My, How Time Flies

 

Exactly 35 years ago today, January 17th, 1991, I was at Dhahran Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where I had been since August 8th, 1990 in support of Operation DESERT SHIELD.  It was 0100 hours or so (that's 1AM for you civilians) and I was posted as CM-3, the mobile patrol for the part of the flightline that included the parking area for the Kuwaiti aircraft that had been evacuated out of the country when the Iraqis invaded Kuwait the previous August.  One of the things about the fighters from my base (Langley AFB, Va) was that they ran flight operations 24/7, so it wasn't unusual to see jets taking off and landing at all hours of the day and night.  They always flew in groups of 4, but they always took off in pairs.  So it wasn't unusual for me to see several pairs of aircraft taking off at 0100 hours.

Then it suddenly dawned on me that I had been hearing aircraft taking off non-stop for the past fifteen minutes, and that was unusual. I parked my vehicle and sat on the ramp, watching pair after pair of F-15s take off one after the other.  I sat and watched for a good half an hour, and when the final pair of F-15s had left it was strangely quiet.  I had just watched both squadrons of F-15s leave the base, all headed northeast - towards Iraq.

"We just went to war," I said out loud to myself.  (My partner was doing chow relief for one of the listening posts so I was alone for the moment.)  

Two hours later the news was reporting that Baghdad was being bombed.  Operation DESERT SHIELD had just turned into Operation DESERT STORM, and the Gulf War had begun.

Things got kind of frantic after that.  The game we had been playing since August had just gotten very serious, and things suddenly became very real again - just as they had been for the first month or so that we were there.  For the first month or so everyone was very serious, very cautious, and very alert, but the longer we went without any hostile action taking place the more complacent everyone got.  Pretty soon Dhahran had become what we called "Langley East," with it just being business as usual - except that we were in Saudi Arabia.

Now all that changed.  We broke out the helmets, flak vests, and gas masks, and the orders came down to wear them at all times both on and off duty.  Everybody suddenly got serious again, and the change in attitude was so intense that you could almost hear it when it changed.  I spent the next 4 hours or so going from post to post, trying to explain what was going on to everyone and trying to calm the younger airmen down.  The Reservists that we had received the week before were having conniption fits, with one of them - a female - going so far off her rocker that we had to relieve her of duty and send her to the medics.  She was found mentally unfit for duty and was shipped back to the States the next day.

We were at war, and we all knew that it was only a matter of time before it came our way.

24 hours later Iraq launched the first of 27 SCUD missile attacks, and for us the war was truly underway. 

None of us would ever be the same again.

Deo Vindice

IHC

 

  

Much Ado About Nothing

 

 

I have a serious disdain for network television because I hate commercials - I have for a long time now - so if there's a show coming on TV that I want to see, I'll wait for it to hit the streaming services before I'll watch it.  This means that I normally don't see the show while it's in its prime, but will watch it later after all the clamor has died down.

Such is the case with "Mad Men."  I'd heard a lot about this series and put it on my list of shows to watch, and two weeks ago I started watching it on HBO+.  I finished the series two days ago, and to say that I'm very disappointed would be an understatement.  There were lots of good and bad things about the series, so I'll start off with the good stuff.

Christina Hendricks.  Hands down THE BEST reason to watch the show.  Not only is she an excellent actress, but she's drop-dead gorgeous as well.  If you have a thing for well endowed women and redheads as I do, then you're gonna love seeing her in this show.  She played her character perfectly, a smooth, sophisticated, smart as a whip woman who was able to hold her own against any man, a rare thing in the '60s.  I was VERY disappointed when the writers had her compromise her values and sleep with a prospective customer to get his business; I don't think her character would have done that considering how smart and independent she was, but the writers had her do it anyway.  It took away from her character just a bit, but I guess it made her human at the same time.  

Robert Morse was a gem in this show as Bertram Cooper, one of the founders of the ad agency.  Quirky to be sure - you had to take your shoes off when you entered his office - but smart as a whip as well.  He was the wise elder in the show, and one of the rare few that didn't jump into bed with anyone who passed by.  (More on that in a few.)

I think the thing I liked about the show the most was its historical accuracy (something that it was praised for) and the way they included the events of the '60s into the show's plotline.  If it was important and happened in the '60s, it was in the show - the Playboy Clubs, the 1960 elections, JFK's assassination, MLK's assassination, RFK's assassination, Kent State, the Vietnam War, the Apollo 11 moon landing - it was all there, and was very well blended into the show.

I was also impressed with the mannerisms, fashions, cars, and furniture used in the show.  You could trace the progress of the '60s by the character's clothing, cars, and furniture.  They even used a silver aluminum Christmas tree in one of the episodes, something that I remember from my childhood when my father bought one of those silver monstrosities.  This show was truly a glimpse into a time capsule of the '60s, and in that aspect it was very well done.

The one thing that really stood out about the show was that everybody smoked.  And I mean EVERYBODY.  And they smoked everywhere - at work, in the office, in restaurants, in airplanes, on trains, everywhere.  And I remember that very clearly from when I was growing up.  I remember the stink of cigarettes wafting through the air whenever someone lit up in a restaurant or, worse yet, in an airplane.  The first time I walked into the Personnel Office at my first base I walked into a large room filled with both desks and a blue haze of cigarette smoke.  There was an ashtray with a cigarette burning in it on almost every desk, so this part of the '60s was accurately portrayed.

Now for the bad stuff.

If the men truly treated women in the workplace in real life as they did in the show - and I'm sure they did or they wouldn't have shown it - then it's no wonder that the women eventually rose up and demanded better treatment.  The men were shallow, condescending, and arrogant, expecting every woman in the workplace to fall on her back and spread her legs at his command.  Either that or they were expected to be "step and fetch it" employees, maids in dressy clothing to service their every whim.  I'm very glad to say that we've come a very long way since then!

Most of the characters had the morals of an alley cat, especially the men.  The main character, Don Draper, went after anything in a skirt despite the fact that he was married - twice.  ALL of the men (with the exception of Bertram Cooper) had various and assorted flings with several women, while all of them were married.  Again, I'm sure this was the way it was back then, although I hope it wasn't as prevalent as the show depicted. In any event, this continual cheating on wives and running around got to be boring after a while and took away from the show.

The ending sucked, especially with the way the main character, Don Draper, ended up.  The ad agency they were all working for got swallowed up by their competitor, with only two of the main characters staying with the company.  The rest left (or died) either before the merger or shortly after.  There was one character that I found especially obnoxious in that he was egotistical, self-centered, rude, insulting, and a total ungrateful asshole. I spent the entire series waiting for him to get what he deserved, but that moment never came.  He ended up being offered a better job with a better company for much higher pay, a private jet, a personal car, and his wife got back with him after she left him because he cheated on her (surprise, surprise).  Christina Hendrick's character left the agency and started her own production company, which I was glad to see.  

But the biggest disappointment was what happened to the main character, Don Draper.  He was a millionaire, a free spirit who quit the agency after the merger because they treated him like crap, demoting him from a senior partner to a copy manager.  He was just divorced for the second time (another big surprise) and had the chance to do anything he wanted with his life, so what did he do?  He spent 9 months roaming around the country, ending up in California where he - hang on to your hats - joined a commune.  The show ended with him sitting on the ground in the classic 'lotus' meditation position, the ocean in the background, humming while some hippie led them all in a meditative chant, a stupid smile on his face.

I mean, c'mon, really?  You have this handsome millionaire who can charm the panties off of a nun and is as smart as a whip, has no ties to anyone or anything and can come and go as he pleases, and he ends up in a freakin' commune?  Nope, I ain't buying it.  I would rather have seen him get killed off than end up like this.

Was the series worth the watch?  Yes, if nothing else for the accurate depiction of a decade that I was a very small child in and didn't realize what was going on in the adult world.  It also gave you a very detailed and educational look into the world of advertising, something I found very interesting.

And Christina Hendricks.  Yowza!

Would I watch it again?  Not unless you strapped me to a chair.

So last night I started watching "Suits," another show I'd heard a lot about.  I just hope this one turns out better than "Mad Men."  (Yeah, I know one of the main characters gets caught and goes to prison.)

We'll see.

Deo Vindice

IHC

  

I Stand With ICE

 

With today being National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, I figured this would be a good topic for today's post.

IMHO - and that's what this blog mostly is, my opinion - the members of ICE are some of the bravest people in the country.  They've been given a bad rap by the liberal media, and the libtards on the far left are doing everything they can to not only prevent them from doing their jobs of making the country safer by getting rid of the criminal illegal immigrants in this country, but to get them killed as well.  

I find it totally disgusting that there are people out there who really want to reveal the ICE agent's names and addresses so the drug cartels can find them and kill them and their entire families.   These are the same assholes who preach "tolerance and acceptance" with one breath and in the next breath are screaming in your face what a fascist you are because you disagree with them.  They're trying everything they can to protect the criminal illegal immigrants in this country, including trying to kill the ICE agents themselves.

And that's not working out quite the way they had planned.  Just ask Renee Good about that - or ask her family, rather, since her dumb ass is now dead because she tried to kill an ICE agent by running over him with her SUV.

So in case you haven't been paying attention, the cops around the country in general and the ICE agents in particular are getting reeeeeeeealy tired of the stupid games the libtards are playing, and they're starting to fight back - or shoot back, rather.  While the liberal media would have you believe that this is nothing more than some individual "protesters" exercising their First Amendment rights, the truth of the matter is that this is an organized, coordinated plan being carried out by various subversive liberal left groups.  Renee Good was a member of one of these groups, and had spent the few days before her death following the ICE agents around and getting in their way as much as possible.  But of course the liberal news media won't tell you that because it doesn't fit their "innocent protester" narrative.

Make no mistake about it, ICE is doing the job they are supposed to be doing, and they're going to continue doing it as long as Trump is President.  And I'm behind them and all Law Enforcement 100%.  Every single illegal immigrant in this country needs to be deported, starting with the criminal elements first.  After that, then start rounding up the rest of them and get all 12 MILLION of them out of this country.  We don't need them and we don't want them, so get them O-U-T.

And if you try to kill the ICE agents for doing their job, then you deserve to get shot.

Deo Vindice

IHC 

 

 

A Great Start to the New Year

 

I'm very happy to report that my New Year has gotten off to a great start, all thanks to the members of VFW Post #8738 in Lexington, SC.

I joined the VFW when I returned from the Gulf War in '91 thanks to the generosity of the Senior Class of Cary High School in Cary, NC.  The school had an "Adopt A GI" program going on during the war, and while I didn't live in Cary my parents did, and they submitted my name to the school for the program.  I got cards and letters from the students on a regular basis while I was over there, and when I returned the school held a big "Welcome Home" celebration for the 23 or so GIs that they had adopted.  During the ceremony they presented all of us with a VFW membership, which I thought was pretty cool.  I transferred to Post #3219 in Phoebus, Virginia which was the closest post to my base at Langley AFB, and went to the meetings on a regular basis.  When I retired from the AF and moved to NJ I kept my membership since I was a Life Member, but never transferred to any post up there, nor did I transfer my membership when me and my wife moved to SC in 2006.

In the fall of 2021 I was talking with a former trainee of mine from Basic Training who also happened to be the Assistant Director of Membership for the VFW in Kansas City, Kansas and whom had contacted me on Facebook a few years ago when I mentioned that I was thinking about transferring my membership to the post in Lexington and becoming active.  He immediately emailed the required forms to me and contacted the Post Commander to let him know I was coming.  I went to my first meeting of the Post in October of 2021 and introduced myself, telling everyone that I wanted to become active in the Post but was unable to do so until 2023.  The reason for this was that I was the Senior Warden of a Masonic Lodge and was going to be the Worshipful Master in 2022, and since the Post and the Lodge met on the same night I wasn't going to be able to attend the VFW meetings until 2023 when my year as Master of the Lodge was over.  

But fate had other plans.  In the annual lodge elections of 2022 I was elected Secretary of the Lodge, which meant that I had to continue attending meetings and would not be able to attend the VFW.  I served as Secretary from December 2022 until April 2025, but I didn't attend the VFW meetings right away as I still had a bad taste - a VERY bad taste - in my mouth from the way the so-called "brothers" of the lodge had treated me.   It wasn't until last month that I finally felt like I was ready to get involved in a group again, so this past Tuesday I went to the monthly VFW post meeting.

I was very pleasantly surprised when the members of the Post, led by the Post Commander, the Senior Vice Commander, and the Post Surgeon welcomed me with open arms.  Every member of the Post that was there made sure to come over and talk to me, welcoming me to the Post and doing everything they could to make me feel right at home.

And they did just that.  I felt more at home and more welcomed in the VFW post than I had ever felt in any Masonic lodge that I visited in my 11 years in the fraternity.  Everyone there was a war veteran so we all had something in common, the same thing that enabled us to be a member of the VFW to begin with.  There were members there from every conflict the US has been involved in since Korea, and to listen to some of their stories of service was nothing short of awe inspiring.  The Post Surgeon and I were both Air Force Security Police, so we hit it off right away.  (The next time I see you in the canteen, Al, I owe you a beer!)

I'd been there for about half an hour when I sent my wife a text that simply said this:  "I think I've found myself a home!"

I came away from the meeting with a renewed sense of brotherhood and belonging, something that I had been missing since last April, and I'm hoping that becoming involved with the VFW will restore my faith in organizations in general and people in particular.

And so far it's looking pretty good!  Thank you, Comrades! 

Deo Vindice

IHC

 

  

A New Year, A New Start

 

The thing I love about the New Year is that it's just that - a new year and a chance to start over.  It's a chance to sit back and look at the previous twelve months, sorting out the good times and the bad ones, and make up a plan from the lessons you've learned.

And God knows I learned a lot in 2025, as I'm sure we all did.  But the one important lesson I learned out of everything that happened to me in 2025 was that I learned who my true friends and brothers are, and who aren't.  Unfortunately, as it turns out I put my faith and trust into a group of people who proved to me this past year that I made a mistake, that they weren't the friends and brothers I thought they were, and that I could neither trust nor count on them as I thought I could.  So as a result I'm a lot less trusting than I was, and my circle of friends is smaller now that it has ever been.  And I intend to keep it that way.

All of this came about because of one person, one sad, spiteful little man who thought that he was ruining my life by exacting his revenge on me for a perceived wrong from three years ago through the Masonic lodge.  But the truth of the matter is that all he did was open my eyes to the truth, that truth being that the men who I thought I could trust and who I thought were my friends and brothers were anything but.  Instead of being surrounded by friends and brothers, I was surrounded by hypocrites and liars.  And anyone who knows me knows that I abhor both hypocrites and liars.

So I am no longer a part of that group, and have no desire to return to it.  And instead of being mad at the sad little man who started all this, I'm thankful.  I'm thankful that he opened my eyes to the truth and the circle of liars and hypocrites with whom I had surrounded myself.  Because of his actions there is no more drama in my life, no more worrying about who's going to like what I do or the decisions I made, and no more people giving me crap just because they're envious of me and my dedication to the things I'm involved in.  

If you're a part of my life now, you should know two things:  First, that you're in my life because you've proven to me that you're trustworthy and deserving of my friendship; and second, that I appreciate you and your friendship very much and am happy that you're in my very small circle of friends.

If all of this sounds conceited and vain, the truth is that I don't care.  I don't care what other people think of me and my opinions anymore.  You either accept me as I am or you don't.  If you do, great!  Let's go get a beer and have some fun!  If not, just leave me alone and go about your business.  I'm done chasing people to be my friend.  I reached out to several people who I thought were my closest friends, and all but one of them ignored me.  Okay, message received.  But there have also been some people who have reached out to me, and for that I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  That means more to me than you'll ever know.  

All in all, I'm looking forward to 2026.  I'm going to make it one of my best years ever, and I'm not going to let anything - or anyone - stand in my way.  The past is in the past, and I'm not going to let the events of last year dictate what happens this year.  To quote the immortal Jimmy Buffett in his song "Changes In Lattitude, Changes In Attitudes:" 

"Yesterday's over my shoulder and I can't look back there too long; there's too much to see waiting in front of me, and I know that I just can't go wrong."

Happy New Year!

Deo Vindice

IHC