Well Done Boy

We love it when our children do well and, of course, it grieves us when they don't. So well done boy on passing your promotion board this morning, by unanimous consent. This means he's off to Sergeant School in July.

front row, second from left

It's been a bit of a journey, both before and after he marched off the field at Benning, but he's risen to the challenge. Good work, keep it coming, and thanks again to LL for solid mentorship.

Happily,

LSP

Reflections

It's freezing here in Texas because anthropogenic global warming has heated up the atmosphere making everything colder. No kidding, thanks to racist carbon dioxide emissions there's snow in North Texas, thus proving the old adage, "Don't pay your climate tax, suffer the Ice Age, Fascists." That in mind, I've got the heat on at the Compound and time to reflect.

"Reflect on what?" you ask in baffled amazement, "The climatic disaster of cis-gendered appropriation of the ecosphere, allied with systemic oppression of the mujerista other?" Well yeah, obviously, but also the US military. A few thoughts.

As Private LSP guided us around the National Infantry Museum he turned to me and said, "I'm part of the greatest military the world has ever seen." He wasn't boasting, just stating a fact, and I replied that unless I was missing something he was right. America, to put it simply, can put more ordnance on target than any other force in history, and can do so with remarkable speed and accuracy on a global scale -- from land, sea, air and space. The US military is, in a word, a devastating machine.

A brief visit to Fort Benning gives you a glimpse into it, an immense base, modern, tight, remarkably efficient as thousands of recruits go through their paces under the eyes of the Drills. It's a far cry from its English equivalent, not least because of the size and newness of the thing. For example, the entire Prince of Wales Divisional training depot as it was in Lichfield would fit into the 2nd Battalion, 47th Infantry facility at Benning. And that's just one one of many, all of them up to date, in excellent order and professional as the day's long.

The young soldiers were professional too, or at least learning to be. All the privates I met, and I met lots, were intelligent, motivated and comparatively mature. I was seriously impressed by the caliber. That said, Private LSP relates:

"When we were training for the graduation parade, the Drills would order us to march up and shout out the Soldiers Creed, ending with 'I am an American Soldier!' then they'd look you in the eye and say 'No you're not. Next!'"

I had to laugh. It reminded me of long ago being asked by my Platoon Commander on a somewhat beat up infantry training depot in the Midlands: 

"LSP, do we pay you?"

"Yes, Sir."

"That's ridiculous and absurd. You should be paying us."

And there you have it, just some random observations.

Stay warm,

LSP

The Graduate

No, not the movie featuring Simon & Gurfunkle but my eldest boy's graduation from Basic at Fort Benning on Thursday. And I won't lie, it was emotional stuff, beginning with the walk to the Parade Field. Keep it together, parents.

That achieved, we appropriately ended up at the front with the Padre and on it went. I know many of you have done or witnessed this very thing so I won't go over the detail, but I was more than proud at the march past. Well done.

#2

We met up in front of the National Infantry Museum later and got a guided tour from the newly minted Private. He was enthusiastic and more than a little in awe of his ancestors, and rightly so. I thought seeing Goring's Baton was especially neat; encrusted with Luftwaffe diamonds, thank you very much. Well, hubris met nemesis and Carinhall is notoriously no more.

After the museum we headed out to a pleasant restaurant in Columbus, there is one, and then the Private navved us to the mall for a dose of something not military as well as an iPhone. After that it was on to Sandhill Gate for a tour of the boy's billet and training ground. It was good to see.

We ended up in the car park outside 2/47's compound where everyone got a chance to meet, greet and congratulate as incoming recruits were being beasted (smoked) by their Sergeants on the way to dinner. The graduates looked on with knowing amusement, they'd been there before.

The party ended at 1800 with a final formation in the rain, and we watched them till they marched off to a final night at Benning and their next assignment, AIT. 

I tell you, it was a great day. Well done, boys.

LSP

Shoot!

Sexless drones of the New World Order aren't able to defend themselves, but it's different for free citizens. That in mind, I loaded up a couple of guns in the rig and drove out to Karen's for bean and brisket burritos, so tasty, and then the range.

It felt good to get out in the country for a shoot, just you and the guns under a big Texan sky, complete with hawks and vultures swooping and gliding in search of prey. To say nothing of a green silhouette, a Glock, a Ruger and an AR.

We opened up with the pistol, .45 ACP smashing into paper with more or less accuracy, and then some brisk action with .556. Well done, gas gun, annoying to clean, fun to shoot. And I like this rifle; Bison barrel, Hipertouch trigger, Fortis handguard (light and easy), Primary Arms red dot and Magpul here and there. What a neat little heater. The .22, Brits would say "tutu", was fun too, well done, Ruger.

And that was that, a great afternoon at the range and a good time had by all. It'd been far too long since I was able to get out in the field so it was good to be back. Thanks, modern medicine and firearms tech.

In other news, the Recruit passed all his tests and grads from Basic at Fort Benning on Thursday. He tells me he enjoyed chucking grenades about. Boom. On the way to Georgia now.

I dedicate this short if heartfelt post to RRH who shot well for the first time ever, and Branston, who passed from darkness to light. No small achievement in either instance. As always, gun rights.

MAGA 2020

LSP

Cadet Update

Far-sighted readers of this inconsequential mind-blog might recall that my eldest boy walked away from a life of Canadian basements and Scandanavian Death Metal to a life in the US Army and, presumably, yet more Death Metal. Good call, kid, and he's in Basic right now at Fort Benning. How's it going?

Well, it seems. The kid's in White Phase, which is all about weapons and fitness, and he shot "expert." The Cadet wrote, "I can shoot an M4, apparently." 

And so you should. No excuses, only results, not that there's any, ahem, parental pressure. He can also run, he tells me, which is important in the Infantry and a miracle given sheer laziness leading up to his ordeal in Georgia. But hey, 19 years old and ready to go, well done.

Some kids, he writes, are so unfit they have to be recycled through BCT again, how did they get past the recruiters? Quotas, I'd imagine. Regardless, the boy's doing well and respect, he's made a good turn 'round. I do not say that lightly.

Signals

Next step? Blue Phase and Graduation, I'll be driving over to the Army in Georgia for the occasion. Of course he's fixing to go jump school... easy tiger.

God bless,

LSP

Basic

Finally got a letter from the kid, who's cleverly found himself part of an Armored Brigade at Fort Benning. Such is Basic Training, and stick with it Kid.

He writes, "Zero Week was lame as hell, all we did was hang around and get uniforms. Now all we do is work out and stay tired."

You know what they say, train hard, think positive, fight easy. 

Go Panthers,

LSP

Boy's At Basic

Joining the US Army's quite a process. It took my eldest son, the Recruit, four months and I have to hand it to the recruiters, they kept the boy engaged. Given the nature of the teen beast, things could easily have turned out differently. 

But they didn't, and the kid shipped out to Fort Benning yesterday to be with the Army in Georgia; he  left a very soldierly(!) sounding message last night, excited to be on his way. Of course he has the pleasure of looking forward to this:

Well you know what they say, character building, and in the long term so much better than sitting around playing Death Metal, awesome as that is. So well done Recruit, get through Basic and evolve up.

More on this exciting story as it unfolds.

Go Army, 

LSP

The Cane

Here's the thing. The broad path of licentiousness, of "do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law," of "No Gods No Masters!" is all very well until you get to the rodeo and end up with 3 screws in your femur. Don't do that, enter by the "strait gate" instead, or its anemic friend "narrow door."

Lectionary notes aside, the Recruit suggested I try out a cane at Walmart and guess what, it worked. This means bye-bye walking frame, hello cane. And I tell you, I like the evolution. So does the dog. The appalling frame confused Blue Eschaton. But perhaps you're asking "is there a sword in that stick?" and "if not why not?"

Don't worry, we'll sort it out. In the meanwhile, the kid's with Uncle Sam, waiting to fly out to Ft. Benning tomorrow. More on that later.

Cheers,

LSP

Turn Of The Screw

Turn of the screw, as in Epstein starts giving up Clinton state secrets and Comey sings under that good old Horowitz method? We wish, but no, it was all about driving to Waco to get staples out and x-rays on the hip to make sure everything was Trump Train according to plan.

Apparently it was, "Nothing crazy down there," observed an attractive radiologist before sending me upstairs to the staple shop. I grinned back, she was reassuring, and headed out to the next date with destiny.

A bored staple mechanic asked me to "stand over there," so I hopped over to a naugahyde examining couch and stood there, wondering what to do. "Look, I can't take them out if your shorts are in the way." I sorted that out, she set to with a handy pair of pliers and out they popped.

Then another medical professional swung by and gave me the run down. Nothing crazy down there, just three enormous screws holding my bone together. Start putting weight on the leg, exercise the muscles but listen to your body and sure, you can ride again if you're stupid. Do the screws go away? "No, you've bought them, they're yours."

I liked her for that and cleverly didn't say, "Yes, Ma'am, but aren't they a gift from Baylor to the Church?" And that was that. The Recruit wheeled me out of there and taxied us back to the Compound. 

And no, we didn't stop at Waco's fabled Silos. Why? Because they're overpriced rubbish. On a different and happier theme, the youngster ships out to Benning late August.

And that was troublesome to me, hurry up Army! But it's turned out for the best, as it goes. 

Stand firm against Satan's New World Order,

LSP