Semper Gratus!

The History International Channel was supposed to broadcast an episode called “Guns of Beretta” in its Guns of The World series tonight. In a last minute switch, they replaced the show with “Secrets of the Aegean Apocalypse.”

My DirectTV “live” guide says that it will be shown again at 3am Thursday, but when I searched the History International site it came up with the message “We’re sorry, there is no upcoming episode”

I’m going to assume this has something to do with VA Tech and the effort to foist European gun laws on us.

Or am I just being too cynical?

Chuck Norris recieves “Honorary Marine” designation. The story on WorldNetDaily has lots of info on the honorarium, and on the phenomenon of “Chuck Norris”isms that can be found on almost any grafitti laced surface in Iraq.

The best info and insight on this legendary hero comes from a military forum. Here are a few highlights:

• Chuck Norris once ate an entire ream of rice paper and shat out origami swans and Mister Miyagi from Karate Kid.
• Chuck Norris ordered a Big Mac at Burger King… and got one.
• Chuck Norris was the fourth Wiseman. He brought baby Jesus the gift of “beard”. Jesus wore it proudly to his dying day. The other Wisemen, jealous of Jesus’ obvious gift favoritism, used their combined influence to have Chuck omitted from the Bible. Shortly after all three died of roundhouse kick related deaths.
• Chuck Norris built a time machine and went back in time to stop the JFK assassination. As Oswald shot, Chuck Norris met all three bullets with his beard, deflecting them. JFK’s head exploded out of sheer amazement.
• I golfed 18 holes w/ Chuck Norris last summer…..he shot a 9.
• Police draw white lines around only those bodies that are victims of Chuck Norris’ roundhouse kick. Ever notice every body has one?
• Some kids can piss their name into the snow. Chuck Norris can piss his name into the concrete!
• Chuck Norris doesn’t have heart attacks because his heart isn’t stupid enough to attack him.
• Scientific theories of plate tectonics and continental drift were finally affirmed when Chuck admitted to kicking and punching the once large solemn land mass into the shapes we now have.
• Chuck Norris once challenged Lance Armstrong to a “who has the most testicles” contest…Chuck won by 5.

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Marines foil robbery on base (Camp Pendleton), or “Robber with a Green Death Wish”.

A story on April 13, 2007 by Lcpl Geoffrey P. Ingersoll, tells of a not too bright thief who decided to it was a good day to die (or come as close as possible!)

Having run out of a store with armloads of shoe boxes and ladies purses, the would be robber had to throw his ill-gotten goods in the path of a store employee who had given chase. Then the boys in Green heard the commotion:

“I was just standing in the parking lot with my friend when I heard somebody yell,” said Cpl. Chaz A. Prothro, machine gunner, Company C, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, and a witness to the event.

Prothro and his friend headed toward the ruckus and saw a man running away from MCX employees.

Prothro’s friend reached the thief first, but couldn’t get good grasp on him. Prothro just lowered his shoulder and went in for the kill.

“It was a little bit of a fight, so I just hit him and drove my legs, until he was on the ground,” Prothro said. “Then when I looked up, I saw a wall of green coming toward us.”

That wall of green was a group of other Marines closing in to help subdue the alleged criminal. Prothro described the man as young, muscular and willing to fight.

“He uppercutted a gunny during the struggle,” Prothro said. “Then we really put the pressure on him.”

The military police with the Provost Martial’s Office arrived on the scene a few minutes later to apprehend the man. Even around civilian shopping areas there’s a hero factor, there’s going to be people who are willing to step it up if something like that happens, Prothro said. On a Marine base, multiply that by 200-percent, he added.

The Marines offered the thief one bit of advice before turning him over to police.

“You’re in the wrong place to be doing this type of stupid stuff,” Prothro said.

Ouch! You can say that again!

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Next in the news comes from VaJoe.com.

Leatherneck wins Grand Prize ($2000) in VAJoe’s 1st Annual NCAA Pool.

Click the pic to go to the story of how the SSG won and who this lovely lady on his arm might be.

VAJoe.com representative Lane Barnholtz has my great thanks as well for sending me a box full of VAJoe T-shirts to take to Walter Reed. As soon as the box was opened in the lobby of the Malogne House, the shirts were gone! All snapped up by guys and gals who love to wear any civilian cloths with a military message.

Thanks Lane, and thanks VAJoe for all the info and support on your site!

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Lastly, a message from our Spiritual Leader, The Right Reverend Big Bro Jim I:

ITS THE GRUNTS,THE GROUND POUNDERS THAT ARE THE BACK BONE OF OUR MILITARY.THE REST ARE GREAT SUPPORT . MY HATS OFF TO OUR MARINE PILOTS, THEY COULD DROP A BOMB AND KNOCK A PIMPLE OFF OF A GNATS ASS. THEY WERE THAT GOOD. OUR HUEY PILOTS WERE ALSO THE GOODS, THOSE GUYS DIDN’T F%#*K AROUND.THEY DROPPED ROCKETS AND EMPTIED THOSE 50 CALS BEFORE YOU SAW OR HEARD THEM.LETS NOT FORGET OUR COOKS THAT WOULD COME OUT AND SET UP A FIELD MESS FOR A SELDOM HOT MEAL.BUT MOST OF ALL MY BIGGEST HEROES WERE THE NAVY CORPS MEN.IMAGINE GOING ACROSS BACK AND FOURTH THE BATTLE AREA TO TEND THE WOUNDED, MANY OF THOSE MEN EARNED THE SILVER STAR OR NAVY CROSS, THE NEXT HIGHEST TO THE M.O.H..
I SALUTE ALL MY TROOPS.
THE REVEREND BIG BRO JIM I SAID THAT

Amen, RRBBJI!

Newsbusters report “BBC Cancels TV Movie On Iraq War Hero As ‘Too Positive’ “, by Lynn Davidson.

…the project that would have honored the incredible bravery and resilience of Private Johnson Beharry, a man who didn’t hesitate to risk his own life two separate times for his fellow soldiers. His Victoria Cross citation reads like a blockbuster Hollywood action script, but instead, it’s the real deal. Sounds uplifting and encouraging, and it could even be a real morale booster, right? Well, for the Beeb, that’s the problem.

The BBC also ran a story about PM Tony Blair specifically targeting black communities for perpetuating knife and gun violence.

“The black community - the vast majority of whom in these communities are decent, law-abiding people horrified at what is happening - need to be mobilised in denunciation of this gang culture that is killing innocent young black kids,” said MR Blair.

These two stories should have been juicy enough to have both “Reverends” booking redeye flights to London so that they could denounce both the BBC and the Prime Minister as racially bigoted and hate mongering. I can just hear the two of them calling for boycotts, firings, heads to roll, etc., all the while pimping for ‘pounds’ (British $ for you dumb cracker rednecks)
(I hope no one was offended by that last parenthetical remark)
(Paranthetical means between parentheses, i.e. (), you right-wing knuckledragging ‘tards)
(by ‘knuckledragging’ I mean that you would be recognizeable as an australopithecine more easily than a homo sapien)
(NO you retard — I did NOT just call you a ‘homo’!)

*cricket* *cricket*

Where the heck was I going with this? … OH YEAH! This is a case for

The Right Reverend BIG BRO JIM I

Haaaaa-lelujah! Haaaaa-lelujah! halelujah-halelujah-halelujah, haleeeeeeluuuuuujaaaaaa!

DJ Dietz was an Alpha sheepdog who gave his life to protect his flock. As it so often happens, the flock of sheep resents it’s fierce defender and would rather delude itself into believing that defense is unnecessary. To do this, one must hide the evidence of the sheepdog’s existence and more importantly, the method by which his protection is achieved.

Such is the turn of events in Littleton, CO, where Navy Cross recipient DJ Dietz will be memorialized with a statue close to the school he attended as a youngster and where he dreamed of growing up and becoming a Navy SEAL. The Rocky Mountain News reports that a small group of parents feel threatened by DJ’s presence and want his likeness and the really nasty looking gun he’s holding moved someplace else.

Linda Cuesta, whose child was at Columbine High School during the murders on April 20, 1999, told the City Council last month that it would be a mistake to put the statue where hundreds of children would pass it every day.

“After our experience with Columbine and the clear message of nonviolence that we teach within the Littleton schools - honestly, what are we thinking?” she said.

Eh, I think it’s pretty obvious that Ms. Cuesta is NOT thinking! To compare the selfless actions of our citizen warriors risking life-and-limb for this country with the evil and selfish creatures who killed innocents at Columbine is showing an ingnorance that should have kept her from being allowed to procreate.

Blackfive broke the story yesterday and the Church Ladies were all over it!

We wrote emails to the city manager Jim Woods (jwoods@littletongov.org) expressing our support for the sculpture and it’s placement near the school and many left great comments on B5’s post.

I also got an email from YourHub.com community journalist Kevin Hamm who pointed me to his excellent article on the site. Kevin lays out the timeline and individuals involved in planning and executing the memorial as well as a memo from Littleton Historical Museum Director Tim Nimz describing a brief history of War Memorials in the U.S.

Thanks to Jack Ott of The Drum and Cannon for sending me the link to the RMN article, from which we learn:

City officials said the City Council unanimously approved the contract for the sculpture in January and again in February, and a clay model was displayed at one of the meetings. Spokesman Chris Harguth said the city is moving forward with the project as planned.

“We respect that there are differing opinions out there, and we respect the right of our citizens to voice their opinions,” he said. “The feedback we’ve received in the city manager’s office has been overwhelmingly in favor of this project.”

HOORAY!!! This July 4th will be celebrated with the unveiling of a permanent reminder that our sheepdogs, our hero sons and daughters, will always be honored by most members of the flock whom they protect. I think the kids of Littleton may also start dreaming of growing up and emulating the great man that stands watch 24/7/365, his weapon forever at parade rest because his presence alone keeps the wolves at bay.

Mark’s latest post, From Training to Business, tells of his accomplishments in the Marine Corps’ “Ultimate Tough Guy” Training.

Today I graduated from the Marine Corps Green Belt Martial Arts Instructor course. As I eluded to in an earlier post, this was one of the most demanding training stints I have encountered in the Corps - if not the most demanding.

God has graced me with the abilities to not only survive such training - but also with the physical, mental, and character discipline necessary to excel in such a training environment.

Today I graduated at the top of my class - Honor Graduate.

Aside from Honor Graduate, our Instructor Trainer has recommended me for the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for not only my academic accomplishment, but also my leadership and professional qualities as a Marine and Martial Arts Instructor.

But enough self promotion…

Yes, Mark is now qualified to tell older, whiny Marines to “Suck it up…Sir!” and pushish them mercilessly for days! Not that I’m sayin’ Taco’s a whiner, but a few of his buds dropped out pretty quickly.

I know it’s not in Mark’s nature to be boastfull, but I’m glad he decided to share his recent honors with his fans.

OOOORRRAAAAHHH!