"No More Task Force Rogue One"

I shamelessly cribbed this from The Angry Staff Officer, Thus guy like I have stated in the past has taken Star Wars references and pop culture and applies it to Army or Military doctrine.   Again you can blame my friend "Mac" for this Lol, he turned me onto this guy.  I really enjoying reading this stuff.

There’s a common phrase that you’re apt to hear in discussions on Army readiness: “No more Task Force Smiths.” For reference, Task Force Smith was a rapidly cobbled together unit of infantry and artillery that was shipped to Korea in the opening phase of the Korean War. Intended to show the North Koreans that America wasn’t messing around, TF Smith instead demonstrated that the U.S. Army had completely misread the resolve of the North Koreans. TF Smith was literally driven over, suffering over 50% losses against the enemy armor. It was a lesson in humility – one that the U.S. Army is still struggling with to this day: how could the Army that defeated Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan in 1945 struggle against a rag-tag bunch of communists five years later?
Simple: the Army had let preparedness slip and thought that the mere presence of U.S. Soldiers would cause the North Koreans to not attack; and the North Koreans were not a rag-tag force, but instead battle-hardened, well-equipped troops who were used to winning. It was a bloody lesson.

Bazooka Team at the Battle of Osan, 1950. The bazookas proved barely effective against North Korean tanks. (US Army Photo)

So what does this have to do with Star Wars?
The Rebel Alliance needs to learn the same lesson that the U.S. Army was handed in 1950, that good troops cannot overcome poor planning and even worse resourcing.
In short, no more Task Force Rogue Ones.
In Rogue One, we see a prime example of a basic U.S. Army tactical action: a raid. A raid is defined in ADRP 1-02 Operational Terms and Military Symbols as, “An operation to temporarily seize an area in order to secure information, confuse an adversary, capture personnel or equipment, or to destroy a capability culminating with a planned withdrawal.” The mission is simple: conduct a tactical raid on the Imperial base of Scarif to deceive the enemy as to the real point of attack. In this case, the main offensive action is a special operations penetration into the Imperial record holdings on Scarif to seize and extract the data files of the Death Star. 
The raid is set off balance at the outset by the Rebel Alliance’s determination not to support operations against Scarif because they cannot verify intelligence reports that the Death Star plans are located on Scarif and that they might hold a secret to the battle station’s weakness. This leaves the raiding party without conventional support, such as tactical lift and close air support. However, the commander of a special operations detachment, Captain Cassian Andor, volunteers his detachment to Jyn Erso for the mission. This force is composed of light infantry and numbers approximately 20-30 troopers. Armed with mainly light weaponry, they are capable of swift movement, infiltration, and demolitions. However, with no crew-served weapons and very few anti-armor guided munitions, they are not equipped for sustained conventional battle. Cassian directs his men to take anything “that isn’t tied down” to augment their meager supplies. Critical to their operation are demolitions charges, which they are able to acquire.
Jyn and Cassian commandeer a captured Imperial shuttle and initiate movement to the line of departure. While in transit, Jyn and Cassian develop their tentative plan: the two of them accompanied by a strategic analysis droid named K-2SO will infiltrate the records facility and attempt to steal the plans to send to the Rebel Alliance. Taking a droid that essentially fulfils staff officer functions might seem strange, but they went to war with the droid they had, not the droid they wanted. The special operations detachment will fan out in small teams around Scarif and set demolitions charges at multiple sites to confuse the enemy as to the whereabouts of the real attack. However, the leaders of the raid fail to plan any further past this point.
Jyn gives the force a quick mission brief that lays out the course of action as, essentially, they will attack until they meet the next obstacle, and then adapt and overcome it. This is the next failing of the task force – they fail to complete a comprehensive mission brief that includes an objective rally point, actions on contact, evacuation of casualties, priority of reports, accountability of personnel, a map reconnaissance, rehearsals, actions on the objective, and task organization of the detachment into assault, support, and security elements. This failure to plan places the task force  – Task Force Rogue One – at a severe disadvantage as they are heavily outnumbered against a combined arms garrison force.

Tactical movement by team, using cover and concealment. (Lucasfilm Ltd)

Once the shuttle lands on Scarif at the de facto objective rally point (ORP), the infiltration team seizes Imperial officer uniforms and enter the data archives center using deception. The special operations teams exfiltrate the shuttle, leaving a small security detachment for the ORP and shuttle. No leader’s reconnaissance is conducted and there are no fallback positions identified for the teams. As each team fans out to their objectives, movement is tactical and each team is prepared for enemy contact. The teams keep local security and communications with the infiltration team. Once at each objective, the teams isolate the sites by infiltration and deception, neutralizing enemy guards at each site without alerting the entire garrison. Demolitions charges are placed at installations all around the Imperial facility, awaiting the order to detonate. However, although each team falls back to a covered position, they do not establish support by fire positions or identify exfiltration routes back by to the ORP.
Once inside the archives facility, Cassian gives the order to detonate the charges, making the raid kinetic. Rather than detonate the charges and fall back, each team remains in place to engage the garrison troops in order to make the raid seem larger than it is. However, due to their lack of casualty producing weapons and an exfiltration plan, it turns into a suicide mission. Imperial Stormtroopers mass their firepower on the special operations teams, pinning each one in place. Rebel firepower is diminished further when Rebel troops tend to their wounded rather than provide accurate cover fire. Having gained local fire superiority, the Imperials deploy heavy armor onto the Rebel flanks, cutting off lines of escape into the more covered jungle areas. The Rebel light fighters are quickly broken up into smaller, more vulnerable groups that attempt to head away from the armor, which gives the AT-ACT gunners direct fire capabilities against them. The Imperial armor herds the Rebels towards the beaches on the islands that make up Scarif’s topography. In the open, on poor footing, the Rebels are easy targets for the armor and following Stormtroopers.

Anti-armor guided missiles prove ineffective when fired at the vehicle’s frontal armor, displaying a tactical weakness in TF Rogue One, a weakness that is easily exploited. (Lucasfilm Ltd)

Disaster is momentarily avoided by close air support that comes from the few Rebel fighters that manage to enter the planet’s shield defense system before it is closed. The Rebel spacecraft quickly destroy the Imperial armor and Rebel transports land additional reinforcements. However, with no overall command and control of the operation, the task force is again overwhelmed, segmented, and destroyed in detail by Imperial Storm and Death Troopers. Indeed, with no overall command and control of the various forces, the raid was doomed to total failure from the outset. Luckily, the infiltration force manages to obtain the data and transmit it to the Rebel fleet, just before the Imperial base on Scarif is destroyed by the Death Star.

A Rebel U-Wing flies CAS for ground forces while Imperial armor moves to envelop and encircle Rebel ground forces. Phased planning would have prevented Rebel Forces moving piecemeal into the fight. (Lucasfilm Ltd)

Operationally, the raid is a success since the end state was achieved, i.e., acquiring the Death Star plans. However, the Rebels sacrificed the entire task force – and a significant portion of their fleet – in exchange for a small shot at obtaining the Death Star plans. Tactically, the raid was a failure. Had the task force adhered to the U.S. Army’s doctrinal outlines for conducting a raid, they would have been able to at least harbor some of their badly-needed forces for the future. As it was, Task Force Rogue One met only five out of the ten performance measures that the U.S. Army uses to evaluate a successful raid.
Rebel Intelligence bears no small part of the blame for the destruction of Task Force Rogue One for failing to properly vet their sources. Had Jyn been an accepted member of the intelligence community, Mon Mothma would have been able to rally the Rebel Alliance around the mission and give it the support that it needed. Hung out to dry, Task Force Rogue One stands as an example of the limits of operating by group consensus as a military organization and a warning against poor planning measures.
No more Task Force Rogue Ones.

Monday Music "Leave it" by YES

I was listening to my80's channel on Sirius/XM on the way home and this song came on and I liked it and remembered it.  This song came on MTV and had a heavy rotation and I really liked the entire album.  This song I would play in my Ranger real loud because this song would work real well if you have a good system in your vehicle.  Well the song sounds good anyway no matter what you use to listen to it.

90125 is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band Yes, released on 7 August 1983 by Atco Records. After the group disbanded in 1981 following their tour in support of their previous album Drama (1980), bassist Chris Squire and drummer Alan White formed the band Cinema with new guitarist and singer Trevor Rabin and former Yes keyboardist Tony Kaye. The group adopted a more commercial and pop-oriented direction as the result of their new material, with much of it derived from Rabin's demos with former Yes singer Trevor Horn as their producer. During the album's mixing stage, former Yes singer Jon Anderson returned to record the lead vocals, which led to Cinema continuing as a reformed Yes.

Named after its catalogue serial number, 90125 was released to a generally positive reception and helped introduce the band to a new generation of fans. It reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and No. 16 on the UK Albums Chart and remains their best selling album with over 3 million copies sold in the US. Of the album's four singles, "Owner of a Lonely Heart" was the most successful, topping the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart; this track is, to date, the only song of theirs to top the Billboard Hot 100. "Cinema" earned the group a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance and 90125 received a nomination for an award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. Yes toured the album between 1984 and 1985 which included two headline shows at the inaugural Rock in Rio festival. The album was remastered in 2004 with previously unreleased bonus tracks.

A music video was made for the song, directed by Godley and Creme. It was shot upside-down and was one of the first music videos to utilize computer-generated imagery. Eighteen different variations of the video were made (the first one, for instance, simply had the band upside-down, but motionless for the whole song), with the eleventh one chosen as the "standard" version, and has remained the "official" video. A half-hour documentary on the making of the video was broadcast on MTV in 1984. Also, a marathon showing all eighteen videos one after the other was also shown on MTV.

Pithy thoughts.....

Before I get started, I spent time yesterday helping my son sell "Camp Cards" for Boy Scouts, then we headed home, I helped him set up a project for the Order of the Arrow that he is working on then I went for a ride,

I actually worked the gears, and rode all in the back roads in my area, I even took my son for a ride, all over the area.  it was a good day for a ride, It was enjoyable.
    Now on a few pithy comments,  a little over a week ago, we had the socialist candidate for president in Mexico show up in Los Angeles and proceed to dis the United States and Trump, now what the hell kind of crap was that?  If you are an American you should be pissed, this is the epitome of "bad manners", a guest shows up in your house then proceeds to denigrate your house...and more people ain't pissed?  What the hell...??
    On a different note, the Mainstream Media is finding out that there are consequences of pushing a narrative and opinions disguised as facts..

Apparently the MSM are screaming like stuck pigs, I guess that being totally in the tank for your opponent and being little more than mouthpieces for the DNC has a price.  CNN or the "Clinton News Network" has been exceedingly noisy talking about the "Free Press" and the dangers of muzzling the press.....

 I guess that being blinded on the worship of President Obama where the Press printed and supported President Obama and even would go after his detractors kinda makes it rough on the integrity issues..

And speaking about President Obama, He set some kind of record, he waited 10 whole days before he criticized President Trump...wow 10 whole days and I have been hearing that Obama is running behind the scene as the "Organizer in Chief" for all these groups that are opposing President Trump.  Traditionally the Prior President doesn't criticize his successor, but President Obama couldn't do that.  Obama only showed his spine with the GOP, he was a Milquetoast to the rest of the world.  And speaking about rising from the dead, there is a new video of Hillary encouraging the protest and riots on Trump, I don't think she has thought it through....She can still get locked up for her past crimes,Traditionally the victor doesn't go after his/her opponent but the democrats have already shredded traditions so this might be a tit for tat,  I am pretty sure that the FBI and the DOJ are starting to move in on the Clinton Foundation and the other things, but I don't expect action any time soon until Atty General Sessions start purging the political elements out of the DOJ.
   And finally the DNC met here in Atlanta to select the next head of the DNC, They had 2 front runners, a Keith Ellison, a Hardcore muslim from Minnesota and Thomas Perez the Obama department of Labor secretary.  Apparently they spent the time hurling vituperation at Trump and planning on their comeback in 2018.   I suppose that they haven't learned the lessons of 2016.  President Obama has been successful on holding the reins of the Democrat Party,

It doesn't matter that the democrats have been bleeding on every election and losing offices on the state level since 2008.  President Obama is successful on controlling the democratic party.  They will continue to pursue the race and gender identity politics that cost them in 2016.  Bill Clinton had the right idea in 1992" it is the economy stupid" but the democrats of today have forgotten the middle class, those were the ones that pulled the lever for Trump in 2016.

A few pics and some history on the Arado 234 (German Bomber from WWII)

A few years ago I went to the Udvar-Hazy Smithisonian museum that was about 10 minutes by shuttle, here is a pic of my son back in 2012, he really loved the Museum.  I would like to go back and check it out.  I remembered seeing a strange airplane in there that I had heard about but never seen, it is the elusive Arado 234, the first operational Jet bomber.

A pic of my son enjoying the Museum.   It is 15 minutes shuttle bus ride that cost .50 per person per way so it cost us $2.00 plus there is a mcdonalds inside the museum and a gift shop(of course).  If you are an aviation junkie...it is worth the flight and ride out there.  One of the Space shuttles is also out there.

The Germans mastered the technology of jet engines in 1939 with the Heinkel He 178. They had plans to develop a much larger aircraft, capable of bombing Allied cities, without the possibility of being intercepted.

A rare photo of a captured Ar 234 aircraft with American markings. Notice that the plane was renamed “Jane I”

The Arado Company installed the Junkers Jumo 004(the same engine used by the ME 262 Schwalb (Swallow) under each wing and produced the world’s first operational turbojet. The prototype made its first reconnaissance mission on 2 August 1944, when Erich Sommer flew it. The pilot reported the landing gear was very problematical and it was hard to stop the aircraft on the landing strip. It was designed to land using retractable skids, which were difficult to stop if the strip was wet.
After the reconnaissance version of the airplane had been tested in the field, the German High Command demanded an armed version. The final victory the Fuhrer promised was only achievable if superior weapons were put to use as soon as possible.
    

By then, there was not the slightest chance that a bomber could change the outcome of the war. The Nazi propaganda machine was heavily relying on the so-called Revenge Weapons such as the V-1 and V-2 rockets and the superior design of the Me-262, a pioneering fighter jet
The bomber version brought several other complications. There was not enough space to make a bomb bay, so the bombs had to be carried externally, making them more vulnerable to malfunction.



As the cockpit was located directly in front of the plane’s fuselage, the pilot had no clear view of the rear. He had to use a periscope similar to the ones used in German tanks.  Fuel tanks were expanded, and the engine was improved.
Meanwhile, the recon variants of the Ar 234 were conducting missions all over Western Europe and Britain without being detected, due to the high speed and altitude at which they were flying. The bomber version Ar 234 flew its last mission in April 1945, and it was the last German aircraft to bomb Britain during WWII.
The Ar 234A, which was the official name of the reconnaissance variant,  could achieve a velocity of 742 km/h (461 mph) at its optimal height of 6,000 m (20,000 ft), with an effective range of 1,556 km (967 mi).

The Ludendorff Bridge between 8 and 11 March 1945. Photo Credit

The bomber version marked Ar 234B was slightly slower, due to the weight of the bomb load, but still incredibly fast. One of its most notable actions was the bombardment of the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen, Germany.

The bridge was a vital point held by the Americans, as it was necessary for transporting troops across the River Rhine. During ten days in March, when the Allies had captured the bridge at Remagen, 1000 kg of bombs were dropped on it daily, by an Ar 234 stationed nearby.
There were 210 units built from mid-1944 to the end of the war. They included prototypes and all variants of the aircraft. Only one of them survived. It is exhibited at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, near the Washington Dulles International Airport.

2nd Chinese Carrier nears completion

I posted back in 2012 about the Chinese Aircraft Carrier.  Apparently the Chinese or the "PLA-N" the Peoples Liberation Army- Navy are expanding their power and influence and after building their manmade islands to bolster their claim for the South China Sea.  Remember China is feuding with Vietnam, Philippines and Japan over the Spratley Islands.  I will make a very uneducated guess, this parallels the American development in the early 1920 and early 1930 perhaps in carrier development.  It is easier for them because others have already built Aircraft Carriers and have already worked out tactics.  I see the Chinese will challenge the United States in the next 20 to 30 years in the Pacific.

Slowly but surely, China’s first indigenous carrier is coming into being. Laid down in 2015 with an expected launch date in 2017 or 2018, China’s second aircraft carrier may enter full service sometime around 2020. The lack of transparency around the project has spurred a tremendous degree of speculation, down to some very basic questions. As was the case with Liaoning (CV-16), China’s first carrier, analysts have a name problem; no one is quite sure what to call the new ship. For years as Liaoning underwent construction and refit, China-watchers guessed as to the correct name, generally settling on the accurate but inelegant “ex-Varyag” (other guesses included Shi Lang and Zheng He). While some have suggested “Shandong,” most commentators have settled around “CV-17.”
So, what do we know about CV-17?

Photos of CV-17, under construction at Dalian Shipbuilding, suggest that she will strongly resemble China’s first carrier. She appears to be of roughly similar size to Liaoning, has a ski-jump, and apparently will have conventional propulsion. Speculating on the basis of the appearance of a few models in the public domain, Andrew Erickson suggests that CV-17 may use gas or diesel/gas turbines (reports on Liaoning’s propulsion system remain mixed and uncertain, but many suspect she uses Soviet-style steam turbines)

      In a sense, CV-17 will become the second half-sister of the Russian Admiral Kuzetsov, which recently passed through the English Channel to great fanfare. We can expect that the Chinese will improve upon this design at the margins, but the core of the ship remains very similar to the vessel that emerged from the Soviet Black Sea Shipyard in 1990. While this seems like a long time to stick with a single design, the U.S. Navy built Nimitz-class carriers to the same basic template for about forty years                                 

U.S.S Nimitz

CV-17 is, by far, the largest military vessel ever constructed in a Chinese shipyard. The number of shipyards worldwide that can handle construction of an aircraft carrier is remarkably small, and the workforce expertise needed to build the ship disappears quickly. In a sense, CV-17 is as useful for industrial purposes as she will be for military; the experience gained in her construction will set the table for the next Chinese carriers, which may have a more modern, effective design.

In particular, Chinese shipbuilders need to overcome several hurdles before they begin constructing first rate carriers. They need to either develop effective models of nuclear propulsion for surface ships, or scale up existing conventional powerplants (Chinese engine manufacturing has struggled with reliability). They need to decide whether to install steam catapults (an exceedingly complex process) or jump straight to electro-magnetic; some reports suggest that CV-17 may have catapults in addition to a ski-jump, which would make sense primarily from an industrial-capability point of view.

In all likelihood, CV-17 will carrier Shenyang J-15 fighters (a variant of the J-11, itself part of the larger Su-27 “Flanker” family of aircraft). CV-17 may someday carry the J-31 stealth fighter, but at this point the future airwing is entirely notional. Like her half-sisters, CV-17 will lack the capacity to launch large early-warning aircraft, making her dependent upon land-based aircraft and other types of sensors for a full picture of the battlespace.

This suggests that while CV-17 may venture farther afield than her half-sister Liaoning, she will not form the core of an expeditionary battlegroup. Her aircraft will lack the range, payload, and command and control tools necessary to undertaking independent expeditionary operations. She (like Admiral Kuznetsov) will in overall capabilities more resemble one of the USN’s America-class light carriers than a Nimtz or Ford class supercarrier.

Most China watchers seem to believe that the PLAN will move on to a larger, more advanced design after CV-17. Innovations may include many of the systems taken for granted on American carriers, such as catapults (steam or electro-magnetic), and nuclear propulsion. If so, this suggests that CV-17 is a stepping stone, enabling the Chinese shipbuilding industry to gain experience with larger vessels in the same way that CV-16 gave the PLAN the chance to develop rudimentary carrier flight skills.

But what will then happen to CV-17, after the PLAN moves on to larger ships? Unless the PLAN decides on a path similar to that of India- three carriers of wildly different specifications and capabilities- the next class will likely represent the core of China’s carrier force. CV-17 will be paired with the comparatively ancient CV-16, conducting second-tier operations. Eventually, as Liaoning begins to feel her age (and unique construction history), CV-17 may shift into a training role

Monday Music "Back in Black" by AC/DC

I tried to get this out yesterday but was unable to.  We are out of town in West Virginia.  This song came out in 1980, but I though it came out much later, it keeps staying fresh and my local Pro football team for a while played it during the Jerry Glanville era when they went to the black Jerseys...they still kinda sucked but the new look was ok.   I have been a fan of AC/DC and their song from the Stephen King movie "Maximum Overdrive", and the song "Who Made Who" and then they came out with the album "The Razors Edge" with "Thunderstruck".  which is one of my all time favorite song. We in the First Gulf War dedicated it to Saddam Hussain who was "Thunderstruck" by the Modern way of War that he and his Army couldn't handle.  I will include the video also.

"Back in Black" is a song by AC/DC, appearing as the first track on side two of their 1980 album of the same name. Known for its opening guitar riff, the song was AC/DC's tribute to their former singer Bon Scott. His replacement Brian Johnson recalled to Mojo magazine in 2009 that when the band asked him to write a lyric for this song, "they said, 'it can't be morbid – it has to be for Bon and it has to be a celebration.'" He added: "I thought, 'Well no pressure there, then' (laughs). I just wrote what came into my head, which at the time seemed like mumbo, jumbo. 'Nine lives. Cats eyes. Abusing every one of them and running wild.' The boys got it though. They saw Bon's life in that lyric." It peaked in the U.S. at No. 37 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1981 and was No. 51 on Billboard's Top Tracks chart, which debuted in March 1981. "Back in Black" received the RIAA's Master Ringtone Sales Award (Gold and Platinum) in 2006 and reached 2× Platinum status in 2007.
The song was ranked No. 4 by VH1 on their list of the 40 Greatest Metal Songs, and in 2009, it was named the second greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1. It was also ranked No. 187 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The same magazine has also ranked "Back in Black" No. 29 on "The 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time".
In 2010, this song came No. 2 in Triple M's Ultimate 500 Rock Countdown in Melbourne, Australia. The top five were all AC/DC songs.
It officially charted on the UK charts after 31 years in release; peaking in at no. 27 as a result of AC/DC music becoming available on iTunes. It also reached no. 1 on the UK Rock Charts in the same week.

• This song was used in TV shows and films including School of Rock, The Sopranos, Supernatural, Iron Man, Megamind, Grudge Match, The Smurfs, The Muppets and Ash vs Evil Dead, in addition to an episode of Alias, which originally aired after Super Bowl XXXVII on ABC.
• "Back in Black" appeared in the trailers for the films Lilo & Stitch and Kung Fu Panda 3 as well as the video game Call of Duty: Black Ops II.
• The song is used as the entrance song for Iowa Hawkeyes football during home games at Kinnick Stadium.
• The song was used in 2014 commercials for The Blacklist.
• In a 2002 Gap commercial, the model plays the opening riff and then proclaims 'My first love? Angus Young'. Four years later, the company featured the song in their 2006 Gap in Black advert featuring footage of the late British actress Audrey Hepburn dancing in Funny Face.
• The song has been used in Walmart TV commercials for several years.
• The song is used in the 2015 ads for the Chevrolet Colorado and Nissan's Black Friday promotion.
• The song was used in Riley's First Date?, a short film based on the 2015 film, Inside Out.

 "Back in Black"

"Thunderstruck"

doings at casa de Garabaldi

My apologies for not posting after Tuesday.  I would have these ideas to post on on the way to work but by the time I got home I was so tired my creativity was zilch, zero, nada, goose egg and variations of the theme.  I and other bloggers  occasionally do suffer from "writers block" and have to wait for the creative energy to manifest again.  Last week it was

This week it was not so much of it but it was still there. but by the time I got home, my ideas have vanished like the integrity of the average democrat politician.
    On a different note, I changed vehicles...in a manner of speaking...
 I was riding this for the past 3 years...and racked up 30,000 miles on the bike. I was the second owner and she had 56000 miles on the clock.

she is a Bergman 650 a big scooter.  I used to mock them until I owned one.  They are very forgiving of newbie rider foibles.and I learned how to ride a motorcycle on it.  I went through tropical downpours, and many traffic condition with her.  and overall she was trouble free.  I have no complaints.   But Friday morning I took the scooter in to get new tires on her and rode home with this...

2013 Yamaha VStar 1300 Deluxe with 2200 miles on the odometer,  I got a far better trade on the scooter than I was expecting and I used part of my bonus to pay for it outright so the best part was that there is no note.   I will be spending the next few days learning how to shift gears again lol.  The scooter was all automatic so I have to learn how to use a clutch...all over again.  When I was taking the Motorcycle safety course I learned how to ride on a Honda 125 T(Training) and got good at shifting. but the skill atrophied so I have to recover it.  I look forward to it though :)

     We will be going out of town for a week and I will load the que with video clips and other stuff that don't relate to politics especially because the political scene will be different from day to day.

What is up with the Virtue signalling from the left?

It has been 3 weeks since Da Trump was sworn in, it has been a little over 90 days since Donald Trump beat the odds and ruined the coronation of the smartest women in the world.  The left has lost their mind.  When President Obama won the 2nd term, I was disappointed but life goes on.  Now it has been a new election cycle and the PIAP* was defeated, We should have come together as Americans, but the left will not let it go.  They are protesting and pushing boycotts of businesses that they believe supported Trump.  They are calling us "Nazi's" and using this as an excuse to dehumanize us and they believe that once they have demonized someone and called them "Nazi", then they can hurt us, damage our property and in their mind it is"OK" because we are "Nazi's" and we deserve everything we get.
   *Pig in a Pantsuit

They said that if Trump won, that groups of people would be identified and persecuted. And again, they were right. There is now a movement to identify anyone who supported the current president as an an extremist, which is kind of hard to do when he won the Electoral College by 70 votes, which means his support is hardly extreme and maybe, you know, mainstream.

That is, liberals believe that most of America is out-of-step with America.

Only the enlightened folks in the blue bubbly blotches are normal, and not extremist at all. They just happen to control Hollywood, the mainstream media, and Big Education.  I have had to unfollow people on facebook because the vitriol is so bad.  I have tried to debate people to explain what is going on and they flat out don't want to listen.  I have been called "bigoted", and "Nazi" among other things.

Soon, this  outcasting spread beyond the man, to his supporters. See, you couldn’t possibly support Donald Trump because you were tired of the direction leftists like Obama took the country while excluding everyone outside his base (and Hillary promised to continue doing). No. The only possible reason to vote Republican in 2016 was because you hated minorities and women and foreigners, said the party of nuance with its sledgehammer of hate.

Thus, a justification was born for condemning everyone you disagreed with. Someone voted for Trump? Nazi. Someone voted against Hillary? Nazi. Someone doesn’t agree with same-sex marriage? 2008 Barack Obama. Oh, and Nazi. don't believe in "Global Warming", Heretic and Nazi.

Behold all the tolerance!

Yes, the party of tolerance and enlightenment has became “everyone that’s like me is smart and good-looking and smells like awesome, and everyone that doesn’t think like me is Adolph Hitler.”

Democrats wished for their general election opponent to be Trump. They then ran, in an outsider year, an out-of-touch unlikable DC insider with an FBI probe. Then, the most qualified candidate ever lost an election to a boorish political amateur with the worst negative approval ratings ever. Panicked in shock, Democrats scrambled to place the blame squarely where it belonged: on everywhere else but the candidate. First, they blamed the Electoral College, because it’s always rigged and unfair, except when it produces a result they approve of like in 2008. Then, they blamed Russian hackers, because Putin’s ground game in Madison knew Hillary was weak in Wisconsin, and he could brilliantly mastermind her winning the popular vote but losing the electoral one.

But eventually, blamethrowing gave way to violent tantrums. Because, as someone put it, they forgot to inform us that liberal ‘love trumping hate’ involved so much arson and broken glass. The leftists smashed their own towns, and then started tolerantly having free speech arson festivals at their own universities to stop free speech.

But the Party of Progress isn’t satisfied with property damage and destruction of cop-cars and coffee kiosks. The tolerance extended to the next phase: hypothetical with the enlightened New York Times asking if violence against some people is justified. It’s ok, you see, because these people are Nazis. What makes a person a Nazi deserving of violence? Almost everything.

They say the reason for fear is all the violence at Trump rallies, which happened only because Democrats intentionally caused confrontations to get ugly headlines.

1. Plan protest at rally.
2. Break stuff, start fires, and cause mayhem.
3. Headline: “Rally Turns Ugly with Violence!”
4. Blame rally.

This tactic has been used before.    All you have to do is look at the real "Nazi's" the "National Socialist Deutche Arbeit Party, you know the people that wore brown shirts and later black shirts as they went and shut down opposing political party rally's.  Now the new party of "tolerance" has shown its face, you know the ones that wear black and hide their face and destroy stuff, and the sad thing is that the local popo's let them do it.  All it does is embolden them to continue.
    You also have a college in Florida that is teaching college students to attack those that don't agree with them, they call it "Bash the Fasch", as in fascism.  It saying that violence against groups of people are "ok" because they are "Nazi"s and bad things to Nazi's is allowed and if you don't agree with them, then you are the nazi and it is ok to attack you because you deserve it.

      The polarization of America continues, there are basically 2 America's now the blue states and the red states.  The Red states are getting angrier and angrier about the continual rage and temper tantrums that the blue states are doing, the continuous rioting, protesting and pushing boycotts.  You having Nordstrom and other retailers dumping Ivanka Trump merchandise due to pressure from the protestors and other noisy democrats that have been pushing #boycott.  When President Obama won an election in 2012 that by all rights he should have lost but thanks to the media like Candy Crowley, academia and other blue groups that openly supported President Obama they were able to secure his victory.  The people in the Red states were not happy but we didn't erupt in temper tantrums, burn vehicles and trash businesses and attack people like the left is doing.  it seems like the left is going out of their way to provoke a reaction and they don't care because in their mind we "deplorables" are evil and deserve everything that we get including death if necessary because we stand in the way of this shining city on top of the hill that could be there if we "evil" people are no longer relevant or gone or have repented for the many sins we have committed.

I am a student of history and I remembered the last time a group of people demonized their citizens, eventually stripped them of their rights and persecuted them and killed many of them.

Unlike the other incident, there is a second Amendment here in the United States and the revolution that the Left is pushing for might happen and it may not go the way they want.

Monday Music "Hooked on Classics" by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

i was listening to my XM/Sirius again on the way to work and this song popped up in the rotation and I decided to use this one for the "Monday Music" segment.  I remembered when this song came out and the purist derided this song and scoffed at it.  I liked it, for it exposed a whole new generation to "Classic" music.  It was released on "K-tel" records.   I might do a blogpost on K-tel one day for I have several of their albums upstairs in my stereo cabinet.

Hooked on Classics is an album by Louis Clark and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, published in 1981 by K-tel and distributed by RCA Records, part of the Hooked on Classics series.
The opening track, "Hooked on Classics" (Parts 1 & 2), was released as a single in October 1981, peaking at number 2 in the UK and later in the US at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1982. It was the 56th biggest hit of that year. The song also reached number 10 on the Cash Box Top 100.
In Canada, the single peaked at number 21, and spent four weeks at that position. "Hooked on Classics" also reached number one on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart

Hooked on Classics was a popular series of Disco albums released in the early 1980's. While classical music enthusiasts scoffed at the recordings, they introduced a whole new generation to Classical music. The video was originally an ad for an upcoming dance show in 2010 combined with some fun orchestral moments. Lots of editing to make it what it is, and lots of fun. Every dance style imaginable is in this video. The musical compositions are: Piano Concerto no. 1 in B flat minor Op 23 / Tchaikovsky Flight of the Bumblebee / Rimsky-Korsakov Symphony no. 40 in G minor / Mozart Rhapsody in Blue / Gershwin Karelia Suite Op 11 / Sibelius Symphony no. 5 in C minor Op 67 / Beethoven Toccata in D minor / J.S. Bach Serenade no. 13 in G major - 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik' / Mozart Symphony no. 9 in D minor Op 125 / Beethoven Overture to William Tell / Rossini Voi che sapete (aria), Le nozze di Figaro / Mozart Romeo & Juliet Fantasy Overture / Tchaikovsky Trumpet Voluntary / Clarke (the listed title is a common misconception; the correct title is "Prince of Denmark's March") Hallelujah Chorus / Handel Piano Concerto in A minor Op 16 / Grieg March of the Toreadors / Bizet 1812 Overture / Tchaikovsky

A Warrior heads to Valhalla, Hal Moore Passes

The Vikings in Valhalla are raising their mead mugs as another warrior joins them.   I remember reading about Hal Moore when I was at North Georgia College in 1984.  he was known as the "consummate Combat Commander.", his teachings were widely used to inspire and educate the new generation of Army Officers.  In my mind, I would compare all of my Battalion Commanders to "Colonel Moore", and most of them were "lacking".  he would accomplish the mission, and he know that some American Lives might be lost, but he didn't squander them and he respected his men.  he didn't care about glory and awards for himself but he made sure that his men were taken care of.  "Colonel Moore" was revered and respected by his men for his loyalty to them.   We are lessened now that fewer of such men walk among us.

Retired Lt. Gen. Hal Moore, whose book about his experience in Vietnam was made into the movie "We Were Soldiers," died Friday, just a few days short of his 95th birthday.

Army officials from Fort Benning, Georgia, confirmed Moore's death in a statement Saturday evening.

Moore, who the Army described as a "legendary combat leader," died at his home in Auburn, Alabama, according to the statement. He is survived by three sons, two daughters, 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Moore was preceded in death by his wife, Julie Compton, in 2004.

His death came after having had a stroke a few days before, according to one of his children,  WFSA reports. 

The general is best known for his actions during the Battle of Ia Drang, where he served as the commander of 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment.

Within 20 minutes of the first shot of that deadly battle, Moore's battalion was vastly outnumbered and assaulted by hundreds of enemy furiously determined to overrun the Americans, according to the Army.

After a three-day bloodbath, the enemy quit the field, leaving more than 600 of their dead on the battlefield.

Moore was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation's second highest award for valor, for his actions during that battle.

Moore was commissioned as a second lieutenant of infantry after graduating from West Point in 1945, according to the Army. He served with the 187th Glider Infantry Regiment in Sapporo, Japan, then was reassigned to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. There, he volunteered for the Army's Airborne Test Section, where he jump tested experimental parachutes, making more than 130 test jumps in two years.

Moore then was assigned to the 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, where he commanded a heavy mortar company and an infantry company, according to the Army. He served as a regimental operations officer during the Korean War before serving at Fort Benning and undergoing air assault and mobility training and testing.

Moore and Gibson in 2016

During the Vietnam War, Moore commanded 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment. It was the actions of that unit during the Battle of Ia Drang in 1965 that became the basis of his book "We Were Soldiers Once, and Young."

The book became a movie in 2002, with Mel Gibson portraying Moore.

Tensions in Vietnam

America’s military involvement in Vietnam began by sending advisers.

Then, more combat troops.

“We intend to convince the communists that we cannot be defeated by a force of arms,” then President Lyndon B. Johnson told the world while trying to convince an American public frightened of communism that such an evil must be stopped from spreading.

The escalation of the U.S military role in Southeast Asia came in the early 1960s not long after a threat of nuclear war with the Cuban Missile Crisis and less than two decades since World War II and the Korean War.

Much of the nation was skeptical about fighting another so soon, but American soldiers nonetheless trained and prepared in the proud tradition of those who fought before them.

Moore, a colonel at the time, began training elements of the famous 7th Cavalry at nearby Fort Benning, Georgia, in a new concept of warfare that involved helicopters flying deep into enemy territory and finding landing zones to deploy troops.

It would be one such landing zone where a battle soon would erupt and cast striking parallels between Moore and another commander of the 7th Cavalry less than a century earlier – Gen. George Armstrong Custer, infamously known for Custer’s Last Stand before he and his men were all killed.

Fort Benning’s role

The North Vietnamese Army, referred to as NVA, wanted to engage and kill Americans to demonstrate its determination in evicting yet another invader, as it had done years earlier with the French.

However, it knew it would be costly to engage the American military where it was strongest, so it tried to lure the fight into jungle warfare far from central bases. The U.S. Army, on the other hand, issued orders to Moore and his troops to “seek and destroy” the enemy.

A small open field was found near where enemy activity was suspected, and it was designated Landing Zone X-ray, or LZ X-ray for short. However, only a few helicopters at a time could land in the LZ.

 

Moore was the first to step foot on what quickly would become a bloody battlefield.

“When I took command of that battalion, I stood in front of my troops and made a short speech,” Moore recalled in later interviews, referring to the unit’s training at Fort Benning. “Get rid of second-place trophies, because we’re going to be the best.

“And I promise you, when we go into combat, and I think we shall because the Vietnam War is heating up,” he said, “When we go into combat, I will be the first man on the ground, and the last man out, and I will leave no man behind.”

That day came on Nov. 14, 1965.

The Battle of la Drang Valley

During a 1993 documentary feature filmed by ABC television, Moore was asked if he had any idea what awaited him and his men when they first arrived at LZ X-ray.

“No, none whatsoever,” Moore replied.

What neither Moore nor any of the senior officers who ordered him on the mission knew was: On the mountain overlooking the valley and LZ was a base camp for the NVA – and three enemy battalions.

Moore and his first small group of helicopters had landed right in the enemy’s lap.

Before Moore had accumulated about 150 men and while waiting for more to come, the North Vietnamese immediately attacked with a force of about 1,600 troops, which later would grow into thousands more.

Gunfire and mortar fire began ripping the ground and the men to shreds. The small and vastly outnumbered American force returned fire with devastating effect, slowing the enemy advance.

Moore, however, made an early tactical move that would carry him into military textbook lore and no doubt saved his command.

Instead of following natural instincts and gathering all his force within a tight perimeter to defend itself, as Custer had done in fighting American Indians in his last stand, Moore immediately recognized that he had to protect his landing zone, or there would be no hope of re-enforcements making it to the ground to join the fight.

Thinking about how his enemy might approach the battle, he quickly ordered a portion of his troops to hustle across the field under fire and establish a defense line on the other side of it.

Almost exactly as Moore had predetermined, the enemy attacked the skirmish line, while also pouring troops into the fight against Moore from all sides.

The battle quickly grew and raged into a bloody fight, much of it hand-to-hand combat.

Helicopters flown by brave pilots did what they could to deliver help, but they were easy pickings for the snipers and machine gunners surrounding Moore and his men, who protected the LZ as long as they could.

Eventually, NVA troops broke through the lines and into the clearing. It was a desperate situation for the outmanned Americans who now had enemy soldiers fighting them within the ranks. There were few options left.

Moore sounded the call of “Broken arrow!”

That was the command given when an American unit was overrun, and it meant that all available air power was to respond and attack the position with everything it could drop.

Moore later assumed command of 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, and led it through several major campaigns in 1966, earning a Bronze Star Medal with Valor - the third of his career - for carrying wounded soldiers to safety under "withering small and automatic weapons fire," according to the Army.

As a two-star, Moore commanded the 7th Infantry Division in Korea. He was later promoted to lieutenant general in 1974 and assigned to the Pentagon as the deputy chief of staff for personnel.





Moore, a native of Bardstown, Kentucky, retired from the Army in 1977. 

The funeral mass will be held at St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church in Auburn, followed by a memorial service and internment at Fort Benning.

Additional details are being finalized and will be announced soon, Fort Benning officials said.

Memorial donations may be made to the Ia Drang Scholarship Fund, which was established in 1994 using proceeds from his book and speaking engagements. The fund is used to help the children and grandchildren of the veterans of the Ia Drang battles.
 
Please send checks to the Ia Drang Scholarship Fund, c/o Executive Director, 1st Cavalry Division Association, 302 North Main, Copperas Cove, TX 7652

E-4 Mafia or the Lance Corporal Underground

I had seen some meme about the "SP4 Mafia", and I decided to do a bit of research on it since I was a proud member of the "SP4 Mafia".  Here are some details about the rank that was called "SP4" to "SPC" or Specialist when I got out.  

Only the lowest specialist grade survives today, as the higher grades were gradually phased out. Specialist 8 and specialist 9 were eliminated in 1968. specialist 7 was abolished in 1978 and specialist 5 and specialist 6 in 1985. At that time, the rank of specialist 4 simply became known as "specialist," which is how it is referred to today. While the official abbreviation was changed from "SP4" to "SPC" upon the elimination of the SP5 and SP6 ranks, the SIDPERS database was initially authorized to continue using SP4 until such time as the change could be made at little or no additional expense in conjunction with other system upgrades. The continued use of SP4 on automatically produced documents (transfer orders, leave and earnings statements, unit manning reports, inter alia), hampered the adoption of the new abbreviation (and, to a lesser extent, the absence of "-4" in the non-abbreviated rank) by individual soldiers who viewed the computer-produced documents as the final word on what the proper term was. While uncommon, SP4 is still used. One reason for the continuance of the use of the "4" is that some soldiers see the SPC as looking too similar to SFC, sergeant first class, and the "4" differentiates it better. Nevertheless, SPC is the Army's official abbreviation.
Today, the rank of specialist is the typical rank to which privates first class are promoted after two years of service, although PFCs may be waived into the rank of specialist after 18 months' time in service and six months' time in grade. It is granted far more often than corporal (E-4), which is now reserved for personnel who have either passed the Basic Leader Course or have been assigned low-level supervisory duties (with two or more soldiers under direct command).
Specialists were informally called "specs" (pronunciation IPA: /ˈspɛk/ ) plus the numerical grade of their rank. Thus, a specialist 4 was called "spec 4". As of July 2016 the rank of Specialist is the most common rank in the U.S. Army, being held by 115,033 of the Army's 473,844 soldiers.  

     The Marine equivalent is "lance Corporal" although it is technically a lower rank, the ability to sham and skate is the same.   The Navy E4 are known as P.O 3rd class.  The Air Force E4 is a "Senior Airman".  I was an SP4 later they called us SPC or Specialist.  I continued using the "SP4" designation while I was in the Service.  I never made "Sergeant" because the U.S. Army used what is called "promotion Points" to get promoted. You have to score so many points from P.T. Test, soo many points for college credits, so many points for awards, so many points for marksmanship, ete,ete.  I had 761 promotion points, the promotion points for my MOS was 998 or "unobtainable".  if I had maxed out every category, I would have had 991.  Personal did it this way to ensure that they had adequate showing thought the rank structures. if I was in any other MOS, I would have been a Sergeant but I wasn't so I was a member of the E4 mafia for 3 years until I mustered out in 1991.  I didn't realize that I represented the E4 mafia until I had taken a Sergeant and several PFC's to an event in another Kaserne or Barracks in Germany.  I was wearing my BDU's, Spit shine, boots BDU hat was Blocked

 Kinda Looked like this one but Mine was "blocked" which means that I used a coffee can when I wasn't wearing it and I used "Fabric Sizing" to make it all stiff or blocked.  

   I also was wearing my TA-50 Raincoat that had a poncho liner sewn into it.  The jacket looked kinda like this one..

  We called them either "Rain Jackets" or "Graf" jackets.  The term "Graf" is related to a training area in Germany.  The people that you saw with those jackets were people that have been stationed in Germany for a while and they knew the score.  We used those jackets exclusively and they were far better than the field jackets, especially with the damp German climate.   But anyway I was taking those people to another Kaserne and the NCO that was leading us was lost and didn't know where to go to get information to get us there.  I was driving a "Non Tactical Vehicle", or a Volkeswagon Transporter

 Looked like this without the Blue lights or the "Military Police" on the side of it. 

I had driven all over Germany and knew where all the Kasernes were so I was taking those people there.  But anyway, the NCO had no clue and this was before cell phones.  I saw a group of soldiers in a corner of the field,  I drive over to them hopped out and was talking to the soldiers and the NCO's there, I was there for a few minutes, then headed back to the NTV climbed in, started the van and drove off.  I explained to the NCO where we were going and how long it was going to be to get there and any scenic diversions.  After I was done, the NCO commented with awe in his voice "Damm, you are the professional specialist. you knew how to get sh*t done"   He knew that he was with a member of the E4 mafia in good standing.  I got them there and kept a low profile until they were ready to depart.  I know that it sounds strange but being in the service there is a lot of different things that makes the service unique.  I was reminded of this story when I saw a few things about the "Sham Shield" and the E4 Mafia.  Those were good times.

 

Upper-Junior Enlisted Army soldiers with loyalties in protecting all E-1 through E-4 against the seemingly unstoppable power of the NCO support channel.

Often the biggest contributor in spreading false information around the unit, and the leading reason Specialists evade doing mundane dirty work.

PV2: So, this is the fourth time in a row I got called out for K-P duty... I swear, I'm going to tell the Platoon Sergeant.

PFC: Shut your mouth, if any of the E-4 Mafia hear you, you're ass will be toasted. No sergeant could help you then. 

The E-4 Mafia is the unofficial "gang" of the Specialist rank in the U.S. Army. Notorious for knowing more than the E-5 Sergeants and normally too much for their own good. Squad leaders are usually very pissed off when "secret" plans reach the E-4 Mafia before THEY even hear about it. Usually their intelligence comes from untrustworthy sources, but sometimes they get lucky.

GOD DAMN THAT E4-MAFIA, HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU NOT TO LISTEN TO THEM, PRIVATE!! 

E-4 mafia 

A group devoted to the protection of the rights of E-4s and below in the Military to sham, blame problems on "I didn't know " or their leadership. The E-4 Mafia was created to bond lower enlisted against the tyranny that is rank thru tenure and not based on the ability to lead.

Dude the Don call for a meeting of the E-4 Mafia we got to get that new 1SGT fired 

Battles are planned by generals and won by sergeants, so the saying goes. The saying didn’t include anything about who runs things in the meantime. That’s because the people who run things were very keen on ensuring that their names are left out of popular sayings.
Those people are the specialists of the U.S. Army.
   This article I got from another source...

For the uninitiated, specialists are those soldiers that bridge the gap between privates and sergeants. They are not yet non-commissioned officers, and they are not privates. They live in a nebulous zone that everyone finds confusing. And specialists take advantage of that to create an environment of barely controlled chaos.
Who am I? Oh, I’m a nobody. Once upon a time, I was somebody. I was part of something pretty big. But then I strayed and took a commission as an officer, leaving the E-4 Mafia. The Godfather looked at me askance when I left, but didn’t put a hit on me. That was kind of him.
The Sergeant Major of the Army may be a scary man, but he’s got nothing on the Godfather of the E-4 Mafia of the Army. Ever see specialists do work? Neither have I. And yet the Army runs.
It’s spooky.
I’ve only seen the Godfather in action a few times. Once was when a staff sergeant came in and told Specialist Godfather to mop out the latrines. Godfather stared at him for a second, then slowly shook his head, murmuring, “This thing you ask of me, I cannot do it.” The staff sergeant seemed surprised, then confused, and walked away scratching his head. It was the damnedest thing I’d ever seen.
Woe betide to those who crossed the Godfather, however.
I once watched a private first class be hauled in, guilty of some minor crime, such as not sharing tobacco or not stealing 2nd Platoon’s guidon. The PFC was white with fear, and said, “I am honored and grateful that you have invited me to your barracks on the promotion of your brother. And may their first child be a masculine child.”
“Is this guy an idiot?” asked the Godfather, looking around. “Rest of you, get out of here. You,” he said, pointing to me, “can stay.” He put in a thick lip of tobacco and got right up in the PFC’s face.
“Now you come to me and say, ‘Specialist, give me justice!’ But you don’t ask with respect. You don’t offer friendship. You don’t even think to call me ‘Godfather’. Instead you come into my barracks on the day my brother is to be promoted, and you ask me to do work. For money.”
The Godfather glanced at me. I looked back, wondering what would happen. The PFC was shaking with terror.

“What will you do?” I asked.
“I’ll do what I always do,” said the Godfather; “I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse.”
“And what would that be?”
The Godfather furrowed his brow and spit into an empty water bottle. “Well…if he doesn’t toe the line he could sleep with the fishes.”
“Ah,” I nodded sagely. “KP duty.”
“Yeah; or I could have the other E-4’s give him a sock party,” mused the Godfather.
“That might get the sergeant involved,” I said, never one to rock the boat.
“Sergeant!” spat the Godfather. “The NCOs may tell us what to do, but we have the power. Who cleans the weapons? We do. Who empties the garbage? We do. Who stands roadguard during brigade runs? We do. Who cleans the motor pool? We do.”
I pointed out to him that it was actually the privates who did all that, but he merely looked at me with the familiar pitying glance in his eye. I guess it was then that I knew I was going to be an officer.
E-4’s do run the show. They are the lifeline, the conduit, between the non-commissioned officers and the private soldiers. They are Legion, yet they are rarely all seen at once. Like the Warrant Officers, they have never been spotted working. They will lead working parties, but when you come to check on them, the specialist is somehow nowhere to be found and an enterprising E-2 has taken charge.
If you go out to the motor pool late at night, and are very quiet, you can sometimes catch wind of the secret Specialist’s Creed. It is spoken softly, out of cigarette-clenched jaws, through gulps of Monster energy drink:

“No one is more unprofessional than I. I am a specialist, a shammer of Soldiers. As a specialist, I realize that I am a member of a time honored corps, which is known as ‘The E-4 Mafia’. I am proud of the Mafia and will at all times conduct myself so as to bring no attention to myself, the military service and my country regardless of the situation in which I find myself. I will totally use my grade or position to attain pleasure, profit, or personal safety, preferably all of the above.
Competence is my enemy. My two basic responsibilities will always be uppermost in my mind—sleeping and the messing with other Soldiers. I will strive to remain technically and tactically illiterate. I am aware of my role as a specialist, I think. I will fulfill my responsibilities inherent in that role. All Soldiers are entitled to outstanding leadership; I will notprovide that leadership. I know my Soldiers and I will always place my needs above their own. I will communicate inconsistently with my Soldiers and usually leave them uninformed. I will be neither fair nor impartial when recommending both rewards and punishment.
Officers of my unit will have zero time to accomplish their duties; they will be babysitting me. I will lose their respect and confidence as well as that of my Soldiers. I may be loyal to those with whom I serve; seniors, peers, and subordinates alike, providing it is in my best interest and it comes with controlled substances, such as alcohol or tobacco. I will exercise initiative by making things up in the absence of orders. I will not compromise my integrity, but I might forget about it if sex is mentioned. I will not forget, nor will I allow my comrades to forget that we are shammers, specialists, E-4 Mafia!”

I shared this with you at great pains to my own safety, as behind any officer is usually a gang of specialists, who can make that officer look great, or look like a complete moron.
And what of that PFC?
He’s a specialist now. And is probably sleeping in the back of a Bradley Fighting Vehicle in the motor pool, while some privates do his work. Because that is the way of the specialist