These are things I wish I’d either known or done before I was married in the military.  By saying this, I admit that I followed mostly none of these:

1. Never give her a reason to mistrust you.  Don’t even take the chance of a mis-perceived operational necessity such as shared sleeping quarters to surprise her.
2. Corrolary – Always make sure she knows who you work with.  If going out for a beer with the guys includes a ravishingly beautiful brunette hardbody in your squad, make sure she knows her beforehand. Failure to do this may tend to get your belongings thrown out into the yard between the hours of 10 PM and 2 AM.
3. Corrolary – If you’re working late, make sure it’s not alone with said brunette.  If you have to work alone with a member of the opposite sex, if at all possible, take your work home and do it at the kitchen table where your wife can see you.
4. If you’re a one income family, budget her expenses before you budget your own.
5. If you’re a two income family, her money is not your money, but your money is probably shared.
6. Always have money she doesn’t know about and can’t get to.  I once met a retired sergeant major who spent seven years in a Vietnamese POW camp who came back to an empty apartment, no money in his accounts, and nothing but the uniform on his back.
7. Corollary – Giving her General Power of Attorney when you deploy is a good way to come back from deployment penniless and several tens of thousands in debt.
8. Always be honest with her.  If your orders are for a 179 to 364 day deployment, tell her you’ll be gone a year.  If you’re not there on day 180 after you told her you’d be gone 6 months, you’re in deep kimchi.
9. “You knew I was a soldier when you married me” is probably not a good thing to say when trying to end an argument.
10. If you’re a dual military couple, make sure you’re in separate units.  You may worship the ground she walks on, but spending almost every waking hour together for several years would wear Ward and June Cleaver out.
11. Corollary – If you outrank your spouse, it never gets mentioned at home.
12. Corollary – If you outrank your spouse, do anything you have to in order to avoid being their supervisor.  Nothing says marital bliss like putting your blushing bride on KP duty, or even worse, giving her a counseling statement because she’s taking advantage of being the mother of the team leader’s eldest son.
13. You may be the most bad ass mother in the valley when you’re at work, but when you get home, put on your apron and do some housework.  “I make the money, you clean the house” is a really good way to find yourself sleeping in your shelter half in the back yard.

Chris Muir puts one into the parking lot this week:

Our country has been providing billions of dollars in aid to majority Muslim countries for decades.  But for some reason we’re shown as being anti-Islam by the world press and Muslim leaders.  Kinda makes me think it’s time to shut off the tap for a few decades.

Here we go again.  Another regular season starts this week.

Here are the rules:  I will pick every regular and post season game.  I will pick against the straight score, not against the spread.  I will almost always pick against Dallas and New England.

Week 1 picks:

Minnesota at New Orleans – Vikings!
Cleveland at Tampa Bay – Cleveland
Miami at Buffalo – Buffalo
Cinci at New England – Cinci
Indy at Houston – Indy
Denver at Jacksonville – Denver
Atlanta at Pittsburg – Steelers
Oakland at Tennessee – Raiders!
Carolina at New York Giants – Carolina
Detroit at Chicago – Chicago
Green Bay at Philadelphia – Green Bay
San Fransisco at Seattle – Seattle
Dallas at Washington – Redskins!
Baltimore at New York Jets – Baltimore
San Diego at Kansas City – Kansas City

Well, yesterday morning, along with being my beloved Irish Woman’s birthday, was also the first time I’ve been to Knob Creek in months.  I got out there about half an hour before they opened the range, and that gave me enough time to get set up and meet my buddies for a group shoot.  The range was eventually packed to the gills, so I’m glad I got there early.  You couldn’t have asked for better conditions.  It was cool, with a slight breeze directly to my back as I shot. 

I took along the 91/30, the Garand, the 10/22, and a couple of pistols.  One of my friends brought along his new-to-him Garand, and we each shot a few clips of ammo through each other’s rifles. 

I spent some time shooting the 91/30 now that I’ve extended the front sight post.  For the non-Mosin crowd, that rifle was designed to be shot accurately only with the weight of the very long bayonet sticking off the end of the barrel. It was probably the last infantry rifle designed around the “Fire off a few rounds, then charge the enemy with bayonets fixed” tactic.  Without the hog sticker on the muzzle, the force of the round going going off kicks the muzzle too far up, and it shoots very high.  To compensate, a narrow tube of some kind can be put in the end of the front sight post to make it longer.  A longer front sight forces the shooter to point the muzzle a touch lower, bringing point of impact down with it.  A few degrees down at the muzzle equates to several inches or more at 100 yards. 

My shots seemed to be low enough, but now I’m shooting about a foot to the right.  That’s either lack of practice, or the extension to the sight may be off center.  I’ll keep practicing and see if it improves.  If it doesn’t, I can re-do the extension and make sure it’s plumb to the existing sight post.

So, I put 24 rounds through the Garand, about 60 rounds through my Mosin, and another 25 or 30 rounds through my 1911 and .38.  The 10/22 only got fired for 20 rounds.  I’m going to have to do a range trip where all I take is the 91/30 and 10/22 so I can concentrate on things I need to improve on and not just on the things I really really enjoy.  Of course, any day at the range is fun, and the dull ache from my right shoulder still makes me smile.

Before you ask, yes I got back home before noon so I could spoil Irish Woman.  BooBoo and I got her some things, and we had really really good Italian food for dinner. 

A United States soldier whose body has been missing for 60 years returned to his hometown this week.

Sergeant Charles Whitler’s body was returned to Kentucky after being found in a mass grave in Korea.  He was executed by North Korean forces after being captured and interrogated.

Welcome home soldier.  You’ve waited too long for this.

OK, I’ve found the subject that I’m going to be shrill about.  I’ve been posting for a while about what I believe should be done along the US-Mexico Border.  I’ve pointed out what I believe is wrong, and I’ve posted a couple of times about what I think should be done.

The federal government has been delinquent in its duty to secure our borders for decades.  This is not an “Obama” problem, or even a “Bush” problem.  This is a problem where even Reagan failed to take sufficient action to stem the flow of illegal aliens.  

There has always been some enforcement along the border.  The government hasn’t allowed itself to be seen as completely abandoning the border.  The Border Patrol has been beefed up several times in the past, and the president promises to do it again.  Shannon recently had an encounter with the Border Patrol that is pretty much indicative of what the present administration wants to do:  Hassle ordinary citizens well within the border, do things that can be seen but don’t do much good, and act like the problem will go away.  I posted at one time about an area  in Arizona that’s been marked as off limits.  Apparently whole sections of Arizona are being marked as no-man’s land by the federal government.

And now the national press is starting to notice:

The federal government has posted signs along a major interstate highway in Arizona, more than 100 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border, warning travelers the area is unsafe because of drug and alien smugglers, and a local sheriff says Mexican drug cartels now control some parts of the state.

Emphasis mine.  H/T to Dvorak.

So now, rather than enforce our border and protect our citizens from foreign invaders, they’re just warning us that some places over 100 miles from the border aren’t safe for us to use and leaving it at that.

Someone please wake me up when the rest of the country gets as pissed off as I am.  Thanks.

If, when you get out of bed in the morning, your neck, spine, knees, elbows, ankles, and hands all crack like popcorn, it will not be a good day, no matter what you do.

That is all.

I personally don’t care for this.  I never make myself available.

Weerd’s wife is going in for surgery today.

Our family included them in our prayers.

Please add them to yours.

This is the next in my series of posts that deal with the military.

The Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) Creed was something that I first began hearing about two hours after I got to Basic Training.  It was also one of the last things I read before I signed my discharge papers.  If you want a mission statement for my life, both now and when I was in the Army, this is it.  It serves as a reminder of the standard to which a leader should hold himself. 

No one is more professional than I.   I am a Non-Commissioned Officer, a leader of soldiers.  As a Non-Commissioned Officer, I realize that I am a member of a time honored corps, which is known as “The Backbone of the Army.”

This is what I am, not what I do.  I will never allow myself to be less of a professional than anyone else.  I set high standards, and strive to achieve and surpass them.

I realize that I am a member of a group that has a distinct mission and role in our society.  I am an individual, but my importance as an individual is surpassed by the importance of my group.

I am proud of the Corps of Non-Commissioned Officers and will at all times conduct myself so as to bring credit upon the Corps, the Military Service, and my country regardless of the situation in which I find myself.

I am proud of my ability to call myself a leader and the accomplishments that other members of my organization have achieved.  I will never bring discredit on them or myself through my actions.  There are no excuses for compromising my integrity or morals.

I will not use my grade or position to attain pleasure, profit, or personal safety.

My needs are not as important as the needs of my subordinates.  If they work late, I work later.  If the workload is heavy for them, it’s heavier for me.  If they’re working in crappy conditions, I have no business working in a nice comfortable office.  Rank does not have its privileges.

Competence is my watch-word.  My two basic responsibilities will always be uppermost in my mind – accomplishment of my mission and the welfare of my soldiers.  I will strive to remain tactically and technically proficient.

I must always be able to not only do my job, but the jobs of my subordinates and immediate superiors.  I cannot expect my people to do their jobs right the first time if I can’t do it.  I must understand the job of my boss so that I know how best to support him.  My basic jobs are to get the job done and take care of my people, in that order.  Sometimes these come into conflict.  I must have the ability to find a path that satisfies both goals.  Being technically proficient means that I have the skills and knowledge inherent in my job.  Being tactically proficient is to be able to apply these skills in a real-world setting.  It doesn’t matter if you’re a genius if you don’t get the job done, but you can’t get the job done if you don’t have the skills.

I am aware of my role as a Non-Commissioned Officer.  I will fulfill my responsibilities inherent in that role. 

Again, I know to which standard I am held, both by myself and by society.  I will meet and surpass that standard.

All soldiers are entitled to outstanding leadership;  I will provide that leadership.

All people deserve to be led by a professional.  People don’t crave management, they crave leadership.  Sometimes a leader has to give express instructions that cover all the details.  Most times it’s only necessary to make sure people know what needs to be done, with what resources, and when it needs to be done by.  A leader has to be able to provide both kinds of leadership, and knows when to apply them.

I know my soldiers and I will always place their needs above my own.

In order to lead someone, you have to know and understand them.  If you can’t be bothered to remember details about your people like their backgrounds, education, experiences, and families, how can you expect them to trust you?  If you can’t keep it all in your head, keep a leader book.  Your personal needs, when compared to the needs of your subordinates, come somewhere between whale scum and the bottom of the sea.  If people know and understand that you put them first, they will walk over hot glass for you.

I will communicate consistently with my soldiers and never leave them uninformed.

Keep your people informed.  Even if people don’t like the truth, they hate falsehoods and cover-ups.  Don’t be cruelly honest, but don’t pull punches either.  If they know they can trust your word, they’re less likely to doubt your motives when told to do something.

I will be fair and impartial when recommending both rewards and punishment.

Nothing destroys a group like favoritism and/or bullying.  If someone deserves a raise, promotion, or pat-on-the-back, give it to them.  If they deserve a reprimand or worse, give it.  Some of the people who I have the greatest respect for weren’t afraid to chew my ass the day after recommending me for an award.

Officers of my unit will have maximum time to accomplish their duties; they will not have to accomplish mine. I will earn their respect and confidence as well as that of my soldiers.

I will do my job in such a manner as to give my boss the greatest chance of success in doing his job.  I will never neglect my responsibilities so that my boss will have to fulfill them personally.  My superiors will know that when I am assigned a task, I will carry it out to the best of my abilities, and if I ask for help, I really need it.

I will be loyal to those with whom I serve; seniors, peers, and subordinates alike.

Loyalty is not lock-step acceptance of orders.  Loyalty is letting your boss know when you think he’s wrong.  Loyalty is also keeping this to yourself when you’re speaking to or around people from outside your group.  Support those around you, and make sure they know they can come to you with a  problem in confidence.  Never complain about the boss in front of your people.  If he’s an idiot, they’ll figure it out on their own, but don’t confirm it.  Never sell your people out, no matter what. 

I will exercise initiative by taking appropriate action in the absence of orders. 

Most times, you will be on your own.  You may not have been given the authority to do what you think needs to be done, but you still have to do it.  It’s easier to ask forgiveness for getting the job done by going beyond your orders than it is to fix a problem that’s become worse while you wait for someone to tell you what to do.  Train your subordinates to think, and your job will be easier. But remember, you can delegate authority, not responsibility.  If you or your people screw up, take the ass chewing.

I will not compromise my integrity, nor my moral courage.

Once you’ve sold out once, you will never be trusted.  Never lie.  Never cover up.  When you screw up, and you will, admit it and take your lumps.  You’ve earned them.  Don’t shy away from the hard decisions.  Never take the easy wrong in favor of the hard right. 

I will not forget, nor will I allow my comrades to forget that we are professionals, Non-Commissioned Officers, leaders!

Again, a reminder of the standard that you are held to.  Also an admonishment that you will support your peers and help them to live to this standard.