Happy Birthday, MikeW!
I wish my old friend and comrade in arms, Mike Watson, a very happy birthday. I can only hope that he has another thirty or forty solar orbits left in his seabag. I don’t know if he’ll see this since he’s on vacation, but it’s here as a token of my respect all the same.
Hunting in the Shadows, by Mike Watson, Larry B. Lembert, Ed. – This is a non-fiction book of history. The events described here took place in Borneo during the Indonesian Confrontation in the latter half of 1964 and in the Republic of Vietnam during that country’s fight for its very existence throughout 1965-1968. Malaysia, with the assistance of its allies, prevailed in the Confrontation. Unfortunately, the Republic of Vietnam, after being abandoned by its allies, succumbed to a full-scale Communist armored and infantry invasion in April 1975.
This is the story of an Australian Army officer who was seconded to support the efforts of the Republic of Vietnam in their clandestine war against the National Liberation Front. The story is told precisely as events unfolded without efforts to minimize or maximize. It’s a story of a brutal civil war, a proxy war, love, death, and revenge in a war-torn setting. Both the government of the Republic of Vietnam and the National Liberation Front (Viet Kong) engaged in systematic assassination as a matter of policy. Reading this book requires that you view it through the lens of the people and events as they took place.
Dynamite Guns
(US Navy Trivia) The USS Vesuvius carried three 15-inch (38-cm) cast-iron pneumatic guns, invented by D. M. Medford and developed by Edmund Zalinski, a retired officer of the United States Army. They were mounted forward side by side at a fixed elevation of 16 degrees. Gun barrels were 55 feet (17 meters) long, with the muzzles extending 15 feet (4.6 meters) through the deck 37 feet (11 meters) abaft the bow. In order to train these weapons, the ship had to be aimed, like a gun, at its target. Compressed air from a 1000-psi (70-atm) reservoir propelled the shells from the dynamite guns. Two air compressors were available to recharge the reservoir.
The shells fired from the guns were steel or brass casings 7 feet (2.1 meters) long with the explosive contained in the conical forward part of the casing and spiral vanes on the after part to rotate the projectile. The explosive used in the shells themselves was actually a “desensitized blasting gelatin” composed of nitrocellulose and nitroglycerin. It was less sensitive to shock than regular dynamite, but still sensitive enough that compressed air, rather than powder, had to be utilized as the propellant. Shells containing 550 pounds (250 kg) of explosive had a maximum range of 1 mile (1.6 km), but range could be extended to 4,000 yards (3.7 km) by reducing projectile weight to 200 pounds (91 kg). Maximum muzzle velocity was 800 feet (240 meters) per second. Range could be reduced by releasing less compressed air from the reservoir. Ten shells per gun were carried on board, and 15 shells were fired in 16 minutes 50 seconds during an 1889 test. The shells employed an electrical fuze that could be set to either detonate on contact or be delayed to detonate underwater. (Wikipedia)
Bullet Points:
** Ash and Iron with another historical perspective. Military Orders were useful solutions if they had enough support. A Hungarian king invented something Europe had never seen before: a chivalric order with no religious mandate – The Order of St. George. You can join today if you have enough money for a buy-in.
** The federal gas tax. Tariffs can replace it. Here’s an interesting exchange on the subject. Of course, Congress must do it since they created it.
** Professional athletes are entertainers. (left) They’re in the entertainment business. For the most part, they’re well-compensated entertainers. It’s a bread-and-circus thing, whether it’s the Colosseum in Los Angeles or the one in Rome. I find it somehow strange that they think it’s more than that. Are you not entertained?
** How hard does the wind need to blow in Texas or Oklahoma to qualify as a “significant wind event”? Asking for a friend.
** The interview question you should not answer.
** If I asked for four whole fried chickens and a Coke, and some dry white toast what would you think? Correct, you’re on a mission for God.
** In Arizona, before they can approve a building permit, they must show proof of a 100-year water supply to that building. State law. Just saying.
** Mud bath.
** VDH speculates that the Bidens are broke.
** The future of the UK – Glenn Beck probes. More here.
In June
Tank Man (also known as the Unknown Protester or Unknown Rebel) is the nickname of an unidentified Chinese man who stood in front of a column of tanks leaving Tiananmen Square on June 5, 1989, the day after the Chinese military had suppressed the Tiananmen Square protests by force.
Be that man.
Identify the Ships
1-3
(Class is sufficient)
Identify the Aircraft
4
The livery should help. Over 300 built, over 3 submodels that resemble each other.
5
6
Parting Shot
Does this strike too close to home?
END
(1) CVN Charles de Gaulle, Jaques Chevalier class fleet tanker, Aquitaine class DD.
(2) IAR-37
(3) YAK-24
(4) Mi-1 Hare.
– Kle.
You’re on the money this morning, Kle.
Identify the Ships
1 – Aquitaine-class frigate
2 – Jacques Chevallier oiler
3 – Charles de Gaulle carrier
Identify the Aircraft
4 – Romanian IAR-37
5 – Yak-24
6 – Mil Mi-1
Excellent
Landlubber here struck by the fine appearance of those French ships. No rust. Are they what you call, “ship shape”?
I wonder how many days per year they’re at sea. One of the problems we have in the Navy is that we are “required” to use politically correct maritime paint. When I had my ocean boat, I bought my bottom paint in Ensenada, Mexico and brought it north in violation of the law. It kept the bottom pristine for a long time, killing all marine growth. The stuff available in the US chandelries (maritime supply stores) didn’t work at all. The boat is long sold, the statute of limitations has passed, and I hope that God in his wisdom will forgive me.
I helped a friend work on his ‘Catalina 25’, and when time came to paint the bottom, he did the same thing. It’s more like a ‘coating’ than a ‘paint’. Really thick, and we just slopped it on and spread it around until the bottom was well covered.
I don’t know about Texas and Oklahoma, but in Kansas the national weather service wants us to report any gust above 58 mph when we are storm spotting, and trying to avoid being run over by storm chasers. 58 mph is when four foot tall Johnson grass lays over flat in the ditch.
I like the “Johnson Grass Wind Speed Metric” and hope to hold it in the quick recall section of my cranium.That’s one of those off the wall comments that can change the direction of a conversation in 1/2 a heartbeat (aka New York Minute).
The wind seems to blow at a high and constant rate without mountains to contest the airflow.
I’m picking up some good gems this morning.
Something I noticed as well. We had a period of high winds a couple weeks ago and the Johnson wasn’t all that was getting flattened.
I consider a high wind 60 mph in Texas or when the power lines spark. We get one every six weeks at Possum Kingdom Lake. Hit once by a water spout. Six 90 foot cottonwoods down in seconds. Destroyed our house the freight train sound was a freight train arms length. We were missed twice by a 100 feet with no damage. Tom
When I was camping in Burnett, TX, the winds got to 68mph, and the natives considered it ‘windy.’ Breezy was under 60mph.
–
Said ‘breeze’ could catch dry cow-flops, pick them up and ‘throw them.’ Highly amusing, unless you get hit by one.
No, I am not entertained by professional “sports”. College ball got soul. College baseball, specifically, got me back watching baseball again. Mrs. and I are planning on going to Omaha next year, but I wouldn’t walk across the street to see a pro game of any type if they paid me. Golf is indeed a shameful waste of a good rifle range. Thomas Jefferson said as much: “Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be the constant companion of your walks.”
I’m not much for spectator sports. Football has some interest because I played it (old enough to have worn a leather helmet). All the prancing and dancing after a good play turns me off. Will watch it with friends as a social activity; otherwise the condensed highlights the next day.
Dynamite guns – as I remember it these were used in the Spanish American War, and really freaked out the enemy soldiers. Cannon fire would let them know something was coming. Compressed air fire gave no advance warning – they’d be sitting/standing/walking when things suddenly went BOOM around them.
Wind – when we moved to Wilkesboro the locals got excited if the wind speed went above 5 mph. Rain would fall straight down, and there was little or no lightning.
On another note, I’ll be hitting the road again this week for a final walk through and purchase of a house in MIssouri. Commenting will be on hiatus for a while.
Fair winds and following seas, Frank. I hope you find a house that will suit your needs and wants with a BBQ restaurant that will open early and close late in case you need a snack.
Identify the Ships:
1. Chevalier Paul
2. Jacques Chevallier
3. Charles de Gaulle
Identify the Aircraft:
4. IAR 37
5. Yakovlev Yak-24 “Horse”
6. Mil Mi-1 “Hare”
Very good!
Be That Man: As I wake up knowing full well the California LA mayoral, and likely gubernatorial race, are once again being stolen from voters by the same side of the aisle while blocking federal agents to view the count. We saw an outright Maine bred scumbag being given a free pass for all his unbelievable immoral and criminal behavior by the same side who vilified everyone else for the same stuff, most of which was made up by them. .We saw arrogant Welker being massively disrespectful to OUR America’s President to the point of arguing with him and telling he is wrong instead of doing an actual informative interview to the point of him (correctly) ending it. Talk about no respect…but i you see him as a tyrant then I suppose anything is allowed. It’s demented. Last week we saw OUR congress doing absolutely nothing productive to fixing the mess they themselves created (SAVE Act… or anything for that matter)…and a host of other ‘just this past week NOT surprises’ by the usual suspects who add nothing to society but are detrimental to it. It’s so bad I could just spit.
Who then will ‘be that man’ who can, in these instances, combat the outright fraud and corruption by ONE side who don’t even try to hide it anymore, flaunting their corruption while daring us to do something…neener, neener.
Yesterday I saw ONE man stop a deranged mental patient operating as a reporterette…and she was defended! In the past week alone I saw part of his A Team do similar with facts to combat the disrespectful uninformed, whether reporters or congressional a/h’s who believe they are God’s gift to humanity when in fact they are the opposite.
Who else will step up other than OUR President…because if California continues stealing yet another election right in front of people’s noses without any pushback…well, I simply don’t know how that should go. Frosts my shorts to see this so blatantly obvious with zero ability to stop the cheaters who hide behind their special laws while laughing at us.
[Spleen vent over]
Sometimes the rampant evil seems to be just too much.
WTP have been conditioned in our modern society that pushback to evil-doing and lawlessness, especially by lawmakers, is now unlawful…so we’re hamstrung to do anything to combat the scumbaggery. It is forced apathy…because what’s the recourse to stop these bums?
Despite my spouting off I have priorities to complete today and this week while listening to High Kings Radio and a few other channels on Pandora…my thin attempt at ignoring the blatant evil-doing by those who are supposed to work for while treating us like slaves in the matrix only to offer us a remittance pittance after stealing our money for all our working lives. Aren’t they merciful.
Ahh…gonna raise my BP…need to go out and cast a few…the trout are rising.
Sundance quite nicely sums up the mentality: https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2026/06/08/the-alarming-and-deeply-disturbing-scott-pelley-interview/ (talk about cringeworthy, and believes his own hubris).
Now, add nearly everyone else in the MSM and government. No wonder WTP feel unappreciated…bunch of psychos in nice suits and makeup.
Last comment on this fraud…as read over at Gateway:
“White American men better find their gonads and take care of business in this country or there will not be a country for much longer.”
‘Be that man’
(As enumerated the other day, Montana does not stand for this baloney, only Democrat run states do this…kinda obvious who’s cheating and how they do it…at all levels. 43k votes show up five days later for a candidate who had conceded the race (ie. she lost in her mind) and every single ballot is for her…yeah, right…anyone need a bridge?)
Please make sure the safety valve remains clear.
Just how long will WTP put up with this nonsense; we all know what will happen when the fuse melts.
My question:
what’ll happen to all those trillions of $ cached so carefully here, there, and everywhere?
welcome to virginia. i’m surprised there’s no earthquake as the founders and rebels roll over in their graves.
Happy birthday Mike W. Your book is an excellent read. Thank you for taking time to document part of your life.
Al. Thank you kindly for the birthday wishes. They are very much appreciated. Given I did not expect to see twenty five I am somewhat surprised to be nearing the end of my seventh cycle (in the Chinese/Vietnamese astrological sense). I apologise for not replying sooner, but I was in Bangkok and did not take my laptop with me. Thank you also for the kind words regarding the book. I have to thank my father for saving my letters from those years, which I found in his possessions after he died, which had the descriptions of the cities, towns, villages, hamlets, countryside, premises, and people. The only things I had to remember were the events.
Happy birthday to Mike W. May he have many more.
Jim. Thank you kindly for the birthday wishes. They are very much appreciated. Given I did not expect to see twenty five I am somewhat surprised to be nearing the end of my seventh cycle (in the Chinese/Vietnamese astrological sense). I apologise for not replying sooner, but I was in Bangkok and did not take my laptop with me.
Bread and circuses indeed. Flop on the couch, click the remote, scroll to the sports channel, check the score.
—
Lions: 5, Christians: 0.
As it ever was.
“The future of the UK”
and most of the rest of Europe and here (in the U.S.) as well
**
“Parting Shot”
“catching up” is four gentlemen of indeterminate years obtaining their exercise lining up racing their rollators (canes, crutches, hiphop walkers), friends on the sidelines laying odds –
just like they used to racing their Holley-barrelled V-8s down a wide street at 2200
Happy birthday to Mike! His book is excellent and will make people take a new look at what happened there…
Old NFO . Thank you kindly for the birthday wishes. They are very much appreciated. Given I did not expect to see twenty five I am somewhat surprised to be nearing the end of my seventh cycle (in the Chinese/Vietnamese astrological sense). I apologise for not replying sooner, but I was in Bangkok and did not take my laptop with me. Thank you also for the kind words regarding the book. I have to thank my father for saving my letters from those years, which I found in his possessions after he died, which had the descriptions of the cities, towns, villages, hamlets, countryside, premises, and people. The only things I had to remember were the events.
Happy Birthday Mike!
Ed. Thank you kindly for the birthday wishes. They are very much appreciated. Given I did not expect to see twenty five I am somewhat surprised to be nearing the end of my seventh cycle (in the Chinese/Vietnamese astrological sense). I apologise for not replying sooner, but I was in Bangkok and did not take my laptop with me.
Since it is tomorrow over there, a belated Happy Birthday, Mike! I read your book when it first came out but Amazon would not let me rate it since I hadn’t spent enough money with them.
BTW I did enjoy your book. I never made it to SE Asia as I just missed it while going through university to get my degree and commission so that I could fly for the USAF (which I did).
BillB. Thank you kindly for the birthday wishes. They are very much appreciated. Given I did not expect to see twenty five I am somewhat surprised to be nearing the end of my seventh cycle (in the Chinese/Vietnamese astrological sense). I apologise for not replying sooner, but I was in Bangkok and did not take my laptop with me. Thank you also for the kind words regarding the book. I have to thank my father for saving my letters from those years, which I found in his possessions after he died, which had the descriptions of the cities, towns, villages, hamlets, countryside, premises, and people. The only things I had to remember were the events.
Happy Birthday to Mike. I am of the opinion that it doesn’t matter if you know someone or not, Happy Birthday is still Happy Birthday!
*****
I personally prefer a birthday season to just a birthday.
*****
Reference Wind:
-West Texas could get some really strong winds and in the latter part of the 70s, no one even noticed the wind or cared about it. Most Texans preferred strong winds from the south west to blow Oklahoma’s aroma into Kansas and Arkansas.
-As a note, Wyoming uses chains for wind socks and again no one really cares until the chain is horizontal. You can get postcards showing the Wyoming wind chains if you ever drive through that state.
I was in, an aeon ago, with the Knights of Malta (SMOM). No small thing.