The U. S. S. Constitution (Old Ironsides),
as a combat vessel, carried 48,600 gallons of fresh water
for her crew of 475 officers and men.
This was sufficient to last six months of sustained operations at sea.
She carried no evaporators (i.e. fresh water distillers).
However, let it be noted that according to her ship's log,
"On July 27, 1798, the U.S.S. Constitution sailed from Boston
with a full complement of 475 officers and men, 48,600 gallons of fresh water,
7,400 cannon shot, 11,600 pounds of black powder and 79,400 gallons of rum."
Her mission: "To destroy and harass English shipping."
Making Jamaica on 6 October,
she took on 826 pounds of flour and 68,300 gallons of rum.
Then she headed for the Azores , arriving there 12 November.
She provisioned with 550 pounds of beef and 64,300 gallons of Portuguese wine.
On 18 November, she set sail for England ..
In the ensuing days she defeated five British men-of-war
and captured and scuttled 12 English merchant ships,
salvaging only the rum aboard each.
By 26 January, her powder and shot were exhausted.
Nevertheless, although unarmed she made a night raid up the Firth of Clyde in Scotland
. Her landing party captured a whisky distillery
and transferred 40,000 gallons of single malt Scotch aboard by dawn.
Then she headed home.
The U. S. S. Constitution arrived in Boston on 20 February 1799,
with no cannon shot, no food, no powder, no rum, no wine, no whisky,
and 38,600 gallons of water.

GO NAVY.... (apparently things haven't changed much in 211 years ! LOL)

H/T to KeesKennis

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The Military Moms of America have made a very powerful video please take the seven minutes out of your life and watch it , and then ACT on it when the next election comes around.

As the video stated: Mr. Obama

MAKE A DECISION,

send the troops

or GET OUT

Additionally, stop the whining, you asked for the job, now DO the job!

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I'm sick and tired of dancing to the Muslim tune;wasting the lives of our best and brightest, not to mention the drag on our economy. We have the technology, let's USE IT

H/T the Peoples Cube

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My take on the whole controversy can be summed up in the following quote:

"No commander in uniform should ask his soldiers to die for a strategy he doesn't think is winnable -- or for a President who lets his advisers and party blame a general for their own lack of political nerve." --The Wall Street Journal

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Today I rode my 16th Mission with the Indiana Patriot Guard Riders. The mission was to stand a flag line in honor of the 1,741 men and women still on the POW/MIA list from the Vietnam War.

This day was first recognized on July 18, 1979. National POW-MIA Recognition Day legislation was introduced yearly until 1996 when it was deemed by Congress that legislation designating special commemorative days would no longer be considered by Congress. The President now signs a proclamation every year.

The National League of Families proposed that the third Friday in September be the designated date in the future, due to the fact that that date is no associated with any particular war, so that former POW's -MIA's, KIA's and veterans of ALL wars can be remembered and honored for their sacrifices.

I really felt honored to be able to participate in this solemn ceremony. The ships bell of the U.S.S. Indianapolis was rung five times for each of the Armed Services as a wreath was laid to honor that Service's lost/missing members. That bell rang loud and proud, and there was more than one tearful eye in the crowd.
When the Black Hawk (GO ARMY!) flyover flew over the assembled dignitaries to signal the conclusion of the ceremony, it couldn't help but make one one feel proud to have been a part of the proceedings, in however small a way.

I intend to participate every year in this mission, until every last one of our Men and Women are accounted for.
I hope you will join us.

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On this day in 1790 the U.S. Coast Guard was created by Congress, which authorized Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton to build a small fleet of 10 cutters to protect the coast. It now constitutes an active-duty force of just under 42,000 individuals, with 11 different types of aircraft and 34 different types of ships and boats, ranging in size from a 21' navigation assistance boat all the way to a 420' Ice Breaker. Both naval and air operations are conducted 24/7, no matter what the weather conditions. The Coast Guard's responsibilities run the gamut from interdiction of smuggling and law enforcement within our territorial waters, all the way to search and rescue operations within our territorial waters.

The Coast Guard serves a critical role under the Department of Homeland Security in the vital job of protecting our nation from all who would do her harm, and I for one would like to offer thanks and gratitude for a tough job well done.

Happy Birthday and Semper Paratus!

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Have you thanked a Serviceperson today?

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This is an oldie I've posted before, but every time I watch it, I get a lift of spirit, and given the situation occurring in the Gaza these days, I think it appropriate.

Am Yisroel Chai!

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Israel has finally gotten serious in Gaza. I hope they don't stop operations until Hamas is reduced to rubble.

U.N. and France: STFU, and let the real men get the dirty but necassary job done!

H/T: Natasha

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Israel finally began the job in Gaza in ernest. It's about time.

I only hope that they don't cease operations until Hamas is decimated to the point where they can no longer conduct any operations...

U.N., and France :STFU!

H/T to Natasha

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I went on my first Patriot Guard Riders mission early this morning and found it exhilarating (maybe because of riding a motorcycle at 70 MPH in 24F weather? LOL)

The mission was to attend a deployment ceremony for C-Company 1-137th Assault Grp (Air Cav) of the Indiana National Guard of Shelbyville, IN.

We had approximately 40 riders to form a flag line for the ceremony and it felt like an honor to be able to participate in the ceremony. While looking out at the troops deploying to a hot battle area in Iraq, I was struck by how young they seemed. Some looked like they should be heading to a Sophomore class in High School...yet every single one of them projected an air of calm confidence in their ability to get the difficult and dangerous job ahead of them done in the long months to come. It was inspiring to know that our society is still producing such fine "sheepdogs" despite the seeming slide of the general populace into becoming "sheeple".

After the ceremony I was astounded when some of the troops came up and thanked ME for being there to help send them off! I was almost speechless (stop laughing, yes it DOES happen to me on rare occasions!)
I managed to say "thank you, but it's YOU that deserve any thanks".

In my era of service, we didn't deploy as units as they do today; every soldier generally was sent to a duty posting alone and returned home alone afterwards.
Sometimes that return was acrimonious if you were foolish enough to travel in uniform...I am thankful that these soldiers won't have to worry about such a scenario occurring to them; it's much better to travel as a unit, especially on the return after war. The Army did something right when they instituted the new policy - maybe they did learn something after all.

After the ceremony, the Ride Captain informed me that it was PGR policy to give all first-timers a "Mission Accomplished" pin after their first ride and handed a pin to me. The whole experience really moved me in a way I hadn't expected and I look forward to participating in as many more such missions as I can, always with the hope that someday soon they will no longer be necessary. But until that day comes, I will always be honored to ride with a group that took as its motto:

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You're an 18 or 19 year old kid. You're critically wounded, and dying in the jungle in the Ia Drang Valley, 11-14-1965. LZ Xray , Vietnam . Your infantry unit is outnumbered 8 - 1, and the enemy fire is so intense, from 100 or 200 yards away, that your own Infantry Commander has ordered the MediVac helicopters to stop coming in.

You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns, and you know you're not getting out. Your family is 1/2 way around the world, 12,000 miles away, and you'll never see them again. As the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day.

Then, over the machine gun noise, you faintly hear that sound of a
helicopter, and you look up to see an un-armed Huey, but it doesn't seem real, because no Medi-Vac markings are on it.

Ed Freeman is coming for you. He's not Medi-Vac, so it's not his job, but he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire, after the Medi-Vacs were ordered not to come.

He's coming anyway.

And he drops it in, and sits there in the machine gun fire, as they load 2 or 3 of you on board.

Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire, to the Doctors and Nurses.

And, he kept coming back...... 13 more times..... and took about 30 of you and your buddies out, who would never have gotten out.

Medal of Honor Recipient Ed Freeman died last Wednesday at the age of 80, in Boise, ID ......May God rest his soul.....

(Oh yeah, Paul Newman died that day too. I guess you knew that --
He got a lot more press than Ed Freeman.)

That's one of the things wrong with our country today; ask any teenager or idiot (but I repeat myself)on the street and they will tell you more than you would ever care to know about the bio/schedule/latest tawdry escapade of the likes of Paris Hilton , but real heroes like Ed Freeman are only known by those who's lives he saved, if even by them.

I wonder how many people realize that they don't really teach History,Geography, or basic Economics in school any more ?; rather they blend a watered down pablum of half truths, conjectures, and the latest PC version of the past and present it as "Social Studies".

Our Republic was founded with the idea that an EDUCATED electorate would be the true rulers, but the People have not tended to their responsibility and have allowed self-serving Politicians and Socialists pulling the strings in the background to gradually reduce the amount of true education that the average citizen receives. These days the Electorate has become nothing more than a Mob mentality group, pandered to every election cycle and then betrayed to special interests after the election. Even worse, the slow spread of Socialism has continued unabated, with every protest against it blocked by an elitist political class interested only in their own agendas.

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Here's a video tribute to all those that are serving far away from their families this Thanksgiving, courtesy of Lynard Skynyrd:

I'm with LC Crunchie on this story, it gave me a great chubby just envisioning the rout.

With odds of only 250 Ragheads to 30 Marines; the ragheads never had a chance. And a certain unnamed Cpl. proved the wisdom of adding a Designated Marksman to every line unit: twenty shots/twenty confirmed kills in the face of overwhelming fire; if this Marine doesn't receive the Silver Star for his actions, there is no justice.

Chesty Puller would be proud of the manner his Corps is carrying on in his tradition.

Hank Williams Jr. has a song for these heroes:

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On this day in 1790, the U.S. Coast Guard was created by Congress, which authorized Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton to build a small fleet of ten cutters to protect the coast. The Coast Guard continues to serve a critical role under the Department of Homeland Security I would like to speak for all my readers in offering our thanks for a job well done.

The Coast Guard is often the "forgotten service" when it comes to public attention and recognition, and that is something that should be brought to everyone's attention and rectified ASAP.

To all the brave men and women that serve with distinction and honor in the Forgotten Service:

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ONCE A Marine. ALWAYS a Marine!

71 Year Old Marine in Unfair Fight Last week police were called to investigate an attempted armed robbery:

The 71-year-old retired Marine who opened fire on two robbers at a Plantation, FL, Sub shop late Wednesday, killing one and critically wounding the other, is described as John Lovell, a former helicopter pilot for two presidents. He doesn't drink, he doesn't smoke, he works out everyday.
Mr. Lovell was a man of action Wednesday night.

According to Plantation police, two masked gunmen came into the Subway at 1949 N. Pine Rd. Just after 11 p. M. There was a lone diner, Mr.
Lovell, who was finishing his meal. After robbing the cashier, the two men attempted to shove Mr. Lovell into a bathroom and rob him as well.
They got his money, but then Mr. Lovell pulled his handgun, opened fire.
He shot one of the thieves in the head and chest and the other in the head.
When police arrived, they found one of the men in the shop. K-9 units found the other in the bushes of a nearby business. They also found cash strewn around the front of the sandwich shop according to Detective Robert Rettig of the Plantation Police Department.

Both men were taken to Broward General Medical Center , where one, Donicio Arrindell, 22, of North Lauderdale died. The other, 21-year-old Frederick Gadson of Fort Lauderdale is in critical but stable condition.
A longtime friend of Lovell, was not surprised to hear what happened The friend said, ''He'd give you the shirt off his back, but he'd be mad as hell if someone tried to take the shirt off your back''.

Mr. Lovell was a pilot in the Marine Corps, flying former Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. He later worked as a pilot for Pan Am and Delta. He is not expected to be charged, authorities said ''He was in fear for his life,'' Detective Rettig said, 'These criminals ought to realize that most men in their 70's have military backgrounds and aren't intimidated by idiots'.
Something tells me this old Marine wasn't 'in fear for his life', even though his life was definitely at risk. The only thing he could be charged with is participating in an unfair fight. One 71 - year young Marine against two punks.

Two head shots and one center - body- mass shot - outstanding shooting!
That'll teach them not to get between a Marine and his meal.
Don't you just love a story with a happy ending?

( Florida law allows law abiding citizens to carry a concealed weapon.)
SMART STATE!!!

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Watching the media talk about the WoT, you would get the sense that we are sustaining huge casualties to the point where we are almost losing a generation to the war. You can talk figures all you want but most people's eye just glaze over and they don't really get any true sense of the losses. People are visual, they get a better grasp when they can see items in concrete form.

To put our casualties sustained in the WoT in terms that a 13 year old can understand, here is an interesting graph:

ANY death is a tragedy, but to conflate the numbers lessens the import of any single death, and that is dishonoring that sacrifice.

Our Mainstream Print and TV media, and many Politicians like to slant; that these brave men and women, who are losing their lives in Iraq, are mostly minorities! Wrong AGAIN! The latest census, of Americans, shows the following distribution of American citizens, by Race:

European descent (White) ....... 69.12%
Hispanic ............................... 12.5%
Black..................................... 12.3%
Asian ..................................... 3.7%
Native American .................... . 1.0%
Other ..................................... 2.6%

Now... here are the fatalities by Race; over the past three years in Iraqi Freedom:

European descent (white) ..... 74.31%
Hispanic ............................. 10.74%
Black .................................. 9.67%
Asian ................................ . 1.81%
Native American ................... 1.09%
Other ................................... .33%

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"The way I was raised was the reason I couldn't drive by and watch that go on,” he said. "There's liberty, and then there's ridiculous.”

So said Marine reservist Ray Adam Modisette in reference to his interaction with the Westboro Baptist Church outside of Tinker AF Base last Friday.

Mr. Modisette was arrested for his actions and posted $850. bail with money he earned during his last deployment in Iraq. Local community members offered him reimbursement of the bail money, but Mr. Modisette refused, saying that he "considered it money well spent".

The city prosecutor declined to press charges at the urging of the police department (boy, does THAT sound righteous!).

You have to be proud that we still have such people in our society in spite of all the Leftist attempts to eradicate such patriotic feelings over the last thirty years.

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