For the next few weeks or so Guy K of Charming, Just Charming has agreed to blog for us. We’re very excited and looking forward to having him. He’s outspoken, doesn’t mix words, and his very funny. It should be a good time for all. He starts Monday, but in the mean time check out his blog and this interview he did for us a while back to get acquaintedwith Guy.
…and this picture from his blog had me dyin’:
What are 3 things your readers probably do not know about you?
1. I’m a college dropout. I started attending Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, LA in the fall of 1983 as a Music Education major. I lasted less than a semester before dropping out and joining the Army. I did eventually graduate from West Point in 1990.
2. I watch the Miss America pageant every year. My wife Mugs and I met at the West Point Prep School on the night of the Miss America pageant in September 1985. So each year we try to watch the pageant together.
3. I hate shaving.
How long have you been blogging and why did you get into blogging?
I just started blogging for this deployment, beginning August 2007. I wanted
to use it as a mechanism for keeping in touch with family and friends.
What is your military experience?
I signed up on the delayed entry program after dropping out of college in 1983. After Infantry OSUT and Airborne School, I was assigned to B Co, 2-508th PIR, 82nd Airborne Division. From there, I went to the US Military Academy Prep School and then on to West Point. I graduated in 1990 and was commissioned a 2LT in the Corps of Engineers. I’ve had some great assignments in the Army: Schwetzingen, Germany (Platoon Leader, Co XO, BN S4); Fort Carson, Colorado (Engr Bde A/S3, Company Commander); Madison, Wisconsin (Grad School); West Point, New York (Assistant Professor); Seoul, Korea (US Forces Korea Geospatial Staff Officer); Fort Shafter, Hawaii (BN S3 and BN XO); Canberra, Australia (Geospatial Exchange Officer); Mosul, Iraq (OIC and Area Engineer).
What are some of your other favorite Milblogs?
I enjoy reading Badgers Forward to see what the Engineers are up to. I also
get a kick out of AWAC.
What has been the biggest factor in helping you create and publish a successful blog?
It was an excuse for me to buy a new digital camera! So I have to keep posting on the blog to justify buying the camera. My wife’s entries are always a riot to read.
Do you have anything else you would like us to mention about you, your blog, or your readers?
My blog is family-friendly. I’ll make sure that it is always kid-safe since I want my own kids to be able to read it at any time.
What are 3 things your readers probably do not know about you?
1. I have a theater degree with a concentration in directing.
2. I spent the US Bicentennial (July 4, 1976) in the USSR, on a High School Russian Club class trip.
3. The Nudings in the US trace our origin to an ancestor who immigrated to the US in 1817. Genealogical records show the first Nuding, Georg, appearing in Geradstetten (outside Stuttgart, Germany) in 1600. His ethnic or geographic origin prior to 1600 is entirely unknown.
How long have you been blogging and why did you get into blogging?
I have always loved to write. Writing has always been a big part of my civilian employment as an Information Technology (IT) Consultant and Project Management Professional (PMP), as well as my military work as an Intelligence Analyst, military occupational specialty (MOS) 98C and 96B.
Prior to being activated with the 42nd Infantry (Rainbow) Division, NY Army National Guard, my unit, the 642nd Military Intelligence (MI) Battalion (BN), was due for a 6 month rotation to Bosnia as part on a UN Peacekeeping mission. As our mobilization approached, I discovered several well-known military web logs (blogs, or more specifically MILBLOGS.
I saw how milbloggers like Greyhawk , Citizen Smash, and Blackfive had an excellent opportunity to comment on all things military from their blogs. Most importantly, their perspectives, insights and commentary stood in sharp contrast to what passes for “Journalism” on the part of mainstream (news) media (MSM). They spoke of “reality on the ground,” and in preparing for deployment, I knew they would be could voices to listen to.
Shortly thereafter, our deployment mission changed, and we were going to Iraq. I was a strong supporter of our efforts against Saddam Hussein specifically as a supporter of terror against the US, and in his defiance in the face of repeated injunctions by the UN Security Council. I knew he had weapons of mass destruction, and a proven willingness to use them against ethnic minorities and opponents. I never expected to be part of that effort in the National Guard, but I was proud to be called upon to serve in this way. I made note of Blogger, and what looked like a manageable process to start the blog.
Once I had reliable internet at the mobilization site at Fort Drum, I started Dadmanly in August 2004.
I have got to tell you folks it has been a pleasure posting on VA Joe.
Stop By Sarge Charlie and visit………..
“It appears we have appointed our worst generals to command forces, and our most gifted and brilliant to edit newspapers! In fact, I discovered by reading newspapers that these journalists/geniuses plainly saw all my strategic defects from the start, yet failed to inform me until it was too late. Accordingly, I’m readily willing to yield my command to these obviously superior intellects, and I’ll, in turn, do my best for the cause by writing editorials - after the fact.”
- Robert E. Lee in 1863.
CHECK THIS OUT……….
THE BEST VIETNAM PHOTO TOUR I HAVE SEEN
Old Soldiers Night Sweats
by Gary Jacobson © November 2005
Long gone brave soldiers of history
During long nights, they visit me
Long dead grunt infantry
Bring back memories of days of infamy.
At first they frightened me.
I see them marching under withering sun
Primed for action their trusty gun
Faces of old friends file by, one-by-one
Then pointing fingers in my face, come those I killed
Contrite with haunting contrition I’m filled.
They leave me with this thought in veneration
Old soldiers know this new generation
Would in this evil world see battle’s action
Would as they, face fear, death and pain
But please God, let it not be in vain!
We old soldiers wonder, as we stare into space
Seeing the past before us race
Remembering wrongs and rights done in wars great haste
Have we made the world a better place
Brought to bear sage healing grace?
Have we learned for neighbors to be more tolerant
Have political leaders learned they’re a public servant
Always for the will of the people observant
Elected to restore the good life assiduous
Not to foster insane wars vainglorious.
Screaming, I hear familiar voices of men distorted
Caught in the wrong place, young lives aborted
By demons of war and a throw of the dice sorted
Dream of old battlefields with these old vets
I toss and turn with awful night sweats.
How can I forget my torrid history
When brothers come every night to remind me
That old enemy comes to haunting … taunting?
O that I could bring brothers back into the land of living
If I could take back the all they’re giving.
So, have we learned as our forefathers
To winnow out our nation’s ill-wishers
To walk softly but carry a big stick
For pages of history before us turn deadly quick
To discern true evil where we have a bone to pick?
THIS WAS GOOD WHEN IT WAS POSTED IN 2005, AND IT IS STILL GOOD TODAY
Still Patrolling the Perimeter 
by Gary Jacobson © November 2005
Ghostly soldiers march by one-by-one
Husband, father, brother, son
Hup … hup … hup … go passing men guarding the wall
Still patrolling the perimeter after these years all.
These men who fear no death
Possess the wall in spirit and breath
Protecting spirits hover ever near
Patrol in timeless bravery here…
The air hangs silently … but for trampling feet
Watching mothers bawling tears bittersweet
Others at the memorial bow their head
Give hallowed honor to these marching dead.
A young girl heartbreakingly cried
I wish my father hadn’t died
I loved him so
Why didn’t he wait till older I could grow?
Remember them … the liberty they wrought
Freedoms with sacred sacrifice they bought.
Salute these heroes marching strong and brave
Honoring lives their father’s gave.
Nearby veterans come to attention
Tears in their eyes in solemn admiration
Respectfully in memorial shed rivers of tears
At the heart of a nation their memory sears.
They fought for you … they fought for me
Their spirit is what kept America free
With love of country they boldly avow
Nam’s sweat and blood upon their mighty brow.
See them file by, young as yesterday
Still looking for enemies in this wild fray
Visions of honor and duty swirling in their head
To this land of the free, they’ve led.
As they pass by, they look back now and then
On a world they gave their lives for, way back when.
Have we made progress on peace they fought for
For which they gave their lives for … in awful war?
What have we learned
In many years pages one-by-one turned
Since we put those men on that wall…?
Have we learned anything … anything at all?
Now you folks just have to bear with me because we are taking a footpath, stretching through 14 states, 2,175 miles long, for Maine to Georgia. Conceived in 1921 and completed in 1937 along the ridge line of the Appalachian Mountains. Most of the work done by the CCC.
Maine: 281 miles
The northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail is Katagdin., 5,267 ft. high, in Baxter State Park in central Maine. The Trail continues southwest to Monson, eventually crossing the Kennebec River, at about the Maine halfway point. Many mountains later, and after passing through the famed Mahoosuc and Grafton notches, the Trail enters New Hampshire.
New Hampshire, 161 Miles
Continuing through the rugged Mahoosuc Range, the Trail enters New Hampshire and then makes its first ascent in the state up Mt. Success and continues to the White Mountains. You can visit the headquarters of the AMC hut system at Pinkham Notch, at the foot of Mount Washington.
Vermont - 146 Miles
The Trail enters Vermont after crossing the Connecticut River. After joining up with the Long Trail at Sherburne Pass, the two trails are contiguous for 95 miles through the Green Mountains.
Massachusetts - 90 Miles
After entering Massachusetts near Williamstown, the Trail winds through the Berkshires before going on to cross the Hoosic and Housatonic Rivers. One peak it climbs is Mount Greylock (3491′), the highest point in the state.
Vermont - 146 Miles
The Trail enters Vermont after crossing the Connecticut River. After joining up with the Long Trail at Sherburne Pass, the two trails are contiguous for 95 miles through the Green Mountains.
New York - 88 Miles
The wildness of the A.T. is surprisingly close to New York City. You can take a bus from the city and be on the Trail within an hour. The trail crosses the Hudson River, entering Harriman-Bear Mountain State Park, where the first section of the A.T. was completed in 1923. Heading south, the trail then passes through the newly protected Sterling Forest.
New Jersey - 74 Miles
The Trail in New Jersey goes through the Wawayanda State Park, later passing through High Point State Park. It then follows the Kittatinny Ridge and passes Sunfish Pond on its way to the Delaware Water Gap.
Pennsylvania - 232 Miles
The Trail enters the state at the Delaware Water Gap, following the eastern rim of the Alleghanies before crossing the Cumberland Valley on its way to Maryland. The Trail in Pennsylvania has the reputation for being just a wee bit rocky.
Maryland - 41 Miles
The Trail follows the crest of South Mountain until it comes down and briefly joins the C&O Canal for a couple of miles before crossing the Potomac River, and entering Harpers Ferry.
West Virginia - 2 Miles
The Trail passes within a few 100 yards of the ATC headquarters before crossing the Shenandoah River, and continuing into Virginia. Thru-hikers think of Harpers Ferry as being the psychological half-way point of the Trail - even though the actual half way point is in Pennsylvania. (In southern Virginia, in the Peters Mountain area, the trail goes briefly along the West Virginia-Virginia border.)
Virginia - 544 Miles
About a quarter of the Trail lies within Virginia, including about 100 miles through the popular Shenandoah National Park. Further south, the Trail generally parallels the Blue Ridge Parkway, eventually going through the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area and then coming into the town of Damascus, where Trail Days are celebrated every May.
Tennessee-North Carolina - 371 Miles
After leaving Virginia, the Trail goes for about 70 miles through Tennessee before beginning to follow the TN-NC border. In this area, the Trail crosses through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where it reaches its highest point, Clingmans Dome, before continuing through the Nantahala Forest.
Georgia, 75 Miles
The Trail goes through the rugged Chattahoochee National Forest before reaching its southern terminus at Springer Mountain. Many hikers are surprised to find that one needs to first hike eight miles from Amicalola Falls in order to reach the beginning of the Trail’s southern end.
Now folks, you know the rules, if you liked this little trip down the Appalachian Trail, leave me a little note, I have more of this stuff…………..
What started as a simple, nonscientific way to help our visitors determine which candidates are most closely matched with them on issues has exploded into a nationwide phenomenon. In less than a month, nearly 1 million people have taken the Candidate Calculator, and it has attracted significant media exposure, including coverage on CNN’s The Situation Room, the Glenn Beck Program and countless high profile bloggers. Glenn Beck even had presidential candidate Mike Huckabee go through the calculator to find his match.
VAJoe has done as much as possible to make the calculator as accurate as possible, but can only do so much since the candidates did not directly supply us with responses. In an effort to help make the calculator more accurate, VAJoe is asking all candidates included in the calculator to answer the questions according to their exact position on each topic. In addition, VAJoe will give candidates who respond a dedicated page on the site where they can discuss the issues that they believe are most important and include additional content. VAJoe will then promote those pages to its visitors. VAJoe would also be interested to hear if any of the candidates would like to see additional topics in the calculator.
This is an open call to all presidential candidates to contact VAJoe, to let us know your positions on the issues and to elaborate on those positions on a dedicated page. Then our visitors can learn more about you and why you deserve to serve the country as president. Please contact VAJoe at lane@vajoe.com. It is unlikely many candidates will respond; many avoid declaring their stances on controversial issues. But any who do respond, such as Mike Huckabee, should be admired for putting themselves out there.
Talk Shows and Political Blogs
Because the election is a national debate that includes more than just the candidates, VAJoe also is inviting national talk show hosts and prominent political bloggers to use the calculator. VAJoe will post their results along with those of the candidates and link back to their blogs or websites. Just forward your results, your stance on the calculator issues and contact information to lane@vajoe.com. Please also include any reactions you’d like to share.
Capt. Warren R. Orr Jr
Airman George Wendell Long
Welcome home, we did not forget
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced that the remains of two U.S. servicemen, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
