Nothing worth noting... just an 'h' of difference...

It is August, I am a month closer to  my death. The Army Marksmanship Team decides to not shoot in the shoot off of the President's Hundred matches at Camp Perry. They must be paying for their own bullets and saving themselves for future competition. Back in the day, when I lived Diamonds being Trump (First Sergeant) in the 82nd Airborne Division, I had a 'Jump anytime list' of volunteers - if I had parachutes for airborne operations that I needed to fill, those would take it. The day they said they wouldn't jump that time, they came off the list. They only got to get off the list the same number of times I gave them an opportunity to get on it, once. I also wouldn't put up with paratroopers that would endanger everyone else on the jump by becoming a 'jump refusal' when inside the aircraft and the jump commands being given. That only happened to me as Jump Master one time, it was a soldier from another unit, and I would have killed him and thrown him out if my anger hadn't been under control. The safeties took him out of the stick, secured him and he landed with the aircraft. He should have been courts martial-ed then, but wasn't. He came up before me for a promotion later, and I gave him all the points I felt he deserved to become a sergeant. Easy to score. The Army changes, and I hardly know how, I was once so flexible. Probably the whole Army of One, political correctness thing.

Or it could be cowardice. Which makes you wonder, because all soldiers are heroes, with medals and bands and parades and gee aren't they wonderful! Most of their real heroes aren't ever known to the public or beyond the small circle of people that were there. And don't get started on the command structure holding up recommendations for awards, for petty reasons - or awarding it to build self esteem. Duh.

But cowardice isn't something the military normally worries about, I figure the cowards are going to find jobs in safe areas, and those that fight over their better sense and their fears will be brave because it works better than the alternative. When you find cowards winning battles and wars, well, they weren't real  battles or wars.

I was looking at Kevin's blog, and found a link to Ann Barnhardt and she wrote well "On Cowardice". For reasons I don't understand I had trouble linking it to this, but you have all you need to find it-- much better reasoning and writing than I did, but I do agree with her... if you sit and watch, afraid to speak or act, you will die. Along with all the others. Why the regular politicians don't like the TEA Party, is that it isn't one of the organized regular political parties, and they vote.

I understand that the organizations and businesses will have to provide birth control for women, even if their religious beliefs say no. Not a problem in my mind. Last I heard the Roman Catholic Church gives it away for all women, of all ages for free. Chastity and abstaining have always prevented births unless God decides differently. And it doesn't cost anything.

I find thinking ill of those soldiers in the Marksmanship Unit as cowards, afraid to take some more shots, or that the government is really made up of fools that think the Constitution is not important, think that the Revolutionary War was won by media madness and those with the most money and rock star qualities; I find it sad and hard to take. So I did go walk and enjoy the day and the sunshine. Hope all your days are blest.