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National Character
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Members reaching Colonel rank (100 posts) receive 10% off coupon*Switzerland and the Swiss.
"If you want peace, prepare for war."
"Peace is achieved through superior firepower."
Known to be neutral on the world scene but impregnable since about 1291 - all due to an armed neutrality which these quotes sum up.
The Swiss example of a de-centralized federal Republic and a well-armed citizen's army attracted the attention of English and American political observers in the 18th century, including many of the founders of the American Republic. The American Founding Fathers drew much inspiration from the Swiss example and incorporated many of their principles into the US Constitution, including the Second Amendment.
In 1911, American Colonel Bell noted that the Swiss had an unsurpassed love of country, Spartan patriotism and valor:
"While the Swiss believes in peace and desires it above all else, his good sense tells him that this is best assured by preparedness at all times."
Switzerland, alone among all the nations of Central Europe, successfully resisted the Nazi juggernaut during the Second World War. Switzerland was the one nation on the European Continent, from the Iberian Peninsula to the Volga River, that never succumbed either to the Nazi threats or military occupation. How this small republic succeeded in maintaining its independence, while completely encircled by aggressive totalitarian nations, needs to be remembered. The spiritual and military strength and resolve of the tiny Swiss nation to resist the overwhelming totalitarian threat should continue to inspire freedom-loving people everywhere. Every man in Switzerland has at least one rifle in his home. Switzerland was the only European nation which proclaimed that, in the event of an invasion, any announcement of surrender was to be regarded as enemy propaganda, and that every soldier must fight to the last cartridge, and then with the bayonet.
Their published and openly proclaimed military strategy was to make any invader pay a severe penalty for violating their neutrality. The order was: Keep Fighting. No surrender. No retreat. Fight to the last bullet and blade.
(And by the way, one of the most vicious fights in Swiss history was their national vote to join the United Nations. They did... by the slimmest margin in Swiss voting history... and their membership is by choice... very limited. In other words, they are not giving up their private ownership of guns anytime soon!)
This all starts with universal military training, something we do not share with our Swiss cousins - but should consider; For it:
- Builds a strong Military - with it’s depth of reserves to mobilize as necessary.
- Keeps the nation prepared which serves as a deterrent to war.
- Builds a strong core of leadership which carries into civilian life and has in history changed many of our politicians into leaders.
- Business and industries benefit greatly from military personnel entering the workforce.
- Military teaches principle and qualities past generations were taught in the home that are nearly non-existent now.
- As a by-product of military training, individuals learn responsibility, self discipline and maturity as they enter the civilian work place - thus you have a high quality of individuals helping the nation.
Should We Have Universal Military Training?
Submit your Answer Here!
I entered the Military out of high school and reflecting back I cannot think of a better place to grow up mature and become a productive person, contributing a positive impact on our nation. I remember the first year I returned home on leave and "could not wait" to see my friends, only to be shocked at how immature they were. Without the basic advantage of military training it takes many years longer for males to mature.
Long ago and from what I understand, in only half of our homes today - volunteering, national duty such as the Boy Scouts and the military fall into a family's sense of national duty. Fathers are mocked and traditional values all but replaced by an emasculation of anything male and traditional and thus young men are not learning these great truths - until it is all too late. So, as USASOC General Wayne Downing commented at the 50th anniversary of the Normandy invasion "If we do not breed heroes, finding them when we actually need them again may be all too late."
Our current times show heroes still live amongst us.
These are the Fundamentals of character I was taught during my Military Service:
- Maturity - the ability to make wise decisions based on reason - morals - principle.
- Will - perseverance to accomplish a goal regardless of seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
- Flexibility - making timely and appropriate changes in thinking, plans or methods when you see a better way.
- Confidence - the assurance to be successful in all endeavors (confidence comes from training.)
- Endurance - mental, physical and spiritual stamina.
- Decisiveness - sound judgment at making good decisions at the proper time.
- Poise - while under stress confident control of emotions under adverse conditions.
- Initiative - the ability to take action without waiting for orders or supervision.
- Justice - the fair treatment of all people regardless of race, religion, color, gender, age, or national origin.
- Self Improvement - the readiness to read, study, seek challenges and work to strengthen beliefs, values, ethics, knowledge and skills.
- Assertiveness - taking charge when necessary.
- Compassion - sensitivity to the feelings, values, interests, and well being of others.
- Sense of Humor - not taking one's self too seriously.
- Creativity - thinking out innovative and better ideas, programs and solutions to problems (something nonexistent in our government today) programs.
- Bearing - posture, overall appearance and manner of physical movement.
- Humility - correct weaknesses or imperfections in your character, knowledge and skills.
I put this to you: when our young men are exposed and trained in these character traits I think you can see my argument, that they will raise the national character and preserve the country leaving a legacy of themselves.
Do we have National Character?
If Not, What Do You Think The Best Way Is To Get It?
Submit your Answer Here!
"Liberty is worth fighting for, and sometimes worth dying for." Said by Lieutenant Walt Ehlers, a D-Day 6th of June,1944 Medal of Honor recipient who expressed this feeling noted to a crowd in Pueblo, Colorado. Walt is still with us and an inspiration to us all...
Hooah!
- Dave
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Have an announcement, article, story, quote or comment you'd like to share in our next newsletter? - Click here! Next Month's Questions - Rules of War 1. What is the most important rule of war? 3. Should soldiers be judged by the media in public or should they be judged by their unit and peers? |
SO Tech Go Bag
But you don’t want to look like a "war dog" or your girlfriend’s "Costco-commando" just yet. Because you never know when operations may call - you also want the utility of the best tactical tailoring? Then our SO-tech Go Bag is for you! Built on 1000 denier with fast-tex , it includes a large dual zippered main compartment that has a small inner compartment for a water bladder. Three small outer pockets that are good for frags and/or carbine and pistola mags. MOLLE webbing on the side panels is great for attaching additional exterior component attachments. So be it a weekend getaway to Panama City or a fast load out to Kabul, our Go Bag is for you - whatever your mission may require! Features
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Search And Rescue
The mission of the Naval Aviation Rescue Swimmer is to execute search and rescue (SAR) operations from rotary wing aircraft. The Rescue Swimmer shall be physically conditioned to routinely perform demanding rescues in all operational environments. The Rescue Swimmer's expertise shall provide fleet commanders the ability to assist Department of Defense and civilian personnel in distress. The rescue swimmer shall be in, and maintain, proper physical condition, be proficient with rescue equipment and have the basic first aid, CPR knowledge and skills necessary to recover and assist personnel during SAR operations. The rescue swimmer must be able to function in physiologically demanding environments at sea or on land during day or night operations. Aircraft carriers supply platforms with which to conduct search and rescue, and are a primary place for Rescue swimmer operations be they involving recovery of combat, or civilian personnel. Rescue Swimmers were involved in hurricane Katrina, The 2004 Tsunami that rocked the Indian Ocean, and daily operate in hostile environs where a man is the water is the only guy who is going to save a life. Both Navy and U.S coast guard Rescue Swimmers attend the Navy's Rescue Swimmer School at NAS Pensacola, FL. |
SAS Survival Drivers HandBook - On Sale for $23.95! |
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You'll learn:
Ordering it now will make you that much closer to surviving your next road rage terror attack... or that random "little old lady" who never saw you coming! By John 'Lofty' Wiseman |
Special Operations Target Interdiction Course T-Shirt | |
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SOTIC or the "Special Operations Target Interdiction Course" purpose, is to train selected personnel in the technical skills and operational procedures necessary to deliver precision rifle fire from concealed positions to selected targets in support of special operations forces. Course emphasis it to provide the force with personnel who can achieve first-round hits from a cold barrel on these high-value targets. Additionally, personnel will be able to correct for wind and determine the previous round's bullet trace to achieve second-round hits if necessary. The SOTIC is a six-week course conducted at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Students will be attached to Company D, 2d Battalion, 1st Special Warfare Training Group (Airborne), U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Students must be:
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Skills learned are :
A very demanding course for a very demanding and special force: the U.S. Army Special Operations Sniper. |
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After enduring threats from white shipmates and efforts by Navy officers to sabotage his final exam in diving school, Carl Maxie Brashear emerged as the Navy's first African American deep-sea diver. So he had no intention of giving up that hard-won position in 1966, after injuries suffered while recovering a bomb from the ocean left him an amputee. In the months after the accident, Brashear put himself through grueling physical training and held fast to an attitude, learned from his father, that worked in the face of racism as well as disability. "It's not a sin to be knocked down," Brashear told the Salt Lake Tribune in 2002. "It's a sin to stay down." Read More >> |
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A Special Forces Soldier was killed in combat July 18 in southern Afghanistan when his combat reconnaissance patrol was attacked by the enemy and he was hit by small arms fire. Staff Sgt. Eric Caban was born on March 28, 1978 in Manhattan, N.Y. He joined the Army in September, 1997. After attending Infantry training at Fort Benning, Ga., he was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment where he served as a sniper platoon member and team leader. In October 2001, he deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and participated in a combat jump to overtake Kandahar Airfield. He then left active duty to attend college in February 2002. Read More >> |
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Olympic rower Andrew Sudduth, who later helped develop server technology used by many Internet providers, has died of pancreatic cancer at age 44. Sudduth, who grew up in Exeter, N.H., and lived in Stow, rowed on the eight-man team that won silver in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. He rowed on eight national and Olympic teams in the 1980s and won medals four times at the World Rowing Championships. He also won singles sculling events in five separate Head of the Charles regattas. "He was one of the best rowers in the United States and certainly one of the greatest Harvard oarsmen ever. He had quite an extraordinary record," Harvard men's rowing coach Harry Parker told The Boston Globe. Read More >> |
Carl Brashear - Navy's First Black Deep-Sea Diver Inspired Film, 75 
Eric Caban
Andrew Sudduth - Olympic Rower dies at 44
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Former Marine Receives Navy Cross for Heroism Fort Bragg special operations forces played an integral role in the air strike that killed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, according to a congressional source. Al-Zarqawi was al-Qaida's leader in Iraq and the mastermind behind a bloody campaign of terrorist attacks on U.S. soldiers and Iraqi civilians. Read More >> |
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A Shadow War is also Fought against Hamas by Israeli Undercover Troops in Gaza and West Bank Saturday morning, July 8, the Israeli military announced the withdrawal of the armored force fighting under tank and helicopter cover in the al Atrat outskirts of the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya since Thursday, and the advance of a second contingent through the Karni crossing into central eastern Gaza to carry on the counter-missile purge. Earlier reports that Israeli troops had taken up positions in the evacuated Israeli locations of Eilei Sinai and Dugit were not repeated. Read More >> |
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Alabama Pilot Who Aided Cuban Invasion Leery of Castro's Demise Retired military pilot Joe Shannon isn't writing off Fidel Castro in Cuba, and he's got good reason. Shannon, 85, is one of the few surviving American fliers who participated in the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961. He fears Cuban exiles in Miami and elsewhere are getting excited too quickly over Castro giving up power to his younger brother Raul. "I think the celebration might be a little premature," Shannon said Tuesday. "His brother is more radical than him, and a little younger. I think they'll have more of the same." Read More >> |
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The Profits of Fear I'm cruising into the small town of Williams, Arizona, heading for the laundromat, when my pickup truck coughs and dies, leaving me stranded at the side of old Route 66. As I pause to consider my options, my cell phone rings. The inventor of the neutron bomb is on the line. "Charles, this is Sam," he says, sounding elderly and erudite. "Did you hear about Edward?" Read More >> |
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Cuban exiles rejoice after Castro cedes presidency Cuban exiles reacted with exuberance at the news that Fidel Castro had temporarily ceded power to his brother late Monday night, taking to the streets, dancing and honking their car horns in celebration that decades of dictatorship in Cuba was coming to an end. But today, the initial joy turned mostly to uncertainty as Cubans paused and considered the unanswered questions: why did Mr. Castro himself not appear to announce his illness? Was he alive or dead? What would the future bring for families with loved ones in Cuban prisons, or for those with executed relatives in the grave? Read More >> |
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Port Security: Improving Emergency Response Capabilities at The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach California’s seaports are vital to the global economy and highly vulnerable to terrorist attack. Today, over 95 percent of the volume of all U.S. foreign trade moves through America’s ports, but less than five percent of all shipping containers entering the United States are inspected. Read More >> |
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World War II Vet Undertakes One Last Mission George Ciampa is a man with a deadline. He is determined to pass along what he learned as a skinny 18-year-old, assigned to scour European battlefields for bodies and parts of bodies and place them in makeshift mattress-cover shrouds for burial. What he learned, he says, was the fragility of freedom, and what happens when it is taken away. Read More >> |
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638 ways to kill Castro The CIA's outlandish plots to bump off the Cuban dictator would put 007 to shame ... poison pills, toxic cigars and exploding molluscs. Once he even offered to shoot himself, reports Duncan Campbell. For nearly half a century, the CIA and Cuban exiles have been trying to devise ways to assassinate Fidel Castro, who is currently laid low in Cuba following an operation for intestinal bleeding. None of the plots, of course, succeeded, but, then, many of them would probably be rejected as too fanciful for a James Bond novel. Read More >> |
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Island Hunting Plan Misses Target A controversial plan to establish a hunting haven for disabled veterans on rugged terrain in Channel Islands National Park has already taken flak from the National Park Service, congressional Democrats, environmentalists and local governments in coastal California. Now, disabled veterans have joined in, shooting down the proposal for Santa Rosa Island that Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-El Cajon), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, has said he crafted for their benefit. Read More >> |
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