Chris Penningroth’s Weltanschauung » Military Affairs

Roll the Stone Away

Chris Penningroth — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 23:02:38 +0000

Note: This post’s draft was written on 02 May 2011, but I didn’t post it until 16 January 2012

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I listened to this song all the way to and from work today. Why just this song? I didn’t have a copy of this one. Plus I remember hearing Martina McBride singing the chorus to this around the time I was getting back to my squadron in Germany from “Professional Military Education.” My brothers and sisters were returning from a short deployment in support of what became (and still is) Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. The song didn’t then and doesn’t now really perfectly match my feelings about the war (but then, what song ever perfectly resonates in a sort of emotional harmonic?). But parts of the chorus have been amplified in my heart and soul every time I’ve heard the song since September Eleventh.

“Let freedom ring!” Indeed.

“Let the whole world know that today is a day of reckoning!” Yesterday (01 May 2011) was the day of reckoning.

“Let the weak be strong!” So much for thinking you were the strong horse, you self-deluded fool.

“Roll the stone away, let the guily pay, it’s Independence Day!” Free of the hated demon djinn.

God bless the USA.

Further musings:

Our ignoble adversary Osama bin Laden was killed in a city named after a British major. He was hiding behind a woman.

Overdue Recognition as an Era Closes

Chris Penningroth — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 02:17:41 +0000

How One Soldier\'s Strategy Turned Tide in Iraq — 20111215 CBS News
It’s been a long time since I went back here, five years ago. I felt like I had to do so.

I’d like to thank CBS News for their brief story, “How One Soldier’s Strategy Turned Tide in Iraq” Thursday night. There is another link here.

In related news, I’m late ordering “A Soldier’s Dream: Captain Travis Patriquin and the Awakening of Iraq.” But I should be getting it in time for Christmas. I’m looking forward to reading it.

Happy Veteran’s Day

Chris Penningroth — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 16:44:57 +0000

Thank you, America, for taking this day to honor Veterans.

Reactivating My Account

Chris Penningroth — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 20:20:34 +0000

I’ve got just a nutshell’s worth of time to catch you up on everything since last June (my last blog entry). From June through October, there was nothing much going on but somehow I ended up being too busy to write. I was basically holding down the fort at work with just one colleague (in an office that normally sports a complement of four). Somewhere in there were two trips, one to Europe and one to Chile. From October through 12 Jan 2010 was all work and family. Starting just before 4PM EST on 12 Jan 2010 was the massive earthquake that crippled Haiti. Since then my office did a whole lot of the coordination involved in getting images and videos into the hands of the folks on the ground perfoming the rescue, recovery, and humanitarian assistance disbursement.

I’m finally getting caught up with life enough to at least think about starting to write about it!

Thanks for stopping by to check in with me!

Fighting for Our Future

Chris Penningroth — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:48:19 +0000

The Air Force has been under considerable pressure from several different people for the past several years. Some of these folks have actually called for the Air Force to be disbanded. I penned a short apologetic piece which I posted over in the pages section.

It’s hard to believe some folks want to ignore lessons learned over the past 80+ years of military aviation; whether out of misplaced pride in one service, general ignorance, or unreasonable disdain of my service. The Air Force must be a separate service in order for aerial forces to perform effectively in battle. Period.

Raptor Punks

Chris Penningroth — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 12:02:25 +0000

Congrats to the first F-22 B-course graduates!

(In our squadrons, we refer to the first-operational-assignment lieutenant pilots as "punks.")

Laying Low

Chris Penningroth — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 14:02:46 +0000

Not that I’ve been posting a lot lately, but I’m going to be mostly offline for the next 7-10 days. We’re getting ready for one of those "Major muscle movements" that occurs every 18-36 months in the life of a government employee in my line of work.

This Could Get Ugly

Chris Penningroth — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 06:30:19 +0000

I was a bit surprised to read Georgia had moved troops into South Ossetia and Russia had in turn moved troops in and had started bombing Georgia (CNN, FoxNews, Johnson’s Russia List (via e-mail)).

It’s like Bizarro-Kosovo/Serbia.

Heroes Run 2008

Chris Penningroth — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 07:47:15 +0000

Mr Gary Patriquin is sponsoring the 2008 Heroes Run in Lockport, IL in honor of CPT Travis Patriquin and service members killed in Iraq. It will be 9 Aug 2008 at 0800. It starts at the Lockport High School, 1323 E. Seventh St., Lockport, IL 60441.

You can choose from a 5K run or a 1.5 mile walk. Registration is $15 and proceeds will go to both The Travis Patriquin Family Trust Fund and the Children of the Fallen Soldier Relief Fund.

If you would like to make a long-range donation, you can donate via PayPal. Just go to PayPal and enter Mr Patriquin’s e-mail address (gary112251 — at — America Online - dot - com). Proceeds donated via PayPal go to the Family Trust Fund for his three children.

If you have any questions about the run, the trust fund, or Children of the Fallen Soldier Relief Fund, you may contact Mr Patriquin at 1-815-483-4830.

Thank you for your consideration!

*****

15 Aug 2008 Update: The run looks like it went well. Thanks to all who participated or donated!

Returned To Base

Chris Penningroth — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 08:38:21 +0000

I’ve done a reverse MacArthur. I have returned from the Philippines.

As it happened, I rolled home and straight into an exercise! I’d like to say I swapped my ‘Battle Rattle’ for a chemical defense ensemble, but rather the chemical defense ensemble went on underneath the Interceptor body armor. Mercifully it’s been a cool June here in northern Japan.

It certainly was fun to get a few flights in, too, even if the weather obscured everything but the Pacific and the Sea of Japan.

Now back to the grind!