Star Trek, Into Darkness

The Missus Herself and Yours Truly went to the cinema today.

Should you go see this movie?

Hell, yes!

If you like Star Trek even just a little, teensy, tiny, wee bit. You have to see this movie.

It is that good.

Open Mic Night (Sort Of...)

This is a first for me. My buddy Tuna sent me some excellent material for the blog this weekend. So this is the very first "Open Mic Night". Note that the title also says "Sort Of". Well, there is no microphone, this is all text and graphics, but it's kind of the same as letting folks step up to the microphone, or blog in this case, and state their piece. So take it away Tuna... (Editor's Note: I added a few pictures. Because I like pictures...)

Thinking of our buddies, family members,
friends, neighbors and all the others
who made the ultimate sacrifice.

You've certainly seen this before ... just a fun read.

Marine Corps Rules:
1. Be courteous to everyone, friendly to no one. 
2. Decide to be aggressive enough, quickly enough. 
3. Have a plan. 
4. Have a back-up plan, because the first one probably won't work. 
5. Be polite. Be professional. But have a plan to kill everyone you meet. 
6. Do not attend a gunfight with a handgun whose caliber does not start with a '4.' 
7. Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammo is cheap. Life is expensive. 
8. Move away from your attacker. Distance is your friend. (Lateral and diagonal preferred.) 
9. Use cover or concealment as much as possible. 
10. Flank your adversary. When possible, protect yours. 
11. Always cheat; always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose. 
12. In ten years, nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance, or tactics. They will only remember who lived. 
13. If you are not shooting, you should be communicating your intention to shoot..

Navy SEAL Rules:
1. Look very cool in sunglasses. 
2. Kill every living thing in sight. 
3. Adjust Speedo. 
4. Check hair in mirror.

US Army Rangers' Rules:
1. Walk in 50 miles wearing 75 pound rucksack while starving. 
2. Locate individuals requiring killing. 
3. Request permission via radio from 'Higher' to perform killing. 
4. Curse bitterly when mission is aborted. 
5. Walk out 50 miles wearing a 75 pound rucksack while starving.

US Army Rules:
1. Curse bitterly when receiving operational order. 
2. Make sure there is extra ammo and extra coffee. 
3. Curse bitterly. 
4. Curse bitterly. 
5. Do not listen to 2nd LTs; it can get you killed. 
6. Curse bitterly.

US Air Force Rules:
1. Have a cocktail. 
2. Adjust temperature on air-conditioner. 
3. See what's on HBO. 
4. Ask 'What is a gunfight?' 
5. Request more funding from Congress with a 'killer' Power Point presentation. 
6. Wine and dine ''key' Congressmen, invite DOD and defense industry executives. 
7. Receive funding, set up new command and assemble assets. 
8. Declare the assets 'strategic' and never deploy them operationally.
9. Hurry to make 13:45 tee-time.
10. Make sure the base is as far as possible from the conflict, but close enough to have tax exemption.
(Editor's Note: Hey, that's not...        Er, never mind. Concur. Carry on.)

US Navy Rules:
1. Go to Sea. 
2. Drink Coffee. 
3. Deploy Marines

(Editor's Note: I added this one...)

US Coast Guard Rule:
1. You have to go out, you don't have to come  back.









Thanks Tuna. You were right, that is good material!

Time Bandits

Caught this film on Netflix a few days ago. It has been an awfully long time since I'd seen it. I have to be perfectly honest with you. I love this movie.

It appeals to me on a number of levels.

It has history.

It has people in interesting pseudo-military attire.

Like this-

(Sadly, this wonderful actor, David Rappaport, is no longer with us.)

It has John Cleese, Michael Palin and Sean Connery.

It is British humor (though it was produced and directed by a Yank, Terry Gilliam to be precise).

Sound track by George Harrison.

Ah, a fine movie.

I think it's biggest appeal is that it takes me back to a time when I was footloose and fancy free. Living the life of a free spirit with naught a care in the world. Worked during the week, partied all weekend. Very few responsibilities. Very little in the way of obligations. (Not much in the way of brains either, but that's a tale for another time.)

No, I don't miss that at all. Seriously. I love my life as it's turned out and the journey has been nothing short of incredible. But it's fun to remember times as they were. (It all looks much better in hindsight than it actually was!)

Still and all, a fun movie.

Play This. Loud.

Stumbled across this, looking for something else.

I had forgotten just how much I enjoyed this song.

Enjoy...

International Incidents Я Us

For the past week or so, we've had some of these lads wandering about the work place.

In case you didn't recognize them, that's the Egyptian Army. (No, not all of them. Just a representative sample.)

You may recall that I work for a defense contractor. What with our own government having a bit of a budget problem (which is what happens when you put idiots in charge I suppose) my employer has been shopping our wares overseas. (And no, I'm not happy about that.)

So there's this group of young Egyptian types being escorted around the plant all week. I presume that they're all officers. (I really doubt they'd send lowly enlisted types to see our stuff.) I mean it's all very diverse and international. I'm sure the pResident will be thrilled to sell some really good weaponry to these guys. Me? Nah, not so pleased with that scenario.

But seeing these (ahem) gentlemen around the work place put me in mind of a technical school I once attended while wearing the uniform of the United States. Seems there were some Egyptian Air Force officers attending the same school. (In many third world nations, the officers do the work that us lowly enlisted-types normally do in these here United States.)

It also seems that my running mate Cookie (that's Staff Sergeant Cook to you airman) and I had this rather bad habit of humming the following tune whenever we saw these two Egyptian officers in the hallway or out on the playground smoking area.

Well, Cookie and I were told (in no uncertain terms) to "knock it off".

Reminds of the time in my younger days when working as a civilian in a factory. Seems we were assembling these machines for a foreign customer (bear in mind this was in 1973). One day the appropriate crew showed up to put the name plates on the machines. One of the older guys (a World War II vet) asked me if I knew what language these plates were in.

"Why yes Bob. That's Russian."

"Russian, why are we building stuff for the g-damn Russians?" Bob wanted to know.

He actually went over and created a fuss with the supervisor. Inquiries were made, questions went up the chain, answers flowed down the chain.

According to the suits, these machines were going to the Kama River Truck Factory. For to make tractors and trucks and other vehicles of a non-threatening nature. One of the guys asked me about that.

"Uh, the Kama River Truck Factory is the largest manufacturer of tanks in the Soviet Union." Was what I understood the case to be. Needless to say the proletariat in my little corner of the globe was not happy selling stuff to the Commies. Also, needless to say, management told me to not get the workers "all riled up". Selling these machines was good for the bottom line.

Grrr.

This week I have been restrained and well-behaved. I have not hummed "that song" at all. Of course, that was so long ago, few probably remember it. I do.

Susanna Hoffs was pretty easy on the eyes back in the day. And for being born in 1959, milady can still turn heads methinks.

Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles performing live in Sydney on 22 October 2010.
-Wikipedia (of course!)

Enjoy your Friday night.

The Friday Flyby - 24 May

Before the cool kids get to do this...

...or this...

There's a lot of hard work involved. In all sorts of weather. For long hours. Day after day after day. I know. I've "been there, done that". Somewhere in all the boxes in the basement, I've also "got the t-shirt". My blog buddy ORPO1 is still doin' it. And at his age! (I kid. I kid.)

You Can Read of ORPO1's Adventures
Here

In order to "keep'em flying", somebody has to work on them. Load them with gas, bullets and bombs. Clean the canopies, vacuum the cockpit, tweak the radar, etc, etc. Yes, boys and girls, I'm talking about aircraft maintenance. The guys and gals who do all the grunt work so the flyers can put on their fancy flight suits and go off and "slip the surly bonds".

Don't get me wrong, we maintainers love our aircrews, as long as they bring the jet back in one piece. Without too many write-ups (I think the nautical types call them "gripes"?)

When we sent a squadron down to the Philippines from Korea, we maintainers were up at the crack of dawn to load our equipment into the C-130s and then climb aboard ourselves to make the long flight south. The pilots and WSOs left a bit later, seeing as how their F-4s could move just a might faster than our Herky-bird. What's a C-130 you ask? Why here comes one now - 

Noisy and slow but she can haul a lot of stuff a long ways. She ain't all that comfortable but she can also fly without an engine or two. (And yes, I have experienced that. Thank you for asking. And yes, it was out over the sea between Okinawa and Korea. Just sayin'...)

So anyhoo, we're on the ground at Clark AB awaiting our birds. Line chief told me a little secret, any crew that landed with a write-up was obliged to buy the beer that night. Needless to say, "officially" there was nothing wrong with any of our 12 F-4Ds. We did have to, ya know, align a couple of things. A tweak here, a tweak there and we're all good to go spend our first night in the Philippines. Now that's a story I'm not sure I'll ever tell. Suffice to say, those who've been there need no explanation. For the rest of you... Maybe, we'll see.

So regardless of what uniform you wear. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force (yup, even the Coast Guard): if you work on military aircraft, I'm betting you've got a hydraulic fluid stain (or two) on that uniform!

So here's a big Chant du Départ salute! To the men and women of aircraft maintenance.

Thanks ladies and gentlemen, for all you do.

Keep'em Flying!

Oh, Yeah!

RIP Drummer Rigby

Drummer Lee Rigby
Second Fusiliers

I cannot believe just how angry this story makes me. The Ex Bootneck over at the Mellow Jihadi tells the tale.

Another good man lost because the so-called leaders of Western Civilization aren't fit to slop pigs. Let alone lead nation-states. I am sickened and appalled.

When will we say...

ENOUGH!