Infinite Wisdom

"Men grow tired of sleep, love, singing, and dancing, sooner than of war."

--Homer

La Triviata

• In an active career of only 200 days during 1941, HMS Prince of Wales, Britain's newest battleship, participated in the pursuit of, and was damaged by, the German battleship Bismarck in May, carried Winston Churchill to the Atlantic Conference at Argentia Bay in Newfoundland in August, and was sunk in action by Japanese aircraft off Malaya on 10 December.
• One day the disitnguished Roman general and gourmet Lucullus instructed his chef to prepare a sumptuous meal, whereupon the man asked with whom the general was dining, to which he received the reply, "Tonight, Lucullus dines with Lucullus."
• During World War II the "Mighty Eighth"Air Force shot down 6,098 enemy fighter, about one for every 12,700 rounds of machine ammunition fired.
• The death rate among U.S. troops in the 1991 Gulf War was so low that a young man was actually safer being in the combat zone than he would have been back home.
• During the Seven Years War (156-1763) Prussian Army bakeries regularly made bread from flour which had been in storage for over 40 years.
• Byzantine armies in the eleventh and twelfth centuries had an officer called the cantator, tasked with encouraging the troops in battle by shouting slogans, chanting prayers, and singing war songs.

Short Rounds

"Do You Know What These Are?"

In August of 1940 George Campbell, a 14-year old from Monroe, Louisiana, managed to enlist in the army. Big for his age, the lad was shortly playing soldier as a motorcycle scout in the recon platoon of the 66th Armored Regment's machine gun company. But in February 1943, soon after the regiment had arrived in North Africa and was preparing to go into action as part of the 2nd Armored Division, the young man's mother became ill. Someone told the Red Cross about her son in the army. George was hauled on the carpet, given an honorable discharge, and sent home, having served nearly three years in uniform though not yet 18. (In similar circumstances the Navy went beserk and actually brigged underaged enlistees).

But George had a hankering for the military life. Later that year, having turned 18, and having had a taste of the Army, he enlisted in the Navy. On his first day at the Navy Recruit Trinaing Depot in San Diego, George put on the three service ribbons that he had earned while in the army - the American Defense Service Ribbon, the American Theater Ribbon, and the European-North African-Middle Eastern Service Ribbon.

Standing in ranks with the other recruits, George's fruit salad quickly caught the attention of an inspecting officer. After inquiring of his name and age, the officer tapped the ribbons on George's chest.

"Do you know what these are?"

"Yes sir! I do," came the quick reply.

"You know people have to earn these?"

"Yes sir, I know. I did earn them," George replied, and explained about his years in the army.
More...