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2009-05-18 Home Front: WoT
USS Gravely Christened in Pascagoula
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Posted by Steve White 2009-05-18 00:00|| || Front Page|| [1 views ]  Top

#1 USS GRAVELY CHRISTENED?

Gut nuthin.
Posted by JosephMendiola 2009-05-18 01:55||   2009-05-18 01:55|| Front Page Top

#2 HST's executive order integrating the military is probably the least-known history milestone in racial equality matters. My unscientific and anecdotal but very extensive personal observation has been that the military's close approximation to a merit-based system (as close as I've seen, even with warts) has produced not just bosses and officers of every color and even gender, but more importantly, utter indifference among the ranks about such things. Which, uh, was the central goal and principle of the Rev. King (behold the squalid and obscene distortion of his legacy by those who currently primp in the mirror while citing his struggle).

I went down to the Mall the day before the WWII memorial was opened (forget the year, early 2000s). Planned to spend a few hours, spent 7 or 8 talking to WWII vets. A memorable one was a black retired preacher father of 8 from San Diego. He'd been on an ammo ship, had been on LCTs taking ammo in/bodies out on Iwo Jima. I'll always remember how he described his and his buddies' reaction - their (justified) if unexpressed resentment at being limited to a few jobs such as ammo handling was tempered by direct contact with the carnage wrought on the young Marines whose remains they transported.

I wonder if a great and obviously patient and wise man like Adm. Gravely would recognize the country he helped protect (except for those in uniform, of course) .....
Posted by Verlaine 2009-05-18 04:14||   2009-05-18 04:14|| Front Page Top

#3 After Port Chicago, the ammo handlers knew their share of carnage. Not to justify the racial practices of the time, but just to note that everyone who serves in wartime contributes to victory and runs some risk. Even PA.
Posted by Nimble Spemble 2009-05-18 07:09||   2009-05-18 07:09|| Front Page Top

#4 military's close approximation to a merit-based system (as close as I've seen, even with warts)

Never heard a race and gender quota promotion board briefing referred to in that manner, but "warts" could be used I suppose.
Posted by Besoeker 2009-05-18 07:21||   2009-05-18 07:21|| Front Page Top

#5 It was Memorial Day 2004, and it was magnificent. It was fun seeing 75-yr old men in their enlisted sailor suits. And I'm quite sure many of the men on the Mall that weekend had NEVER spoken about their experiences until that very event.

The actual Memorial is kinda eh, though. All the commissions it had to be approved by stripped a lot of the, y'know, *war* out of the War. No indication of why we got in, or how we got out.
Posted by Seafarious 2009-05-18 19:33||   2009-05-18 19:33|| Front Page Top

23:27 funky skunk
23:25 funky skunk
23:23 funky skunk
22:52 ed
22:42 ed
22:24 ed
22:19 Old Patriot
22:18 Broadhead6
21:18 Alaska Paul
20:38 Procopius2k
20:33 Glenmore
20:18 hammerhead
20:07 Barbara Skolaut
19:55 JosephMendiola
19:55 GolfBravoUSMC
19:54 ed
19:54 Zorba
19:49 Redneck Jim
19:48 JosephMendiola
19:40 newc
19:35 tu3031
19:35 SteveS
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19:33 Seafarious









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