Specialist Fred Gutierrez “interrogates” a turkey for it’s supposedly links to the North Vietnamese Army as it sits in the rucksack of Staff Sgt. Raymond Scherz near Bearcat Base, Dong Nai Vietnam, Thanksgiving 1967.
Luckily, for both men of C Company, 2nd Battalion, 39th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division, the turkey was cleared and allowed to “join” them for Thanksgiving dinner. The turkey was one of 57,000 sent to Vietnam to feed the nearly half a million servicemen and women in country during Thanksgiving 1967. They also came with 28 tons of cranberry sauce, 15 tons of mixed nuts, eight tons of candy, 11 tons of olives and 33 tons of fruitcake.
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SERGEANT MAJOR: Don’t stand there gawping like you’ve never seen the Hand of God before! Now, today, we’re going to do marching up and down the square! That is, unless any of you got anything better to do. Well?! Anyone got anything they’d rather be doing than marching up and down the square?! Yes?! Atkinson. What would you…rather be doing, Atkinson?
ATKINSON: Well, to be quite honest, Sarge, I’d… rather be at home with the wife and kids.
SERGEANT MAJOR: Would you, now?!
ATKINSON: Yes, Sarge.
SERGEANT MAJOR: Right! Off you go! Now, everybody else happy with my little plan… of marching up and down the square a bit?
COLES: Sarge!
SERGEANT MAJOR: Yes?!
COLES: I’ve got a book I’d quite like to read.
SERGEANT MAJOR: Right! You go read your book, then! Now! Everybody else… quite content to join in… with my little scheme of marching up and down the square?!
WYCLIF: Sarge?
SERGEANT MAJOR: Yes, Wyclif?! What is it?!
WYCLIF: Well, I’m, uh, learning the piano.
SERGEANT MAJOR: Learning the piano?!
WYCLIF: Yes, Sarge.
SERGEANT MAJOR: And I suppose you want to go and practice, eh? Marching up and down the square not good enough for you, eh?!
WYCLIF: Well,–
SERGEANT MAJOR: Right! Off you go!
WYCLIF: Oh.
SERGEANT MAJOR: Now! What about the rest of you? Rather be at the pictures, I suppose.
SQUAD: Oh. Ooh. Great. That’s great. What a day. I want to see the Merle Oberon picture. Eh hehheh.
SERGEANT MAJOR: Bloody army! I don’t know what it’s coming to. Right! Sergeant Major, marching up and down the square. Left, right, left. Left…
NARRATOR #1: Democracy and humanitarianism have always been trademarks of the British Army…
SERGEANT MAJOR: Rubbish!
NARRATOR #1: Shh! …And have stamped its triumph throughout history, in the furthest-flung corners of the Empire,…
[mayhem]
…but, no matter where or when there was fighting to be done,…
[patriotic music]
…it has always been the calm leadership of the Officer class that has made the British Army what it is.
WTF’s Patch Panels are available in three sizes; 23″ (28cm) x 17″ (43cm), 35″ (89cm) x 23.5″ (68cm), and 53″ (135cm) x 35″ (89cm). Patch panels are available in black, coyote brown, ranger green, and Multicam.
WTF’s Patch Panels are made in the USA from Berry compliant, milspec, laser cut materials. Milspec eyelets make it easy to hang and milspec thread holds it all together.
Every year we get hit up, asking where you can get “tactical” Christmas stocking. Whether you’re hanging it over your own hearth or filling it to send to a deployed loved one, LA Police Gear has them in stock.
Available in three colors, it features laser cut PALS webbing and has plenty of room for gifts.
Sometimes you don’t know what you need until it’s presented to you…
Robert Winner, USAF (Ret)
Back in June I was invited to spend time with fellow Military, Veterans and First Responders at the Zilis-Sacred Mountain Retreat Center (Z-SMRC) in Deadwood South Dakota. I can honestly say this proved to be one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
For years I’ve had a really good handle on my demons, both the good and bad ones. Enough so that others sought out my counsel in dealing with their own chaos. Well, this weekend at Z-SMRC was a pinnacle moment for me.
I spent time with, shared stories, laughed and cried with x8 amazing heroes. I watched strangers from different backgrounds with different stories and different scars come together to become friends and inevitably become a new family. Over the course of the retreat: Combat Vets laughed and cried about the excitement and chaos or war, LEOs laughed and cried about the dregs of society and EMS personnel laughed and cried about the whims of fate and the evil of the human spirit. Our group of x4 women and x4 men included: retired Dallas cop, retired USAF cop, an Army Trauma Nurse, an Army Infantryman, an Army Engineer, EMTs and a Fire Fighter/ Paramedic. We had a broad spectrum in our class which although from different paths had very similar scars of service.
The weight of the world is that of demons left unchecked and unsupervised. Through our peer-to-peer support and teamwork everyone walked away a week later stronger and wiser and more capable of quelling the noise.
There are good and bad to every story, but this story ends with strangers building bonds that transcend friendship and created a lasting family. Different clans coming together as one tribe, a tribe of amazing people who believe in a higher calling, service before self and a dedication to this country that runs deeper than blood.
Enough good cannot be said for the amazing work that Jerrid Geving and Emily Kruger have done in putting together the Zilis-Sacred Mountain Retreat Center and this program.
Hands on work to build up a team, Equine therapy because horses heal souls, blacksmithing knives from RR nails, Leather working to make sheaths, Yoga, group trips, etc.
The ebb and flow of the Z-SMRC was spot on perfect and the cast/ crew was amazing. We had some pretty great folks pass through while we were on deck, fellow graduates of the program, supporters who brought their craft and trade with them for us to experience and a Gold Star family stopping by to say hello.
To be honest I feel humbled and honored to have been a part of it. The transformation of folks involved was truly phenomenal. In a case or two we literally helped each other snatch a soul back from the edge.
I’ll be returning to the Black Hills to help as often as I’m invited because I believe in their mission and goals 110%. The beauty of the Zilis-Sacred Mountain Retreat Center is that it is a No Cost program for the attendees. Airfare (or gas reimbursement), lodging, food, activities… all covered by the Z-SMRC program.
Not all wounds can be healed, not all the screams can be silenced and yet it is the helping hands of family, friends and strangers that help guide the path forward through the darkness of uncertainty. Not all demons can be snuffed out but it is possible to control the demons and turn down the volume on the chaos. Contact the Zilis-Sacred Mountain Retreat Center if you, a loved one or a coworker/ friend are in need of these services.
If you have questions or wish to recommend someone to attend the program, please reach out to Emily: SACREDMTN18@GMAIL.COM or Rob: ROBERT.WINNER.ZSMRC@GMAIL.COM
Brand new from Mission Spec, LLC. Introducing The Spec Warfare Coloring Book™.
The Spec Warfare Coloring Book was designed with a dual-purpose mission. 1) To depict a more realistic snapshot of how our nation’s premiere warfighters appear, operate, and train. 2) To give something back. A portion of each sale of this publication will be donated to a charity that directly benefits Veterans of the United States and/or their families. Currently, sales of this item will benefit Folds of Honor. FOH’s mission is “To provide educational scholarships to spouses and children of America’s fallen and disabled service-members.”
20 pages (2 copies of each 10 images) are included with this booklet. You can download a free sample image to be printed out on the product page [link below] via the Mission Spec website. Printed in the USA on domestically sourced paper.
