Remember The Boys That Made Some Noise

Memorial Day is not exactly a happy holiday, though it is cause to celebrate. Celebrate those who have paid the ultimate price for us to enjoy not just this extra day off, but our entire existence as the people and society that we have become, flawed as it may be. A day to remember those who risked and eventually gave their lives, so that people such as myself could have the privilege to live. I owe such a debt to a man named Joe Don Ramey, K.I.A. - May 21, 1970. Only 10 days before his death, he helped my father from his downed helicopter, touching the lives of more people than he could ever imagine. One act, affected an entire generation, one moment, saved an entire family, and one day I will get to thank him.

Every Memorial Day, if my father is in town, I always show up with a bottle of Johnny Walker Black Label, and we have a toast. Then another, then another, and another. For years, before each shot he would say, "here's to the boys that made some noise". That phrase resonated with me, I repeated it in my head over and over again. Eventually, last year I wrote a short poem on the outside of the bag that contained the JW Black, inspired by that line, and it still hangs on his wall today. I have expanded it to a longer piece, and wrote some music behind it. Below is the full poem, and I will be sharing the song as soon as I get it done.

they fought in the air, they fought on the ground

they all kept their cool when the bullets rained down

brother to brother, they leaned on each other

ready to die for America our mother

they marched through the day, and bled through the night

from bluecoats on riverboats to those dry desert nights

was it left, was it right, now we won't get home tonight

and those caissons go rolling along

here's to the boys that made some noise

for all of the pains, and all of the joys

aren't we so lucky to be standing right here

we can never forget those in our rear view mirror

they prayed to their Gods, and wrote to their wives

setting their sites on the rest of their lives

dreams and intentions of white picket fences

with family and friends and rekindled romances

so here's a salute to the stars and the stripes

we owe it to all who have died for our rights

maybe one day we'll learn from the sins of our past

to put down our guns, and all raise a glass

here's to the boys that made some noise

for all of the pains, and all of the joys

aren't we so lucky to be standing right here

we can never forget those in our rear view mirror

So enjoy your long weekend, and most of all be safe. Don't take any moment for granted, there are those who never had the chance.

Update: My brother Wayne had found a website dedicated to my dad's unit. The website no longer exist, but he kept some pictures and info from the site. The first picture is of Chuck Poulos, the Loch piolt that carried Joe Don Ramey, and the second is of Joe, followed by his info.

     Chuck Poulos

    Joe Don Ramey

 

    Specialist Five

PERSONAL DATA
Home of Record: Arroyo Grande, CA
Date of birth: 05/06/1949

MILITARY DATA
Service: Army of the United States
Grade at loss: E5
Rank: Specialist Five
ID No: 561663034
MOS: 67N20: UH-1 Helicopter Repairer
Length Service: **
Unit: D TRP, 3RD SQDN, 4TH CAVALRY, 25TH INF DIV, USARV

CASUALTY DATA
Start Tour: 11/15/1969
Incident Date: 05/21/1970
Casualty Date: 05/21/1970
Age at Loss: 21
Location: Province not reported, Cambodia
Remains: Body recovered
Casualty Type: Hostile, died outright
Casualty Reason: Helicopter - Crew
Casualty Detail: Air loss or crash over land

HERE'S TO YOU BOYS!


This is the report on the helicopter that went down with my father in it.


Information on U.S. Army helicopter AH-1G tail number 67-15858
The Army purchased this helicopter 1268
Total flight hours at this point: 00001205
Date: 05/11/70
Unit: D/3/4 CAV
This was a Combat incident. This helicopter was LOSS TO INVENTORY
This was a Recon mission for Armed Recon
While in Target Area this helicopter was Attacking at 0700 feet and 140 knots.
Cambodia
UTM grid coordinates: XU143119
Count of hits was not possible because the helicopter burned or exploded.
Small Arms/Automatic Weapons; Gun launched non-explosive ballistic projectiles less than 20 mm in size.
Systems damaged were: ENGINE, FUEL SYS, PERSONNEL
Casualties = 02 INJ . .
The helicopter Crashed. Aircraft Destroyed.
Both mission and flight capability were terminated.
Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Defense Intelligence Agency Helicopter Loss database. Survivability/Vulnerability Information Analysis Center Helicopter database. Also: OPERA, JSIDR, CRAFX, CASRP (Operations Report. Joint Services Incident Damage Report. Crash Facts Message. Casualty Report. )
Loss to Inventory

Change Is Slow and Painful

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses........................and we'll give them the finger.

This is the attitude of most people in this country now, on both sides of the line, this is not an issue of right or left, and red or blue.

It's about the red, the white , and the blue.

Freedom of religion and taxation? That worked out great didn't it? How about the separation of church and state? Yeah, right.

I 'm just using those as a broad stroke generalization that humans, like any animal, are a creature of habit. Much like a drug addict, there is a strange level of comfort in things that are familiar, and give you a false sense of security, even if it is harmful.

In a country founded on revolution, it's astounding the level of fear (for lack of a better word) of anything that will shake up the norm. One obvious subject being the Healthcare Reform. Look, I am no expert, and have any of us really read the entire package? If some of you have kudos, that's freaking amazing, you probably really care more than most, and I'm not going to get way into details about any one thing about it, this is just a very topical example.

We have lost our long term vision (if we really ever had it). Something like this reform, on the surface, you may see the good, and you may see the bad. It may not even be the best thing right now, but it could be a step towards something better, dare I say it, a change. Like some of the people that bitch about the people who represent them in their respective office(s), instead of rallying together, and voting them out, choose to sit at home in protest. What gets accomplished that way? The same people end up doing the same things over, and over again. It's okay to love your country, but not love your government. Only we can do something about it.

The problem is that people are okay with this. Addict behavior.

Count me among the guilty here my friends, and I have prime examples all around me in my life as to why we should care more than we do. I have very close friends, and a long line of relatives that have served, or relied on the government to maintain a living. I have become complacent as well.

I wanted this post to be not so much about the Healthcare issue, but all the debate that I have seen has sparked this thought process in me. The passion I have seen from people close to me, on both sides of the argument, have made me realize that it starts at home. Much like kindling, we need to spark the fires of change. Start with your local government, then on to county, state, etc.

It starts, or ends with us.

Hindsight Is Always 20/20

This is the time of year where it seems like every week there's a holiday. With Thanksgiving coming up, I see alot of my friends on Facebook, posting something that they are thankful for everyday in their status updates. That in itself has go to be challenging, and very cool I might add, at least it gets you to think.

Then it did get me to think, and I'm sure most of you have thought this at one time or another;

Why should it take Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day, etc., to become grateful and kind to others?

Let me get this out of the way and say I am just as guilty as the next person when it comes to this. In fact, I just wrote a blog for Veterans Day, that kind of outlines my own involvement in such practices, and I'm the son a of a Vet. Also, this is not to implicate anyone of my friends being any different on any given day, I guess it has more of an effect on encounters with strangers than anything.

It's just interesting to see how people show the potential to behave, well, like people because that time of the year says so.

Isn't that just conformity?

Two Flicks One Post

Between all the drinks, working and football this weekend, I managed to squeeze in some sober time and catch a couple of movies.

First up:

This was my first experience watching a feature film at the IMAX theatre. In 3D no less!

I really enjoyed this version of the Charles Dickens classic. It was quite possibly the darkest rendition I've seen, to the point where I thought kids below a certain age would be totally freaked out by it. However, I guess that's kind of the point behinid this story, which is to scare you into changing your ways.

It was beautifully presented in all of it's digital 3D glory, and Jim Carrey always shines in roles such as these. Not only does he play Scrooge, but also the Ghost of Christmas Past, and Present. Accompanied by Gary Oldman as Bob Cratchit, who is one of my favorite actors of all time.

In the end I will say that it's my favorite re-telling of this story, also the darkest, and is well worth the extra dough for the IMAX 3D experience.

Next up:

I watched Up at home on Blu-Ray. It was a little more on the sad side, even for Disney. It was not all sad, there were plenty of funny moments, especially with the dogs obsession with squirrels. That last observation is more on the personal side because it reminded me of one of my old dogs, Pebbles (RIP), who had an almost unhealthy affinity for squirrels.

Pixar never dissapoints with their graphics, which seem to getting better somehow, and I wish I would have gone to the theater for this one. I really liked the mid-century America feel that this had, which kind of added to the sense of adventure in the film. Also, I may be wrong but, I think that Disney actaully killed 2 people in this movie, and no animals. That's got to be a first.

Anyhow, I was late to this party, but if you haven't watched it, give it a look, It's a fun watch.

Thank Your Veterans

Today is a day to remember those among us who served our country. The sons, fathers, mothers, daughters, and friends that rose up when called upon ready to pay the ultimate price, to protect our rights.

My Grandfathers both served in WW2, and Korea. My Father and Uncle served in Vietnam. I also have known many of my own friends that served in the Gulf War. My Brother was a Marine, my Aunt was in the Air Force, one of my friends and my Cousin, are serving in the Army right now.

For their, and your service, I am forever in your debt.

Lost in all of these media driven feeding frenzies is the fact that, while you may not agree with the reason behind the conflict, our brothers and sisters in the service don't have the luxury of choice, they receive orders, and they follow orders, whether they agree with it or not. For this they deserve even more respect, for putting themselves aside to unconditionally serve our country.

So if you have a chance, thank your Veterans. It will mean more than you think, just to hear the words "thank you".

Some may have never heard it before.

The Holiday Drive

A night of rockabilly, custom hot rods, and burlesque, indeed. Let's not forget some kick ass BBQ provided by Swanky's Low & Slow BBQ, performances by The Ringerz Band, Elvis J (Elvis & Johnny Cash impersonator), and Black Weather Shaman. Topped off with some cool Hot Rods from the Saints and Sinners CC. Held at JD's Bar & Lounge.

This was a very interesting night. It started to become so a couple days before the show, when my wife received a phone call regarding her upcoming performance at the event. Apparently, the bar owner (who for the purposes of this blog will be referred to as crazy byatch), had reservations abut subjecting her regulars to a burlesque performer. Um, this is a bar right? Have you ever heard of any circumstances where they would deny a sexy, scantly clad woman gracing their establishment? Didn't think so. Thanks to the No Hard Feelings tattoo shop next door, and the smooth talking MC of the event, Ken, the performance was still a go.

This was not the end of the douchebaggery.

In the middle of Black Weather Shaman's performance, crazy byatch alleged that a couple of her regulars walked out, and went on the friggin' stage to tell them they had to stop. Never mind the other 100 or so people that were still inside. Instead of huffing and puffing, the band took their gear, and set up outside the bar, and proceeded to rock out, with a spirited performance nonetheless.

My wife, the Lovely Mrs. Morgan La Rue, put on a spectacle of sexiness as always, and had everyone crammed inside the tattoo shop, and standing outside the window. Take that crazy byatch! We took your crowd. I would say maybe next time don't be so prude, but I think she won't be getting that opportunity.

It was a night for two worthy charities, Toys for Tots, and the Daily Bread Food Bank, and at the end of all the B.S., the true human spirit came through and made it a rousing success. The people came through with 634 cans of food, and 300 toys.

My hat goes off to Ken, Kelly, all the performers, and No Hard Feelings tattoo shop, for not letting someone like crazy byatch, ruin what turned out to be an awesome night. Also to Swanky's Low and Slow BBQ, for their gut busting greatness. The night turned out to be good times with good people, good music, plenty of alcoholic beverages, and great food.

It goes a long way to showing that "real" people still exist.

Here's some contact info.....

Swanky's ;
http://www.facebook.com/search/?init=srp&sfxp=&q=Swanky%27s+low+and+slow+barbeque#/pages/Lake-Worth-FL/SWANKYS-LOW-N-SLOW-BBQ/142988729491?ref=sgm


Black Weather Shaman;
http://www.facebook.com/search/?init=srp&sfxp=&q=Swanky%27s+low+and+slow+barbeque#/pages/Black-Weather-Shaman/136567758269?ref=sgm


The Ringerz Band;
http://www.facebook.com/search/?init=srp&sfxp=&q=Swanky%27s+low+and+slow+barbeque#/pages/the-RingerZ-band/112863057806?ref=search&sid=1400947546.612428783..1


.....and don't forget the Burlesque

First Blog Ever

I'm not quite sure what has compelled me to start a blog. Maybe because I enjoy reading some of my friends' blogs, and figured hey, even if no one reads I'll get some stuff off my chest. Not certain how this will go, or exactly what I'll be doing.

So here goes nothing.

I attended mt first ballet last night. It was the Miami City Ballet, at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. It was an early birthday present for my wife, they performed among other things, to the music of the Andrews Sisters (Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B, etc.). I enjoyed that part especially, since I have always had an affinity for World War 2 era music, and just that little slice of Americana in general.

But, I couldn't help but notice, man those dudes' pants were way too tight. I mean seriously, it doesn't even look comfortable.

Okay that's not really what I'm getting at.

On a serious note, not the I attend these things regularly or anything (obviously), but it seemed like the building was half (probably more than) empty. For something that takes so much time, effort, and can be so physically taxing, I have to admire what they do. Talk about pure love of what your doing, first of all just to work your way up in the Miami City Ballet is not easy, and to get there and play to essentially no one. You know they're not making SQUAT on this gig. They get by almost exclusively on donations to keep their company going.

I guess overall my point is, I may not be a ballet fan, or love what they do, but I admire how and why they do it.

If I dedicated myself to my craft as harcore as they did, maybe I'd be a little more successful at it.