I received word late yesterday that Old War Dogs founder and good friend Bill Faith has passed away. He was a true patriot and gave everything he had to his family and country. We’ll miss him.

http://michellemalkin.com/2009/01/17/bill-faith-rip/#comments

http://www.oldwardogs.us/2009/01/bill-faith-aim-high-my-friend.html

http://www.blackfive.net/main/2009/01/blue-skies-to-b.html

Bill and I became acquainted during the “Kerry Wars” preceding the 2004 presidential election. He had teamed up with Russ Vaughn to create Old War Dogs as well as maintaining his personal blogs at Small Town Veteran and Bill’s Bites. He worked tirelessly to support veterans groups and charities and was a true Veteran-American.

True hope for us as a nation lies within that sort of mindset.
Never forget:

“For those who have fought for it, freedom has a taste the protected will never know.”

Warriors cry also. God speed buddy………

Added 01/10/09: An engineers prospective: Bill doing what Bill did best……

H/T to 1stCav for sending me the link. Due to improvements in barrel design, and the metallurgy used in the re-design, the M60 has once again proven itself to be one of the best weapons out there. They’ve always been reliable, but this is really something to see.

They clipped 850 rounds together and ran them all down the tube in one burst. Yikes! You can bet that was one hot SB. What do you mean soldier that you can see the rounds in the barrel? Only if it gets hot enough Sir………………………

Click on the pic to go to fugly.com and watch the video.

I had two of them issued to me at one point, but the M-79 in the picture left me a little blue. I had to destroy it.
Link here for the picture at:

Fractured Fairy Tales

We were wasting ammo (rotating stock) in the old rock quarry on a nice sunny afternoon and I was using the 40mm grenades (HE) to take a tree down. I squeezed off a round and it went poof, but nothing came out the other end. The round seized in the barrel. So much for old ordnance.

I disposed of the barrel and errant round with a bit of C-4 after salvaging the trigger housing and sights. That was just after a 2nd Lt. suggested we sand bag it and try to shove the round back out of the barrel to salvage the weapon. He was one of those people that would be missing a lot of fingers if they had anything to do with it in the first place. Sheesh……….

One of our original Old War Dogs just passed away. This post is to pay tribute where it is due for a good man and one of the last of the “Greatest Generation”. I have the up-most respect for men of his caliber and will miss him more than he shall ever know. That’s the hard part.

1st LT Werntz, John D.
72nd TC Squadron, 434th Group
9th USAAF, EAME Theater
1943-1945

Old War Dogs: Russ Vaughn on the passing of “The Greatest Generation”.

We’ll miss you my friend……………

Great news folks. Mad815 registered today and is one of the gunners in the picture of “Wild Thing” that Okie provided HERE. Working the rock quarries off compound was a lot safer thanks to these guy’s. Stray bullets, dynamite, and blasting caps just didn’t mix very well.

That makes four of us now that spent time together at Camp Dillard and have managed to hookup thanks to the Internet.

Merry Christmas and thanks for the gift that keeps on giving Mad815. Come to think of it, you may be responsible for me still being here in the first place. Welcome home Brother Deuce!

Mad815 sent me this picture of “Wild Thing” in it’s current re-incarnation. Heh, I didn’t realize it would actually follow me home. For the big picture just click on the image below.

I had the distinct pleasure of watching these guy’s using the Minigun. It’s a sound you’ll never forget, and won’t hear if you happen to be on the receiving end.

Here’s a video of one firing at about 3000 RPM if I’m hearing it right. Click on the YouTube button. The music track is just a bonus…..

I also would like to welcome Dick Bowman to the blogroll. He’s got a website dedicated to the 815th that chronicles the history of the unit and keeps tab’s on those of us that served with it. Nice job on his part.

Check it out HERE or click on the sidebar button in the left column.

Thanks Web!/Exspider/out/log on fire.

LGF operative This Ain’t Hell made it out to Arlington Cemetery for the “laying of the wreath” by Vice President Cheney at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers. TAL managed to get some good pictures and some video, so check it out.
Wreath laying at Arlington’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers

H/T to ya TAL and thanks for providing the following video: Nice job!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8je6VjeZq0

And on a related note The Gathering of Eagles folks made a stand against the Phelps wackos. Check out this post from The Mountain.

Gathering of Eagles vs. Fred Phelps Pod People

Rurik over at Veteran-American Voices put it succinctly with this post:

“Veterans Day truly honors all veterans. Some were grievously wounded, and instead of their lives, gave parts of their bodies. The others gave, at a minimum, two years of their lives in the midst of their precious youth, to serve while their friends partied or jump-started their careers. To live under abstemonious circumstances, often in inhospitable places and conditions. Those who served in the rear, always were aware that when things turn really ugly, even the clerks can be handed a rifle and told to use it, in places such as Bastogne, Pusan, and Chosin, and others. Even those who served in peacetime had to remember that peace can suddenly change, leaving them at an unprepared first line. And thanks to the Cold War, which cost some hundreds of lives apart from the various hot flare-ups, and the conflicts that have followed, there has never been real peace for America since sometime in the 1930s – and most of those vets ended up in World War II anyway.”

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Re-sinking John Kerry: Contributed by Russ Vaughn

I’ve been too busy to write anything lately but when I saw this, Kerry says he’ll be ready next time, the old animus came bubbling up once again.

From Davy Jones’ locker a zombie emerges,
A Purple Heart phony with political urges;
Assuring the press he regrets his Swift boating,
John Kerry believes his boat is still floating.
He readily admits that he got torpedoed,
But he’s up on his sail board, defiant and Speedo’d.
The arrogant fool believes his wife’s riches
Is enough to trump all of us Swift sons-of-bitches.

But John is a zombie, a dead sailor walking,
His brain is long dead but his mouth is still talking.
He needs a torpedo through his political heart,
Reducing his speeches to a bubbling fart.
Though Kerry pretends that his life isn’t haunted
By Vietnam vets he slandered and taunted,
The younger among them will bury this knave,
And stand waiting in line to piss on his grave.

If I were John Kerry I’d consider cremation,
Lest I lie in the soggiest grave in the nation.

Russ Vaughn
101st Airborne Division
Vietnam 65-66

Posted at Old War Dogs originally and shamelessly reproduced here with a hat tip to my good friend Russ Vaughn and BDFaith for keeping the ball moving down court.

It was a perfect week to take a break from the oil field. No consultants, engineers, or malfunctioning equipment to deal with, and that’s always nice once in a while. The weather has been top notch, with high temps around 60 and lows of 32 with lots of sunshine. Very nice indeed.

I got caught up with all of my environmental projects around here, and went “green” in the process. I cut, split, and stacked a bunch of wood (I call them carbon credits) and did a little yard work to boot. I’m ready for “global warming” when it arrives in a couple of weeks. No what I mean ALGORE?

I’ve spent quite a bit of time in front of a computer monitor this week, but that’s second nature and can’t be avoided. I’ve also been following a lot of the issues facing humanity and the world as we know it today, and reading as much I can. From where I’m sitting it all kind of looks like a Twilight Zone episode in a way. To use an electrical metaphor: This whole damn thing is 180 degrees out of phase, ass backwards, and has way to much input. The “it” is no longer connected to the “that” and the big red button may be our only option, if some wacko doesn’t push it for us first. Sheesh, what a mess….

Anyhow, I figure it’ll all work out in the long run. Heh, if we can’t fix the problem what good are we in the first place? If you have no faith, you are destined to fail.

Some would call all of this simple physics and I guess it is in a way if you just leave out the human element. The problem is that sometimes we can’t seem to make the connection between “it” and “that” or understand what has to exist to make it all happen in the first place. We are one and the same and don’t even realize it…………

So there you have it folks. That’s my excuse for not posting much lately. Honestly I don’t understand why they call it a “vacation” in the first place. But its still freedom so it can’t be all that bad. Sometimes it just requires a little effort to hold on to.

Remember that on Veteran’s Day this Sunday folks and if nothing else say a prayer for those that have and continue to serve for your right to exist as a free nation. Ya, I know, Monday is when most will pay tribute but Sunday the 11th seems more appropriate IMO.

“In 1918, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day in the eleventh month, after four years of bitter war, an armistice between the Allied powers and Germany went into effect, bringing the fighting of World War I to a close. Today, we celebrate the anniversary of that cessation as Veterans Day.”

Here’s a picture of some really big “carbon credits” I found while I was taking a break this week. Each weighs about 80-100 lb and split into 10-12 smaller credits.

I put those in my carbon credit bank account for next year. Heh, saving for the future, what a concept………

I’m fortunate in having had the opportunity to use some of the best of our military small arms and other assorted hardware. The good old M2 50 cal. is a fine example IMO. As a matter of fact I’ve got a picture around here someplace of a quad setup firing. Hmm… Now where did I put that?
Anyhow, check out the following videos if you are so inclined. If not, please ignore my self-indulgence. I’ll try not to bore you in the future.

Machine Gun Alley: You’d probably have to be there to really enjoy this one.

This is how it works.

I found the “quad” 50 Cal. pic by the way.

Fighting wars is serious business folks and it requires the proper tools, but it can’t be done without the human element becoming involved at some point. That’s the real problem, and one that can’t be avoided. You either win or you lose in the long run now don’t you?

Heh, my dreams alone would scare most people to death. That’s the real difference between Illusion and Reality.

The MK 19 belt fed 40 mm grenade launcher rocks also.

Video Here

Wikipedia

CSM Pendry, J. D. (retired) is one of the reasons that the good old US of A is still such a good place to live in folks. Take heed America, some of us did it for a reason, not because we had to.

Hat tip to ya J. D.! Thanks for making the rest of us proud of who we are, and who we have served with. It is an honor that some will never know……

Do You Know Me?
J. D. Pendry

“I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies …” Hillary Clinton

Just before the 2004 elections I had a self-chat about the state of things. The conclusions I drew were that Washington’s (unfortunately our country’s) politicians have little in common with me or most of us for that matter.

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Well deserved and we salute you Lt. Murphy!

Right Truth has a nice roundup here:

Honoring Lt. Michael P. Murphy

Lt. Michael P. Murphy is the first to be awarded the highest military award for combat in Afghanistan, the Medal of Honor. This is the first Navy Seal to receive this honor since Viet Nam. The Right Truth Book Club reviewed “Lone Survivor” by Marcus Luttrell with Patrick Robinson, which is the eyewitness account of Operation Redwing and the lost heroes of Seal Team 10 in Afghanistan. While this is a story about heroism, suffering, patriotism, and the kindness of strangers, it is also an indictment of American liberals, specifically the liberal media. Perhaps this is why the MSM failed to report on Michael Murphy and the Medal of Honor this week.

BlackFive was on this one from the get-go:

Someone that everyone, even the NYT should know….

______________________________

Marcus Luttrell was the only one to survive the events of that day and recounts his narrow escape in the “Lone Survivor“.

Hat tip to Nukes News and Views for bringing this issue to my attention. I needed something to rant about today, and this one strikes a hard chord for me, and it needs dealt with.

Thankfully I’ve never had to deal with the VA, but I do know a few old vet.’s that have. Let’s just say that the reviews I’ve heard weren’t very good. Sub-standard care and miles of paper work and driving make it very difficult, if not impossible to get treatment for those that truly deserve it.
A case in point would be the recent fiasco at the Marion Illinois VA facility involving a string of post surgical deaths. VA Watch Dog
Illegal aliens can get treated in our emergency rooms, yet we can’t take care of those that fight our wars? For all this country does for the rest of the world, you would think we’d at least scratch up enough money to take care of these folks in a respectful manner.

This is the mind set of the anti-war crowd in a nutshell. They are no different than those that turn grave stones over in our cemeteries. They are child like in nature, and have no respect for anyone or anything. They are a bunch of chicken shit losers that don’t have the balls to fight a real war.

The perpetrators used a liquid with an oil base to inflict some very significant damage to the entire length of the wall. I know I’m not alone in my outrage at the audacity of these clowns that can only see America and its hero’s as something to be trashed.

The YouTube video from Free Republic is HERE

Eagles Up has the pictures posted HERE also.

I thought they watched our monuments in DC a lot closer than this folks. Don’t they use cameras to monitor all of that important stuff?
Anyhow, the Code pink and ANSWER crowd make a big splash every time they show up in DC. It’s nothing but a clown show of course, but the main stream press eats it up, and won’t even touch something like this. Nooooo….. It’s all about how well the Hsu thing was handled by the Clinton Camp. I’m really starting to hate clowns. They sure as hell shouldn’t be running the rodeo.

My cousin Warren Duane Lilly was 82 when he passed away last week. He and his wife Wilma just celebrated their 60th anniversary July 19, 2007. He served as a Marine during WW2 and received a Purple Heart for injuries he suffered on Saipan, and another one in the battle for Iwo Jima. He was awarded a Silver Star for his actions on Iwo Jima also. He was a true Marine, father, and husband. He never forgot what he learned on those distant beaches while fighting for his country and will always be my hero. I’ll miss him.

This is one of those moments in life that are tough for this Old War Dog to handle folks. I don’t like crying, but sometimes I just can’t help it.

We laid him to rest Sunday with a 21 gun salute and our tears. He’ll live forever in Gods grace, and never be forgotten for his service to this country and his family.
See ya later Duane………

Rurik is a well renowned scholar when it comes to Russia and aviation history. He’s the author of these three excellent books on the subject so check them out. This guy knows his airplanes as well as the history behind them.

He just returned from another trip to that part of the world, and has some very interesting and sobering observations of life over there. The following is his post at Veteran-American Voices recounting his trip and his impressions of current day life in Russia.
If you read anything today, read this…..

First Reactions on the 2007 Russian Trip

Nice job George. I’ll email you later when and if I can get this spinning ball to slow down just a little. Sheesh, sometimes gravity wins, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to keep the blue side up now does it?……..

Colonel’s Corner - August 29, 2007

The days surrounding September 15 appear to be taking on a vital time for America…many officials testifying to Congress for and against various issues related to national security, the Commander-in-Chief is reported as preparing some policy announcement, anti-America elements preparing to spread false, misleading, and distorted messages…and further, American troops will be watching, listening, praying about all this, and yes, probably dying during this week, in hopes America will not let them down…not abandon moms, dads, sons, and daughters in harms way……….

I have a message for our gallant warriors and their families…Eagles will have your back and the back of your Commander, General Petraeus, in Washington, DC on September 15…..we will not abandon or betray over 200 years of warrior sacrifices to a minority willing to surrender it all.

The dog days of August have drawn to a close. This is the calm before the gathering political storm. On Sept. 15, the far-left group ANSWER (”Act Now to Stop War and End Racism”) will descend on the nation’s capital to demand what they’ve been demanding for the last six years in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks: immediate withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan; immediate closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and immediate release of every last suspected al Qaeda operative in American custody; immediate impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney; and immediate capitulation to our enemies at home and abroad.

Link Here

Terrorists Mortar Explodes Pre-Maturely

Heh, it’s not every day you get to see a 60mm mortar round go off in the tube. I liked that one. I still haven’t managed to get the LiveLeak videos to embed so just follow the link. It’s short (only 5 sec.), so be quick to check it out.

Bad things can happen with old ordnance once in a while. The M-79 in the picture gave me quite the scare. We would take the gun trucks and misc. weapons to the old rock quarry across from Camp Dillard on Sundays, use up some ammo, test fire weapons, and have a good time. I fired several HE rounds from this M-79, and then it went “poof” when I fired it, and the round didn’t come out the other end. I removed the sights and trigger housing and used a chunk of C-4 and some sand bags to make sure it would no longer be a problem.

H

You can’t imagine how good it is to hear from these guys. Okie put me in contact with another Deuce brother recently. Pelk has been in touch via email and jogging my memory for me also. His last tour in Vietnam ended when his deuce and a half took a B/44 rocket hit on QL-20. We both did drilling and blasting work in the rock quarries and we knew a lot of the same people.

Welcome home brother Deuce!

Pelk is the man on the left side of the picture next to and behind the guy with the mine sweeper, weapon at the ready and on the ball. I like that attitude. It keeps you alive….

First just let me say thanks to all of you that have stuck with me over the past couple of years, and for being the good friends that you are. I won’t elaborate and make a short story long, you know who you are. You know the rest of the story because you were there in the first place. Let’s just say that you’re one hell of a crew. You know, one of those deals that work for America rather than against it.

Anyhow, thanks for the breath of fresh air. It’s been hot around these parts (100 deg) lately and not a very conducive climate to wood cutting, but you learn to live with it after awhile. Basically you sweat now to stay warm later. I like that concept. It works every time.
I’ve been cutting some wood, (5 Hickory, and 2 big red oaks) in the cemetery where my dad and his dad are buried for the last 3 days. The slots are all filled and they’re expanding the grounds to accommodate the rest of us. Cool beans! At least I got dibs on the wood that once would’ve shaded my future grave. I’ll be sure to make good use of those carbon credits next winter with no thanks to Al Gore. I’ll cut my own wood and don’t need any clowns to help me stack it.

Blast from the past:

I recently (thanks to the Internet and friends), have come into contact with some others that saw the same part of the world that I did (Camp Dillard, Central Highlands,S. Vietnam) and would like to give them a H/T now.

Thanks Okie, You made my day a good one for me my brother…. Some things are best not forgotten and I thank you for the pictures and memories of days long past. You’re a good man to have on the team and I’m here to prove it because of people like you. Nice job Frank! Welcome Home and thanks for being there in the first place……

Okie’s pictures: The banana trees were nice and in my back yard. The gun truck was called “The Wild Thing”.

JB/OUT/stacking carbon credits (wood) and other stuff. We can burn BUNK when we run out of real fuel, (Al Gore) but it’s all the same in the long run. Nothing in, nothing out

H/T to you Bobby and thanks for the email. Nice song you got there brother….

I remember my dads song also, and he couldn’t (or wouldn’t) even sing in church because he wasn’t there in the first place, but he made sure we went. He sure seemed to get a lot done when we weren’t around anyhow. He passed that on to me I guess, I can’t sing either. LOL I know that for a fact, I’ve tried. Guitar maybe. Vocals are totally out of the question.

Anyhow I like this one. God Bless America. Hmmm…. Is that legal?