US Army Retired

US Army Retired

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

The News You Won't Easily Find for May 16, 2018


The US Merchant Marine Fleet Is Dying


— And It May Hurt America’s Ability To Wage War Abroad

Most people have no idea such a thing exists. Just what is it and what does it do.

The United Merchant Marine basically steps up to carry personnel and supplies when situations call for mass movements of military stuff.

The once-mighty U.S. Merchant Marine fleet has nearly collapsed under the weight of high labor costs, zigzagging federal policies and intense competition from abroad, damaging America’s position as the only country in the world able to supply and sustain a long-distance war.

The U.S. Merchant Marine has declined from 1,288 international trading vessels in 1951 to 81 today.

It’s a matter of national security,” said Maritime Administration chief Mark H. Buzby, a retired Navy rear admiral.

And, here's the biggest danger:

In the 1991 Gulf War mobilization, the crews of 13 of the 192 foreign-flagged vessels carrying cargo rebelled and forced their ships away from the war zone.



Why People Join the Army

The Article says it conducted "an exhaustive survey" of 81 soldiers between grades E-1 and E-4. How can a survey of only 81 soldiers prove anything? Here's what they came up with.


Adventure/travel outweighs Call to serve.

Surprised?

Benefits comes in third and that makes a lot of sense.


6 Important Lessons From My First 6 Months As A Company Commander @ https://taskandpurpose.com/6-important-lessons-company-commander/

A great article that boils everything down about being a leader. I would love to have this guy as my company commander or supervisor anytime and anywhere.


5 Military Guns That Revolutionized Modern Infantry Combat

For any who've served, the individual rifle is probably the most important thing in your life when you're in combat. I've fired 3 of them and certainly heard a lot of the 4th. The 5 in the article are certainly impressive and details on each is @ https://taskandpurpose.com/5-military-guns-changed-infantry-combat/

Sturmgewehr 44 - the German staple in WWII.
AK-47 - developed in 1947 and still in use today as it lasts forever and is easy to keep up
M16 developed in 1956 and still in use today by the Army and Marines
MG34/42 machine gun built and used by the Germans
M-1 Garand. My first military rifle and still in use by The Old Guard for ceremonial purposes. A side note, the Guardsmen have M16s but still qualify with their M-1s.



Conspiracy to Frame Trump ‘Unraveling,’

I think it's clear to everyone with a lick of sense that Rosenstein appointed Mueller for no other reason than to find a way to nullify President Trump's election. From a mandate to find "collusion" which isn't even a crime the investigation has now moved into a wild rampage to uncover anything that might lead to any kind of indictment.

What’s going on now is the unraveling of a very substantial plot that had two goals — to exonerate Hillary Clinton illegally, and if she lost the presidency, to frame Donald Trump and his associates of crimes they did not commit,” he said on “The Laura Ingraham Show” on Tuesday. “Robert Mueller has produced not a scintilla of evidence that anybody in the Trump campaign engaged in any illegal activity regarding illegal contact with Russian officials.”

This comes from Oleg Deripaska in September 2016 whom FBI agents met with in an effort to pin something on President Trump.

There is very much more about the plot and reading the article @ https://www.lifezette.com/polizette/conspiracy-to-frame-trump-unraveling-ex-prosecutor-says/ is well-worth while - and most informative.



Of course it is.


Pope Francis Talking About Retiring

If he does, maybe the Cardinals will elect someone less socialist.

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis says he has thought about when it might be time to "take leave" of his flock.

Francis made the comment during his morning homily Tuesday; the Vatican didn't release the full text.



Democrats Disgrace Themselves Interrogating Trump's CIA Nominee

I watched it and couldn't agree more. The actions of the Dim Senators were so out of line one could only grimace in disgust. And trembly Susan Collins of Maine was not better.

Anyone who watched the confirmation hearings of Gina Haspel should be astonished at the way most of the Democrats treated her. KSM, the mastermind of the 9-11 attacks, and the Senate intelligence panel"s Democrats both agree that they are against the nomination of Gina Haspel to lead the CIA. He has written a letter to them giving information about Haspel, who in 2002 was a chief of base at a black-site prison in Thailand, where detainees were subjected to enhanced interrogation. Waterboarding was a big issue, but none thought to mention that it happened to only three terrorists. Maybe the Democrats should call KSM as a witness, since they appear to be singing the same tune of Kumbaya.


[Appears that enough Dems are stepping up to support her]


Wisteria Bloom in the UK

Just a couple of nice pictures of the fragrant flowers.





US military surplus 1911s available. Almost.


Good news for gun lovers and collectors.

To get one of these pieces of U.S. military history, you’ll have to fill out the order documents posted on 4 June on the CMP website. If you have questions, on that date — and only beginning on that date — you can call: 256-835-8455, ext. 461, or email at cmp1911@thecmp.org



What the Media is Not Reporting About Tiger Woods


At 42,, he's no longer the most dominate golfer in the world. But, he still draws massive crowds wherever he appears. So, just how well has he done since returning to tournament play in Nov 217?

He's played in 10 tournaments.
He's only missed the cut once - Genesis Open in Feb 2018
He's been in the top 10 3 times.
According to the PGA Tour FedExCup Standings, he's earned $1,428,327 so far this year and #48 in their rankings with a 69.988 scoring average.
Want to guess his liftime winnings? How about $111million!
How much has he donated to charity? The best I can find is $12million of his tour winnings. Doesn't seem to be any information about how much from trhe massive earnings from endorsements.

And, best of all, watch his smile while he's playing. He's no longer under such intense pressure and seems to actually enjoying the game. And that what participating in a sport should all be about.



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