D-League

[AustinTXCat]

Good morning from ATX. Currently 81°F and cloudy. Excessive heat warning in effect. High today expected around 94°F.

Chemo this morning. Hopefully return home around 1 pm.

Happy Hump Day, y'all.

 

[MdWIldcat55]

Good morning folks. Overcast in the east, and so humid walking around in it is like walking in dry rain - it’s not raining but you can feel how wet the air is. Welcome to summer in Washington.

I hope the chemo goes as well as it can go Austin.

I’m close to breaking the back of a work monster I’ve been grappling with for a couple weeks, but headed on early so it doesn’t get back off the deck.

Have a good day folks.

 

[BBUK]

Good morning all,

In the great metropolis of DC today.

Hope all goes well ATXC.

In the office with very few feet walking around this huge building. At least within my ear shot....

The boss liked that I came in without coaxing as my regular day in the office was yesterday.

Do the right thing....

My high level lead even told me I can contact her more than I am....

"Quirt Evans is a mighty cautious citizen."

Catch that one ...

Have a day today that pleases you ......

 

[BBUK]

Big error.... Dean Martin and Foster Brooks??? Yeah, right...

 

[AustinTXCat]

Good morning from ATX. Currently 74°F and clear. Cold front moved in. Today's high expected around 97°F.

Must begin colonoscopy prep this coming Sunday. Bah.

80th anniversary of event that changed the world.

 

[BBUK]

Good morning all,

Hard at it.. Barely keeping up. Engaging though...

Have a great day, I will be sitting here.... I am thankful...

 

[MdWIldcat55]

Good morning folks.

Remembering D-Day and those who gave “their last full measure of devotion” to quote a President about another, earlier battle of great consequence.

A while back I visited Bedford, Virginia, a tiny mountain town. By a sad quirk of fate almost all the men from that town had been in a national guard unit that had been absorbed into the 29th Division -and they ended up in the worst spot on Omaha Beach. Twenty men killed in a matter of minutes from one tiny town of a couple thousand people.

As a military history buff, I’m reading a new British analysis of Operation Bagration, the massive Soviet assault timed to begin around the same time as D-Day that engaged the Germans from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. As terrible as the fighting was from D-Day to the Battle of the Bulge six months later, the truth is 80 percent of the Germans killed in 1944 were killed in the east by the Soviet Army. It was a bad time to be a young German.

Pulling into my subway station. You guys have a good day.

 

[MdWIldcat55]

On D-Day's 80th anniversary I thought some of you vets might be interested in the way old units are kept alive in today's army.

I was embedded with the 299th Combat Engineers in March, 2003. Their original mission was to be the first unit into Iraq from Turkey in the north, and the seize and hold the oil fields at Irbil and Kirkuk. Then the Turkish parliament vetoed that, so they went in from Kuwait with the rest of the invasion force, and were part of the task force that seized the Republican Guard bases at Taji and Balad (which became Camp Anaconda.) Not exactly D-Day, but interesting times.

Later, the battalion C.O. sent me this t-shirt because he felt I'd treated them fairly. They still celebrate being the first unit to go into Omaha to clear beach obstructions ahead of the invasion force on D-Day.

 

[BBUK]

On D-Day's 80th anniversary I thought some of you vets might be interested in the way old units are kept alive in today's army.

I was embedded with the 299th Combat Engineers in March, 2003. Their original mission was to be the first unit into Iraq from Turkey in the north, and the seize and hold the oil fields at Irbil and Kirkuk. Then the Turkish parliament vetoed that, so they went in from Kuwait with the rest of the invasion force, and were part of the task force that seized the Republican Guard bases at Taji and Balad (which became Camp Anaconda.) Not exactly D-Day, but interesting times.

Later, the battalion C.O. sent me this t-shirt because he felt I'd treated them fairly. They still celebrate being the first unit to go into Omaha to clear beach obstructions ahead of the invasion force on D-Day.

View embedded media

Thanks for the insights.

The shirt reminded me of the time I was with USAREC. (11 or 12 years.) I worked for several Battalions, Brigades, and the HQ. I always had recruiting giveaways and I sure did. I enjoyed that part of it when seeing youngsters (Teenagers and younger.) That was just an enjoyable part of the job.

Many years after that I still relied on the recruiters to send and provide there tools of the trade. I actually think I swayed a couple doctors and nurses to join the Army during that time. (had a couple attorneys inquire but I hardly will step where I know an attorney steps... ) I don't hate them but I keep my distance... Dealing with one now... Geez..

As you know the attorney capital of the world is in DC... Litigators galore... Sounds like a 007 movie...

 

[Bert Higginbotha]

Good morning folks.

Remembering D-Day and those who gave “their last full measure of devotion” to quote a President about another, earlier battle of great consequence.

A while back I visited Bedford, Virginia, a tiny mountain town. By a sad quirk of fate almost all the men from that town had been in a national guard unit that had been absorbed into the 29th Division -and they ended up in the worst spot on Omaha Beach. Twenty men killed in a matter of minutes from one tiny town of a couple thousand people.

As a military history buff, I’m reading a new British analysis of Operation Bagration, the massive Soviet assault timed to begin around the same time as D-Day that engaged the Germans from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. As terrible as the fighting was from D-Day to the Battle of the Bulge six months later, the truth is 80 percent of the Germans killed in 1944 were killed in the east by the Soviet Army. It was a bad time to be a young German.

Pulling into my subway station. You guys have a good day.

The USSR and the Nazi's did not care about losses.

The USSR used penial battalions to clear mine fields and wasted men like they were useless vermin.

The Nazi's threw troops into battles that would be impossible to win, especially late into the war.

At Stalingrad 91,000 Germans surrendered to the Soviets. 86,000 of the 91,000 were killed.

Late in the war one of my uncles' company, in western Germany, were understrength and came upon a large group of Germans and thought that they had met their doom, but the Germans surrendered. The Germans were starving and looking for a way out. Surrendering to the Russians would be near certain death, the Americans and English and Canadians would treat them well.

 

[warrior-cat]

The USSR and the Nazi's did not care about losses.

The USSR used penial battalions to clear mine fields and wasted men like they were useless vermin.

The Nazi's threw troops into battles that would be impossible to win, especially late into the war.

At Stalingrad 91,000 Germans surrendered to the Soviets. 86,000 of the 91,000 were killed.

Late in the war one of my uncles' company, in western Germany, were understrength and came upon a large group of Germans and thought that they had met their doom, but the Germans surrendered. The Germans were starving and looking for a way out. Surrendering to the Russians would be near certain death, the Americans and English and Canadians would treat them well.

While running around some small towns in Germany during my first tour 1976-1979, I ran into a restaurant owner who spoke English very well and sat down with me for a bit to talk. While visiting the restaurant, one of his waitresses did not speak English (before I learned to speak German) so she got him to come out and take my order. After taking the order he was telling me stories about his time in the German Army during WWII and being a prisoner of war in a POW camp in the US.

He told me he was treated better as a prisoner of the US than he was as a soldier of his own unit. He was surprised by that and said that he would never forget how well he was treated and that as long as I was there (visited his restaurant) my meals and drinks were free.

Was not the only time I met people (older Germans) who felt that way.

 

[vhcat70]

Pulling into my subway station. You guys have a good day.

Did you order a 6" or footlong?

 

[vhcat70]

The USSR and the Nazi's did not care about losses.

The USSR used penial battalions to clear mine fields and wasted men like they were useless vermin.

The Nazi's threw troops into battles that would be impossible to win, especially late into the war.

At Stalingrad 91,000 Germans surrendered to the Soviets. 86,000 of the 91,000 were killed.

IIRC, the German Army in front of Stalingrad was originally 600,000, and those 5,000 were all that survived.

 

[AustinTXCat]

Good morning folks.

Remembering D-Day and those who gave “their last full measure of devotion” to quote a President about another, earlier battle of great consequence.

A while back I visited Bedford, Virginia, a tiny mountain town. By a sad quirk of fate almost all the men from that town had been in a national guard unit that had been absorbed into the 29th Division -and they ended up in the worst spot on Omaha Beach. Twenty men killed in a matter of minutes from one tiny town of a couple thousand people.

As a military history buff, I’m reading a new British analysis of Operation Bagration, the massive Soviet assault timed to begin around the same time as D-Day that engaged the Germans from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. As terrible as the fighting was from D-Day to the Battle of the Bulge six months later, the truth is 80 percent of the Germans killed in 1944 were killed in the east by the Soviet Army. It was a bad time to be a young German.

Pulling into my subway station. You guys have a good day.

Germans still list over 1,000,000 soldiers as missing. Not WIA or KIA, but missing. New remains discovered every month, primarily on old Eastern Front.

 

[AustinTXCat]

IIRC, the German Army in front of Stalingrad was originally 600,000, and those 5,000 were all that survived.

My former sister in-law's father in-law survived Stalingrad. Discussed conditions with him in 1985 or 1986. Indicated Russians worked the hell out of him while captive. Said he returned home to West Germany weighing 90 lbs.

Apparently two youngest grandchildren despised him for his favoritism toward oldest granddaughter during 80s and 90s. Once I mentioned he should have been respected as a Stalingrad survivor, even honored, youngest grandson got pissed as hell. He's 37. I attended his baptism. Discussion suddenly ended with grandson and my son both requesting I drop the subject.

 

[BBUK]

Good morning all,

Sitting in my chair again... We shall see where this day goes. Work, work, work... (Ain't doing no whistling...)

Have some patio furniture to put together some time later today.. Did some ant killing treatments yesterday on the outside of our home front and back... Let's see if I can sing the Pink Panther song....

Dead Ant, dead ant, dead ant dead ant dead ant, dead ant dead ant, dead ant dead ant... Maybe not, I may have lost my skills.... Nah...

Have a goodun...

 

[MdWIldcat55]

Good morning folks.

Glad to be working from home on Friday.

Beautiful, sunny day in the east. Got up early for a five mile run, and settled in to get as much done as I can so the weekend feels well-earned.

Interesting comments above about the scale of German losses in World War Two. One of the books I read had a monthly breakdown of combat deaths just on the Eastern Front. Of course it spiked during periods like Stalingrad and the Battle of Kursk in 1943, and definitely in the summer of 1944 during the battle I'm reading about now, Operation Bagration.

But what struck me is that from June, 1941 until April 1945, in just an average month something like 50,000 German soldiers would be killed on the Eastern Front. That's nearly the number of American dead in Vietnam from 65-72 or so, every single month, until it would spike during a major battle. The war in the East lasted 42 months and nearly three million Germans and several times that many Soviets died or vanished. Just for the Germans that's like 70,000-plus KIAs (or missing, and they ain't coming back) every month.

Ah well. We're living blessed lives in a wonderful country, during relatively peaceful and prosperous times, all things considered. I try to remind myself of that every day.

You all have a good one.

 

[warrior-cat]

Good morning all,

Sitting in my chair again... We shall see where this day goes. Work, work, work... (Ain't doing no whistling...)

Have some patio furniture to put together some time later today.. Did some ant killing treatments yesterday on the outside of our home front and back... Let's see if I can sing the Pink Panther song....

Dead Ant, dead ant, dead ant dead ant dead ant, dead ant dead ant, dead ant dead ant... Maybe not, I may have lost my skills.... Nah...

Have a goodun...

 

[AustinTXCat]

Good morning from ATX. Currently 77°F and partly cloudy. Today's high expected around 97°F.

Slowly starting colonoscopy prep. Heavy stuff begins next Tuesday. Need another MRI. Possibly week of 17-21st.

Cats play baseball today in Super Regionals. Go Big Blue!

Wishing y'all an awesome Saturday.

 

[Bert Higginbotha]

Morning. Sunny at the moment and 67.3°F with large dark clouds in the West. We are to top out at 82° with no rain, so so much for those clouds.

On the World War II front and basketball front: I used to go to AAU tourneys with Joe B. Hall. I would set with the coaches etc. My first AAU tourney I ended up next to Bob Knight and found out that he is was an expert on WWII. Overnight I would be home catching up on my encyclopedia so I would not look stupid the next day. I hated Indiana basketball but I loved Bob Knight.

Stalin was a sob when it came to killing or getting his country men killed. He, Hitler and Mao Zedong have the blood of hundreds of millions of folks on their hands. They should be damned.

@MdWIldcat55 you may be interested in "Letter for the Ages". It is book compiled on personal letters from Winston Churchill. The man had no fear of death apparently. During the Boers War he was heavily engaged and came through without a scratch. Sir Winston is one of my heros.

 

[BBUK]

Good morning all,

Thanks for the insights and input. While I do not have the depth of knowledge my broad admiration and thankfulness for those who sacrificed their personal safety and tranquility to fight evil has always given me the deep desire to serve against the same.

Sipping coffee and heading to the final soccer game this season... God Bless you of the D-League....

 

[MdWIldcat55]

@MdWIldcat55 you may be interested in "Letter for the Ages". It is book compiled on personal letters from Winston Churchill. The man had no fear of death apparently. During the Boers War he was heavily engaged and came through without a scratch. Sir Winston is one of my heros.

Good morning D-League. Beautiful, sunny day in the east. Back from a long run.

Bert, thanks for that recommendation. I have a collection of Churchill's letters as a young man, and it may overlap. But I'll look for that one to add to my Kindle for subway reading.

Churchill worked as a War Correspondent as a young man, as you know, both in the Northwest Frontier Province of India, in what today is the part of Pakistan along the Afghanistan border, and in Africa, both in Sudan and during the Boer War. Those of us who have held that job for any length of time are proud to include him in the fraternity. It was in Africa, as a correspondent, I think that he said, "Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result."

What a remarkable life he led.

Taking care of a few chores before lunch. I hope everyone has a restful Saturday.

 

[berniecarbo]

Good morning D-League. Beautiful, sunny day in the east. Back from a long run.

Bert, thanks for that recommendation. I have a collection of Churchill's letters as a young man, and it may overlap. But I'll look for that one to add to my Kindle for subway reading.

Churchill worked as a War Correspondent as a young man, as you know, both in the Northwest Frontier Province of India, in what today is the part of Pakistan along the Afghanistan border, and in Africa, both in Sudan and during the Boer War. Those of us who have held that job for any length of time are proud to include him in the fraternity. It was in Africa, as a correspondent, I think that he said, "Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result."

What a remarkable life he led.

Taking care of a few chores before lunch. I hope everyone has a restful Saturday.

I was in a guard tower when I heard something whistle past my ear and then a thud in the wall behind me. There was a fresh hole where the bullet landed. I guess I moved a little or he was a bad shot. I had an M-60 and he didn't so he disappeared in the jungle before I could spot him. I wouldn't use the word exhilarating, probably grateful or relief are better words.

 

[berniecarbo]

MSN

The dog who got a medal for peeing on a bomb.

 

[BBUK]

Good morning all,

Sitting in my church parking lot drinking coffee... Just dropped My Darling off for choir practice. She is doing better getting around but her back is still hurting. May be inevitable but she is trying everything first.

All I can do is whatever extra I can think of and wish I could take the pain for her.

Changed my youngest daughters oil finally yesterday while her, the BB, and My Darling went to the pool. I feel better anyway. Her sense of urgency is just not there. I have enough for both of us....

Hopefully piddling around the house today but we shall see.... God Bless you all on this Lord's Day......

 

[AustinTXCat]

Good morning from ATX. Currently 75°F and partly cloudy. Excessive heat warning in effect. Today's high expected around 97°F.

Colonoscopy prep until next Wednesday. Clear liquids, white bread, eggs and vanilla pudding/yogurt only. Bah.

Baseball Cats kicked butt yesterday, 10-0 in Super Regionals. Late game tonight, starts at 9 pm.

Wishing y'all a quiet, peaceful Sunday.

 

[storm1507]

Good morning everyone.

I've been down at the lake cutting trees off the driveway and near the cabin. We were blessed that we only had one section of gutter torn off and a little bit of dents on the roof edge. If the big tree had come down just 10 degrees closer we would have been destroyed. It took 10 hours of hard saw work to get it done. But, I had a mission....get everything cleared to get the boat out and fish. We caught some nice crappie for my effort.

I am sore and going to take it somewhat easy til Tuesday for my big hike.

I hope everyone has a great Sunday.

 

[MdWIldcat55]

Good morning folks. Muggy and gray in the east.

Went for a long run this morning, and did some reading, and now am just taking it easy until lunch.

Meeting with my daughter at an Italian restaurant near where she is now living in the city - DC - so that will be fun.

Her boyfriend will be along. He works with CBS news - a camera crew guy, not on air -- and is recently back from a tour of Singapore and Cambodia with our empty suit of a secretary of defense Lloyd Austin. I'll be interested in hearing how my daughter's BF found Singapore and Cambodia. I visited both almost 30 years ago and I am planning a long trip back to that part of the world next year as soon as I retire.

Hope everyone has a good day.

 

[warrior-cat]

81° this morning with a high near 90°. Possibility of rain later today so, coed softball may be cancelled. If not, I have 2 games at 1:00 and 3:00.

Already walked the monster and worked out. Now just resting until game time.

Cats looked pretty good last night but Oregon St. made a lot of mistakes which made it an easier win. Still think we would have won regardless since Pooser was on his game.

You folks enjoy yourselves today and God Bless.

 

[Bert Higginbotha]

76°F and cloudy. 76° is supposed to be the high. We got a quarte inch of rain at 7:00 am. I would like to see a lot more rain today so I green yard will get greener!

Enjoy your Sunday guys.

 

[cordmaker]

76°F and cloudy. 76° is supposed to be the high. We got a quarte inch of rain at 7:00 am. I would like to see a lot more rain today so I green yard will get greener!

Enjoy your Sunday guys.

Bert, we've had 2.5" of since the first storm moved through this morning, still pouring, it looks like a river in our area right now!

 

[cordmaker]

Good morning folks.

Remembering D-Day and those who gave “their last full measure of devotion” to quote a President about another, earlier battle of great consequence.

A while back I visited Bedford, Virginia, a tiny mountain town. By a sad quirk of fate almost all the men from that town had been in a national guard unit that had been absorbed into the 29th Division -and they ended up in the worst spot on Omaha Beach. Twenty men killed in a matter of minutes from one tiny town of a couple thousand people.

As a military history buff, I’m reading a new British analysis of Operation Bagration, the massive Soviet assault timed to begin around the same time as D-Day that engaged the Germans from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. As terrible as the fighting was from D-Day to the Battle of the Bulge six months later, the truth is 80 percent of the Germans killed in 1944 were killed in the east by the Soviet Army. It was a bad time to be a young German.

Pulling into my subway station. You guys have a good day.

This reminded me, I was metal detecting one day at a friends house, I knew that her late husband was in the military in WWII, he passed away when I was about 15, but I got a hit with my detector, when I dug it up it was a triangular piece of metal, when I cleaned it up, I could see a small specks of red, yellow and blue I think, I ask Mary if she wanted it, she just said no, but she said Henry had been one of the first units to land in Europe. When I got home I cleaned it up some more and I could make out a lightening bolt and a tank on it and I think strike force also, I called her back and told her, but she still didn't want it. I have lost this piece of Military history. Out of everything I have ever found, I wish I still had this piece!!! If any of the D could find a picture, I would like to see it.

 

[MdWIldcat55]

This reminded me, I was metal detecting one day at a friends house, I knew that her late husband was in the military in WWII, he passed away when I was about 15, but I got a hit with my detector, when I dug it up it was a triangular piece of metal, when I cleaned it up, I could see a small specks of red, yellow and blue I think, I ask Mary if she wanted it, she just said no, but she said Henry had been one of the first units to land in Europe. When I got home I cleaned it up some more and I could make out a lightening bolt and a tank on it and I think strike force also, I called her back and told her, but she still didn't want it. I have lost this piece of Military history. Out of everything I have ever found, I wish I still had this piece!!! If any of the D could find a picture, I would like to see it.

Cord,

The first American armored unit to land at Normandy, about three days after D-Day, was the 2nd Armored Division. Their unit patch - triangular, red, blue, yellow and with lightning bolts -- sounds very much like what you describe. Maybe the guy had a unit pin that you found.

By the way, US armored divisions in WW2 all had the same patch with a different numeral in the yellow top third, then a different motto along the bottom. The 1st AD, Old Ironsides, is still on active duty. I was briefly embedded with them in Baghdad in the fall of 2003...

 

[cordmaker]

Cord,

The first American armored unit to land at Normandy, about three days after D-Day, was the 2nd Armored Division. Their unit patch - triangular, red, blue, yellow and with lightning bolts -- sounds very much like what you describe. Maybe the guy had a unit pin that you found.

By the way, US armored divisions in WW2 all had the same patch with a different numeral in the yellow top third, then a different motto along the bottom. The 1st AD, Old Ironsides, is still on active duty. I was briefly embedded with them in Baghdad in the fall of 2003...

View embedded media

I'm almost sure it was strike force. It was a type of pin, the pin part had corroded off

 

[cordmaker]

We are up to 3" of rain now, it has slacked up for now!

 

[warrior-cat]

I'm almost sure it was strike force. It was a type of pin, the pin part had corroded off

They are called unit crest. They were generally worn on the shoulder loops of the army green uniform, beret flashes and in the past, we wore them on our soft caps (baseball type hats).

 

[warrior-cat]

Morning Legionnaires!

70° this morning with low 80's for a high expected. Slight chance of thunderstorms this morning with chances increasing later on in the day.

Played 4 coed games yesterday instead of 2. 1:00, 3:00, 4:00, and 5:00pm. The 2 later games were with another team that was short of their pitcher so, they ask me if I would fill in so they did not have to forfeit. The league allows for that, but you must pay $10.00 a game to do so. Both teams have players from my Tuesday night men's league team and went 1-1 last night and all games were close. 3 games had a 1 run difference for score and 1 had a 2-run difference when finished. I had a pretty good night at the plate as I went 9-12 and a walk.

Got back home around 7:30 just in time to clean up and turn on the Cat's game. Unfortunately however, I did not get past the 5th inning as I was spent. Had to check in this morning to see that we had won. Great for the Cat's.

Well, up and at em and be careful out there.

God Bless

 

[AustinTXCat]

Good morning from ATX. Presently 79°F and clear. Excessive heat warning in effect. Today's high expected around 92°F.

Last night, Cats def Beavers, 3-2, and won Lexington Super Regional. Omaha-bound. I stayed up. Game ended around 11:47 pm CST. So happy and proud for the team.

Monday, Monday....

Wishing y'all an awesome start to your week.

 

[Bert Higginbotha]

Good for the baseball Cats.

Instrument rules apply in my area this morning if you are flying. Visibility at the moment is about a quarter mile.

Foggy and 63.9°F. We ended up with .74" of rain yesterday. @cordmaker pays his rain Gods more than me.

New week starting, so you all that are working get the hell up and at it.

 

[MdWIldcat55]

Good morning folks.

Couldn't stay up for the baseball game -- too big of a load at work today -- but very happy to see the Cats advance.

So, Kentucky plays the winner of a Georgia/NC State elimination game slated for tonight.

Of the nine teams still in the World Series, five are SEC teams and four are ACC teams. That's crazy. I guess with the Pac-12 falling apart, baseball for now is pretty much a South/Southeastern US sport.

I hope the Cats can keep advancing.

Back to work for me. Have a good day everyone.