Living In The Past

I am retired from the U.S. Army.
I am a recipient of the Purple Heart.
When I wear my "Army Veteran" cap folks around me frequently say, "Thank you for your service".
And that is somewhat awkward.
My response is always, "I was honored".
And I am.

To the extent it is possible I still attend reunions-
Officer Candidate School.
Viet Nam Helicopter Pilot's Association.
And the unit I served in while in Viet Nam.

Those reunions are therapy for me.
More importantly, they are therapy for my fellow warriors.
For some of them, those years were the MOST important time of their life.
More than fifty years have passed since our time "at risk" there.
What have we all done in the ensuing 50 years?
Those years were NOT the most important of my life.

I spend these reunion times LISTENING, knowing I can honestly say "I would not trade my Viet Nam memories for anything", but many others carry deep wounds from those experiences.

I still have PTSD.
But I truly feel my problem is pretty minor.
Before we commit our human treasure to war in the future, we MUST consider the long-term effects of our decisions.
And this doesn't take into consideration the material expenditures, which are considerable.

Boeing

Some years ago I was, for several days, attending a helicopter safety school and was seated next to an Air New Zealand 747 Captain. I liked the man and the feeling was mutual.
While in that class we received word that a DC-10 had crashed killing all aboard, and I got a chance to chat with him about how he compared the two airplanes.
He indicated there was no comparison.
"The DC-10 was conceived AFTER Boeing conceived the 747. Nevertheless the airplane was built, tested, and hit the commercial market before the 747 was fielded. The DC-10 is a good airplane. The 747 is a TANK!"

There's a saying from my childhood that always makes me smile:
"I've always thought the 'Cadillac' was the 'Rolls-Royce' of automobiles!"
Similarly when flying, I've always felt more comfortable reaching for the safety card stored in the seat in front only to find I've boarded an airplane built by Boeing, feeling I was aboard the "Rolls-Royce" of airplanes.

I'm not sure now I can say that.
And that fact makes me slightly heartsick.

D.E.I. or Die?

Harley- Davidson.
Jack Daniels.
Tractor Supply.
John Deere.
Bud Lite.
Have we dodged a bad outcome here?

Maybe.
I hope so.

The "Peter Principle"- A Permutation.

One of the things I have seen during my military career that has slightly overflowed into my civilian life will be uncomfortable to discuss here at "Pitchpull" but is MY truth that we can discuss:
On several occasions I have watched a male officer advance into senior ranks bring an attractive female assistant along with him as an "aide" while rumors flew that the reason she was being advanced was not because of her expertise as an expert in any field.

We're seeing that unfair scenario unfold now at the presidential election level with the democrat candidate.
And no one is talking about it.

I fear for our country's future.

Practice Makes Perfect?

I need to practice making holes of different calibers in paper targets.
But "Bidenomics" has made things so expensive, I'm reluctant to practice making holes because I'll have to replace the pew-pew hole makers.
I'd buy a reloading system if I was sure I'll be able to buy primers in the future.
Am I worried for nothing?