War On Terror News

Some Thoughts on Preparedness

I was on the Tripoli during Desert Storm. The Tripoli stood tall above her sister ship, the New Orleans. (Hereafter referred to as, the "NO boat") I worked night check, where the majority of maintenance got done. Oh how I cursed the skipper of the Tripoli for holding GQ (General Quarters) drills during our sleeping hours. I would barely have been in the rack after working out and that all too familiar sound of the klaxon would blare over the 1MC. I just hated it! Why not hold some GQ drills at 0100 local? Sheesh, fair is fair, right? We have to be prepared at ANY given time to respond, right? Well, perhaps not.

A good example was after the Tripoli hit the mine, we stayed on station for about a week to continue our mission. We pulled into Al Jubayl to crossdeck onto the NO boat. So far, we had been warned not to touch anything in a certain area as that material had tested positive for chem/bio weapons. Scuttlebutt also had it that a Scud had landed in the bay. We ladies & gentlemen, here we are, right at the front! We had been able to place some phone calls home and even go to the local base exchange!

The night continued on, peaceful, as it darkened. As I had my crew moving stuff aboard the New Orleans, the SCUD alarms went off. I was thinking, hmm, this is interesting. Here I was, on the dock, vulnerable to EVERYTHING! I heard the Tripoli go to GQ. As the Tripoli was announcing GQ, I scrambled up the accomodation ladder and told my troops to get inside on the hangar deck. I looked around the NO boat and nobody was doing anything. I'm like, OK? Now what? We weren't officially part of the ship and we hadn't even been assigned GQ stations. Hell, we barely h

On this day in 1991: USS Tripoli Mine Strike

The 20th Anniversary of the USS Tripoli Mine Strike

By Thor: Today is the 20th anniversary of the USS Tripoli & USS Princeton mine strikes. Being "sick in bed" aboard the Tripoli, due to an infection in my leg, I felt very fortunate to have not been in my shop that morning as I normally worked from 1800- 0600. The berthing  compartment was fairly quiet as half of the HM-14 Maintenance Crew & Aircrew were asleep, as was I. The loud thunderous explosion of the mine immediately woke me up as the bow of the ship was lifted out of the water and SLAMMED back down.

I wondered what the hell had happened? Did we get hit with a Silkworm missile? Since my rack was immediately beneath the flight deck, I reached up to feel for any heat, thinking that if the flight deck got hit, I would feel something. No, nothing abnormal. I then quickly considered what other things could have happened.  Did something blow up below decks? The next thing I heard was the General Quarters klaxon sounding and General Quarters being called over the 1MC, the ship's intercom. I hopped out of my rack, got my uniform on and as I was doing so.

VFW Motion to Dissolve Committee of the PAC

VFW National Commander Moves for Dissolution of Political Action Committee

by Veterans of Foreign Wars VFW on Monday, October 18, 2010 at 9:55am

I have reviewed the Political Action Committee (PAC) Board of Directors’ response to our request to rescind this year’s Congressional endorsements.  I disagree with their assessment.

It is now evident to most of the VFW leadership, both National and especially the departments, that the VFW has been subjected to extreme negative publicity throughout the nation, and the recent endorsement decisions have, in fact, harmed the VFW’s reputation and future ability to fulfill our mission.

I cannot let this erosion of public support for our great organization continue.  The apparent lack of the committee to address these concerns will lead to a proposal by me, as Commander-in-Chief, to amend the by-laws at the 112th National Convention for the purpose of dissolving the PAC.  Meanwhile, under the authority granted to me as Commander-in-Chief in section 619 of the VFW National By-Laws and under section 620 of the Manual of Procedure, I am withdrawing all PAC appointments effective October 15, 2010.

 Accordingly, I’m asking the VFW national council for a vote of “no confidence” in the VFW PAC.

Commander-in-Chief
Richard Eubank

From the National Commander

I think that this is a really GOOD move! It's what many members are wanting, at least those at my Post. I LOVE to see good, effective leadership at work !

What the VFW Does and How It Benefits Veterans, the Community and the Country

Why would anyone join the Veterans of Foreign War?  Well, not just anyone can.  Not even just any Veteran can.  A prospective member must have served honorably in a combat zone that earned them one of several qualifying campaign medals.  The most recent are: the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and the Global War On Terror Expeditionary Medal.  (Service in Kosovo, Korea, Somalia, and Bosnia are also qualifying service, though I don't know the medal names.)

Those that earned the National Defense Service Medal, but not a medal qualifying them for membership at the VFW are qualified for the American Legion.  Both organizations are honorable and a place to gather with fellow Veterans, Brothers, like those we served with in the Military.  Both have auxiliaries for family members of Veterans.  The Legion led the way with Sons of the Legion and the VFW recently added the Men's Auxiliary.  Both have a Ladies Auxiliary, which does a lot of the heavy lifting in Troop Support and general organizing.

The companionship of fellow Warriors is but one facet of the VFW, albeit an important one.  Thor, a Post Quartermaster, and the WOTN Editor, a life member, have set about to give some of the reasons why a Combat Veteran would want to join, and why Our Posts are so important to Veterans, Troops, and Our Communities.  Each Post is unique, with its own personality, as rich and storied as the buildings themselves.  To Find a Post near you or where you are going.  (Most Posts don't have a website.)

Nashville has two posts (1291 & 1970), one structure is younger than the War On Terror and the other older than the hills.  Both have been at their current locations for many decades.  Each has hundreds of members, but the newer building attracts more younger Veterans while the other has a more cozy atmosphere.  Technically, there's a 3rd Post in Nashville which doesn't have a building or location.  During the recent deployment of the Tennessee National Guard, the Tennessee VFW's adopted units of the Guard.  I'll let Thor take it from here:

Don't "Desert" the VFW!

Like I've stated before, cancelling one's membership is NOT the answer!! If we want to effect change in the VFW & it's PAC, it MUST come from within!! To abandon an organization because they screwed up  or we don't like how it's running is just like rats abandoning a sinking ship!!

I've heard stories of how the Viet Nam vets were treated  by the older VFW members. It's now apparent as to how much those old WWII & Korea vets has adversely affected the VFW. Those folks are now dying off, as is the membership of the VFW. What I will say is to hang in there. Why, you may ask?? Because it's time for the Viet Nam and younger Vets to take the helm. My Post is mainly run by two Viet Nam Vets and two Desert Storm Vets. There are still some older veterans involved, but they are slowly dropping out of the scene due to health issues and to put it plainly, dying off. We are trying very hard to recruit the younger war vets that have returned or are returning from the war front in Iraq & Afghanistan. You didn't desert when you were in the military, did you?? Please, please....... don't desert the VFW now! Let's FIX this problem instead of killing the oldest and most viable veteran's organization!! We can't FIX the problem if we aren't involved!!