Will for Wednesday

At this point, we just don't understand why President Johnson didn't get him a new C-in-C MACV if he wasn't happy with Westy. Lincoln went through a lot of generals, and so did W in Iraq. What the hell was going on in the White House? Fortunately HR McMasters' Dereliction of Duty arrived yesterday, and we'll probably get to work on it this weekend.

We read through another Korean War chapter yesterday and spent a lot of time doin' some fixin'. It's going well, actually. We are finding some places for additions, but we don't want to go overboard. The Great Salvation of 1976 is not a war novel. 

Yesterday we had our best sales day ever. No idea why. We'll get into more detail on Saturday but sales have been steadily climbing all month. All we can do is speculate. 

We admit that trolling teachers on NJ.com's stories about the WuFlu, budgets and school reopenings is getting to be a habit. So easy. Also, we're pissed as hell at authorities in general, and teachers specifically. These people are getting paid an awful lot of money to say they can't go back to work. Who else has watched their kids' virtual school and thought, That's it? That's all they do? It takes years of training to learn to say, 'Ok class, chapter six, odd numbers only.'

The US Army is Always Wrong

Pursuant to our discussion yesterday about US Army thinking going forward, we concluded that the mere fact the US Army thinks what it thinks means the US Army thinks wrong.

Has the US Army ever gone into a war without its head up its butt, tactically speaking?*

After Bunker Hill George Washington thought all he needed to do was dig in and wait for the Bloody Backs to come to him, to which General Howe replied, 'Let me introduce you to the flanking maneuver, Mr Washington, Esquire, etc etc.. It always worked splendidly against the French.'

We have chronicled here before how catastrophically wrong Pershing was about Open Warfare. The British tried to warn him, 'My dear General Pershing. Arraying a battalion in lines of companies and having them walk toward the German trenches is...Sorry I am trying to think of the proper word...suicidal...yes I know Trench Warfare is a long slog but we have these trenches for a reason. Don't you boast about being no stranger to trenches owing to your own Civil War? Vicksburg, Petersburg, all that?...You know about the Somme, right?'

Going into Double-U Double-U Eye, Eye, the US Army believed in attack the diversionary effort should be on the flank and the main effort on the front. Also, tanks shouldn't fight other tanks, hence the Sherman and the Priest. Again, the British, 'Excuse me, Cigar Chomping American general....yes, prim and posh British General here...splendid thank you...Yes it is good of you to win this war for us too...Thanks so much...I am told you are launching a frontal assault against Jerry's position over there. Have you heard of Jerry's 88 mm field gun? Oh you haven't?...Well...you're going to do it anyway...I shall send my graves registration unit over to help...Yes you do that...Cheers.'

Then there's Vietnam. 'Ah...mons General, qu'est-ce que c'est, Eastmoreland? Your firepower is of virtually know use when trying to win les hearts and minds of les publique...ah oui of les victore nou know petit...As you wish.' When the French are telling you how to lose a war, believe them. They know of what they speak.

Which just goes to show that the Army, America really, has a staggering consistent record of ignoring sound advice.

*Desert Storm, obviously.