Comments on: Why Military History and Lemay: The Story of Now http://whiskeyandgunpowder.com/why-military-history-and-lemay-the-story-of-now/ Whiskey and Gunpowder features articles on gold, oil, currencies, emerging markets, energy, and more. Sun, 12 Feb 2012 15:22:51 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Dean webster http://whiskeyandgunpowder.com/why-military-history-and-lemay-the-story-of-now/comment-page-1/#comment-3524 Dean webster Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:02:15 +0000 http://whiskeyandgunpowder.com/?p=5313#comment-3524 Byron: Keep up the good work. I always look forward to your historical naratives and insites. I make a point of passing them on to friends and family. Do not be discouraged by narrow minded complainers at the Whiskey Bar who do appreciate your efforts to dispense a little liberal education now and then. Maybe they have had "one to many" to see the connection between a broad view of our predicment and just some more advice on how to make another buck. Byron: Keep up the good work. I always look forward to your historical naratives and insites. I make a point of passing them on to friends and family. Do not be discouraged by narrow minded complainers at the Whiskey Bar who do appreciate your efforts to dispense a little liberal education now and then. Maybe they have had “one to many” to see the connection between a broad view of our predicment and just some more advice on how to make another buck.

]]> By: Sam Douthit http://whiskeyandgunpowder.com/why-military-history-and-lemay-the-story-of-now/comment-page-1/#comment-3467 Sam Douthit Fri, 18 Sep 2009 20:17:39 +0000 http://whiskeyandgunpowder.com/?p=5313#comment-3467 I am a retired MSGT who served in the 303rd bomb wing as a quality control inspector. A QC man was really a cop. We patrolled the flight line daily to observed minute problems like a maintenance stand without all the caster wheels locked. Or the lack of a list of tools taken out of a tool box and not listed as being used on a bomber. Lemay and his professional teams would throw miscreants out of the Air Force with an administrative discharge if they broke the rules of flightline safety. My commander was "Sundown" Wilson who would call up personell and have a man discharged before sundown the next day, even if the personell department had to work at midnight the day before to get it done. In spite of that, morale was high because Lemay saw that we had decent quaters and the mess hall served good food 24 hours a day and you could eat when you got a break from 18 hour days. Training was just like combat. Crews with spot promotions for good work were demoted for bad training missions. Debriefing after missions was always preceeded by a cocktail to lessen the frayed nerves of terrain follwing popup bombing missions lasting 10 or more hours. It was the most thouroughly managed system you could imagine. Sam Douthit Msgt retired I am a retired MSGT who served in the 303rd bomb wing as a quality control inspector. A QC man was really a cop. We patrolled the flight line daily to observed minute problems like a maintenance stand without all the caster wheels locked. Or the lack of a list of tools taken out of a tool box and not listed as being used on a bomber. Lemay and his professional teams would throw miscreants out of the Air Force with an administrative discharge if they broke the rules of flightline safety. My commander was “Sundown” Wilson who would call up personell and have a man discharged before sundown the next day, even if the personell department had to work at midnight the day before to get it done. In spite of that, morale was high because Lemay saw that we had decent quaters and the mess hall served good food 24 hours a day and you could eat when you got a break from 18 hour days. Training was just like combat. Crews with spot promotions for good work were demoted for bad training missions. Debriefing after missions was always preceeded by a cocktail to lessen the frayed nerves of terrain follwing popup bombing missions lasting 10 or more hours. It was the most thouroughly managed system you could imagine.
Sam Douthit Msgt retired

]]> By: Robert http://whiskeyandgunpowder.com/why-military-history-and-lemay-the-story-of-now/comment-page-1/#comment-3450 Robert Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:01:15 +0000 http://whiskeyandgunpowder.com/?p=5313#comment-3450 Hmmm....I hear what you are saying load and clear. There are some of us out here in the scientific community spending our days and nights attempting to find a technological fix for our current energy problems. But, realistically we know it to be a long shot. As for a real leader to step up, I just don't know. The key would seem to be to get the masses to wake up from their dream of entitlement and plenty. I have no idea how anyone would go about it. Each year the undergraduate population comes to us with a greater sense of entitlement than the last. And, the general population appears to be more clueless each year. I wonder if the bulk of the American population can be saved at all. Hmmm….I hear what you are saying load and clear. There are some of us out here in the scientific community spending our days and nights attempting to find a technological fix for our current energy problems. But, realistically we know it to be a long shot.

As for a real leader to step up, I just don’t know. The key would seem to be to get the masses to wake up from their dream of entitlement and plenty. I have no idea how anyone would go about it. Each year the undergraduate population comes to us with a greater sense of entitlement than the last. And, the general population appears to be more clueless each year.

I wonder if the bulk of the American population can be saved at all.

]]> By: TN Thompson http://whiskeyandgunpowder.com/why-military-history-and-lemay-the-story-of-now/comment-page-1/#comment-3448 TN Thompson Thu, 17 Sep 2009 22:06:50 +0000 http://whiskeyandgunpowder.com/?p=5313#comment-3448 Those who are not familar with Gen Lemay's career have no idea of the debt we owe him. Those who are not familar with Gen Lemay’s career have no idea of the debt we owe him.

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