Wednesday, February 22nd 2012 - 09:29:18 PM
| Name: | Les Ostrom - 19 |
| Message: | Regarding our thinly-clad subject of conversation, I love people who are committed to being successful. I can tell this lady is committed – she has skin in the game! |
| Name: | WebMaster |
| Message: | Not sure what class she is in but I'll bet she's not on the sub-squad. |
| Name: | L. "Mac" Macleay 5 |
| Message: | I notice the "regulation swim gear" is Blue and Gold. What class is she in? |
| Name: | Charlie Shelton, 13th |
| Message: | In discussing tattoos, a friend asked whether someone really interested in attending USNA, but sporting several tattoos, could eradicate the marks by laser surgury or other technique. I've heard removal is expensive but after undergoing the procedure could you pass inspection for admittance to Navy ? Perhaps "Pretty Girl" could tell us who removed her "tatau" ( Polynesian ,i.e., Tahitian origen of our word tattoo). |
| Name: | Ed Tipshus 2nd Co |
| Message: |
Pretty girl. NO tattoos, body piercing, or other skin flaws.
Nice tan, and superb figure. I wonder why she looks so bored. As "beauty is in the eye of the beholder," and is superficial, I also wonder what kind of a person she is. |
| Name: | WebMaster |
| Message: |
Any questions, Mac
 |
| Name: | Bill Crawford, 14 |
| Message: | We still have about ten inches of snow standing in our front yard. It's been there for about two weeks, because of the continuing cold weather. BUT, today it's supposed to get up to about 47 degrees, so I imagine we will see a lot of that snow gone by tomorrow. |
| Name: | L. "Mac" Macleay 5 |
| Message: | Will, curious what "regulation swim gear" is. Obviously not Bikini's or Speedos |
| Name: | WebMaster |
| Message: |
Found this in OPNAV INSTRUCTION 1420.1
(3) If applicants have any tattoos, brands or pierced body parts (with the exception of a single earring perforation in each earlobe for women), these must not be visible when wearing regulation swim gear. Any tattoos or brands that are prejudicial to good order and discipline, offensive, or are of a nature to bring discredit to the Naval Service are prohibited regardless of location |
| Name: | Charlie Shelton, 13 th |
| Message: | I recently saw a guy on the Ultimate Fighter show who must have had more tattoos that all of the former sailors in our class together. No need for him to apply for USNA but sure but can someone explain what the current rules are for tattoos on entering plebes? |
| Name: | Ed Tipshus 2nd Co |
| Message: | Dick; Strange weather. In mid Ohio we had a clear sky and sunny but cold day. Had the same yesterday. My sister in Brunswick, Maine said she had the same weather also. |
| Name: | WebMaster |
| Message: | Happy Birthday to Paddy Padberg, Albert Glover, and Phil Livingstone. |
| Name: | Dick Raymond (18) |
| Message: | Snowing briskly here in SW VA, expect 5 - 8 in., which is nothing in Buffalo or Denver. R |
| Name: | CEP 4th |
| Message: | CINCWESTEX is back on watch----all is quiet on the Western Front,,Powell.. |
| Name: | Bob Gibson 20 |
| Message: |
Les,
So did I! (20) |
| Name: | WebMaster |
| Message: | Happy birthday to Ted Gerst, Tom Watson, and Art Jesser, |
| Name: | WebMaster |
| Message: | According to the records I have the oldest is Herbert Dean, 8th Co, born October 17, 1927. |
| Name: | Les Ostrom - 19 |
| Message: | Congratulations all you new octagenarians. Been there, done that almost two years ago. So who can tell me who is the oldest member of our class? Remember that the age limit had been pushed back to 26 to benefit WWII veterans? We had a firstie in 19th company who had given up a Lt's commission to enter the Academy. |
| Name: | Bill Robinson, 3rd Co. |
| Message: |
Bill, I don't have to guess.
Cutter |
| Name: | Bill Crawford, 14 |
| Message: |
It's hard to realize that all of us are in, or very close to being in our eighties.
In my heart of hearts I still feel like I'm in my thirties---but I guess my body is telling me otherwise! |
| Name: | Buster Bilyeu-6 |
| Message: |
Fellow octogenarians!
Congratulations and Happy Birthday to all! |
| Name: | WebMaster |
| Message: | Happy Birthday to Buster Bilyeu, Ted Casimes, and Robert Walker. |
| Name: | Al Casey 16 Co |
| Message: |
Ed,
No, Reisinger was not a football player but he had a facial scar from some encounter in his enlisted days. He was platoon leader on our last P-Rade and he turned it over to me (he took my rifle) for the march back to Dalhgren. On dismissal I headed back to Bancroft, which meant he would have to waste time stowing my rifle with the crowd. When I pretended to not hear his call he threw the bayonet in my direction (really at the deck nearby). I got his message. |
| Name: | Charlie Shelton, 13th |
| Message: |
Bob,
Surely you meant to say you planned to hit the bottle next month when you gratefully arrive at 84. I recommend we not in any way offend the gods of aging lest they react by causing us to "slip the surly bonds of earth" prematurely. I do realize that in Marine jargon it is common to use the term "hit" as in "hit the beach or sack, etc, so the gods of aging may accept it from Corps vets without offense. Here's hoping! |
| Name: | Ed Tipshus 2 |
| Message: |
Al, I knew of him as I recall the name, but did not have any "close encounters."
One notorious 1/C man that went into the Corps was Jim Valentine. He had me come around one evening, but it was noy bad, and it appeared he just wanted to talk to a former enlisted Marine, as he was going into the Corps at graduation. He got KIA in Korea and earned the Navy Cross. Another !/C man who was somewhat of a legend and who was in my company (2nd) was "Ish" Renneman. He had been an Army 2nd Lt prior to coming to USNA, and when he graduated, he went back into the Army. I last saw him one early morning at outside breakfast formation when he was on the sidewalk opposite where the 1st & 2nd Cos. formed in front of mother B. He was a First Lt. and in his Ike jacket and pinks (trousers), and every inch (he was about 6 - 4 ) an infantry man. Not too much later we heard he got KIA leading his unit in an attack. He received the DSC posthumously. Wasn't Reisinger a football player? |
| Name: | WebMaster |
| Message: | It's Happy birthday to Jack Wildman today, also. |
| Name: | Bob Gibson 20 |
| Message: | I will hit 84 next month. You 80's people are way behind! |
| Name: | L."Mac" Macleay 5 |
| Message: | Welcome to the Octagenerians Mack! |
| Name: | Bob Walker 17 |
| Message: | Happy Birthday Mack! I will join you at 80 this Saturday. We will have a lot of company in the coming months. |
| Name: | Mack Daily 4th |
| Message: | Celebrating my 80th birthday today - I am still doing pretty good. Mack |
| Name: | Al Casey 16 Co |
| Message: |
Ed,
All this talk about the Marines in 1950 inspires me to ask if you knew my First Classman, "Lucky Reisinger". He was a tough but very fair guy who was killed in Korea within about 6 months of graduation. |
| Name: | Ed Tipshus 2 |
| Message: |
Les; Absolutely amazing! I do not remember any Marine on the rifle range giving any Plebe any hard time. All I remember is that I gave some Marine PFC a lot of lip because there were no carbide lamps or candles for us to use to blacken our sights.
As for picking up your brass, it was SOP in the Corps to do so after the complete range was fired. We usually formed a skirmish line, and from the 500 yard line forward to the 100, we followed our target trail and policed up the brass. I don't recall what we put the brass in (probably empty cloth bandoleers). Maybe I was given wide berth as I was a recent Corporal and had almost 3 years in. The Corps was very small then (70 - 80 thousand). It took the regulars (many from the MB across the Severn) AND the USMC Reserve to fill up the First Marine division that did their thing in Korea in the early days. |
| Name: | Les Ostrom - 19 |
| Message: | Maybe I remember things you don't -- or maybe things that weren't! However, if I remember correctly, spent M-1 shells were collected in wooden boxes measuring about 18" on each side. For certain infractions, the marine instructors would make you pick up one of those boxes and (balancing it on one hand) hold it at head level for a period of time they thought appropriate for the infraction involved. Don't recall the infractions meriting such treatment but I am sure they involved something considered unsafe. Maybe, if no one remembers, it is either because the particular instructor was "picking" on me or I am simply getting too damned old to correctly rememeber things that happened over half a century ago! |
| Name: | Ed Tipshus 2 |
| Message: |
Les; I have spent many weeks on Marine Rifle Ranges over 21 years in Corps, and I do not remember any term called "raised boxes" relating to the Rifle Range.
All I remember about Rifle Range shooting across the river during Plebe summer was how hot it was, or how no one seemed to care about blackening your sights. I am most curious about "raised boxes." |
| Name: | Les Ostrom - 19 |
| Message: |
Oops! Used the term "raised boxes" to describe my "raised garden beds".
Okay, you guys with a good memory. Do you recall "raised boxes" on the rifle range from our plebe summer? |
| Name: | Les Ostrom - 19 |
| Message: |
Bought my first snow blower this winter -- used it once but really didn't need to then.
Started planning this year's vegetable garden yesterday. Came up for air to discover that we had finally received our second snowfall of consequence -- about two inches and still not enough to use my new snow blower. Darn! Hopefully I'll have a king sized garden this year with four raised boxes my son built for me last year. I have a fenced in garden area of 65' by 65' but plan to only use a part of that. Any other gardners out there? |
| Name: | Will Croom 2 |
| Message: |
I celebrated my 80th BD with my daughter in law who celebrated her 50th.
Time flies when you are having a good time!! |
| Name: | L. "Mac" Macleay 5 |
| Message: | Another snow day here on the front range of the Rockies! My Grand daughter, Lauryn, a "Plebe" at the Air Force Academy made the Deans List for Academics and was awarded a Wreath for outstanding Military Performance (top 5 %). |
| Name: | Dick Raymond (18) |
| Message: |
Ed & Anyone: 1947 yearbook says: WARREN EDWARD BUFFETT-- W club (athletics) Debate team; golf team. A sportsman...basketball and golf: the favorites...likes math [oh yeah!] ...a future stock broker [sure was!]
Not much else, but we sure had some pretty girls in that class. |
| Name: | Ed Tipshus 2 |
| Message: | Dick; Just curious. Where did Buffet stand in your class? Was he a "nerd" or prominent in class activities? Do you remeber him for anything he did as a HS student? |
| Name: | Dick Raymond (18) |
| Message: | Les & Ebba: Terror? One of my HS classmates (Woodrow Wilson '47, Washington DC) is Warren Buffett. You think that's not scary? |
| Name: | Ed Tipshus 2nd Co |
| Message: | Al, You are no "spring chicken," but you are definitely not an "old rooster." You sure are showing your contemporaries a can-do attitude, and exemplary physical fitness. Not bad at all for a "young" 79! (Al will have a happy 80th Birthday in a couple of weeks on 1 March.) So, Happy Birthday, Al. |
| Name: | Bill Hoover 11th |
| Message: | Remarkable Al. Congratulations. |
| Name: | Al Casey |
| Message: |
Here is a picture to prove we do not waste this good weather in Southern California. This is the finish line of my 111th Marathon at Carldbad on 22 January. If you look closely you will note that I was so slow the finish line is being dis-assembled and the crowd had all gone home, fortunately the race director stayed around to award me a medal!
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| Name: | Les Ostrom |
| Message: |
You asked for it! Photos are attached.
I know I cannot compete with aviators and marines, but I thought I might be the best looking pork chopper!Fortunately, I have my young bride to keep things in perspective. Yeah -- those were younger days! 
|
| Name: | Les Ostrom - 19 |
| Message: |
Ebba's crypto quote for the day:
True terror is waking up in the morning and discovering that your high school class is running the country. |
| Name: | Will Croom 2 |
| Message: |
Pictures of turkeys and eagles are great stuff, guys, but send me some pictures of you - or your lovely bride. How do you look now at plebe summer plus 62? - Or send me a picture of how you looked during plebe summer. Maybe we could have a contest to find the best looking guy in '54. We could have a separate contest for aviators to give everybody a chance.
|
| Name: | Les Ostrom - 19 |
| Message: |
Had all my computers tuned up so I was out of pocket for a few days.
Ed, unfortunately I could not provide a close-up because I had not gotten around to replacing my stolen zoom-lens camera. But I see Al Casey provided some good shots that represented what I was seeing. Saw a good food fight a couple of days ago when about six of these guys were competing in the same air space for the food being carried by one of the luckier ones. Counted 25 of these guys in the tree two days ago but it now looks like the numbers are starting to dwindle as (I imagine) the food supply shrinks. I also am noticing fewer gulls out on the lake bed. We do have turkeys in our area but they have not pestered me much. They are a bloody nuissance because they fly into the lower branches of smaller decorative trees such as flowering pear and break branches from their weight. We have friends about 15 miles down the lake that have suffered a lot of damage from the turkeys. |
| Name: | Jim Bell 1 |
| Message: | I have some extra tickets to the A-N Wrestling meet in Annapolis on 17 Feb. If interested give me a call. |
| Name: | Ed Tipshus 2 |
| Message: |
Those "birds" that are found around the DC Beltway are LOCAL DOMESTIC Turkeys, and not Wild Turkeys. The wild turkey has a very high sense of sight and hearing, and is very intelligent. It can run and fly fast. They seem to quickly learn where danger lurks, and also when hunting season starts and ends. They know when they are safe in certain areas near human habitation, and act accrodingly.
Here is the interesting difference as oustlined in a book: The turkey is one of the most famous birds in North America. In fact, Benjamin Franklin wanted to make the wild turkey, not the Bald Eagle, the national bird of the United States! The turkey's popularity comes from the American people's love of eating the bird for special occasions like Thanksgiving and Christmas. The wild turkey we usually see in photos or pictures is not the same as the domestic turkey that we serve at Thanksgiving. Domestic or tame turkeys weigh twice what a wild turkey does and are raised on farms for profit. Most domestic turkeys are so heavy they are unable to fly. (remember the famous WKRP in Cincinatti Thanksgiving Give-away? - Ed) Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) live in woods in parts of North America and are the largest game birds found in this part of the world. They spend their days foraging for food like acorns, seeds, small insects and wild berries. They spend their nights in low branches of trees (yes, wild turkeys can fly!). Peacocks aren't the only birds who use their fancy tails to attract a mate. Each spring male turkeys try to befriend as many females as possible. Male turkeys, also called "Tom Turkeys" or "Gobblers" puff up their bodies and spread their tail feathers (just like a peacock). They grunt, make a "gobble gobble sound" and strut about shaking their feathers. This fancy turkey trot helps the male attract females (also called "hens") for mating. After the female turkey mates, she prepares a nest under a bush in the woods and lays her tan and speckled brown eggs. She incubates as many as 18 eggs at a time. It takes about a month for the chicks to hatch. When the babies (known as poults) hatch they flock with their mother all year (even through the winter). For the first two weeks the poults are unable to fly. The mother roosts on the ground with them during this time. Wild turkeys are covered with dark feathers that help them blend in with their woodland homes. The bare skin on the throat and head of a turkey can change color from flat gray to striking shades of red, white, and blue when the bird becomes distressed or excited. Have you ever wondered what Turkey (the country in the Middle East) and the American bird have in common? A case of mistaken identity resulted in the American Turkey being named after the country. When the Spanish first found the bird in the Americas more than 400 years ago they brought it back to Europe. The English mistakenly thought it was a bird they called a "turkey" so they gave it the same name. This other bird was actually from Africa, but came to England by way of the Turkey (lots of shipping went through Turkey at the time). The name stuck even when they realized the birds weren't the same. |
