From Cold War Outpost
This badge was a local individual award created by the 56th Artillery Group to recognize proficiency on the nuclear Pershing missile system. It was awarded from December 1968 through 1979.
Originally awarded only as bronze, the silver and gold versions of the badge were later developed. Cloth versions of the badge were also available. The badge and patches were locally procured in Schwäbisch Gmünd. The badge was colloquially known as the Pocket Rocket or Pershing Pickle.
The PDW EDTC (Everyday Travel Case), is their first size thermomolded zippered case designed to hold EDC items such as folding knives, watches, eyewear and more when traveling.
Three pieces of internal removable die cut EVA provide bump protection and the thermomolded case is like soft armor for your EDC objects.
Tactical Distributors has developed their own 5-level clothing system called MTHD.
MTHD [pronounced either by the initials or as the word “Method”] stands for “Mountain | Tundra | H20 | Desert”. We like to think of it as a cross-category, tactical-inspired outdoor brand. Our slogan is “technically advanced layering systems for global climate zones”. We start with [L1] base layers and work our way up to [L5] weather-proof shells.
While the clothing is manufactured in China to control costs, this direct-to-consumer line doesn’t skimp on the materials.
MTHD uses reputable partner brands like eVent® fabrics, Polartec®, Cordura®, Global Merino and other Bluesign® approved fabric and trim suppliers to build the product. They are not only the most technically innovative brands available but are also pushing the envelope in sustainability.
Below are some examples of some of the clothing. The stuff I purchased is well made, comfortable, and the fit is true.
One of the cool features is the shoulder markings.
Currently, levels 1-3 are available. Get yours at www.tacticaldistributors.com/collections/mthd.
Jeff from Beez Combat Systems sent us this shot of his “tomb raiding” adventures.
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Army’s advanced manufacturing push intends to cut production timelines and costs throughout the lifecycle of systems, said an Army acquisition officer.
“Can you imagine how great it would be if we could just not have any parts in the logistics system, only raw materials, and we would just print the part at the point of need, right?” asked Maj. Gen. David Bassett, program executive officer for Command, Control, and Communications – Tactical, or C3T, during a panel discussion Wednesday.
That vision has become synonymous with advanced manufacturing, he said during the Association of the U.S. Army’s “Hot Topic” forum on Acquisition and Contracting.
Advanced manufacturing forges innovative technologies to “create new, or improved products or processes,” said Paul Mehney, C3T public communications director.
One technique, additive manufacturing, incorporates 3D printing, robotics, artificial intelligence and composite materials. But according to Bassett, that’s just a fraction of what the new push entails.
Over the last several months, C3T project managers have partnered up with the members of the Army’s Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center — known as the C5ISR — at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland and applied 3D printing techniques for network integration efforts.
At the proving ground, they have been prototyping radio, gateway and server racks, and mounting brackets on lightweight military vehicles to support network enhancement efforts of the Integrated Visual Augmentation System.
“The use of 3D printing enables developers to experiment with form/fit/function of different mounting systems and also allows developers and integrators to quickly incorporate Soldier feedback,” Mehney said.
To enable network connectivity for the Integrated Visual Augmentation System, developers are prototyping an integrated network enhancement kit called the Bloodhound, Mehney said.
Bloodhound is a network communications gateway and data management kit currently integrated onto light vehicles — but it is platform agnostic, he said, meaning it runs equally well on more than one platform.
During recent IVAS Soldier Touchpoint experimentation, infantry Soldiers and Marines provided feedback on the location of network systems on the Bloodhound, and made suggestions to improve form and fit of integrated network components.
“Future IVAS network capabilities may include data synchronization over narrow band SATCOM [Satellite Communications] with up to 75% reduction in component payload size, which will allow for network kit integration into combat and tactical vehicle platforms,” Mehney said.
IVAS network capability integration on the Stryker and Bradley platforms are both already in motion.
“3D manufacturing techniques will allow additional prototypes to be made as more Soldier feedback in development and operations is received, and as additional vehicle platforms are identified for network kit integration,” Mehney said.
Last month, the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center, in partnership with the University of Maine, procured the world’s largest 3D printer, to further bolster collaboration with industry leaders.
The printer will enable the rapid creation of large products for the Soldier, said Professor Habib Joseph Dagher, Advanced Structures and Composites Center executive director at the college.
Once a design configuration is locked, design plans developed out of advanced manufacturing techniques will be handed to industry for production.
Although the Army fostering of advanced manufacturing methods and materials are in its early stages, the service’s industrial base “must rapidly innovate to keep pace with industry and adversaries exploiting” their own advanced methods and materials, according to an Army statement.
But digital engineering is only the start, Bassett said. “Techniques [with advanced manufacturing] are now available to us that should aid in efficiency, and allow us to build things we never could have envisioned.”
In other words, 3D printing is only a part of advanced manufacturing and it “looks across the entire lifecycle of the system, starting with design, manufacturing and sustainment,” Bassett said.
“If you start to build a system this way,” he said, “when you get to sustainment, you should be able to identify what parts you can manufacture in different ways.”
The Army’s new manufacturing policy is made up of three elements: strategic investment, systematic adoption, and deliberate and thoughtful use, said Brian Raftery, acting deputy assistant secretary of the Army for strategy and acquisition.
Strategic investment must “develop a holistic, threat-based strategy for the investment in and use of advanced methods and materials” and open the door for outside partnership with industry leaders, he added.
The second principle integrates advanced manufacturing technology upfront, and throughout the system’s lifecycle, Raftery said.
And lastly, advanced manufacturing will be deliberate and used thoughtfully, he said. This means it will keep in mind aspects of things like return on investment and intellectual property implications.
Story by Thomas Brading
First photo by SSG Armando R. Limon
The Japanese attacked on Pearl Harbor killed 2,403 military and civilians personal. A further 1,178 people were injured in the attack. 19 ships were sunk or damaged, and 188 aircraft destroyed. The efforts of the greatest generation raised all but three (The Arizona, The Utah, and The Oklahoma).
The wreck of the Arizona immediately became a memorial. Passing ships rendered honors to the Arizona and her crew throughout WW2 and still due to this day. Proposals for a permanent memorial started as early as 1943, but not until 1949 did an organized effort began to take shape with the creation of the Pacific War Memorial Commission (PWMC). As the PWMC considered ideas to formally recognize the role of Hawaii during the war, which would include a memorial to the Arizona, Admiral Arthur Radford had a flagstaff placed on the wreck in 1950. He ordered that the colors be raised at the site every day. This modest memorial was later expanded to include a wooden platform and a commemorative plaque.
In 1958, President Dwight Eisenhower signed Public Law 85-344 that allowed the PWMC to raise money on the Navy’s behalf for the construction of a memorial to the Arizona. A fundraising goal of $500,000 was set and the initial response from the public was promising. An episode of the popular T.V. series This is Your Life dedicated to Medal of Honor recipient Rear Admiral Samuel Fuqua. (Then Lieutenant Commander Fuqua serving as the U.S.S. Arizona ship’s Damage Control Officer and first lieutenant, and was on board her during Japan’s December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor. Though knocked unconscious by a bomb that hit the ship’s stern early in the attack, he subsequently directed firefighting and rescue efforts. After the ship’s forward magazines exploded, he was her senior surviving officer and was responsible for saving her remaining crewmen.)
That initial call for donations raised over $95,000. However, the project quickly stalled as donations dried up. By the start of 1960, only $155,000 had been raised.
“Colonel” Tom Parker read about the struggling campaign in a newspaper and spotted an opportunity. As Elvis Presley’s manager, he was eager to get a bit of positive publicity for his client who had been out of circulation for a couple of years after being drafted into the U.S. Army. Parker surmised that a benefit concert for the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial would raise much-needed awareness of the fundraising campaign while also demonstrating that Elvis still had drawing power. Elvis was not only pleased to be able to perform for an audience. He was a patriot who genuinely believed in the cause and wanted to help.
The PWMC accepted Elvis’s generous offer and began making arrangements with the Navy to use the 4,000 seats Bloch Arena at Pearl Harbor as the venue for the concert. It was the same arena that had hosted the “Battle of Music” the evening before the attack in 1941. The “Battle of Music” was a spirited competition to determine the best ship band in the Pacific Fleet. Although they had been eliminated from contention, the band from Arizona was present and played dance music for the attendees. They would never perform again. The entire band was killed in the explosion on the ship the next morning.
With the venue secured and the show scheduled for March 25, 1961, Parker set ticket prices ranging from $3 to $100 and announced that everyone would have to buy a ticket to see the show. Rank usually has its privileges. Still, Parker seemed to take pleasure in rebuffing admirals and generals who approached him about complimentary tickets. When he said he everyone had pay, he meant everyone had to pay — even the performers. Elvis bought a $100 ticket for himself then bought dozens more to give to staff and patients at a military hospital.
After a brief introduction by Rear Admiral Robert Campbell of the 14th Naval District, Elvis took the stage as hundreds of teenagers screeched in excitement. The King looked resplendent in his signature gold lame jacket with silver sequin lapels. He let out a brief yell of his own in response to the ecstatic audience before launching into his hit “Heartbreak Hotel.” All accounts state that Elvis was in peak form, giving an enthusiastic and energetic performance that included favorites “All Shook Up,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Are You Lonesome Tonight,” and “It’s Now or Never.” He finished the show with a rollicking version of “Hound Dog,” during which he slid across the stage on his knees. The 15-song set, and 45 minutes of stage time were among the longest of his career. The concert would also be his last for 8 years.
The benefit was a resounding success. Ticket sales accounted for $47,000 with additional donations ($5,000 coming from Elvis), pushing the total take to over $60,000. Funding for the memorial was still well short of its target. Still, the electricity of Elvis had generated the jumpstart the campaign needed. In 1961, Hawaii Senator Daniel Inouye got legislation passed to secure another $150,000 in federal funds. Money began to flow from other sources. The combination of public funds and private donations (including $40,000 from Revelle raised through sale of model kits of the Arizona) reached the goal of $500,000 by September 1961 – just 5 months after the concert. The end of the year completed
construction on the memorial.
The U.S.S. Arizona Memorial was officially dedicated on May 30, 1962. Elvis certainly took pride in his role in building a permanent memorial to the crew of the Arizona. He made several visits to the site on subsequent trips to Hawaii. The memorial has reached its own iconic status and welcomes 1.5 million visitors a year.
Elvis did not forget the Arizona, and the Navy did not forget Elvis. When Elvis passed away in 1977, the Navy showed its gratitude by placing a wreath for him at the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial.
Much of today’s upkeep comes from the fundraising of the American Veteran (AMVETS), a veteran’s service organization that helped to secure around $250,000 in total for the memorial during the 1950s. The organization is responsible for the upkeep of the white marble wall inscribed with the names of the men who perished aboard the U.S.S. Arizona. In 1983, and again in 2014, AMVETS raised funds needed to replace the deteriorating Wall of Remembrance.
Parry Control Shorts are designed for grappling, but feature a 7″ inseam which may be kind of short for some of you who want to cover down to the knee. They are made from an abrasion resistant fabric with just a bit of mechanical stretch.
While they are also available in Black, Blue, and Yellow, the Tigerstripe pattern is my favorite.
parryathletics.com/products/quality-control-short
Thanks Steve!
