"Stolen Valor"

June 9th, 2018

By Jim Culp

"Stolen Valor" is a relatively new term, but the issue it covers is as old as when the Greeks attacked the City of Troy 2500 years ago. The term refers to a person portraying himself as a soldier of some sort, or even a soldier portraying himself as a more glorified soldier, such a mechanic telling people that he is/was a Navy SEAL or an Army Green Beret.

I can easily think back to my early teens...and the persons of this type that I had encountered.
I knew a guy that was about 23 when I met him...I was about 14 or 15. We were instant friends, and I loved his Army stories. My best guess now is that he was a transportation type, probably a truck driver, and his unit moved missiles from base to base in what then was West Germany under US Army control. I assume he ran into Special Forces types on these bases, because he used to make that known; ever to a dumb ass kid that had never been further than a few states away from home. But as time passed, we (friends, brothers, and co-workers) could even figure out how much the guy was bull-shitting; simply by the claims he would make such as single-handedly killing 200 or even 400 men by himself. He also claimed to be personal friends with David Bowie and Jeff Lynne. Well, needless to day, the old boy was a joke to most of us, but he could buy us beer.

When I arrived in Korea in early June of 1985, I was immersed into the Army life, and the day to day drudgery of peace-time soldiering. We worked six days per week, and had training exercises every time we turned around. But one thing I knew in that unit was this...I knew where each and every man in my platoon stood, and I knew their abilities. Some guys were better at the boats, some the bridge....but we always kicked those missions in the ass and had the medals to show for it.

One day I was in Yong-san, a part of Seoul; and was looking around in the sword shop.
A guy walked past me, and we bumped into one another. I immediately turned around and saw Colonel rank on his jacket, and snapped to attention.
"Sorry Sir! I belted out."
There is no mistaking that big silver eagle on a Colonels shoulder bar. It stands out proud as if to say "you better get that way!"
"It's ok, troop. Where you stationed?"
"Camp Pelham, Sir...2nd Engineers."
"Well, we're just going to have to come up there one day and see you."
"Yes sir! I belted out again."
"Ok, kid...carry on..." he said as he walked out of the shop."
I turned to the old man that ran the store, and asked him "hey Pop...is that guy a regular Joe?" {Someone that comes in often}
The old man made the sign that elderly Koreans make with his hands. The sign means 'taboo" or "false person."
I returned to my unit, but I kept thinking about that guy, and sure as shit stinks...that night...it popped into my head. I had gone through the In-processing Center at Dongducheon with this asshole that past summer. The guy was a frickin' PFC! (The same rank I was presently...)
Time went by, and I forgot all about it. It wasn't until the next May, and I was out-processing at the same camp (called the Turtle Farm.) I read a newspaper, and in the corner of the first page was a photo of "the Colonel", and the details of his Court- Martial. He was headed to the disciplinary barracks at Fort Leavenworth for five years. Stolen Valor sure didn't work for that old boy.
While contracting with Allied Container Systems in 2011, I was on a job at a Naval Test Station.  I spent a long day out in Fallon, Nevada with three Navy SEALS, because I was building a specialty range for them. They were very ordinary guys, and none of them had been shot 67 times, nor had they dragged six wounded guys to a helicopter 14 miles away in the dark.
I know guys that spent three tours of Vietnam, and have less medals on their chests than most Corporals do today.
I've learned to live with Stolen Valor, because it is rampant in our electronic and uncaring society. Actors and Singers get more praise than teachers, surgeons, or people that genuinely care for the elderly. People play Call of Duty, then go to the mall and think they are something they are not. They're chumps....don't let them bother you.
I don't ever wish prison or Court-Martial for anyone, but there is an old saying that says "Shoot One...the Rest will Listen...."

 

A Change of Scenery

June 8, 2018

This month's first blog is going to take you back a few years...well; 32 years to be mathematically correct. It was 1986. I had completed a tour of Korea, and place I will never forget.  It made me a man, a way better soldier, and lifelong friendships were forged that year.

 I arrived at Fort Riley; the First Infantry Division, and was assigned to the 55th Engineer Company. The Military Occupational Specialty )MOS) that I held encompassed a large array of military bridges. This company was equipped with the Medium Girder Bridge (MGB) that is built with the SALB system (Soldier's Arms, Legs, and Backs.)

Oh boy, I thought... what a change. But life was different here. First of all, I couldn't legally consume alcohol (I was just 19), and there were no ten dollar hookers to be found. Most of all, there were no communist bastards waiting to kill me just a kilometer across the river. Talk about boredom.
But I had some friends here, and things began to get better. A buddy I knew from Korea lived in housing, and we spent time over there just to get "away from the Army" now and then.
Time passed by, and one thing really changed for me...the scenery was very different here, but the Army was the same...except for leadership. I had not like most of my Sergeants in Korea; definitely not my last Platoon Sergeant. Some of my NCO's had been blatant racists, clique organizers, and alcoholics. My new company had the same problems.
But two guys (platoon sergeants) here at "55" showed me what leadership is, and did some things that none of the other ones did. One of them was black; the other was white.
First of all, SSG Oatis didn't care what color you were. He also didn't care how many push ups you did...he just cared that you did your job, and that HE was taking care of you. The second NCO that was like this was SSG Simmons. He had the same ideals. These guys were real people, and real soldiers. That is rare. Sometimes men are great soldiers, but worthless human beings. The opposite can also be true.
The new scene started looking up for me...and although I left the Army for a while in 1988, these men's leadership, character, and moral compass passed on to me. I would later draw on these traits to be a leader myself. Sometimes I was not liked for this, other times I was praised heartily for them. But I carried them with me all of my life, and still do up to this day.

Movies- A Review

By Jim Culp

May 21, 2018

I recently saw two modern movies, both is genres that I love and cherish all the way back to my childhood growing up in West Texas and Southwest New Mexico. I rarely go to theaters these days...either because of the cost, or there being too many people there with children that must have been recently released from mental wards where they were taking methamphetamines for sleeping pills.

A few weeks ago, I saw "Hostiles." It is set in the North American Frontier in the late 1890's, and a very realistic and well crafted movie featuring my favorite Native American actor, Wes Studi. He plays the old chief that a military officer (Christian Bale) must take back to Montana to die in his own burial grounds. It gets a little less realistic at the end, but it is nevertheless a great movie. Being a gun buff, I can tell you the pistol combat in this movie is more realistic than most...

I had never had the pleasure of seeing (that I can remember) the beautiful Rosamund Pike in a movie before, but her performance in this feature is absolutely awesome. On a scale from 1 (really sucks) to 10 (comparable to "Last of the Mohicans" or "True Grit")... I give it a 6.5.

Last evening, I saw "Avengers : Infinity War." The movie had a huge cast of characters, and had a storyline that I thought for a while was going to be a great one. I won't spoil it...you'll have to judge that for yourself. The same actors played the same Avengers... and there was the addition of characters from another movie...they were funny, cool, and dramatic all at once. I won't spoil that one either.

Avengers : Infinity War was really entertaining...between Spider Man and Iron Man's quirks and qualms, Thor's stabs and jabs, and Bruce Banner trying out a new gig...it was fun. The movie's ending was disappointing to me, but that's just me. Of course... Scarlett Johansson,  Elizabeth Olsen, and Zoe Saldana never cease to warm my heart. The romance of the Scarlet Witch and Vision is something I followed in Marvel comics for thirty years... I loved those characters... but I still love them all. On that same scale of 1-10, I give this Avengers movies a 7.

Well, it's May. We'll see what a late Spring and Summer bring us.

Until Next Time...

-Jim

 

 

Movies- A Review

By Jim Culp

May 21, 2018

I recently saw two modern movies, both is genres that I love and cherish all the way back to my childhood growing up in West Texas and Southwest New Mexico. I rarely go to theaters these days...either because of the cost, or there being too many people there with children that must have been recently released from mental wards where they were taking methamphetamines for sleeping pills.

A few weeks ago, I saw "Hostiles." It is set in the North American Frontier in the late 1890's, and a very realistic and well crafted movie featuring my favorite Native American actor, Wes Studi. He plays the old chief that a military officer (Christian Bale) must take back to Montana to die in his own burial grounds. It gets a little less realistic at the end, but it is nevertheless a great movie. Being a gun buff, I can tell you the pistol combat in this movie is more realistic than most...

I had never had the pleasure of seeing (that I can remember) the beautiful Rosamund Pike in a movie before, but her performance in this feature is absolutely awesome. On a scale from 1 (really sucks) to 10 (comparable to "Last of the Mohicans" or "True Grit")... I give it a 6.5.

Last evening, I saw "Avengers : Infinity War." The movie had a huge cast of characters, and had a storyline that I thought for a while was going to be a great one. I won't spoil it...you'll have to judge that for yourself. The same actors played the same Avengers... and there was the addition of characters from another movie...they were funny, cool, and dramatic all at once. I won't spoil that one either.

Avengers : Infinity War was really entertaining...between Spider Man and Iron Man's quirks and qualms, Thor's stabs and jabs, and Bruce Banner trying out a new gig...it was fun. The movie's ending was disappointing to me, but that's just me. Of course... Scarlett Johansson,  Elizabeth Olsen, and Zoe Saldana never cease to warm my heart. The romance of the Scarlet Witch and Vision is something I followed in Marvel comics for thirty years... I loved those characters... but I still love them all. On that same scale of 1-10, I give this Avengers movies a 7.

Well, it's May. We'll see what a late Spring and Summer bring us.

Until Next Time...

-Jim

 

 

April 10, 2018

"Living Legend"

Today I want to pay tribute to one of my idols, Mr. Tony Iommi. Like Jimmy Page and Chet Atkins, Tony has been (and still continues to be) one of my all time favorites.

Tony Iommi turned 70 years old this year. He had battled cancer, and beat it. I saw Black Sabbath in Phoenix in August of 2013, and they were playing all their greatest stuff, and plenty of songs from their new record, "13."
Toni was producing the same sounds (and new ones) that made Black Sabbath famous, and with two of his original band-mates (Ozzy and Geezer Butler) giving the crowd his very best.
Toni Iommi is a unique guitarist. He lost his middle and ring fingers of his right hand when he was a teenager, and the rest is history. The "Great Lefty" was born, and the sounds and riffs that would be the basis for Black Sabbath were engraved in history for all time. Toni is the undisputed Godfather of Heavy Metal guitar, and master of the tuned down Gibson SG, and a line of custom guitars.
If you sit and listen to "13," you'll hear the absolute perfection of a band that goes back 40 years, and to this day will rock a crowded event center with the very best.
Cheers to you Tony...you are forever regarded as one of the greatest musicians of all time.

-Jim Culp, 2018

 

April 8, 2018

"A Better Way"

           Well, the first week of April is past us. Here in Kansas City, it's 37˚F as I write this at 08:49 hours. They weatherman saws that it will snow this afternoon and tonight, but if history proves anything; we'll also have swim trunks and hotdogs ready for a year party.

            Last evening, my daughter and I watched a movie by Michael Moore called "Where to Invade Next." I thought it was going to be about going to war with Iran or Russia, or some extremely scary proposition of the sort. I was pleasantly surprised that, just like "Fahrenheit 911..." it was based upon interviews, fact gathering, and downright honesty on Michael's part.
            I'll preface this by saying that I don't agree with everything Michael Moore stands for, and I do not think that everything presented in this or any other documentary is a perfect doctrine or has all the "stand alone" facts to make us change our policies. I understand processes, and I (believe me) know full well that the wheels of government are slow to turn, and excruciatingly slow to implement change. The movie entails Mr. Moore visiting schools, factories, and prisons in countries such as Germany, Portugal, Italy, Norway, and France. He visits schools where students enjoy their day at school, eat nutritious lunches, and treat one another with respect and dignity. He speaks with teachers and administrators that all agree on two things about education in the United States... 1) that standardized testing is a pathetic joke, and 2) that charging students outlandish tuitions and placing them in insurmountable debt after college is ludicrous and self defeating.
            In several of the countries, he talks with chefs who prepare children's school lunches. The meals look like fancy restaurant dishes, and the children are taught the proper methodology of using utensils, as well as table manners. I found it incredibly awesome that Mr. Moore offered the children at one table a drink of Coca-Cola, and they all declined to taste it, except one girl.
            The big surprise was the visits to two factories; one for motorcycle, and the other for clothing. The workers at both places were happy to go to work, unionized, and receive excellent vacation packages and liberal benefits. He spoke with an Italian couple whose husband had been thinking of migrating to the United States. I think Mr. Moore might have dissuaded him when he told him that he wouldn't have nine weeks of vacation at any job in the USA, unless he worked in Congress. The managers at the motorcycle plant explained to Mr. Moore that their company has these workers's happiness in mind. They furthermore explained that they were not on a path to get richer, just to be happy...like their workers. They also explained the importance of liberal maternity leaves, and creating stress free environments.
            There was a visit to prison systems in Norway. The prison ideology is very different there, because it focuses on rehabilitation and the ideology of humanity. I believe these are good concepts, but would be very hard to apply in the USA; we have more people in prisons that most of these country's populations. The police officers that were interviewed commented that the death penalty should never be used. I strongly disagree with that, but that is another topic for another time.
           The final topic I want to discuss was Mr. Moore's trip to Germany. The schools and workplaces had similar ideologies and policies as some of the other countries, but Germany stands out in two major areas. The corporations had employees on their review boards. The employees represent the views of the workers. You can say that this is the same as a union, but it operates differently. I highly suggest you reading that whole thing for yourself. The biggest and most profound item that I was overjoyed to see in Germany was this; the Germans teach the children very thoroughly about the events of World War II, the rise of Hitler, and the holocaust. The children are taught that the country was at fault of allowing this to happen, and that it was wrong. They don't get a sugar coated story about these events the way that American kids are told about the plight of the North American Indians, or the truths about Vietnam or 911. Children are encouraged to search out the truth, and study the facts pertaining to their subjects.

I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Moore's movie, and highly recommend it.

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Twitter: JimCulp@gmjim13

Blog: http://jimculp.blogspot.com

 

 

March 28, 2018

"A Cry for Seizure"

-By Jim Culp

I saw this ludicrous article posted on Facebook today. It's like pulling an old VHS tape out of a drawer and watching a movie that's I've seen a hundred times.

"14 day waiting periods"

"No sales at Gun Shows"

"No sales by private owners"

"10 rounds magazine limit"

"No bump stocks"

"No cranks"

"Licenses for all arms"

"Child locks requirements"

"Minimum age of purchase at 21"

"Assault Rifle Ban"

"Universal Background Check"

"Domestic Violence Ban"

This is the same bullshit they wanted to do in 1994. But it doesn't stop criminals from obtaining guns, because criminals don't obtain guns legally. Also, an Assault Rifle is an automatic rifle. AR-15's are not automatic rifles. Lastly, 14 day waiting periods were exercised under the Brady Bill. They accomplished one thing and one thing only: they made law abiding citizens wait 14 days for their gun purchases. The Domestic Violence addendum to gun purchase on ATF forms has been in place since the mid-90's. Automatic firearms, machines guns, grenades, and rocket launchers have been illegal for a private citizen to own (without a special clearance and license) since the Gun Control Act of 1968.

I'm not sure when people are going to wake the fuck up and realize that thugs, gangs, and habitual drug users are the problem in the USA, and not firearms. There will also never be any change until they stop crime rings from operating inside prisons. The Second Amendment was written and placed in our Constitution for the very reasons/events that are happening today.
The Government that you allow to abolish the Second Amendment is going to the same one that one day will deny you the First, then all the rest in turn. When you remove a gun from a free man's hands, you take away a big part of his Liberty. You know... the thing that the founding of our nation was built upon?