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Do you think the previous vassal states of the USSR are sending a message?

After a great discussion with two Ukrainians (one native, one expat US) a few months ago, I started researching how this schism between the USA and Russia began.

As far as I recall, it was right about the time we decided to take down Iraq. I heard some chatter in 2003 through my sources about the Ruskies working as contractors waiting until the tanks were rolling through Bagdhad to evacuate. I also heard rumors of Russian convoys being taken down. Not taken OUT - taken down. Crippled. In the middle of the desert. Searched. People positively identified. That sort of thing.

Obviously with the Food for Oil issue and the Iraqi arms embargo blatantly being violated by Russian and French business Operation Iraqi Freedom became a sticking point for the US/Russian relationship. Russia was/is upset with us for killing the goose that was laying the golden eggs for so long. Saddam was paying in great amounts for what would have gone for much cheaper on the open market.

Maybe that’s what prompted Bush to say he looked into Putin’s soul. Oh by the way, there’s always this: Former Russian Spy Says Government Stole $500 Million From U.N.’s Oil-For-Food Program in Iraq

An 18-month investigation into the oil-for-food corruption, led by former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker, culminated in an October 2005 report accusing more than 2,200 companies from some 40 countries of colluding with Saddam’s regime to bilk the humanitarian program in Iraq of $1.8 billion

I look into those heavy lidded and expressionless eyes of Putin’s and say… KGB. Snake. Reptile. Ruthless. Predator. And rich. Have you seen how much natural gas pipeline Russia now controls?!? EU look out.

Poland and the Ukraine ponied up the cojones to back our play with Afghanistan and Iraq, becoming very important partners in the GWOT. FOXNews.com - Ukrainian President: We Won’t Let Russia Add Us to Its Hit List -

Russians form a strong minority in Ukraine, about 17 percent of the population, and could become a flashpoint in any future confrontation with Moscow.

“Ukraine has to move towards the NATO alliance,” Yushchenko said, drumming up support before the NATO summit in December.

“It is the only way for our country to protect our national security and sovereignty. When the borders of NATO expand, so too does the region of peace and stability.”

The defense budget of Ukraine — as in other nervous Central European states — is to be raised immediately. “I want to remind all political forces in our country that shout about the possible neutral status of Ukraine that neutrality can come at a very high price,” he said, casting a nod at pro-Moscow politicians.

I digress. Basically my understanding after many beers, glasses of wine, and great conversation overlooking one of the best rooftop views of Pacific Beach I discovered that Ukraine opinion is virtually split down the middle about support for NATO.

The eastern side of the Ukraine is more economically tied to Russia, and doesn’t want to piss them off. They have more cultural ties and really don’t like the current leadership.

The western side holds an opposite opinion.

Russia Threatens Military Response if U.S., Poland Follow Through With Missile Defense Deal

Not like that really concerned Condi:

“In troubled times the most important thing is to have friends,” Rice said. “But it is more important to have friends who share your values and your aspirations and your dreams. And Poland and the United States are those kind of friends.”

…

She denounced an earlier threat from a Russian general to target NATO member Poland, possibly even with nuclear weapons, for accepting the facility.

Such comments “border on the bizarre, frankly,” Rice told reporters in Warsaw. “The Russians are losing their credibility,” she said, adding that Moscow would pay a price for its actions in Georgia, though she did not specify how.

“It’s also the case that when you threaten Poland, you perhaps forget that it is not 1988,” Rice said. “It’s 2008 and the United States has a … firm treaty guarantee to defend Poland’s territory as if it was the territory of the United States. So it’s probably not wise to throw these threats around.”

Couldn’t have said it better myself and I don’t think Colin Powell could have conveyed as well either.

Update: Add Czech Republic to that list:

“Almost immediately after the Czech Republic signed an agreement with the US to place missile defense tracking radar in its territory, oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline to the central European country were reduced to a trickle… ostensibly for technical reasons,” Sabathier said.

Update: Czech petrochem Unipetrol Q2 net profit down 80% y/y, worse than expected

Russia in early July reduced supplies of oil through the Druzhba from an agreed 500,000 tonnes to 300,000 tonnes, but said the volume would return to normal levels in August. At first citing technical problems, the pipeline operator later said it had diverted supplies to Turkey, where it could fetch a higher price.

However, Poland did come through for the Czech Republic:

Unipetrol, a unit of Poland’s PKN Orlen group, had to buy Russian oil for its refineries from tankers and transport it through Germany to the Czech Republic via the IKL pipelines; the company also bought oil from Czech state reserves, expenses that will affect Q3 results.

Nothing like a manufactured crisis to bring oil prices absolutely sky-high. Thanks most probably to Putin’s machine.

I had a recent viewer ask what does a Naval Aircrewman do?

For what I did in my time in the service I refer the gentle readers to this Naval Aviation News article: A Hunting We Will Go - Naval Aviation News, March-April 1997

In the S-3 Viking community, aircrewmen have the opportunity to fly on jets aboard aircraft carriers that deploy for six months at a time, sailing the world over. This is a major factor when it comes time for an AW to choose the aircraft in which to serve.

Accelerating from 0 to 140 miles per hour in 2 seconds provides an adrenalin rush all its own.

“I like to call it a kick in the pants,” quipped AW2 Thomas Bell, Sea Control Squadron (VS) 41, NAS North Island, Calif. “It beats any roller coaster you’ve ever been on.”

Assignment to a VS squadron also means greater responsibility aloft, because there is only one sensor operator who must be well versed in both acoustic and nonacoustic sensor equipment.

“The platform carries more responsibility with it in regards to the workload. In an S-3, one person does the job of three in a P-3,” Bell said.

As a post script to the article, “Zeebo” Zelasco, pictured on the first page, is sitting in the SENSO station in the S-3 Viking. Tom Bell, if I recall correctly, may have gone on to fly F-14s as a line officer. Can’t recall if he made Radar Intercept Officer or pilot, and don’t know where he is now.

Dramatic quote of the day from the article:

Imagine this. Leaders in the former Soviet Union, strapped for cash, decide to sell one of their older nuclear missile-capable submarines. Diplomats from the third world nation purchasing the sub are, in fact, a front for a fanatical, well-organized, well-funded group of international terrorists. It’s your job to help locate the sub and stop them.

You are an Aviation Warfare Systems Operator (AW), an enlisted Naval Aircrewman…

…and all of 20 years old.

Gives me chills. Ooh-rah. Thanks for the question!

Related Links:

The Cradle of Naval Aviation

So Others May Live | My Personal Heroes

So Others May Live | Personal Heroes Pt. 2

Military: Not a Social Program

Navy’s finest Combat Aircrewmen

Is it possible that something may be brewing? This analyst thinks so…-

Personally, I think it’s just a coincidence that Kuwait’s training exercises coincide with a carrier relief on station. But… Israel might pull something and up goes the balloon.

Thought of the Day:

Do you think that Israel feels confident in an Obama administration backing them or would they act alone or with help from the current administration in the three months between Election Day and Inauguration Day?

Back To The Jet…

Check out the conformal centerline fuel tanks on the dorsal side of the jet… Plus the actual dorsal element which looks ECM to me.

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Does it seem appropriate that with so many unfilled seats in the Olympics, China’s venue managers would hire a cheering section for Venezuela’s volleyball team in their game against the US? You’ll have to go to the halfway point in this video to get to the story…

Not even mentioning the alleged age issues with their medal-winning women’s gymnastics team.

I’m sure that’s in no way whatsoever tied to why China has been providing construction consulting for small Caribbean islands who want to build freeways for cheap… According to independent intelligence sources I’ve developed these freeways have long stretches built to the same specifications as runways, presumably the dual use would allow air transport.

Here’s an example:

Chinese companies are increasingly winning many large construction bids in the Eastern Caribbean, for which they also provide the labour. They are soon to be awarded the contracts for construction of the two secondary schools being funded by the World Bank under the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States Education Development Project, where the Chinese bid came in EC$3m (£265,000) below the next lowest tender…

…China has also promised support for the development of a major highway in St Lucia, and is active in Jamaica, Guyana and Surinam.

One blog, the Barbados Free Press claims that a letter written by a contractor’s organization states local Carib companies have been outmanuvered by the Chinese construction for a contract for the University of The West Indies. Some of these claims:

…Wages paid by the Chinese companies to their Chinese workers are 25% of the wages paid by the Barbadian contractors to their workers. The conditions, under which the Chinese workers work, violate Human rights treaty and the UN convention of the treatment of migrant Labour, to which Barbados is a signatory.

…Majority of materials are imported from China, which denies opportunities to Caricom indigenous business enterprises.

…The Chinese companies enjoy taxation advantages in Barbados that are not available to our members.

These claims are corroborated by another source which claims:

Dick Stoute, president of the Barbados Chamber of Commerce, predicts that local contractors will soon begin complaining about the lack of a level playing field, as he was unsure whether the Chinese state and private sector construction companies are enjoying greater tax and other benefits than locals.

None Of This Is Good News

I’m examining the connections between Venezuela, China, Cuba, and Iran very closely because there is a potential balance of power shift that could happen quickly.

If any disaster removed the US from being a strong naval presence in the Pacific Rim, the balance of power would shift predictably towards China. Japan is concerned about this as well.

If the Caribbean nations are influenced properly by China, support elements (troops) for Hugo Chavez could quickly come in by air to suppress any dissent he may have.

Training for Iranian agents in Venezuela is more than just a potential, according to some sources I have this is a reality and they are attempting to assimilate into South American culture.

Related Articles:

Trade between Dominican Republic, China grows fast

China to build aluminium smelter in southern Trinidad

CARIBBEAN: Influx of Chinese Workers Irks Local Unions

Apparently those who served from 1957 - 2001 get an add-in in retirement checks from Social Security Administration (SSA). Whether you served or retired doesn’t make a difference. Along with that, there may be a provision for VHA/BAQ or flight pay into the calculation.

This just in from Bob “Johnny” Walker, formerly of the Red Griffins and last I heard flying for Northwest Airlines…

Please share this with anyone who’s had active duty service prior to January 2002 and planning for retirement. In a nutshell it boils down to this: You qualify for a higher social security payment because of your military service, for active duty any time from 1940 through 2001 (the program was done away with in January 2002). Up to $1200 per year of earnings credit credited at time of application - which can make a substantial difference in social security monthly payments upon your retirement.

You must bring your DD-214 to the Social Security Office - and you must ask for this benefit to receive it!

Soc Sec website:  http://www.ssa.gov/retire2/military.htm

This is something to put in your files for when you apply for Social Security down the road. It is NOT just for retirees, BUT anyone who has served on active duty prior to January 2002. FYI - this benefit is not automatic, you must ask for it!

From SSA.GOV’s Retirement Planner page, this is confirmed, first with a note saying this:

Note: Change in special military service credits.

In January 2002, Public Law 107-117, the Defense Appropriations Act, stopped the special extra earnings that have been credited to military service personnel. Military service in calendar year 2002 and future years no longer qualifies for these special extra earnings credits.

… and particularly for those of us in this category:

Service in 1978 through 2001

For every $300 in active duty basic pay, you are credited with an additional $100 in earnings up to a maximum of $1,200 a year. If you enlisted after September 7, 1980, and didn’t complete at least 24 months of active duty or your full tour, you may not be able to receive the additional earnings. Check with Social Security for details.

But wait, there’s more!!!

There’s another benefit that might apply for those of us with VHA/BAQ, special duty and flight pay, but I don’t know for sure:

Under certain circumstances, special extra earnings for your military service from 1957 through 2001 can be credited to your record for Social Security purposes. These extra earnings credits may help you qualify for Social Security or increase the amount of your Social Security benefit.

Normally only our base pay was taken into consideration for SSA benefits. This would come in particularly helpful in changing the calcs to your benefit.

Related Links:

Special Benefits For Certain World War II Veterans

Special Military Social Security Rate - Military Benefits …

Veterans Report - Social Security and Military Service

Beyond being a democratic ally, Georgia is a link in a U.S.- backed southern energy corridor that connects the Caspian Sea region with world markets, bypassing Russia. The BP Plc-led Baku- Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline is a major part of that route and runs about 60 miles (100 kilometers) south of the South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali.

Robert Johnson, a specialist in energy at the Eurasia Group, said Georgia’s reputation as a viable, alternative route for transporting oil and gas from Turkmenistan and elsewhere has been “compromised” because of the conflict.

See Russian Offensive Imperils U.S. Aims on Iran, Energy - Yahoo! News

This is somewhat hilarious yet oddly factual.

Today, Memorial Day 2008, I’m sitting here alone writing. The kids are with their mom. My friends have long left for barbeques. The television is off and has been all day.

Today for the first time in eighteen years, it’s about memorializing my friends who will never have kids, who will not see another barbeque or a beer. It’s also about realizing that I lost more friends in seven years of peacetime service than most Americans have in the past seven years of warfare.

Most of my friends died after living only a few short years out of high school. They are my heroes.

As I’ve said before in the postscript of Bug’s Prayer and Core Values these are the types of people I want my boys to hear about when they ask what a hero is.

One hero who might not be remembered was a friend of mine from aircrew school, Rick Tafoya.

Rick was an Aviation Ordnanceman - AO Aircrewman, not directly in my rate. This was before they made all Aircrew jobs AW jobs.

Rick was cool and a great guy to hang out with, full of energy and positive about his future.

Richard (Rick) Tafoya - VP-50 Blue Dragons d. 1991

I remember running into Rick at the NAS Moffett McDonalds just a few months before his death. It was that night that I had a premonition that one of us wasn’t going to make it. Of course I thought it would be me dying, not him, and that part I recall as clear as yesterday.

Had I not picked VS as my platform. it could have easily been me onboard a VP-50 plane. I would have been in the VP pipeline, and knowing those folks at Alameda and Moffett, I probably would have picked orders to a squadron based there.

There I was… Bored on a Friday…

I was bored one Friday night in either in late 1990 or early 1991 and being underage in San Diego I decided to deadhead up on a C-12 transport to Moffett and see if any of my friends up there were having a fun time. I had just started my final school before the fleet and decided, Have Flightsuit, Will Travel. I knew some of the C-12 aircrew from my time at Pensacola where we all shared common survival training.

In fact one of them stationed at NAS Alameda, Scarlett "Sarah" Connor (best said in a Terminator style voice), was an aircrew classmate of mine from 1989 and she and I definitely did the Aircrew ‘cracks’ together, the O Course, and many other things.

She was also one of the roommates of the very first Navy female to complete SAR school in 1989. Scarlett was stationed up at NAS Alameda and was a blonde knockout who always had a great group to party or hang out with. I figured I would see what was going on and return to North Island either that night on the return leg or on Sunday night.

Of course this was before cell phones, remember what it was like to try to connect with anyone before cellular? If all else failed, I reasoned, I would bomb around the base until I found someone I knew.

I landed at Moffett and couldn’t locate anyone I knew by phone so I decided to take the Duty Driver up on his offer to grab some McD’s before the return flight to San Diego’s NAS North Island. We headed over there and as I walked out I saw Rick.

Rick had a scruffy beard growth and had just broken his arm. He had a grin on a mile wide when he saw me as I was going in and he was coming out.

"You’d better get a shave there shipwreck!" I shouted to Rick, "…don’t you remember that from P-cola?!?"

Rick was laughing as he had seen me at the same time and threw his arms halfway around my back as we shook hands.

We stood there for a short time, catching up.

Rick told me that he didn’t have to shave because he was on light duty, having just broken his arm snowboarding. I told him that I was headed back to NAS North Island but that I would come up again when I had a chance so we could hang out.

He also offered to teach me how to snowboard the next time I was up. According to Rick, the snow was killer in the Sierras. I think he mentioned Mammoth but it could have been Big Bear.

I was on a clock for the return flight so Rick gave me his squadron duty desk phone number and we parted company, me walking out and him walking to the counter to make his order.

I remember it like it was yesterday what happened next. When I walked out those doors a small voice in my head said,

You better turn around, because this is the last time you’re ever going to see Rick.

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I’ve lost a few friends while in the service. There have been times that I didn’t know if I would make it myself - whatever scrape or close call occurred I made it out.

Those who didn’t still deserve my remembrance. I have a few friends, some close, some not so close.

All were brothers

I recall five years ago I was at the gas pump at Costco here in San Diego and saw a helo patch and aircrew wings on the flight suit of the guy next to me.

I introduced myself, rattled off four names and he brightened when he recognized one. I told him that guy used to be my roommate off-base.

He stuck out his hand, saying, Good to meet you, Brother.

We all ran the seawall. We ran the obstacle course and the cross country course. We sweat together. We bled together. We learned our inner limits and then we pushed them farther than we thought possible.

In doing so, we grew up together and as such, we were brothers.

The first two fleet S-3 Viking AWs I met are both dead. Both died outside the combat zone by violent means. One as the casualty of a robbery in progress, the other from self-inflicted wounds, perhaps from scars we all share.

We all hurt when one of us hurts

I remember one fall day in 1989 Millington, Tennessee when I was in A School going out to the flight line to see the Viking. I had wanted to fly in jets since I found out it was possible for this 17-year-old volunteer to do so. McCracken and Mongo (at least I think it was Mongo) were standing by the jet.

Trevor McCracken - VS-38 Red Griffin Viking SENSO d. 1992

I remember Crack particularly because he was the one who let me, as an 18 year old sit in the SENSO station for the first time on a cold Sunday in Tennessee. Climbing in, I remember the smell of the aircraft I would later fly nearly 900 hours in, I remember the walkthrough he gave me on the ejection seat. I promised myself I would fly in one of those jets.

Crack served with VS-38 during Operation Desert Storm, got an air medal, and would later return to Millington as an instructor. It was his unexpected death only a few months after starting his first shore duty that shocked all of us who knew him.

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This would be funny if it weren’t true… Ex-Army Chaplain Cleared in Gitmo Spy Case to be Obama Delegate - America’s Election HQ

OLYMPIA, Wash. — A former Army chaplain at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, who was cleared of spy accusations will be a delegate to the Democratic National Convention.

Former Capt. James J. Yee, a Muslim, was among the delegates pledged to Sen. Barack Obama who were elected by precinct representatives Saturday. He’s representing the state’s 9th Congressional District at the party’s convention in Denver in August.

My question regarding the dismissed spying accusations would be whether they were dismissed for a good reason, or for political expediency, or even to protect confidential sources from having to be revealed.

What I recall about Yee is that he was maintaining lines of communication between Gitmo prisoners and the outside world, something that was against both standard counterterrorism rules and also the Gitmo prisoner policies. Even worse is that Yee was a commissioned officer in the army at the time and should have known better.

The only way Yee would have felt confident in doing this type of activity is if he felt it was his calling as a Muslim Imam / Army Chaplain to disregard the ‘laws of man’. If that were the case, it sounds like his flock converted him.

This section examines questions about GI Bill benefits - whether adding new benefits is a good thing, whether John McCain thinks that increasing spending is too expensive and would rather increase monthly benefits.

Do we owe a complete scholarship to military members?

This brings in the discussion about whether giving more benefits to veterans / military brings in the wrong crowd. One commenter states that doing this would result in more people are coming for the incentives rather than the mindset of service:

The interviewer asks the question of what makes military members different than the average citizen in that they say ‘no’ to their benefits when most Americans have their hands out.

Is it worth raising taxes?

What do you think about the proposed new GI Bill? Should we be spending even more money, and if so, why?