2-week Hiatus

Folks, once again I need to apologize. I realize that some of you are waiting around for the other 2 parts of the Aardvark series, but currently Mav and I are in the middle of a project, possibly one that could affect the future of ZD30 and maybe bring our content to an even larger audience.

Thanks for the concern voiced in some of your emails, we really appreciate you guys tuning in!


Iceman out.

Never Forget

When those towers fell, when the plane hit the Pentagon, and when those brave passengers rose up to fight the hijackers on United 93, Islamic fundamentalists struck not only at a country, but at hearts and injected fear into those who'd never felt it before on such a level.

2996 innocent men and women dead at the hands of these creatures we so generously award the title of man, though we know them to be no better than animals.

Too often, the peace and relative tranquility we assume to be an everyday part of our lives is ignored and left to the presumption that it will never be challenged and that our days will go on as usual. When these challenges come, we are devastated but imbued with the realization and knowledge that such peace is always threatened at the hands of those who live their lives along a very distorted code, preaching a gospel of violence, hatred and authoritarianism.

A new generation of Americans rose up to the challenge. As one author put it, they were essentially condemned to the dregs of society, the ones who'd go nowhere with the advent of the internet, computer boom, etc. But, these young men and women stood up and proved everyone wrong, immediately taking the burden of national defense upon their young shoulders, striving to give their everything for their country in it's time of need. 

Thank God that such men and women lived. Pray for the eternal rest of those who died on this day, especially those first-responders who rushed through the dust and charred metal to help, too many of whom gave their lives to save others, while everyone else fled the fiery fate their fellow citizen had met moments earlier.

Pray that such an attack never occurs again, and that those responsible in any way shape or form for this and any related violence carried out upon the innocent are stopped by whatever means necessary.

Iceman's Answers: Special Operations and Timepieces

This is another question I see floating around every now and then. Not something pressing, but still interesting nevertheless.

"What kind of watch does a spec ops guy use and where can I get it?"
-Harrison

Well, the popular ones out there seem to be the Luminox brand which claims to be built for SEALs. According to a few SEALs who I have the pleasure of knowing, Luminox doesn't really live up to their hype. Their watches fall apart, break, or just flat-out stop working especially in stressful environments. They preferred inexpensive Timex or Casio wristwatches, reliable and easy to replace if ever broken.

Aside from the current Timex/Casio favorites, there are costlier alternatives that have a few more bells and whistles added on, a few of which were praised by a couple other friends of mine who've served time in the special operations community. Suunto, Resco Instruments and MTM are three recommended brands that offer incredibly reliable timepieces. Quite a few of Suunto's mid-range/higher-end watches come with a digital compass, altimeter, barometer, etc. Very cool and useful. Having owned a Suunto Core, I can definitely vouch for their reliability. Another friend used a Rolex. Not exactly something too affordable for the average camper or hiker interested in a durable timepiece, but nevertheless, it worked.

Resco Instruments is actually owned and run by a former Navy SEAL, so if you want something that's tailored for "high performance and high class", I'd definitely suggest you check them out.

Luminox

MTM

Suunto

Check these out!

Resco Instruments

Timex

MTM 

Suunto

Iceman out.

The Grunt Padre

Being a practicing Catholic, I often look for notable Catholic military figures as a source of inspiration. There are actually quite a few, including Dan Daly and Peter Pace. But, there's one who passed away on this day in 1967 during Operation Swift in Thang Binh, Vietnam, who I consider a very personal hero and who's story is an amazing example of love.

Fr. Vincent Robert Capodanno was ordained a priest in the Roman Catholic Church in 1957, and was commissioned a Lieutenant in the Navy Chaplain Corps in 1966 assigned to 1st Marine Division in Vietnam. He was known by those Marines and sailors he served, as the Grunt Padre, for his willingness to endure the same conditions in the unforgiving climate and terrain they fought in.

On the 4th of September, 1967, approximately 500 Marines of 1st Battalion, 5th Marines were engaged by over 2500 VC. After a little over four hours of fighting, where the volume of fire was described by one Marine as a roar, 26 Marines had made the ultimate sacrifice and many more were severely wounded. Fr. Capodanno asked to go with another company that was committed to the battle shortly after reinforcements were called for.

Minutes after he entered the area of operations, he was shot through his right hand and was patched up by a corpsman right away, but refused to be evacuated. He said that he had work to do.  He moved around those wounded and fallen, administering aid or giving Last Rites and absolution, comforting those mortally wounded. A few hours later a mortar impacted near him and, according to Lt. Joe E. Pilon, it "left his right arm in shreds hanging from his side. Once again, he was patched up and once again he refused evacuation. There he was, moving slowly from wounded to dead to wounded using his left arm to support his right as he gave absolution or Last Rites".

In Vietnam, there was apparently a written policy stating that if you get 3 Purple Hearts, you'd be sent home within 48 hours.

Fr. Capodanno then spotted a corpsman who was shot in the leg multiple times.
"Fr. C. ran out to him and positioned himself between the injured boy and the automatic weapon. Suddenly, the weapon opened up again and this time riddled Father C. from the back of his head to the base of his spine- and with his third Purple Heart of the day- Father C. went home."

The Grunt Padre was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1969, and his cause for canonization is proceeding forward.

May you rest in God's eternal peace, Father.