Neddy's Palaver

Actually, It was a “Miracle on Turf,” and perhaps a “Tide’s Up” for us all.

That is what Navy insiders are calling Navy football’s 46-44 triple-overtime victory over Notre Dame last Saturday. That is because Notre Dame has beaten Navy 43 straight times, dating back two generations to 1963, when players like Roger Staubach were willing to joing Navy’s team, knowing that in return they would be required to serve a five year military commitment. That was before the Vietnam War, which changed everything for America’s military. That was a very different world when Navy could win over Notre Dame. That was not today’s world. As NBC’s play-by-play announcer Pat Haden said on Saturday: “With all due respect, Navy doesn’t get to recruit blue-chip football players.” He should have added: “Just blue-chip people,” but he didn’t, and that is what is expected in today’s world.

What is it that today’s Navy offers it football team recruits?

The chance to play against Notre Dame. Or maybe it’s the chance to wake up at 6 o’clock every morning; the chance to be screamed at by upperclassmen; the chance to lose your weekend liberty for carrying a book-bag improperly or for being 30 seconds late to class. Not to mention the chance to get shot at when you graduate.

The best description I ever heard of what it is like to play football at Navy, Army and Air Force came from Fred Goldsmith, who coached at Air Force: “At a civilian school the hardest part of a football player’s day is football practice,” he said. “At an academy, the easiest part of a football player’s day is football practice.” (The Washington Post)

Navy’s football celebration should be a celebration by all who love and rely upon our military heroes. Perhaps the tide is up for us all.

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These meanings of the Flag Folding Ceremony are not a part of the U.S. Flag Code, but are sometimes recited at burial services for veterans.

The sayings seem to have originated on the Internet. Oftentimes, there is a recitation while the flag is being folded which describes the significance of each of the 13 folds of the flag. There seem to be various versions of the recitation which typically describes the first fold of the flag as a “symbol of life” and the second as a “symbol of our belief in eternal life.” Other folds pay tribute to “womanhood,” and “father.” The 11th fold glorifies “the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob”, the God of the Jews, and the 12th fold glorifies “God the Father, the Son and Holy Ghost” the Holy Trinity of Christians.

The U.S. Air Force has an approved (2005) Flag Folding script for ceremonies which is optional and without religious references. However, that recitation is not used at funerals conducted by the Air Force, where the flag is folded in silence.

The Flag Folds

1. Symbol of life.

2. Symbol of our belief in the eternal life.

3. In honor and remembrance of the veteran departing our ranks who gave a portion of life for the defense of our country to attain a peace throughout the world.

4. Represents our weaker nature, for as American citizens trusting in God, it is to him we turn in times of peace as well as in times of war for his guidance.

5. A tribute to our country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur, “Our country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right; but it is still our country, right or wrong.”

6. Represents where our hearts lie. It is with our hearts that we pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

7. A tribute to our armed forces.

8. A tribute to the one who entered into the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day, and to honor mother, for whom it flies on Mother’s Day.

9. A tribute to womanhood.

10. A tribute to father.

11. In the eyes of Hebrew citizens, represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon, and glorifies, in their eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

12. In the eyes of Christian citizens, represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in their eyes, God the Father, the Son and Holy Ghost.

13. When the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost, reminding us of our national motto, “In God We Trust.”

The Virginia Pilot

~~NEDDY of Neddy’s Palaver

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The United States is a warrior nation. It has ever been thus. We cannot continue to exist as a nation without our warriors. War seems to be an embedded particle of all human DNA. We instinctively aim to protect what is our own and we seemingly yearn to project our power and beliefs to others. An ancient Chinese militarist, Sunzi (Sun Tzu), first wrote of the art of war six hundred years before the birth of Christ (600 BC). The technology of war has changed considerably since then, but war, which Sunzi described as evil, seems the same as always. “The Art of War” is a Chinese military treatise written twenty six centuries years ago by a Chinese General. It is composed of thirteen parts, each of which covers one aspect of warfare. Sunzi’s explanations have been long considered as the definitive work on military strategies and tactics of its time. “The Art of War” has had a great historical influence on military planning and has also been successfully applied to business and managerial strategies.”

Once again in our American history, we are at war. Help yourself understand what we are about by listening to “The Art of War” by Sunzi, 600 BC, recorded by Moira Fogarty at LibriVox.org:

• 1 Laying Plans - 2 Waging War
• 3 Attack By Stratagem - 4 Tactical Dispositions
• 5 Energy - 6 Weak Points and Strong
• 7 Maneuvering - 8 Variation in Tactics
• 9 The Army on the March - 10 Terrain
• 11 The Nine Situations
• 12 The Attack By Fire - 13 The Use of Spies

• The e-text book at Gutenberg
• Wikipedia - Sunzi or Sun Tzu
• Wikipedia - Lionel Giles, the English translator
• Wikipedia - The Art of War

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I snapped this shot at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington D.C. in May of this year. I saw the quilt hanging upon the wall on the second floor while returning from the dining hall, near the bank of elevators. Here is the large size image where you may read the children’s greetings and gratitude to the soldiers (large image).

I hope you get well soon. Thanks for fighting for the U.S. ~~ Thank you soldiers. ~~ Thank you. ~~ You did it for America. ~~ America Rules. ~~ You are like a light shining on the world. ~~ Thank you. Thank you. ~~ God Loves You. Thanks You. ~~ Thank you. You shine on the world. ~~ Have a sunny day. ~~ Thank you for all you’ve done. ~~ I hope you feel better. ~~ You did it for America. ~~ Thank you. Thank you. ~~ Thank you for fighting for freedom. I hope you get well soon. ~~ Thank you for sacrificing your life for the safety of America. ~~ America Rocks. ~~ Thank you. ~~ Thank you from a soldier lover. ~~ God Bless the USA, Love …

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The image, Thank You Troops, was originally uploaded to the Internet by barneykin. It was posted here by Neddy of .

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Christmas In The Trenches” by John McDermott

Letter from the Western Front, December 25, 1914

“This will be the most memorable Christmas I’ve ever spent or likely to spend: since about tea time yesterday I don’t think there’s been a shot fired on either side up to now.”

“Some of our chaps went over to their lines. I think they’ve all come back bar one from ‘E’ Co. They no doubt kept him as a souvenir.”

“We can hardly believe that we’ve been firing at them for the last week or two - it all seems so strange.”

In his account of one of World War I’s most surreal moments, the British soldier described in his pencil written letter how German troops placed lights along their trenches before approaching the British lines to deliver Christmas greetings. He described the lull in fighting as soldiers played football, helped each other bury the dead, shared traditional Christmas foods, chatted and smoked peaceably together.

Irish singer Chris de Burgh recently purchased the newly discovered manuscript at auction, paying 14,400 pounds ($27,000) for it, according to Yahoo News.

Christian soldiers stopped killing each other along the Western Front on Christmas Eve of 1914. John McCutcheon wrote a poignant song voiced by one Francis Taliaferro about the Christmas Truce. The songwriter claims that it is based upon the true story of Scotsman Ian Calhoun, who was the commanding officer of the British forces involved. Calhoun was subsequently court-martialed for ‘consorting with the enemy’ and sentenced to death. King George V spared his life, praise be to God.

For more information and the words to the song see “Christmas In The Trenches”.

History News Network:

“They also gave us a few songs so we had quite a social party…

“After breakfast we had a game of football at the back of our trenches! We’ve had a few Germans over to see us this morning. They also sent a party over to bury a sniper we shot in the week. He was about 100 yds from our trench. A few of our fellows went out and helped to bury him.

“About 10.30 we had a short church parade, held in the trench. How we did sing. O come all ye faithful. … fried bacon and dip-bread followed by hot Xmas pudding, then muscatels and almonds, oranges, bananas, chocolate, cocoa and smokes”.

“You can guess we thought of the dinners at home. Just before dinner I had the pleasure of shaking hands with several Germans: a party of them came halfway over to us. So several of us went out to them. O exchanged one of my balaclavas for a hat. I’ve also got a button off one of their tunics. We also exchanged smokes etc and had a decent chat. They say they won’t fire tomorrow if we don’t, so I suppose we shall get a bit of a holiday - perhaps.”

“After exchanging autographs and them wishing us a Happy New Year we departed and came back and had our dinner. We can hardly believe we’ve been firing at them for the last week or two - it all seems so strange. At present it is freezing hard and everything is covered in ice…

“There must be something in the spirit of Christmas as today we are all on top of our trenches running about. Whereas other days we have to keep out heads well down…I had a parcel from B G’s Lace Dept containing a sweater, smokes, under clothes etc. We also had a card from the Queen, which I am sending back to you to look after please.”

“As I can’t explain to everyone how I spent my 25th, you might hand this round please…I never expected to shake hands with Germans between the firing lines on Christmas Day and I don’t suppose you thought of us doing so”.

“So after a fashion we’ve enjoyed our Christmas. Hoping you spend a happy time with George Boy as well. How we thought of England during the day. Kind regards to all the neighbours. With much love from Boy.”

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The Snakes and Snipers (mp3)
“We won the fight upon the battlefield,
but then the politicians came,
and played a sad and alien game.
They said that we should bend and we should yield.
And the snakes and snipers slayed us in the bush,
but they couldn’t ever beat us with the sword.
Now the snakes and snipers hide behind the pen,
and try to get us with the written word.” ~~John Edmond

The following is an essay that I wrote and posted at “Blatherings” on 28 July 2005. As we near a Veterans Day 2006, that has been overshadowed by political slings and barbs against our fighting men and women, I feel it bears repeating.

Military Culture
A country can never know exactly when it may need to call upon its warriors to take on the enemy; to fight to the death if necessary in order to protect its citizens’ lives and property. For this reason, it has always been necessary for countries to have a strong and well-defined military culture that is built upon ancient traditions and respect for national history. Governments and civilians who allow their military institutions to dissipate into an unhealthy state, will bring devastating effects upon their nation’s security if not corrected. No country, even one as wealthy as the United States, has ever been able to financially reward soldiers fairly for the risks they take and the deeds they do. Therefore a people must rely upon the ancient military culture to give the soldier the rewards necessary to have him go into battle and to fight valiantly for his homeland.

If one were to ask military people what they like about their careers, most would answer that they enjoy the opportunities to lead, to work and train with other soldiers, the military camaraderie and the opportunities to be patriotic. Military people enjoy the “esprit de corps” that comes from working on a team, the sense of accomplishment for jobs well done and the pride and prestige that comes from just being soldiers, representing their beloved homeland. These opportunities can only be found in the military lifestyle. No other job offers them. Seldom does a soldier mention pay or benefits, and every military person understands that his pay is in no way comparable to what his job would gain in the civilian sector.

What exactly is a healthy military culture? The military is a world of the young and always will be. There is no generation gap, but instead a hierarchy among the various ranks from low to high, which the military finds comforting. Each soldier knows exactly where he fits in the grand scheme and he call tell another soldier’s place by the uniform, rank and medals worn. There is a “warrior spirit” interwoven into the framework of military culture, which is built upon basic moral and institutional values held in common between the warriors. Additionally, the military is rich with old fashioned traditions that have been bequeathed from soldier to soldier, as civilians hand down unseen treasures from father to son. Rather than having an occupation, a soldier feels part of an institution that is far greater than himself.

The military is expected by its commander in chief and the taxpayers who fund it to maintain a high code of ethics. In order to fight and win in battle, each soldier understands that discipline is demanded at every level of his job. Because military culture is almost always more conservative than that of the civilian sector, it can hurt morale to change codes of behavior which were in effect when the soldiers joined up. Although a civilian employee can walk off the job when he dislikes new rules imposed by his employer, a military person is subject to imprisonment for doing the same. Although a soldier fights to uphold freedom, he in fact has been required to give up some of his own freedoms in order to serve as a soldier. Ofttimes, this causes a lack of understanding from civilians as to why a soldier does or does not do certain things.

In the United States of today, with its entirely volunteer fighting force, it seems that, more than ever, the military culture should be upheld and respected. In fact, even a bit of emulation could be of great benefit. Those who belittle it, or try to merge it into the more modern civilian culture, or attempt to destroy it in various way, are actually harming all of us, not just the military.

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During wartime, some give all, some give some, and some are left to tell their tales. Lola was blessed to return home from World War Two and her tale is now published on the Internet: “Lola Was a Soldier”.

Lola was one of those courageous young American women who signed on for volunteer service as a soldier during World War II. She participated in the European and North African theaters of the war. Amazing young women like Lola served and sacrificed for freedom. Younger generations need to be reminded of the incredible wartime contributions of the people who went before them. Lola’s name is entered at the Woman In Military Service For America Memorial where she is a charter member.

Lola Anderson was but a young woman during wartime when she observed the poster of Uncle Sam pointing his finger directly at her, saying “I want you for the U.S. Army”. She signed up, and she says that in those days in the Army, there was NO “hurry up and wait”, as she was quickly trained and sent out to do her duty, as her patriotic forebears had done in earlier times. Lola is Lola (Anderson) Peach, a member of Fairfax County Chapter, NSDAR, of Vienna, Virginia.

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The image, World War Two Soldier, was originally uploaded to the Internet by barneykin. It was posted here by Neddy of .

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A friend whose son has just returned home from the war zone after serving a one year tour with the U.S. Army wrote me about his arrival. He first stepped onto American soil in Bangor, Maine, before he was to journey south to Florida.

He telephoned his parents from there on a borrowed cell phone, courtesy of a wonderful group of volunteers at the Bangor, Maine airport. Known as “greeters”, they are always there to bid goodbye or to welcome the soldiers passing through the airport. The Maine greeters make life a bit more comfortable for our soldiers going to or returning from Iraq and Afghanistan as they await their flights. They supply the military men and women with cookies and snacks, newspapers and books, phone cards and they even loan their own cell phones so that the soldiers can phone their loved ones at home. They make snapshots of the young troops going through the airport and then post these pictures on their web site for the families to see. The greeters are dedicated people and they do their best to care for our military personnel. Their website is www.mainetroopgreeters.com.

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Private Willie McBride MP3

That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Colonel John McCrae, the poem’s author, was a Canadian physician who died in France, as a casualty of World War I. In 1916, Doctor McCrae was serving as Chief of Medical Services at a Canadian Hospital in France, where wounded soldiers from Arras were received. His poem remains one of the most memorable war poems. It is a lasting legacy of the terrible battle in the Ypres Salient in the spring of 1915. Poppies sprout best in newly cultivated soil and, when this was written, the entire Western Front was covered with poppies blooming as never before seen on the freshly dug graves.

Dr. Sam Bierstock has rushed his song, “Before You Go”, to the Web with hopes that all the World War II veterans will hear it. Doc’s song is a thank you to WWII vets. Yes, Thank You For Your Wondrous Deeds.

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A Woman of Courage.

A Woman of Another Era
I captured this photograph of my life-long friend Geri in April 2005, at the wedding of her granddaughter in Laughlin, Nevada. Geri was an aviation pioneer. Because of her dedication and sacrifices during World War II, she is now referred to as “a woman of courage” and a wonderful example of “the greatest generation”. She is an inspiration to all who know her.

“This is not a time when women should be patient. We are in a war and we need to fight it with all our ability and every weapon possible. WOMEN PILOTS, in this particular case, are a weapon waiting to be used.” ~~ Eleanor Roosevelt, 1942

Way, way back in the early 1940s, Geraldine Elder, a 20-year-old girl from a silver mining town in northern Idaho, was a new college graduate looking for a job with a bit of adventure. She certainly did find a life of challenges and white-knuckled thrills when she signed on with Jacqueline Cochran, to become a woman pilot flying military planes in the Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASP. Geri was in the very first class of woman pilots, trained by the United States military to ferry shiny new “untested” aircraft from the factories to America’s military aviation squadrons. Those airships that survived their maiden voyages were destined to be used by America’s fighting force against the Germans and the Japanese to preserve the free world. She is now an octogenarian living in the Sunbelt, and lecturing at high schools throughout her community on the World War II generation.

The first WASP graduation was held at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas on May 28th, 1943. On this same day in 2005, was held the first ever WASP MEMORIAL FLY IN. The Governor of Texas declared that May 28th, 2005 be known as WASP Day in Texas.

This was originally published by Neddy on 15 May 2005 at “Blatherings”. Updated on 1 July 2007.

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