About 5 years ago, I was interviewing a veteran of WWII and Vietnam. A nice, calm, older gentleman. Told incredible stories.

Halfway thru the interview, he pauses and looks at me:
"Your generation must get rid of nuclear weapons. They are the most evil things in the world."
I was slightly taken aback, and then he began to tell me why. How he had been in the US Navy in the Pacific, bombarding the Japanese mainland when they'd been told to stand off from the coast. Then the bombs were dropped. "We thought it was some Buck Rogers nonsense at first..."
Later on, in his Army career as an ordnance warrant officer, he was posted to Germany, where he was the inspector for battalions of nuclear-capable 155mm artillery. "It was terrifying, knowing that the Soviets just across the way had the exact same thing"
The way that he looked at me, the intensity in his words, those are still with me.

Remembering that conversation with keen clarity these days, for obvious reasons

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More from @pptsapper

Feb 28
This weekend has been a whole ass decade
As for commentary on what's happening in Ukraine right now, I got none

I'm not there, I don't know the details. The spirit of the people and leaders of Ukraine continue to inspire and amaze me

May we all have that same fire of spirit, and may theirs never die
We are so early in this conflict, with so much changing from day to day. I dread that far worse is coming, but who knows. We can just do what we can where we are. Try to educate people, donate where you can, call elected leaders, and be patient
Read 4 tweets
Feb 25
The last 24 hours has been, basically

Historian/rational brain: de-escalation, economic sanctions make sense, looking to long-term consequences, avoiding more bloodshed

Soldier/emotional brain: let's fuckin *go*
I know there are many in uniform in the US who are feeling similarly. There's an emotional response there of why we volunteered to serve. To stop things like this. It's hard to reconcile that our involvement could make things worse, escalate to something larger
Our direct involvement could play into Putin's narrative, could help solidify Russian national will towards a hard conflict. Worst case scenario, nukes fly. So many dead.

But at the same time...Like...FUCK. Watching all this happen and sitting on our hands, it sucks.
Read 6 tweets
Feb 15
"Alexa, play baby making music" is not what i ever ever ever ever ever ever want to hear through the wall from my neighbor's apartment

Ever
I rapidly changed and exited my apartment, headed to the gym. As I was getting in my car, my neighbor's boyfriend arrives home

I pause

Because there were definitely two sets of feet I heard going up the stairs
Male neighbor goes in the door. I pause from backing out of the driveway. I mean, I'm human, after all. Great drama calls to us.

And I want to know if I'm gonna come home to a burnt down house.
Read 5 tweets
Feb 12
Well, it's Friday. And apparently there might be some war or something? So might as well do my annual master and commander watch, just in case something were to happen that would prevent the normal one in the summer.
Crispy duck and Madeira pair well with 19th century naval dramas, ijs
My only aspiration is to get to a spot in my career where someone will bring my friend and I toasted cheese and we play stringed instruments

I feel that might be asking for too much, tho
Read 26 tweets
Jan 30
Making the interesting life choice of deciding to watch the Two Towers extended edition

I mean, it's only like, four hours

Have stew, have booze, will see what happens
Declarations of not passing:

French at Verdun, 1916 Gandalf

Things not allowed to pass:

The Germans. A balrog
All we need now is for someone to put a Prussian helmet on the Balrog for this to be complete perfection Image
Read 32 tweets
Jan 17
Chinese takeout and The Longest Day. Haven't watched it in years, should be entertaining.

I forgot that literally everyone is in this movie.
I love that you don't see a single American for the first ten minutes. Everything is in French or German.

And then you spend the next five minutes watching everyone be miserable in the rain. An accurate picture of England at war
John Wayne turns around and goes from LTC Vandervoort to John Wayne in .01 seconds

It's a remarkable skill
Read 21 tweets

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