Today I purchased a Mil-spec American Flag (one that is made to military specifications). I should have known, but didn’t (or didn’t remember) that a mil-spec flag is quite a bit longer (stands out further from the pole when the wind is...
The combat infantry brigade that is still in Iraq–but is now called an Advise and Assist Brigade–so it’s not really a combat unit. Anyway, two of its fine soldiers were recently killed by rifle fire. I wonder if they were advising...
I teach American Govt at Grand Rapids Community College; today many of those students gathered at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans to spend time with those vets, playing games, talking, and serving them. I was proud to be asked to address the...
On 6 Oct Staff Sgt. Robert Miller will posthumously receive the Medal of Honor for sacrificing himself to save the lives of his Special Forces teammates and Afghan Army soldiers Miller “displayed immeasurable courage and uncommon valor”...
I do believe that main-stream Islam is a religion of peace. However, religions of peace tend to be very sensitive to the feelings of others. Since Islamists crashed the airliners on 9-11 in the name of Islam, no one with a tiny grain of sensitivity...
President Obama has now announced that all our combat troops are out of Iraq. It’s not true, but it is what he said—with great flourish. The following is from a letter from a soldier in Iraq. Our troops know when the boss is, well, not telling the...
I’m sure glad that President Obama invited the President of Egypt and the King of Jordan to be a part of the just-starting peace talks. Let’s see, our good friend Egypt receives $2 billion in US Foreign Aid annually and votes against us in the UN...
I remember my first exposure to the M1 rifle; I was a 9th grader in the Glendale High School ROTC in California. I remember learning that the “US Rifle, Caliber 30, M1, is a semi-automatic, air cooled, gas operated, clip fed shoulder weapon.” It had...
We were told today that President Obama called former President Bush from Air Force One. I’m guessing that the purpose was to tell him that in his speech tonight that Bush wasn’t going to get blamed for everything. Of course, Bush...
Yesterday was the first day of school. I teach American Government, a required course, at Grand Rapids Community College. I absolutely love teaching this class–and really like the first day. I had 3 classes yesterday. My challenge is to wake...