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Post by codystarbuck on Jun 11, 2023 21:02:03 GMT -5
Isn't it the Chaplain's Assistant school, rather than the Chaplains School? I believe the MOS is now called religious affairs specialist rather than chaplain's assistant. The actual Ft Wadsworth had housed the US Army Chaplain School, that was the name. It was moved and is now the US Army Institute for Religious Leadership, which is typical military speak for what everyone calls "the padre." The modern school is located at Fort Jackson, in Columbia, SC, as are the Air Force and Navy Chaplain Institutes. I did a little looking around. They are actually call them Religious Affairs Specialists, which is an actual Military Occupational Specialty. They are enlisted personnel and go through an Advanced Individual Training. Since 1965, the RAS training has been conducted at the same facility as the Chaplains. They do provide some counseling services, as well as support to the Chaplain's functions. It is not always made fully clear, by Hollywood, what the chaplain's role is. MASH did a reasonably good job of it. They don't just conduct religious services and confession; they also provide counseling services that aren't necessarily in relation to spiritual matters. It can have a spiritual approach, but, they are trained and qualified psychological counselors. They are a major component in mental health, as the right to see a chaplain cannot be infringed and everything discussed must be held in confidence. They are probably the key counseling avenue and the most accessible. When I was working at COMDESRON 4 (Commander, Destroyer Squadron 4....the command staff that runs the squadron...I worked in the Material Office, helping to track and expedite repair parts for critical repairs, which we monitored and helped facilitate, with repair activities), there was also a Chaplain center, attached to the command. We had 4 chaplains, a Catholic chaplain, who was a Commander, a second Catholic chaplain, who was a lieutenant and just getting going, in the role, and 2 protestant denominational chaplains, one of whom was also their resident expert for Eastern Religions. The commander retired, while I was there and the lieutenant was coming in to replace him, as the Catholic representative, with a bit of overlap. I am an atheist, something I determined in high school; but, I did interact with one of the protestant chaplains (the Eastern Religion expert) quite a bit, though mostly just socializing. I never sought out counselling services with them, but we would have discussions about various topics, where rank wasn't a factor. It was good to have someone to talk to outside the hierarchy. He used to refer to himself as a "Zen Methodist" and had a pretty good sense of humor. I was in an odd position of working with more senior officers and then mostly chief petty officers; so, I was a little cut off from contemporaries, though I was only one degree in rank behind 3 of the officers. I could identify with the chaplain as another "misfit," since I was on extended temporary additional duty there (long story, fairly boring). Same with the medical corpsman, though he was a chief. We also had a doctor there, part of the time, though of the two we had, I was really only social with one. Her replacement had a bit of an attitude problem, which wasn't uncommon for the medical corps. The other doctor has previously worked in a correctional facility and didn't have the chip on her shoulder that the replacement did. We were all in support specialties, rather than warfare specialties, so we were kind of misfits. The chaplain staff would conduct regular services on the ships, in port and make regular visits to the ships in the squadron, to provide onsite counseling or spiritual guidance, or whatever was needed. I had a lot more respect for them than the average minister. Actually, strike that. I have a lot of respect for actual ministers, versus evangelists and also church hierarchies and organizational bodies. Anyway, I found that military chaplains were less dogmatic and more open to other points of view, in discussion, on various topics, but, especially religion and philosophy. With civilian clergy, it varied greatly across denominations and even within. I grew up in a relatively undogmatic protestant denomination, so I tend to get along better with the more open minded in the field. It was interesting, though, as during one Squadron Happy Hour gathering (they did this once a month, for the officers of the ships to mix with the staff officers and build relationships), I was in discussion with the Zen Methodist chaplain and the Catholic lieutenant, as well as the engineering lieutenant in my office and the Catholic chaplain started talking about the real problem the Catholic church was facing, in regards to sex offender priests and this was before major revelations came out in the media, by at least a couple of years. He spoke of how bad it was and how the church hierarchy was refusing to address it; so, I wasn't particularly shocked when newspaper and media accounts of priest abuse came out and exposes of how much the Church superiors knew. I suspect is was a real crisis of faith for him, seeing this evil within the organization and the unwillingness of the Church Authority to address it. I am curious to see how the school might play into future stories, if at all, especially with what I know about the end of the first year (though I haven't read the storyline, yet). If they had included a chaplain character on the team, I would have to thing they would have been called Sky Pilot.  |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jun 11, 2023 21:13:42 GMT -5
When I was a kid, I really dug the G.I. Joe Mini Comic Magazine Digests. IIRC, they did the same thing with the Transformers series. It was a great way to pick up back issues for kids with limited means. There was a Transformer one and both DC and Marvel flirted around with digest publications, for a while. Marvel did several, with Spider-Man, as well as some others, aside from the Pocket Book mass market paperback reprints they did. DC had a bigger program, with their Special Blue Ribbon Digests and Best of DC Digests. between those and the Treasury Edition and Limited Collector and All-New Collector Editions, those were the TPBs of my time, in the late 70s and early 80s (aside from the paperback reprint books and the trade size Fireside Books collections). My later days in college is when you started see more actual trade reprints, from DC and Marvel, which is how I finally got to read the whole Dark Phoenix Saga, after having some of the lead in, then the aftermath, but not much of the actual storyline. Also how I got to read the whole Thanos Saga, from Captain Marvel, as those were two of the earliest Marvel collections I bought (as well as the whole Demon in a Bottle Iron Man one, the Project Pegasus collection and the Korvac Saga, from The Avengers) I wish Archie had done more of their super hero ones (they did two, back then) as they were great, mixing the 60s Mighty Comics revival, with some of the Red Circle horror stuff and the Life of Archie superhero bits (Pureheart, Evilheart, Captain Hero and Super Teen). I would have liked more of the 60s reprints and then some of the 40s material, though some of that was a bit more gruesome than you would expect, from the people who produced Archie. |
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Post by foxley on Jun 11, 2023 22:54:08 GMT -5
Isn't it the Chaplain's Assistant school, rather than the Chaplains School? I believe the MOS is now called religious affairs specialist rather than chaplain's assistant. The actual Ft Wadsworth had housed the US Army Chaplain School, that was the name. It was moved and is now the US Army Institute for Religious Leadership, which is typical military speak for what everyone calls "the padre." The modern school is located at Fort Jackson, in Columbia, SC, as are the Air Force and Navy Chaplain Institutes. I did a little looking around. They are actually call them Religious Affairs Specialists, which is an actual Military Occupational Specialty. They are enlisted personnel and go through an Advanced Individual Training. Since 1965, the RAS training has been conducted at the same facility as the Chaplains. They do provide some counseling services, as well as support to the Chaplain's functions. It is not always made fully clear, by Hollywood, what the chaplain's role is. MASH did a reasonably good job of it. They don't just conduct religious services and confession; they also provide counseling services that aren't necessarily in relation to spiritual matters. It can have a spiritual approach, but, they are trained and qualified psychological counselors. They are a major component in mental health, as the right to see a chaplain cannot be infringed and everything discussed must be held in confidence. They are probably the key counseling avenue and the most accessible. When I was working at COMDESRON 4 (Commander, Destroyer Squadron 4....the command staff that runs the squadron...I worked in the Material Office, helping to track and expedite repair parts for critical repairs, which we monitored and helped facilitate, with repair activities), there was also a Chaplain center, attached to the command. We had 4 chaplains, a Catholic chaplain, who was a Commander, a second Catholic chaplain, who was a lieutenant and just getting going, in the role, and 2 protestant denominational chaplains, one of whom was also their resident expert for Eastern Religions. The commander retired, while I was there and the lieutenant was coming in to replace him, as the Catholic representative, with a bit of overlap. I am an atheist, something I determined in high school; but, I did interact with one of the protestant chaplains (the Eastern Religion expert) quite a bit, though mostly just socializing. I never sought out counselling services with them, but we would have discussions about various topics, where rank wasn't a factor. It was good to have someone to talk to outside the hierarchy. He used to refer to himself as a "Zen Methodist" and had a pretty good sense of humor. I was in an odd position of working with more senior officers and then mostly chief petty officers; so, I was a little cut off from contemporaries, though I was only one degree in rank behind 3 of the officers. I could identify with the chaplain as another "misfit," since I was on extended temporary additional duty there (long story, fairly boring). Same with the medical corpsman, though he was a chief. We also had a doctor there, part of the time, though of the two we had, I was really only social with one. Her replacement had a bit of an attitude problem, which wasn't uncommon for the medical corps. The other doctor has previously worked in a correctional facility and didn't have the chip on her shoulder that the replacement did. We were all in support specialties, rather than warfare specialties, so we were kind of misfits. The chaplain staff would conduct regular services on the ships, in port and make regular visits to the ships in the squadron, to provide onsite counseling or spiritual guidance, or whatever was needed. I had a lot more respect for them than the average minister. Actually, strike that. I have a lot of respect for actual ministers, versus evangelists and also church hierarchies and organizational bodies. Anyway, I found that military chaplains were less dogmatic and more open to other points of view, in discussion, on various topics, but, especially religion and philosophy. With civilian clergy, it varied greatly across denominations and even within. I grew up in a relatively undogmatic protestant denomination, so I tend to get along better with the more open minded in the field. It was interesting, though, as during one Squadron Happy Hour gathering (they did this once a month, for the officers of the ships to mix with the staff officers and build relationships), I was in discussion with the Zen Methodist chaplain and the Catholic lieutenant, as well as the engineering lieutenant in my office and the Catholic chaplain started talking about the real problem the Catholic church was facing, in regards to sex offender priests and this was before major revelations came out in the media, by at least a couple of years. He spoke of how bad it was and how the church hierarchy was refusing to address it; so, I wasn't particularly shocked when newspaper and media accounts of priest abuse came out and exposes of how much the Church superiors knew. I suspect is was a real crisis of faith for him, seeing this evil within the organization and the unwillingness of the Church Authority to address it. I am curious to see how the school might play into future stories, if at all, especially with what I know about the end of the first year (though I haven't read the storyline, yet). If they had included a chaplain character on the team, I would have to thing they would have been called Sky Pilot. Thanks for the clarification. I know in the comic they always refer to it as Chaplain's Assistant School, but it would make sense that the Chaplain's Assistants are trained in the same location. And that the Chaplain Corps go through additional training to gain to understand the military part of their role, the same way military doctors undergo additional training.
I have a reasonable understanding of the chaplain's role. Although I am an atheist myself, I grew up in a (nominally) Anglican family and have known several Anglican ministers who served as chaplains to the local police, fire or prison services in addition to their parish duties. And he chaplain at my high school (which was a counseling role rather than a religious one) had previously been a chaplain in the Australian army.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jun 14, 2023 16:34:54 GMT -5
GI JOE #4 Good old fashioned "Comin' at ya" cover. Only problem is that it looks like Stalker just "fragged" Snake Eyes. I don't know what the hell Hawk is supposed to be wearing; doesn't look like a beret or a cap. That is a pet peeve of mine, as so many comic book artists seem incapable of drawing a military beret, without it either looking like a tam o' shanter or a lump on top of the head. Mike Grell could do it, Howard Chaykin could do it. Granted, the modern US Army drapes them in a weird manner....  Pre-Gulf War, they didn't wear them with that weird "dip" at the front, with the flash (insignia). I was in a restaurant and an officer was eating and finished, got up and donned his beret and spent about 2 minutes adjusting it, creating the dip. In my day, the just situated it on their head, gave a little tug on the right side and you were ready to rock 'n' roll. I didn't see them being worn like that until the Gulf War and after, especially after the Army gave them to everybody, not just elite units. The Navy stuck with "dixie cups" and caps or "piss-cutters" (garrison cap). None of this French stuff for us! The Marines used to make fun of the Army for wearing them. Of course, I actually wore a black one, in high school, and had several different ones after I left the Navy, with different badges. I still have a black one, with insignia of Dt Totenkopf, from Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow....  ...a green German military beret, with jager infantry badge, and a maroon with WW2-era paratroop badge, with a King's Crown. Used to have another green one, draped French style (slanted to the left), with French Foreign Legion Metro Para badge. These days, I just wear a "newsboy" cap. Creative Team: Larry Hama-writer, Herb Trimpe-plot & pencils, Jack Abel & Jon D'Agostino-inks, Diana Albers-letters, George Roussos-colors, Tom DeFalco-editor, Jim Shooter-back at the CP Mission Report: The JOE's are being briefed about a militia wingnut commander, named Wingfield, with film footage of his training his men with live ammo....  He calls his bunch of survivalists and paranoid nutjobs Strike First, which would normally fall under the jurisdiction of the FBI (and possibly the BATF), except they have intel that they are secretly funded by Cobra, which puts them on the JOEs' desk. They are going undercover, for this one, with a three-man team: Hawk and Grunt will go in as new recruits, whil Sanke Eyes will maintain covert observation outside their base, in Montana. Hawk & Grunt arrive with the new influx, and notices that some of the recruits have wives and children with them. Hawk tells Grunt that Wingfield encourages it, to have further power over the recruits. They notice a building with large fans for venting and surmise it is the armory. They draw uniforms and chow and then hit the sack. Hawk and Grunt confer. The camp is surrounded by hurricane fencing, topped with barb wire, guard towers at the 4 corners, the main gate and overlooking a private airstrip. Flood lights every 50 yards. They decide to do a recon the following night, after training. The next day, Hawk and Grunt, along with the new recruits, are put through training, with obstacle course and pugil stick drill. the two soldiers try to not look like trained soldiers, though in his observation notes, Snake Eyes records that they aren't very convincing. He also records the presence of a Korean War vintage F-86 Sabre fighter jet and a WW2/Korean War B-29 Stratofortress bomber, the kind that dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Snake Eyes decides to do a night infiltration to determine if Strike First has a nuclear capability.  At 2230 hours (10:30 pm, you civilian maggots!), Snake Eyes approaches a weak segment of the perimeter fence, waits for the foot patrol to move on and cuts a low section of fencing and wriggles under it. he then sets out to locate any possible nuclear weapons, At the same time, Hawk and Grunt sneak out of their barracks and one of Wingfield's officers mentions that the commander has called a meeting. Hawk & Grunt hear the militia guys talking and so does Snake Eyes. he follows them and eavesdrops, while Hawk and Grunt head over to the armory. Wingfield briefs his men that the government is spying on them and it is time to launch their offensive strike. Cobra has provided them with two nuclear devices and they intend to use them to launch a first strike....  Holy General Ripper! He is keeping one nuke at the base. If the bombing of Vladivostok is a failure, they will detonate it to make the US believe the Soviets launched a sneak attack and they will then retaliate. Hawk and Grunt find that the armory is filled with Soviet T-60E tanks, which means Cobra bought WW2-era scout tanks, which were considered crap. I think Larry or Herb got them confused with US M-60 Main Battle Tanks; or else, they meant the T-64, which was the 1960s-era main battle tank for the Soviets, before replacing them with the T-72. They are relatively certain that Cobra provided them, rather than the Soviets. As they look around, they trip the security system, installed by Cobra techs. Wingfield is alerted and orders a search for the intruders. They call out the troops and surround the armory. Hawk and Grunt are trapped, but they don't go down easily....  After all, their drill instructor was Sgt Slaughter...... (Shame it is so boring, with those 20 minute rest holds and no backflips off the top rope) Hawk & Grunt kick ass and take names, but they run out of paper and are subdued. Winfgield orders them to be taken to "the hole," for disposal and orders Capt Carruthers to be alerted to launch Plan Alpha. Snake Eyes sneaks into the radio shack, subdues the operator and then sends out a message to the JOE Team, on standby.  Hawk and Grunt are taken to "The hole," at dawn (tradition!), but Snake Eyes drops out of a tree and takes out their guards. They see the B-29 lift off for Vladivostok. Hawk goes to the airfield to grab the Sabre and Grunt and Snake Eyes head for the armory, to keep track of Wingfield. They run into a firefight and grunt is pinned down, while Snake Eyes sneaks around and climbs to the roof of a barracks and witnesses Wingfield ordering his wife to arm the women and children. She voices an objection and is told "everyone fights." Snake Eyes signals Grunt to hold fire. Hawk takes out a sentry and grabs the conveniently fueled and armed F-86 Sabre and takes off to catch the B-29. He tries to radio the authorities but the radio is dead. Carruthers reports he is on track for Vladivostok. Hawk locates the aircraft and comes in from 2 o'clock and fires his guns, hitting the B-29 along the spine and inboard engines. The bomber starts smoking and loses altitude....  Hawk gives Carruthers the chance to jump, but no chutes appear. Splash one B-29! Wingfiled is alerted to the loss of the B-29 and goes to activate the fail safe bomb. His wife objects and another wife says he is nuts. She takes her child and starts to walk. Wingfield pulls his sidearm and takes aim. He tells his wife to act as back-up.  She shoots him in the back, as the JOE assault team comes in range, in a helicopter. The team lands and deploys, and mops up the rest of Wingfield's men, but the fight is out of them. Hawk tells Mrs Wingfield to drop the weapon, that it is over and she tells them it is, because her husband activated the nuke. They have 5 minutes to disarm it. Hawk orders Zap to get to work. Snake Eyes helps, as they remove the warhead cover and work to stop the actuator, finally lifting it free, with a few seconds to spare. The team then goes to the latrine, to empty out their trousers and then loads the prisoners into transport and mount up to head home. Thoughts: ripped from the headlines. Back in the mid-80s, you had a growing survivalist and militia movement, whose nuclear paranoia led them to feel that a nuclear exchange was imminent. Granted, the rhetoric from the Reagan White House didn't help to calm such tensions, especially after he joking referred to bombers en route, while recording his weekly radio address, which alarmed a hell of a lot of people. Military surplus dealers and camping supply places made a fortune off such people and gun dealers were selling military-grade weapons by the truckload, along with high capacity magazines and ammo, MREs (Meal, Ready to Eat, which is false advertising!) gas masks and other junk. Bunkers were built and people talked about after the apocalypse, like there would be an "after." When the Soviet Union collapsed, in 1991, they just switched to UN conspiracies and other gonzo ideas. Meanwhile, a lot of maniacs thought the US could destroy the Soviet Union with a first strike sneak attack, if it had the will. This went back to General Curtis Lemay, who had advocated such a thing long before, which inspired Dr Strangelove and General Jack D Ripper. The reality was that any first strike could not wipe out enough sites to eliminate a retaliation, which would likely destroy most of civilization and also so poison the environment that "survival" was a pretty bleak prospect. The FBI maintained surveillance of such extremist groups and we have seen how it never fully went away, despite the collapse of the Soviet Union and was reinforced by the 9/11 attacks and increasingly extreme rhetoric in politics. The decades that followed were filled with things like the Waco siege and other such standoffs, with government agents, Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, the Oklahoma City bombing, and the attempt at insurrection on January 6, 2021. In reality, domestic terrorism falls under the Dept of Homeland Security and the FBI, though prior to 9/11 and the security reorganization, it was the domain of the FBI. The FBI maintains specially trained special operations units, through the Critical Incident Response Group, which includes FBI SWAT Operation Unit and the Hostage Rescue Team. These agents are trained in conjunction with the Joint Special Operations Command and also cross-train with other counter-terrorism special operations units, such as the British SAS and the German GSG-9. As such, the US Army would not deploy for such an operation, except in extreme circumstances, or via National Guard units, in support of the FBI teams. The story makes mention of the FBI and then says the JOE Team is brought in because of the Cobra connection, suggesting, in this reality, that the GI JOE team has a legal jurisdiction to deal specifically with terrorist threats, both foreign and domestic. That might be a bit more plausible of they were shown to be more of a governmental entity, rather than a military operation. however, since the toys were military-based, so was the comic and cartoon. As rationales go, it is palatable and they were at least smart enough and informed enough to recognize they should address the JOEs operating against domestic terrorism and not just Cobra attacks. The B-29 is a bit much to swallow; but, if we can have US Army ninjas and laser rifles, a B-29 is low level fantasy. The conveniently fueled and armed F-86 is a bit of overkill; but it is a plot convenience to shoot down the bomber. The logistics of supporting either would suggest the government waited way to long to go after these guys. The bigger issue is the actual range of the B-29, which is approx 3,250 miles. The distance between Montana and Vladivostok is 5,140 miles, depending on starting point. The bomber could not reach Vladivostok, without refueling. Maybe they improvised additional fuel' but, it would be nearly double capacity. That's a lot of weight, plus bomb load. Also, only Carruthers is shown in the plane. A B-29 had a crew of 9. At a minimum, it would require a pilot, co-pilot and bombardier. I could buy the co-pilot doubling up as navigator and/or the bombadier doubling as radio operator; but anything less than 3 would probably not be able to fly the aircraft, certainly no less than two. The Strike First folks all seem to have a sponsorship from Ray Bans....  and since that panel is from the fight in the middle of the night, they also seem to follow Corey Hart's example.... Pugil sticks are the giant Q-tips that they used on American Gladiators to knock each other off of pedestals....  Gomer Pyle was an expert..... (Gomer is learnin' a bully to be a better recruit) I have no idea what kind of helo the JOE assault force arrives in, as it bears no resemblance to any then-current models. It's kind of a mongrel of various models. In typical fashion, the nuclear device that Zap has to disarm is overly complex, with ridiculous safeguards, to add to the drama of defusing it. In reality, it's a pretty straight forward construction and disarming the actuator would be straightforward. (relatively speaking, by a trained tech). But, why do things the easy way? Nitpicking aside, this is a nice thriller of a story, which also takes note of the crazies out there, in the survivalist and militia world of the time period. The story progresses in a logical manner and Hama and Trimpe mix the tense moments with the more dynamic battle stuff quite well. Trimpe does a nice job with the tension of Mrs Wingfield's decision to shoot her husband. Next time, the JOEs get a parade, which is more than Larry Hama or Herb Trimpe got!
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Post by foxley on Jun 14, 2023 18:10:09 GMT -5
Go ahead. Make fun of a member of the SAS (Australia or UK) for their sand coloured beret. You'll regret it. After you wake up.  Of course, in the Australian army, the only units that wear berets as regular uniform (for every one else it is the slouch hat) are the special forces (SAS, paras and commandos), those who need to wear headsets (aviation and armour), and those who need to be immediately identifiable to other troops (military police and nursing corps). |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jun 14, 2023 20:08:59 GMT -5
Go ahead. Make fun of a member of the SAS (Australia or UK) for their sand coloured beret. You'll regret it. After you wake up. Of course, in the Australian army, the only units that wear berets as regular uniform (for every one else it is the slouch hat) are the special forces (SAS, paras and commandos), those who need to wear headsets (aviation and armour), and those who need to be immediately identifiable to other troops (military police and nursing corps). Oh the Marines will do it and the SAS will have a fight on their hands. Personally, I liked them, which is why I owned several, though the US military was using the wrong supplier. Theirs came with a stiffener, sewn in, for the beret flash and it tended to a excess of material. You had to soak them in hot water to shape them properly, which is part of why they usually looked like crap in 80s films, as they probably bought them at surplus stores and didn't know how to shape them properly. I kind of prefer the modern British Army style, which uses a smaller area of material and, for my money, gives a more crisp and professional look. I have noted that their elite units tend to wear them perched at rakish angles, compared to other regiments, especially the Paras and the Royal Marines. For the longest time, only Special Forces had them in the Army, after John F Kennedy signed an executive order permitting the wearing of the Green Beret, as he was impressed with their capabilities. They had started unoffically wearing the beret after cross training at the NATO Reconnaissance School. A lot of the regular Army higher ranks didn't like them (not traditional) and succeeded in outlawing them, until Kennedy's order. The USAF Air Police adopted a blue one and Navy Riverine patrol boat crews wore black ones, in Vietnam (and the SEALs unofficially adopted a camouflage one). In the early 80s, they finally authorized them for other elite units and Army Airborne got the maroon red one and the Army Rangers got black. Then, in the pre-9/11 days, the Army authorized black for the regular Army and switched the Rangers to the sand color, like the SAS. The US military never did go in for beret badges though, just a cloth "flash," with the colors of the unit. In high school, I had a 101st Airborne flash on my black beret, because I though it fit better, even though they wore maroon. It was a pain in the tuchus to sew that thing on, especially with the carboard stiffener. The US Army has gone back to BDU caps, for things other than dress uniform, though the elites have stuck with theirs. One of the complaints was wearing wool hats in places like South carolina or Georgia, in the heat of summer. In the field, they would usually wear patrol caps or boonie hats, as the Green Berets did in Vietnam, since they were more practical for the jungle environment (though a lot of guys wore "'do-rags", to keep the sweat out of their face and to reduce their silhouette). The Navy, when wearing BDUs, adopted the Marine Corps style of patrol cap, with the eight points. I always preferred that to the standard Army patrol cap (the ones you see in MASH). They had a smarter look to them (if you starched and ironed the top correctly). I used to wear a black one with my Naval Officer's insignia, after I got out, which always got compliments. It was more stylish than a standard ballcap (lighter, too). I also had a standard OD Green one, though it was hard to find one without the USMC emblem imprinted on it. I lost that after a tornado ripped through the area. I went out to the store, after the storm had passed, but there were very high winds, in the aftermath of the frontal system, and the wind got under the bill and just flipped it right off my head and carried it at high speed down the road. I had just reacted to it coming off when I saw it sailing a half of a block down the street and it was still going, as the wind was constant. Gung Ho wears the Marine cap (though they had switched to the Woodland Camo BDU cap, by that time), in the cartoons and toys, and whenever he turns up in the comic. Currently, the US Navy wears a camo BDU work uniform and the 8-point cap. For a while, they had a blue version, but that changed in 2017. That is mostly at shore commands. At sea, they wear blue coverall uniforms, for working, dress uniforms for coming into and departing port or ceremonial functions. The Service Dress Blue and Service Dress White uniforms remain, and the enlisted "crackerjacks." Still have the service white and khaki for E-7 and up; but, the enlisted got a new service uniform, of khaki shirt and black trousers. When I started Naval ROTC, they gave us a seabag, a couple of sets of khakis, a set of summer whites, a set of winter blues, the Service Dress Whites (aka Choker Whites) and Service Dress Blues, black uniform shoes, white uniform shoes, khaki garrison cap, white combination cap, raincoat and wool "bridge coat" (winter overcoat....nice and warm and stylish) We used to buy windbreakers and the like on summer training, at the Exchange, but were issued additional uniforms for summer cruise. Between Freshman and Sophomore year, we wore the enlisted dungarees, with a blue stipe around the rim of out "dixie cup") and lived and worked their life. The following summer (Sophomore to Junior) we spent 4 weeks with different segments of the Navy (Surface, Submarine, Aviation, Marine) to help choose a career path. We were issued camo BDUs for Marine Week, combat boots, and the 8-pointed BDU cap. Final cruise (Junior to Senior) we lived the officer life and got a few more sets of khakis, to be able to have 5 sets. Upon graduation, we were given a commissioning allowance ($250) to buy rank insignia and other basics, before reporting to our first command. I had to get Supply Corps insignia, unlike my peers (they were all regular Navy) and bought another set of choker whites, with velcro collar clasp, instead of metal hooks. We were also issued the cotton-polyester service whites and khakis, in ROTC, and I bought additional of those. Officers paid for uniforms and meals, while the enlisted got annual allowances for uniforms and meals were provided or they drew Comrats, a ration allowance to pay for meals, on shore duty. CPOs also got Comrats. Officers were cheap and didn't want to part with their subsistence allowance, yet wondered why they weren't eating steak for dinner. I'd tell them they could, but their mess bill would go up about 10-15 dollars a month. That would usually shut them up and they would go back to their hamburger. Chief's ate well because they knew Comrats were to pay for food and not their pay. Officers are too stupid to grasp the concept of a subsistence allowance, vs their pay and housing allowance. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jun 14, 2023 20:41:33 GMT -5
After all, their drill instructor was Sgt Slaughter...... (Shame it is so boring, with those 20 minute rest holds and no backflips off the top rope) Only 6 minutes (and a good thing too... I wouldn't have made 20). What kind of finish is that.... they just kinda collide. Was pretty cool seeing big Sarge throw a dropkick though |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jun 14, 2023 23:09:47 GMT -5
After all, their drill instructor was Sgt Slaughter...... (Shame it is so boring, with those 20 minute rest holds and no backflips off the top rope) Only 6 minutes (and a good thing too... I wouldn't have made 20). What kind of finish is that.... they just kinda collide. Was pretty cool seeing big Sarge throw a dropkick though clothesline off the rope. Jake was still relatively green then, and worked undercard in Mid-Atlantic. Florida was where he got some seasoning and then went to Georgia, where he made bigger noises. They kept him somewhat strong, not completely jobbing him out. Slaughter's primary finisher was the Cobra Clutch. Bob Caudle mentions an earlier upset of Jack Brisco defeating Ric Flair (less an upset, more of a surprise match, which Flair loses). Flair comes out for a squash match, runs down his opponent, an African-American undercard wrestler and makes a subtle racist statement. Wahoo McDaniel comes out to challenge him and is held back by Kelly Kiniski and Mike Rotunda (a very young Rotunda). Flair says he told McDaniel he wouldn't wrestle him again. They jaw a bit and then Flair says he would wrestle "the man in the ring" then turns around and Jack brisco is in there, telling him to come in. Flair balks, is goaded by wahoo and caudle and then gets in and they have a great wrestling match, with each attempting a Figure 4, which the other reverses. Brisco clamps on a short arm scissor and rolls Flair around the ring with it. Flair hits Brisco with a pile driver, but Brisco gets his shoulder up before the 3 count. Flair, tries for a butterfly suplex and Brisco reverse is and pivots Flair around into a backslide and pins him. Slaughter was great in Mid-Atlantic and wrestled more than he did in the WWF, as most people did. Mid-Atlantic always had a great mix of grappling and fast spots. Slaughter & Kernodle vs Steamboat & Youngblood is a fantastic program, going from the babyfaces losing the titles, challenging to regain them, back and forth angles, the big match (which sold out the Greensboro Colosseum and tied up the Interstate near the exit), with the babyfaces winning. That was followed up with Brisco turning heel and he and Gerry challenging ang winning the tag titles, then the match at Starrcade. I prefer matt-based, competitive stuff, with a nice mixture of some high flyers and a few brawlers, with the charisma and ability to carry it off. I just lost interest in the wake of WCW going under and the WWE getting lazy, without competition. TNA never grabbed me much, other than some of the X-Division and nothing else really did, until NWA Powerrr, at the start; but, the pandemic killed their momentum and they never recovered. I tried AEW but too much of it was a stunt show and the only stuff that interested me was Cody & Dustin and not enough to tune in each week. Plus, I work into the evening and just don't watch tv and haven't really, in a decade or more. A few things on streaming, but that is very selective. GLOW probably satisfied my wrestling itch better than any actual wrestling promotion, since the Monday Night Wars. |
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Post by foxley on Jun 15, 2023 2:59:06 GMT -5
Roger that. Probably my favourite winter coat is a WWII-era Royal Canadian Navy greatcoat I bought on eBay. I'd actually been looking for a Royal Navy greatcoat, but the RCN used the same pattern, with only the buttons being different. One fascinating thing is that I actually have provenance on it. The original owners name is on the label inside and as it is a very unusual surname, I was able to look him up. He was a student at the naval academy at the start of WWII, and was part of the class that as raced through the remainder of their studies and commissioned as junior officers because of the shortage of naval officers. He stayed in the navy after the war and eventually retired in the late 60s with the rank of Captain. (The coat has captain's shoulder boards.) Assuming he kept the same coat for his whole career--and given how hard wearing it is, I can believe it--it really is WWII vintage.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jun 15, 2023 9:02:40 GMT -5
AEW doesn't follow through super well on things, but it has its great moments, and the matches are great. SOME of them are spotfests, but some are really fantasic... they've done a couple 60 minute Iron Man matches that were great. Just last night they had a great match between Adam Cole and MJF. Miles better than anything WWE has done since the attitude era IMO.
NWA seemed like maybe it was going somewhere, but they didn't have the talent.. AEW does.
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Post by commond on Jun 15, 2023 18:33:09 GMT -5
That was a decent studio match between Slaughter and Jake Roberts. I find that period of Jake's career to be fascinating. He's still piecing things together but there's a charm to his jerky movements and the way he tries to base everything around the kneelift. He became lazier later on, which he tried to fob off as masterful psychology, though I do love his heel runs in the WWF. Sarge had great matches in the WWF in his first two stints. I don't think there's a huge drop off between his Mid-Atlantic work and his WWF work.
As for AEW, the Attitude Era featured lousy wrestling for the most part, so it wouldn't be hard for AEW to produce a better in-ring product. AEW booking is the shits, though. I don't really buy the fact that AEW has better matches than any period since the Attitude Era ended. The WWE has had a ton of great matches over the past 25 years, and better week-to-week wrestling than any period in its history. Corporate WWE has been stale for a mighty long time, at least up until Vince got the boot and Triple H took over, but AEW isn't that far ahead.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jun 15, 2023 19:56:47 GMT -5
I preferred Jake in Georgia to Jake in the WWF. he did some of the booking there, at one point and he had good matches with different people and was part of the whole Legion of Doom thing, which fans tend to forget or are ignorant of the fact that Paul Ellering managed more than the Road Warriors and the collective group was known as the Legion of Doom. Over time, it got paired down to the Road warriors.
In terms of GI Joe, the Slaughter of the Joe era was a pale shadow of the heel Sgt Slaughter of the Carolinas and Backlund-era WWF. Once Vince turned him into a cartoon, it was over. Wasn't overly fond of his AWA matches, either. I kept hoping for the Slaughter of the Carolinas and kept getting a minor variation on the WWF Slaughter, but in slower motion.
Kind of surprised they never came up with a Cobra wrestler.
Aside from The Cobra.....
Loved what little I got to see of The Cobra and a couple of matches, without the mask, under his real name, George Takano. Great wrestler, a bit more grounded than Tiger Mask Physically bigger, too), though Tiger Mask was the better showman. Don't know if they ever wrestled each other in Japan, before Sayama left to help form UWF; but, they did have a match, in 1996, for UWFi (Takada's group, not the first UWF or Newborn UWF, but the offshoot of Newborn).
Lot more grappling action, after some initial signature pieces. pro wrestling rules, rather than (worked) shoot wrestling.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 16, 2023 6:33:59 GMT -5
These posts have got me thinking: how did Hasbro feel about Sarge’s heel turn and alliance with General Adnan? I know wrestling is fictional - and neither fish nor fowl - but part of me wonders if Hasbro didn’t appreciate “one of their own” turning heel…
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Post by jason on Jun 16, 2023 8:55:18 GMT -5
Interesting question, especially since Hasbro had the WWF license at the time. They probably didnt think it was that big of a deal since they made a (babyface) Slaughter figure and even had him in their commercials:
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Post by Deleted on Jun 16, 2023 8:56:53 GMT -5
Perhaps times were different. I know there was a negative backlash to the WWF angle because of the real-life Gulf War. I can imagine that if it happened today, Hasbro might not appreciate it, but that’s just my subjective view.
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