Oh nothing really just wanted to share

Ukraine ramps up calls for Australia's Bendigo-made Hawkei military vehicles - ABC News

Funny video...

 

New Australian $2 coin marking Vietnam War anniversary already valued at $1,200 (msn.com)

 

They are at least on the right track…

 

We lost a great Australian over the weekend...Barry Humphries AKA Dame Edna Everage AKA Sir Les Patterson dies aged 89

Barry Humphries, legend of stage and screen, blazed a trail in the entertainment industry - ABC News

Americans are probably saying Who? But British people know him very well indeed, finding great success in Britain. Many Characters over the years but two that he is most remembered for:
Dame Edna Everage

Very Early days...



Early days, here with one of his characters Bazza McKenzie (Played by Barry Crocker)




And Cultural attache to Britain, Sir Les Patterson






Lauded throughout the world as a comedy genius (in the same breath as Groucho Marx and Robin Williams)...he broke a hip and suffered complications over the weekend...Vale Barry Humphries.

 

Americans are saying who? Americans are saying good-bye to Bruce the Shark from "Finding Nemo."

RIP Bruce. You will be missed.

 

He has visited the US…

 

Here with famous interviewer Michael Parkinson…



Not sure it’s a word in the US…’Poof’ or ‘Poofter’ means a homosexual…’Shirt lifter’ means homosexual…

.

 

I'd have thought that was obvious...I remember the great Richard Burton once saying 'I'd f**k a snake, if it wore a skirt"...

 

Anyone seen the US Navy's new digital recruiting ambassador? IT is a drag queen that goes by the name Harpy Daniels, real name Yeoman 2d Class Joshua Kelley. Really you can't make this sheet up. Who ever thought this is the answer to recruiting shortfalls?
I found out about it by mistake, I was scrolling through Facebook and came across a cool looking T-shirt with a manly WWII era recruiting poster on it. I clicked on it, intending to purchase one, but it was an attempt to get recruiting leads. The US Army has recently had a bunch of ads popping up in my Facebook feed, of course they have, or had, the largest recruiting shortfall so it makes sense. Now, with the navy's new ambassador, they will likely match the US Army shortfall going forward. Anyway, after I clicked on the link, and realized what it was, I received an inquiry, asking if I would like more information on Navy opportunities. I replied, "No thank you, I've seen your new recruiting ambassador. You really shouldn't use manly images, that's false advertising." He did not like my comment, but was honest, "I don't like it any more than you do, but I have a job to do."



Of course, they're not the only one's self-destructing, the current Commandant of the Marine Corps, is destroying the Marine Corps from the inside out and will probably achieve what the Germans, Japanese, Chinese Communists, NVA, and a bunch of our other enemies of the US have tried to do without success. His changes have been critiqued by literally hundreds of retired USMC high ranking officers. Most recently, in an April 10, 2023, letter, two Medal of Honor recipients, Maj. Gen. James Livingston (retired) and Col. Jay Vargas (retired) wrote:

. . . The Marine Corps is being significantly weakened by unwise cuts in its force structure and equipment and reductions in Navy amphibious and maritime prepositioning ships; divestments that undermine its congressionally mandated responsibilities as a combined arms force-in-readiness. And, by personnel management approaches that erode esprit, teamwork and identity . . .

I thought General James F. Amos was the worst commandant in my lifetime, he tried to make the Marine Corps, which was coming out of the War in Iraq and was engaged in the most violent portion of the War in Afghanistan, into a kinder, gentler, institution. He was widely mocked, publicly, by "combat" Marines for his lack of a CAR (Combat Action Ribbon). He was even confronted about this on a townhall talk he and the Sgt. Major of the Marine Corps held to address some of the changes he was trying to make. A Marine flat out asked him, "How can you lead the Marine Corps, understand our ethos, if you don't even have a CAR?
The current Commandant, General David H. Berger, appears to be even worse, even though he has a CAR.

Prioleau Alexander: The Marine Ethos - FITSNews
"Marines find themselves with a new Commandant — General David Berger — who seems to have lost his mind … to the point of making changes that go against the Corps’ Congressionally mandated responsibilities."

The Air Force is short about 10% of the 21,000 or so pilots it requires. They're also running about 10% short on active-duty enlistments with even greater shortages in Guard and Reserve recruiting. According to the Air Force itself, they expect the shortfall to get worse. They're all about spending money on new and better aircraft, UAV's, and such, but who will fly and maintain then? What is DoD's response, bonuses, pay raises, decent base housing, nah! they recommend that in order to meet the financial pressures of a couple years of high inflation (some record breaking) service members should apply for food stamps. How tone deaf can you be?

Everyone short on meeting manpower needs, ordinance and weapons sent to Ukraine not being replaced, a disconnect between senior leadership and the operating forces on many issues from quality of life, pay, inflation, lack of combat training (there is plenty of social equity training going on), etc. has destroyed our capabilities. We best hope we don't go to war with China or Russia, it will be as big a fiasco as the early days of the Korean War. As Omar Bradley stated as Army Chief of Staff: "the Army of 1948 could not fight its way out of a paper bag." Nobody fixed it and in 1950 we were being soundly thrashed by a third-rate army, the NKPA (North Korean People's Army). History might just repeat itself.