The SandGram

Important links for Vets…

Tags: Disabilities, Fed Regulations, Gulf War Vets help, Links for VA help, Medical, VA appeals, Vets Links

Upgrade in Progress

Taco has asked me to upgrade his WordPress install to the latest stable version of 2.9.1. There shouldn’t be any problems and this shouldn’t take any longer than 10-15 minutes. During this time you may notice some funky stuff. Please stand by if you do notice. I’ll publish and update once complete.

Update: Upgrade complete and while none of you should see anything different, Taco has a whole new admin interface to learn! I wished him “good luck, old man” over email and I have a feeling the beers he offered in DC at the conference will wind up on my head.

Semper Fi!
Marcus

Another Army Poser Bites the dust thanks to Mil bloggers!

ABC newsThe Poser Posse at work (Mil Bloggers) has helped nab another fine douche bag and contributed to his arrest by the FBI.  Michael Patrick McManus was arrested last night by the Houston FBI on charges related to the Stolen Valor Act.  Mrs. GreyHawk at the Mudville Gazette made a nice “Wanted, Dead or alive” poster on this guy and soon the hunt began.  Some folks in Houston came up with his identity followed by CJ Grisham identifying all the different medals and awards McManus was wearing on his uniform. Turns out that he served in the Army from 1984 to 1987 and never passed the rank of Private first class.

If I was King for the Day, I would send this Turd over to Major Pain in Afghanistan, put him on the front of the line and make him walk a patrol down the middle of some God forsaken road, endure IED’s, and firefights along side of real hero’s so that he can earn the medals he was wearing.

ABC News did a great piece on this guy… check it out here.  

 PS, on a side note, John (EX-Marine) Murtha died today at 77.  Back to the main news though, McManus will face a Federal Judge in the next few weeks down in Houston TX.

Tags: Michael Patrick McManus, Murtha dead, Posers, Traitors

BRAC, Fraud, Waste and Abuse

BRAC

The Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission http://www.brac.gov (BRAC) is just another form of “Fraud, Waste and Abuse” in my mind.  For those of you new to this, every politician out there with a military base located in their state wants government funds and support people to go with the funds.  The base personnel spend lots of money in the local economy so it only makes sense to keep your people happy which means you get re-elected every couple of years.

Here is the latest example of F/W&A.  I called up to MOBCOM, that is a place where all Marine reservists check for things dealing with pay, points etc.  They are located on a former Air Force base called Richards-Gebaur which was nicknamed “Dickey Goober”  and BRAC’d in the early Nineties. When I moved from Okinawa in May of 1995 to Kansas City, the Ninth Marine Corps Recruiting District HQ was on the west side of Kansas City and we moved from our location to the old Air Force HQ on Dickey Goober.  The 14^th Marines moved upstairs from us, and we had this wonderful new space to work in.  Mind you, the Air Force does a nice job on their buildings, and for a Marine it was first class.  The Marines built a brand-new four or five story office building to house MOBCOM down the street while the rest of the base was turned into some sort of college.  Our Marines were able to live in the base housing there and it was a nice deal. 

I digress as usual, but when I called up there for a set of orders, I was told that due to being BRAC’d, that part of MOBCOM was moving to New Orleans and the other half to Indiana.  I was shocked because that building was no more then fifteen years old.  What in the world is the Marine Corps thinking?  Now they have to spend money in New Orleans, a total crap hole where the Marine Forces Reserves (MarForRes) is located to build new office space.  Probably the same thing going on in Indiana.  I asked what was going to happen to the spaces there and was told the Army was moving in.

It was then that the “Fraud, Waste and Abuse” light went off in my head!  BRAC is nothing more then a government shell game used to create jobs in one place while showing a decrease of troops in another.  Think about it, now they can show that the Marine Corps is saving money by moving the Marines out of Kansas City and consolidating them in New Orleans, a city so plagued by crime that the police won’t report the statistics. And—lets’ not think about the wasted man $$$ days when the threat of a hurricane approaches and they have to evacuate all personnel from that fine city to neighboring states. 

In the late nineties, Brunswick NAS was closed as part of a BRAC recommendation http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/brunswick.htm that just took away the states second largest employer.  As I remember, this was done because some congressman there didn’t want to play on President Bush’s party line sheet of music.  Same thing the current President possibly threw out to Representative Nelson from Nebraska when talking about BRAC’ing Offutt Air Force Base if he didn’t tow the line on his health care bill. 

Once again, nothing is new in the world of “Fraud, Waste and Abuse.” See, the Military is a pawn that can be moved around when needed.  The politicians can justify this by claiming that consolidating forces will save money.  On the other sheet of the books, they can claim “look at all the jobs I created over here in this state” during the next campaign to get re-elected, while ignoring the hundreds of millions of dollars spent to build new buildings, move the personnel to staff it (consider moving 4,000 folks at an average cost of 15K each equals about 6 million just for the household move) just in the name of saving the taxpayers money. 

So we spend hundreds of millions to save a few million!  BRAC should be shown for what it really is–a political leverage arm of the government that is, in fact, costing us more than we care to really know.  I just wanted you to know that your taxpayer dollars are hard at work.  If your life was tossed upside down due to a move, loss on a house from the forced move, city turned into a ghost town from the loss of personnel there, feel free to leave a comment below, I’d be interested in what you have to say.

S/F

Taco

Tags: Base Closure, BRAC, fraud waste and abuse, Marines, MOBCOM, President Bush, President Obama

Man, do I hate Holiday Travel

Interview with Internet legend, LtCol George Goodson USMC (Ret)

There are times when you receive an email that draws such raw emotions out of you that it’s possible to cry over your keyboard.  This past July, I opened my mailbox to read one of those emails, and it was titled A burial at Sea (hyperlinked here) by LtCol George Goodson USMC (Ret). This article was written around 2004, not long after the war began and I wondered if this was a true story or just another well-written Internet piece that was circulating in the ethersphere from one mailbox to another, constantly forwarded, for good reason, as people recognize a well put together memoir from long ago.  I felt the power of his message so much, that I published it right away.

I experienced emotions buried deep in my conscious from over twelve years ago when I, too, was tasked to deliver the news to the spouse of one of our Marines who was killed the night before in an auto accident.  You never forget putting on your Dress Blues, rehearsing what you will say to his wife or the gut punch as his young son opens the door to greet you while you stand there in Uniform.  George’s article brought all that to my forefront as I sat weeping in front of my computer.

I felt the urge to track him down one morning and talk to him about his time in the Corps.  Putting on my past hat as a private investigator, I found him at home with his wife enjoying a nice cup of coffee, oblivious to how his piece had affected thousands across the nation.  I have to admit that I was a bit tongue-tied as I stumbled through my introduction as to why I was cold calling him.  He was very humble about his service in the Corps and receptive to my call.  I set up a time to call him back that afternoon to catch up.  The hours slowly passed as I tended to our sick kids suffering from Strep throat and later while they napped, I dialed his number.

Now we are the same rank, but somehow I feel as though I’m speaking to a former General thus my conversation is laced with “Yes Sir’s” etc. to which George says, “Quit calling me Sir, you can call me George.” This makes me smile, and I reply “Ok George, you can call me Taco, all my friends do and it’s better than Tinker Bell.”  George is 81 years old now and has had some rough patches with his health but I imagine a man 6’4 who is still in great health in my mind’s eye.  He laughs and reminds me he is about 5’9 and not a superman but his wife is, as she teaches water aerobics every day. 

George grew up in the rural south, in a depression era family where one child was the norm and comes from a long line of Americans as one of his ancestors arrived in 1656.  His father, a machinist, had a strong influence on his upbringing, making George the man he is today and unfortunately he died from a heart attack shortly after George joined the Marines in 1951.  I asked him what the deciding factor was leading him to service in the Corps.  Was it a family member, or growing up watching John Wayne movies?  George was quick to point out that he just wanted to shake the dust of that tiny little town off of his legs and see the world.  He despised John Wayne because he never served in the Great War but he did admire the stars like Jimmy Stewart and Ty Powers who fought in combat.  (I too despise some of the stars of Hollywood today for their lack of backbone and apparent greed, and love the few that go support our troops in the war).

As we spoke, George reflected on his “I Love Me Wall”, (most of us have such a spot in our offices where we display awards and unit plaques).  His first MOS was in demolition and he attended school in Camp LeJeune followed by an opportunity to serve in more specialized warfare.   He attended Army Special Forces training in the fifties and rates both the Army and Marine Jump wings, with over 139 jumps, many in combat, and has earned several awards including the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star with Combat V, Purple hearts and even an Air Medal. 

I asked about some of his wounds and if they all came from Vietnam.  He then told me about an operation in 1965 when President Lyndon Johnson sent 42,000 Marines and Soldiers down to the Dominican Republic to restore peace and ensure there wasn’t a second “Cuba” on the doorstep of the United States.”   It turns out that he was shot in the head and the bullet didn’t penetrate that deep in his skull because the fella that shot him was in the surf on the beach and his gun was half submerged.  The Surgeon used a pair of pliers to remove the bullet and sent him on his merry way to rejoin his unit. (with a splitting headache I imagine)

This wasn’t the first time he had been shot or blown up.  While he was attached to the U.S. Military Assistance Command (MACV-SOG) Special Operations Group, he was billeted at the Victoria Hotel in downtown Saigon.  The VC detonated a bomb at the hotel on April 1^st 1966 while he was asleep.  A combination of luck and his own strength allowed him to make it out of the hotel and to the US Embassy not far away, where his wounds were treated.  He wrote a story titled “September Song” detailing that experience.  He read some over the phone and after I type it up, will publish a few excerpts which will be in a future post.

He and his wife have children from previous marriages, and felt that it was important to put some of his experiences on paper so they would understand what war was about and the emotions he still feels today. Especially when he looks at the pictures on the wall in his study which include one of two crying Marines, sitting on “G.I.” cans.  He has it on the wall to remind him what war is about, and in his words, “it sucks!”

George is extremely proud of his time in uniform and his service throughout the world and doesn’t regret anything.  He is an icon in the internet world of electrons and doesn’t even realize it.  His prolific writings resonate with so many of us who have served in the military, and will be a timeless reflection on the price of war and what it extracts from our men and women.  LtCol Goodson, your service in the Marine Corps for our country will be remembered in the words you so eloquently expressed when you penned A Burial at Sea and will be for many generations to come.  For that, I think I can speak on behalf of the thousands of readers out there when I say, “we thank you Sir!!”

It was a real honor to speak with him, and I look forward to more conversations with this Great American!  I hope all of you deployed overseas have a calm and peaceful day on the 25^th and I want to wish all of you reading this a very Merry Christmas and God Bless you all.

Semper Fi,        

Taco

Tags: A burial at Sea, Burial at Sea, George Goodson, LtCol George Goodson USMC (Ret)

Interview with LtCol George Goodson USMC (Ret)

Dear Gang,

First of all Merry Christmas to you all since I will most likely be on road leaving the 24^th for a trip somewhere, but I have a Christmas present for you all.  I interviewed LtCol George Goodson (Ret) who wrote the moving piece on “Burial at Sea”  http://www.thesandgram.com/2009/07/28/burial-at-sea-by-ltcol-george-goodson-usmc-ret/   

He is retired now and putting these stories together for his kids and grandkids, so they know some of the things he experienced.  I have to tell you that it was real honor to speak to him and his wife and it even left me tongue tied which doesn’t happen very often.   So please check back in the next couple of days and if you have any questions that you want me to ask, please email them to me at thesandgram@yahoo.com  

Semper Fi,

Taco

Tags: Burial at Sea, interview, LtCol George Goodson USMC (Ret), Marine Corps, VN

Open letter to Mil Bloggers from CJ

United with CJ

The milblogging community has been very supportive of CJ and all of ASP over the last few weeks as we have dealt our closing, purchase, reopenning, the Army Times article, and all the school/PTA business. I really wish I could express to each and every single one of them personally how appreciative we are, but I would spend the rest of my life saying, “Thank you.”

Starting today, many of the milblogs you have grown to love are going silent to take a stand for CJ. They want everyone to know what it would be like without milblogs for one day. That is one day that the awesome stories of your troops getting the job done won’t get out because we all know the MSM won’t pick up the slack. That is one day that you will have to depend on the crap from other sources and not the awesomeness straight from the people in the know. What will it be like without us?

With that, ASP will also be going silent until at least Friday. CJ, we support you!

Update: Full press release is now below the fold and participating blogs above.

Participating Blogs (in no particular order):
This Ain’t Hell http://thisainthell.us/blog/
Boston Maggie http://bostonmaggie.blogspot.com/
Blackfive http://www.blackfive.net/main/
Miss Ladybug http://miss-ladybug.blogspot.com
Drunken Wisdom http://beerbrains.com/
Grim’s Hall http://grimbeorn.blogspot.com/
Frommyposition http://frommyposition.com/
CDR Salamander http://cdrsalamander.blogspot.com
You Served http://www.youserved.com
Bouhammer http://www.bouhammer.com
Pepple Drops http://pebbledrops.blogspot.com
Chromed Curses http://www.chromedcurses.com
Homefront Six http://homefrontsix.blogspot.com
Delta Bravo Sierra http://www.deltabravosierra.us
Yankee Mom http://www.yankeemom.com
Knee Deep in the Hooah! http://www.kneedeepinthehooah.com
Assoluta Tranquillita http://assolutatranquillita.blogspot.com
Wake up America http://wwwwakeupamericans-spree.blogspot.com
Miss Beth’s Victory Dance http://missbethsvictorydance.blogspot.com
Soldier’s Angels NY http://soldiersangelsny.blogspot.com
Hugh Hewitt http://www.hughhewitt.com
My Own Political Party http://political-party.losito.net
Milblogging.com http://milblogging.com
The Pink Flamingo http://www.thepinkflamingoblog.com
Winds of Change http://www.windsofchange.net
Registered Evil http://www.registeredevil.com
Beer Brains http://beerbrains.com
Right Wing Right Minded http://rightwingrightminded.blogspot.com
Storm’n Norm’n http://normanhooben.blogspot.com
Confederate Yankee http://confederateyankee.mu.nu
The Sniper http://www.thesniper.us
Free Republic http://freerepublic.com
Another Voice http://anothervoice.1776redux.com
United Conservatives http://unitedconservatives.blogspot.com
Support Your Local Gunfighter http://supportyourlocalgunfighter.com/
Knotties Niche http://knottiesniche.com

DATE: 15 DECEMBER 2009

MILBLOGS GO SILENT FOR FELLOW BLOGGER

Milblogs Go Silent
On Wednesday 16 December 2009, many milblogs — including This Ain’t Hell, From My Position, Blackfive, Miss Ladybug, Boston Maggie, Grim’s Hall, and those participating in the Wednesday Hero program — are going silent for the day. Some are choosing to go silent for a longer period of time.

The reason for this is two-fold. First, milblogs are facing an increasingly hostile environment from within the military. While senior leadership has embraced blogging and social media, many field grade officers and senior NCOs do not embrace the concept. From general apathy in not wanting to deal with the issue to outright hositility to it, many commands are not only failing to support such activities, but are aggressively acting against active duty milbloggers, milspouses, and others. The number of such incidents appears to be growing, with milbloggers receiving reprimands, verbal and written, not only for their activities but those of spouses and supporters.

The catalyst has been the treatment of milblogger C.J. Grisham of A Soldier’s Perspective (http://www.soldiersperspective.us/). C.J. has earned accolades and respect, from the White House on down for his honest, and sometimes blunt, discussion of issues — particularly PTSD. In the last few months, C.J. has seen an issue with a local school taken to his command who failed to back him, and has even seen his effort to deal with PTSD, and lead his men in same by example, used against him as a part of this. Ultimately, C.J. has had to sell his blog to help raise funds for his defense in this matter.

An excellent story on the situation with C.J. can be found at Military Times: http://www.armytimes.com/offduty/technology/offduty_blogger_120809/ While there have been new developments, the core problem remains, and C.J. is having to raise funds to cover legal expenses to protect both his good name and his career.

One need only look at the number of blogs by active duty military in combat zones and compare it to just a few years ago to see the chilling effect that is taking place.

Milblogs have been a vital link in getting accurate news and information about the military, and military operations, to the public. They have provided vital context and analysis on issues critical to operations and to the informed electorate critical to the Republic.

On Wednesday 16 December, readers will have the chance to imagine a world without milblogs, and to do something about it. Those participating are urging their readers to contact their elected representatives in Congress, and to let their opinions be known to them and to other leaders in Washington.

Some milblogs will remain silent for several days; some just for the day. All have agreed to keep the post about the silence and C.J. at the top of their blogs until Friday 18 December. The issues go beyond C.J., and deserve careful consideration and discussion. We hope that you will cover this event, and explore the issues that lie at the heart of the matter. Contact the milbloggers in your area or that you know, and hear the story that lies within.

A Partial List of Participating Blogs:

This Ain’t Hell http://thisainthell.us/blog/
Boston Maggie http://bostonmaggie.blogspot.com/
Blackfive http://www.blackfive.net/main/
Miss Ladybug http://miss-ladybug.blogspot.com
Drunken Wisdom http://beerbrains.com/
Grim’s Hall http://grimbeorn.blogspot.com/
Frommyposition http://frommyposition.com/
CDR Salamander http://cdrsalamander.blogspot.com

Grisham Legal Fund
c/o Redstone Federal Credit Union
220 Wynn Drive
Huntsville, AL 35893
Please write “Grisham Legal Fund” in the memo line if you use this option.

Milblogs have been a vital link in getting accurate news and information about the military, and military operations, to you. Today, many milblogs are gone and others are under attack from within and without. Today, you have the chance to imagine a world without milblogs, and to do something
about it. Make your voice heard by writing your congressional representatives and others, and by making donations as you see fit.

The battle for freedom of speech and the marketplace of ideas is fought on many fronts and in many ways. Without your help, the battle may well be
lost.

Mr Wolf
Blackfive.net

Blogger Landmines

Guys,

I have been writing on and off for four years now and one of the things in the back of mind is “Will I get hammered for this?” There are opinions that I feel very strongly about and have put words to paper but after running them by my parents (who usually have the first chop on my posts) for a sanity check, I will delete or change some stuff around.  You have to worry about giving info to the enemy, comfort to the wacko left wing nut jobs or violating one of the six million rules in the Military on social media that have cropped up.

Why do I bring this up?  My friend C.J. Grisham, over at A Soldier’s Perspective, has been battling with the local PTA on their decision to implement school uniforms on the kids there in the middle of the school year.  You can read the problems on his website he has experienced with these banjo playing hicks down in Alabama, but the real problem is with what they did to him when he exposed their antics on his site.  They filed a complaint with his command about this highly decorated Senior Staff NCO which led to numerous allegations and investigations against C.J. and caused him to be removed from his job and placed in another “holding tank” position until he PCS’s to Fort Hood this Spring (by the way CJ, you will stop by for a beer, that’s an order! Ha!).

Something most folks don’t realize in the civilian world is that we live by a totally different set of rules in the Military.  What seems trivial to the average citizen can led to serious problems in the Military.  If Tiger Woods gets caught having an affair with another woman (Ops sorry, multiple women) or Joe Smuckatelly not as famous, gets caught, what happens to him legally? Well nothing but a good old fashion divorce and life goes on at his job etc.  In the Military for example, you would get hauled up on charges of Adultery, Conduct unbecoming of an Officer of SNCO/NCO/Marine and it can go to a court marshal.  Sound harsh? You betcha!  The Corps holds it’s guys to a higher standard then the other services and can be very harsh.  I remember a Marine Captain who had an affair with a young Enlisted Navy gal in the hospital at Cherry Point.  They put him on trial for Rape (which was later dropped to assault-he gave her herpes) Conduct unbecoming of an Officer, Fraternization and a couple other charges thrown in there.  It went to a general court marshal where they ended up putting him in jail at Fort Leavenworth for three years.  Can you imagine making politicians subscribe to the same justice system? Now do you understand why so many folks in the Military disliked the Clinton years? When nothing happens to the Commander in Chief of our troops for adultery, and yet you would lose your job or possibly face jail time, it makes you a bit pissed. Do as I say, not as I do.

Now in the case of C.J., the PTA took advantage of a “Boss” the U.S. Army, who holds the ultimate hammer of justice over the head of this Soldier and every other person in the service who starts up a blog and voices an opinion or the truth.  Your best source of information come from these websites as they write about their daily routines so that folks and family back home can keep up with them while the deployment slowly ticks by.  The Greyhawk’s run the “Mudville Gazette,” a great place to start off your day since they roundup all the new posts worth reading around the world for you in a daily update.  Just keep in mind that while on active duty, these brave men and women walk on a dangerous thin line with their jobs and careers by writing.  If you have a chance, please go to CJ’s website linked above and on the right side of my site and give him some much deserved support!  As a field grade officer, I wish that my Army peers could step back and realize the mistake they are making with this OUTSTANDING SNCO.  They are using a hammer over a senseless situation that a fly swatter would be better suited.  How about a proper “Go pound sand you hicks!” That would be better.

When I retire, I will relish that day so that I can speak my mind and not be restrained by the rules in place at this time.  I only wanted you as “Joe average Citizen” to understand the legal landmines we face in this new world of information where an email has the half life of an Atom and Facebook can get you investigated by the Secret Service or a battle documented on your website with the local PTA can get you fired from your job. Oh well, until that day in 2011 when I retire from the Corps, you will have to standby…

Semper Fi,

Taco

Tags: Afghanistan, Alabama PTA, Blogger, Censorship, CJ Grisham, Iraq, US Army