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The One Man Gang
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Thunderin' Jayzus! Didja think I was dead!?!?!
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« on: November 11, 2010, 07:38:38 AM » |
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They Also Served
As Veterans' Day approaches each year, there are countless TV shows and movies shown of great battles, leaders and other heroes. That is as it should be. Heroism and steadfastness in times of trial needs to be celebrated in our increasingly risk-averse culture.
However, there are also legions of veterans equally deserving of the title who toiled away in various places serving in their roles as cogs in the massive machine that got the beans and bullets forward so the fighting men could have what was needed.
In days of yore, armies lived off the land and navies off what could be carried in the holds of individual ships, bartered for at ports of call, or caught on various islands along the voyage. Generally the entire staff consisted of a quartermaster who requisitioned the stuff and a paymaster to pay for it and to make sure the troops got their pay. Today we refer to it as a “tooth to tail” ratio. Until roughly the American Civil War, that ratio was about 1:0.5. If you were in the military you fought.
The American Civil War really began to change all that. Because the fighting was taking place on US soil, the old notion of simply taking what you needed would have been quite counter-productive. By the time of the Siege of Petersburg in late 1864, the Army of the Potomac had vast supply dumps and hundreds of teamsters and stevedores in Blue to move it all around. Now there were ordnance men, signalers, doctors and orderlies and hosts of other. The ratio began to move to 1:3 or even 1:5. It took up 5 men in the rear with the gear to support one on the firing line.
Waging war became much more complicated as technology exploded in the late 19th and early twentieth century. Armies now numbered in the millions and just administering such vast hordes, not to mention the vast quantities of ammo and other supplies they needed required literally millions of men in uniform. In World War I, the US Army created an entire sub-command called the Service of Supply to move stuff around. It was commanded by a Lt. General.
Naval ships had quit riding on the winds and now needed fuel and fueling stations scattered around the globe. All those needed sailors to man them. More ships were needed to move food and ammo out to the fleet. By World War II, the US Navy's fast carriers could remain forward-deployed for years at a time, only returning to major harbors for major repairs or overhaul. The chain of ships supporting them outnumbered the fighting ships by a huge number. The tooth-to-tail was about 1:15 and by the War in Vietnam was approaching 1:25.
My own family reflects this. Two of my uncles served in the Great War. One was a combat engineer and was wounded in action. The other served in a rear-echelon unit. Yet another was a sailor manning a cargo ship in the Atlantic. My father was drafted during WWII and spent his war as a cook at Camp Lee and Camp Grant in Virginia. My uncle Bob joined the US Army Air Force and was a ferry pilot in the South Pacific flying virtually the entire inventory of plane types up to combat units in New Guinea and the Philippines. He stayed in the Air National Guard and retired as a Lt. Colonel.
Of my generation, several served during the Cold War and two during Vietnam. One of those last two was a clerk the other a combat Marine. One came home, the other didn't. Both did their duty.
There aren't many movies made about the rear areas. There is one and it's one of the best. “Mr. Roberts” was a Broadway hit and then an Academy Award movie about a small Navy supply ship in the topics under a tyrannical captain (James Cagney) and a frustrated Lieutenant played letter-perfect by former US Navy Lieutenant Henry Fonda. So, while you are considering timeless deeds of derring-do this Veterans' Day, stop also to remember those who toiled in anonymity to make it all possible.
They did their bit.
Pat Gang
11 November 2010
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Please use your comments on this post to demonstrate your own ignorance, unfamiliarity with empirical data, ability to repeat discredited memes, and lack of respect for scientific knowledge. Kindly forgo all civility in your discourse. Be sure to create straw men and argue against things I have neither said nor even implied. Any irrelevancies you can mention will also be appreciated. Thank you.
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rs16
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« Reply #1 on: November 11, 2010, 12:50:30 PM » |
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Excellent as always, thanks.
I never had enough fuel or ammo.
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Orange-SkyVolFan
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ROCKY TOP! Blount County, TN 10/25/09
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« Reply #2 on: November 11, 2010, 09:55:49 PM » |
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Thanks to all the veterans.
I offered to take my mother, who turned 89 on Monday, to lunch today and she thanked me, but said it took too much prep work to get ready. She the same thing last Sunday. She taught gunnery in WWII at Pennsicola to Navy fighters.
My father-in-law, who is 80, was a cook in the Korean War. He has many maladies including diabetes, 20% hearing in only one ear (and has had to wear a hearing aid for 50 years to hear at all), the effects of a stroke, and dementia, but still walks the halls of the nursing home dementia unit. I have a much greater appreciation for the staffs of nursing homes than I had in August of last year. I have enjoyed helping care for him over the past 14 months. He was a printer by trade and he told me that when they found out he could cook, they promoted him to sergeant. I asked him if he pealed potatoes and he said, "No, they had guys who did that for me." He talked about spending time in Seattle playing checkers and waiting to be shipped out. Rick Ayres at the Tennessee Veterans Affairs Office in Knoxville has been helpful with his benefits. Nice guy--those people in that office have a great demeanor and respect for their veterans.
Cecil, a guy who used to work for me and died of cancer about 10 years ago was a great guy who enjoyed life. He was a short-haul trucker who spent so much time on a strike that he developed a carpentry business. He was a great worker at 66 in a physically demanding job. Cecil grew up in Marble City and as a teenager went to the foreman Cherokee Mills on Sutherland Ave. and begged him for 6 weeks to let him learn how to run the loom. He finally relented and let Cecil work for 6 months for free. He said he knew everything about the loom after that. He spent 4 years in the Army in the Phillipines. He ran the supply ship back and forth to ships in Manilla Bay. He and his late wife traveled each year to his Army reunion. Based on the pictures and the hoola skirts, they had a great time.
My uncle Jim, who is 85, was an Army paratrooper in the Philippines and Korea. He was shot in Korea. Cecil and my father-in-law might have supplied him with rations or food in different wars? Uncle Jim went to his Army reunions for years. He still rides his riding lawnmower. Unfortunately, he gets confused and after he ran into the back of a trailer pulled by car on the interstate near Williams-Bryce Stadium, he said he guessed he would remember the 2010 UT-USC game.
My late uncle, Jack, was a ship mechanic in the Navy in the South Pacific during WWII. He dropped out of school in the sixth grade to be a logger with my grandfather. He often talked about New Guinea and the Philippines. That experience gave him the discipline to run a dairy and milk cows every day, twice a day, for 40 years.
A college friend, Ed, was a medic in Vietnam and now is an Episcopal Priest.
My cousin served and his father served two tours in Vietnam as did another man who used to work for me. A guy I know from Webb was wounded by shrapnel in Vietnam and still walks with a limp.
My mother's first cousin's son, played at Maryville college until he enlisted in March. He was died in Vietnam of shrapnel wounds to the head and came home in May. I have seen his name on The Vietnam Memorial.
Frank Buckles of WWI is 109 and still waiting for the World War I Memorial.
There was a fighter pilot from Sewanee who was my frat brother, volunteer fireman, and fine actor who served. Another Sewanee grad and fighter pilot was on the 100 killed in action in the Gulf War.
My wife's nephew has a wife new baby and is 21. He is in the Army in Germany and probably on his way to Afghanistan.
They all served.
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"USC is an extremely powerful place."--Skippy Kiffin
"Basilio hitched his wagon to these ultra negative callers and that is why his shows don't do that well."--Ron
DANGERVOL summed [Basilio] up:
"The greatest quote in Knoxville radio history [was] when Kiffin was hired. Hyams was interviewing Pete Carroll - Basilio was talking to W. Lynn and Small Mike. Absolutely classic!"
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BTX
Whine and Biscuit King
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« Reply #3 on: November 12, 2010, 01:49:42 PM » |
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God Bless and THANK YOU to all veterans!! I owe you my freedom!
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plumbervol
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« Reply #4 on: November 14, 2010, 03:21:12 PM » |
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I have in the past listed all the folks in my family who served. A Pops in WWII in Patton's Army, my Father in Law as a surgeon in WWII and in post war Berlin, my natural father in Korea. My bro in law and the poster known as Whinervol served in Iraq a few years back. He is close to 60 now.... A Cuz is now in country in either Iraq or in Afghanistan. he can't tell us. He was 61 days from discharge in the active reserves and was called back up 4 years ago and he is still in country as a Ranger in an anti terrorist unit that works in insertion and extraction duty...
My Uncles served in WWI (Ferriter and Haley) while thier fathers were Spanish American War vets. A Great Great Great Grandfather served under Sherman in the war of revolt when the terrorists were over run by American Patriots. I also had many uncles who also walked from Sevier County to Franklin to serve the true America. Their Grandfather served under Sevier at Kings Mountain along with his Father in Law(Emmitt germanised into Emert in Sevier County) Another cuz served in Lebanon under Reagan and survived yet died on the operating table 20 years later at a Vet Hospital during a Knee operation as a result of injuries he received there.
Some of my other ancestors gained citizen status by serving in the Civil War after they fought the British toe to toe in Belfast and in southwest Ireland. They rode the coffin ships to America. I hope the queen of England gets a bad case of herpes before she rides the banshee hearst to hell.
The thing to remember about supporting our troops is to protect them from senseless deployment in the name of Patriotic Political Gain. Our last Prez did this to get re elected, and I worry this present prez will do the same. When your poll numbers are bad the poolitical solution is to Wag the Dog. No matter a soldiers job is to kill or be killed and they leave the people of the US to protect them!!
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 That Which Doesn't Break Me, Only Makes Me Stronger Reflections on 12 years of Catholic Education.It is a bit embarrassing to have been concerned with the human problem all one's life and find at the end that one has no more to offer by way of advice than "try to be a little kinder". |
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whinervol
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« Reply #5 on: November 15, 2010, 01:51:27 PM » |
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I served in Iraq and did not make the Afghan tour. My Brother was stationed in Norfolk Vietnam and post Vietnam as a Naval MD.
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The One Man Gang
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Thunderin' Jayzus! Didja think I was dead!?!?!
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« Reply #6 on: November 15, 2010, 03:05:08 PM » |
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... and thank you, Sir.
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Please use your comments on this post to demonstrate your own ignorance, unfamiliarity with empirical data, ability to repeat discredited memes, and lack of respect for scientific knowledge. Kindly forgo all civility in your discourse. Be sure to create straw men and argue against things I have neither said nor even implied. Any irrelevancies you can mention will also be appreciated. Thank you.
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Gustoly
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« Reply #7 on: November 16, 2010, 04:01:59 PM » |
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OMG I can say that we always had plenty of pressure bandages and morphine in the field. I have always appreciated what supply did for me and all the other Docs in my unit. The grunts always kept us in good boots, pants and t-shirts. We never wanted for anything. I always thought the chopper crews deserved a great deal of credit also. Damned tough job they had. Finally I give much credit to my chaplain (Catholic Priest) who unfortunately excelled at last rites and when times were slow a great bridge player. We played many a game in B-52 craters. I have always felt that those in the states to the folks dodging bullets deserved credit for keeping the war machine running.
OMG another excellent thread and posts. BTW do you have anything published ?
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"A veteran is someone who, at some point in his or her life, wrote a blank check payable to the United States for up to and including their life".
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The One Man Gang
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Legion of the Miserable
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Thunderin' Jayzus! Didja think I was dead!?!?!
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« Reply #8 on: November 16, 2010, 05:36:10 PM » |
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Not yet (other than a history of Holy Ghost Church and one of Knoxville Catholic) but I've got one cooking on the 30th Division in WWI. I'm trying to get it done in my copious free time.  You can find excerpts in the archives here. http://spsboard.com/SPS/index.php/topic,4042.0.htmlhttp://spsboard.com/SPS/index.php/topic,3935.0.html |
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Please use your comments on this post to demonstrate your own ignorance, unfamiliarity with empirical data, ability to repeat discredited memes, and lack of respect for scientific knowledge. Kindly forgo all civility in your discourse. Be sure to create straw men and argue against things I have neither said nor even implied. Any irrelevancies you can mention will also be appreciated. Thank you.
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rs16
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« Reply #9 on: December 01, 2010, 04:56:00 PM » |
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To clarify my earlier post, I could never CARRY enough fuel or ammo, it was always available back at the base.
Gus will always be a man I hold in utmost respect, for I cannot fathom doing his job. Bridge in a bomb crater is something I can't imagine.
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