Citizen Soldiers - Marine Reserves in WWII

"During World War II, the Marine Corps expanded from approximately 15,000 Regular Duty personnel to more than 485,000 Marines by 1945, with Reserve Marines constituting the bulk of personnel strength. Of the 589,852 Marines to serve during World War II, approximately 70 percent were Reserves. One general officer described the Reserve as “… a shot in the arm when war came.”

During the Pacific campaigns, Reserve Marines participated in some of the most bitterly fought battles of the war, including Solomon, Marshall, Marianna, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa Islands. Reserve Marines performed valiantly throughout the war, as 44 of the 82 Marine Medal of Honor recipients were Reservists. Twenty Reserve Marines received the Medal of Honor for actions in the Battle of Iwo Jima alone.

Many Reserve aviators also distinguished themselves, such as Robert Galer, Joe Foss, and Robert Hanson. Perhaps the most famous Reserve Marine aviator of the war was Gregory “Pappy” Boyington, the Marine Corps’ Ace of Aces. The Medal of Honor recipient and leader of the Black Sheep squadron, VMF-214, shot down 26 enemy planes over the course of the war.

During this time, more than 19,000 women also joined the U.S. Marine Corps Women’s Reserve to “Free a Marine to Fight.” These pioneering women filled more than 200 occupations, such as truck drivers, electricians, mechanics, cryptographers, painters, parachute riggers, paymasters, and aerial photographers. Col. Ruth Cheney Streeter served as the first Director of the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve. She orchestrated the wartime expansion of the Women’s Reserve program and pushed for the continuance of the Women’s Reserve after the war.

Further crucial manpower support came from the 19,168 African-American men who joined the Marines during the war. Trained at Montford Point, near Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, they served as enlisted men since 1942 and as officers since 1945. Of these Marines, 75 percent served overseas. Although assigned to service support units, approximately 8,000 African-American Marines performed their duties under fire at places like Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima. Some of the Montford Point Marines would continue to serve honorably in the Reserve Force through the Korean War and beyond.

Just as in the First World War, Reserve Marines seamlessly integrated into the Active Component. As one official history noted, during World War II “…the reservist was so indistinguishable from the Regular that to attempt a distinction is irrelevant.” Another officer referred to the relationship between the Reserve and Active Components as “our greatest blessing, our greatest strength…when fighting side by side, the labels Reserve and Regular melt away.” 

Source   https://www.military.com/

https://www.military.com/marine-corps-birthday/marine-corps-reserve-history#:~:text=During%20the%20war%2C%20the%20Marine%20Corps%20expanded%20from,World%20War%20II%2C%20approximately%2070%20percent%20were%20Reserves.

Citizen Soldiers - Army National Guard and Reserve in World War II

The US Military Reserve and National Guard were a major part of the forces in World War II. They were mobilized a year before Pearl Harbor - it had become likely that we would be in the war, and the National Guard and Reserve doubled the size of the US Army.

Army Reserve

"Almost one of every four Army officers -- more than 200,000 of the 900,000 Army officers during the war -- was an Army Reservist. Two wartime studies give an indication of how important the Reserve contribution was to the Army. A 1944 War Department study in one Regular Army infantry division found that 62.5 percent of the battalion commanders, 84.5 percent of the company commanders and 30.3 percent of the platoon leaders were reservists. Another survey noted that between Sept. 1, 1943, and May 31, 1944, 52.4 percent of the Army officers killed in action and 27.7 percent of those missing in action came from the Organized Reserve.

The Army Reservists of World War II included men like Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt Jr. He was the first general to land on a Normandy beach on D-Day and received the Medal of Honor for his actions that day. Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle led the first raid to strike back against Japan and also received the Medal of Honor. Lt. Col. Strom Thurmond crash-landed in a glider with the 82nd Airborne Division into Normandy. Lt. Col. James Earl Rudder led Rudder's Rangers up the Pointe du Hoc cliffs on D-Day."

Source:

https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/usar-history.htm#:~:text=As%20World%20War%20II%20neared%2C%20the%20Army%20Reserve,active%20service%20for%20the%20duration%20of%20the%20war.

https://www.nationalguard.mil/portals/31/Documents/About/Publications/Documents/Fact%20Sheet%20-%20National%20Guard%20In%20World%20War%20II.pdf#:~:text=1940-41%20MOBILIZATION%20Beginning%20in%20September%201940%2C%20the%20first,flying%20squadrons%20to%20the%20nation%27%20s%20active-duty%20forces.

Why Plan When You Can React ?

WORDS TO PLAN BY

HOARY PLANNING APHORISMS - PLANNING PHILOSOPHY - DOGGEREL

Things I have learned as a City Planner and Marine and Boy Scout and in Sunday School.

Don't worry, be happy.  

Why Plan, when you can react?

As you climb the ladder of success, don't forget who helped you.

Any road will do when you don't know where you are going.

This too shall pass.

Get it done.

Think!

Think positive.

Life has its ups and downs.

It will get better.

The Seven "P's" Of Planning  - Preliminary Prior Planning Prevents Pitiful Poor Performance

Poor Planning on Your Part Does not Necessarily Constitute an Emergency on Mine

Positive Mental Attitude is a Force Multiplier.

Don't make mountains out of mole hills.

What good does getting depressed do?

Dive right in.

Take bite size projects and finish them.

Make a decision and stick with it.

The longest journey begins with a single step.

Excuses are like belly buttons, everyone has one.

I am from the government and here to help.

Close enough for government work.

If anything can go wrong, it will.

If it ain't broke don't fix it.

         But a stitch in time saves nine.

Run spiell chek.

Travel more.

Eat Less.

If it tastes good, spit it out.

Keep plugging away.

Swing for the Fences but try not to strike out.

Stuff happens.

Just do it.

Can do easy.

Criticism, like sewage, runs down hill.

Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.

Damn the Torpedoes, Full speed Ahead!

Don't Lose Friends Over Politics

In America we elect a Republican or a Democrat, pretty good people. We are not choosing between a Communist and a Fascist.

When in danger, when in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout.

"We spend precious hours fearing the inevitable. It would be wise to use that time adoring our families, cherishing our friends, and living our lives!"  Mary Angelou

Be Prepared.

Do a good turn daily.

Good guidelines then and now - A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.

On your Honor, Do your Best, Do Your Duty, For God and Your Country.

Leave your campground better than you found it.

Leave your community better than you found it.

If like many planners you are disorganized, find someone who is organized to help you.

Checklists help but the are not the bible.

A Plan is Not the Bible

Search for the Win / Win.

Developers are important to your community.

Seek and Ye Shall Find.

Planning, like life, has its ups and downs.

It will get better / It's got to get better / I hope it gets better.

Brevity is Beautiful.

KISS - Keep it Short and Sweet.

Short Plans are Best.

Your long plan should have a short summary.

Don't make mountains out of mole hills.

Life can be a can of worms.

Publish or perish.

The longest journey starts with a single step. 

Keep plugging away.

Muddle through.

Take bite size projects and finish them.

Make a decision and stick with it.

Keep your eye on the ball.

Planning does not equal procrastination.

Trend is not Destiny

Current Trends May Not Forecast the Future.

If I don't know the answer I will make something up.

Keep your friends.

Don't be a workaholic.

How many people on their deathbed say, "Gosh, I wished I had worked more?"

The Few, the Proud, The Marines.

The Few, the Careful, The Planners.

Building consensus among governments and people is like herding Cats.

Show me which way the people are going and I will lead them.

2016 Zimbabwe 

Planning Chicago's third airport is like bathing an elephant - it is big, difficult, and you can definitely get hurt.

Excuses are like belly buttons, everyone has one.

Grant me the COURAGE to change what should be changed; the SERENITY to accept what cannot be changed; and the WISDOM to know the difference.

We will all hang together or all hang separately.

Don't sweat the small stuff.

But pay attention to details - other people are.

Let criticism roll off your back.

Do what your boss tells you unless it is illegal or immoral.

Flee Fornification, or, Don't get caught.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

Most of your life is none of their business.

Socrates was a famous Greek Philosopher. Like many planners, he was always telling people what do do..............          They poisoned him.

When you take a job, you are issued some marbles. Each time there is a problem one marble is taken away. No new marbles are ever added for any reason.  After a while, you lose your marbles.

When in danger, when in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout.

Hostile public hearings are stressful but they seldom shoot real bullets.

The Planner is like the Marine Point Man - he leads from the front, gets shot at often, and sometimes gets dinged.

When it absolutely, positively has to be destroyed overnight - Call 911-Marines.

Great Leadership enables the Marines to get American teenagers up at 0500 hours, work out, stay clean and neat and organized, and Charge Machine Guns, all for minimum wage.

Yea though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I will fear no evil, because I am a US Marine and there for the baddest guy in the valley.

To err is human, to forgive divine - neither of which is Marine policy.

The height of windy braggadocio obnoxiousness - a Marine from the Windy City.

Stop me before I Plan again.

Covid-19 - Wear Masks, Keep Your Distance, Hide Out. This Too Shall Pass

I am tired of Covid. I want to insult and demean it.  I will now call it the Cooties!  Don't get the cooties.

After                                                                    Before

ACDC - Acronym Code Decode Center

PANE - People Against Nearly Everything

FUBIJAR - Flip You Buddy, I'm Just A Reserve

FUBIJAC - Flip You Buddy, I'm Just A Consultant

FUBAR - Flipped Up Beyond All Recognition 

WITAWTAW - Where There's a Will, There's a Way

NIMBY - Not In My Back Yard

NIMTOF - Not In My Term Of Office

BANANA -  Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anybody

REMF - Rear Echelon MF

SUCKS - Snarky Unfair Churlish Kid Stuff

DUDE - Developer Under Delusions of Entitlement

TICS - This Is Complicated Stuff

ISC - I Stand Corrected

MMOM - Making Mountains Out Of Molehills

DWBH - Don Worry Be Happy

DAT - Developer Adjustment Tool (My Marine knife on the wall)

PIHEFF - Planning Is Hard, Especially For the Future

FASU - Forecasts All Screwed Up

PIOOTA - Pulling It Out Of The Air

The Plan

The Plan

In the beginning, there was a plan,

And then came the assumptions,

And the assumptions were without form,

And the plan without substance,

And the darkness was upon the face of the workers,

And they spoke among themselves saying,

"It is a crock of shit and it stinks."

And the workers went unto their Supervisors and said,

"It is a pile of dung, and we cannot live with the smell."

And the Supervisors went unto their Managers saying,

"It is a container of excrement, and it is very strong,

Such that none may abide by it."

And the Managers went unto their Directors saying,

"It is a vessel of fertilizer, and none may abide by its strength."

And the Directors spoke among themselves saying to one another,

"It contains that which aids plants growth, and it is very strong."

And the Directors went to the Vice Presidents saying unto them,

"It promotes growth, and it is very powerful."

And the Vice Presidents went to the President, saying unto him,

"This new plan will actively promote the growth and vigor

Of the company With very powerful effects."

And the President looked upon the Plan

And saw that it was good,

And the Plan became Policy.

And this, my friend, is how shit happens.

One Four Year Terms For President

I support limiting the US President to one four year term.  One and Done.  

A President usually accomplishes all he can or wants to do in one term.  The second term is just coasting.

The US decided to limit the Presidency to two terms in 1947.  No restrictions were placed on the Vice President.

"Passed by Congress in 1947, and ratified by the states on February 27, 1951, the Twenty-Second Amendment limits an elected president to two terms in office, a total of eight years."

One four year term is more than long enough. A one term restriction would stop the debacle that we had on Jan 6, where the losing incumbent fought to maintain power.

By restricting our future Presidents to one term we may dampen the blood sport of the opposition party attacking the President all the time. Since the President can never run again, villifying him won't be so attractive.  And perhaps we can return to patriotic Americans supporting our leader duing his four term, while trying to build support for their candidate for the future.

We should also limit the Vice President to one four year term, and restrict him or her from ever running for the VP or President again.  This will help all Americans to support the VP without the incessant villification of the person. Since the VP cannot run for President they hopefully won't be a target.

The Vice President would change from being a younger less experienced peson to a more seasoned veteran who can't hope to be elected to the Presidency.

Our country is terribly divided now. We need to take steps to stop the incessant attacks on our President and Vice President. Since they will be done at the end of one four year term, never to run again, we can hope for a little less attack dog bickering.

.

Abortions

Abortions have been declining in the US.

Click to read the article:  https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/06/24/what-the-data-says-about-abortion-in-the-u-s-2/ft_2022-06-23_abortiondata_01/

The recent Supreme Court decision will result in less abortion.  Educated employed women will likely travel to States where abortion is legal. Unemployed poor women will have fewer abortions. More unwanted children will be born into poverty with related social problems.

______

"The effect of legalized abortion on crime (also the Donohue–Levitt hypothesis) is a controversial hypothesis about the reduction in crime in the decades following the legalization of abortion. Proponents argue that the availability of abortion resulted in fewer births of children at the highest risk of committing crime. The earliest research suggesting such an effect was a 1966 study in Sweden. In 2001, Steven Levitt of the University of Chicago and John Donohue of Yale University argued, citing their research and earlier studies, that children who are unwanted or whose parents cannot support them are likelier to become criminals. This idea was further popularized by its inclusion in the book Freakonomics, which Levitt co-wrote.

Critics have argued that Donohue and Levitt's methodologies are flawed and that no statistically significant relationship between abortion and later crime rates can be proven.^[1][2][3] Criticisms include the assumption in the Donohue-Levitt study that abortion rates increased substantially since the 1973 Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade; critics use census data to show that the changes in the overall abortion rate could not account for the decrease in crime claimed by the study's methodology (legal abortions had been permitted under limited circumstances in many states prior). Other critics state that the correlations between births and crime found by Donohue–Levitt do not adequately account for confounding factors such as reduced drug use, changes in demographics and population densities, or other contemporary cultural changes."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legalized_abortion_and_crime_effect

So we are entering into a long term controlled experiment.  Some States will continue to permit abortions while others will eliminate it.  If Donahue-Levitt are correct violent crime should increase in the States that eliminate abortion beginning in about 15 years.

Podcast by the authors

https://freakonomics.com/?s=abortion%20crime

https://bluevirginia.us/2015/06/two-graphs-illustrate-wild-disconnect-between-fact-and-opinion-in-america

Father's Day

 

Our father Clifford Harlan Hulinger - an outstanding man.

Missing him on Fathers Day.

https://clifhullinger.blogspot.com/

https://hullingerwwii.blogspot.com/

https://109thvideo.blogspot.com/

 

27 million people were murdered by the Axis countries in World War II in addition to those killed in war. The United States, Great Britain, Canada, and Australia were joined by the USSR, China, and other allies against Nazi Germany, Japan, and Italy. Most people believe that World War II was necessary and justified.

150 million people were murdered by the Communist countries  in addition to those killed in war. The United States and Great Britain were joined by our old enemies and other allies against our former allies, the USSR, China, and other Communist countries. Most people believe the Cold War was necessary and justified.

Communism was everywhere on the attack from 1945 to 1985.  Communism expanded from Russia into Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Albania, China, Cuba, Czechslovakia, East Germany, Tibet, North Vietnam, North Korea, and a number of other countries. Their goal was to bring Communism to all nations.

Communists used terrorism, murder and subversion to destabilize countries. Political murder and terrorism was an integral part of “Wars of Liberation.”

3.8 million people were murdered in South Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos when the Cold War went hot. Millions more were imprisoned, enslaved, and ethnically cleansed. 

Young Boy in Front of a Memorial near Angkor Wat

The anti war movement changed American policy. They believed that the War was immoral and that the U.S. was there for oil. They contended we were imperialist fascist war mongers. They believed that war is evil and to be avoided at all costs. They considered Ho Chi Minh and Pol Pot to be Freedom Fighters. "Ho, Ho, Ho Chi Minh, NLF is sure to Win". They thought Communism was an excellent system. They believed that Communists were fighting for freedom and self determination. They contended that the war in southeast Asia was a civil war. 


The antiwar movement succeeded in their goals.  The Congress elected in 1974 withdrew support leading to the successful takeover in 1975. This led directly to the massive genocide that took place in all three countries.

I believe an individual and a nation must oppose evil, especially when their avowed policy was to take over the world. We were both moral and right to oppose Hitler, Tojo, Stalin, Mao, Ho Chi Minh, and Pol Pot.


We have largely prevailed over Communism. It has been abandoned in Europe. It is liberalizing and improving in Asia. China, Laos, North Korea and Vietnam remain totalitarian police states.

I believe that many of the anti war folks were sincere in their beliefs. And they were successful in their efforts to halt financial and military support for Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. But millions of people are dead, tortured, ethnically cleansed and enslaved partly as a result of their success.

Never again. Until the next time.

Photos from the killing fields of Cambodia. Vietnam and Laos were just as bad but the people who committed the genocide and ethnic cleansing are still in charge and don't publicize what happened after the Communist takeover. 

References on Murder

Professor Rudy Rummel of the University of Hawaii has published extensive referenced and documented estimates on murder by government, which he terms democide. The table below summarizes some of his work.

http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/

Click for more info and referendce:
https://worldwarcoldwarvietnam.blogspot.com/