There's a chain of command. Gripes go up, not down. Always up.

Chaplain Galyon posted his All-Time Favorite Military Movies.

He's a better man than I in various and sundry ways.  His discipline to limit his list to 10 is just another example of that reality.

My Top 20 Favorite Military* Movies:

• Forrest Gump ... "We was always taking long walks and we was always looking for a guy named Charlie."
• Stripes ... "Lighten up, Francis."
• Taps ... "They want us to be good little boys now so we can fight some war for them in the future. Some war they'll decide on. We'd rather fight our own war right now."
• Dances with Wolves ... "My place is with you. I go where you go."
• Top Gun ... "Negative, Ghost Rider, the pattern is full."
• Heartbreak Ridge ... "This is the AK-47 assault rifle, the preferred weapon of your enemy; and it makes a distinctive sound when fired at you, so remember it.
• The Final Countdown ... "I'm talking about the classic paradox of time."
• Rambo ... "I want, what they want, and every other guy who came over here and spilled his guts and gave everything he had, wants! For our country to love us as much as we love it!"
• An Officer and a Gentleman ... "I want your D.O.R!"
• Taking Chance ... "You are his witness now. Without a witness, they just disappear."
• Platoon ... "New meat! You dudes gonna love the Nam."
• We Were Soldiers ... "We who have seen war, will never stop seeing it."
• Braveheart ... "Every man dies, not every man really lives."
• Saving Private Ryan ... "Well, from my way of thinking, sir, this entire mission is a serious misallocation of valuable military resources."
• Apocalypse Now ... "I love the smell of napalm in the morning."
• Patton ... "All real Americans love the sting of battle."
• Full Metal Jacket ... "A jelly donut?!"
• A Few Good Men ... "You can't handle the truth!"
• Outlaw Josey Wales ... "Dyin' ain't much of a livin', boy."
• Sergeant York ... "Folks back home used to say I could shoot a rifle before I was weaned, but they was exaggeratin' some."

*Previously, I'd offered a list of 10 Favorite WAR Movies.

I don't know where you get your delusions, laser brain.

I've been pondering the election and wondering why people vote the way they do.

It motivated me to delineate how MY political views were formed.  This may be an exercise solely for my benefit, but I'd be surprised if you didn't find it helpful to examine YOUR political leanings and trace back why they are the way they are.

As best I can tell, there are 4 main influences that have shaped my political perspective (and subsequent voting patterns).  I share them in chronological order:

1. Living in England during the Reagan Presidency

• I developed a deep sense of national loyalty to my country.
• During this "Cold War," I became keenly aware that there were many places in the world quite unlike the USA, some of which help a deep-seated hatred of the USA.
• Consequently, I've always been a fan of ensuring our national defense and military were top notch.

2. Reading the Bill of Rights

• I realized that we needed the first 2 amendments (i.e., freedom from government involvement in religion, freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, freedom of press, and freedom to take up arms) as a grass roots form of checks and balances on the government itself.
• I realized the 10th amendment, contrary to what's transpired post-Civil War, put the vast majority of governing power in the hands of the individual states, not the federal government.

3. Reading Barry Goldwater's The Conscience of a Conservative

• I gained an appreciation for smaller government, especially in the face of encroaching Socialism.
• I also realized that rather than ensure liberty, governments by nature tend to be the chief instrument to thwart it.
• I also solidified and developed some of the thoughts I'd stumbled upon in the Bill of Rights (e.g., States' Rights).
• FYI - HERE are some pertinent quotes from the book.

4. Converting to Christianity

• I became pro-life, and consequently anti-abortion, seeing it as the murder of one made in God's image, with this being my political issue which trumps all others in evaluating candidates/parties.
• I shifted my confidence to the triune God who controls (Prov 21:1) and raises up and takes down governments (Rom 13:1-7), rather than in government itself.
• Thus, I added prayer as one of the duties a citizen has toward his/her country.

Admittedly, I am biased, but I recommend each of these 4 to you. Also, I'd love to hear what has shaped your political leanings as well.

The crew were mostly kids, rock & rollers with one foot in their grave.

A Memorial Day quote:
"Whatever our opinions on just war and pacifism, may we all join St. Francis today, praying to be made instruments of God's peace, doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God, so there will be fewer casualties to memorialize in the future." ~Brian D. McLaren*

*CAVEAT: There are many areas with which I take issue with McLaren and his theological slooginess, but his 2010 Memorial Day sentiment really resonated with me.

You not expendable.

"The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him."
~G.K. Chesterton

This Memorial Day, we remember our love for those who laid down their lives for a country and its people. We also remember today how we need to show that love to our present soldiers, loving them in life, not merely in death.

Don't compromise. Compromise is a language of the devil. Run in God's name and let the world stand back and in wonder.

Today marks the 150th anniversary of Captain George S. James sending the first mortar round through the air at Fort Sumter (SC). It was April 12, 1861. The Civil War was begun.

Abraham Lincoln was a polarizing figure, to say the least. On his agenda was dealing with a issue for which there really was no satisfactory compromise--slavery.

Were black folks afforded the same unalienable rights by the Creator?  That was the question.  The US government had answered in the negative for far too long and war was the means that moved the answer to the affirmative as they seemingly could come to no compromise on the issue. 

I wonder how we'd feel about a president who split the nation and effected the death of more than 600,000 Americans if it happened today. What issues are worth that much bloodshed? Was the liberation of the slaves worth the price?*

Suppose feelings about abortion were apportioned along geographical lines. How would we feel about a president whose conviction that pre-born babies are endowed by the Creator with the same unalienable rights as others moved him to drastic measures? Suppose the effects of that conviction led to a civil war and great bloodshed. Would their liberation be worth the price?

History has been kind to Lincoln, though it helps that his side was militarily successful. But, how would Americans 150 years later regard a president in our day who forced the issue on an issue for which there is no satisfactory compromise?

I honestly anticipate generations after us will see us as barbaric in our national lack of regard for the rights of those without a voice in our society, much as we view the proponents of slavery today.

*This question is not to minimize the sin of slavery, but there is an assumption by many that war was the only means of rectifying that national wrong.

Lady, I got buddies who died face down in the muck so that you and I could enjoy this family restaurant!

"Sad will be the day when the American people forget their traditions and their history, and no longer remember that the country they love, the institutions they cherish, and the freedom they hope to preserve, were born from the throes of armed resistance to tyranny, and nursed in the rugged arms of fearless men." ~Roger Sherman, signer of the Declaration of Independence

And they are also protected by the courageous. This Independence Day, I salute the Military Order of the Purple Heart, which is composed of military men & women who received the Purple Heart Medal for wounds suffered in combat.

For your listening pleasure, I commend to you the song "Purple Heart Medal," sung by my Texas A&M military advisor, Paul "Red" Dvorak. It was inspired by PFC Frank Smith, K.I.A. at age 20 in Vietnam.

Click to listen to a preview:


[Proceeds from the sale of this Red's CD will go to the Veterans Affairs Volunteer Services (VAVS) Youth Scholarship Fund, established to support youth who volunteer in VA hospitals.]

We who have seen war, will never stop seeing it. In the silence of the night, we will always hear the screams.

Last Memorial Day I got this in an email from my mom: "Memorial Day needs to be changed to War Movies Day."

They, particularly my dad, had been watching war movies all day.

So, I've been sitting on this post for about a year. Some suggestions for your viewing pleasure this weekend ...

Gunny's 10 Favorite War Movies:

1. Sergeant York - Perhaps my favorite movie of all time because it moves you to think about issues of faith & war and "the using kind of religion."
2. Patton - George C. Scott is outstanding and the opening speech for the 3rd Army is money. If nothing else, you must watch his opening monologue.
   
3. Glory - It sends a powerful and thought-provoking message about the Civil War and war in general.
   
4. Apocalypse Now - The first time I saw it I found it just bizarre, but I have grown to really appreciate the movie. Of course, the acting is top notch.
5. We Were Soldiers - Perhaps I'm biased because my dad knows LTC Moore, but I thought this was one of the Vietnam movies that didn't come off as somewhat anti-soldier, as many anti-war Vietnam movies do. This is an inspiring story about facing insurmountable odds and the value of courageous leadership.
6. Full Metal Jacket - The greatness of the movie actually happens prior to Private Joker actually arriving in Vietnam. You can't beat R. Lee Ermey as Gunnery Sgt. Hartman, your senior drill instructor.
7. Schindler's List - Though not laden with a lot of warfare, in the midst of war you learn about good & bad in humanity in this stirring film.
8. Platoon - This was the first Vietnam War movie I remember seeing and the soundtrack was memorable as well.
9. Braveheart - It's so quotable and stirring, particularly the motivating Mel Gibson. You'll never take away his freedom.
   
10. Saving Private Ryan - Though I don't think it's the best World War II movie ever made, it would be hard to find one made better, particularly the battle scenes.

Honorable Mention: Das Boot, Guns of Navarone, Tora, Tora, Tora, Escape to Victory, and The Longest Day.

Miss any?

UPDATE: The following are some greatly appreciated suggestions received in the comments.

• Hamburger Hill
• Taking Chance
• Band of Brothers (mini-series)
• Seven Samurai (though not an American war)
• Flags of Our Fathers
• Letters from Iwo Jima
• The Patriot
• Tears of the Sun
• The Bridge On the River Kwai
• Paths of Glory
• Gods and Generals
• The Boys in Company C
• The Lost Battalion
• Bravo Two Zero
  
• The Deer Hunter
• The Great Escape
• Midway
• U-571
• The Dirty Dozen
• Hart's War
• Basic
• Memphis Belle
• Bat*21
  

Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?

Today is the anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day, a Day of Infamy (December 7, 1941). That was the day that pulls us into World War II. Some historical perspective on this day (Danke to Ltc. Hartman for the info, including some original Pearl Harbor photos from one aboard the USS Quapaw ATF-110):

By planning his attack on a Sunday, the Japanese commander Admiral Nagumo, hoped to catch the entire fleet in port. Providentially, the Aircraft Carriers and one of the Battleships were not in port. (The USS Enterprise was returning from Wake Island , where it had just delivered some aircraft. The USS Lexingtonwas ferrying aircraft to Midway, and the USS Saratoga and USS Colorado were undergoing repairs in the United States).

In spite of the latest intelligence reports about the missing aircraft carriers (his most important targets), Admiral Nagumo decided to continue the attack with his force of six carriers and 423 aircraft.

At a range of 230 miles north of Oahu , he launched the first wave of a two-wave attack. Beginning at 0600 hours his first wave consisted of 183 fighters and torpedo bombers which struck at the fleet in Pearl Harbor and the airfields in Hickam, Kaneohe and Ewa. The second strike, launched at 0715 hours, consisted of 167 aircraft, which again struck at the same targets.

At 0753 hours the first wave consisting of 40 Nakajima B5N2 "Kate" torpedo bombers, 51 Aichi D3A1 "Val" dive bombers, 50 high altitude bombers and 43 Zeros struck airfields and Pearl Harbor. Within the next hour, the second wave arrived and continued the attack.

When it was over, the U.S.losses were:
Casualties
USA : 218 KIA, 364 WIA.
USN: 2,008 KIA, 710 WIA.
USMC: 109 KIA, 69 WIA.
Civilians: 68 KIA, 35 WIA.

TOTAL: 2,403 KIA, 1,178 WIA.



Battleships
USS Arizona (BB-39) - total loss when a bomb hit her magazine.
USS Oklahoma (BB-37) - Total loss when she capsized and sunk in the harbor.
USS California (BB-44) - Sunk at her berth. Later raised and repaired.
USS West Virginia (BB-48) - Sunk at her berth. Later raised and repaired.
USS Nevada - (BB-36) Beached to prevent sinking. Later repaired.
USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) - Light damage.
USS Maryland (BB-46) - Light damage.
USS Tennessee (BB-43) Light damage.
USS Utah (AG-16) - (former battleship used as a target) - Sunk.

Cruisers
USS New Orleans (CA-32) - Light Damage..
USS San Francisco (CA-38) - Light Damage.
USS Detroit (CL-8) - Light Damage.
USS Raleigh (CL-7) - Heavily damaged but repaired.
USS Helena (CL-50) - Light Damage.
USS Honolulu (CL-48) - Light Damage.

Destroyers
USS Downes (DD-375) - Destroyed. Parts salvaged.
USS Cassin - (DD-372) Destroyed. Parts salvaged.
USS Shaw (DD-373) - Very heavy damage.
USS Helm (DD-388) - Light Damage.

Minelayer
USS Ogala (CM-4) - Sunk but later raised and repaired.

Seaplane Tender
USS Curtiss (AV-4) - Severely damaged but later repaired.

Repair Ship
USS Vestal (AR-4) - Severely damaged but later repaired.

Harbor Tug
USS Sotoyomo (YT-9) - Sunk but later raised and repaired.

Aircraft
188 Aircraft destroyed (92 USN and 92 U.S. Army Air Corps.)

It wasn't over, but just the beginning. In fact, it wasn't over until Japan surrended after the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima & Nagasaki in August of 1945.