Comments on: Why did the French fail to monitor the Charlie Hebdo terrorists?

By: Richard Saunders

Richard Saunders — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 20:15:43 +0000

When we were in France, back in 1971, my wife and I toured Normandy and Brittany. There was quite a difference between the attitudes of people there and the Parisians about Americans.

Of course, my dad told me that the Parisians that he met complained about how the German soldiers behaved “more correctly” than the American GIs.

By: Richard Aubrey

Richard Aubrey — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 13:38:45 +0000

JimBob
My father had “Timberwolf Tracks” around as long as I can remember.
It’s a division history consisting of official reports, correspondents’ columns and personal recollections. Puts you right there. There are technical tables in the back such as organization and equipment, names of the dead, etc.
Still available at Amazon, as is the biography of Terry Allen (Terrible Terry Allen)–reviewed by me–who is the only two-star divisional commander ever biographied, as far as I know. The Marines may have one or two, but the jarheads are big on publicity.
You know the TO&E of the old Marine rifle squad included two guys to carry the extra flashbulbs?
Ionia is a nice town. I used to pass through there frequently, although a teacher I know said that some of the local prisoners’ families relocate there and something about apples and trees.

By: JimBobElrod

JimBobElrod — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 01:23:59 +0000

Richard, you inspired me to dig out dad’s 104th memorabilia which consists of a mimeographed letter from Terry Allen addressed “To All Timberwolves” describing the six months of combat they had just been through and a division map that located their major operations.
My father was Donald Skelding C Co 2/414.
Interesting that you mention Ionia MI. His side of the family is from that general area of the state and one of my uncles lived there for many years.

By: Richard Aubrey

Richard Aubrey — Tue, 13 Jan 2015 23:25:35 +0000

JimBob.
Surprised you’re not named Terry Allen. My Dad’s first platoon sergeant lost an arm in Holland and was home in time to name his first son. My mom didn’t agree and he wasn’t home.
There’s a name on the Ionia, MI VN memorial, Terry Allen Towne.
You wonder.
See Timberwolf Tracks on Amazon. Worth it.
And another town named a street Generaal Allen weg.
Before my Dad passed, we were able to google earth travel those streets. He was pleased.
The 104th wrote the book on night fighting. When I got to Benning, they started out our block on night fighting with a long lessons-learned from the 104th. During a break I told the instructor I didn’t need to be sold;, I’d learned it at my father’s knee. “There’s always one,” he said.
My father was Richard Aubrey H Co 2/415.

By: JimBobElrod

JimBobElrod — Tue, 13 Jan 2015 20:40:19 +0000

Nice post Richard. My dad was also a member of the 104th (Timberwolf) infantry division. Did not know about the streets named after them in Holland.

By: nyo

nyo — Tue, 13 Jan 2015 19:16:08 +0000

http://i.imgur.com/ePwowre.jpg

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 13 Jan 2015 16:48:14 +0000

Thanks for your post Richard.

By: Richard Aubrey

Richard Aubrey — Tue, 13 Jan 2015 13:02:45 +0000

Some time ago, I was going around with some history teachers on the question of why, if the accepted ratio of one-third of the American colonists were for independence, one-third loyalists, and one-third just kept their heads down, so many more showed up for independence.
There were a bunch of dumb answers from the teachers; the loyalists were older (???), the loyalists were high church (???), and so forth.
Finally, they figured it out. I must be a (spit) patriot. That’s why I’m asking questions they can’t answer.
Point is, to be in with the Right Sort of People, you have be oppose the national values such as patriotism and asking history teachers tough questions.
“But, how about slavery?” Slavery is bad but the Right Sort of People don’t mind, say, the Holodomor. What are you, better dead than red?
It is hard to estimate how many people who barely got through a general studies degree think themselves intellectual giants because the oppose the values of democratic societies. But it’s a hell of a lot.
AFAICT, whatever the rednecks like, the RSP find it necessary to oppose.
They can be led around by the left using a worn-out kite string. No problem at all.
The Chattering Classes and the RSP are one thing.
But. Three towns in Holland have renamed streets after my Dad’s division (Timberwolfstraat). A relative traveled to Carentan to see where an uncle was killed. Turns out a lot of other guys were killed there as well, around the first week in June, 1944. The locals have a monument and each spring, the school kids come out and they mayor reads off the names of the dead Americans. After each, the kids reply “mort pour la France”. And the town has a road named after the 101st Airborne Division.
Sure, there was an excess of enthusiasm–the RSP may insist–in the joy of liberation but…the streets haven’t been renamed by the locals.
There are reports that a large number of Europeans favor the death penalty, but the ‘crats and the RSP are going to see it doesn’t happen. Eventually, somebody or something is going to shift the ‘crats and the RSP.
The point is, trying to defend the country here, or there, is going to get you shamed and scorned–see Jon Stewart–or prosecuted for “hate speech” of a kind which, if it were directed at, say, Jews by Muslims would be ignored.
As Wretchard says, though, finding out there’s a preference cascade–finding out almost everybody thinks as you do despite the efforts of the ‘crats and the RSP–is The End for a regime like that.

By: Maquis

Maquis — Tue, 13 Jan 2015 08:06:21 +0000

Algeria was reported to have warned France about an impending attack involving these very men the very day before it happened.

We are living in dark times, at the mercy of our effete and traitorous leaders and the institutions that they have gutted.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 13 Jan 2015 04:09:22 +0000

I read that surveillance of the known islamic radicals who attacked Charlie Hebdo and the Jewish deli was dropped 6 months ago. This decision is all on Francois Hollande and his administration.