I had today off. Ah, the glory. But I still had to get up early because we had visitors and as pontifex maximus I have prescribed duties that include invocations and vague mumblings that render me canonically relevant but still slightly insane.
But it was good to be free for the day. I spent time with the grandchildren and Camera Girl as she presided over mass quantities of juvenile comfort food (macaroni with cheese and grilled cheese sandwiches) and really bad kids’ movies (the 2021 “Tom and Jerry” movie and that monstrosity, “Ants” that Woody Allen, of all people, was in). They taught me a game called, “Swim, fishy, swim” which is basically a version of tag or red light, green light. Then we broke out the card games but other than war I didn’t know these other games. They used non-standard decks of cards and weird rules.
While playing war I discovered that their reaction time is a lot faster than mine is now. It is humbling to be in the presence of neurons that fire perfectly. Old age is not for sissies. But at least I was able to correct them in their use of the subjunctive mood. Of course, I don’t think the subjunctive is still acknowledged anymore in grammar school. In fact, I don’t think they teach grammar in grammar school anymore. But I digress. It was good to be among the young and away from Dunwichian responsibilities. I still have five or six days of horror beginning tomorrow but a day off was great.
Of the various things going on I thought the most interesting development was the background on Gov. Tim Walz’s military service. From what I read Walz retired out of his National Guard unit after he was notified that his unit was being deployed to Iraq in 2005. And at the time he was the ranking non-commissioned officer in the unit. I listened to a video where Megyn Kelly interviewed Tom Behrends, another non-commissioned officer from Walz’s National Guard unit, and he basically called Walz a coward for refusing to lead his unit into combat. Never having served myself I’d be very interested in getting the opinions of those on this site who have served as to whether what Behrends says is reasonable. What is the moral responsibility of a National Guard leader when his unit is called up for war? How prevalent would this kind of reaction to deployment be?
Now I dislike Walz because he was the governor during the George Floyd riots in Minneapolis and he never ordered the National Guard to halt the rioting, arson and plain murder that went on during those riots. I think he should be prosecuted for that. But apparently in Minnesota they’re alright with that sort of thing. So, they should get as much of that as is humanly possible. In that sense it’s like California or New York. But if Walz is running for Veep then his actions as governor should be fair game. So, reviewing what he did during the Floyd riots makes perfect sense.
As for his refusal to be deployed to Iraq, I’m interested in what knowledgeable have to say about it.
Well, I better get some sleep. More fun and games tomorrow.
I was in the Marines for just 4 years so I can’t claim the view point of a career professional. I believe an Army Sgt Major is the same as a Marine of that title, an E-9. The highest enlisted rank attainable and exalted. In the Marines, you had to be squared away, professional, knowledgeable, intelligent, moral, of the highest character, i.e., the absolute pinnacle to be a Sgt Major. Frankly, I’m stunned that one of these top elite would bail out on the eve of what he has supposedly trained for his entire career. Fakes don’t usually make it… Read more »
Well, that doesn’t sound too good for Mr. Walz.
I have served in the Army, and understand what a conditional promotion is. You get the rank without the full set of qualifications, and promise to complete them within a specified time frame or lose the promotion. My problem is Walz refers to himself as a retired command sergeant major E-9, but his actual retirement rank is master sergeant E-8. He did not hold the rank long enough or complete the requirements to keep it. He reenlisted for 4 years in 2003, promoted conditionally in 2004, rumour has it learned through the grapevine about a upcoming deployment, and jumped into… Read more »
Mr. Walz sounds a little light on his resume.