Wednesday, December 24, 2008
History: The Christmas Truce of 1914
You know, I always like to look back in history and gain some perspectives on war and the conditions of men during that war. And being in a war or just being away from family during the holidays is very tough. This is the time when you think about family, and you wish you were with them. And if you are in a really crappy location doing tough things out there in this war, then the comforts and memories of home during the holidays really sink in. It sucks, and you do what you can to get by and keep pressing forward with your job.
In the case of World War 1, I can only imagine how terrible that war was. A good indicator of how bad it was, is the fact that the soldiers on both sides agreed to a truce to celebrate Christmas. It must have been quite a thing to one day be slogging around in a freezing cold, bloody, and muddy trench, while trying to kill the enemy in a nearby trench, and then stop the next day to celebrate Christmas with that same enemy combatant. Both sides must have been so incredibly tired and mentally drained about the whole thing, to just put it all to the side for just one day of peace. Quite a thing indeed.
Where ever you are out there, hang in there and Merry Christmas from Feral Jundi. –Matt
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This is part of a 10 page letter from an unknown British soldier who recorded events and incidents with the Germans during the 1914 Christmas Truce during World War 1.
This will be the most memorable Christmas I’ve ever spent or likely to spend: since about tea time yesterday I don’t think theres been a shot fired on either side up to now. Last night turned a very clear frost moonlight night, so soon after dusk we had some decent fires going and had a few carols and songs.
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Monday, December 22, 2008
News: LAPD Officer Probed for Smuggling Handguns To Belize
Thanks to Jeff for sending this. Hopefully there is an explanation for why this officer did this, or he could be in some serious trouble. I could not find a website for Elite Security out of Belize, and if anyone can find it, I will put it up on FJ. –Matt
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U.S. is investigating LAPD officer
A department veteran allegedly bought guns at the Police Academy and sent them to Belize, where he runs a security firm.
By Richard Winton and Scott Glover
December 21, 2008
A veteran Los Angeles police officer who operates a security company in Belize is under federal investigation for allegedly smuggling handguns into the Central American nation, according to law enforcement sources and internal LAPD documents.
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Gear Review: The New PRU-70 Aircrew Vest with Halo-Tech Fire Resistant Material
Merry Christmas to the Navy and Marine Aircrews that have to wear this vest. If it is lighter than the old vest, and more comfortable, then I am all for it. I also like the fact that it is made of Halo-Tech Fire Resistant material. If this material actually delivers in durability, we will see it in everything.
Using fire resistant clothing and equipment is a great direction for us to take. The only down side to focusing so much on FR based clothing and equipment, is the quality of those items. Do we lose warmth, gain weight, lose durability, drive up cost or limit mobility when we go to these materials? I hope not, and private industry can do a lot for us if we give them the proper direction of what we want.
I do not think we will see this vest for sale in the civilian market any time soon, but the design looks pretty basic. I think the only thing that makes it different than most is the use of Halo-Tech. We’ll see if this starts a trend with the other companies that make vests, and Halo-Tech might be the next big thing in equipment design. –Matt
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The PRU-70/P22P-18 (V) Armored Survival Vest (ASV).
Press Release Number: EAIR10200812181 18-Dec-08
NAVAIR develops new Aircrew Armored Survival Vest
NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, Patuxent River, MD. – NAVAIR’s Human Systems Division, working under the Aircrew Systems program office Life Support Systems Fleet Support Team, has developed a new aircrew armored survival vest for helicopter and non-fighter aircraft aircrew.
The new system, designated the PRU-70/P22P-18 (V) Armored Survival Vest (ASV), will be fielded in three sizes and replace the current PRU-60B system that is available in only a “two sizes fits all” configuration.
“The development of this new vest is a direct result of working with and listening to our warfighters,” said Martin Ahmad, Aircrew Systems program manager, PMA202. “This new vest could not have been developed without the involvement of the Fleet and our joint engineering/aircrew systems team.”
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Saturday, December 20, 2008
Books: Private Sector, Public Wars, by James Carafano
David wrote up a great review about this book and it sounds like another good one for the holidays. You can find the book in the Jundi Gear store, or where ever. I have not read the book, but David’s review definitely grabbed my attention. Any book that challenges the ideas of how society views contractors in today’s war is alright by me.
I also agree with David and the author about Peter Singer’s book Corporate Warriors. The book was lacking, and not quite the authoritative work that everyone makes that book out to be. But like David said, the industry is somewhat deficient in this area, and there are only a few authors out there really exploring the ideas. We are getting there though.
The last part of this review was excellent as well.
And for those in the industry who bemoan negative coverage, Carafano has a simple point to make: Get used to it. He writes, “Expecting the public media to grapple with the serious and complex issue of the private sector in public wars is unrealistic.”
We should make every effort to educate, enlighten, and impress upon the media and public about what our value is, and that we are not a threat to the state. And the war of ideas continues…..-Matt
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Dogs of War: It’s all Eisenhower’s fault
By DAVID ISENBERG
December 19, 2008
WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (UPI) — Coming up on nearly six years of contractor presence in Iraq and more than seven in Afghanistan, it seems reasonable to ask how contractors are faring in the book world.
Better than before, if a new book, “Private Sector, Public Wars: Contractors in Combat — Afghanistan, Iraq, and Future Conflicts” by James Carafano, senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, is any indication. He finds that contractors “make sense — they have been used for centuries and their roles on the battlefield will only expand.”
While a book extolling the use of private contractors by someone working at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative public policy institute that champions policies based on the principles of free enterprise and limited government, is hardly a surprise, it would be a mistake to dismiss it. In fact, especially compared with some of the other books that have come out in the past year or two, this is an outstanding book.
Be warned, however — reading this book is at times like traveling on a historical roller coaster. One takes giant, albeit enjoyable, swoops from 16th century Niccolo Machiavelli to Dwight Eisenhower, to Vietnam to globalization and Wall Street to Hollywood. This is a lot to cover, but, as befits someone who has written extensively on military history, he ties it all together nicely.
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