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Distinction without a difference. Pick up a weapon against our guys and you are the bad guy. I am assuming you agree? Released Gitmo vacationers were held for more than a decade. Pretty severe disagreements within even this Administration about releasing them. The Marine is still in a Mexican jail. Not very effective if an 'ally' won't listen, so yeah, 'not a word. Especially a Rose Garden event, on a Saturday, when someone has been getting hammered for executive buffoonery for weeks on end. Captain Phillips and Ms. Buchanan were civilians that military forces were used to rescue. Kinda the job and good on 'em for doing it. Bergdahl is a solder yet, according to press reports, military forces were not used to rescue him because of the risk involved to the units and the cause for his captivity. And I don't blame the military. The Taliban didn't "grab him." He walked to them. He may have had second thoughts later, but that's a bit late after voluntarily leaving the wire without telling anyone. Prisoner exchanges during war in the military context have been 1) for like - a soldier for a soldier and 2) usually for some sort of humanitarian reason - severe injury will keep the exchanged out of any future fights so what's the harm? and nearly always were a 1 for 1. Got it. You like the deal. You want Gitmo closed. Congratulations, it appears you are getting your wish. I'd hate to be one of the dudes still scheduled to be in Afghanistan after the 'war' is over.

Bergdahl walked off post. The bad guys were captured. Bergdahl is a soldier wearing the uniform of his country. The bad guys are terrorists not wearing uniforms and not following the Laws of War, the Geneva Convention, or any recognized ROE. Therefore they aren't POWs. The 'enemy combatant' status was invented to fit the situation. Not civilian criminals who can be tried in civil court, but not military subject to, traditionally, military tribunals. The conflict/war is not over, therefore talk of exchanging of prisoner/enemy combatants are premature. The Administration has been getting hammered, even by the usually tame press on the left, by a loooong sequence of buffoonery - Ukraine/Crimea, VA scandal, etc, etc, etc. Gitmo's closure was the very first Executive Order issued by the current Administration. Opportunity for a 'feel good' while showing decisive executive action to, finally, accomplish that EO. Surprise - BOOM. Not a word from this Administration regarding the Marine with rifles and a wrong turn in Mexico. Or the civilian contractor (possibly CIA) imprisoned in Cuba for some years now. We do have more than a few convicted spies of Cuba's - including Americans convicted of such. Or the now three Americans being held in North Korea. I hear the little fat one likes food and oil, yet nary a peep for any sort of deal there. Sadly, we kid ourselves if we think the higher echelons of the USG won't write off a GI for their greater good - themselves. The bro network within the military won't, but those at the top of the slippery pyramid have and will.

Current Administration's first order, the very first, signed the day after the 2009 Inauguration, was an EO to close Gitmo. Six years later, it still hums along because Congress - House/Senate/Republican/Democrat - said "hell no!" Last week, more rumblings about closing Gitmo. Coincidence? Of course, I'm just a tad cynical...

As American history vividly illustrates; good luck with that belief.

Where THE f*ck is congressman on this? Is he still a member of baseops? This should be a great follow-on to the VA buffoonery. Besides actually, you know, keeping faith with those who volunteered to serve, then volunteered to leave to help out the Air Force, this has tremendous political legs. If you are one such person being screwed, find a friendly Congress critter and b1tch and moan at volume 11. Find friendly press outlets. You have nothing to lose. Big Blue is happily making you turn one more trick, why not cry "rape?"

That changed multiple times throughout the SAC years. In my Reagan-era missileer days, before receiving my pardon from the ND governor (and I still have one medium-weight felony to be committed for time pre-emptively served), it was two guys for 24-ish hours. Usual time from checking out the truck to checking it back in was 32-36 hours.

Well, only one of those things will have more than 9,800 men and women run through it then...

2 for anything by Wouk. These mentioned but also The Caine Mutiny. Both the book and movie are outstanding. Best fiction book ever is "Once an Eagle." Although based on the Army, the concepts you see b1tched about so much here as new afflictions are vividly illustrated in the book. This book follows a regular guy from his enlistment in the 1917 Pancho Villa expedition, through WWI, the Great Depression, WWII, and into early Vietnam. Just great writing and anyone with a familiarity with the military will recognized the characters and problems. A huge part of what made me want to join, then cope, then eventually leave, the service. Best book ever.

Reading the attached newspaper article makes me a little sad. Guy who was a genuine hero multiple times over has crafted himself into douchebag stardom including, apparently, with his own children with the help of what seems to be a gold-digger who likes attention that she can't generate by herself. There is definitely a "sell by" date for hero images.

Big Girls Try Harder... Around the first of April while checking out the small, but adequate gun counter at the Offutt BX, I found among the standard Glocks, SIGs, Rugers, etc, this beauty: (not my photo) which is a Kahr T9, a beautiful all stainless steel with attractive checkered wood grips. It is an 8+1 9mm that is less than inch wide (not counting the grips which make it just a shade over 1"), four inch barrel that just felt right. Did I mention that I thought it was really attractive? So I bought it for full MSRP of $800 +, abided by the stupid DoD rules of having to exit the base immediately and never shall I carry it again on base, etc, etc, etc because obviously I can't be trusted. Took it home in the case with the second magazine, paperwork, lock, etc. Took it apart, cleaned the gunk, and was all set to be happy with the new pretty toy. And then the trigger personality showed up. Scoring high on the hot axis and equally so on the psycho one, the DAO trigger pull was so looooooong that I felt I had to start taking the slack up before I even got inside the range. After less than one box of 115gr. FMJ, I hated this gun. Like a date from hell, I was eyeing the nearest exits and looking for a cab. I hated that gun despite its looks. So I did the manly thing and traded it for something I would like. (not my photo or gun) The full-size Smith & Wesson M&P 45. This new 10+1 behemoth of a polymer full-size pistol is now mine after dumping the Kahr. I took a small beating financially but the lesson learned as well as having a pistol that I actually want to shoot is kinda worth it. When I first bought my M&P9 some years back, my initial review was somewhat lackluster. I updated it later with glowing terms due to the utter reliability, ergonomics, and magazine capacity. I then wanted it in .45 but never got around to it until the Kahr disaster and an easy way to dispose of the pretty body and get the big girl with the heart of gold. Took the .45 to the range this morning. 150 rounds of 230gr. FMJ went downrange without a hiccup. The barrel is 4.5", full length is just shy of 8", the width is 1.2"ish, and the empty weight is almost two pounds. Load up 11 rounds and its a hefty handful. The three dot sights are large and easily picked up. The recoil is very manageable due to the sheer size and mass of the gun. Concealed carry would be sporty and I'm sure some folks manage it, but to me this a duty weapon or nightstand gun, not a daily carry. But I would if open carry it if didn't cause heart attacks among the sheeple. Other than the monetary loss due to stupidity on my part, I'm pleased with this M&P. It is now my third one - M&P9 as noted above, and an M&P9c which I also like. I am very content with this gun especially compared to the supermodel squirrelly POS it replaced.

Wow, journalism at its finest. The 30,000 figure is from the late 1960s-early 1970s. And included all flavors of our nukes - strategic, tactical of every kind to include artillery and even a humungus bazooka. I used that line for many a speech for USSTRATCOM in the last couple of years. Also, too bad the public shuttering of a squadron of 50 MMIIIs was in the press only a few weeks ago and all the cuts are, according to this paragon of intellect, coming from the boomers. Wonder if anyone's told the Navy yet? Or Ivan and/or the PRC? "Never talk to the media" I believe is the conventional wisdom...

Those corporate VP, board of directors billets, and consulting jobs aren't gonna just create themselves. Cynical? Moi?

(Note: not my photo or gun) New (to me) Old School Smith & Wesson 9mm, Model 3913NL I recently found and fell in serious like with the S&W Model 3913 Ladysmith and NL versions of this single stack, all metal 9mm semi-auto. I picked one up off an internet arms trading site, kinda like a gun'broker,' paid too much, and there ya go, it was mine. The 3913 is a third generation S&W semi-auto. One meaning of that is that they were manufactured in the 1990s. The 3913 began in 1990 and the TSW version ended around 1999 (internet data, so no guarentees to accuracy). The Ladysmith was a nicer version with a little more styling like the raked underbody and some checkering on the front of the trigger guard and grip. So nice that it became a hot seller with customers buying them up at full price. Even today, a good Ladysmith version is pretty pricey. One complaint according to urban legend is that real men didn't want something with Ladysmith on it so S&W came up with the NL version which is the exact same model without the engraved word on the slide. By luck, my sight unseen 3913 turns out to be the NL version so I'm not as outraged at the price I paid. Aesthetically, my only complaint is the very late 1980s look of white on white on white as the photo illustrates. I have some black Hogue grips on order to offer some contrast as well as being a bit softer than the old, original hard plastic/rubber grips that are stock. I might even hang some nice wood grips on it as well. This is a very good looking gun. It is a DA/SA, 8+1 9mm. The hammer is cut even with the back of the slide so the first round has to be in DA; a condition 1 1911-style carry is not an option. If you select the safety/decocker (only on one side for the Ladysmith/NL versions), the hammer moves forward. DA pull is stiff, but not unreasonably so. Follow-up SA pulls are classic S&W. Smooth, fairly light, and crisp. The slide is stainless steel, the frame is aluminum. My loaded XDs .45 weighs in at 1.6lbs on the home scale with 5+1 rounds. This with 8+1 of 9mm at 1.9lbs. Age old trade-off of capacity vs. size hole created. Relative sizes to the XDs are nearly identical. The 3913 is just a fraction longer. The length from top of slide to bottom of magazine is pretty equal and the longer grip of the 3913 fills better in the palm than the short-ish XDs (I have the Pierce pinky extension on XDs, but it is still a tad short in the back for really comfortable shooting.) Width, save for the safety/decocker, is identical and the additional width on the one side is not noticable in my IWB. I've only had one range session so it's not my new CCW piece yet, but 150 rounds of 115gr. FMJ went through flawlessly. Recoil was very light, the Novak three-dot sights are easy to see for my old eyes, and the gun feels very natural in the hand. One reason I am getting more and more on the older S&W semi-auto bandwagon is the grip angle and feel. It is very 1911 which is my favorite, but in 9mm it is much less frisky to shoot for me. Me like very much.

According to the Omaha Cabela's, they stop offering a military discount effective 1 May 14. Uncool.

Even douches can be brave, talented, and heroic. One does not negate the other.

I do a drive-by of the site, I see this thread is fresh, and click in, thinking I'm going to be seeing an obituary: Combat Cremation. Well, a guy can dream, can't he?

Yep. Airplane mags are on the decrease (on USAF bases!) but gun rags are multiplying. And which one can't you have on most bases because obviously you can't be trusted with it; only mulit-million dollar winged things or systems. On a separate note; anyone shot the nylon jacketed stuff Cabela's sells? Just bout 200 round, for $12.99 per 50 in 9mm. Any issues with it?

Monuments Men Meh. Clooney plays the same character in every movie, IMO. Some reasonably funny moments; lots of liberties taken with the actual story, but still this is a different WWII story. Worth seeing if nothing else is playing. Book was good, but very dry.

Anyone familar with these guys and their products? https://www.lehighdefense.com/ The expansion for their self-defense stuff looks damned impressive, but before I drop the cash (and it ain't cheap!), I thought I'd ask here.

Looking at the way, way back machine, you will find that the leadership for missile wings was rated guys until, roughly, the mid-1980s. Even then it took until the late 1980s to flush them all. And guess what, things were the same then as well. In SAC days, the on-alert rate was everything. All was sacrificed for that goal because you did NOT want to be getting the direct call from CINCSAC to WG/CC Snuffy asking "WTF?" Very short career spans resulted. And the rated guys begat the leadership by "I see nothing." Greatest operators in the field counted for sh1t. Fantabulous test-takers/Xmas party planners got the only visibility because once you close the blast door, as long as nothing goes 'boom,' or nobody gets killed on your alert, you are all the same. Making a name for yourself as the cunning EWO instructor with your BS trick tests made you BTZ material and showed just how "stupid" the line doggies were because a 95% is garbage (Say, why is the minimum a 90% then). You could count on a chat with at least your Sq/CC, good chance of the DO (now OG)/CC, and potentially, the WG/CC. For missing one test question. And the hits look like they keep coming for today's generation pulling alert without even a Soviet threat to somewhat make it plausible. I still expect this Administration to sh1tcan ICBMs. This is just lighter fluid for the effort.

Big blue fcuk it up? Nah, couldn't happen. Results being used punitively, both by the affected ratee towards subordinates, and by the seniors to the ratee getting scwacked? Or ignored if the ratee has top-cover? Cynical = me.

Fun guns. Ammo is fairly pricey. Not an expert and I sold my mine a while back (idiot!) when I got tired of moving all the stuff around. Have since repurchased a new-build Auto-Ordnance one. Check the bore - grooves still sharp? Does it rattle a bunch when you shake it? Do the parts that have one all have the same manufacturer? (Over the decades, parts were replaced so they might not and that doesn't necessarily detract, but still...) Reputable dealer/seller? Price is so very dependent. Condition, year of manufacture, country of origin - U.S., Bavaria/Germany, RoK, etc. You can get a new build like I did for around $700 from Auto-Ordnance. Pristine original M-1s can go for much more than that. Average ones shouldn't, and projects not nearly so. Not much specifics here, sorry. But they are fun as hell to shoot. They get damned hot on the top of the foregrip in a hurry, however.

Highly recommend you stay on the Virginia side of the river. When traffic sh1ts the bed, as it did regularly, the bridges became the natural chokepoints and alternatives are nil. Your requirements were the holy grail of "short commute and affordable." It's DC. The two are just about incompatible. I lived out near IAD, the new Air & Space Museum, and the NRO. Nice area, not cheap, but not oh my god (recalibrating for DC area), and the schools were good. Unable on the home schooling thing. The drive was long, but express buses, the VRE (a train), and slugging were decent. 45-60 minutes door to door. Best of luck. Unasked for advice: Don't concealed carry in DC. They are not tolerant or forgiving. Of course, that's where you have the most need to carry as well.

Well, there is that danger of not making that last surfacing thing. I am unaware of any such risk with ICBM duty. I surfaced successfully around 240 times from beneath North Dakota. And the fact that it takes a couple of years and a mega-buttload of money to train a nuke submariner.

Smith & Wesson M&P9c I picked one up about six months ago. I've put probably 500 rounds through it. It has yet to fail. I still just don't like it. Got a good deal on a hardly used M&P9c. MA & CA compliant meaning the magazines were only 10 rounders and not the 12'ers that are also available. This one does not have an external safety. I got it because of the price and thinking it might be my replacement for when I finally get around to sending my XDs into Springfield for the recall. It is surprising to me to see how much difference the width to this - 1.18" vs. the .9" of the XDs, but it actually is noticeable in an IWB. I also thought it might be a good upgrade for my wife after she carrys her S&W Model 642 for a while and wants something else. One of the two main things I do not like about it is the length of the back of the grip. It's just a tad too short to be comfortable for me. Yes, I am aware of the adapters that let me use a full size magazine but I might as well carry my full size M&P in that case. The other thing I don't like is the trigger on this which is very different than that of the full size. Not how it works - I had an APEX trigger job done on it and that is much better than factory original - but the actual trigger itself. The long, thin piece of plastic/polymer feels like I'm pulling a cat fang and the angle is awkward to me. The good thing about this pistol is the reliability as noted above. It has yet to fail no matter the type of ammo - bulk cheap stuff or Corbon SD rounds. So I wouldn't be leery of carrying this and I use it for the concealed pistol on the main floor. As quickly as the market is moving, the M&P series is getting long in the tooth now, but it still gets the job done with a minimum of fuss and confusion. But I just am not that into this one. M&P9c specifications: Weight: 21.7 oz (unloaded) Length: 6.7" Height: 4.3" Width: 1.18" Barrel Length: 3.5" 3.5″