Former Pope Benedict XVI dies at 95

There are a very few horses... nothing like you Brits. We don't have big ceremonies like your changing of the guard at the palace with all the carriages and horses. We have a changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, but no horses are involved. We have horse drawn carriages for funeral ceremonies at Arlington Cemetery, Presidential Corteges, maybe some other rare occasions, but that's all. And, of course, West Point has the Army Mule. When I was stationed at Fort Sill in Oklahoma there were a few horses available if you were interested in riding for fun. You didn't have to pay anything, just commit to feeding, sweeping out the stalls and grooming.

Our Soldiers don't have money deducted from their wages if they eat in the mess hall. They just get extra money if they don't. I guess it amounts to the same thing but seems easier to manage.

 

Where the hell was the veterinarian (s)?

'Changes coming after Arlington National Cemetery suspends use of horses due to health concerns'

Source: CBS News

October 5, 2023 / 8:20 PM


'Arlington, Virginia — The horse-drawn caisson for funerals at Arlington National Cemetery is one of this nation's most solemn and majestic rituals. But back at the stable, a 10-second video of a horse named George collapsing to the ground painted a different picture.

"When I touched George's neck, he fell to his knees, which is a very abnormal response in any horse," Maj. Beth Byles, a veterinarian for the horses, told CBS News. "And I've never encountered such a painful horse." Byles said he just buckled under the pain. "He did, yeah, it was shocking," Byles said.

CBS News obtained photos of other horses with scars from wearing ill-fitting harnesses and saddles while pulling a 2,600-pound caisson. "They were all suffering from severe musculoskeletal injuries, neck pain," Byles said. The horses were supposed to work for two weeks and then take two weeks off. But some ended up working six weeks straight. Soldiers with limited training didn't recognize the problem, and higher-ups didn't listen.

"Educating the chain of command on how to take the appropriate steps was a challenge," Byles said. In February 2022, the deaths of two horses within 96 hours prompted an Army investigation that determined conditions were "unsafe."In May, the Army paused the use of horses leading caissons for 45 days. In June, it extended that suspension for a full year to give the horses time to recover.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/arling...sson-funerals-health-concerns-changes-coming/

 

That's horrific.
The horses of the Household Cavalry are treated better than the troopers.

 

Nother anecdote...
Back in the 1980's when we still had artillery "tactical nukes" US forces stored and maintained the nuke rounds for the Brits. I Commanded an 8" M110A2 Battery (nuke tube artillery) at the time. We had a practice exercise with the Brits to deliver a nuke round to one of their 8" batteries ("EDRE Exercise"). It was a field exercise and I took about a dozen of my guys to the Brit site. Brit Officers eat in a different location than their enlisted folks... unlike US Forces. When chow time came, I fell in behind my guys at the enlisted mess tent. (In the American Army, Officers eat last in case food runs out.. its a tradition). The Brit SGT MAJOR came to me and told me I should be in the Officer's mess. I said I'd stay with my guys. Next thing you know the local Brit Chain of Command got involved and my Colonel (Brigade Commander) was on the phone with the Brit Colonel, It became quite a big deal. Apparently I was hurting Brit morale by eating behind my folks. After the smoke cleared, my Brigade Commander congratulated me for doing the right thing.

 

....you must have had a weird one...back in the 80s being a yank most wouldn't have given f**k where you ate....

 

Dead wrong. The Brit Soldiers watched their Officers (even in the field) eat in a reserved tent, served by guys in white coats. They ate off China with real silverware. Its a very British tradition... inviolable. When I ate with the enlisted guys... only after they had their food... it was scandalous.

In a related anecdote:
I helped introduce a system called MILES (Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System) globally to US Aviation and Air Defense units. It had been previously been fielded with Infantry and Armor. (Think of it as very sophisticated "laser tag" requiring accurate operational "switchology" and results in accurate casualty assessment due to coding which identifies type of weapon, range, vulnerability, etc.). MILES exercises result in realistic outcomes. The Brits refused to use it since their Officers were "killed" just like their Soldiers and that was sacrilegious! They claimed it eroded the confidence the Soldiers had in their leaders.

 

what on exercise!!?? where the hell was that...I bet it was bloody Aldershot....

BAOR was mud and crap...no white coats.....Wolfgang's Bratty wagon

 

I was assigned to V Corps Artillery in Central Germany (My Brigade was located in Babenhausen). The EDRE involved moving a simulated nuke round to a Brit 8" Battery, part of the British "Army of the Rhine" north of us. It was all an FTX deep in some woods somewhere. It was in the early 1980's so exact location has faded from memory.

 

ah okay that makes sense...I was trying to think where the hell there were US Army in the UK! I was in Osnabrucke...we got mixed up in some Reforger exercises with the yanks...they were a real hoot....

 

Yeah.. REFORGER was a break in the action for us. It was a political exercise to demonstrate how quickly and efficiently US Forces could get to Europe in case the balloon went up more than anything else. I had an artillery battery and we'd leave the guns home just maintain radio traffic in the field.

 

Helping defeat communism was a pretty big deal.

 

Good and or great men ( persons) can make mistakes. No one is perfect. The use of condoms was a prevention of birth control. I do not believe that he was targeting homosexual “sex” with his anti condom stance. As I understand it homosexuals are the ones who spread AIDS by engaging in annual sex with each other. AIDS was never an issue until homosexuals and so called bisexual men started spreading it.

 

That's something NO ONE EXPECTED!!!!

 

trust me-those spreading aids were having sex more than once a year

 

From 1939 on the HJ membership was mandatory for all German kids, both genders. He joind tjhe HJ in 1941.
Both Ratzingers covered up and ignored child abuse.

In the mid 90‘s I spoke a few minutes with him and I remember him as a very impressive person.

 

I did not say only once a year. Where did that come from

 

It was a joke based on your misspelling

 

OMG. Now I now see my typo that is a good joke on your part. Sorry missed that one. My loss. Funny in that Catholic Church “teaching” says that Catholics should only have sex for procreation not recreation so one a year would pretty much cover it as long as Catholics keep producing babies.

PS Lucky that 99.9999999999999999999999999 percent of Catholics just laugh at the for procreation only teaching.