Vet 0369

Please, don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about combatants who die on the battlefield or by an artillery or air strike, or by partisan action. If I was fighting on on the battlefield, ran out of ammo, lost my rifle. pistol, knife, entrenching tool, etc, I'd be trying to rip out his or her throat with my teeth! It wouldn't even bother me at the time. What I'm saying is that having been in the cold, wet, hungry, exhausted states, I can relate to ANY combatant suffering. I believe that to do less makes me a little less human than I want to be.

I wasn't saying it was a bad idea, just that as it was intended to "try" to ensure that Germany and Japan wouldn't become a threat to world peace (and by extention the "West's" influence), and I think it worked much better than Marshall and others thought it would, and that it had unintended effects decades later. For example, I suspect it definitely affects German willingness to help one of the belligerents to defeat the other, and wonder what will happen if North Korea launches a missile into Japan. I don't know enough about the Constitution in Japan to determine what their response might be.
All that said, you sir are a joy to read and digest.

I must say that I feel extreme sympathy for any combatant in this war who is not actively participating in war crimes. I enlisted in the U.S.M.C. In 1969 in the middle of our conflict with North Viet Nam.  I can say for a fact that not everyone with whom I served supported the U.S. position, however, they still fought and some died. After I learned “both” sides of the conflict, I can understand why North Viet Nam invaded South Viet Nam, and can’t fault their reasoning (side note: the United States was the first country to recognize the sovereignty of North Viet Nam after it declared independence from France). All that said. We had a saying, “My Country, may She always be right. But, right or wrong, She’s my country!” I will never condemn, enblanc, the fighting men and women of an enemy just because they choose to remain loyal to their country regardless of how f’d up I think that country is.
Point of fact Steve, we live in an area where during one particular rebellion, one ninth of the population was in active rebellion (one third of the total population supported the rebellion). One third of the population actively opposed that rebellion and stayed true to their country, and we should condemn them because they stayed loyal to their country?

A strange thought has occurred to this old Jarhead who was born not long after WWII ended. I apologize in advance for going off topic.
I’m beginning to wonder if the Marshall Plan that was used to re-educate and rebuild Germany and Japan after their surrenders didn’t work “too” well. I’m sure that the “short-term” goals of the plan (and yes, McArthur was responsible for Japan, but he also reported to Marshall). The short-term goal was to demilitarize both countries and to make sure they didn’t threaten “the peace” again. Rebuilding the countries was secondary to that, but the re-education policy and forcing the collective guilts for their crimes against Humanity down their throats have caused both Countries to extremely pacifist world policy stances. Based on that thought, I would venture to suggest that the German reluctance to supporting the war is probably the fault of the U.S.A. Due to our extreme re-education of the German society.

I must say that I feel extreme sympathy for any combatant in this war who is not actively participating in war crimes. I enlisted in the U.S.M.C. In 1969 in the middle of our conflict with North Viet Nam.  I can say for a fact that not everyone with whom I served supported the U.S. position, however, they still fought and some died. After I learned “both” sides of the conflict, I can understand why North Viet Nam invaded South Viet Nam, and can’t fault their reasoning (side note: the United States was the first country to recognize the sovereignty of North Viet Nam after it declared independence from France). All that said. We had a saying, “My Country, may She always be right. But, right or wrong, She’s my country!” I will never condemn, enblanc, the fighting men and women of an enemy just because they choose to remain loyal to their country regardless of how f’d up I think that country is.
Point of fact Steve, we live in an area where during one particular rebellion, one ninth of the population was in active rebellion (one third of the total population supported the rebellion). One third of the population actively opposed that rebellion and stayed true to their country, and we should condemn them because they stayed loyal to their country?

Unfortunately, I have become accustomed th the German Government stating that they are going to do something, and then stating all kinds of excuses why they can’t do it now. 
 
I’ll wait until actions back up the promises.

Yes, but they weren’t Ukrainian!

Yes, but they weren’t Ukrainian!

Welcome back friend! I’m glad you made it through. Merry Christmas (whether you’re celebrating on December 25 (Roman Sect) or December 27 (Eastern Sect as I understand it), all are Christians. 
You are a valued and trusted leader in this Forum, and we value you greatly!

Whelp, I realize I’m about 50 years out of date with “combined arms” tactics, but in my day 😙, as soon as “enemy” armor was spotted, the Battalion 81mm mortars would fire on them (not to do much conceivable damage to the armor, but to knock out any Infantry support with them). If the armor was within range of the Company weapons section, we’d open up with them to. As infantry, we’d never get that close to our supporting armor either.

Personally, I’m at a loss to understand why the “Western” calendar starts the “new year” on January 1 just because a megalomaniacal French King decided to “decree” it start on January 1 instead of April 1 (which was the traditional start of planting season). Many farmers kept to the April 1 New Year date instead of switching which gave rise to “April Fools Day.” The New Year should start on the Winter Solstice when the day begins to get longer (December 21 or 22 in the Northern Hemisphere or June 21 or 22 in the Southern Hemisphere. Off topic done!

Welcome back friend! I’m glad you made it through. Merry Christmas (whether you’re celebrating on December 25 (Roman Sect) or December 27 (Eastern Sect as I understand it), all are Christians. 
You are a valued and trusted leader in this Forum, and we value you greatly!

Welcome back friend! I’m glad you made it through. Merry Christmas (whether you’re celebrating on December 25 (Roman Sect) or December 27 (Eastern Sect as I understand it), all are Christians. 
You are a valued and trusted leader in this Forum, and we value you greatly!

Welcome back friend! I’m glad you made it through. Merry Christmas (whether you’re celebrating on December 25 (Roman Sect) or December 27 (Eastern Sect as I understand it), all are Christians. 
You are a valued and trusted leader in this Forum, and we value you greatly!

Yup, they already are. On Mi8s, they’re called “undercarriage or landing gear.”

For ideas that you consider “bad” yes. Unfortunately, they may be ideas that I consider to be perfectly valid GOOD ideas. How do you resolve that conflict of values and beliefs?

When I was working for a pretty significant U.S. Government Agency, I read a saying in a in a CocaCola bottle cap that I felt applied to the propensity of “group think” of most Agency Managers. The saying was, “When everyone’s thinking the same thing, someone’s not thinking!”

When I was working for a pretty significant U.S. Government Agency, I read a saying in a in a CocaCola bottle cap that I felt applied to the propensity of “group think” of most Agency Managers. The saying was, “When everyone’s thinking the same thing, someone’s not thinking!”

OK, let's put this in prespective. Putin WANTS NATO to respond. He lacks even passive support of the majority of Russian Federation populations, BUT, historically, any attack or threat to the "Rodina" causes ALL the populations to rise to the defense of the "Mother Russia!" Perhaps that's exactly what he wants. Then, he'll be able to say that Russia (and by extension he) were beaten by the evil west NATO, and not the subhuman inferior Ukraines.
 

OK, let's put this in prespective. Putin WANTS NATO to respond. He lacks even passive support of the majority of Russian Federation populations, BUT, historically, any attack or threat to the "Rodina" causes ALL the populations to rise to the defense of the "Mother Russia!" Perhaps that's exactly what he wants. Then, he'll be able to say that Russia (and by extension he) were beaten by the evil west NATO, and not the subhuman inferior Ukraines.
 

I was born and grew up in former Yugoslavia (not Serbian) which does make me quite partial to Ukrainians. I checked with my former coworkers of Ukranian origins and they fully endorse the following:
https://www.patreon.com/uaexplainers
21 HOURS AGO
9 things people still don’t get about Ukraine
Thoughts from a bunch of stubborn Ukrainians after eight months of the invasion. Feel free to share this with people who still find it hard to understand why Ukrainians think or act in certain ways.
1. Ukraine will never surrender.
This is an existential war for Ukrainians. If we stop fighting, our homes will be turned into rubble, our children will be taken away, and our people will face mass terror. Every place that experienced Russian occupation in Ukraine has a similar story to tell: a story of mass graves, torture chambers, filtration camps, and forced deportations.
All that means that Ukrainians are prepared to fight no matter how long it takes – because they are fighting for survival. Nobody “makes” Ukrainians fight – not the government and most certainly not the Western arms. With or without military or political support from the democratic world, Ukraine will keep on resisting – because we are fighting for our right to exist.
For us, the reality of perpetual military resistance is more acceptable than the reality of the Russian occupation.
2. None of us is okay – even if we say we are.
In the first weeks following the February 24 invasion, Ukrainians were in a state of shock and terror. The shock passed, but the collective trauma never started to heal. Every day people across Ukraine keep dying from Russian shelling. Every week new stories of horror of Russia’s genocidal campaign emerge. Each week brings a new little catastrophe – and every week a little part of us quietly dies inside.
This has become the new norm Ukrainians are learning to navigate. So, when you ask a Ukrainian friend or colleague whether they’re okay, keep in mind that this question has lost its meaning to most of us. We are not okay and we don’t know if we’ll ever be okay again.
But we keep holding on. In a way, trying to be okay as Ukrainians is the final act of resistance against Russia’s attempt to wipe out everything that is Ukraine.
3. Ukraine is fighting against Russian colonialism, not just Putin.
Putin may have pulled the trigger, but the root of the invasion lies deeper than the current regime in Russia. For centuries, Russia has led colonial conquests from Eastern Europe to the Pacific Far East. It conquered and assimilated multiple indigenous peoples – and exterminated those who resisted.
Russian colonialism remained largely under the radar this whole time, and its crimes are much less studied. As a result, the Russian imperial worldview has remained unchecked and unchallenged – and has expressed itself in multiple invasions since 1991: Transnistria, Ichkeria, Chechnya, Georgia, Ukraine, and Syria.
The war might be paused when Putin’s regime implodes, but Ukrainians know all too well that a lasting peace is only possible with a decolonized and disarmed Russia that rethinks its past and future.
Until then, the untamed beast of Russian colonialism will seek to continue its imperial conquest in Ukraine and elsewhere.
4. Russian-speaking Ukrainians are not “more Russian.”
Yes, most Ukrainians are bilingual. Yes, 26% of Ukrainians are Russian-first speakers and 27% speak an equal amount of Russian and Ukrainian in their daily lives. But do you know why?
While some foreigners still believe that it has mostly to do with ethnicity and political ideology, the widespread use of the Russian language in Ukraine is mostly the result of centuries-old Russification policy.
Since the 19th century, Ukrainians were deliberately banned from using their language in education, labor, and public spheres of life. The Russification process prevailed throughout Soviet rule. As a result, millions of Ukrainians switched to Russian and deliberately hid their Ukrainian traces. And Ukraine learned to exist successfully as a nation of bilinguals.
So, if you meet Ukrainians who speak Russian in their daily lives, do not assume they are “more Russian” than any other Ukrainian or that they support Russia in any way. They probably have a more interesting story to tell about language and identity – just ask them.
5. Ukraine never had a Nazi problem.
Not only Nazis in Ukraine had nothing to do with Russia’s invasion, but the entire notion of Ukraine being run by the far-right is and always has been ridiculous.
The story of a “dangerous Nazi regime in Kyiv” has always been nothing more than a Russian propaganda myth. The idea of “Banderites” running amok was first voiced on Russian state TV when Ukrainians went to the streets to protest against a corrupt dictatorship in 2013. As Russia invaded and destabilized parts of Ukraine in 2014, it kept weaponizing and feeding the Nazi myth thus justifying its involvement and legitimizing the occupation.
Ukraine’s far-right movements have always been marginal and never had more than 5% of public support combined. Unlike many European states that do have a problem with far-right populism or Russia – a country running on aggressive fascist ethnonationalism for decades – Ukraine never really had a Nazi problem.
There is nothing humane or intellectual in trying to justify a brutal genocidal campaign by parroting propaganda claims crafted by the Kremlin. At this point, anyone trying to counterbalance Russian war crimes by appealing to the “Nazis in Ukraine” narrative is either a paid Russian shill or just a useful idiot. There is no point talking to these people anymore – we just need to stop providing them with a platform for spreading fascist propaganda.
6. Ukraine is a democracy. Zelensky acts as our representative.
Ukraine is not perfect. The issues with social trust, corruption, and poor state management have persisted for decades and hurt our country in various ways. But Ukrainians always fought back whenever authoritarianism loomed over: they protested in 2004 after a rigged election, and overthrew a corrupt wannabe dictator in 2014.
And yes, Ukraine still has a lot to improve – which would have been a lot easier if we didn’t have to constantly defend ourselves from Russia’s territorial aggression since 2014. But despite an external threat, Ukraine remained devoted to democratic values and reforms.
Not many people understand that Zelensky – a President who received 73% of the public’s vote in 2019 – always speaks and acts on behalf of the Ukrainian people. Following the full-scale invasion, Zelensky’s actions received praise and support from 91% of Ukrainians.
There has never been such a clear connection between the President and the people in Ukraine – and there are probably not a lot of examples of such political unity in modern-day democracies. All notions of Zelensky forcing anything onto Ukrainians are completely out of touch with reality.
7. We will not shut up. Not anymore.
For too long, the Ukrainian perspectives were silenced by Russia and pro-Russian sentiments around the globe. Like many other nations colonized by Russia, Ukraine had to shut up and, at best, politely debate whatever Russians had to say.
This colonial legacy has stayed long after 1991. Ukrainians were consistently denied agency: their pro-EU and pro-NATO choices were explained through conspiracies about the “US and NATO aggressive expansion.” Discussions about Ukraine often happened without Ukrainians themselves but with well-established carriers of the Russian colonial views on Ukraine.
All of this must remain in the past. We will not shut up and listen to another round of Russian imperial bull****, casual tone-deaf Westsplaining, or another Russian state-sponsored gaslighting campaign.
As the genocide against our people continues, we will remain unapologetically Ukrainian – and we will make sure our voices are loud and clear from now on.
8. Yes, we think all Russians are responsible for the war.
Ukrainians do not blame just Putin or the elites for the war – we blame the entire Russian nation. Putin and his cronies do not personally launch high-precision missiles at residential buildings. They don’t torture and mutilate civilians living under occupation. They don’t take away Ukrainian children and don’t try to “re-educate” them. They don’t loot, rape, and murder us. They don’t attack Ukrainians abroad or online. Ordinary Russians do all those things. All while the rest of them are silently and passively going along with the genocide for 8 months – or running away from their country and responsibility.
Those who fight against Putin’s regime carry the burden of responsibility as well. Even if they tried to make it right – they failed, and that’s just a fact. They failed as a state, as a society, and now millions of Ukrainians are suffering from genocide because of this ongoing collective failure.
Until Russians recognize and own this political responsibility, there is nothing for us to talk about. Ukrainians have the right to a safe space without Russians – without their point of view, narratives, or offers to help. And there’s nothing hateful about that. It’s a matter of personal safety and healing trauma.
Keep in mind that, unlike most people around the world, Ukrainians have lived close to Russians for centuries. We speak and understand their language – and we can follow their conversations on social media and in real life. We know how xenophobic, chauvinistic, and cynical the average Russians are. And we perfectly realize how their imperial attitudes have made this war possible in the first place.
9. Ukrainians are afraid of what comes next. But we won’t surrender to our fears.
Some people think that Ukraine’s stubbornness may lead to a full-blown world war or a nuclear catastrophe. What these people fail to understand is that Ukrainians want peace more than anyone in the world. It’s our homes getting pillaged. It’s our children being murdered.
The only country that tries to occupy a sovereign state all while blackmailing the rest of the world with nuclear catastrophe is Russia. Like it or not, the genie is out of the box – Russia is already a fascist dictatorship on nukes that invades its neighbors. It is already a threat to global security – and this has nothing to do with the way Ukraine resists. The entire notion that Ukraine can “escalate” the war by defending itself from an invasion within its internationally recognized borders is just absurd victim-blaming.
Ukrainians are afraid every night as we go to sleep and every morning while reading news of more death and destruction. But if we let our fears consume us, Russia will most likely win, and its illegal invasion, genocide, and nuclear blackmail will be rewarded. And this outcome is exactly what leads to another world war.
As Dmytro Kuleba recently said on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, “It’s absolutely normal not to have fear, yet to be afraid.” And that is exactly how it feels to be Ukrainian these eight months.

I’m not surprised at all about the possibility of the U.S. House of Representatives flipping in these mid-term elections. In my half century plus of voting in U.S. elections, the party opposite of the President tends to gain more seats in the House. When the President’s party also controls both houses of Congress (the House and Senate), the opposition tends to flip the House. I think U.S. voters as a whole want at least some “balance” in the Legislative Branch so one Party can’t “run roughshod” over the other, and can’t ”run amok” passing legislation that’s either “far left” or ‘far right.”

I thought that the Russian Charter or Constitution, or whatever it’s called, doesn’t allow conscripts to be used outside the country. Perhaps that’s why Putin illegally annexed the territories in Ukraine, to keep his mobilization “legal?”

Fixed that for ya. These people should not be dignified with notoriety, IMHO.
But I agree with the point of your post.

Nope, I tried a Soviet/Russian cigarette in Asia back in 1970 when I was in Fleet Marine Corp Pacific (FMFPac), scared the crap out of me. Those things could kill you!