Thursday, September 21, 2017

Odyssey of Echo Company / The Popcorn Wagon

Sadly Columbus did not hit 90 yesterday - only 89.  We did receive 0.29 inches of rain from the storms last night!

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I have a new book written by Doug Stanton.  Stanton has become one of my favorite living authors. The other two favorite but deceased authors are Stephen E. Ambrose who's father was my moms Doctor (grew up in Whitewater) and Cornelius Ryan.

I met and had dinner with Doug Stanton at a USS Indianapolis reunion in 2013. His first book "Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors"  is about my father in law adventures and members of the Indy.  Fantastic book that is in the same vein of Band of Brothers where you follow a group into the unknown.  A factual drama adventure soon to be an HBO event with multiple National Geographic specials.

His second book is also fantastic Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan about "specially trained mounted U.S. soldiers, deployed in the war-ravaged Afghanistan mountains to fight alongside the Northern Alliance-thousands of rag-tag Afghans who fought themselves to exhaustion or death-against the Taliban".

This is in the process of becoming a series/movie also.

His newest book is "Odyssey of Echo Company: The 1968 Tet Offensive and the Epic Battle to Survive the Epic Battle"  follows Echo Company of the 101 during the Tet Offensive.  I have only read about why he wrote this book and I have chills already.   Ken Burns says it well when he stated you really need 50 years after something to really get an unbiased view of events.

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I have officially jumped on board of the popcorn wagon  . . . wagon.  Two thoughts.  If the wagon is "entombed" in the Pavilion it will remain safe and sound with lots of people seeing it that know that it is already there.  HOWEVER -  if it is OUT THERE in parades many MORE younger people will see it and perhaps 50 years from now they will have fond memories.

To be honest if I was George Hasey I would think he would want people buying popcorn out of it making people happy.  So, the question is - do we preserve history?  Or do we continue to create history for the future.

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The Paris climate accords now only has two holdouts.  Syria and The United States

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California is about to pass a new law making puppy mills and any dog or cat in stores that did not come from a shelter or rescue. Well done CA.

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There have been 1,772 episodes of House Hunters on HGTV faux reality show.  I say faux because the people buying the home ALREADY have decided which home to pick and are just playing along!

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Big Brother came to an end last night and I have not spoken of it this summer because it was one of the worst season ( according to IMDB voting ) since season one. In fact last nights finale' was the worst episode EVER in Big Brother history.  


The dumbest game players ever who let a veteran run the entire show like they were puppets and then they did not vote for him to win the money.  The players immediately found show-manses and then played either to help their partner OR help Paul the veteran. Nobody played to WIN.

Stupid stupid people in the most strategic game show on TV.  SAD.

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Russia just sent 34 million in oil to North Korea.

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Waiting for a new iPhone?  The problem ALL phone companies are having is the lack of glass for phones.  This is why the Foxconn (notice CON in their name) LOOKS so wonderful . . except for the multiple of times Foxconn has taken the money and not done anything.  But Walker and his cronies are dazzled are are throwing the dice knowing that if it fails they will be long long gone to take any blame but their base will suck it up.  Sadly it will not be until 2042 when Wisconsin start getting paid back for empty promises.

OH - I am all for Foxconn coming to Wisconsin if we did not have to mortgage our children future so Chicago and Illinois  people can have jobs.  

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