Category: Military

North Korea Taepodong Update

North Korea Taepodong Update

| March 10, 2009 | Reply

Seems that Ace has picked up the story now. He cites a source (which sites a South Korean news outlet) that says there is a sizable Aegis presence in the Sea of Japan for the ongoing Key Resolve/Foal Eagle joint military exercises. Sadly none of the sources cite which ships they are describing. There is […]

Read More

NORK Missile Launch Soon?

NORK Missile Launch Soon?

| March 9, 2009 | Reply

Headlines on multiple news sites point to a possible Taepodong-2 missile launch in the next day or two. As documented earlier, this will be another in a line of tests of intermediate range North Korean rockets. While the North has described this as a satellite launch, it is actually the means to test the missile, […]

Read More

North Korea Preparing Missile Test

North Korea Preparing Missile Test

| February 11, 2009 | Reply

Word has been circulating around national security focused sites that North Korea is preparing to test their home grown long range missile. According to reports, recent reconnaissance has shown components that look like parts of a Taepodong-2 missile being moved via rail to the North Korean rocket test site on the east coast. This facility […]

Read More

A reminder of a time of real crisis

A reminder of a time of real crisis

| February 10, 2009 | Reply

At this site you can see a selection of posters from World War II. It is easy to mock them today or to wince at the ethnic caricatures, but it was not at all clear through much of WW II who was going to win or where the final borders would be drawn.  Hat tip […]

Read More

Hardware Lust: CV-22 Osprey

Hardware Lust: CV-22 Osprey

| February 5, 2009 | Reply

A nice photo of the special ops version of the Marine Corps Osprey, courtesy of Defense Link. This bird has been adapted to search and rescue, or recovery of people in the wilds. This photo is from a training mission over the Florida coast. The Osprey has been a very ambitious project that has taken […]

Read More

This Had Better Be A Trial Balloon

This Had Better Be A Trial Balloon

| January 14, 2009 | Reply

A headline on the Fox News website reads like this: Obama to End Military’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Policy I hope beyond hope that this is some nasty trial balloon to judge how huge the backlash against this is going to be. Let me short cut the process for you, you are about to gut […]

Read More

“Where do we find such men?”

“Where do we find such men?”

| December 30, 2008 | 1 Reply

This happened last April, but I’m just reading about it now (hat tip to Ace of Spades). Two Marines in Iraq, with just a few seconds to decide, stand their ground and die rather than let an explosive-laden car into their compound: Cpl. Jonathan Yale and Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter saved Iraqi police and fellow […]

Read More

Christmas Blogging – Toys For Tots

Christmas Blogging – Toys For Tots

| December 11, 2008 | Reply

As a former US Marine, the “Toys For Tots” program holds a special place in my heart. In the days when I was on active duty, our squadron (yes I was in the wing), VMFP-3, put forth a huge effort to ensure that we collected more toys than any other squadron on base. For us […]

Read More

Remembering Pearl Harbor

Remembering Pearl Harbor

| December 7, 2008 | 2 Replies

My dad, John  A. Webster, was a seaman aboard the USS San Francisco (CA-38) at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Fortunately, the San Francisco was docked some distance from Battleship Row (look down to the lower right corner) and so was not subjected to the heavy bombing that damaged or sank so many other […]

Read More

Don’t screw with the Marines

Don’t screw with the Marines

| November 24, 2008 | Reply

About 250 Taliban insurgents took on 30 US Marines in Afghanistan. Guess who won? The vicious attack that left the humvee destroyed and several of the Marines pinned down in the kill zone sparked an intense eight-hour battle as the platoon desperately fought to recover their comrades. After recovering the Marines trapped in the kill […]

Read More