"God Bless America"

[Barendd Nobeard]

...but by & large, God, Country & Football are what matter around here...usually in that order.

And by "country" you mean the Republic of Texas, correct?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

And by "country" you mean the Republic of Texas, correct?

While I know a few RoT-ers and Militia types, I do mean the USA.

Although if JJ doesn't get his act together, he may find himself on their bad side as well!

 

[Bullgrit]

I was talking with my old man about it later and told him that they had run the flag up, "half-mast." He corrected me and it took me a moment to figure out what he was saying. I still say half-mast when I really mean half-staff. It's just habit I guess.

Aren't you supposed to run the flag up all the way to the top, and then lower it to half-staff?

Bullgrit

 

[Jack7]

Aren't you supposed to run the flag up all the way to the top, and then lower it to half-staff?

You are, and they did. Then reversed to retire for the day. I was just speaking figuratively.

In other words I was emphasizing the fact that I had called it half-mast, rather than their actual process of handling it.

 

[Thunderfoot]

You are, and they did. Then reversed to retire for the day. I was just speaking figuratively.

In other words I was emphasizing the fact that I had called it half-mast, rather than their actual process of handling it.

Of course you realize mast is a naval term and is probably why your dad is correcting you.
Flags fly on staves, sails hang from masts; and if you really want to piss off someone from the Army, Air Force or Marines, call it half-mast on any of the above mentioned posts...you may end up flying from the staff your very own self.

Let's just say terminology in the military is a VERY big deal. (but then again it looks like you know that already. Cheers!)

Eric Stearns
aka Thunderfoot
US Army 1989-1997

 

[Jack7]

Of course you realize mast is a naval term and is probably why your dad is correcting you.
Flags fly on staves, sails hang from masts; and if you really want to piss off someone from the Army, Air Force or Marines, call it half-mast on any of the above mentioned posts...you may end up flying from the staff your very own self.

Let's just say terminology in the military is a VERY big deal. (but then again it looks like you know that already. Cheers!)

Let me explain that a little bit.

Most of my experience centered around the military is Intel, and I have and still often do, research involving Naval projects. Among other things.

My father was Army Air Force (or Air Corp if speaking about divisions), helicopters mostly. It would be Air Cav now.

Now I'm back in the CAP (Civil Air Patrol, or Auxiliary Air Force as they call it now, I was in the CAP as a kid - how I got my first training in Civil Defense and SAR) with my kid (that's why I went back in, for her benefit), and actually she's in my old squadron. (I think it does all kids some good to be involved in some kind of public service.) My current commander (and I like him, he's a good fellow and good leader) was in the same squadron as me, a little younger than me, and his old man, my commander at the time, is now the Cadet Commander, and he's retired Air Force.

Anywho when I accompanied the kids to the staff to hoist as a tribute to the soldiers murdered at Hood, my daughter was writing an article for her Cyberwarfare exercise (which I was helping out with). When we got back in I told her to mention that the squadron had flown the flag half-mast in honor of the troops. (I had to later edit the article on that score cause she wrote it down as half-mast in the piece.)

Anyways, to make a long story short I had used what is colloquially an acceptable term, but what is technically a Naval term.

Now I like all of the branches of service. Many of my oldest and best buddies are Army Intel, or Doctrine, etc. (But I've never been in the Army). Got some buddies in the Marines who I do Intel analysis for and I like them and I like that kinda work, usually because it involves prediction and on the ground behavioral analysis of enemy operations. I worked for years on developing predictive profiles for anti-criminal programs. (Mostly though nowadays I do stuff for Homeland Security or scientific or Intel analysis, or help out with developmental projects - when it comes to that kinda work - but I rejoined the CAP cause I like doing things like that with my kids and I thought she'd really like it and like my old squadron, and she does - took her first glider flight at encampment with me this summer.)

Anywho I like all branches of the service, even Coast Guard, and so I'm not really biased in that sense, but I most naturally think in Naval terminology in any military or military like situation. I mean the Navy is where my natural tendencies are, and how I tend to think.

So even if I'm on an Air Force or Army base, my thought patterns in examining things are usually "naval." It's my ingrained or natural habit. Most of my buddies let me slide on it, but my old man's a stickler for details like that.

Well, nice yakking with ya.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

This thread is turning into a bunch of "naval" gazing.

 

[Thunderfoot]

How odd - add me to the list - I was a....
Electronic Warfare/Signals Intelligence Non-Morse Code Interceptor/Analyst (my actual job description). Small, small planet.


And I understand your thought process - I did my A.I.T. at Corry Naval Technical Training Center at Pensacola Florida. Trying to tell a squid that floor is not a deck and a mop is not a swab is like getting paint not to dry.