May, 2018 Musings

- Our worst critics are those who could never succeed at our work nor shoulder our responsibility.  Still we must fight through the anxiety they cause.

- When two of my staff members always agree and present a united front, one is unnecessary.

- Winston Churchill was outspoken on the sacred rites of smoking cigars and drinking strong beverage, before, during, and after meals, and he lived to be 90 years old, always exceptionally astute and active mentally.  George Burns was on television into his 90s smoking his latest brand of stokie and was also exceptionally active mentally.  This speaks volumes about the correlation between cigars and alcohol vis-a-vis dementia and longevity.

- There are of course many forms of non-military work.  General Maxwell Taylor called them, "the business of the less-fortunate."  Hoorah!

- Infantry combat is characterized by extreme deprivation, exposure to the elements, near-constant fatigue, long periods of inadequate rest, uncertainty, lonesome nights, sad farewells, anger and even rage, fear, lost sense of direction, confusion, over-active imagination, vindictiveness, uncertainty, emotional highs and lows, and adrenaline-fed moments.  That is why men are drawn to it.

- God loves the enlisted Marines., but their officers love them just as much.  When you see what they achieve in combat it can leave you breathless.  All they ask in return is occasional hot chow, some cold lager, a chance to dance with the ladies, and permission to bitch continuously. (Paraphrased from Military Humor)