Every once in a while I get an email from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR)letting me know of various things going on around the state pertaining to the outdoors, wild life, hunting and fishing. The articles are quite interesting and informative.
There is a report that they publish called "Wolf Depredation Report". This is a report on Wolf activity regarding attacks on domestic animals by Wolves. There was a time that Wolves were on the endangered species list and through good wildlife management practices their populations increased to the point that they now needed to be controlled so they did not deplete other populations, such as the states deer herd, and other game animals. So they were removed from this list and the State of Wisconsin for a few years recently held an annual Wolf hunt allowing hunters to pursue this fairly large animal predator.
Things seemed to be going well for a few years and the DNR controlled the numbers killed and thereby protected their populations from being disseminated entirely by limiting the number that were allowed to be taken each season.
But that management was not good enough for the tree huggers and the States found themselves in court and the judge had the Wolf put back on the endangered list and hunting was stopped. This left the population to now grow and be unchecked with heavy fines if one were to shoot and kill a Wolf, no matter what the reason.
Every once in a while the report mentioned above will tell of hunting dogs being used to track Bears, who happen to get involved with a wild Wolf Pack, being killed unmercifully by these vicious predators. I have seen pictures of a Bear hunter guide, holding up by the neck, his prized hunting dog who was attacked by a band of Wolves. The particular animal in question had nothing left to its body below the shoulders, and had been literally torn apart.
This brings me to my point. Last night when returning home around eight thirty PM, and as I exited my pick up truck to go into the house I hear a lot of barking coming from my neighbors place. Although he does have a dog, I am very familiar with that barking, and what I was listening too was not that.
My second thought was that my two dogs had somehow got out of the house and were running around in the woods barking and playing with each other as they had done from time to time in the past. But this was not that either. The barking sounded like a whole bunch of dogs, many more than two. As I stood there by the truck and listened more intently, I could hear intermixed with the barking and yelping, an occasional howl. I had never heard anything like this before and it was quite chilling to listen to.
Now the area that I live in is heavily wooded. I have five acres of woods, backed up by one hundred and twenty acres of some swampland and more woods. My closest neighbor also has five acres and the neighbor across the dirt road of ours has about six acres. So we are pretty remote and wooded. The area is heavily populated with Wisconsin's famous white tailed deer. In Vilas county where we live it is a buck only county when it comes to deer hunting, and the does are generally protected from hunting. Personally on my land, I have a doe and her fawn that come by the house daily and feed on the grasses and some occasional hard corn that we put out for them in a near by feeder. A neighbor down the road has a similar arrangement but in their case there are two bucks of about two years old that come by with about six other does and yearling fawns that they feed on a regular basis. So yes, we have a very large population of deer in the area, and this is what is attracting the wolves, and bringing them closer to the house, because the deer very seldom travel far away from the feeder.
In the mornings, my significant other will take one of our dogs on a long walk down the road and skirt along the woods which are on her left and right along the way. With what I heard last night, this can be a dangerous situation now and she'll either have to have me accompany her, or I am going to have to have her carry a bell and some mace. But I feel more comfortable walking with her.
As I stood there on the porch listening to the loudness of these animals last night, I could tell they were running behind my house, probably chasing one of those deer for their next meal. The barking and snarling I heard, and the howl that followed sounded like one of the Wolves was giving his victory scream after downing an animal. I went in the house and then back outside, which was now very quiet and still. Just as quickly as it started, it also stopped just as fast. The moral of this story, don;t feed the deer, you'll never know what will come next..........
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Sunday, August 16, 2015
How will Donald Trump make Mexico pay for a wall?
Recently, in the last few months, one of the things making news is the fact that Donald Trump, Republican Presidential Candidate, stated that if he were elected President he would build a wall across our southern border of the United States, to secure it from passage, and entry by illegal immigrants.
But how? How are you going to do that, the media asks; the other candidates ask; and the opposing parties ask? They ask as if they do not believe that he can do it. But how naive are they?
Now I am not a politician, or even a Trump supporter, but here is how I would do it, and I am surprised the others can't think of these simple things. So lets start:
1. The facts are that there are more Americans who visit Mexico than any other country in the world. So lets start by creating an "Exit Visa, and fee, that would be required to be paid to leave the US and go to Mexico. If you don't like it.....then visit somewhere else. A lot of Americans will refuse to pay the fee and WILL go somewhere else. This will definitely hurt the Mexican economy in their tourism pocketbook. What does this accomplish? Well think of all those reports on the Mexican Rivera, Cancun, Itaxpa, etc. I see a lot of lost Mexican revenue here. Seems like a lot of pressure on the Mexican government to me would be coming from those resort areas to do something.
2. If you have ever been to a border crossing location, such as Brownsville Texas, Tijuana, Warez, etc. you'd be surprised at how many Mexican citizens cross the boarder and enter the US, legally, each and every day to come to the US to work. Those jobs they have, they should be US jobs. However, when those Mexican citizens enter the US through the border, they do so for free. So, I propose that a daily fee of five dollars be placed on each crossing into the US and back into Mexico.
3. Vehicles manufactured in Mexico and imported back into the US, shall have imposed on them a $100 "Wall" Tax fee for each vehicle. Of course we all know the manufacturers will pass it on to their consumers. But sales on those vehicles will decline, and those vehicles will have to have on their window sticker, and clearly defined, that the vehicle had the extra tax added. Therefore customers could request another vehicle, one not made in Mexico. This would also apply to each and every item made in Mexico and shipped into the US, a Wall tax would be added.
4. Presently a passport is accepted, but is not required, to enter into Mexico from the US. You can enter with a passport card. A passport card will allow you to enter Mexico, Canada, and some other places. To get this card you still apply to the passport office, but there is a price difference. It is much cheaper. There should be instituted, a special Mexico passport card should be issued, but with a much higher rate to purchase one. Again this would discourage travel to Mexico, and put internal pressure on Mexico.
5. There are corporations who have plants in Mexico, where they manufacture their wares and goods but do not import them into the US. They make these products and send them to other parts of the world. Those revenues and profits they receive for these goods go back into their general fund. The main fund repository of the main company. It is clearly stated in their corporate financial reports and stockholders annual statements. There should be an accounting tax rule change where those profits, if earned in Mexico, would be taxed by the IRS with a 10% WALL surcharge.
These are just some of my thoughts on how to get Mexico to pay for the building of a wall. I just put this together to show you it is not that hard to do what Trump says, and I know I have not thought of everything.........
We'll see what the future holds. But whoever is elected, from what ever party, is going to have to do something.
But how? How are you going to do that, the media asks; the other candidates ask; and the opposing parties ask? They ask as if they do not believe that he can do it. But how naive are they?
Now I am not a politician, or even a Trump supporter, but here is how I would do it, and I am surprised the others can't think of these simple things. So lets start:
1. The facts are that there are more Americans who visit Mexico than any other country in the world. So lets start by creating an "Exit Visa, and fee, that would be required to be paid to leave the US and go to Mexico. If you don't like it.....then visit somewhere else. A lot of Americans will refuse to pay the fee and WILL go somewhere else. This will definitely hurt the Mexican economy in their tourism pocketbook. What does this accomplish? Well think of all those reports on the Mexican Rivera, Cancun, Itaxpa, etc. I see a lot of lost Mexican revenue here. Seems like a lot of pressure on the Mexican government to me would be coming from those resort areas to do something.
2. If you have ever been to a border crossing location, such as Brownsville Texas, Tijuana, Warez, etc. you'd be surprised at how many Mexican citizens cross the boarder and enter the US, legally, each and every day to come to the US to work. Those jobs they have, they should be US jobs. However, when those Mexican citizens enter the US through the border, they do so for free. So, I propose that a daily fee of five dollars be placed on each crossing into the US and back into Mexico.
3. Vehicles manufactured in Mexico and imported back into the US, shall have imposed on them a $100 "Wall" Tax fee for each vehicle. Of course we all know the manufacturers will pass it on to their consumers. But sales on those vehicles will decline, and those vehicles will have to have on their window sticker, and clearly defined, that the vehicle had the extra tax added. Therefore customers could request another vehicle, one not made in Mexico. This would also apply to each and every item made in Mexico and shipped into the US, a Wall tax would be added.
4. Presently a passport is accepted, but is not required, to enter into Mexico from the US. You can enter with a passport card. A passport card will allow you to enter Mexico, Canada, and some other places. To get this card you still apply to the passport office, but there is a price difference. It is much cheaper. There should be instituted, a special Mexico passport card should be issued, but with a much higher rate to purchase one. Again this would discourage travel to Mexico, and put internal pressure on Mexico.
5. There are corporations who have plants in Mexico, where they manufacture their wares and goods but do not import them into the US. They make these products and send them to other parts of the world. Those revenues and profits they receive for these goods go back into their general fund. The main fund repository of the main company. It is clearly stated in their corporate financial reports and stockholders annual statements. There should be an accounting tax rule change where those profits, if earned in Mexico, would be taxed by the IRS with a 10% WALL surcharge.
These are just some of my thoughts on how to get Mexico to pay for the building of a wall. I just put this together to show you it is not that hard to do what Trump says, and I know I have not thought of everything.........
We'll see what the future holds. But whoever is elected, from what ever party, is going to have to do something.
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Bronze Star Recipient Stan Spillar
Recently I was fortunate to have one of America's hero's come and speak to my Project Management class. This past spring semester, I have been teaching a Project Management class at Nicolet Technical College in Rhinelander Wisconsin. Nicolet is a beautiful campus with multiple buildings housing many different disciplines nestled in the middle of a huge acreage of the Northwoods of Wisconsin.
This friend of mine is a WWII veteran, past combat medic, and Bronze Star recipient. His name is Stan Spillar and he is 92 years old. Stan has given talks on his experience landing on Normandy on D-day +2 on Utah beach many times over. Stan was visiting his daughter up here in St. Germain, and I invited him to come and speak to my class. But this is a Project Management class and I was wrestling with how I could justify his presence in the class and how his talk would relate to the subject of Project Management, when it occurred to me, that he was a team member in the biggest project effort ever imagined. The invasion of France. Just think of how many countries were involved in that effort. Think about the difficulty of coordinating every group or individual. What an effort, what a success, and what tragedy ensued to make it successful.
Stan was a combat medic assigned to the 90th Division 357th Regiment. Not only was he a medic, but he was also a runner. A runner is a person who, because of the lack of adequate communications between the groups of men, would take messages back and forth at the request of upper management, i.e. senior officers.
Stan is not a large man, standing about 5'7, but he is lean and still in great physical shape, which he extols in any talks he gives, trying to instill in the minds of young people that the body is a machine, and needs to be greased and oiled frequently through a good diet, and regular exercise. He will tell and demonstrate how he does his squats in the morning, each and every day.
Prior to his speaking to the class, i.e. the night before, I researched the 357th Regiment and came up with some combat footage of this group as it entered into the town of Chambois, France, and low and behold, there is Stan, right there on the big screen with a bunch of his buddies, as they display a captured Nazi flag, while standing in front of a disabled Germain tank. So I put together a short video that contained a lot of this combat footage along with some photos I found on the internet of Stan and his comrades. You can view it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtTWjX9aSmE
The 357th was known as the Texas Oklahoma Regiment and was formed during WWI by the Texas National Guard. They were deactivated after the war and their colors cased. However when WWII broke out they were reactivated. But Stan will tell you that his group was so successful in accomplishing their missions during WWII, that General Patten himself renamed them from Texas Oklahoma to the "Tough Hombres".
When the war broke out Stan asked his father, who fought in WWI, if he could sign up, but his father had already seen the atrocities of war and would try to make sure his son would not be a part in any war. However, Stan was so adamant about joining up that he told his dad if he would not sign for him to join, then he would run away and find another way to do it. So reluctantly, his dad agreed to put his signature on the document that would send his son off to a foreign land and into battle. Something that many parents also did during this time of our countries need. Many, many sacrifices were made by ALL Americans, to make sure that freedom would endure.
I picked up Stan around eleven thirty and he was accompanied by his daughter Val. Stan brought along with him many, many articles and historical paraphernalia he had collected over the years. Among them was a medal he had recently received on his participation of the Honor Flight to Washington, something he was very very proud of.
We chatted along the way, arriving at the school at around 12:20 (class started at 12:30). Stan and Val sat in the back of the classroom, as I prepared the audio visual overhead projection system, so that I could show the class the video I put together. They had no idea who the visitors in the back of the room were.
When everyone was seated and the chatter calmed down I gave a short talk on the project of the Normandy invasion, and the difficulties it took to put it all together. Stan sat quietly in the back awaiting his turn. But first I started the video. The students watched intently with interest, there were about sixteen of them that day. Even the student who always shows up to class, but sits way in the back, with his laptop going, and his ear buds nestled in his ears and who never really pays any attention to the class lecture, was seen removing his ear buds, and watching with keen interest as the video unfolded.
The video is about nine minutes long, and when it ended, there was total silence in the room. I think it was then when the class realized who was in their presence and about to speak. So I broke the silence with an introduction, and Stan rose and came to the front of the class. I have seen many veterans who have received medals for valor under fire give many talks, and the one underlying this that is common among them all is their patriotism.
Stan talked about what it was like crossing the English Channel on a troop transport, and how the seas were very rough and most of the men had gotten sea sick. He related that once when he rushed to the railing of the ship's deck to throw up over the side he came to realize that he was throwing up on the men on the next deck below, but then again, the same was being done to him also from the men on the deck above. He then talked about his recollection of disembarking the ship by climbing over the side and descending to the landing craft below, via a rope ladder hung over the side. It was a difficult descent as the landing craft crashed into the side of the ship due to the rough seas.
When the boat was loaded, they headed into shore. He related how the sailor driving the boat told them, "Boy's I'm going to get you in as close as I can.", and he guided that boat into shore and dropped the front bow for the men to disembark. Stan said when he got off he was in knee deep water, which he was very thankful for, because he could see other men in other boats aside of them who were not so lucky. Men, who when they got off the ramp of the boat and stepped into the water, were up to their necks, or over their head in the deep abyss. The men were carrying hundred pound back packs on their backs, an a lot of the men drowned, right there in front of him. It was quite a shock and Stan's first taste of death. But Stan had a job to do and that was to get off that boat, and get into shore. So he did just that when he and his comrades jumped in and got to shore as fast as they could.
They moved in shore and proceeded inland. They were under enemy fire. But because of Stan's present age in relating this story. we cannot put into chronological order the exact order of events as they unfolded. So I will outline here some of the highlights of these stories. Among which is that while under fire and pinned down, the Lieutenant and leader of the squad, had to get a message back to another group, and Stan, while being a runner, was the man chosen and whose duty it was to deliver the message where it had to go. Stan took the message and put it into his pouch and headed from fox hole to fox hole as quickly as he could, all the while under constant artillery fire. He had to now go up and over a hill. As he climbed up this hill and went over the top of other side, he could hear voices, German voices. When he looked around he saw some German soldiers coming towards him. There were four of them to be exact. He was young very much afraid at the sight of them, and thought he was a surely about to be another certain casualty of war. He thought for a moment and stood up with rifle at the ready. He was not going to go down without a fight. When the Germans saw him standing there, poised with his rifle shouldered and aimed directly at the four Germans they immediately and without hesitation threw their weapons to the ground and quickly put their hands up in the air, surrendering themselves to him.
Stan marched his new prisoners in the direction of where he had to deliver his message. On the way he came upon some wounded Americans, he did what he could to stabilize them. He was in a quagmire though. He had to tend the wounded, while guarding his prisoners. So as he stopped to do what he could for the men, he ordered the German prisoners to make, make-shift stretchers, and ordered them to carry the wounded along with them to their final destination. However, as Stan emphasizes, the Germans were reluctant to do so, to go where they directed them, because they were afraid they would be targets from their German comrades who were in the area and still fighting. As they hesitated, Stan yelled at them "Achtung!!!" and quickly raised his rifle. Upon doing so, the Germans picked up the wounded and carried them to where they were going. For this single handed capture and rescue of his fellow soldiers, while under enemy fire, Stan was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor.
But Stan's stories did not end there. He talked about Bastogne, another part of France where General McCaulif was surrounded by hundreds of German troops, and also a part of the battle of the Bulge, and his participation in their liberation. He recalled how it was so cold, that he had to carry some of his treatment medications against his bare chest for warmth, because he was so afraid of them freezing, and becoming useless. He explained the difference between the American tank's firepower, and the way it fired and the way the German tank fired the 88 artillery tank round. He said the the American artillery would be shot up into the air and then fall to earth hopefully hitting the target and exploding, but the German 88s were so powerful that they shot their artillery shells in a straight line of sight. He said you could hear them coming as they whizzed by. One story he told was when in a fox hole, and he had to relieve himself, he held it as long as he could. Because he was not in the fox hole by himself, but with another buddy. He had a choice to make, he could drop his pants and go in the hole, which would be very unpleasant for the both of them, or he could risk leaving the hole and getting shot at or shelled. He decided the latter, and as he was in the middle of doing his business, when the 88 shells started whizzing by, and detonating all around him. Stan quickly dove for the safety of the fox hole, while his pants were still below his knees.
Stan said that General George S. Patton was so impressed with the success and bravery of the 90th division, that he moved them under his command, and from that point on, they became part of General Patton's Third Army. He recalled that during the Battle of the Bulge, in December 1944, it was so cold that most of the wounded were frost bitten. He said their feet were very cold, and also very wet. But if you took off your wet socks, then your feet would swell, and you could not get your boots back on, so the order of the day was, no one was to remove their boots.
Another area he served in was Theresienstadt concentration camp, also referred to as Theresienstadt Ghetto, it was established by the SS during World War II in the fortress and garrison city of Terezín (German name Theresienstadt), located in what is now the Czech Republic. During World War II it served as a Nazi concentration camp staffed by German Nazi guards. Stan was one of the American troops to liberate that camp and told of what he saw and the atrocities that went on there. Stan had a complete distaste for the Nazi SS. He told the class that the SS had no heart or sole. He said their members were hand picked as children and how the children were told to bring their pets from home to school, where they were told to dissect them. He said the SS had no concern for the value of human life and how they were totally indifferent to life or death.
At one point in his talk he started to sing......God Bless America, land that I love.......I am sure the class was surprised, as he sang the entire song so proudly. He had a pretty good voice too! When he finished he took questions from members of the class. All good questions, showing they were certainly paying attention, and fascinated with the man and his adventures. During Stan's talk many of his artifacts and souvenirs were passed around the class. Afterwards students wanted to get their picture taken with Stan, and they also wanted to inspect in more detail some of his photo albums and medals. One student, a very young shy girl of about nineteen years old, came up to Stan, and waited patiently for him to finish talking with another student, and said to him Thank You! Thank you for your service, as she extended her hand for a hand shake with him. With that small gesture, Stan said "Oh honey come here," as he walked around the table separating them, and gave her a big hug.
It was quite a day for Stan. I wish I knew him when I was younger, because I am sure he has forgotten more stories than he remembers. But the students got the opportunity of a lifetime to hear first hand from someone who was there, and not reading about WWII in a text book written by some historian.
This friend of mine is a WWII veteran, past combat medic, and Bronze Star recipient. His name is Stan Spillar and he is 92 years old. Stan has given talks on his experience landing on Normandy on D-day +2 on Utah beach many times over. Stan was visiting his daughter up here in St. Germain, and I invited him to come and speak to my class. But this is a Project Management class and I was wrestling with how I could justify his presence in the class and how his talk would relate to the subject of Project Management, when it occurred to me, that he was a team member in the biggest project effort ever imagined. The invasion of France. Just think of how many countries were involved in that effort. Think about the difficulty of coordinating every group or individual. What an effort, what a success, and what tragedy ensued to make it successful.
Stan was a combat medic assigned to the 90th Division 357th Regiment. Not only was he a medic, but he was also a runner. A runner is a person who, because of the lack of adequate communications between the groups of men, would take messages back and forth at the request of upper management, i.e. senior officers.
Stan is not a large man, standing about 5'7, but he is lean and still in great physical shape, which he extols in any talks he gives, trying to instill in the minds of young people that the body is a machine, and needs to be greased and oiled frequently through a good diet, and regular exercise. He will tell and demonstrate how he does his squats in the morning, each and every day.
Prior to his speaking to the class, i.e. the night before, I researched the 357th Regiment and came up with some combat footage of this group as it entered into the town of Chambois, France, and low and behold, there is Stan, right there on the big screen with a bunch of his buddies, as they display a captured Nazi flag, while standing in front of a disabled Germain tank. So I put together a short video that contained a lot of this combat footage along with some photos I found on the internet of Stan and his comrades. You can view it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtTWjX9aSmE
The 357th was known as the Texas Oklahoma Regiment and was formed during WWI by the Texas National Guard. They were deactivated after the war and their colors cased. However when WWII broke out they were reactivated. But Stan will tell you that his group was so successful in accomplishing their missions during WWII, that General Patten himself renamed them from Texas Oklahoma to the "Tough Hombres".
When the war broke out Stan asked his father, who fought in WWI, if he could sign up, but his father had already seen the atrocities of war and would try to make sure his son would not be a part in any war. However, Stan was so adamant about joining up that he told his dad if he would not sign for him to join, then he would run away and find another way to do it. So reluctantly, his dad agreed to put his signature on the document that would send his son off to a foreign land and into battle. Something that many parents also did during this time of our countries need. Many, many sacrifices were made by ALL Americans, to make sure that freedom would endure.
I picked up Stan around eleven thirty and he was accompanied by his daughter Val. Stan brought along with him many, many articles and historical paraphernalia he had collected over the years. Among them was a medal he had recently received on his participation of the Honor Flight to Washington, something he was very very proud of.
We chatted along the way, arriving at the school at around 12:20 (class started at 12:30). Stan and Val sat in the back of the classroom, as I prepared the audio visual overhead projection system, so that I could show the class the video I put together. They had no idea who the visitors in the back of the room were.
When everyone was seated and the chatter calmed down I gave a short talk on the project of the Normandy invasion, and the difficulties it took to put it all together. Stan sat quietly in the back awaiting his turn. But first I started the video. The students watched intently with interest, there were about sixteen of them that day. Even the student who always shows up to class, but sits way in the back, with his laptop going, and his ear buds nestled in his ears and who never really pays any attention to the class lecture, was seen removing his ear buds, and watching with keen interest as the video unfolded.
The video is about nine minutes long, and when it ended, there was total silence in the room. I think it was then when the class realized who was in their presence and about to speak. So I broke the silence with an introduction, and Stan rose and came to the front of the class. I have seen many veterans who have received medals for valor under fire give many talks, and the one underlying this that is common among them all is their patriotism.
Stan talked about what it was like crossing the English Channel on a troop transport, and how the seas were very rough and most of the men had gotten sea sick. He related that once when he rushed to the railing of the ship's deck to throw up over the side he came to realize that he was throwing up on the men on the next deck below, but then again, the same was being done to him also from the men on the deck above. He then talked about his recollection of disembarking the ship by climbing over the side and descending to the landing craft below, via a rope ladder hung over the side. It was a difficult descent as the landing craft crashed into the side of the ship due to the rough seas.
When the boat was loaded, they headed into shore. He related how the sailor driving the boat told them, "Boy's I'm going to get you in as close as I can.", and he guided that boat into shore and dropped the front bow for the men to disembark. Stan said when he got off he was in knee deep water, which he was very thankful for, because he could see other men in other boats aside of them who were not so lucky. Men, who when they got off the ramp of the boat and stepped into the water, were up to their necks, or over their head in the deep abyss. The men were carrying hundred pound back packs on their backs, an a lot of the men drowned, right there in front of him. It was quite a shock and Stan's first taste of death. But Stan had a job to do and that was to get off that boat, and get into shore. So he did just that when he and his comrades jumped in and got to shore as fast as they could.
They moved in shore and proceeded inland. They were under enemy fire. But because of Stan's present age in relating this story. we cannot put into chronological order the exact order of events as they unfolded. So I will outline here some of the highlights of these stories. Among which is that while under fire and pinned down, the Lieutenant and leader of the squad, had to get a message back to another group, and Stan, while being a runner, was the man chosen and whose duty it was to deliver the message where it had to go. Stan took the message and put it into his pouch and headed from fox hole to fox hole as quickly as he could, all the while under constant artillery fire. He had to now go up and over a hill. As he climbed up this hill and went over the top of other side, he could hear voices, German voices. When he looked around he saw some German soldiers coming towards him. There were four of them to be exact. He was young very much afraid at the sight of them, and thought he was a surely about to be another certain casualty of war. He thought for a moment and stood up with rifle at the ready. He was not going to go down without a fight. When the Germans saw him standing there, poised with his rifle shouldered and aimed directly at the four Germans they immediately and without hesitation threw their weapons to the ground and quickly put their hands up in the air, surrendering themselves to him.
Stan marched his new prisoners in the direction of where he had to deliver his message. On the way he came upon some wounded Americans, he did what he could to stabilize them. He was in a quagmire though. He had to tend the wounded, while guarding his prisoners. So as he stopped to do what he could for the men, he ordered the German prisoners to make, make-shift stretchers, and ordered them to carry the wounded along with them to their final destination. However, as Stan emphasizes, the Germans were reluctant to do so, to go where they directed them, because they were afraid they would be targets from their German comrades who were in the area and still fighting. As they hesitated, Stan yelled at them "Achtung!!!" and quickly raised his rifle. Upon doing so, the Germans picked up the wounded and carried them to where they were going. For this single handed capture and rescue of his fellow soldiers, while under enemy fire, Stan was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor.
But Stan's stories did not end there. He talked about Bastogne, another part of France where General McCaulif was surrounded by hundreds of German troops, and also a part of the battle of the Bulge, and his participation in their liberation. He recalled how it was so cold, that he had to carry some of his treatment medications against his bare chest for warmth, because he was so afraid of them freezing, and becoming useless. He explained the difference between the American tank's firepower, and the way it fired and the way the German tank fired the 88 artillery tank round. He said the the American artillery would be shot up into the air and then fall to earth hopefully hitting the target and exploding, but the German 88s were so powerful that they shot their artillery shells in a straight line of sight. He said you could hear them coming as they whizzed by. One story he told was when in a fox hole, and he had to relieve himself, he held it as long as he could. Because he was not in the fox hole by himself, but with another buddy. He had a choice to make, he could drop his pants and go in the hole, which would be very unpleasant for the both of them, or he could risk leaving the hole and getting shot at or shelled. He decided the latter, and as he was in the middle of doing his business, when the 88 shells started whizzing by, and detonating all around him. Stan quickly dove for the safety of the fox hole, while his pants were still below his knees.
Stan said that General George S. Patton was so impressed with the success and bravery of the 90th division, that he moved them under his command, and from that point on, they became part of General Patton's Third Army. He recalled that during the Battle of the Bulge, in December 1944, it was so cold that most of the wounded were frost bitten. He said their feet were very cold, and also very wet. But if you took off your wet socks, then your feet would swell, and you could not get your boots back on, so the order of the day was, no one was to remove their boots.
Another area he served in was Theresienstadt concentration camp, also referred to as Theresienstadt Ghetto, it was established by the SS during World War II in the fortress and garrison city of Terezín (German name Theresienstadt), located in what is now the Czech Republic. During World War II it served as a Nazi concentration camp staffed by German Nazi guards. Stan was one of the American troops to liberate that camp and told of what he saw and the atrocities that went on there. Stan had a complete distaste for the Nazi SS. He told the class that the SS had no heart or sole. He said their members were hand picked as children and how the children were told to bring their pets from home to school, where they were told to dissect them. He said the SS had no concern for the value of human life and how they were totally indifferent to life or death.
At one point in his talk he started to sing......God Bless America, land that I love.......I am sure the class was surprised, as he sang the entire song so proudly. He had a pretty good voice too! When he finished he took questions from members of the class. All good questions, showing they were certainly paying attention, and fascinated with the man and his adventures. During Stan's talk many of his artifacts and souvenirs were passed around the class. Afterwards students wanted to get their picture taken with Stan, and they also wanted to inspect in more detail some of his photo albums and medals. One student, a very young shy girl of about nineteen years old, came up to Stan, and waited patiently for him to finish talking with another student, and said to him Thank You! Thank you for your service, as she extended her hand for a hand shake with him. With that small gesture, Stan said "Oh honey come here," as he walked around the table separating them, and gave her a big hug.
It was quite a day for Stan. I wish I knew him when I was younger, because I am sure he has forgotten more stories than he remembers. But the students got the opportunity of a lifetime to hear first hand from someone who was there, and not reading about WWII in a text book written by some historian.
Sunday, April 26, 2015
I take full responsibility?
Recently we have been hearing a lot of politicians, when they admit their errors, or something happens, you'll most certainly hear them utter the phrase "I take full responsibility". Well, what the heck does that really mean?
President Obama recently spoke these words when he was speaking of the US drone attack that inadvertently killed two hostages. President Obama said that he takes "full responsibility" for a U.S. government counter terrorism operation that killed two innocent hostages held by al Qaeda. There were also similar statements made by former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as she told CNN she takes “full responsibility” for the security failures at the U.S. consulate in Libya where a terrorist attack by radical Islamists killed U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans in Benghazi.
To me this utterance also means that you have to suffer the consequences of these actions. When you take responsibility for something, if you do not make amends, then it just becomes idle chatter and meaningless, and that my friends is what's wrong with those words today, they mean nothing. By stating these words, the issue is still there, the problem is still present, and neither will be corrected, nor will the policies, or results of the action, change.
The Washington Post has published five things that President Obama has taken responsibility for. They include:
1. November 3, 2010 – Democrats lose control of the House in midterm elections. "I take responsibility for that."
2. October 16, 2012 – Attack on U.S. Consulate in Benghazi. "I'm the president. And I'm always responsible."
3. May 27, 2010 – BP oil spill. "In case you were wondering, in any of your reporting, who's responsible? I take responsibility."
4. October 30, 2013 – HealthCare.gov crashes. "I take full responsibility for making sure it gets fixed ASAP."
5. July 14, 2009 – Economy in freefall. "I love the folks who helped get us in this mess and then suddenly say, 'Well, this is Obama's economy.' That's fine. Give it to me. ... I want the responsibility."
And now a sixth one on taking responsibility for the killing of the hostages during a drone strike. As you can see the words without actions of consequences are quite meaningless. I have no solutions, nor do I suggest any. I'm just pointing out here, that when the words are idly uttered, they mean nothing.
President Obama recently spoke these words when he was speaking of the US drone attack that inadvertently killed two hostages. President Obama said that he takes "full responsibility" for a U.S. government counter terrorism operation that killed two innocent hostages held by al Qaeda. There were also similar statements made by former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as she told CNN she takes “full responsibility” for the security failures at the U.S. consulate in Libya where a terrorist attack by radical Islamists killed U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans in Benghazi.
To me this utterance also means that you have to suffer the consequences of these actions. When you take responsibility for something, if you do not make amends, then it just becomes idle chatter and meaningless, and that my friends is what's wrong with those words today, they mean nothing. By stating these words, the issue is still there, the problem is still present, and neither will be corrected, nor will the policies, or results of the action, change.
The Washington Post has published five things that President Obama has taken responsibility for. They include:
1. November 3, 2010 – Democrats lose control of the House in midterm elections. "I take responsibility for that."
2. October 16, 2012 – Attack on U.S. Consulate in Benghazi. "I'm the president. And I'm always responsible."
3. May 27, 2010 – BP oil spill. "In case you were wondering, in any of your reporting, who's responsible? I take responsibility."
4. October 30, 2013 – HealthCare.gov crashes. "I take full responsibility for making sure it gets fixed ASAP."
5. July 14, 2009 – Economy in freefall. "I love the folks who helped get us in this mess and then suddenly say, 'Well, this is Obama's economy.' That's fine. Give it to me. ... I want the responsibility."
And now a sixth one on taking responsibility for the killing of the hostages during a drone strike. As you can see the words without actions of consequences are quite meaningless. I have no solutions, nor do I suggest any. I'm just pointing out here, that when the words are idly uttered, they mean nothing.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Soldiers on Sleds 2015 Ride
Captains Log: February 20, 2015
The morning was brisk, with temperatures hovering just around zero, the trailer was sitting in the yard and the aluminum sides were so cold that bare skin would crystallize to the touch. It was quite a task lining up the truck to hook up the tongue and gently lower it on the ball of the receiver hitch. But the more challenging task was yet to come......
As I pulled the trailer forward and place the loading ramp, I started the first of three snowmobiles to be loaded on for the week-end ride. It took some doing to glide the sled up the ramp and make sure it was secured, but solely I got the job done.
Leaving the driveway and heading on to the next spot to pick up sled number two from the shop. Had the carburetors cleaned and made sure everything was in tip top shape for the week-end ride. Sled number two was now loaded and time to pick up the last sled. Scotty from PBR resort was kind enough to donate this last one, and once it was loaded I'd be heading to meet up with former Army Captain Roger Klein, who was also volunteering his time and another sled, for our trip to Camp Shed Horn in Watersmeet Michigan for the week-ends festivities.
After arriving around noon we met our hosts, Neal and Renee of Northland Docks and the owners of Camp Shed Horn who were gracious enough to donate their camp for our use for the week-end. They are the proud parents of a young lady who is presently serving in the US Army in Germany. Neal showed us around and also provided us the use of his two personal snowmobiles for the week-end. A very, very generous couple.
It was around one or two in the afternoon when we heard a knock on the door and a young man entered and identified him self as PFC Kyle Crowley from Appleton WI. He was kind of shy at first, but as soon as we loosened him up he was very comfortable in our presence. He helped us two old men unload our sleds and he could not wait to suit up in his bibs and coat and take one of them into the adjacent fields. Kyle was an experienced snowmobiler and this was quickly demonstrated as we watched from the cabin window as he surfed the virgin fresh powder in the open land.
A short while later A father and son team arrived. It was Sergent First Class Richard Helm from Medford, WI and his son Specialist (SPC) Tim Helm. SFC Helm served tours in Afghanistan's Paktika Province at a camp in Shirhana, while his son Tim is in training to be a drone operator. Both these men were novice snowmobilers and Richard had stated he had not been sledding since the 80s. They were all thrilled when we presented them brand new snowmobile suits, compliments of FXR Racing, and their representative Mr. Trevor Watson.
Last to arrive were SPC Bradley Winger from Wausau, WI and SGT Dillon Lang also from Wausau. They too were experienced sledders and brought their own sleds, which were quickly unloaded and ready for the night ride to dinner at Lac View Desert Casino for the seafood buffet. It was interesting watching all the men go through their gift bags I put together, nothing too fancy, but all donated from various local businesses, and even the local dentist, Dr. Liesen, provided the dental hygiene package for their week-end adventure. But the most exciting for them was donning their new snowmobile attire.
We spent the next hour or so chit chatting and swapping stories and getting comfortable in our surroundings and with each other. In no time at all we were on our short ride (14 miles) to the Casino for dinner. Roger made sure each rider was familiar with their sleds, and went over a few hand signals and what to look out for when riding on the trails. Then we were off, and into the woods we went. At first the speed was a bit slow, but these men quickly adapted and were were now traveling at a respectable pace. Dinner was provided through a grant from Wisconsin Public Services Foundation.
After dinner some of the men hit the tables and Sgt Dillon came back a hundred dollars richer.
We left the casino and headed to the gas station to gas up. Gas was provided through donation from benefactors through the Soldiers on Sleds www.GOFUNDME.com account. SFC Tim Klein looked smart in his new suit.
Rounding up the troops (sic) we headed back into the woods for the night ride back to the cabin. The air was clear and the sky was filled with the Northern Hemispheres various stars and constellations. A leisurely ride through the woods. A few games of pool at the cabin and they were off to bed for the night, as the next morning would be their most challenging ride.......
The next morning the men were early to rise. Coffee was on but it was interesting that these men were not like Roger and I, in that they preferred water and shunned the coffee for more healthy beverages like water and juice. But they had no trouble downing the Ham off the Bone, potatoes O'Brien, and fresh eggs I cooked up for them. They said they were not used to eating such a large breakfast in the morning. But I knew what was in store for them with today's ride and they would certainly appreciate it later......
It was time to suit up and head on out, next stop......Stillwaters Restaurant and Bar.
The experienced riding Soldiers left ahead of us, and ventured out to Lake Gogobec, on trails around the lake, while Roger, SFC Richard Helm, and SPC Tim Helm fell into sled formation and we headed south to our destination. It was about a forty or fifty mile ride. We headed south and then west, stopping off at the Bear Bar in Boulder Junction for a rest, recap and soft drink. I told the men, that we do not drink and drive on the trails, that's left for the cabin. But before I could even utter those words, they had ordered soft drinks from the waitress. From there we headed South and West for the trip to Stillwaters.
The Boulder Junction trails were a little choppy, however, it seems that Boulder Junction gets a heavy amount of snowmobile traffic. After a quick stop at the local Shell station for more fuel, we headed out. Once we hit the Sayner Barnstormer trails things got a lot more smoother and it was easy sailing. When we arrive at Stillwaters, our hosts Chuck and Karen, Chuck and old Navy man like myself, had set up a special table for us, complete with flags and great service provided by our waitress Debby. It was kind of crowded with many, many snowmobilers. Curiosity set in as to who we were and once word spread, many, many folks came up to the table and thanked these young men for their service. The food was excellent, the service was excellent and one could not ask for anything more.
After lunch it was time for our next leg of the trip.....but one of the "experienced" riders ran out of gas in the parking lot. So Chuck from Stilwaters came to the rescue and provided us with a siphon hose, where they quickly transferred gas from my sled to theirs. We put some gas in the first sled, and then the second one pulled up and we put some gas in that one too. I remarked "What am I, the Mother Ship?" to which everyone laughed. From there we headed onto Star Lake and then onto Plum Lake. Roger was quite the guide, and we ventured out from there to the Cisco Chain of lakes, were we were fortunate enough to come across a small herd of deer crossing the ice. As soon and they saw us, they high tailed it to shore and higher ground. When we crossed the last lake in the chain there were two more deer on the ice, but they just stood by and watched us as we passed. With a quick stop at Bents Camp to warm up a bit, and get some water and soda, we were off to head back to the camp for the night. We parked the sleds, entered the cabin and put another log into the wood stove in the main bunk room. The cabin was quickly heated up as the men removed their new clothing for the evening. I could tell they were beat, when we changed our dinner plans and decided to drive a short distance to Roger's Bar and Grill for sandwiches and pizza. The temperature was now dropping, -5, and then -10. The folks at the Bar were most gracious and helpful, and the food was good too, Pizza, burgers, and chilli, all what we needed to conclude the hard day of riding. When we got back to the cabin, a couple of the men took advantage of the available sauna, and soaked their weary bones in the dry heat. While out in the sauna, which was a separate building, the men could hear wolves howling off in the distance. When they returned and related the soundings, it wasn't too long before two of the younger guys could be heard on the front porch howling in the frigid cold air to see if they could get the wolves to respond. But it was late. and time to hit the hay as it was about 11:00 PM now.
The next morning, Sunday, there wasn't a peep to be heard as I arose at about seven. There was a slight snow covering the sleds, and the temperatures were at -17. Way too cold for the novice and avid sledder to venture out in.
So we spent some time looking out the window at the deer feeding on the hay that Neal had put out for them. You could tell by their winter coats they were cold and hungry.
Meanwhile I made breakfast for all, with buttermilk pan cakes and the rest of the ham. They ate hardily and decided not to venture out, as it was too cold. I told the men that the groomer had gone by numerous times during the night and prior to loading the sleds on the trailers they might want to take advantage with a quick ride, but I got no takers. So it was time to pack up, tidy up, and shut down the camp for the next party to come aboard on Wednesday, a party of twelve. This camp is an unknown secret that has now been exposed with some of the men already making plans for a trip there of their own in the future. So we took one last final photo op of the group.
Packing up:
Ready to leave:
'Till next year...........Soldiers on Sleds 2016!
The morning was brisk, with temperatures hovering just around zero, the trailer was sitting in the yard and the aluminum sides were so cold that bare skin would crystallize to the touch. It was quite a task lining up the truck to hook up the tongue and gently lower it on the ball of the receiver hitch. But the more challenging task was yet to come......
As I pulled the trailer forward and place the loading ramp, I started the first of three snowmobiles to be loaded on for the week-end ride. It took some doing to glide the sled up the ramp and make sure it was secured, but solely I got the job done.
Leaving the driveway and heading on to the next spot to pick up sled number two from the shop. Had the carburetors cleaned and made sure everything was in tip top shape for the week-end ride. Sled number two was now loaded and time to pick up the last sled. Scotty from PBR resort was kind enough to donate this last one, and once it was loaded I'd be heading to meet up with former Army Captain Roger Klein, who was also volunteering his time and another sled, for our trip to Camp Shed Horn in Watersmeet Michigan for the week-ends festivities.
After arriving around noon we met our hosts, Neal and Renee of Northland Docks and the owners of Camp Shed Horn who were gracious enough to donate their camp for our use for the week-end. They are the proud parents of a young lady who is presently serving in the US Army in Germany. Neal showed us around and also provided us the use of his two personal snowmobiles for the week-end. A very, very generous couple.
It was around one or two in the afternoon when we heard a knock on the door and a young man entered and identified him self as PFC Kyle Crowley from Appleton WI. He was kind of shy at first, but as soon as we loosened him up he was very comfortable in our presence. He helped us two old men unload our sleds and he could not wait to suit up in his bibs and coat and take one of them into the adjacent fields. Kyle was an experienced snowmobiler and this was quickly demonstrated as we watched from the cabin window as he surfed the virgin fresh powder in the open land.
A short while later A father and son team arrived. It was Sergent First Class Richard Helm from Medford, WI and his son Specialist (SPC) Tim Helm. SFC Helm served tours in Afghanistan's Paktika Province at a camp in Shirhana, while his son Tim is in training to be a drone operator. Both these men were novice snowmobilers and Richard had stated he had not been sledding since the 80s. They were all thrilled when we presented them brand new snowmobile suits, compliments of FXR Racing, and their representative Mr. Trevor Watson.
Last to arrive were SPC Bradley Winger from Wausau, WI and SGT Dillon Lang also from Wausau. They too were experienced sledders and brought their own sleds, which were quickly unloaded and ready for the night ride to dinner at Lac View Desert Casino for the seafood buffet. It was interesting watching all the men go through their gift bags I put together, nothing too fancy, but all donated from various local businesses, and even the local dentist, Dr. Liesen, provided the dental hygiene package for their week-end adventure. But the most exciting for them was donning their new snowmobile attire.
We spent the next hour or so chit chatting and swapping stories and getting comfortable in our surroundings and with each other. In no time at all we were on our short ride (14 miles) to the Casino for dinner. Roger made sure each rider was familiar with their sleds, and went over a few hand signals and what to look out for when riding on the trails. Then we were off, and into the woods we went. At first the speed was a bit slow, but these men quickly adapted and were were now traveling at a respectable pace. Dinner was provided through a grant from Wisconsin Public Services Foundation.
We left the casino and headed to the gas station to gas up. Gas was provided through donation from benefactors through the Soldiers on Sleds www.GOFUNDME.com account. SFC Tim Klein looked smart in his new suit.
Rounding up the troops (sic) we headed back into the woods for the night ride back to the cabin. The air was clear and the sky was filled with the Northern Hemispheres various stars and constellations. A leisurely ride through the woods. A few games of pool at the cabin and they were off to bed for the night, as the next morning would be their most challenging ride.......
The next morning the men were early to rise. Coffee was on but it was interesting that these men were not like Roger and I, in that they preferred water and shunned the coffee for more healthy beverages like water and juice. But they had no trouble downing the Ham off the Bone, potatoes O'Brien, and fresh eggs I cooked up for them. They said they were not used to eating such a large breakfast in the morning. But I knew what was in store for them with today's ride and they would certainly appreciate it later......
It was time to suit up and head on out, next stop......Stillwaters Restaurant and Bar.
The experienced riding Soldiers left ahead of us, and ventured out to Lake Gogobec, on trails around the lake, while Roger, SFC Richard Helm, and SPC Tim Helm fell into sled formation and we headed south to our destination. It was about a forty or fifty mile ride. We headed south and then west, stopping off at the Bear Bar in Boulder Junction for a rest, recap and soft drink. I told the men, that we do not drink and drive on the trails, that's left for the cabin. But before I could even utter those words, they had ordered soft drinks from the waitress. From there we headed South and West for the trip to Stillwaters.
The Boulder Junction trails were a little choppy, however, it seems that Boulder Junction gets a heavy amount of snowmobile traffic. After a quick stop at the local Shell station for more fuel, we headed out. Once we hit the Sayner Barnstormer trails things got a lot more smoother and it was easy sailing. When we arrive at Stillwaters, our hosts Chuck and Karen, Chuck and old Navy man like myself, had set up a special table for us, complete with flags and great service provided by our waitress Debby. It was kind of crowded with many, many snowmobilers. Curiosity set in as to who we were and once word spread, many, many folks came up to the table and thanked these young men for their service. The food was excellent, the service was excellent and one could not ask for anything more.
After lunch it was time for our next leg of the trip.....but one of the "experienced" riders ran out of gas in the parking lot. So Chuck from Stilwaters came to the rescue and provided us with a siphon hose, where they quickly transferred gas from my sled to theirs. We put some gas in the first sled, and then the second one pulled up and we put some gas in that one too. I remarked "What am I, the Mother Ship?" to which everyone laughed. From there we headed onto Star Lake and then onto Plum Lake. Roger was quite the guide, and we ventured out from there to the Cisco Chain of lakes, were we were fortunate enough to come across a small herd of deer crossing the ice. As soon and they saw us, they high tailed it to shore and higher ground. When we crossed the last lake in the chain there were two more deer on the ice, but they just stood by and watched us as we passed. With a quick stop at Bents Camp to warm up a bit, and get some water and soda, we were off to head back to the camp for the night. We parked the sleds, entered the cabin and put another log into the wood stove in the main bunk room. The cabin was quickly heated up as the men removed their new clothing for the evening. I could tell they were beat, when we changed our dinner plans and decided to drive a short distance to Roger's Bar and Grill for sandwiches and pizza. The temperature was now dropping, -5, and then -10. The folks at the Bar were most gracious and helpful, and the food was good too, Pizza, burgers, and chilli, all what we needed to conclude the hard day of riding. When we got back to the cabin, a couple of the men took advantage of the available sauna, and soaked their weary bones in the dry heat. While out in the sauna, which was a separate building, the men could hear wolves howling off in the distance. When they returned and related the soundings, it wasn't too long before two of the younger guys could be heard on the front porch howling in the frigid cold air to see if they could get the wolves to respond. But it was late. and time to hit the hay as it was about 11:00 PM now.
The next morning, Sunday, there wasn't a peep to be heard as I arose at about seven. There was a slight snow covering the sleds, and the temperatures were at -17. Way too cold for the novice and avid sledder to venture out in.
So we spent some time looking out the window at the deer feeding on the hay that Neal had put out for them. You could tell by their winter coats they were cold and hungry.
Meanwhile I made breakfast for all, with buttermilk pan cakes and the rest of the ham. They ate hardily and decided not to venture out, as it was too cold. I told the men that the groomer had gone by numerous times during the night and prior to loading the sleds on the trailers they might want to take advantage with a quick ride, but I got no takers. So it was time to pack up, tidy up, and shut down the camp for the next party to come aboard on Wednesday, a party of twelve. This camp is an unknown secret that has now been exposed with some of the men already making plans for a trip there of their own in the future. So we took one last final photo op of the group.
Packing up:
Ready to leave:
'Till next year...........Soldiers on Sleds 2016!
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