OP FOR

’89 Heard From Today in Alaska

LTCOL P — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 00:32:19 +0000

“Duffy Takes Command of 673d Air Base Wing:” “Duffy entered the Air Force in August [sic] 1989 as a graduate of the Air Force ROTC program at the Virginia Military Institute.” 89! 89! 89! Good work, BR!

Blade Length and Petty Tyranny

LTCOL P — Wed, 30 May 2012 00:01:59 +0000

Someone help me answer these questions: Why is a knife blade 2 1/2 inches long OK, but anything longer is bad? Is a blade 2 3/8 inches long really that much better but 2 5/8 is worse? Why is a blade 2 7/16 inches long just fine, but a blade of 2 9/16 inches simply [...]

And More Memorial Day, 2012

LTCOL P — Mon, 28 May 2012 23:48:40 +0000

I risk being invidious in this post; who can illuminate the sacrifice of one but not dim the countless others? However, I will try. As I was driving north today on I-81, past Lexington and past New Market, my thoughts turned to this Marine (and fellow alumnus): [...]

Army Nixes PMAGs?

LTCOL P — Sat, 26 May 2012 23:01:26 +0000

Where did this come from?? The Army has ordered that soldiers may use only government-issued magazines with their M4 carbines, a move that effectively bans one of the most dependable and widely used commercial-made magazines on today’s battlefield. The past decade of war has spawned a wave of innovation in the commercial soldier weapons and [...]

Memorial Day 2012

Townie 76 — Sat, 26 May 2012 03:13:12 +0000

While not officially Memorial Day my wife and I attended a funeral today in Arlington Cemetery; the funeral was near the Amphitheater and the Tomb of the Unknown, after the funeral my wife and I took a few minutes to walk up the hill to the Amphitheater. Sir Moses Ezekiel VMI Class of 1866 designed [...]

Will MIAMI Sail Again?

LTCOL P — Fri, 25 May 2012 12:43:33 +0000

Apparently the fire aboard USS Miami has done significant damage, at least enough to raise questions about whether the Navy will repair her and put her back in service: “The duration of the fire suggests extensive damage that could render the vessel useless. These submarines were designed decades ago. So they’re no longer state of [...]

Length of Pull on a Bolt Action Rifle

LTCOL P — Mon, 21 May 2012 01:16:50 +0000

Very much in line with what we’ve been talking about on the Old Contemptibles, here is a question from Sipsey Street: A reader asks, and although I have my opinions, I’m wondering what you readers have to say. Remember to look at it from two points of view, from the big shooter forced to deal [...]

Obviously They Haven’t Learned the Lesson

LTCOL P — Sun, 20 May 2012 11:51:39 +0000

PsyOp Cop sent this to me: PALISADES PARK, N.J. – Japanese officials are asking a small northern New Jersey town with a large Korean immigrant population to remove a public monument dedicated to women who were forced into sexual slavery by Japanese soldiers during World War II. … Town officials have declined the request to [...]

The “Old Contemptibles” and Their Marksmanship Challenge

LTCOL P — Fri, 18 May 2012 12:16:14 +0000

Go here. Read the links. Try the marksmanship and gunhandling challenge with your bolt gun, over iron sights. Even if you only have a 100 yard range; use a smaller target and see how well you do. Report results!

Hoss Unloads

LTCOL P — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:58:06 +0000

Apparently, the Air Force ain’t the only ones having a bad week: The Pentagon should brace for another $250 billion or more in cuts even if sequestration does not occur and must revolutionize how and what it buys, warned Hoss Cartwright, former vice-chairman of the Joint Staff, in a speech that savaged sacred cows from [...]