readers of my blog might not know about my disdain for socks. I never liked wearing them. Certainly my past employer required that I wear socks to work, however my current employer has no set policy, since "business casual" can be interpreted in a lot of ways. Also, with it being winter here in the Enchanted Mitten, it can be a little cold to be out and about sans socks. I am happy to report that most of the snow here is gone, which means that I can once again go sockless. It is still February, so the air temp is hovering around 20F, but I can certainly handle that kind of cold without socks. What this means to me, too, is that I can break out my blucher mocs. These shoes have not seen much action since early December. It is just not right to wear socks with these shoes.Saturday, February 28, 2009
Blucher Mocs and socks
Casual 
readers of my blog might not know about my disdain for socks. I never liked wearing them. Certainly my past employer required that I wear socks to work, however my current employer has no set policy, since "business casual" can be interpreted in a lot of ways. Also, with it being winter here in the Enchanted Mitten, it can be a little cold to be out and about sans socks. I am happy to report that most of the snow here is gone, which means that I can once again go sockless. It is still February, so the air temp is hovering around 20F, but I can certainly handle that kind of cold without socks. What this means to me, too, is that I can break out my blucher mocs. These shoes have not seen much action since early December. It is just not right to wear socks with these shoes.
readers of my blog might not know about my disdain for socks. I never liked wearing them. Certainly my past employer required that I wear socks to work, however my current employer has no set policy, since "business casual" can be interpreted in a lot of ways. Also, with it being winter here in the Enchanted Mitten, it can be a little cold to be out and about sans socks. I am happy to report that most of the snow here is gone, which means that I can once again go sockless. It is still February, so the air temp is hovering around 20F, but I can certainly handle that kind of cold without socks. What this means to me, too, is that I can break out my blucher mocs. These shoes have not seen much action since early December. It is just not right to wear socks with these shoes.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Nothing says Monday like uncontrolled bleeding...
Yes, today was a day that started out poorly. It was the kind of day where you really, really wish that you could have done just a few things differently, or even called in sick to work and stayed in bed. Let me explain...
I woke up at my usual time this morning, about 5:30AM. I got up, threw on some jeans and a sweatshirt and I let Samson out to hunt and go potty. By the time Samson and I got back inside, Deirdre was up an about, and she started a pot of coffee for herself. I filled Samson's dish with some dry
kibble, a few spoons of wet food, and some left overs from last night's dinner. I put him in a sit-stay in front of his dish and then gave him the "OK" command for him to start eating. Yes, it all seemed like the ordinary start to an ordinary day here on the western plains of the Enchanted mitten.
I hopped in the shower to get ready for work and I actually thought about not shaving. One of the great things about working for GE Aviation is that there is no hard and fast rule about facial hair. Unlike my previous employer, which had extensive rules and regulations about facial hair. GE does not really care. However, I had a day's worth of beard growth on my face and old habits die hard. After toweling off, I decided that I would remove the day old stubble from my face.
I applied some Neutrogena shaving cream to my face and started to work. I ran the razor over the left side of my face and I immediately realized that the blade needed to be replaced. I replaced the blade and went back to the task at hand. I continued to remove the hair from my face, but with one of my last moves, I accidentally nicked the underside of my nose with the razor. When a very sharp razor cuts your face, you barely feel it and this was the case with me. I continued to shave the rest of my face, but I then noticed a drop of blood on my nose, which got increasingly larger and larger. I immediately knew that this was a bad sign. I finished shaving, rinsed my face and tried to assess the damage.
It did not look that bad, actually. I had barely sliced through the epidermis on the underside of my nose. However, there are all kinds of capillaries and veins near the skin of one's face, so there was plenty of blood coursing around my nose and some of it was dripping onto the sink. Knowing a few things about first aid, I immediately applied direct pressure to the wound, hoping that the blood would soon do its work, coagulate and stop the wound from bleeding. I was wrong.
Because I had barely sliced into the top layer of skin, there was not enough blood flowing to start the coagulation process. Instead, the wound weeped a little bit of blood in interstitial fluid. All I could do was dab the wound with some tissue and hope that eventually the bleeding would stop. I sat on a nearby sofa, tilted my head back and tried to think of happy thought that would channel coagulatory signals to my nose and stop the bleeding. However, no matter what I did, the wound kept bleeding.
After about 30 minutes of trying to stop the bleeding, I realized that I needed help. I needed a styptic pencil of some sort. It was now a little after 8AM so I
knew that the nearby Rite-Aid would be open. I drove there, all the while dabbing away the blood from the underside of my nose. I went inside and I found an item called new-skin. It is a liquid bandage with an anti-coagulant as part of its chemical matrix. For those of you who have ever used an anti-coagulant, you know what happened next. I drove back home, dabbed away as much blood as I could then applied some of this new-skin to the wound. The moment I touched the applicator to my nose, I felt the sting of an electric shock as that was a sign that it was working. Though I knew that new-skin would solve my immediate problem, I also knew that it was going to hurt. A lot.
Hurt it did, but after 3 or 4 applications (and the subsequent jolt of pain from the site of the injury), the bleeding stopped. By now, it was about 0830, and a small scab had formed to the left of my left nostril, which was the point of injury. Satisfied that the bleeding was controlled, I got in my car and headed to work. I kept the bottle of new-skin with me, however, in case the bleeding started again. Thankfully, the applications I made held and there was no more bleeding.
So, that is how my week began. I did something that I did not have to do, which cased well over an hour of uncontrolled bleeding. It was just another reason why Mondays are, well, Mondays.
I woke up at my usual time this morning, about 5:30AM. I got up, threw on some jeans and a sweatshirt and I let Samson out to hunt and go potty. By the time Samson and I got back inside, Deirdre was up an about, and she started a pot of coffee for herself. I filled Samson's dish with some dry
kibble, a few spoons of wet food, and some left overs from last night's dinner. I put him in a sit-stay in front of his dish and then gave him the "OK" command for him to start eating. Yes, it all seemed like the ordinary start to an ordinary day here on the western plains of the Enchanted mitten.I hopped in the shower to get ready for work and I actually thought about not shaving. One of the great things about working for GE Aviation is that there is no hard and fast rule about facial hair. Unlike my previous employer, which had extensive rules and regulations about facial hair. GE does not really care. However, I had a day's worth of beard growth on my face and old habits die hard. After toweling off, I decided that I would remove the day old stubble from my face.
I applied some Neutrogena shaving cream to my face and started to work. I ran the razor over the left side of my face and I immediately realized that the blade needed to be replaced. I replaced the blade and went back to the task at hand. I continued to remove the hair from my face, but with one of my last moves, I accidentally nicked the underside of my nose with the razor. When a very sharp razor cuts your face, you barely feel it and this was the case with me. I continued to shave the rest of my face, but I then noticed a drop of blood on my nose, which got increasingly larger and larger. I immediately knew that this was a bad sign. I finished shaving, rinsed my face and tried to assess the damage.
It did not look that bad, actually. I had barely sliced through the epidermis on the underside of my nose. However, there are all kinds of capillaries and veins near the skin of one's face, so there was plenty of blood coursing around my nose and some of it was dripping onto the sink. Knowing a few things about first aid, I immediately applied direct pressure to the wound, hoping that the blood would soon do its work, coagulate and stop the wound from bleeding. I was wrong.
Because I had barely sliced into the top layer of skin, there was not enough blood flowing to start the coagulation process. Instead, the wound weeped a little bit of blood in interstitial fluid. All I could do was dab the wound with some tissue and hope that eventually the bleeding would stop. I sat on a nearby sofa, tilted my head back and tried to think of happy thought that would channel coagulatory signals to my nose and stop the bleeding. However, no matter what I did, the wound kept bleeding.
After about 30 minutes of trying to stop the bleeding, I realized that I needed help. I needed a styptic pencil of some sort. It was now a little after 8AM so I
knew that the nearby Rite-Aid would be open. I drove there, all the while dabbing away the blood from the underside of my nose. I went inside and I found an item called new-skin. It is a liquid bandage with an anti-coagulant as part of its chemical matrix. For those of you who have ever used an anti-coagulant, you know what happened next. I drove back home, dabbed away as much blood as I could then applied some of this new-skin to the wound. The moment I touched the applicator to my nose, I felt the sting of an electric shock as that was a sign that it was working. Though I knew that new-skin would solve my immediate problem, I also knew that it was going to hurt. A lot.Hurt it did, but after 3 or 4 applications (and the subsequent jolt of pain from the site of the injury), the bleeding stopped. By now, it was about 0830, and a small scab had formed to the left of my left nostril, which was the point of injury. Satisfied that the bleeding was controlled, I got in my car and headed to work. I kept the bottle of new-skin with me, however, in case the bleeding started again. Thankfully, the applications I made held and there was no more bleeding.
So, that is how my week began. I did something that I did not have to do, which cased well over an hour of uncontrolled bleeding. It was just another reason why Mondays are, well, Mondays.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
The Death Picture
Frequent readers of my blog know that I am a retired Navy Officer. I served from 1985-2007 and those were 22 of the funnest, fastest and pretty much incredible years I have spent on this planet so far. They were also years where it was possible for me to go to work one day and never return. My work environment fairly dangerous, as I was surrounded by high explosives, JP-5, high energy propulsion systems, rotating machinery, etc. Couple this environment with deploying to 
places in harm's way where there were people who wanted to kill me and you pretty much get the picture. When I made my last deployment aboard USS JOHN C. STENNIS (CVN 74), a commercial photographer left with us as he and is assistant were hired to take photographs of each member of the crew for inclusion into a cruise book. A cruise book is a lot like a high school yearbook. In it, images are collected of places the ship went, things that happened on board as well as a picture of most of the crew. Well, the deal with the photographer was this: if you pre-paid for photos, he would take two proof shots. If you did not pre-pay for the photos, he would only take one. I thought it was pretty silly to pay $30 for a pre-determined number of photos when I did not even know how the proofs would look, and I knew that most portrait photographers took 10 or 15 proof shots to give the potential client a lot of images to pick the right one. Thus, I opted for the "Take 1 proof and see how it turns out."
So somewhere between San Diego and Pusan, South Korea, my time came to have these aforementioned photographers take a single photo of me for the cruise book. I filled out a few forms and I opted to have a copy of the proof image sent (free of charge) to Deirdre so she could see it. Within a few minutes of my photo being taken, I completely forgot about it as I was busy working as the AUXO of the STENNIS on deployment. The photographers walked off the ship in Pusan, returned to the United States and then developed the film (this was at the dawn of the digital images era). Once the film was developed, a copy of the proof was sent to Deirdre and much to my surprise, it was one of the best portrait images ever taken of me. Deirdre liked the photo so much she ordered a copy for herself, my mother, her mother and my sister. Within a few weeks, these photos arrived and the response from my mother, mother-in-law and sister were all quite positive.
However, the story took a twist. While I had no intention of being killed while I was in the Navy, the possibility was always there. Additionally, most military spouse have a semi-official portrait of their husband/wife/daughter/son in uniform that is known in military circles as the "death picture." This is the photo that is given to the local paper and used in the event that the service member is killed on active duty if an article is written about their passing. Thus, Deirdre had an up to date image of me, if needed.
One night while I was gone, Deirdre and my sister Patty are on the phone. I had been gone about 3 months and the conversation went something like this:
Patty: Thanks for sending me that photo of Paul. I really like it.
Deirdre: No problem! It is one of the best military portraits taken of him.
Patty: I agree.
Deirdre: Yes, it is his death picture.
Patty: (silence)
Deirdre: Are you OK?
Patty: What do you mean by death picture?
Deirdre: If Paul is killed while on deployment, that will be the photo I will give to the local paper if they run a story about him.
Patty: Oh, I had no idea. Are you serious?
Deirdre: Yes. It is no big deal.
The conversation then went onto other things, but clearly, my sister was disturbed by the thought of her having seen the "death picture." Deirdre later found out that Patty was so upset about that picture that she put it into a drawer in her home where it remains to this day. When I made a road trip to see Patty before I retired from the Navy at the end of 2007, I saw the photo, and it was still sitting in a drawer.
Now you would think that my spouse would be the one most upset about the functionality of my death picture, but that is not the case. The following is a common statement, "Navy wife. It's the toughest job in the Navy." I would have to agree. Dee knew the dangers I faced, but she also knew how much I enjoyed serving the Navy and the Nation during my career. And she had a great death picture at the ready, should it have been needed.
places in harm's way where there were people who wanted to kill me and you pretty much get the picture. When I made my last deployment aboard USS JOHN C. STENNIS (CVN 74), a commercial photographer left with us as he and is assistant were hired to take photographs of each member of the crew for inclusion into a cruise book. A cruise book is a lot like a high school yearbook. In it, images are collected of places the ship went, things that happened on board as well as a picture of most of the crew. Well, the deal with the photographer was this: if you pre-paid for photos, he would take two proof shots. If you did not pre-pay for the photos, he would only take one. I thought it was pretty silly to pay $30 for a pre-determined number of photos when I did not even know how the proofs would look, and I knew that most portrait photographers took 10 or 15 proof shots to give the potential client a lot of images to pick the right one. Thus, I opted for the "Take 1 proof and see how it turns out."So somewhere between San Diego and Pusan, South Korea, my time came to have these aforementioned photographers take a single photo of me for the cruise book. I filled out a few forms and I opted to have a copy of the proof image sent (free of charge) to Deirdre so she could see it. Within a few minutes of my photo being taken, I completely forgot about it as I was busy working as the AUXO of the STENNIS on deployment. The photographers walked off the ship in Pusan, returned to the United States and then developed the film (this was at the dawn of the digital images era). Once the film was developed, a copy of the proof was sent to Deirdre and much to my surprise, it was one of the best portrait images ever taken of me. Deirdre liked the photo so much she ordered a copy for herself, my mother, her mother and my sister. Within a few weeks, these photos arrived and the response from my mother, mother-in-law and sister were all quite positive.
However, the story took a twist. While I had no intention of being killed while I was in the Navy, the possibility was always there. Additionally, most military spouse have a semi-official portrait of their husband/wife/daughter/son in uniform that is known in military circles as the "death picture." This is the photo that is given to the local paper and used in the event that the service member is killed on active duty if an article is written about their passing. Thus, Deirdre had an up to date image of me, if needed.
One night while I was gone, Deirdre and my sister Patty are on the phone. I had been gone about 3 months and the conversation went something like this:
Patty: Thanks for sending me that photo of Paul. I really like it.
Deirdre: No problem! It is one of the best military portraits taken of him.
Patty: I agree.
Deirdre: Yes, it is his death picture.
Patty: (silence)
Deirdre: Are you OK?
Patty: What do you mean by death picture?
Deirdre: If Paul is killed while on deployment, that will be the photo I will give to the local paper if they run a story about him.
Patty: Oh, I had no idea. Are you serious?
Deirdre: Yes. It is no big deal.
The conversation then went onto other things, but clearly, my sister was disturbed by the thought of her having seen the "death picture." Deirdre later found out that Patty was so upset about that picture that she put it into a drawer in her home where it remains to this day. When I made a road trip to see Patty before I retired from the Navy at the end of 2007, I saw the photo, and it was still sitting in a drawer.
Now you would think that my spouse would be the one most upset about the functionality of my death picture, but that is not the case. The following is a common statement, "Navy wife. It's the toughest job in the Navy." I would have to agree. Dee knew the dangers I faced, but she also knew how much I enjoyed serving the Navy and the Nation during my career. And she had a great death picture at the ready, should it have been needed.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Wow, what a slacker...
I have been a little delinquent in my cyber-space presence. I have been busy with work and looking after the Maven that I have let this blog slip a little. It has been almost two weeks since my last posting. Mea culpa.
As I type this entry, the western edges of the Enchanted Mitten are white. As in snow white. We are under a winter storm advisory until sometime tonight:
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
344 AM EST SAT FEB 21 2009
...SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS TODAY...
.AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE CENTERED OVER ILLINOIS EARLY THIS MORNING...
WILL MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN LATER THIS
AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. THIS SYSTEM WILL BE INTENSIFYING SOME AS
IT APPROACHES THE AREA. A BAND OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW OUT AHEAD
OF THE LOW WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA BEGINNING THIS MORNING. THIS
BAND WILL SHIFT NORTH OF INTERSTATE 96 THIS AFTERNOON...BEFORE
DIMINISHING THIS EVENING. 4 TO 8 INCHES OF SNOW IS EXPECTED ACROSS
MOST OF THE AREA.
MIZ039-040-044>046-050>052-056>059-064-211645-
/O.CON.KGRR.WS.W.0005.090221T0900Z-090222T0000Z/
OSCEOLA-CLARE-NEWAYGO-MECOSTA-ISABELLA-MUSKEGON-MONTCALM-GRATIOT-
OTTAWA-KENT-IONIA-CLINTON-ALLEGAN-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...REED CITY...CLARE...FREMONT...
BIG RAPIDS...MOUNT PLEASANT...MUSKEGON...GREENVILLE...ALMA...
JENISON...GRAND RAPIDS...IONIA...ST. JOHNS...HOLLAND
344 AM EST SAT FEB 21 2009
...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS
EVENING...
SNOW WILL DEVELOP...AND BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES AROUND DAYBREAK
THIS MORNING. SNOW RATES OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR WILL BE
POSSIBLE AT TIMES. SNOW WILL CONTINUE INTO THE AFTERNOON AND INTO
THE EARLY EVENING HOURS BEFORE DIMINISHING. STORM TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS
OF 5 TO 8 INCHES ARE EXPECTED WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS
POSSIBLE.
WINDS WILL BECOME NORTHWEST AND INCREASE TO 15 TO 25 MPH LATE THIS
AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. THIS WILL PRODUCE SOME DRIFTING SNOW
ACROSS THE AREA.
ADDITIONAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE LIKELY ALONG THE LAKESHORE
ON SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY AS A RESULT OF LAKE EFFECT SNOW
SHOWERS.
A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER
CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF
SNOW ARE FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS. ONLY TRAVEL IN
AN EMERGENCY. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL...KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT...
FOOD...AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.
I hauled in a bunch of wood for the weekend, so after lunch I will most likely start a fire and stay indoors for the day. I have plenty of food, beer and scotch to make it through the weekend. For the rest of you, stay warm and dry!
As I type this entry, the western edges of the Enchanted Mitten are white. As in snow white. We are under a winter storm advisory until sometime tonight:
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
344 AM EST SAT FEB 21 2009
...SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS TODAY...
.AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE CENTERED OVER ILLINOIS EARLY THIS MORNING...
WILL MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN LATER THIS
AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. THIS SYSTEM WILL BE INTENSIFYING SOME AS
IT APPROACHES THE AREA. A BAND OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW OUT AHEAD
OF THE LOW WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA BEGINNING THIS MORNING. THIS
BAND WILL SHIFT NORTH OF INTERSTATE 96 THIS AFTERNOON...BEFORE
DIMINISHING THIS EVENING. 4 TO 8 INCHES OF SNOW IS EXPECTED ACROSS
MOST OF THE AREA.
MIZ039-040-044>046-050>052-056>059-064-211645-
/O.CON.KGRR.WS.W.0005.090221T0900Z-090222T0000Z/
OSCEOLA-CLARE-NEWAYGO-MECOSTA-ISABELLA-MUSKEGON-MONTCALM-GRATIOT-
OTTAWA-KENT-IONIA-CLINTON-ALLEGAN-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...REED CITY...CLARE...FREMONT...
BIG RAPIDS...MOUNT PLEASANT...MUSKEGON...GREENVILLE...ALMA...
JENISON...GRAND RAPIDS...IONIA...ST. JOHNS...HOLLAND
344 AM EST SAT FEB 21 2009
...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS
EVENING...
SNOW WILL DEVELOP...AND BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES AROUND DAYBREAK
THIS MORNING. SNOW RATES OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR WILL BE
POSSIBLE AT TIMES. SNOW WILL CONTINUE INTO THE AFTERNOON AND INTO
THE EARLY EVENING HOURS BEFORE DIMINISHING. STORM TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS
OF 5 TO 8 INCHES ARE EXPECTED WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS
POSSIBLE.
WINDS WILL BECOME NORTHWEST AND INCREASE TO 15 TO 25 MPH LATE THIS
AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. THIS WILL PRODUCE SOME DRIFTING SNOW
ACROSS THE AREA.
ADDITIONAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE LIKELY ALONG THE LAKESHORE
ON SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY AS A RESULT OF LAKE EFFECT SNOW
SHOWERS.
A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER
CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF
SNOW ARE FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS. ONLY TRAVEL IN
AN EMERGENCY. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL...KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT...
FOOD...AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.
I hauled in a bunch of wood for the weekend, so after lunch I will most likely start a fire and stay indoors for the day. I have plenty of food, beer and scotch to make it through the weekend. For the rest of you, stay warm and dry!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Navy Retirement Ceremony for an old friend...
On Saturday morning I left the house a little after 7AM to make the drive to Naval Station Great Lakes. I went there to attend the retirement ceremony for on old friend and shipmate, Chief Warrant Officer Matt Lutz. Matt was retiring from the Navy following 29 years of active and reserve service. I first met Matt in 2005 when I assumed command of what was then Navy Reserve Center Chicago. His ceremony was going to be held on the Drill Deck of my former command, Navy Operational Support Center Chicago, so I was looking forward to seeing some old friends.
Matt was one of the engineering officers for a unit that drilled at the Center and his wife was one of my active duty staff members. I suppose that I had been sort of intertwined with the Lutz family even longer than that I first met because Matt's brother Chip in 2004 when Chip was a Reserve Center CO in Oklahoma. Chip went on to serve as the CO of Navy & Marine Corps Reserve Center Milwaukee, and I attended Chip's retirement ceremony back in December, 2007.
The drive to Naval Station Great Lakes was, thankfully, uneventful. I told Matt that I would attend the ceremony, but if the weather was bad, I would most likely not attend. The drive along the western edges of Michigan and the northern edge of Indiana can be pretty sporty in the middle of winter. However, Saturday was the warmest day of the year so far as the temps were in the low 50s by mid-day. I arrived at Great Lakes a little before 11AM, so I had time to grab some lunch, catch up with some of the active duty staff who were there when I was CO, as well as to see a few of the drilling reservists who remembered me as well. It was good to see some former shipmates get a brief feel of the camaraderie I left behind when I retired from the Navy.
Matt's ceremony started promptly at 1300 (1PM for you civilians), and lasted about 45 minutes. Tales were told of his exploits, letters from former presidents and the current governor of Wisconsin were given to him. Matt was honored with the Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal from his gaining command to recognize his efforts supporting it. Matt received a few gifts, and he gave out flowers to his Mom, wife and three female children. All in all, it was a great ceremony attended by over 60 people. Matt went out with style, as he had a personalized challenge coin minted for his special day. Matt walked up to me after the ceremony to thank me for making the drive to be there for him, extended his hand and presented me with his coin.
As I get further and further away from my retirement date from the Navy, the chances for me to be presented a coin dwindle with each passing day, so this was a special presentation for me. Matt's coin (and it is pretty darn sharp!) might be the last one ever presented to me. Like Matt, I had a coin made to commemorate my retirement from the Navy. For readers of this blog who might have one of my coins, I thought it might be a good time to review the history and basic rules regarding military challenge coins:
The U.S. Military has a longstanding list of traditions. One of the lesser-known traditions is the Military Challenge or Unit coin. During World War I, American volunteers from all parts of the country filled the newly formed flying squadrons. Some were wealthy scions attending colleges such as Yale and Harvard who quit in midterm to join the war. In one squadron, a wealthy lieutenant ordered medallions struck in solid bronze carrying the squadron emblem for every member of his squadron. He himself carried his medallion in a small leather sack about his neck.
Shortly after acquiring the medallions, this pilot's aircraft was severely damaged by ground fire. He was forced to land behind enemy lines and was immediately captured by a German Patrol. In order to discourage his escape, the Germans took all of his personal identification except for the small leather pouch around his neck. In the meantime, he was taken to a small French town near the front. Taking advantage of a bombardment that night he donned civilian clothes and escaped. However, he was without personal identification. He succeeded in avoiding German patrols and reached the front lines.
With great difficulty, he crossed no-man's land. Eventually, he stumbled into a French outpost. Unfortunately, the French in this sector of the front had been plagued by saboteurs. They sometimes masqueraded as civilians and wore civilian clothes. Not recognizing the young pilot's American accent, the French thought him to be a saboteur and made ready to execute him. Just in time, he remembered his leather pouch containing the medallion. He showed the medallion to his would-be executioners. His French captors recognized the squadron insignia on the medallion and delayed long enough for him to confirm his identity. Instead of shooting him, they gave him a bottle of wine.
Back with his squadron, it became a tradition to ensure that all members carried their medallion or coin at all times. This was accomplished through a challenge in the following manner, a challenger would ask to see the coin, If the challenger could not produce his coin, he was required to purchase a drink of choice for the member who had challenged him. If the challenged member produced his coin, then the challenging member was required to pay for the drink. This tradition continued throughout the war and for many years after while surviving members of the squadron were still alive.
Among U.S. military units, the tradition is prevalent to carry some type of device which readily identifies unit members, past and present, and also provides the opportunity for an inspection of the unit's esprit de corps and purpose. The military coin, minted in a number of metals, including sterling, is approximately 1 ½ to 2" in diameter. The coin carries the motto's or slogans of the particular unit manufacturing it. In addition to any official motto is usually a likeness of the unit flash or crest.
The actual history of the challenge initiated by one unit member to another by demanding to see his coin varies greatly. According to legend, the original coin check was done only by the senior person present, who did it for the sole purpose of ensuring each man's team spirit (in which case, all would be carrying a coin). The purpose of this drill was to check morale.
Nowadays this is primarily a dare, by extracting the coin and slamming it down onto the tabletop or tossing it to the floor. The loud "ping!" produced by the bounding coin is a challenge to all present to produce their coins, or end up buying a round of drinks. This method of the "coin check" is the most prevalent today. There have been many attempts to established a set of rules for the coin challenge to ensure uniformity. Regardless of any "coin regulation," most prefer to carry their coins, not only to show their pride with their, but also to save money on drinks they may have to buy if caught without it.
So, following this review, I expect all of you carrying my coin, or any other military coin for that matter, to have it with you the next time we meet or you will be buying the first round!
Matt was one of the engineering officers for a unit that drilled at the Center and his wife was one of my active duty staff members. I suppose that I had been sort of intertwined with the Lutz family even longer than that I first met because Matt's brother Chip in 2004 when Chip was a Reserve Center CO in Oklahoma. Chip went on to serve as the CO of Navy & Marine Corps Reserve Center Milwaukee, and I attended Chip's retirement ceremony back in December, 2007.
The drive to Naval Station Great Lakes was, thankfully, uneventful. I told Matt that I would attend the ceremony, but if the weather was bad, I would most likely not attend. The drive along the western edges of Michigan and the northern edge of Indiana can be pretty sporty in the middle of winter. However, Saturday was the warmest day of the year so far as the temps were in the low 50s by mid-day. I arrived at Great Lakes a little before 11AM, so I had time to grab some lunch, catch up with some of the active duty staff who were there when I was CO, as well as to see a few of the drilling reservists who remembered me as well. It was good to see some former shipmates get a brief feel of the camaraderie I left behind when I retired from the Navy.
Matt's ceremony started promptly at 1300 (1PM for you civilians), and lasted about 45 minutes. Tales were told of his exploits, letters from former presidents and the current governor of Wisconsin were given to him. Matt was honored with the Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal from his gaining command to recognize his efforts supporting it. Matt received a few gifts, and he gave out flowers to his Mom, wife and three female children. All in all, it was a great ceremony attended by over 60 people. Matt went out with style, as he had a personalized challenge coin minted for his special day. Matt walked up to me after the ceremony to thank me for making the drive to be there for him, extended his hand and presented me with his coin.
As I get further and further away from my retirement date from the Navy, the chances for me to be presented a coin dwindle with each passing day, so this was a special presentation for me. Matt's coin (and it is pretty darn sharp!) might be the last one ever presented to me. Like Matt, I had a coin made to commemorate my retirement from the Navy. For readers of this blog who might have one of my coins, I thought it might be a good time to review the history and basic rules regarding military challenge coins:The U.S. Military has a longstanding list of traditions. One of the lesser-known traditions is the Military Challenge or Unit coin. During World War I, American volunteers from all parts of the country filled the newly formed flying squadrons. Some were wealthy scions attending colleges such as Yale and Harvard who quit in midterm to join the war. In one squadron, a wealthy lieutenant ordered medallions struck in solid bronze carrying the squadron emblem for every member of his squadron. He himself carried his medallion in a small leather sack about his neck.
Shortly after acquiring the medallions, this pilot's aircraft was severely damaged by ground fire. He was forced to land behind enemy lines and was immediately captured by a German Patrol. In order to discourage his escape, the Germans took all of his personal identification except for the small leather pouch around his neck. In the meantime, he was taken to a small French town near the front. Taking advantage of a bombardment that night he donned civilian clothes and escaped. However, he was without personal identification. He succeeded in avoiding German patrols and reached the front lines.
With great difficulty, he crossed no-man's land. Eventually, he stumbled into a French outpost. Unfortunately, the French in this sector of the front had been plagued by saboteurs. They sometimes masqueraded as civilians and wore civilian clothes. Not recognizing the young pilot's American accent, the French thought him to be a saboteur and made ready to execute him. Just in time, he remembered his leather pouch containing the medallion. He showed the medallion to his would-be executioners. His French captors recognized the squadron insignia on the medallion and delayed long enough for him to confirm his identity. Instead of shooting him, they gave him a bottle of wine.
Back with his squadron, it became a tradition to ensure that all members carried their medallion or coin at all times. This was accomplished through a challenge in the following manner, a challenger would ask to see the coin, If the challenger could not produce his coin, he was required to purchase a drink of choice for the member who had challenged him. If the challenged member produced his coin, then the challenging member was required to pay for the drink. This tradition continued throughout the war and for many years after while surviving members of the squadron were still alive.
Among U.S. military units, the tradition is prevalent to carry some type of device which readily identifies unit members, past and present, and also provides the opportunity for an inspection of the unit's esprit de corps and purpose. The military coin, minted in a number of metals, including sterling, is approximately 1 ½ to 2" in diameter. The coin carries the motto's or slogans of the particular unit manufacturing it. In addition to any official motto is usually a likeness of the unit flash or crest.
The actual history of the challenge initiated by one unit member to another by demanding to see his coin varies greatly. According to legend, the original coin check was done only by the senior person present, who did it for the sole purpose of ensuring each man's team spirit (in which case, all would be carrying a coin). The purpose of this drill was to check morale.
Nowadays this is primarily a dare, by extracting the coin and slamming it down onto the tabletop or tossing it to the floor. The loud "ping!" produced by the bounding coin is a challenge to all present to produce their coins, or end up buying a round of drinks. This method of the "coin check" is the most prevalent today. There have been many attempts to established a set of rules for the coin challenge to ensure uniformity. Regardless of any "coin regulation," most prefer to carry their coins, not only to show their pride with their, but also to save money on drinks they may have to buy if caught without it.
So, following this review, I expect all of you carrying my coin, or any other military coin for that matter, to have it with you the next time we meet or you will be buying the first round!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Resistance is futile...
My Dell Inspiron is dead. The internal wireless card has failed. I can access the internet using a cable connection, but the machine has lost its wifi capability. So, what do the tough do when the going gets tough? They go shopping. I have a new Dell XPS M1530 on the way.
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