Wasted Sunday

This weekend Sunday is the only day that we have been given off. I am completely worn out, I can't find a decent cup of coffee anywhere, and I just want to sleep. Unfortunately I have a million things to do in preparation for the next week. So... Off I must go.

Things I think are Way Cool #3

Here are more of the things I think are way cool! Enjoy!



MH-47E boarding SF soldiers

MH-47E Disembarking an RSOV (Ranger Special Operations Vehicle)

160th SOAR MH-47E

160th SOAR MH-47E

160th SOAR MH-47E

These are a collection of photos from various sources I've compiled.

America wake up!

Every now and again while here in South Korea, I see or notice something that gets me thinking, and today I thought I might share these things with those who may pass by here, no matter their nationality.

Korea is a beautiful country, and a wonderful place. The people are friendly, the food is excellent, and there are so many things to do and see. The public transportation system is first class and inexpensive, with service to every single point of interest in the country, no matter your point of departure.

There is all sorts of shopping, restaurants, cultural activities, and various other interesting things to do, including just trying to speak with and get to know the local people. The people are very warm and friendly, gracious, and accommodating to a fault.

In my year of experience in country so far, I have noticed that most of the American soldiers here that hate being here, and can not seem to find anything they like or find interesting is due to closed mindedness. Americans -no matter their race- seem to have the notion that things should be a certain way simply because they are American.

There is no consideration given for the fact that they are not IN America, and that other countries and cultures are vastly different than their own. American soldiers, especially the younger generation of them, have far to many expectations and demands, and not nearly enough understanding, respect, and open mindedness.

In the more than 50 years that the US has been in Korea, the Korean people have indeed tolerated a great deal, and they continue to do so, and welcome their American friends with open arms.

I have found that if you are polite, and make an attempt to respect their culture, the Korean people are wonderful and friendly. Basically showing common courtesy and politeness to these people will open many wonderful doors to you.

No comes the serious part- the part that once again these young Americans don't seem to realize, or fully comprehend, and that is North Korea. In my travels in South Korea, I began to notice many things, things that your average everyday American citizen, military or otherwise has never had any exposure to.

The South Korea people go about their everyday lives living in a country where major roadways, railways, and bridges are actually designed and built with destroying them in mind. The further north you travel within South Korea, the more signs you see. There are highways that at various points have what are called "rock drops" suspended above the road.

These "rock drops" are giant blocks of concrete which have supports suspending them above the road with pre-bored, or purpose built cavities in which to place explosives, for the purpose of destroying the supports, dropping these huge concrete blocks in the road. The purpose of which is to impede a North Korean push into South Korea.

The closer to the border with North Korea you get, the more of these structures you will see, so of which have the explosives placed inside them full time, being guarded by the South Korean Army, ready to be detonated on a moments notice.

These same design features apply to bridges, and other likely avenues of approach throughout the country. As you travel along the roads you will also see many defensive structures, bunkers, trenchlines etc carved into terrain features along likely avenues of approach. The entire country and infrastructure is arranged to facilitate defense and repulsion of an attack from the north.

These gracious South Korean people live every day with the knowledge of, and resigned to the loss of the city of Seoul, and all of the cities north of Seoul, if there was ever an attack. They project that as the distance the North will push before an effective counter attack can be mounted, and know that the artillery and air bombardment will ravage the country as far south as Seoul. And yet they live and have normal busy lives.

These young American soldiers don't seem to fully realize the gravity of their situation, and their purpose for being in Korea. The attitude is generally one of being on vacation, a tourist trip, a year to party away from home. The South Koreans know there is a will be a price for freedom, and they are ready.

Americans tend to act most often like spoiled children, and we are quick to forget the lessons of history and become complacent. Americans need to wake up, pay attention, and learn to appreciate and be respectful of other peoples, but most importantly, appreciate and be respectful of freedom.

Stupidity, the "other" other white meat..

Have you ever noticed that the more urgent and important the business to which you must attend invariably causes you to have to interact with people of proportionately decreased intellect and capacity for being useful, helpful, or even slightly understanding?

Got Joe?

If I dont get a decent cup of coffee in the very immediate future someone is going to suffer immensely...

Things I think are Way Cool #2

Here are some more special ops helicopters for your viewing pleasure!


USAF AFSOC HH-60G Pavehawk

USAF AFSOC HH-60G Pavehawk

MH-60L DAP (Direct Action Penetrator)

The bottom most photo is a MH-60L DAP (Direct Action Penetrator) belonging to 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (160th SOAR) It is armed with 2 fixed forward M134 7.62mm Miniguns, and two 30mm Chain guns mounted on the stub wings.

A question for the masses.

As a soldier, and a leader of soldiers I am expected to accomplish a multitude of tasks and complete a variety of missions on a daily basis. Many of these tasks require a great deal of administrative paperwork, thusly requiring computers, printers, faxes etc. (Like any other company or corporate venture) In addition I run an Allied Trades shop for a maintenance company. This includes welding, machining, carpentry, glass and canvas repair, radiator repair, and body and fender repair.

These things are all done in conjuction with my requirement and responsibility to train soldiers in their various warrior tasks, that is-being a soldier.

So my question is this: Does the average civilian employee, male or female have to deal with "Scheduled Power Outages"?? This morning I received a memo from the Department of Public Works, "Requesting" a "Scheduled Power Outage" which will affect the entire installation from 1300 to 1600 hours.

First of all what if we said no?? Secondly, what is it that is broken, that requires fixing? (The power works fine on the camp) Lastly, why does it require turning the power to the entire installation off?

Do IBM executives have to contend with stuff like this??

Things I think are Way Cool #1

Here is the first installment of things I think are way cool. I will share them as I think of them, enjoy.


MH-60L preparing to fastrope insert US Army Rangers

MH-60K defending Liberty

US Army MH-60K preparing to insert Rangers via fastrope

These are various photos I've collected of one mean US Army Flying Machine used exclusively by US Special Operations Forces.

The Event Horizon (where it all gets interesting)

The problem with blogs (I have blogged a bit in the past) is where to begin, and how to go about it. Is it to be constructed in such a way as to be coherent to the masses, or is it to be understandable only to me. Should it be meaningful in order to attempt to benifit mankind, or should it be junkfood?

How to organize ones thoughts so it can be coherent TO ME? There's a great deal going on inside this head. It is really safe to let it all out? What's my culpability in the event people use what's here for evil?

I guess the best way is to just jump in.

I'm reasonably certain some of you (assuming people actually see and read this blog) are wondering: "Why the title?" I'll explain...

Event Horizon: The theoretical boundary surrounding a black hole, within which gravitational attraction is so great that nothing, not even radiation, can escape because the escape velocity is greater than the speed of light.

A Schwarzschild Radius, also called gravitational radius, is the distance that defines the size at which a spherical astronomical object such as a star becomes a black hole. Nothing, not even a particle moving at the speed of light, can escape the gravitational pull of a black hole.

Therefore, the Schwarzschild radius is the largest radius that a body with a specific mass can have and still keep light from escaping. The formula for the Schwarzschild radius of a body is Rs = GM/c2, where Rs is the Schwarzschild radius of the body, G is a constant known as the universal constant of gravitation, M is the mass of the object, and c is the speed of light.

Nothing, not even a particle moving at the speed of light, can escape the gravitational pull of a black hole. Therefore, the Schwarzschild radius is the largest radius that a body with a specific mass can have and still keep light from escaping.

The formula for the Schwarzschild radius of a body is Rs = GM/c2, where Rs is the Schwarzschild radius of the body, G is a constant known as the universal constant of gravitation, M is the mass of the object, and c is the speed of light.

The Schwarzschild radius of a black hole marks its event horizon, or the boundary past which light can enter but not escape. Astronomers believe that once an object collapses to within its Schwarzschild radius, it continues collapsing until it becomes a singularity, or a point with infinite density and a radius of zero.

Microsoft® Encarta® Reference Library 2003. © 1993-2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

What exactly is my point?? Well, it is completely possible that you will be so pulled in to what is written here that you will be trapped and unable to get out. We shall see what happens.