Thankful Thursday

Greater love than this, Hath no man...


FRANK S. REASONER
Born: September 16, 1937
War: Vietnam
Rank: First Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps
Location of Action: Near Da Nang
Date of Action: July 12, 1965



Official Medal of Honor Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. The reconnaissance patrol led by 1st Lt. Reasoner had deeply penetrated heavily controlled enemy territory when it came under extremely heavy fire from an estimated 50 to 100 Viet Cong insurgents.

Accompanying the advance party and the point that consisted of 5 men, he immediately deployed his men for an assault after the Viet Cong had opened fire from numerous concealed positions. Boldly shouting encouragement, and virtually isolated from the main body, he organized a base of fire for an assault on the enemy positions. The slashing fury of the Viet Cong machinegun and automatic weapons fire made it impossible for the main body to move forward.

Repeatedly exposing himself to the devastating attack he skillfully provided covering fire, killing at least 2 Viet Cong and effectively silencing an automatic weapons position in a valiant attempt to effect evacuation of a wounded man. As casualties began to mount his radio operator was wounded and 1st Lt. Reasoner immediately moved to his side and tended his wounds. When the radio operator was hit a second time while attempting to reach a covered position, 1st Lt. Reasoner courageously running to his aid through the grazing machinegun fire fell mortally wounded.

His indomitable fighting spirit, valiant leadership and unflinching devotion to duty provided the inspiration that was to enable the patrol to complete its mission without further casualties. In the face of almost certain death he gallantly gave his life in the service of his country. His actions upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the U.S. Naval Service.

Wordless Wednesday

I lived in Yokosuka, Japan for 4 years. And I know how and why they do this...

And the winner is...

ADHD By a furlong. Great job lady. In the navy we are all trained to be fire-fighters. So my question about helmet color did not take civilian protocol into account. So I have to give full credit for that one. Ben Franklin started the first volunteer fire-department and he did it in Philadelphia.
KC gets credit for all three correct answers.
I must give credit to Heidi at 2thinks, and Edie. Better late than never. Sorry ladies for not reading back on the post.

Trivia Tuesday

I only ask questions that I already know the answer to. Please give answers you don't have to look up...

1. The three elements that comprise the "FIRE TRIANGLE" are: ___ ___ ___

2. What is the primary extinguishing agent for a class A fire?

3. Water should never be used to put out a class A? B? C? fire.

4. Other than a numerical value; What is the difference between a 2 alarm and a 4 alarm fire?

5. In side a burning room, Smoke is the biggest danger. Where can you find good air to breathe so that you can escape?

6. How do you put out a burning metal (Magnesium) fire?

7. What is the flash point temperature of paper?

8. What part of a burning home is most likely to contain chemicals that are dangerous to breathe?

9. What is the danger of using Carbon Dioxide to put out a fire in an enclosed space?

10. What color helmet does the Captain of the on scene Fire Fighters wear?

extra credit; Who organized America's first volunteer fire department?
double credit; What city was it done in? (first volunteer fire department).

Manic Monday

How many computers do you have at home? I know that a computer can seem like a multi-purpose tool. But most tools are more suited to one use. You wouldn't use a flyswatter to catch butterflies. You wouldn't use a pipe wrench to drive nails to hang a picture. Both of those tools will do the task proposed. But the out come may be other than what you intended. A better analogy would be guns. Please don't tell me you "Don't believe in guns." Guns are real and they exist whether you believe it or not. Hunting is another unpopular subject. But it is a necessary part of the environment. Consider what happens when a deer population is left alone and there are no predators. They over populate, starve and die in big bunches. They do not migrate and will stay in one area and browse the vegetation gone. And then become a bigger problem. Consider the fact that in 1997 in the state of Pennsylvania, there were 22,000 deer killed. By cars on the road. The situation became so severe that the yuppies asked the scientists at Penn State to come up with a solution. The common response was to encourage more hunting. But NO! They didn't want to promote a barbaric ritual. The next best idea was to spread feed to the herds that contained chemicals that would neuter the male deer. Eventually the herd would all die of old age and the beemer owners would be safe to cruise the roads unimpeded. Fortunately common sense prevailed and someone decided that hunting deer was better than no deer.
Back to the point at hand. You wouldn't hunt grizzly bears with a .22 rifle. And you shouldn't hunt rabbits with a .458 Winchester Magnum. By this same token you shouldn't use the same computer to do online banking and play internet games. Or more precisely your computer should not be shared with the youngsters in your house. You wouldn't send your kids to the playground with your check book in their pocket. Not because they might be tempted to try writing checks. But they might not know how to keep someone from stealing it. The online world is fraught with dangers. Some even more sinister than you could imagine. And having your bank account emptied might be the least of your worries. I am not trying to frighten you. I'm being realistic. A child's natural curiosity and lack of fear, drive them to places that children should avoid. It's in their nature to explore and discover. And there are people in this world who take advantage of that curiosity. Give your children a separate computer to use. Watch them like a hawk. A mother hawk lookng over her hawklettes. Then learn how to monitor their use. Or confine all gaming to Nintendo or XBox. But don't share a computer with them. You might also ask your local libarian to not allow your youngsters to use internet connection systems. Next time I'll give you some ways to see where your computer has been.
In the words of Marilyn Manson; "If you won't raise your chldren, I'll be happy to do it for you."
Be safe and be blessed.