November 17, 2018

Farewell Roy

This week, we say farewell to one of Country and Western’s greatest entertainers, Mr. Roy Clark. Roy was one of the greatest musicians of his time. He was a veritable master of the banjo and six and twelve sting guitars. I heard Roy Clark for the first time on my step-fathers’ 8-track tapes. Then I saw him on Hee-Haw, a show that my parents regarded as “wholesome entertainment.” Even as a child, I chuckled every time we watched it, because eighty percent of the women on that show were either Penthouse or Playboy models. Roy was a co-host of that show, along with Buck Owens, another pioneer of Country Music. I saw Roy live for the first and only time of my life when I was about eight or nine years old, at the Las Cruces Civic Center. He was loud, funny, and as good of a guitar player as anyone I knew of. The truth is, Roy Clark was an incredible musician, a smooth vocalist, and an all-around good joe.

Roy Clark was my single greatest influence as an early guitarist. I learned to play guitar using the “Roy Clark Big Note Guitar Songbook,” with numbered stickers that you placed on the guitar’s frets to denote chords. Yeah, there were others like Chet Adkins and Angus Young, but those came years after Roy taught me to play.

I will forever remember Roy Clark best for his English version or “Hier encore,” known worldwide after that as “Yesterday, when I was young.”

That song was awesome to me when I was 15; and is like a life anthem to me at 52.

RIP Roy Clark. You are forever missed, and never forgotten.

-Jim 

Follow me at: http://jimculp.blogspot.com

November 11, 2018

Today is Veteran’s Day. I like to spend days like this going through old photos, thinking about my military career, and hopefully talking with some of my brothers.

Veterans Day was established in 1938 after years of being called “Armistice Day” in regards to the end of World War I. That war was a bloody one, with large numbers of men losing their lives in savage trench warfare and chemical agents used for the first time in declared war. It was to be the “war to end all wars,” but sadly the peace afterwards only lasted for twenty short years, and the world would be at war again, at least in Europe.

Millions of men and women have served in our Armed Forces, and I am proud to have known over seven hundred of them. I have forgotten a hundred names, but I never forget a face. While contracting for Allied Container Systems from 2006 to 2013, I spent a crazy amount of time in airports. I mention that, because I ran into people that I had forgotten, and immediately recognized their face. They might have been out of my life for anywhere from five to thirty years, but I never forget a face. I ran into Generals that I knew as Captains years before. I would look across a bar… and see someone that I knew in Korea when I was eighteen.

These men and women, for whatever reason, served our country in peacetime and war, and gave of themselves in so many different ways. Some were “grunts,” some were tankers, some were guitar players in the Army Band. Whatever they did, they served this Nation with dignity and respect. They deserve that back.

So when you see a veteran today at church, or especially if you see one sitting on the side of the road shivering, take some time to tell him or her that you appreciate their service. Buy them a meal or a drink if you have the money. Get that homeless veteran a coat if you can.

From one veteran to all of you, Happy Veterans Day, and may we never know the horror of war again.

Jim Culp

SFC, USAR

Retired

November 9, 2018

“Ban ALL Guns”

I just read a headline that says “Ban ALL GUNS!” Man, I’ve never heard that before.

Ok…let’s dismantle the Constitution and take away everyone’s firearms.

That will give us a peaceful country with NO SHOOTINGS.

Well, that was what Plato and Buddha had in mind, and that all sounds real chocolate pudding with whipped cream on top, but here’s the reality of that.

The only people that are going to surrender their firearms to anyone are liberal law-abiding citizens and conservative law abiding citizens that want to follow their pastor’s or their elected officials advice.

That’s going to account for the registered and legal firearms of the country, and that will leave about half of the firearms left in private possession still out there. So let’s break that down.

Half of that number will be guns like my old .22 and my bolt action 12 gauge, both legal, just not registered.

They’ll still be there, but I never busted those out and shot innocent people with them in the first place. To be honest, I’ve owned six AR-15’s in my life, and never shot anything but range targets with them.

In 2006, I sold a collection of 40 military rifles in calibers from .223 to 7.62X54R…none of which were ever used to murder anyone.

I’ve owned at least 50 different handguns in my life, and carried .357’s, .45’s and 9mm’s in military service and security work, but never took one into a honky-tonk and opened fire because I was pissed off at Nancy Pelosi or Sarah Sanders for some off-topic bullshit.

So here we’d be…half of the USA disarmed. Great. Crime would triple or quadruple. Deer would be so thick you’d need to run dozers over the interstates every morning before traffic could move. Women wouldn’t walk anywhere- unless they wanted to be raped or captured and sold. No one would be safe, because the police couldn’t dream of holding back the waves of criminals that would flood our streets and cities.

Guess why? Those criminals never turned their guns in. They didn’t buy their tricked-out AK’s or 9mm UZI’s at Walmart or Gun Shows. They appropriated them by way less than legal means.

The government would, in desperation, declare martial law, roll out the Marines and the Apaches, and kill all the bad guys. Absolutely chaos would ensue, and our country would be ripe for invasion, which China and Russia would gladly take advantage of. Take a bite out of that apple, comrade.

The Founding Fathers knew this kind of stuff; and put the Second Amendment in the US Constitution for that reason.

I’m really sorry about the people that died in Thousand Oaks this week. RIP to the families. But don’t…I repeat…DO NOT…be naïve enough to think that firearm confiscation is going to solve the problem of a Marine with PTSD wasn’t properly cared for, or an idiot that hates Black people deciding to shoot them in church. It won’t.

-Jim

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The Amendment Series- The First Amendment

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

If you want to, and only if you want to; read this paragraph. It's the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America.

In these modern times of global internet and cellular phones that rule our lives, this Amendment (and the one I will discuss next week, and several thereafter) are documents that were the foundation of the formation of our country, two hundred and twenty-nine years ago. They are not outdated, and they are not disposable. They are the reason that our Republic can stand as the greatest of all time…and the reason that it can fall, just like ancient Rome, in a very short time because they are ignored and dismembered to the point of worthlessness.

I welcome your comments for discussion. Why is this amendment important to you? What does it mean to you?

You’ll get my answer, and the next topic, next Sunday.

You can  follow me on Facebook, or on my blog at: http://jimculp.blogspot.com

“Identification”

By Jim Culp

Today I was filling out a survey for the Veteran’s Affairs prescription system. I came to the last part where they ask about demography. It always asks “are you Latino?”

Then it asks if you are White, Black, Pink, or Purple. I have to tell you, dear reader, that in these days of everyone being offended, nothing could offend me more.

Why in God’s name does it matter what color I am? And why am I specifically asked if I am Latino or not? In my opinion, the very nature of that question is racist and bigoted. Now, if a survey is specifically designed to see what races live in one or the other demographic area, great. Specify that from the start, and we can all be some really happy campers.

The VA though? Sorry, wrong question to ask me. Here’s why folks.

In my wars, (1991-Liberation of Kuwait) and (2003-Invasion and Occupation of Iraq) I had to tell people to do things that I would never normally tell them. Some real life examples would be wearing a chemical suit for days and nights on end, and not showering for almost two months. Others would be guard duty on a hostile perimeter, working twelve hour shifts on a checkpoint when it is 127˚F or pouring rain, or following orders when mortars are landing near you and you have no place to run or hide.

In any of those situations (and many more), I didn’t ask Private Jones if he was Latino or English, or ask him what his skin color was, or what meats he couldn’t eat during Passover. I ordered him to go do his duty because he was a United States soldier, and had previously taken an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, and to obey the orders of the President and the Officers appointed over him.

When my commanders ordered me to take my unit into harm’s way, they didn’t ask me to check a block identifying myself by my race. My race didn’t matter then, and it sure as hell shouldn’t matter now.

In the age of “Me, too” and “Black Lives Matter,” it’s also important to veterans to be heard when they say they that they are sick of this country’s lack of support for them, and are tired of being identified and segregated into “color groups” for some fucking study that costs millions of dollars that should be used to buy newer equipment and for paying VA doctors and nurses better salaries.

In closing, don’t ask me my race or my color. You might as well just tell me that you are a racist up front, and that way we are straight with each other from the get-go.

-Jim

Rules and Determinations

By Jim Culp

July 15, 2018

 

Just for the record, here's some fun facts.

Yeah, I know I am a boat-rocker. That is nothing new. Anyone that knew me 30 years ago up to now can tell you that.

The fun facts are that if you live in Kansas or Missouri, you ARE NOT DISABLED  when:

1. You run two or three red lights per day because your brain is on another planet.

2. You take three psychotropic drugs per day. These drugs keep you from having panic attacks and claustrophobia, but the side effects suck just as much.

3. You have chronic arthritis in two primary places (elbow and fingers) and can do half of the things you used to do just ten years ago.

4. When loud lightening or large fireworks boom, you are up for 2-3 hours looking for a rifle and set of armor that isn't there.

5. Crowds scare the living fuck out of you.

6. Big dogs render you catatonic.

7. You have dream like seizures during the day while you are at places like Walmart, your car, at the Doctor's office, or out fishing at the lake. These have durations of 15 to 45 minutes.

These determinations are made regardless of 545 pages of documentation from three therapists, two psychiatrists, and two military officers over the rank of Lt. Colonel. There must be people at the Social Security office with the IQ of Galileo Galilei or Stephen Hawking.

Have a great USA day!

-Jim

Follow me at http://jimculp.blogspot.com/

 

 

"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...."