My Grandad was a Black Devil

1st Lt. William P. Caskey (my grandad)

And he wasn't any ol' devil, either. He was an officer. Specifically, he was actually a 1st Lieutenant, Hq Company, in the Devil's Brigade, which was essentially the first special forces unit created. See those crossed arrows on his lapels? That the insignia of special forces, before there was even the existence of special forces as an independent branch.

The Augusta Chronicle has a story about my grandad, who lived in Augusta after WWII. The piece came out because Congress just recognized the unit with a Congressional Gold Medal.

They were trained during the winter months at Fort William Henry Harrison in Montana in hand-to-hand combat, mountain climbing, ski training, demolition and skydiving, but the Norway mission was canceled before they finished.

“They had this idea they were primitive fighters,” Caskey said.

The team was eventually sent to liberate Rome and invade southern France.

Caskey said his father did some fighting. One of the force’s most famous missions was made into a movie called Devil’s Brigade, a nickname the German opposition gave the force for the baggy parachute pants and black shoe polish they wore under their eyes for their nighttime hit-and-run missions. The group’s logo featured a black devil holding an arrowhead shield and clinching a dagger in his mouth.

In February 1944, the force was the first to land in Anzio, Italy, and surprise a German unit.

“My dad’s brigade quickly jumped off the beachhead and ran several miles into the hills to hold the high ground, but was soon told to retreat because they were overstretching the Army’s limits,” Caskey said.

The Germans reoccupied high land and pinned the force for 99 days without relief.

“My dad said it was one of the worst times of the war because he sat on the beach for two weeks in a hole, unable to move for fear of being shot,” Caskey said.

I knew my gradad fought in WWII, but beyond generally fighting at Anzio with the Army, I didn't know much of anything about what he did or what unit he was in.

Weekend Plans? I'll Be Crusading

Like most of y'all, my weekend plans involve some backyard grilling, a little work around the house, oh, and probably some crusades.

Enjoy the crusades, y'all. It is the weekend, after all.

Our National Strife

I have just made it through Vol. I of Shelby Foote's Civil War - A Narrative, and it's absolutely captivating. Foote is a remarkable storyteller. I've always enjoyed history because, to me, good history just reads like a story, and most of the time the truth is more dramatic than fiction. Towards the end of the first volume (which is just about the winter of 1862), a passage struck me. 

Foote recounts a speech that Lincoln delivers to Congress in 1862, just as it had become clear to him (and others) that the Civil War was not going to be easily or quickly won.

Our national strife springs not from our permanent part, not from the land we inhabit, not from our national homestead. Our strife pertains to ourselves, to the passing generations of men, and it can without convulsion, be hushed forever with the passing of one generation.

                                                                                -Lincoln's Second Annual Address

To me, the idea that our national problems can be solved with a new generation  has an optimistic sound. Essentially, we may have troubles now, but the future generations of Americans can solve them simply by coming into existence. I guess it's a faith in the moral arc of the universe. The flip side to that coin is that it only takes one generation to lose what we presently have.

I guess the both are true. Anyway, it seemed particularly relevant to all of the national strife that we seem to have today.

The Northeast US has lost 40% of its members from the US House of Representatives since 1950

In 1950, the Northeast (from Pennsylvania to Maine) had 141 seats in the House of Representatives. Now, the same region of the country only has 85 seats.

That's quite a loss of power. When you think of how politically powerful the Northeast has been over the history of our country, it's quite astounding to see the shift. You can blame tax rates, weather, culture, or other factors, but whatever the reason, it's clear that fewer people than ever before are living in the Northeast, relative to the rest of the country.

As a South Carolinian, I say that's fine with me.

I like to tell people who move to South Carolina from other places: It's ok if you weren't born a Southerner, as long as you got here as fast as you could.

Speaking to General Jackson

Had a great time in Nashville over the weekend. At some point, I'll get around to doing a post on all the good food I had. Until then, I can sum it up as follows: Hot Chicken is awesome.

Also, President Andrew Jackson's home (the Hermitage) is located in Nashville. It reminds me of one of my favorite jokes/stories about Andrew Jackson:

A young boy, hearing that Andrew Jackson was coming to town, told his friends that he was going to see the General, and, moreover, was going to talk to him. Off he went, even though the jeers of his friends were ringing in his ears.

When they saw each other the next day, the friends taunted him, "Well, did you talk to General Jackson?"

"I sure did," the boy replied. "In fact, he spoke to me."

"What did he say?" the kids asked.

Proudly, the boy puffed out his chest. "He told me to get the hell out of the way!"

Happy Tuesday.

Is The US Military Insulting Native Americans?

If you're easily offended (or stupid) you'll probably be upset to learn the name of this helicopter.

Seriously, you guys. Not from the Onion.

Identifying our powerful weapons and victorious campaigns with those we subjugated serves to lighten the burden of our guilt. It confuses violation with a fair fight.

It is worse than denial; it is propaganda. The message carried by the word Apache emblazoned on one of history’s great fighting machines is that the Americans overcame an opponent so powerful and true that we are proud to adopt its name. They tested our mettle, and we proved stronger, so don’t mess with us. In whatever measure it is tribute to the dead, it is in greater measure a boost to our national sense of superiority. And this message of superiority is shared not just with U.S. citizens but with those of the 14 nations whose governments buy the Apache helicopters we sell. It is shared, too, with those who hear the whir of an Apache overhead or find its guns trained on them. Noam Chomsky has clarified the moral stakes in provocative, instructive terms: “We might react differently if the Luftwaffe were to call its fighter planes ‘Jew’ and ‘Gypsy.’ ”

So let me get this straight: Even though no one is offended by the "Apache" helicopter, it's still offensive? Is this like the tree falling in the woods thing?

What's more, I always thought these names were compliments to tribes that have been traditionally recognized for their military prowess. Every time I think that I haven't seen the stupidest politically correct idea, you crazy kids out there in "I'm Offended Land" always manage to outdo yourselves.

It's going to be hard to top the weapons-grade-stupid that Mr. Simon Waxman has unleashed with this piece.

D-Day: Seventy Years Ago

Seventy Years Ago.

Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!

You are about to embark upon a great crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers in arms on other fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.

Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle hardened, he will fight savagely.

But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man to man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our home fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to victory!

I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory!

Good Luck! And let us all beseech the blessings of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.

-- Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower

Why New York Taxis Are (Almost) Always Yellow

Amazing. I've never actually stopped to think about it. I bet the British probably scoff at our gaudy yellow taxis since they have those traditional black looking ones.

via Maggie's Farm

Name That Gun!

Here's a rifle that I've been thinking about adding to my collection. My next piece is going to be a historical rifle, and this rifle is one of the finalists.

Can anyone name it? Here's your hint: In the Civil War, it was referred to by the Rebels as "that damned Yankee rifle that they load on Sunday and shoot all week". Give up? The answer is below the jump.

What Was Your First Tweet? Here's Mine

I joined Twitter in March of 2011, and since then I've generated 7,143 Tweets. To celebrate it's 8th birthday, Twitter has now com up with a site that allows you to see your very first Tweet. It's called First Tweet.

In the three years that I've been on Twitter, it has really grown on me. I love the fact that it's whatever you make of it. I honestly couldn't remember my first tweet, but here it is:

I think it holds up to the test of time quite well. A solid cheer for my favorite college team.

And the best part is that you aren't limited to finding just your own first tweet. You can type in anyone's username and find their first tweet. It's a neat little way to show you that the internet is forever.

What was your first tweet?

SCSSAR Celebrates George Washington's Birthday at Statehouse

Our Chapter VP John McCabe (center) and Chapter President Haskell Kibler (right) at the Statehouse.

Today, the South Carolina Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (SCSSAR) commemorated George Washington's birthday at the Statehouse. The event was originally scheduled to be on the front steps (by the statute of George Washington) but the inclement weather forced us inside.

We were lucky enough to have JoAnn Zeise, the curator of History for the State Museum, deliver some remarks. Saturday is George Washington's actual birthday, so wherever, you are, raise a glass to our first President.

Remember that it is the actions, and not the commission, that make the officer, and that there is more expected from him, than the title.
Read more at http://www.notable-quotes.com/w/washington_george.html#VQyyM4yrB4gsfU

Remember that it is the actions, and not the commission, that make the officer, and that there is more expected from him, than the title.
Read more at http://www.notable-quotes.com/w/washington_george.html#VQyyM4yrB4gsfUoS.9

Remember that it is the actions, and not the commission, that make the officer, and that there is more expected from him, than the title.
Read more at http://www.notable-quotes.com/w/washington_george.html#VQyyM4yrB4gsfUoS.99

Remember that it is the actions, and not the commission, that make the officer, and that there is more expected from him, than the title.
Read more at http://www.notable-quotes.com/w/washington_george.html#VQyyM4yrB4gsfUoS.99

Remember that it is the actions, and not the commission, that make the officer, and that there is more expected from him, than the title.
Read more at http://www.notable-quotes.com/w/washington_george.html#VQyyM4yrB4gsfUoS.99

A Century of Meat in the USA [chart]

Happy Monday.

Here's an interesting chart about the US consumption of meat over the last hundred years.

You can see the larger version here.

Two interesting things jump out at me. First, pork is really volatile, while fish and shellfish is really stable. I'm not sure what drives that. Also, the big winner over the last hundred years is chicken.

What are you eating?

The Strange Development Story of the Original Ford Mustang

There's a really interesting back-story on the development of one of America's most iconic sports cars. We all know the original mustang. Seeing the prototypes and variations in the development stage is like looking at an alternate universe.

For instance, I never gave a serious thought to which direction the emblem faces. Can you see it right now in your mind's eye? Which way does the galloping horse face?

It faces left, like this:

That looks normal, right? Apparently, the horse was made to gallop to the left because it's "going West" like America did. Whatever, right? However, I'm so used to it that looking at it the other way is strangely disturbing:

That top picture just looks wrong, doesn't it? I'm now trying to figure out why that the left-facing horse looks normal, since we Westerners read everything left to right. All I know is that right facing horse really creeps me out. Anyone else feel like that?

If you think that's weird, check out the article to see how really weird the Mustang might have been with other variations.

What Books Should You Be Reading?

Happy Monday, y'all.

I was looking at my bookshelves this weekend and trying to decide how to best organize them. My house doesn't really have a great amount of bookshelves relative to the amount of books I've accumulated, so space is at a premium.

I'm pretty heavy into non-fiction, while Mrs. Permanent Press enjoys novels. You can pretty much go through our bookshelves with that in mind and figure out which books belong to whom. On Sunday, she and I were discussing which books that should be read in order to be a well-informed citizen to participate in our little constitutional republic as a reasonably informed person. We tried to come up with a top 5 list.

Obviously, there's the Constitution. That's kind of a gimme, like naming The Beatles in a list of top five bands. Barry from High-Fidelity wouldn't like it.

After some thought, here's what I came up with:

Top 5 Books You Should Read to be an Informed American

1. Democracy in America
2. The Federalist Papers
3. Capitalism and Freedom
4.  The Guns of August
5. American Rifle

Democracy in America made the list as it is an outsider's view of America shortly after the revolution. The Federalist Papers made the list because they are probably the best "companion" to the Constitution that you could have. On economic matters, I wanted to include a work from Milton Friedman, hence Capitalism and Freedom. I liked it, but your mileage may vary. The Guns of August is in the list as a cautionary tale of how countries plunge into war. I thought about including a book on the Civil War and/or WWII, but I wanted to stick with my limit of five. Finally, I put American Rifle in on the list because the development of the rifle through our history had a profound impact on our country. Again, your mileage may vary.

Anyway, it's impossible to come up with a perfect list if you're held to only five books, but it's fun to try. Anybody think they can come up with a better list?

How the Gin and Tonic Shaped History

A brief history of the gin and tonic.

History of the World in One Chart

Happy Monday.

Not much going on today, so here's the history of the world in one chart. The only thing missing is that the SEC should have a little indication of power starting around 2006.

How the Civil War Changed Our Lives

Not the obvious stuff you would expect.

Top News 5-3-13

Not too much out there today, but here's what I've got for you, campers:

1. This Day in History. On this day in 1937 Margaret Mitchell won the Pulitzer Prize for Gone With The Wind. Back in1937 the Pulitzer and the Academy Awards weren't as caught up with whether something was politically correct.
2.  Coldest Spring Evah? I bet you won't hear that on the news, since this is an inconvenient fact for the narrative about global warming.
3. Reese Witherspoon's Arrest Video. Yeah, it's probably not "news", but it's funny.

That's pretty much all I have. Today's post brought to you by Harrison Ford drinking tea.

 

Top Ten Traitors in History

Interesting list, but Bobby Petrino should be on there somewhere.

The Best "Cold War" Movies

I was inspired by a comment someone made over on Brad's Blog that ALL the Rocky sequels were "awful". First of all, that's an incorrect statement. Only Rocky V was actually "awful", but I digress.

Anyway, I was thinking about how Rocky IV was a classic "Cold War" movie. It was made in 1985, at the end of the Cold War (although we didn't really know it at the time) and has a great dynamic between the Soviets and the Americans in the context of boxing and how it bleeds over into the political and the personal.

So what are my other top "Cold War" movies? In no particular order:

1. Rocky IV (1985): Great battles in the ring between Ivan Drago, Apollo Creed, and Balboa. Culminates in my favorite Rocky "training" scene when he goes to the Russian countryside to train.

2. Red Dawn (1984). The Soviets invade Texas to start WWIII, but Charlie Sheen, Patrick Swayze, and Jennifer Grey fight back in guerrilla style combat. I hate that they tried to remake this movie.

3. War Games (1983). Matthew Broderick and a computer almost bring the Soviets and the Americans to a nuclear exchange by accident. Great ending with teaching the computer that nuclear war isn't really "winnable".

4. Miracle (2004). Again, made well after the Cold War, but set in 1980, which was a very low point for the USA in terms of the morale of the American people. If the locker-room speech before the game doesn't get you going, not much will.

5. The Hunt for Red October (1990). Although it was made after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the movie is set in 1984, and is one of Connery's best roles outside of the Bond series. It's probably the coolest submarine movie ever made, and it's extremely quotable: I would liked to have seen Montana.

Once more, we play our dangerous game, a game of chess against our old adversary - The American Navy. For forty years, your fathers before you and your older brothers played this game and played it well. But today the game is different. We have the advantage.

 Red October is probably my favorite of the bunch.