Broadside Blog - Military Times

Maersk Alabama – then and now

Maersk Alabama (Photo from Atlantic Council)

Remember the Maersk Alabama? About seven months ago the vessel was seized by Somali pirates, and her skipper, Captain Richard Phillips was taken hostage. As bad as that was, the story ended well for everyone but the pirates.

Now that the monsoon season has ended, the bad guys are at it again. But this time their reception was different. Read the article and see the adjustments that have been made to beef up security. The article: “Maersk Alabama Crew Repels Suspected Pirate Attack”

A tribute to WWII veterans

This video was sent to me by Mason Jarre. He wrote the words, wrote the music, and compiled the video in this heartfelt tribute.

Bacon’s Castle

This picture was taken by Kevin, a frequent contributor. I don’t live in Suffolk, Virginia, but if I did…

The wartime chaplains

Maj. Michael DuCharme (DOD photo)

I was reading through the Heroes section hosted by DOD and stumbled upon the story of Major Michael DuCharme, an Army chaplain. He joined the Army later in life, after the war in Iraq had started, knowing he would be deployed.

And he was – twice. He is still on active duty, and now understands his calling. “’[Soldiers] … face all the things: death, loss, heat, separation from family. And even though it’s hard, they go out and do it, day in and day out…with the goal of bringing each other home,’ DuCharme said. ‘When bad things happen, when people die, there is survivor’s guilt. Soldiers ask ‘Why not me?’ But if you struggle through it with God and others, you ironically come out with a deeper faith,’ he said.” (Quote from DefenseLink)

He spent the majority of his time counseling Soldiers. Sometimes the discussions involved faith; sometimes they didn’t. Regardless, Maj. DuCharme built relationships, and helped his Soldiers work through their personal challenges.

He tells the story of one Soldier who approached him for counseling. “’She had been distanced from God,’ DuCharme said. But following that conversation, they talked frequently and she started going to chapel services too, he noted. ‘She ended up getting killed shortly thereafter.’ While out in a convoy she was hit under her armor, just a few weeks before she was supposed to go home.

‘But I got to talk to her parent’s back home,’ he said. ‘It was a relief [for them] knowing that she was walking with God before she died.’” (DefenseLink)

His story is similar to the multitudes of chaplains who have deployed to some of the most dangerous places on earth to be there for the men and women in uniform. The troops trust them, and confide in them.

Maj. DuCharme sums up his experiences this way: “God tends to put you in the right place at the right time.”

Maj. DuCharme – a two time Bronze Star recipient – and the chaplains serving all over the world are our heroes of the week.

Greenside of the Week – Nov 18, 2009

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House husband

My fingernails are perfect.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, I have been a “house husband” for the last couple of weeks, and it is starting to affect me. My fingernails, once battered, proud homes for tool grease and yard dirt, are now evenly cut and oddly whitish in hue. And that’s not all.

I know where all the dishes go.
I understand how to wring out a wet mop.
I can change a diaper – while eating a sandwich.

But my inexorable decline into metrosexuality hasn’t been without a few bumps.

Early on, I discovered that a dishwasher is not, contrary to common perception, a limitless box for dirty dishes. Eventually you run out of room and actually have to empty it.

I always thought that dirt disappeared into the floor after a few days. Apparently this is not true.

Despite eye-watering technological advances, we have not yet discovered a way to empty a kitchen trash receptacle without having a human in the loop.

The floor is further away for older parents than for younger parents. For me, each toy requires the formation of a bend-down-and-pick-it-up strategy…and more importantly, a stand-back-up strategy.

But the experience, however painful, has taught me a few things that I can use later in life.

For example, a dog will eat almost anything thrown on the floor.
All clothes can be washed together, if the final product isn’t that important to you.
If a dish is dirty but looks clean, it’s clean.
“Vacuuming” is a colloquialism for “picking up toys.”

Luckily, I haven’t yet sunk to the next level, in which you enter the the world of Oprah and eyebrow pluckers. Soon enough I will be free to return to my pre-house husband ways, and life will get back to normal. But I think this experience has been good for me. I have grown. I have matured.

And I have some fine looking fingernails.

Broadside of the Week – Nov 16, 2009

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As the week draws to a close…

This has been an emotional week for many of us. The Marine Corps celebrated its 234th birthday on Tuesday, and the nation honored its active duty troops and veterans on Wednesday. The Fort Hood shooting shocked us all, and renewed not only our awareness of the dangers faced by the military every day, but also our determination to continue the fight against the evil, bitter enemies who lurk – here and in far off lands. As the week closes, I thought it would be appropriate to show this video. It was written to honor those who serve in far off lands so that we can sleep soundly in our beds here in the United States.

Fort Hood

I can’t go any further without expressing our sympathy for the men and women who were victims of the attack at Fort Hood. The President said it best when he said, “This is a time of war. Yet these Americans did not die on a foreign field of battle. They were killed here, on American soil, in the heart of this great state and the heart of this great American community. This is the fact that makes the tragedy even more painful, even more incomprehensible.”

Monuments Men

I received an email the other day announcing a new book out called, “Monuments Men.” It tells the story of 345 people from thirteen different countries whose mission toward the end of WWII was to try to save the priceless art treasures that had been looted by the Nazis. It sound intriguing…