tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post4981922932641766496..comments2024-03-28T22:08:48.577-07:00Comments on Chant du Départ: The Other SideOldAFSargehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-4163217396594901902020-05-27T18:19:47.805-07:002020-05-27T18:19:47.805-07:00I had just watched a documentary on a Japanese gen...I had just watched a documentary on a Japanese general named Ishiwara. Ishiwara Kanji was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. He and Itagaki Seishirō were the men primarily responsible for the Mukden Incident that took place in Manchuria in 1931. It's on Amazon Prime <i>Kanji Ishiwara: The Man Who Triggered the War</i>. The Japanese Army meddled constantly in politics, they even assassinated a Prime Minister!<br /><br />The Japanese Navy wasn't quite as bad as the Army.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-75286746454006936172020-05-27T17:50:09.519-07:002020-05-27T17:50:09.519-07:00You have said something significant with the words...You have said something significant with the words "in their army". The army contained a lot of fanatics. They had used assassinations freely to gain political power. Admiral Yamamoto spent much of his time at sea so he would not be in reach of army assassins. John George, who fought on Guadalcanal and in Burma and spoke to some witnesses in later war-crimes trials, said that "to many Japanese civilians, the Japanese soldiery of that era wore worse than vermin." I remember reading, as a boy, that liberated American sailors said they had been treated decently by the Japanese sailors who had first picked them up. Only after they got to the Army-run prison camps did the horror stories begin. On the other side of the world, the war in northern Africa has been called one of the last chivalrous wars, but probably only because "thank God, we had no S.S. divisions in the desert" (attributed to General Bayerlein). Which outfit you're up against matters, even if you're fighting Americans. Sorry to post this so late. A lot of the stuff you write about is worth thinking over, and by the time I decide I want to comment I really have to be careful that I'm saying what I want the way I want to say it (besides going back and checking my references).LoFan Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09670806965670035017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-46079501170093124972020-05-26T20:20:10.793-07:002020-05-26T20:20:10.793-07:00Good men should be remembered.Good men should be remembered.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-71081060713679599902020-05-26T20:02:51.543-07:002020-05-26T20:02:51.543-07:00I have never heard this story. Thank you.I have never heard this story. Thank you.Toirdhealbheach Beucailhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14872794169534403463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-61352009595992105312020-05-26T18:59:01.596-07:002020-05-26T18:59:01.596-07:00Thanks Joe.Thanks Joe.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-92093987129227118802020-05-26T18:58:48.699-07:002020-05-26T18:58:48.699-07:00Very true.Very true.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-51511506571356778612020-05-26T18:38:23.980-07:002020-05-26T18:38:23.980-07:00I just shared the link to your blog on a Cowboy Ac...I just shared the link to your blog on a Cowboy Action Shooting forum that is heavily populated by former, and current <br /> military types from all branches. <br /><br />Not only a great post, but well thought out comments. <br /><br />Thanks. Joe Lovellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16892419601290744855noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-87529723961541673752020-05-26T18:30:32.752-07:002020-05-26T18:30:32.752-07:00Mercy was not always one sided... Mercy was not always one sided... Old NFOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16404197287935017147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-83488363062253049792020-05-26T17:10:28.835-07:002020-05-26T17:10:28.835-07:00The Japan of the 30s and 40s was almost a differen...The Japan of the 30s and 40s was almost a different planet than the rest of us. Their culture was so radically different in their Army that they really were ravenous monsters. Rape, murder of prisoners, it was pretty bad, the closest thing to how the Japanese treated the Chinese was the way the war was fought in Russia. The SS thought nothing of murdering prisoners and civilians. OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-64241800957691303402020-05-26T14:42:46.268-07:002020-05-26T14:42:46.268-07:00I remember stories like this early on in my study ...I remember stories like this early on in my study of wars against Germany- from WWI shootdowns, to the Christmas truce, and to relatively well treated POWs, that the Germans were humans. (We'll leave out discussion of the Holocaust for today). Inhumane monsters is an extreme understatement in describing their Axis partners in the PTO. Not sure if it was because I wasn't listening, or because they just didn't put out things like Hogan's Heroes for the Japanese camps. Could it be the brutality just wasn't something we wanted to know about? Could the German treatment be due to a shared Christian faith or race? Possibly. Stories and movies about WWII seem to focus far more on the Germans vice the Japanese, but I could be wrong.Tunahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04930237104692982421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-83135010379050997792020-05-26T14:36:41.448-07:002020-05-26T14:36:41.448-07:00That ship has a lot of style. I like it, but of co...That ship has a lot of style. I like it, but of course, I hope it works!OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-51845205407143490232020-05-26T14:09:50.293-07:002020-05-26T14:09:50.293-07:00It's cloudy today on the beach. I hope it move...It's cloudy today on the beach. I hope it moves away. Less than 24 hours to go.<br />SpaceX seems to do things in a "fun way". This demonstrates that engineers, led by liberal arts majors can do great things with style. ;-)<br />Wonderful post today, Sarge. There is a certain humanity in us all that is hard to understand at times.Dave's Daily Day Dreamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17491764990082380190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-44658162120488170862020-05-26T13:44:08.570-07:002020-05-26T13:44:08.570-07:00Glad, as always, to hear your perspective on this ...Glad, as always, to hear your perspective on this kinda thing. I know you've "been there, done that."<br /><br />Recognizing the humanity in the other guy (or gal) is pretty critical to being a successful human being. At least it is in my book, as the Bard would say, my efforts in that area are <i>More honour'd in the breach than the observance.</i> (Hamlet)OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-52294179931890935262020-05-26T11:37:28.275-07:002020-05-26T11:37:28.275-07:00Combat is a very great challenge on a great many l...Combat is a very great challenge on a great many levels. Recognizing the humanity of the enemy is one of the hardest hurdles. And it's not a one time hurdle either -- it takes a lot of time and living and thinking to get a handle on the thing.<br /><br />It is well that combat is so hard. For a great many reasons.<br /><br />The way we treat the dead is also interesting. Hauling body bags out of a swamp in high North Carolina summer. You simply cannot treat those remains with the gentle care you feel you must. I don't think they cared that they were sometimes tossed about and dragged. But I still feel bad.<br /><br />Ape-lizards are funny.<br /><br />Great post Sarge and thanks for making me aware of Leutnant Friedrich Lengfeld.PrairieAdventurehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06466447251827774900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-83531981556346967692020-05-26T09:54:51.369-07:002020-05-26T09:54:51.369-07:00I am looking forward to that launch.I am looking forward to that launch.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-41110652339818573932020-05-26T09:44:51.732-07:002020-05-26T09:44:51.732-07:00(Don McCollor)...Go Baby..Go Gp Go!!!...
(Don McCollor)...Go Baby..Go Gp Go!!!...<br />Don McCollorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18028324869570493102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-67655450784645397352020-05-26T09:25:34.182-07:002020-05-26T09:25:34.182-07:00Frank - That's an excellent book!Frank - That's an excellent book!OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-90345836334196826232020-05-26T09:24:49.716-07:002020-05-26T09:24:49.716-07:00That should be something.That should be something.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-8976203320985575372020-05-26T09:24:16.349-07:002020-05-26T09:24:16.349-07:00There is no such thing as a "civilized" ...There is no such thing as a "civilized" war. There may be episodes of civility, but war itself has never been civilized and will never be civilized.<br /><br />I know all about "othering," if you paint the opposition as less than you, then it's easier to hate them. OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-22791758521528905962020-05-26T09:23:36.445-07:002020-05-26T09:23:36.445-07:00Got the book "A Higher Call" and have be...Got the book "A Higher Call" and have been passing it around the family.<br />FrankAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-67601760049896057752020-05-26T09:21:15.713-07:002020-05-26T09:21:15.713-07:00The common people who "elected" Hitler w...The common people who "elected" Hitler were swayed by the "stab in the back" post-war propaganda (which preceded the Nazis) and the Depression. When it takes a wheelbarrow full of cash to buy bread, and there isn't any bread, then yeah, you're gonna vote for change. Who wouldn't?OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-14071020157471537922020-05-26T09:18:44.893-07:002020-05-26T09:18:44.893-07:00To say that the Chinese have a superiority complex...To say that the Chinese have a superiority complex is a bit of an understatement.<br /><br />As to "Southwest Asia," if by that you mean the Middle East, I get that. However, those folks are most definitely NOT Asians. Different culture altogether. That lot is driven by religion. In my reckoning Asia begins roughly at the line of the Ural mountains. I also include the 'stans in there as well. (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, etc.)<br /><br />The traditional Imperial definition of an Asian is essentially "anyone who isn't from Africa and isn't white."<br /><br />Racist? You betcha.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-17661302981444303762020-05-26T09:03:24.727-07:002020-05-26T09:03:24.727-07:00Oh the other hand, speaking of Civilization and go...Oh the other hand, speaking of Civilization and good things... The Donald is coming to Florida tomorrow to watch SpaceX do what no other company has done before, put humans into space. What was once a National Project has become a capitalistic project. And we are happy. Short of equipment shutdowns or weather, looks like sometime around 4:23pm Eastern Time. We are excited. Oh, very very excited.Beanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15293778848879361153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-72151438500637119382020-05-26T09:01:03.954-07:002020-05-26T09:01:03.954-07:00The process of 'othering,' as Angus McThag...The process of 'othering,' as Angus McThag talked about a while ago on his blog, is all about making the other side not human. <br /><br />Sometimes it is political, like how the Left portrays every conservative, including black or asian, as a white racist and anti-intellectual. <br /><br />Sometimes it is a whole nation. Like how mainland China considers itself, no matter who is running the place, as 'The Middle Kingdom' and every other person on the earth is in 'lower kingdoms' (meaning not-quite-human) and therefore ripe to pluck and ripe to ignore and ripe to kill. <br /><br />Sometimes it is a racial group, like the obvious anti-semitic movement of the democratic party in the New York area. Armed members of the police state being filmed shutting down a synagogue because the mayor ordered it. (Which someone spectacularly modified by making it grainy and adding some decidedly Nazi-ish music behind it.) Or the anti-Irish mentality in the 1830's and later in the northeast United States.<br /><br />We, as a nation, have striven to not do othering of people here. It is hard. Oh so very hard. As sometimes othering is a reaction to a problem (such as, sad to say, violence in the 'Hood, or violence by illegal aliens from Central or South America, or bad driving by people from Canada (no, really, live here in Florida during the winter and you'll see a lot of 'othering' aimed at Canucks because they suck at driving in Florida, it is a thing, a serious thing.))<br /><br />Sad. Very sad. <br /><br />But, well, sometimes othering is a 'good' thing, as someone who sees all people as equal will have a hard time shooting said all people as all people storm the gates of civilization.<br /><br />It's a difficult thing. Othering. We are all guilty of it in small ways. It is a normal human reaction. It is the struggle against othering in a big way that makes the US a rather unique place.<br /><br /><br /><br />There were lots of little civilized episodes in WWII. I fear we will never see a 'civilized' war ever again. Which is a shame, because uncivilized wars eat at the heart of all who fight them, and often do more damage to the more civilized people.<br /><br />Sad, very sad.Beanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15293778848879361153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-45820292993440423242020-05-26T08:48:46.635-07:002020-05-26T08:48:46.635-07:00And the common people, who wanted hope, and change...And the common people, who wanted hope, and change and lots of other vague slogans that meant nothing but sounded good, along with art that was 'topical' and 'eye-catching.' Can't forget the common people's role in bringing that monster into power.<br /><br />Kind of the same way that Wilson, FDR and some other presidents made it into office. Offering hope and change. Who's hope? Who's change? Never said...Beanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15293778848879361153noreply@blogger.com