It’s a good day to reflect on the days past, the fellows served with, the ones still serving, the families still waiting.
The families whose wait never ends.
Another SF guy got whacked recently. None of the papers really noted it; his hometown did, that’s it. Remember when every new combat death was “a Grim Milestone” in the press? Well, since their boy was sworn in, those milestones got a lot less grim — or a lot less newsworthy — in the somewhat suspicious judgment of the Acela Corridor monoculture that would tell you what’s important.
You know, like made-up “rape culture” on college campuses that, on examination, turn out to be some of the safest real estate in the entire nation, with the exception of cop bars and gun shows. The “rapes” turn out, when investigated, to be a flowering of vestigial shame after bad mating judgment, in most cases.
And then there’s the protesters, largely pasty-white well-off bums chanting “Black Lives Matter!” as if anybody thought they didn’t, all bent out of shape that the police have killed some black criminals. And in New York, blocking an accident victim’s livesaving path to Bellevue, the trauma center best suited to treat his traumatic leg amputation.
He was a black guy, we’re told. It’s Black Lives that matter, not this one lower-case black life. We fail to see the distinction.
It’s interesting that the more the trust fund babies at expensive colleges whine about being oppressed, the less clue they have about the real oppressed in the world — and the real liberators setting them free.
Like that SF guy who got whacked this month. The guys from his unit and from his SFQC class remember him as a great guy. His name was Matt Ammerman, he was from Noblesville, IN, and he served in the 7th Special Forces Group. He had two combat tours in the infantry before going SF as a communicator (18E). This was his first tour in SF. He was 29 and is survived by his wife Emily, his brother Anthony, and his parents. Aside from local news and veterans’ or military sites, not a peep about him.
Or the several other SF soldiers who sustained wounds in the same action in Zabul Province. They’re not useful to those infected with the Acela virus, so they treat them as if they don’t exist.
Kevin was a former Special Forces weapons man (MOS 18B, before the 18 series, 11B with Skill Qualification Indicator of S). His focus was on weapons: their history, effects and employment. He started WeaponsMan.com in 2011 and operated it until he passed away in 2017. His work is being preserved here at the request of his family.
8 thoughts on “Soldier’s Sunday”
Pretty soon even conservatives will give up on the establishment, then its probably over for them (the establishment that is).
Myself I would reserve the word “whacked” for those that truly deserve it such as those you speak of negatively. An ex; A reporter goes to Ferguson, Berkeley, Oakland and gets his/herself killed by a D voter, now that is “whacked.” This young man you write of was KIA by human vermin.
One can only hope that the number of trailer trash whacked here surpasses the number of brave and worthy fallen over there. That the latter die in defense of the lives of the former is the ultimate cruel ironic tragedy.
So here’s another tankard hosted to Sgt. Ammerman, and judging by his fruit salad, another million dollars’ worth of training or more churned into dust, and a priceless warrior sacrificed in pursuit of…what was it, again?
Next time we need to send them JDAMs, not JSOC.
Put a check-off box for that on the 1040 form, and I’ll sign up for quarterly taxes just to check it more often.
But be careful, WM:
You know, like made-up “rape culture” on college campuses that, on examination, turn out to be some of the safest real estate in the entire nation, with the exception of cop bars and gun shows. The “rapes” turn out, when investigated, to be a flowering of vestigial shame after bad mating judgment, in most cases.
Speaking from experience, such heresy, even on a Sunday, cannot (unlike libel) depend on truth as an ultimate defense, and will get you burned at the stake by the Sisterhood, at least in effigy. And like most monkeys, they eventually fling their own poo when enraged.
RIP, Staff Sgt. Ammerman.
I thank you, and your family, for your service for our country.
Washington insiders consider military men to be dumb, stupid animals good only as pawns for manipulation of foreign policy.
If there’s no political capital to be had from deaths of such animals, why mention them? And that’s why the end of this brave man is unremarked upon in the national press.
I wonder why any patriotic American should be willing to serve in your country’s armed forces anymore, considering that your elites have betrayed the ideals your country was founded upon. That is, unless one looks at the Army as neonazis might – a place where you get to learn how to fight and get paid for it..
The Washington Insiders definitely include Bob Woodward, whose credibility is weak. (I know he fabricated interviews for his book on CIA Director William Casey, and I suspect he did so for this book). But yeah, a lot of people inside the beltway hold us in low esteem. We, and the rest of the country, reciprocate.
I know without following the link that the “watchdog group” in question is the notorious “Southern Poverty Law Center,” a racket that has made its field-marshal-excellency-president-for-life Morris Dees a dekamillionaire. They see Nazis everywhere, just in time to send a dunning letter to their previous donors, telling a bunch of frightened minorities (mostly Jews) that the Reich is on the rise again.
In 30 years of service in the Active, Reserve and National Guard, I encountered thousands of troops. Most of the combat arms guys tilted conservative or libertarian, a minority were Democrats, there were more Dems (perhaps because there were more minorities) in the service support arms (supply, etc). But 99.manynines percent of soldiers have mainstream politics, or no politics at all.
I encountered exactly one Nazi, and because of his politics the command torpedoed his pursuit of Special Forces qualification. He’s now Inmate Number 15884-014 in the Federal Prison System, due to be released within a year (so he’s probably in a halfway house in his home state of Connecticut). His name is Alan Zaleski, and apart from his unbearable politics I thought him a high-functioning guy and was disappointed when he was arrested.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/ct/Press2011/20110203.html
(True story: a friend was one of the cops called to his home to inventory his firearms, and seize them. He knew Zaleski had been in the military, but didn’t know he’d tried out for a forerunner of the unit I knew him (the cop) from. The cops all felt badly about having to arrest a vet and seize his guns, but they did it. There was no hint of his National Socialist beliefs so perhaps he was over them by then).
On the other hand, I ran across the trail of one Communist, Stan Goff, in my time, and Goff was allowed to serve creditably in the Ranger battaions, in an SMU, and in Special Forces (until he turned on his country because of his politics, indicating that maybe he should have been shunned like his doppelgänger Zaleski. That finally got Goff bounced out of an E-8 job. Guys say he was a good team sergeant, apart from the Commie schtick, which to me is like saying Ted Bundy was a good guy, apart from his hobby).
I know that SPLC pulls crap, however, I don’t think neonazis in the army would advertise their status. Unless they’re really stupid. Hmm, I mean, you can go check how many Stormfront members are serving military.
I doubt they’re that uncommon. Czech and Slovak Army had a share of problems with them, even though hereabouts we have far more serious reasons to be leery of nazism.
Czechs had an LT in Afghanistan who put the sign of the Dirlewanger brigade on his helmet. Same unit had a sergeant who had a SS rune, same place. One wonders what they were thinking. In this day, cameras are everywhere..
Nazism and assorted views likely attract aggressive people, same kind of people who like the idea of military service.
While the loss of SFC Ammerman’s life is tragic, his demise is particularly moreso as he died in vain. Thirteen years and counting in a war that has served no useful purpose. Friends I worked with and folks I helped trained, have been killed and maimed in a USA war that is like the multitude of wars this nation has conducted since 1946. That is, wars NOT declared as such.
In the meantime our Freedom and Liberties are eroding as American sovereignty has been handed to tne Red Chinese and our Warriors lives wasted in lands not a threat to Americans. Ask yourselves….”Why are we fighting in Afghanistan and our own borders are open and undefended” ?
It is time to stop foreign occupations and warfighting by this nation’s armed forces and look INWARD at the enemies not foreign but
DOMESTIC. It is part of the oath we swore to uphold. From my point-of-view an oath sadly ignored by the Joint Chiefs of Staff downward to the lowest E-1, current and former.
Thank you Dan for putting it so well.