Determined to serve...

 Americans have consistently, and notably been determined to serve our country when the need arises...We are mostly aware of men like Audie Murphy because of the fame he earned as a beacon for call to arms during WWII, but others continue to pop up from anonymity such as Jack Lucas...Two days ago the US Navy commissioned its newest Arleigh Burke-class destroyer the USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125) named for the youngest Medal Of Honor recipient of WWII...A mere lad of 14 when our nation was attacked by Japan in 1941, he let his anger seethe until the next year when he forged his Mom's name to enlistment papers and took the oath as a US Marine...Eventually ratted out as being too young to fight, the Corps allowed him to train as a truck driver in Hawaii, but this did not deter Lucas from his goal of combat against the enemy...

Fearing he would miss his opportunity, he deserted his post and stowed away with the other Marines aboard the USS Deuel (APA-160) bound for Iwo Jima...His moment to show what makes a US Marine came days after his 17th birthday when two Japanese hand grenades landed among his 4 man fire team...Without hesitation Lucas shoved one Marine aside, covering a grenade with his own body while taking the other grenade in his hand and pulling it under his body...The one in his hand failed to ignite, while the one under him exploded...His team went on to complete their assignment, while Lucas lay where he fell until the following day when he was found to be alive...The corpsman trying to save him had to kill another Japanese while administering medical aid...

Quoted from the Military.com article:

More than 250 pieces of metal in his body were removed during surgeries. Despite how much was removed, there would be enough shrapnel inside him to set off airport metal detectors for the rest of his life. While Lucas never saw combat again, he would join the Army in 1961, become a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne and train young troops for combat in Vietnam. He died in 2008 at age 80.

More about his life can be found in Wikipedia...The citation accompanying his Medal of Honor is shown below...

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with the 1st Battalion, 26th Marines, 5th Marine Division, during action against enemy Japanese forces on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 20 February 1945. While creeping through a treacherous, twisting ravine which ran in close proximity to a fluid and uncertain front line on D-day plus one, Pfc. Lucas and three other men were suddenly ambushed by a hostile patrol which savagely attacked with rifle fire and grenades. Quick to act when the lives of the small group were endangered by two grenades which landed directly in front of them, Pfc. Lucas unhesitatingly hurled himself over his comrades upon one grenade and pulled the other under him, absorbing the whole blasting forces of the explosions in his own body in order to shield his companions from the concussion and murderous flying fragments. By his inspiring action and valiant spirit of self-sacrifice, he not only protected his comrades from certain injury or possible death but also enabled them to rout the Japanese patrol and continue the advance. His exceptionally courageous initiative and loyalty reflect the highest credit upon Pfc. Lucas and the U.S. Naval Service.

I join a grateful nation in saluting the service of men like Jacklyn Harold Lucas...

Jack Lucas receives the Medal of Honor from President Harry S. Truman on Oct. 5, 1945. (Department of Defense)

Credit...

 This article in my newsfeed this morning and the below quoted blurb led me to wonder how others manage their debt...

"Credit card balances surged from July to September as Americans continued to sink deeper in debt amid rampant inflation, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said Tuesday."

My method of controlling personal debt is probably a little austere to most people, but once I got accustomed to it, it became manageable, and allows me to live within my Social Security income...I have zero ongoing debt in that my home is mortgage-free (not even a HELOC), and my truck was paid for before I drove it home that day...I use credit cards for whatever merchants and vendors will accept them without penalty...I've never had a debit card of any kind...

My five credit cards are "reward" cards which pay me a percentage of whatever I charge every billing cycle...None of mine have any annual fee or other associated use charges...If the balance is paid in full at the end of each billing cycle, there is never an interest charge...I use cash only at gun shows and garage sales when the occasional bargain surfaces, and the occasional lottery quick pick when the jackpot is big enough to catch my attention...

Each card issuer has it's own hook to justify its use...For instance American Express pays me 3% for whatever I buy at grocery stores...Two of my VISA's pay 4% at gas stations (even for a Slurpee) and 3% at restaurants including the fast food joints...My other VISA pays in "points" which equates to 2% of all charges which I apply against the monthly billing balance...My Discover Card (my very first credit card which I've had for 36 years) pays me 5% on certain categories which change quarterly...For instance I get 5% for Amazon buys right now, so I usually wait until this time of year for most of my planned Amazon expenses...

Therefore the CC companies pay me to use their services, and the only money they get is in merchant fees (which I fully understand is paid indirectly by us, the consumer)...But unless there's a cash discount by the merchandiser, there is no point in my paying cash...It's been many years since I carried a balance into another billing cycle on any of my cards, the last time in memory being when my ex-wife charged her divorce lawyer's fee on my Discover Card as a parting gift on her way out of my life...At that point I could not find the means to pay the balance in full, and was forced by the circumstance to pay the usurious monthly percentage for a short while...Since then, they've gotten nothing from me but the monthly balance...

So referencing the above news article, I see only misery in the future of those individuals and families trapped into carrying a balance on their credit cards...I know why they do it, and I also know what it will take for them to be released from the self-induced debtor's prison in which they reside...I also foresee the day when CC companies will get tired of people like me who contribute nothing to their bottom line, prompting them to eventually do away with paying cardholders anything...I'm curious how my readers here manage debt, and why your method works for you...Let me know in the comment section below...

A Small Niche in History...

One of the things I cherish most about owning guns is the history that accompanies each of them...I've written in the past of my being the direct descendant of a lineage of gunmakers whose fine firearms became a benchmark for accuracy and reliability, being put to practical domestic use as tools for stocking the larder in many frontier homes, to establishing and defending not one, but two nations...Prized for their accuracy Bean rifles were known to be used by marksmen in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 as well as by Col. David Crockett in his role in defense of the small Alamo Mission establishing the Republic of Texas...

Neither of the Bean rifles thought to have been taken to Texas by Crockett are known to have survived, but I continue to look for one to add to my own collection...In the meantime other paths are taken, and as paths do, they occasionally cross in time...On December 2, 1968, James C. Parrish, a US Navy veteran of WWII and now employed as a civilian mathematician at Holloman AFB, NM bought a S&W Model 14-2...This was a finely crafted target revolver with 6" barrel, and was purchased new at the nearby town of Alamogordo, NM...It is unknown how skilled of a shooter Mr. Parrish was, although his obituary in 2011 described him as a firearms enthusiast...Also unknown is whether his family shared his enthusiasm, but it is known that until last week his S&W Model 14-2 was for sale at a gun store in Albuquerque, NM where he lived his retirement years...

Following my finding the revolver in an internet search, and a 14-2 variant not being one I presently owned, I bought it and had it shipped...Yesterday when I received it, It was exactly as described...It has been shot, and obviously carefully cleaned and stored away from the elements...I suspect that Mr. Parrish not only understood the need for cleanliness, but also knew the value of storing guns separately from any boxes or papers with which they were originally shipped...The only marks on the gun are the carbon rings left on the front face of the cylinder from shooting it...There are no rub marks in the bluing to indicate it was ever in a holster of any kind...The cylinder has a very faint turn line...The walnut Magna grips are numbered to the gun's frame, indicating they were handfitted at the S&W factory during assembly and shipped on the gun...There are no marks anywhere on the metal nor wood to indicate any rough handling...

Inside the very crisp cardboard box which originally housed the revolver when shipped, I found the papers and seemingly unused cleaning tools and sight adjustment tool still packaged in the plastic wrapper from S&W...The anti-rust vapor paper with which S&W still wraps new firearms was still present in the box carefully folded...Under all this was the original invoice from which I obtained the information on Mr. Parrish, including his check number, and his promise to pay the balance owed, $50.00, within 30 days...Obviously his credit was good...At the time Mr. Parrish bought the S&W which I now own, I had been stationed at his place of work, Holloman AFB, for about six months, having returned with my wing to our new desert home from Spangdahlem AB in West Germany...At that time of December 1968 we were making preparations to return to Spangdahlem to support the Joint Forces War Games, an annual event...A few months later, we returned to Holloman where I received my honorable separation from service...

It is unknown to me whether Mr. Parrish and I ever saw or spoke with each other...It is possible since I interacted with many civilian contractors, both on and off duty...Either way I am glad that our mutual love of fine firearms allowed this second crossing of our paths in history...

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Notes Concerning Honorable Service...

 My longtime friend, Kevin, inspired this article with his answer to a thread I started in the Cracker Barrel, one of the few forums in which I regularly participate...Kevin pointed out the sometimes questionable circumstances for which certain awards are cited...I decided to post my thoughts here...Thanks Kevin!...

I've studied many of those early awards, and although the service of the recipients was honorable, and the cited action noteworthy, I believe the honor associated with the Medal was diminished somewhat by its wholesale distribution to those who should have been recognized for their service in another manner...In those early days even civilians, such as Billy Dixon, whose actions at the Battle of Buffalo Wallow as a scout doubtlessly qualified for the award, were recipients...The 1917 Review Board revoked Dixon's award citing his ineligibility as a civilian, a technical error later reversed in 1989 by an Army Board of Corrections of Records...Dixon died in 1913 unaware of the discredit heaped on his memory, nor the later restoration of his well earned citation...

Another later recipient of the nation's highest military honor certainly knew of the discredit assigned to him by politicians, many of whom could not claim military service on their own records...But these politically motivated aspirants were happy to deny earned honors from those who did serve and had invoked the wrath of unforgiving partisan officeholders besmirched by other actions of the recipient which were completely unrelated to the cited activity...Theodore Roosevelt, who had resigned his position as Undersecretary of the Navy to accept a commission in the US Army during the Spanish-American War, was nominated for the Medal of Honor for his combat actions at the Battle of Kettle Hill in Cuba...Before the award could be confirmed by Congress, it was blocked for political purposes by those deskbound soldiers who were insulted by the embarrassment heaped on them when Roosevelt published a letter in US newspapers revealing the deplorable treatment of sick and wounded soldiers who were left behind to garrison Cuba and ensure the peace...More than a hundred years passed before the award was presented posthumously by a grateful nation in the office of then President William Clinton...

Valor can also run in family bloodlines as evidenced by another Roosevelt, Theodore III who certainly was not required to volunteer for service in WWII at the age of 56...Yet he not only successfully argued for an Army commission, but despite his own physical infirmities led the Allied invasion of Utah Beach in Normandy on 6/6/1944...His decisive leadership on that beach while under fire, even knowing that his unit's position was far from his approaching reinforcements, contributed greatly to the eventual success of the Allied invasion...Like his father before him he died unaware that the nation had awarded him its highest honor, as he died days later from a heart attack in Normandy...His widow accepted the award on General Roosevelt's behalf in the presence of Allied commanders and the US Secretary of War...

It is certainly true that some presentations of the nation's highest military award may not have been the result of direct combat, but in my opinion were justified as they took place in war zones with the intent of bringing that war to a successful close...Two examples follow another family bloodline, that of Admiral Frank Friday Fletcher and his nephew, later Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher, each of whom were nominated for the Medal of Honor for their actions in battle at Vera Cruz in 1914...Although the citations accompanying their awards seem lackluster in comparison to others, I contend that they are both well within the standards of the valorous service for which all Medals of Honor have been awarded...Both men were in command and performed their duties under fire, exhibiting the conspicuous leadership necessary to inspire the confidence of those men in their commands...In addition both men lent their names to US Navy destroyers after their deaths...

I cannot close this article without pointing out that although some high awards have been said to be overrated, others are severely underrated...Exemplary of this is the service of US Navy Cook 3rd Class Doris Miller...Miller was on board the battleship USS West Virginia when the ship was attacked along with all other ships in Pearl Harbor on the beginning morning of the Pacific War...Although untrained for combat operations nor medical service, his quick, unflinching and decisive actions were instrumental in saving the lives of many wounded...Using his great physical strength he gently moved his ship's captain to a more secure and comfortable position allowing that commander to direct combat operations and die in relative safety...He then assisted two junior officers in operating a .50 Caliber machine gun against the invading Japanese fliers...When they became disoriented in battle and unable to continue, Miller, with no training whatsoever with the heavy caliber gun other than watching the two officers, took control of the gun after seeing they were in a safe position, and was responsible for the downing of at least one, and likely two of the Japanese aircraft...

For his service that day Miller was awarded what was then the 3rd highest Navy decoration, the Navy Cross...The award itself was later upgraded to the Navy's second highest award...The Pacific Fleet's new commander, Admiral Chester Nimitz, himself of above average height, lifted himself on his toes to personally pin the medal on the chest of the towering Miller in a shipboard ceremony...Miller went on to further service, yet still as a Mess Attendant (later Steward's Mate), aboard the escort carrier USS Liscome Bay until that ship was attacked and sunk by the Japanese in the Gilbert Islands...Exactly two years after Miller's meritorious action after the Pearl Harbor attack, his parents were informed by telegram that their son was missing in action and presumed dead along with two thirds of his crewmates...

Miller was further honored in the 1970's when a US Navy frigate was commissioned bearing his name, and most recently it was announced that the keel was laid for America's newest nuclear aircraft carrier, CVN-81, USS Doris Miller...Admiral Nimitz, a man with no political aspirations but one who understood the importance and effect of politics on the Navy, used the award ceremony for Miller to springboard the need for sailors and soldiers to serve in positions for which they were qualified, not just because of the color of their skins...Even in death Miller inspired the work of civil rights leaders of all races to advance the uniform service of all members of the nation's military, regardless of race...Others, convinced that racial qualities should govern service in some areas, argued against the idea...Today that struggle continues, but the weight of the actions of men like Miller, and the influence of men like Nimitz continue to equalize opportunities for all...Perhaps in generations to come it will be decided that Miller's award deservedly be upgraded to the Medal of Honor...Until then I will point out that Miller's Navy Cross citation states that he continued his fight against the enemy until he was ordered to stand down...Such instinctive service in the face of certain death is exemplary of actions taken by all whom have been awarded the nation's highest military honor...

Such after-battle actions by committees are the work of politicians, and the toadies who seek favor from those politicians...Above all that stands the unflinching service of those noted in each citation, none of which asked to be present at the noted scenes of action and sacrifice, nor raised a hand for recognition...This is why I have always argued that awards of merit in our military are never "won," as often stated by misinformed writers...They are instead awarded to the often unwilling recipients by a grateful nation as a small token recognizing the valor of not only those who came home to wear the ribbons and medals, but also those who fell on the fields of honor...

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Legislating gun shows out of existence...

 I like to attend gun shows...I like the atmosphere, the variety of guns, ammo, memorabilia, accessories and other items I see...I like talking to the people I meet there, many of whom I've known for decades and not all by name...Some I meet and exchange ideas with whom I may never see again...I usually carry a gun with me to these events, sometimes more than one...I like to trade and otherwise acquire guns for my personal collection...This year I added several guns to my household property, while at the same time divesting myself of other personally owned items, including firearms...I like to alter the content of my gun collection by trading because it keeps me sharp concerning the relative values of firearms...Sometimes I buy outright, other times I'll sell one or more of my guns to finance the acquisition of others...The variety of the guns which hold my interest is what keeps me involved in this activity...

Upgrading the content of my meagre collection is the intent of my participation in this hobby, just as it is with collectors of other types of items...I should interject another thought at this point, I don't really consider myself a collector, rather an accumulator as I increase my knowledge in a specialized field of firearms, namely revolvers, and specifically Smith & Wesson revolvers of the 20th Century...I accumulate some of my gains in personal property through mainstream venues such as licensed gun stores and pawn shops where I've uncovered some real gems, in addition to some real clunkers...Even the clunkers have their value as they can be stripped of their more valuable parts and accessories, while trading away the remains to someone who needs the parts...In my eye there are no unloved firearms, only those which need to be relocated to a more appreciative owner...

It is well known that not everyone shares my enthusiasm for guns, as headlines are made everyday concerning those who feel it necessary to strip me and all other Americans of our constitutionally guaranteed right to do as we please as long as we don't harm others...Many of these rabble rousers are actually well-intentioned but misguided fools who simply have not thought the subject through to a logical conclusion...These can at times be convinced of the error of their ways of thinking, but the most dangerous ones are those who use the subject of gun ownership and use as a springboard to personal power, and control over wealth...Politicians, both those who are elected to office and those who prefer to own and direct the officeholders, are the true dangers to our always fragile republic...Many of these power-seekers choose to fulfill their lust for control through the fear generated by a public which feels helpless against criminals and the insane who are merely bent on death and mayhem in their frustration over their unsatisfactory lives...

The power hungry who in their insatiable greed for more and more control over the lives of others know that they cannot achieve ultimate power as long as an armed populace exists to stand in their way...Therefore they have learned that they must disarm those who would stand in their path by either convincing them they are safer disarmed, or to forcibly disarm them through legislation which makes it ever more inconvenient to hold ownership of firearms as personal property...This has been done incrementally at all levels of government as the power brokers continue to find elected officeholders who are willing to accept support in election campaigns at the expense of debt which can only be repaid with legislation which serves to increase the power of those supporters...The latest in those incremental steps takes place in a few days in Texas...

On January 1, 2021, enforcement begins of an interpretation of Rule §3.316 of Subchapter O of Chapter 3 of Part 1 of Title 34 of the Texas Administrative Code...This bloated title will begin to affect gun shows in Texas through the enforcement of sales tax collection on the occasional sellers of private property...For those unaware of the people who populate gun shows, sales occur not only with licensed firearms dealers who already collect sales tax on purchases, but also collectors who sell and trade from their own collections of privately owned firearms and other items...It will make these private individuals responsible for collecting a sales tax from purchasers of their collectibles and disbursing it to the various taxing entities, both state and local, who greedily present their outstretched palms...The money thereby collected will be used to finance yet another layer of government which must be added to ensure this new source of public income will be drained of its potential...These newly appointed public servants will of course be dedicated to wringing every possible penny from these previously private sellers, making sure that their careers stay intact...

The effects on the gun shows will be multi-layered...The pushback from participating vendors who have never seen their activities taxed will be immediate and vigorous...Taxing authorities will choose some of the more entrenched vendors for exemplary punishment when they resist becoming tax collectors for the state...Attendees such as myself will resist becoming the unwilling financiers of this new layer of government, and sales will fall...Eventually as vendors and attendees drop out, the promoters of the shows will see their own incomes drop to the point where they must fold their tents and close...This has the effect of reducing the circulation of available cash leading to yet more unemployment and recession...As gun shows begin to be reduced in number, the newly appointed tax code enforcers will begin to use their interpretive powers as it applies to the law to visit their presence on those vendors at flea markets, seasonal festivals, Girl Scout cookie sales, church rummage sales, private garage sales and those who advertise their personal belongings for sale on CraigsList...No rock will remain unturned as the tax code enforcers justify their own existence...

But there will be joy in the encampments of the power brokers as their control over people and the available wealth slowly increases at the expense of rapidly depleting democracy and freedom...The only question remaining is that of who will be left at the top when there is no longer a bottom...

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Keeping It Safe...

This article was inspired by the questions from a young lady friend who is thinking ahead to her first gun safe purchase...

I've only owned National Security safes personally...That company was acquired by Liberty Safe some years ago...When I had my first FFL, I eventually bought two more National Security safes besides my original to hold everything...When I entered business as Shooter's Station, I put two of those safes into inventory, but kept the original which I still have...After buying the third safe I remembered the advice my first service manager gave me as a new auto mechanic when I was thinking about my first roll-around tool box...He said, "Try to imagine which tool box will hold all the tools you ever expect to buy in your lifetime, then buy one twice as large and it may last you five years before you have to buy a bigger one"...And he was right...The same principle applies to gun safes...

If I was buying a new one today it would be a Liberty...I think they have the best product as well as the best customer service...Liberty also still sells the National Security brand for those who don't mind paying more...You'll also find out while shopping that there are "gun safes" and there are "gun lockers" as I call them...A gun "safe" will have rounded corners which indicates 100% seam welded construction...Gun "lockers" have square corners and are spot welded which can be cracked open like a walnut shell by any experienced thief with a 12 pound sledge hammer and a prybar...I prefer safes with Sargent & Greenleaf locks (either dial or electronic), any other brand is second rate...You also want the locking mechanism to have thick bolts driven from all four sides of the door edge (mine has 16 1" steel bolts), and a glass relocking system which prevents the safe from being opened even if a thief has cut away the complete outer lock mechanism...

Ask about the thickness of the steel used in all six sides of the safe...On mine they used 1/4" steel on both the inner and outer walls on five sides (some safes don't have an inner wall), and my door is one inch thick with alternating steel and copper plates which makes cutting torches useless...Weight is a big factor also when a safe is fire-lined...Mine has thick fire-liner between inner and outer walls, and this is where a lot of the weight comes from...The fire-liner rating is important, the higher the better and the more chance that whatever is inside will survive a house fire...Remember that you can protect not only your guns, but also any important papers, old photographs, jewelry, watches, etc...And the additional weight can discourage thieves from trying to move the entire safe...At Shooter's Station we had an additional safe (besides the walk-in vault we built) that was truly old-school - it was double walled with the cavities filled with three inches of concrete for fire liner...It weighed 3500 pounds and was installed with a fork lift during the construction...It's still there today...One of the photos in my article on the store's construction in my photo blog has a partial view of it...

When you choose where to place your safe, try to pick an inner wall if possible...Thieves have been known to steal a tow truck, tear down an outer wall, chain onto a safe and pull it out of the house to another location where they can cut into with a carbide saw...Mine is in an inner closet, under a load-bearing beam, where it would be very inconvenient for a thief to even bring in industrial cutting equipment to access it...It's best to have the people you buy it from to install it because they have special equipment and methods to move it in and out without damaging the floors or walls, even climbing stairs...It's well worth the delivery/setup fee...They can also bolt it to even a concrete floor with lag bolts...The best place I know to buy a safe locally is Lone Star Gun Safe on FM 1960 in Houston...If the same people who own it now are the same who founded it, they are great to work with...Another great place to do business for safes, guns and other items is CC Plus on Hwy. 105 in Conroe...

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Living with it...

These following thoughts were spurred by the words written to me by a friend who visited blame for destruction and theft of private property on a group of people not because of the choices they made, but because of an accident of birth...No other identification of this friend will be made here...

I kid and poke fun at a lot of people and ideologues when they involve the choices people make which govern their lives...In my mind, people choose which gender attracts them sexually; they choose whether and which religion to follow; they even choose how to vote for government leadership, and they choose what to ingest in their bodies regardless of the consequences...The paths they follow as results of those choices are of their own volition, and they have the further choice of reversing course and renouncing the choices which harm themselves and others...

Two things I choose not to use for scorn or the purpose of humiliation are race and physical abnormalities...Neither were asked for, yet the consequences of both are something each individual is left to deal with over the course of a lifetime...None of us chose to be born of a particular skin color nor of the ability to move about under our own power, and yet we did choose to live and vote responsibly accepting the results of our choices, to earn our own living without harming others and to allow others the same opportunities...Or not...When the choice is made to take what seems to be an easier path to happiness, however temporary, then we must accept the consequences without falling back on the empty defense of being guiltless because of being born with less-than-popular physical characteristics...

I scorn those who wreck their own lives and the lives of others with drugs, crime and violence...I do not scorn them because they are not of the same race as I am since an accident of birth did not cause their actions; their own choices did that...I am not angry at my friend, merely disappointed...We also have the choice of recognizing our own errors and correcting the course of our lives...It's now been more than 50 years since I described anyone using the epithet now known as the "n-word"...It was slapped out of me by a friend who heard me use it to describe our mutual friend...I've always been grateful for the accidental timing which allowed that slapping to occur by someone who had my best interests in mind, and not someone who might have carried those actions further...

There is such a thing as slapping some sense into a person...

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Letting It Go...

 I've heard it said by people much smarter than I'll ever be that none of us on Earth ever truly own anything, that we are merely custodians and stewards of what possessions cross our paths as we mark our time in this life...The kings and queens of ancient Egypt thought they owned it all, even the human beings that were kept alive to serve them...They imagined that if their wealth and their staffs of servants could be buried with them, they would always be in possession of their accumulations...But their bodies were scarcely cold and tucked away in their pyramid tombs before the ghouls ransacked many of their gravesites and carried off their precious wealth only to become yet again the temporary possession of fools who thought their property to be sacrosanct...Those few whose tombs escaped plunder were only later opened by archeologists who removed their contents and even their bodies for display in museums...When those museums are buried in the dust of collective ages to become the foundations of a thousand succeeding civilizations, those ancient rulers will be no closer to ownership of the baubles and trinkets they coveted in life than they were when they could still draw a breath...

No matter our status nor position as we work our way toward the end of our allotted times here, the objects we have claimed during our years are no more ours to keep than the diamonds buried under miles of rock on distant planets...Even our own bodies which have been our only true homes since birth will be taken away from us eventually by the ravages of time...When we leave to find our next place in God's plan, nothing will remain of us or what we possessed but whatever memories we have bestowed in the minds of those who knew us...And even that will fade to nothingness with the passage of generations...

What then of the physical possessions that mean something to each of us beyond their monetary value...Each of us has and still do have in our possession certain objects which retain for us a value higher than its market worth...When we are no longer in possession of even the life we were granted at birth, and even our souls are returned to He who created them and granted us temporary stewardship, those objects we coveted in life become the possessions of others who may or may not understand the value we placed on them...Not sharing a common history with us, the new stewards may merely exchange our trinkets for new trinkets which they now covet...

In the past year or so, I began to think of the things I possess, and to ponder over the value of what little earthly belongings I have gathered in a lifetime...That which I can still lay my hands on is hard earned, and in some cases fought over to retain...But I know in the end it will all remain behind me to belong to others, however temporarily...My closest family consists of only my two nephews, my late brother's sons, who have grown to manhood and both lead their own lives with their own values...I'm proud to leave whatever I possess to them as I move on at some point, but since their values and their experiences differ from mine, certain earthly items of mine will carry no more value to them, than the money they can be sold for...There are two items of mine which, although they carry a high monetary value in any case, they have a different value while they are in my stewardship...While I still have control over these items, I have decided to transfer ownership to others, to whom I believe they will not only retain my value, but will add their own value...Both of these new custodians are friends, one recent and the other of many decades...

The first item is a wristwatch, an Omega Speedmaster Professional which I bought new at a Canadian Air Force Base in what was then still called West Germany...Details in my memory have faded in the intervening 52 years, but to the best of my knowledge it was Zweibrücken Air Base where at that time an air show was being held, the first I had ever attended...I cannot recall exactly what led to my enamorment with the Omega Speedy Pro, but it may have been an article on personal timepieces in the pages of Playboy magazine, which at that time and place was required reading for any GI stationed anywhere in the world...I can only recall being influenced by many recommendations concerning fashion and accoutrements considered to be the proper choice of discerning gentlemen of the era...Whatever the source of the spark, it lit a flame in my heart to own a Speedy Pro, but the local Base Exchange not only didn't stock it, but had no idea when or if they could obtain one...

The year was 1968 and I knew I would not be making the US Air Force my career, but also knew this would be my one chance to see as much of Europe as possible...Together with three friends in my squadron, we pooled our two Volkswagens and as much camping gear as we could beg or borrow for a 20 day tour of Europe, culminating in attending the Gran Prix of Monaco held in the streets of Monte Carlo...[Note: the photo link just provided includes several photos of a very young Truckman wearing this particular watch]...I wrote to my parents telling them of our itinerary, and to my delighted surprise they sent me a check for $300.00 so I wouldn't have to take the trip of a lifetime on the cheap...Before we were to embark our VW's to conquer a small chunk of Europe, we had a chance to attend the airshow the Canadians were hosting, and while there we visited their Base Exchange to gather a few supplies for the journey...Naturally I cruised by their jewelry department, and lo and behold, there sat a brand new Omega Speedmaster Professional under glass...Having my trip money in my pocket and knowing this might be my only chance ever to own this fine wristwatch, I asked the price...

At this time the watch had not been announced as the choice of NASA for issuance to all astronauts, including those who would be chosen to wear theirs on the surface of the moon the following year...But it was still a hefty price tag even before it became famous...I was able to obtain mine on the spot for the princely sum of 95 US dollars...The remainder of what was in my travel fund found good use as we were able to check into the local hotels every few days, with genuine beds and actual hot showers...I was also able to take advantage of local bargains in quality goods such as leather items in Florence Italy, and hand-blown glass in Venice...When I got back to base, I applied for, and was granted a $300.00 loan from the on-base American Express office which I sent home in the form of a money order...Prompt repayment to American Express also helped with building my credit rating...

My Speedy is what became known as a pre-moon watch since it does not have the (to me) gaudy NASA inscription on the back, but it does have the then new smoother more accurate movement and I have worn it proudly for 52 years...It has endured two divorces, an accidental dunking in a lake when I fell overboard (after which I sent it off for its first overhaul) and even though I shouldn't have, I wore it many times while working at various jobs...In recent years I had it overhauled yet again by a local watchmaker with many years of working on high-end watches as I was told...

Since then it gains about a minute every three or so days, and possibly due to my habit of working while wearing it, the chronometer knobs have both become detached, one of which I was able to recover...It needs another overhaul, and whatever the cost of that might be, it is well worth it to retain its value...But even then its true value to me is beyond whatever it might bring on the open market when left up to my nephews if it came into their possession...At this writing new Speedy Pros are listed at about $6500.00 while pre-moon watches in primo condition sell for considerably more when they can be found for sale...But I agonized over the watch's history being lost and forgotten if my nephews just cashed it in and it wound up on a new wrist...

Recently when my trusted friend of more than 30 years and I were off to yet another gun show, we took one of his fellow workers and friend with us who is also a firearm enthusiast...While talking he recognized and asked about the watch on my wrist...After several conversations it turned out the Speedy Pro is his dream watch, something he has admired for many years...I saw an opportunity here to continue the history of my watch in a new tradition which will see it passed down to one of his sons or grandsons...Being a young family man with the usual obligations, he could not justify draining their savings for either a new or used Speedy, but after talking it over with his wife it was concluded that he could fulfill his dream if he could use some cash and a trade for guns already in his possession...We established a fair price, and came to an agreement to trade for cash plus guns...I will continue to trade up in my own gun collection, and have some cash to put away in savings...This also alleviates the burden on my nephews whom I'm sure would find themselves at a disadvantage when it came to the responsibility of liquidating my assets...When the time comes for my new young friend to pass along the Speedy, which I'm guessing may occur some 50 more years down the line, it will be 100 years old, and he will know its entire history from its date of original new purchase...

This takes a huge worry off my shoulders as I can concentrate on other events as time creeps up on me from behind...But there are still a few items which have some history for me, and I think I can rest easier knowing how they will be treated when they leave my grasp...I have a particular pistol which has not only commercial and intrinsic value, but even greater value as a memory prop for those who know its history...The gun in question is a Colt Gold Cup National Match chambered in .45ACP...I bought it for cash from a man I had dealt with before, but also had a reputation as one who is not always trustworthy...But I ran the gun's serial number through several databases purporting to contain complete lists of of stolen and missing firearms (NCIC is unavailable to me)...The number consistently returned as clean...

When I first got it in the early 90's, it had already been refinished as blued, and some of the lettering had been lost in the process...It shot well in my amateur hands, but I knew it could be improved...I showed it to a friend, Art Collins, who was not only a chief of police at the time but also one of the most knowledgeable people I have ever known on the subject of firearms and shooting in general...Gold Cups are known to have excellent triggers out of the box, but Art cleaned up the action a bit for me, and the shot groups tightened...Later I decided I wanted night sights in place of the repulsive tall Millet target sights which would not even allow the pistol to fit a standard holster...Art sourced some adjustable Meprolight Tru Dot sights for me and installed them...In doing so he had to overcome the double staking on the front sight to correctly install the new ones...Being the consummate master gunsmith he was, it was performed without complaint and he merely passed the information along matter of factly...In the intervening 20 or so years following, the sights have lost most of their original glow, and to my knowledge Meprolight no longer offers this sight in inventory...However the slide could always be sent to Meprolight, or another source such as Miniature Machine Company (MMC) of Ft. Worth, either of which can drill the dead globes out and replace with fresh ones...

At a later point I decided I wanted to refinish the gun again because I did not like the blued finish; it did not match Colt bluing and to my eyes, just didn't look right...In talking it over with Art, I decided on hard chrome which is an industrial finish just about impervious to wear or weather...The hard chrome pieces I had already seen elsewhere never came out as shiny and reflective as traditional triple chrome plating, but Art called a contact he knew at Checkmate Refinishing in Florida (no longer in business today)...He was told they were very familiar with hard chrome and could make it look as shiny as a '58 Cadillac bumper if I wanted...

Before sending the gun off, I also wanted a few changes to the gun...Art ordered a BarSto barrel and bushing, new steel magazine release, Ed Brown single-side thumb safety and wide grip safety...He ordered all new springs and new firing pin at the same time...When they arrived, he fitted each new part to the gun, which in the hands of a master craftsman like him, means that each part of the gun was perfectly mated to the pieces it came in contact with...He took it to the range and shot it, then being satisfied with its performance, he again disassembled it down to the last pin and spring...The parts which were to be hard chrome plated were boxed and shipped to Checkmate...When they came back the job had been done exactly as he specified: flats polished to a mirror finish and rounds chromed in matte...

Plating adds a few microns to the dimensions of each part that is plated, and Art again hand fitted each of the parts on reassembly to a perfect mating...At this time he also hand fitted the slide to the frame, allowing for the new thickness on the parts, and fitted the barrel and bushing for a positive no-movement alignment...After shooting the gun to verify function and accuracy, Art cleaned and returned the gun to me...What, the reader may wonder, was the cost of performing this miracle of new accuracy and dependability?...Art charged me his cost on the plating and the parts used...For his expert labor and hours of painstaking, tedious work he wouldn't take a penny...We had always done each other favors, also watching each other's merchandise and money when we set up together at gun shows, with me selling guns and Art selling his custom loaded ammunition...To my knowledge, neither of us ever made a nickel off each other in our years of friendship...

Sadly Art died from his recurring bouts with cancer in 2009...His funeral was one of the most heavily attended I have ever witnessed with well wishers and mourners packing the overflowing chapel...The stories and accolades heaped on him from those who knew him both personally and professionally went on for hours...I have fond memories of my friend, and of everything he taught me about shooting, firearms, ammunition, history and most importantly - character...Today those memories and the Colt Gold Cup he built for me are all I have left of those days...My recent thinking about my watch also led to thoughts of this gun, and the few other earthly possessions I treasure...Again referring to my well-meaning but inexperienced nephews, they both know what to do with any money I leave them, and will invest it carefully...But the Gold Cup has a history which would be lost on them...It's just another of my guns, and would likely be sold or traded for far less than its value...

To that end I decided the best thing to do would be to turn over custodianship to my friend who has attended so many gun shows with me, and who also worked for Art Collins as a policeman for many years, rising to the rank of Lieutenant under Art's leadership...He is several years younger than I am, and will likely be around long after I am gone...He is also the most trusted of my small circle of friends, and will treat the gun as it should be, shooting it and carrying it on duty...He has been my friend as long as I have owned this gun, and I can think of no better steward for it and the memories it inspired than him...He was even present when I bought the giraffe bone grips that now reside on the gun...As he pointed out to me, he has excellent taste in grips...

At some point both these men will reach my point in life where they wonder what will become of the objects that have stirred their memories and marked their time on our planet...I trust that both will make suitable plans to pass on the custodial duties of a few shiny objects and the history connected to them...

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Kind of a sad day...

I've always had my private collection of guns which I kept separate from my FFL inventory...When the time came to finance my last divorce (and I do mean last), I sold off many of my military and custom made firearms, reluctantly I might add...But I suppose that's what they were for, financing unexpected expenses even though it really hurt me to part with many of them...I still had a few left when the dust settled, and in the 12 years since I only bought one, a Kimber Ultra Tactical which I alternate with my old Gold Cup for carry...Recently in going through my safe I got to thinking how many of my remaining collection have not seen daylight in so long, and some I haven't shot in who knows how long...

In thinking about where these guns will go after I'm gone, I know my only two heirs, my nephews, will eventually sell or trade them for something else as they are gun users, not collectors...So this summer I made the painful decision to start testing the market on guns I love, but will never shoot again...The one that caused me the most angst was the S&W M37 (3" barrel, polished blue, square butt) in the original box with all papers, that I had given to my Dad for Christmas in the 80's...It was the only handgun he ever owned, even though when he served in the Army in WWII, he qualified as expert with both rifle and pistol...Given its pristine condition, and the rising market among panic-stricken buyers, I knew I could get a good price for it...

I had been attending gun shows again this year after several years of inactivity, so I started carrying this one around just to see what offers I might get...Everyone oohed and ahhed over it, and I got many offers from dealers who naturally offered far less than I knew it was worth...But at the third show to which I took it, a small out of town show, I talked to an individual who wanted a small revolver for personal protection...I showed him what I had and told him my price (about 3X the original retail price I paid) and after getting approval from his knowledgeable friend, he started counting out $100 bills...Since he met my price without quibbling, I gave him a leather holster I had bought for it, and sold him a full box of ammo at a bargain price compared to what I saw elsewhere...I know the law, and I made sure he had a valid Texas ID before the transaction...

It pained me to have it leave my possession, but it was the icebreaker I needed, and I do not regret it...Since then I started carrying a few guns to other shows, and found I enjoyed the dealings with others as much as seeing the guns and watching the people, many of whom I've known and dealt with for decades...I even bought another revolver, a Colt Detective Special 3rd model, which I found at a reasonable price...I started carrying my unfired S&W M686-3 (round butt, 2 1/2" barrel, Goncalo Alves grips), and my IMI Timberwolf rifle (.357 Mag, hard chrome finish) which I had owned for 25 years, but hadn't shot in 15...I didn't really care whether either sold so I decided on prices which more than tripled my money on the Smith, and would bring me about 8X what I paid for the rifle...Apparently I should have been a little bolder in pricing because as soon as I entered the local Conroe show, the very first dealer I passed wanted to see the revolver...I told him my price, and I was surprised that he counter-offered at $50 less than I quoted...I told him no to which he said, "OK, I'll pay it," and started counting out $100 bills...So we were both happy, although I could have held out for a little more happiness on my end, but I never renege on a deal...

The Timberwolf was a different story...I already knew how rare the rifle is on the market, since they shoot so well, and those who were lucky enough to buy one when they were still available new don't want to sell it...I found only older sales on the various internet auctions, and no current offerings...I also knew that the factory hard chrome finish plus the low 4 digit serial number and it being an original Action Arms import made it even more scarce...What surprised me was how few people knew what it was, even among dealers...Since it is a pump action, most assumed it was a .410 shotgun instead of a heavy barreled rifle...Some thought it was a .22, others that it might be a cheaper Rossi or Taurus import...Almost all were shocked at the price I quoted, thinking I was way overpricing it...I did get an offer last week of $1000 cash from a buyer in the gun show parking lot as I was leaving...I gently turned him down and left...I went to another out-of-town show yesterday talking to plenty of lookers, even selling another of my S&W handguns at my asking price...I finally talked to a dealer who had never heard of the Timberwolf, but he had a love for the unusual, and made me a cash offer which was considerably above what others wanted to pay...

I told him I'd think about it and maybe come back...I knew that gleam in his eye having seen it many times in others, and truth be known even in my own reflection...On my way out the door I stopped again to talk to him letting him handle the rifle and work the action while I told him the story of what I knew of both the manufacturer and the importer...As I made ready to leave and reached for the gun, he made another offer which was very close to my asking price...Having been a dealer myself, I knew he couldn't stand having to pay asking price unless it was too good to turn down, so I nodded my head and let him have a small victory as he counted out a stack of $100's...We parted with a handshake, both of us happy...

The upshot of all this is that I find myself enjoying another aspect of life again, dealing with firearms for and from my collection, and interacting with other people of the same mind...Having left the business side of the firearms industry I can once again buy, sell and trade with my own collection already knowing the laws that govern me, and the unwritten laws which some understand, and others don't...I don't intentionally insult anyone's intelligence, I don't cheat others and I won't let others cheat me...Life is fun again even if it saddens me somewhat to think of parting with a few treasures, some of of which even carry memories of my childhood...But at the same time I know I'm creating new memories not only for myself, but others as well...

This morning I dug into the back of my safe and pulled out the Remington M514 which my Dad bought in the mid 1950's to teach my brother and I how to safely handle guns and shoot...To my knowledge, it's the only firearm he ever bought...I had thoroughly cleaned it years ago when it went into my safe...It's in pristine condition along with the Remington cleaning kit Dad bought at the same time...It hasn't been shot in probably 60 years, and I know I'll never shoot it again, so I don't really mind finding another father soon who wants his kids to know the safe way to shoot and handle firearms...I know I'll never lose the memory of a WWII veteran teaching his hard-learned expert marksmanship lessons to two wide-eyed young lads in an open field with a dirt backstop many decades ago...

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Recovery Under Less Than Ideal Conditions...

We're all familiar with the role aircraft carriers play in today's Navy, and we've all seen movies of the incredible action they see in combat...The scenes we're used to ordinarily take place in daylight with relatively clear weather, otherwise the movie wouldn't make much sense...In real life flight missions can and do occur in any kind of weather, at any time of the day...And although becoming airborne in those conditions may be somewhat routine, think about what happens post-sortie when it's time to recover these valuable aircraft and their priceless cargo, the trained and seemingly fearless aircrews...One of my regular sources for informative reading, The Warzone, had this article posted today in my regular newsfeed...It's not a short read at all, but worth the time spent, and its author, LCmdr. Joe Ruzicka, is as knowledgeable on this subject as anyone...

My imagination boggles when I think of the level of concentration displayed by not only the pilot of the aircraft approaching its moving target, but all the others who work in step with others to bring their multi-million dollar rides down to rest at precisely the right moment and position on their never motionless multi-billion dollar floating airfield...The pilot must not only keep his or her aircraft steady at a prescribed rate of descent and decreasing speed, but must remain alert for signals from the ship's traffic controllers who have the final say in whether the recovery is a go, or whether to abort and circle around for another attempt...In the case of the F/A-18 fighter, its driver must also remember that his ride was designed to fly at supersonic speeds, and doesn't necessarily perform at its best at carrier approach speeds, usually 150-165 mph...He must also bear in mind that the goal line is also moving forward against the prevailing wind at a speed of 40-50 mph...

If the traffic controller onboard the carrier does not feel the aircraft can make a safe landing (considered by most to be a controlled crash at best), the pilot is waved off for another attempt...In this case the pilot must remember that he is seldom alone in the air, and while circling for another try at recovery, the air is already crowded by those others who flew with him in his mission, and that they are awaiting their chance to be back aboard their home...In addition, flying at their own predetermined altitudes and tracks, are the aircrews of the unarmed EA-18G Growler versions of their own fighter, equipped for electronic warfare, and probably a Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye which was launched from the same carrier to maintain its AWACS function, as well as at least one F/A-18 which was launched unarmed but carrying three fully loaded external fuel tanks prepared to act as a flying gas station when a landing must be aborted by an aircraft with not enough fuel for another attempt...Another possibility for airborne interference could be a rescue helicopter prepared to recover an aircrew forced to eject before a successful recovery...

The foregoing scenario would be enough to induce the early onset of old age in the more timid souls who remain earthbound for their existence, but is routine business for the professionals of the US Navy...Now imagine the same scene taking place in darkness, during a thunderstorm and possibly in the vicinity of an active enemy force...The same goal is there for the incoming aircrew, possibly bringing in a stricken or damaged aircraft hoping for a chance to land, be debriefed over coffee, sleep and repeat the same job a few hours later...This is compounded by the necessity to bring home all those support aircraft still in the sky after the last of the combat crews come in, all this in day or night, in any kind of weather, and in the presence of those ships surrounding the aircraft carrier, the cruisers and destroyers which make up its protective screen, any one of which could be mistaken in poor visibility for the targeted mother ship...At the same moment a combat air patrol (CAP) must maintain its launch and recovery schedule in its own mission to defend the ships under it...

But to those engaged in the business of defending our nation, it's all just another day on the job, and that job is being performed around the clock in all the world's oceans where somewhere you can be assured, conditions are dark and stormy...But these people, from aircrews, to commanders, to deck crews and all those in support of the mission, are all continuously trained to perform their jobs proficiently...Millions of defense dollars are spent constantly in that training...The knowledge that was imparted during that training was paid for at an even greater cost...It may be embedded in textbooks and software now, but it was bought and paid for by those who first lived it in battle, some who came home to talk of it, and some who couldn't because their actions were only witnessed by others at the time of their deaths...

Much of this subject was learned the hard way during the Battle of the Philippine Sea, 6/19-20/1944, sometimes referred to as the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot...It was a resounding victory by US forces against the Japanese Imperial Navy, but also came at a terrible cost in lives...The Marianas Islands were secured for Allied forces during that battle, and paid for with the lives of at least 109 Americans who could not celebrate their own victory...But it might not have even happened if not for the uneasy decision made by Adm. Mark Mitscher to strike the newly discovered JIN carrier force knowing that a night recovery by the striking air groups would become likely...As the returning aircraft approached, Mitscher also made the unprecedented decision to illuminate his carriers for the recovery as night landings at sea were never an event trained for by his aircrews...The success of this battle was the beginning in a new era of naval training...A more detailed contemporary telling of this decisive battle can be found in Volume VIII of Samuel Morison's monumental History of US Naval Operations In WWII...

We're coming up on Memorial Day as I compose this, and it is appropriate to think of all the brave souls who launched from their floating homes, never to return to it, and those who gave life and limb to teach what today's aviators take as common knowledge in their everyday actions...

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Welcome to Hell, Ira...

The sulfur ridden fumes of the bottom and hottest level of Hell reeked with even greater intensity on April 3, 2020, when the foul stench spread from the soul of Ira Einhorn as it was thrown on the flames to writhe in agony for eternity...For those who may not remember, and certainly weren't as closely connected to the facts as this writer, some of my earlier words concerning the misdeeds of this miscreant should be read as a reminder of how low a human being can sink...Today is Earth Day, an invented holiday which was once claimed as the creation of Einhorn as he basked in the warmth of the adoration heaped on him by the drug-addled and gullible hippies of the day, as well as his powerful and wealthy backers who expected more of a return for their investment than they ever received...For several years I have used Earth Day as a reminder to check the welfare of the despicable cretin who took the life of my friend, Holly Maddux...

Today I learned that I had finally lived long enough to know that Ira Einhorn has belatedly received the punishment he earned from the murder of my friend 43 years ago...He is dead, and I rejoice in his death, the story of which was buried along with many other newsworthy items by the worldwide attention focused on the Covid19 pandemic...In looking for news coverage of the long awaited termination of this wasted excuse for a life, I found many articles including this interview ten years ago which seemed remarkable in that Einhorn held no recognition that his crimes should be subject to prosecution...Ignoring all the evidence that he murdered my friend and classmate, then slept with her decomposing body only a few feet away for nearly two years, he said to the arresting officer when confronted with the sight of Holly's broken, crumpled body, "Well, you found what you found"...

At no time in the intervening years, which grew into decades as he was arrested, arraigned then skipped out on the bail posted by his wealthy and influential backers and entered a life as an international fugitive, did he ever exhibit any remorse, or even acknowledge his guilt...He even managed to beguile another woman, who bears a striking resemblance to Holly, both in ethereal beauty and sheer intelligence...He managed to marry this woman who, whether she knew of his crimes or not, supported him when he was in hiding, and did not waver in her loyalty even as he was taken into a reluctant custody by the cringing French who finally ran out of excuses for harboring the criminal...Some of that woman's story can be found here...I should warn my readers that this link contains photos of Holly's remains as they were found in Einhorn's Philadelphia apartment, and these are not for those of weak heart, nor queasy stomach...Be advised...

I can only say at this point I am glad to put to rest the knowledge that Einhorn fouled our atmosphere with his fetid breath for this long...But I am even more happy to return my thoughts of Holly to those memories of her as head cheerleader of our high school, the holder of a black belt in jiu jitsu, an accomplished dancer, salutatorian of our graduating class and most importantly, my friend...

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A bright idea with a dim future...

Another friend involved in a discussion of US dependency on the burgeoning sourcing of products manufactured in China has suggested the establishment of new industries founded in Mexico which, on the surface, would curtail the growth of our addiction to the cheaper prices of items imported from China...This idea, while certainly having its merits if the results could stem the tide of illegal immigration, and the suffering of those Mexican citizens at the lowest rung of Mexican society, also has its detriments...

One of Mexico's principal industries at this moment is the import/export of illicit drugs through South and Central America to North American markets...The primary goals of these criminal industries include not only keeping the channels open for movement of their product, but employing a back channel for the flow and usage of the money gained from their profits...A legitimate opening for the flow of such ill-gained profits would be the building of factories and distribution facilities for products previously sourced in China...By disguising this sudden flow of finance behind a mask of legitimacy, new industry and employment would be welcomed with open arms by those seeing the immediate advantages...

Such creative business practice was and is still exemplified by the Italian Mafia gangsters who assumed control over many parts of American and worldwide businesses, with the assistance of corrupt government players in every corner of the world...The Mexican cartels already operate by channeling some profit to members of governments who look the other way when drug traffic enters their field of sight...Using the Mafia's blueprint for success, it seems a natural for them to finance new legitimate Mexican business with the cooperation of multiple governments...

Everybody involved in this employment gets greased as crime continues to be rooted even deeper at the expense of the destroyed lives of those addicts whose existence is deemed unsalvageable and better off dead and forgotten...In my opinion I think we're in a hole which we keep digging deeper...

One solution, and possibly the only viable one for long range victory, involves the commitment of military force with the cooperation of law enforcement and prosecutorial entities dedicated to eradicating criminal activities at any cost...The price paid of such an effort in both financial and human terms would be staggering and thus opposed by all levels of humanity...However, that same humanity cannot argue that infiltration of itself by the greed for power through criminality would be halted by the permanent removal of those who revel in it...As it stands now, that goal is an impossible one to reach as greed and the crime it spawns sinks its talons deeper into our existence...It is also known that the permanent removal of any criminal entity only results in the rise of more human scum in the stagnant pool we have created ourselves...Only a loud enough cry of "Enough!" will change that...

Swapping a source of products controlled by a diametrically opposed philosophy of government such as Red China and thereby increasing its power, for another which has been shown demonstrably as being susceptible to the influence of organized crime, only hastens our own demise at the expense of humanity...

My thanks to Phillbo for starting the discussion...

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A meal for the mind, perhaps a feast for the soul...

A friend in another medium furnished a recent interview conducted with Pope Francis in the interest of clarifying what seemed to be snippets of the Pope's words which were taken out of context...As usual, the original source provides a better understanding of the thoughts behind the words than the interpretation by a critic...In the linked interview I saw some of the Pope's expanded thinking as he attempts to reconcile Jesus' acceptance of all people regardless of birthright, earthly gains or deformities as opposed to the common norm of wishing to weed out and isolate the weaker, disenfranchised of us such as those he mentioned born with Downs Syndrome, or those whose innate strengths were sapped by the circumstances of life...It gives me a new perspective in the argument in favor of inclusiveness for those who not only look and behave differently, but also act and emote on a different scale...Definitely thoughtworthy...

The Pope also makes obvious his study of history, and the effect which its study can have on those of us attempting to either endure or alter our present lives...He exemplifies this by eschewing the notion of a welfare system for the poor, suggesting instead that they should be offered support not in perpetuity, but until they can provide for themselves...The most important part of that thought was that he did not suggest the equalization of wealth, rather the leveling of opportunity for self-reliance...To accomplish that, he suggests going among people of a different strata in observation of their methods of coping with what they abhor, and preserving what they adore...And since the Pope chose to concentrate his examples on differences in levels of earthly wealth, I suggest that people from any point in the spectrum of worldly gain could learn from that practice...

The Pope further suggests the Church (and even though he may have meant only the Catholic Church, I choose to think of it as all God's believers) as a "tension between disorder and harmony," which to my thinking infers a bridge between chaos and peace...It further suggests that individuals might cross from one to the other without the understanding that both cannot exist on the same plane, and that what is seen as desirable from one may entail shunning that which appears beneficial from the other...Such decisions are the reason God granted mankind the gift of independent thought...The actions we choose guide not only our own destination, but the direction in which those who follow might take...

The Pope's words were offered in a time of isolation for many of us, and uncertainty for all of us...It may not change societal thinking on a grand scale, but reading it may pry open a few minds enough to let a little light and new air into an otherwise stagnant room...Thanks to Dave for the link...

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A-salting the senses...

My muse presented me with some of her night thoughts which kept her mind aglow, preventing the onset of merciful sleep before the challenges presented by another day...In thinking her best course of action might lie in taking her latest puzzle with a grain of salt, she began to wonder why that axiom occurred to her, and in thinking she knew its meaning, she asked the Google ogre to confirm it...In its contrariness, the ogre disagreed with what her mind told her the phrase meant, yet she knew the ogre could only parrot what other glottologists claimed was correct...

Diving deep into the well of consciousness to do your thinking means there is less light to guide you on your way...That is why it's so easy to get lost down there...You have to move slower, and use your other senses to define for your mind what you've found...And like the blind men trying to describe an elephant, those sensors can only tell your mind what is available to them of this strange concept in your path...It's up to your mind to put it all together accurately before you can know what to do with it...

Coming across that grain of salt with your daylight senses would also give different meanings...Your eye can see it's tiny and might dismiss it as insignificant, until the wind blew it into your eye, then it would know that its size belied its strength...Your finger might decide the eye was right about its size, but its texture is hard and has some strength, but not enough to prevent it from being crushed...Your ear can hear it being crushed and knows that whatever else it is, it is vulnerable to pressure...Your nose detects a faint odor reminiscent of the ocean, and reports that it's large and wet...Your finger brings it to your tongue where your sense of taste tells you it's good, but it needs more french fries...

I like it that she comes to me when her thoughts hit a roadblock...It gives me some sort of meaningfulness that I seldom get because so few come to me expecting enlightenment...Reaching an age closer to one's terminal end than where life began imbues a person with the desire to pass on whatever knowledge has been gained by the experiences of a lifetime...This is why it becomes increasingly significant during life's journey when another thinker presents the thoughts that defy the attempts to define it...All I can offer is my own concept of meaning based on my own experience, offered with my appreciation for the perceived value of my thoughts...

Whatever it is that your heart is telling you, it is no bigger than any other obstacle you've faced so far...Your experience in overcoming problems up to this point will guide you when it reveals itself...And in the later moments of your own life, you may find another wanderer who asks your guidance...

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Recently a young lady of my acquaintance evoked a recitation of my activities over the last several years...After thinking about my response to her, it occurred to me that it might make an informative article for those few followers who wish a brief summary of Truckman's activities since retirement from business...It began with an explanation of what I commonly refer to as the gun dealer's retirement program, or in more cryptic terms, the precious metals business...

That term is how I've always referred to the hobos and winos who pick up trash in a shopping basket along the roads, and sell them to recyclers for their next meal or bottle or whatever...Now I'm one of them...I walk for exercise, and to lower my blood glucose reading on the advice of my endocrinologist, and the collection of discarded beverage cans I find along the way satisfies the capitalist in me as I sell them to a recycler when I visit my doctors...Sometimes I even get enough to finance the Medicare co-pay...My last divorce was final when I was 61...I was beat up emotionally, mentally and I was physically exhausted, so I said "To Hell with it all," sold my business (for less than it was really worth) and retired...I wasn't broke, but I was far from rich...I paid off all my debts, and since I don't drink, smoke, chew, dip, gamble, abuse drugs or rent hookers, my expenditures are low...Everything I have is paid for, and six months later I took early Social Security (even taking the 25% penalty for doing so), and for 12 years I've managed to live on that...

After becoming self-unemployed, it didn't take long before boredom took root, so using the internet forum where I've posted since 2003, I created Truckman Parody Studios situated on the palatial Truckman Estate and populated by the cast of my videos (all reformed, retired and rehabilitated former Nazis including Mr. Hitler) and a rotating staff of my beautiful and unavailable nieces, plus the members of the forum in the personas of their internet personalities, and guarded by my vicious patrol team of Peke-a-Poos (RIP)...It became a minor hit with them, but was ignored by the rest of the YouTube world who seem to prefer poorly written, grammatically incorrect and profanity laden parodies instead...

From that I moved to my Lefty In The News blog which was a continuation of the parody world which I situated in the Hobby Airport area where an old friend of mine lived with his daughter...I kept it alive until he went increasingly blind, and now he is deceased...I also proofread and edited his books for him since his blindness made that impossible...He led one of the most fascinating lives ever...Most people just thought he was the biggest bullthrower ever, and some (supposedly his friends) called him outright as a liar...I knew all he said true because I had seen the evidence, and it was all indisputable...I, and others, urged him to put it all down on paper before it was too late, and finally, since he was approaching 90 years of age, he let me help him...He assembled all his evidence collected over his lifetime (he never threw away anything), made digital images of everything, put down all the words and showed it to me...I proofread it, corrected spelling and typos and such, rearranged it all to be readable, all of which he approved, then he published it as his memoirs...

All the naysayers got a chance to read the book, examine the evidence and decide for themselves whether it was true or just imaginary...Some of them just shut up completely, but most admitted that he had truly lived a remarkable life...From there I helped with his other books, and got them published...He even wrote one about Lefty under his pen name of Ifar Toften, which was mostly just copied from what was already posted in the forums...Afterwards I started publishing my own books beginning with a reprint (edited and expanded) from Lefty's blog, and including some new material...It's still at the top of the hasn't-sold-a-copy-yet list...But I was undeterred and went ahead and published my other unread masterpieces anyway...

I started with Thoughts & Ideas which was a re-written and expanded version of some of the articles I had posted on my newer blog, which I had started for some of my more serious thoughts which did not fit within the context of Lefty's blog...I did it mainly for the benefit of my Mom, who had told me my entire lifetime that she had always wished for an author in the family...Since she had never, and would never get near the internet or a computer, I did the editing on my already-posted articles and published them for her...Some of those articles included some research I had done concerning her younger brother, my Uncle Vernon...Little was known about his wartime service in WWII because he preferred not to talk about it...And since he had passed away when I was stationed overseas, little could be gained from other relatives, not even my cousin who had made a post-retirement project of genealogical research of that side of my family...

With the help of my Mom I finally located some letters he had written to her from the Pacific during those years...Wartime censorship being what it was, he could tell her little of what he was doing or where, but from the postmarks I could at least know what ship he served as a crewmember...As it turned out, nothing had ever been written of his ship, and very little even of the type of ship, of which fewer than 100 ever existed...Everything I could find amounted to a booklength effort which I titled after the ship, APc-48 (ships of this size were never named, only numbered, the reason for which was explained in the book)...Its publication greatly pleased my Mom whose life's ambition had finally been realized...Following its printing, I came across a small, closed Facebook group dedicated to knowledge of this type of ship, and I also located in the National Archives the official War Diary of APc-48, of which a portion was mysteriously omitted covering about a month just prior to the expected Japanese surrender...Not redacted, but completely missing...Other than that one month, All the time from its commissioning to its postwar decommissioning was covered...My efforts to find this missing month have been fruitless although some clues still exist...

My new information led to a new book titled APc-48 - Journeys, which I published separately...I later combined both books, edited slightly with a little new material, and re-published it under one cover as APc-48 - Combined Edition...Both books went to print before the passing away of my Mom, which pleased both us immensely...Other than some of the members of the aforementioned Facebook group, few copies ever sold, and I've left both of the originals available for sale for those who bought one or the other, but the combined edition is the better bargain for those new readers who have interest...My books are now featured as recommended reading on the definitive source for all aspects of US Navy history, Navsource...My friend, Gary Priolo, who is Project General Manager at Navsource, and I have stayed in contact about any new developments...With this I made the assumption that nothing else would ever be known about my Uncle's ship, or of his wartime service...I should have known better as later I was contacted by another writer, who happened to have a copy of the complete blueprints of the APc series of ships obtained from the Bureau of Ships (BuShips)...He sent me a high quality TIFF copy from which I was able to gain the complete specifications of construction, even including the types of wood and materials used in construction...With that, I started yet another book shortly before the death of my Mom, the knowledge of which pleased her greatly...

Alas, further progress was curtailed by not only the many details and new duties I assumed following her demise, but by other events including my own health issues, two vehicle accidents which also initiated the search for another truck to replace my beloved Dodge, plus a sequence of repairs on my home and other events which caused my book research to lapse into disarray...My intention is still to take up research and publish another book to complete the tale of my Uncle's Navy service, and that of his ship...At this time of writing, I have about 200 pages of it assembled, and a basic outline of chapter headings...It occurs to me that some may wonder why I have never begun a book concerning my own life, and the reason is I am not a vain person, and think such an effort would receive little attention...If at some point, however, a future researcher found the project interesting enough, a thorough reading of my blogs, including my photo blog, plus the mountainous chore of reading the more than 38,000 posts I've accumulated at my most prolific internet discussion board (paying particular attention to a careful reading between the lines of all sources) might find enough to make this laborious task come to fruition...But I suspect no one will ever find the time nor the energy and ambition for such a project...

In the meantime, those of my readership champing at the bit for more Truckman will have to satisfy their odd desires by tuning to this and my other blogs, and to the more frequent forum postings...

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