(posthumous)
Private Masato Nakae distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 19 August 1944, near Pisa, Italy. When his submachine gun was damaged by a shell fragment during a fierce attack by a superior enemy force, Private Nakae quickly picked up his wounded comrade’s M-1 rifle and fired rifle grenades at the steadily advancing enemy. As the hostile force continued to close in on his position, Private Nakae threw six grenades and forced them to withdraw. During a concentrated enemy mortar barrage that preceded the next assault by the enemy force, a mortar shell fragment seriously wounded Private Nakae. Despite his injury, he refused to surrender his position and continued firing at the advancing enemy. By inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy force, he finally succeeded in breaking up the attack and caused the enemy to withdraw. Private Nakae’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.
Jennifer is going to start the online Masters of Divinity program at Regent University this fall. I’m very happy for her and the new direction God is taking her. She’s created an Amazon Wish List of the books she needs for her upcoming classes. If you would like to buy Jennifer a book or two and help us with her education expenses, you can see the entire list at the Amazon.com link:
If you can’t help us out at this time (and if you’re a student and reading this, we don’t expect you to), we would greatly appreciate your prayers. This is a new experience for both of us, and we welcome the support.
Bush War Adviser Says Draft Worth A Look
“I think it makes sense to certainly consider it,” Army Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute said in an interview with National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered.”
“And I can tell you, this has always been an option on the table. But ultimately, this is a policy matter between meeting the demands for the nation’s security by one means or another,” Lute added in his first interview since he was confirmed by the Senate in June.
President Nixon abolished the draft in 1973. Restoring it, Lute said, would be a “major policy shift” and Bush has made it clear that he doesn’t think it’s necessary.
This is a case of Generals Acting Stupidly. Now, far be it from me to criticize someone who has forgotten more about military doctrine than I will ever know, but let’s not ignore basic historical facts. All-volunteer forces outperform conscripted forces regardless of time period or strategic situation.
Besides, the draft is unconstitutional, because it is a form of involuntary servitude contrary to the 13th amendment. I’m surprised no one has mentioned this before, at least that I’m aware of.
Because of both these reasons, the draft will not be making any comeback anytime soon.
It’s official. The most pedantic article on Wikipedia has been found.
Check your work. Double check it. Then have someone else check it, and someone else check them. Twice.
A consultant hired by the state of Minnesota in the days after the collapse to conduct an investigation of what had gone wrong, even as the national safety board did its work, first discovered the potential flaw, the board said. Representatives at Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc., the consulting firm, could not be reached late today.
That way, someone else doesn’t have to be hired to check it later.
If those who designed the bridge in 1964 miscalculated the loads and used metal parts that were too weak for the job, it would recast the national debate that has emerged since the collapse a week ago, about whether enough attention has been paid to maintenance, and raises the possibility that the bridge was structurally deficient from the day it opened. It does not explain, however, why the bridge stood for 40 years before collapsing.
No, that question is best answered by God. Like Lileks said when it happened: “Sixty children on the bus. Sixty children alive. There’s chance, and there’s miracles. Take your choice.” I know what mine is.