USC MFA Thesis 2014

it's been interesting. some great writers.

March 23, 2003 - Nasiriyah Revisited | OPFOR

March 23, 2003 - Nasiriyah Revisited | OPFOR

two dogs and a frog

leopard frog, to be exact.

To what end did we fight? Fallujah...

Fallujah has gone to the dogs.
Again.
Wondering if my hooch beds up a bearded man and his WWII-era rifle.
A kid, his AK-47 rusted, dented -- still able to fire.
But you know what?
I really don't care anymore.
Nope.
Fallujah was the worst.
The ugliest. Dirtiest. Coated in grime. Profane and brutal.
Maybe once it was beautiful. A sacred town. But then and now, the people ceded to extremists. Not willing or able to stand firm. It's life and limb and a disjointed government which engenders no loyalty.

they own this.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/14/us-iraq-violence-idUSBREA0D19P20140114

Grand Canyon Part Deux…and the Model...

The Grand Canyon. Mother Nature's Big Beautiful Woman.

A road trip with the pooches and my girl.

It was good. 

Real good.

Exclusive: Controversial Marine sniper fires back at critics

interesting stuff. the real deal.

the guerrilla job search

well they say the economy's kicking up.
say jobs are back on the upturn.
unfortunately, i just don't buy it.
dealing with college-bound kids nearly everyday -- young Veterans included, it seems there's alota living with mom and pop.
granny's garage.
buddy's couch.
alota survival via Financial Aid.
and Student Loans.
but i gotta wonder -- what the hell are they gonna do once the cash cow peeters out?
that post-9/11 GI Bill runs it's course and you're left with an Associates Degree in Communications…
or heck, left with a few credits and whole bunch of student loans.
$80,000 hanging over your head and a Craigslist job search.
scary stuff.
i know...
made me think of an article i wrote for www.militarywallet.com awhile back.
by any means necessary.

http://themilitarywallet.com/guerrilla-job-search/

the DRAFT

insightful piece from the Washington Post regarding that dirty little American word -- the Draft.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dana-milbank-restore-conscription-restore-america/2013/11/29/8d5f7ef8-5935-11e3-8304-caf30787c0a9_story.html?tid=pm_opinions_pop

Home Defense – Basic Shooting Principles | SurvivalStrategies.net

on the eve of a gun show visit -- and the tattooed "Affliction" wearing zombie hunters who seem to have infiltrated the world of firearms via Sandy Hook and Big Brother Bloomberg -- a lesson in home defense. wrote this one a few months back and nearly forgot to post it on the ol' blog.

Home Defense – Basic Shooting Principles | SurvivalStrategies.net

p.s. don't try this @ home. you'll shoot your eye out…

Afghanistan -- the Wild Wild East

the Beautiful desolation that is Afghanistan. some stunning pix worth your perusal.  

http://dpshots.com/travel-photography/afghanistan-pictures.html

OC Beach Sign Problems #veterans

the hell?

OC Beach Sign Problems

US ARMY Camera Catches Afghans having sexy time with a goat...

LiveLeak.com - US ARMY Camera Catches Afghans gangbanging a goat

kids will be kids…

Rules of engagement bind U.S. troops' actions in Afghanistan - Washington Times

Rules of engagement bind U.S. troops' actions in Afghanistan - Washington Times

Charles Waterhouse, Famed Marine Artist, Dies

always liked Mr. Waterhouse's work.

first time i laid eyes on it -- the museum @ Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego.

with the Old Timers minding the halls.

wrinkled and gray. 

sporting red and gold. 

an eagle, globe and anchor ball cap.

some green tattoo blurred by the sun on their forearm.

looking @ us kids…like we had it all.

it wasn't the best of times -- the DIs just around the corner ready snatch us back.

but it gave you hope. 

a little @ least...

November 10th and the #VA

A year has passed. And not much has changed. 

Some sources claim 18 Veterans commit suicide a day. Nearly 30 percent of returning Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans are diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Despite a slight uptick in the economy, Veteran unemployment rates remain higher than the general population. These sobering statistics are compounded by the very organization that is supposed to help our returning soldiers -- the VA.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has been unable to handle the needs of our new generation of warriors — so much so, nearly 600,000 former service-members are currently awaiting their healthcare benefits to be approved by the VA.

http://www.guns.com/2013/05/27/the-disjointed-veterans-administration/

a belated Veterans Day 2013

nearly let it pass for the first time in a decade without a nod.
a thanks.


Semper Fi.

creases on camouflage

I took out my old camouflaged uniform and the creases were still there. 

Hadn't ironed them. 

Or starched them. 

Just took them right out the dryer and there they were -- the creases. So I placed them on a shelf, folded and neat.

I tried to write, but the words weren't there.

But the cammi's were.

Faded.

The dark greens were now pastels. The browns and blacks muted. 

Tattered fabric mapping field operations.

The running. The jumping. The hating. The sweat and the blood.

These were very old uniforms. Bootcamp issue.

I bring my cammi's to my face. Inhale deep -- crisp canvas and a hint of starch.

And the creases. White lines running the length of my thigh. Sharp and smoothed by the iron.

We'd starch them in garrison. The iron steaming, sizzling as it slid past the greens and blacks and browns.

I walk to the mirror and look at myself now. 

In my cammi's.

Like some Vietnam Vet marching against the war. Unshaven. Un-Sat. 

Like a GI atop some float, gray-haired, sporting his VFW colors, waving to the crowd on November 10th.

But my uniform doesn't fit well. It hangs off my frame, two sizes too big.

Like a different man wore this uniform.

Not me. Not me with sideburns and soul patch.

That's the funny thing. 

It was.

I take off my old uniform and fold it nicely -- remembering the kids who wore them too.

sundown @ old Fort MacArthur

once upon a time the West Coast was armed with 14-inch rail-guns.
firing explosive shells.
firing clear past Catalina.
but now, years later,  red-tailed hawks and brown-billed pelicans patrol the bunkers overlooking the sea.
and now, the mobile cannons are stripped bare.
just concrete and steel.
just sagebrush slowing creeping.
slowly taking back what's theirs.
the sunsets are dramatic. beautiful.
sit and watch the sun dip down past the horizon.
take in that moment.
because it is a very good one.

inspiration, soldier-style #OEF #veterans

pretty inspirational piece.
the next greatest generation.
volunteers to boot...

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/after-afghanistan-learning-to-walk-again-photo-1385072105015.html?soc_src=copy

lol...via #TerminalLance

*that's 'ole Mad Dog Mattis, for the uniformed.