2020, sorry, not today.

The reason being is that over the weekend, given the vicissitudes and circumstances of the world in which we live, I thought it best to compile all that I have written into Microsoft Word so that it would live safely upon my hard drive and not be subject to the whims and desires of some unknown party who might take offense at the ramblings and divers¹ opinions of the folks who frequent this corner of the Internet, tiny though it may be.

I know I've been writing rather a lot, but was a bit surprised to see just how much I had written so far.


On the left is page 1 of the first post in this series, published on the 2nd of June. On the right is the last page which contains the latest post, dated the 12 of January. (The wedding anniversary of The Missus Herself and Your Humble Scribe, forty-three years, thank you for asking.)

Seriously, one-thousand and two pages? Kinda reminds me of this...



Why yes, it is a "thousand pages, give or take a few..."

In going through all those posts (144 of 'em, I know, I counted), copying them and pasting them into Word, I noticed that there are an awful lot of pictures, most of 'em are Public Domain, many are not. So those need to be edited out. Also I need to update footnotes, remove the three or four videos that were in the posts, and generally clean things up. So in reality I probably have about four to five hundred pages. Which is, to my way of thinking, substantial. After all, I'm neither Tolkien nor Tolstoy (the former is a favorite, the latter, meh - he was a talented lad, but not my cup o' tea).

So I have my work cut out for me and, as most of you probably know, the war ain't over yet. The Ardennes Offensive is pretty much done, now it's just pushing the Germans back to where they started. Which presents, I learned the other day, a gap in my knowledge of the war. So research into the four month period from about mid-January to the end of April has been started, once again I'm relying heavily on the official U.S. Army history.

I am taking a bit of a break from the series, perhaps a day or two or three, I dunno yet, as I ponder just where our characters are going in the next few months. Nate Paddock is heading back Stateside to recover from his wound, for now S/Sgt Hernandez has 2nd Platoon in his more than capable hands.

I envision Major von Lüttwitz getting a battalion command, while his success rate matches that of the Wehrmacht in general, he's still a fighter. Will Manfred Sauer get a company in that battalion? Who knows. As for "Opa," he's still near the front lines as a prisoner of war. I envision following his experiences as a P.O.W., I think it would be an interesting tale.

As to our Polish and British friends, they'll be back in action soon, there is yet another forest to conquer on the road to the Rhine, a place called the Reichswald. We'll meet them there in February at the latest.

For now, no politics, no worries, God is in charge and I'm good with that.

Stay frosty...






¹ Not a typo, look it up. It's archaic, rather like Your Humble Scribe.

66 comments:

  1. Nordwind should be starting soon, too.

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    1. Nordwind began on New Year's Eve 1944. As none of the characters are in that theater, we won't be visiting that offensive. It would be an interesting topic though.

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  2. The Happy Anniversary Badger Sends Anniversarial Wishes For Continued Happiness!

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  3. Didn’t realize the compilation of this is so big! You’re the Herman Wouk of Rhode Island!

    I said it before but I am really amazed and impressed with the detail you put into these segments all in a day or two.

    And then if you really wanted to have some fun you could write a post war sequel novel of these characters and what did they do?

    I was particularly moved by Franz Stigal immediate post war.

    Despite being among the best in the Air Force he is humbly standing in line at a brick factory hoping to get some manual labor jostling with 100 other unemployed men.

    Take whatever time you need Sarge we’ll be here

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    1. There will be an epilogue at some point, once the dust settles.

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    2. Herman Wouk- maybe, but also maybe a Tolkien-esqe trilogy is in the works! Finish one battle and the end of one book, then they get orders to the next (book 2), etc.

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    3. And my congrats on another trip around the sun with Song.

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    4. Tuna #1 - Ambitious plans you have for me!

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  4. Spiffing, old chap! Simply spiffing!

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  5. Looks like a good read once published. I like your hat - I,too, used to be SAC. Was a K9 cop at Dyess in the early 70s. Good times never to return. BTW I don't believe God is in charge since he gave Satan dominion over the earth. I'm wondering if He is withdrawing the Comforter.

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  6. Taken individually, with as good a read as these posts are, it doesn't seem to be 1000 pages or even 500 pages worth. But, when you click the link to see ALL that you have written....it does not surprise me that it comes out this large!

    Would love to purchase a download of this when you finally reach the conclusion.

    Have you seen "The Liberators" on Netflix? HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. An amazing true story done in animation.

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    1. I watched the first episode, haven't watched any since as I've been a bit busy. (So much to binge, so little time...)

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  7. I knew I missed some at the beginning. Now I have a starting spot. By the way, stick that nurse on the same plane as Paddock. He deserves a happy ending.

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  8. It's been quite a pleasure to read the serial. Happy anniversary. It is encouraging, so many marriages seem to be under attack recently...

    Courage and Faith brothers...

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  9. Thanks for your work. An interesting story for sure and feeds my ADHD. I can read short stories, but if long, either bing it all at once or walk away and never come back.

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    1. I like books that come at me in short, digestible bits, probably why I'm not a big fan of Tolstoy.

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    2. Mayhaps it is also because Tolstoy is boring as copulation. Seriously, it seems most 'real' Russian writers have a goal of seeing how many readers die of boredom or depression or boring depression or depressed boring before reader reaches the end of the book. Extra points for death of reader the closer the reader gets to the front of the book.

      Truly, writers who need the Hollywood compression applied to them.

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  10. Sheeeesh! Give us a warning first before you post the likes of that first photo again Sarge...........:) 144 postings, tick tock, tick tock, days flew by. Any thought given if this blog gets tossed what with some of the content and what's happening curtesy of the PC/SJW mob? Oh yeah Sarge, don't forget the dead tree version of your writing efforts, please?

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    1. Too much?

      Yes, I have given that some thought.

      The dead tree version is the goal.

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  11. Happy Anniversary! And give the Muse as much time as you need to percolate your story. It has been great so far, easily on a par with Jeff Shaara, et al.
    When you get to the point of tuning up for publication, I volunteer for a copyediting gig.

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    1. Wow! Compared to Jeff Shaara? One of my favorites!

      Thanks!

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  12. Strangely, I am rather glad that Opa is ok. Paddock too of course.

    I think I may have mentioned before that you may want to talk with Sgt Mom over at Chicagoboyz.net about publishing. She is in the business and might be able to give a hand with the process.

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    1. Happy Anniversary!
      Glass to see you save these. I would love a copy for myself.
      Don't overdo yourself.

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  13. I have been reading these installments lately. At first I wasn't sticking with reading them but now each day I look forward to an installment.

    Please don't get me started on SAC. I was at Dyess AFB from '80 to '86 with the MAC wing. How they treated us was deplorable. When they brought in the first B-1B in 1985 they had every flyable C-130 off of the base.

    A small theme for your epilogue or a post-war follow-on. I had a work friend who was a teenager during WWII. He lived in the Phoenix AZ area. There was an American POW Camp there. He and his friends would go down to some of the canals there where the German POWs were working and watch them. I don't think that they would taunt them but may have. At the end of WWII when he turned 18 he joined the Marines and went off from home but not to war. When he came home, old enough to go to the bars, he went to one in the area. There he saw an older man that he recognized but couldn't quite put it together. He struck up a conversation with him and found out that it was one of the German POWs that he watched. The man was given the opportunity to stay or repatriate to the U.S. He did it because of the good treatment he received even as a POW. Maybe that man could be Opa.

    BTW, I am called Opa by my grandchildren since it is a blended family and we wanted differentiation for me from there other grandparents (biological or step).

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    1. SAC was kinda awful to non-SAC units. When I got to Offutt in '87 my unit was part of Air Force Communications Command, we were treated like red-headed step-children. Then one of the typical USAF re-orgs went down and my unit became part of SAC, we were golden after that.

      Of all the commands I was in during my 24 years, PACAF was the best, NATO a very close second.

      Thanks for sticking with us, Opa. 😉

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    2. Lots of Germans stayed here, or returned here. Can't say that I blame them, especially if they were from the eastern portion of Germany.

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    3. Lots of Hessians did as well, back in the day.

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    4. I remember reading a story from a couple of years ago of a few German POWs in AZ escaping and hiding in some mountains. All but one were caught (or came back) and the last one was gone for years.

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    5. Here is the info on the Germans "Great Escape" in AZ

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Papago_Escape

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    6. There was a POW camp in Holdredge NE as well. An excellent book titled "Prisoners on the Plains" covers it well. There was also at least one escape from there, the POW's thought they could walk to Mexico! Mighta been possible from AZ, NE? Nah.
      Let me pile on, first with congratulations on your anniversary and with yet another plea for a paper book.
      Thanks once more!
      Boat Guy

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    7. Paper book is the goal.

      Walk to Mexico from Nebraska? Possible I suppose, but it's not a great plan.

      Thanks!

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  14. Hey AFSarge;

    Happy Anniversary!!! with many marriages on the rocks, it is good to see yours still strong and the misses hasn't killed you in your sleep, LOL. I've been gone for a while, I have been reading, but unable to comment, first the wife got the covid, when she got better, then I got it..and it kicked me in the dirt. All I wanted to do was sleep, that is why I didn't comment on your blog for a while. It is good to see the story moving along, I find myself waiting with baited breath for the next installment and that is a testament to your storytelling.

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    1. Thanks MrG, glad to hear that you and your wife survived the plague!

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  15. Yesss... deplatforming does seem to be the new norm these days, isn't it?

    Glad you are taking countermeasures. Can't even imagine how much storage it would be to store the whole Chant. Can you do that? Download the whole Chant from Day 1 and plop it in a good storage medium or two? If necessary, I'll copy-paste pages onto Word, but there should be an easier way to download the data.

    Combining all your WWII stories into one mega book would be nice, or separate volumes per storyline. You do need to get published. It's a moral imperative.

    And congratulations on the marriage. In a better world, nobody would pay attention to hollyweirdos marrying and divorcing, instead people who have made it 25, 30, 35, 40 and more years together would truly be the gossip/acclaimed ones.

    And you've set a good example for your children and your grandchildren.

    Mazel-tov!

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    1. I archive the blog periodically. So there's that.

      Thanks!

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  16. Sarge, it is funny how those daily entries add up. Well done.

    Looking forward to Opa’s POW account.

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    1. A few people had commented in the past that I should write a book. Finding the time was nearly impossible with the blog and a full time job. So the idea was, do it on the blog. So I did, a little bit at a time and suddenly you have a lot. So that concept worked.

      Opa's POW tale should be interesting.

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    2. Wonder if he's going to England, Canada or the States? That right there will be interesting to find out. And his travels and travails...

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  17. Happy anniversary to your Missus and you.

    It's weird that what you've written since just before the D-day anniversary seems sane compared to what's been coming down the pike.
    Hopefully, in another 3/4 century the calm will have returned.
    Maybe it's all just because my perspective has changed over the past 77 years?

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  18. Happy anniversary to your Missus and you. Please thank HER for the many compliments you have received on your writing. She has missed out on a lot of attention while you search for photos and daydream about the story line, invent rosters, and spin a yarn that captivates your readers. YOU picked a great spouse!

    Keep up the good work.

    You know, if LUSH threw up a post now and then (pun intended) that would add some variety. The drivers are always very vocal about telling their flying tales, but the passengers seldom get to share the truth of what really happened. If her flying stuff is too secret squirrel, then Mom stories are always great too. Women are noted for their ability to communicate, so the silence is deafening.
    John Blackshoe

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    1. I will ping LUSH again. What with homeschooling, being married to an aviator, and all the other California nonsense, I'm surprised she has managed to keep her sanity.

      I am married to the most understanding wife ever.

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    2. Threw up a post! Funny stuff. All Lush has to do is dictate it into her phone and you can edit it later. I'm sure she has some good to sea stories, or at least ones that aren't as ancient as ours.

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    3. If I could pin her down, I would have. But the dictate into the phone thing? Not bad, not bad.

      Worth a shot.

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  19. My very best congratulations to you and your wife on your 43rd wedding anniversary!
    43 years in matrimonial union, for better or for worse, that's worth a nomination for the Ritterkreuz!

    I am waiting with bated breath for the publication of your book: sign me up for a few copies.
    Thank you very much for your outstanding work. It is a vital contribution to the overall historical knowledge.

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    1. Wir haben drei Kinder, vielleicht das Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse für mich, das Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillianten für meine Frau!

      Vielen dank!

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  20. Firstly, congrats on your anniversary!! May you be blessed with many more years together. I agree with Beans, it should be folks who make at least 25 years, but especially folks who make 40, 50, 60, and 70 years together who are should be lauded and held up as examples to emulate. Not just an example of how to live with someone for that long, but also how to pick the right person to live with in the first place!!

    Secondly, 1000+ pages!!!! Wow!!! So, you now know how to eat an elephant...one bite at a time...seriously tho' I have read how authors like Larry Correia, or Nora Roberts, or Diana Gabaldon, to name a few, write such long books, or series of books...one page at a time. Sitting down every day and writing something. Then comes the editing and polishing. All of us here help with that, you have an entire gaggle of folks with all sorts of expertise who can corroborate, and collaborate to make sure the story flows correctly, lucidly, in a reasonable and believable manner. And give you future ideas to help keep the Muse's well flowing. Like everyone else, I am enjoying reading this opus. Not to mention how much I have learned about WWII!!
    Enjoy your break Sarge!

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  21. As the above have said, congrats on the anniversary. Love your writing, please keep it up.

    Now, putting on the pedantic hat, it's "give or take a few" not 'give or take a two'. (Unless, of course, that was taking literary license with the lyrics of Misters Lennon and McCartney for the pun).

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    1. Argh! You're absolutely right, I fixed that. I was no doubt thinking of the follow-on line, "I'll be writing more in a week or two," when I wrote that. It's a good pun, but I'm seldom that clever... 🤔

      Thanks Inchworm!

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    2. Typically late here. Congrats on your Anniversary Sarge!. Ours will be our 48th this May.
      (Of course by now we've reached the stage where we just don't re-evaluate our marriage annually, but HOURLY :) )

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