WicKeD JesTeR's blog: "Cleasy's"

West Virginia is the only state to be created from another state >> (Virginia...in 1863). >> Berkley Springs, a resort town, has more massage therapists than >> lawyers. >> Berkley Springs is the only place in the U.S. to boast: "George >> Washington bathed here." >> West Virginia has had the nation's lowest crime rate for the past 26 >> years. >> During the Cold War, a sprawling 112,000 sq. ft. bomb shelter was >> Built to shelter members of congress in the event of a nuclear attack. >> It's >> located beneath the famous Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, >> White Sulphur Springs has the only private residence in the U.S. that >> is made out of coal. >> The city of Bluefield, WV bills itself as "America's air-conditioned >> city." They back up their boast by serving free lemonade anytime the >> temperature reaches 90 degrees. >> St. Andrews Methodist Church in Grafton was the site of the first >> Mother's Day celebration in 1908. >> Two West Virginia men have built castles for their wives. Stephen >> Elkins built "Halliehurst" in 1890 for his wife Hallie Davis >> Elkins...the >> Only woman in American history to be the daughter, the wife, and the mother >> of a U.S. senator. >> In 1885, whiskey distiller Taylor Suite began building Berkley Castle >> for his new bride, Rosa Pelham, who was 31 years his junior. He died in >> 1908, a year before the project was finished. Rosa completed the castle >> but went on to squander her inheritance on extravagant living and wild >> parties and ended up losing the castle and living in a shack and >> raising chickens to make ends meet. >> Philippi, WV was the site of the first land battle of the Civil War. >> The first officer killed in the Civil War was General Robert S. Garnett >> (Confederate) at Corricks Ford (Near Parsons in Tucker Co.) >> In 1921, West Virginia became the first state to have a sales tax. >> The mother of Abraham Lincoln, Nancy Hanks, was born near Romney, WV. >> The largest single shipment of matches...20 railroad cars full...was >> sent from Wheeling, WV to Memphis, TN in 1933. >> In 1947, Chuck Yeager, a native of Hamlin, WV, became the first person >> to fly faster than the speed of sound. >> The Old Stone Church, in Lewisburg, was built in 1796 while George >> Washington was President and has been in continuous service ever since. >> (It is Presbyterian) >> At the end of the "Gilded Age" in the late 1890's, the town of >> Bramwell, WV had more millionaires per square mile than any other city >> in the U.S. Many of their mansions have been restored and can be >> lisited by the public. >> With an average altitude of 1,500 feet, WV is the highest state east of >> the Mississippi. >> The first brick street in the world was laid in the city of Charleston >> in 1873. >> The first concrete street in the world was laid in the town of Webster >> Springs, WV in 1903. >> Indirect artillery fire (action against an unseen target) was used for >> the first time in military history at the Battle of Fayetteville on May >> 20, 1863 by a 19-year old Confederate, Sgt. Milton Humphreys. Virtually >> all modern artillery fire is now indirect fire. >> James Rumsey of Shepardstown, WV invented the first steamboat. After >> He died suddenly in England, while raising funds for his project, his >> friend, Robert Fulton, took his plans and completed the work and is >> now credited with the invention of the first steamboat. >> In 1956, Cecil Underwood (age 34) became the youngest governor in the >> U.S. In 1996, Underwood ran again and became the oldest governor in >> The U.S. >> The hardwood flooring in the famous Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York >> was manufactured by the Meadow River Lumber Co. of Rainelle, WV. >> West Virginia has the oddest shape of any state. This was because >> Union officials, during the Civil War, arranged all the pro-Union >> counties >> Of Virginia into a state which then seceded from that Confederate State. >> And may we add, Mingo County, WV, the Heart of the Billion Dollar >> Coalfield is home of the "Coal House", which holds the Chamber of >> Commerce. It is located in the county seat, Williamson and is >> constructed entirely of local coal cut into blocks. >> >> And lastly, WV was the first state to utilize food stamps!

"Of all the things God created, I am often most grateful He created laughter." Charles Swindoll "A clown may be the first in the kingdom of heaven, if he or she has helped lessen the sadness of human life." Rabbi Baroka "It is not death that we should fear, but we should fear never beginning to live." Marcus Aurelius "God asks no person whether he or she will accept life.That is not the choice.You must take it.The only choice is how." Henry Ward Beecher "Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all the others." Winston Churchill "To have a good friend is one of the highest delights of life; to be a good friend is one of the noblest and most difficult undertakings." Anon "I'm fed up to the ears with old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in." George McGovern "You know the real meaning of PEACE only if you have been through the war." Kosovar "Anyone, who truly wants to go to war, has truly never been there before." Larry Reeves "The United States is like a Giant Boiler. Once the fire is lighted under it, there is no limit to the power it can geberate." Winston Churchill "Never fear shadows...... that always means there is light shining somewhere." Jonathan Santos

Look God: I have never spoken to You, But now I want to say, "How do You do." You see God, they told me You did not exist; And, like a fool, I believed all of this. Last night from a shell hole I saw Your sky; I figured right then they had told me a lie. Had I taken the time to see the things You made, I would know they weren't calling a spade a spade. I wonder, God, if You would shake my hand; Somehow, I feel that You will understand. Strange, I had to come to this hellish place Before I had time to see Your face. Well, I guess there isn't much more to say, But I am sure glad, God, I met You today. I guess the zero hour will soon be here, But I am not afraid since I know You are near. The signal - well, God, I will have to go; I love you lots, this I want you to know. Looks like this will be a horrible fight; Who knows, I may come to your house tonight. Though I wasn't friendly with you before, I wonder, God, if you would wait at the door. Look, I am crying, me shedding tears! I wish I had known you these many years. Well, I will have to go now, God. Goodbye - Strange, since I met you, I am not afraid to die.

Comrades known in marches many, Comrades, tried in dangers many, Comrades, bound by memories many, Brothers let us be. Wounds or sickness may divide us, Marching orders may divide us, But whatever fate betide us, Brothers of the heart are we. Comrades, known by faith the clearest, Tried when death was near and nearest, Bound we are by ties the dearest, Brothers evermore to be. And, if spared, and growing older, Shoulder still in line with shoulder, And with hearts no thrill the colder, Brothers ever we shall be. By communion of the banner, Crimson, white, and starry banner, By the baptism of the banner, Children of one Church are we. Creed nor faction can divide us, Race nor language can divide us Still, whatever fate betide us, Children of the flag are we.

Murphy's Laws of Combat Soldiers and Armies 1)You are not Superman. 2)Professionals' are predictable, but the world is full of amateurs. 3)No combat ready unit has passed inspection. 4)No inspection ready unit has ever passed combat. 5)The side with the fanciest uniforms loses. 6)Murphy was a grunt. Battle 1)If you are short everything except the enemy, you're in combat. 2)When both sides are convinced they are about to lose, they're both right. Planning 1)The important things are simple. 2)The simple things are very hard. 3)No plan survives the first contact intact. 4)Prefect plans aren't. Tactics 1)Don't look conspicuous, it draws fire. 2)Never draw fire, it makes everyone around you nervous. 3)Try to look unimportant, they may be low on ammo. 4)If the enemy is within range, so are you. 5)Anything you can do can get you shot, including doing nothing. 6)If the enemy is in range, "SO ARE YOU!!!" 7)If you can't see the enemy, he still may be able to see you. Techniques 1)If it's stupid but works, it's not stupid. 2)When in doubt, empty the magazine. 3)Never share a foxhole with anyone braver than you. 4)If your attack is going really well, it's an ambush. 5)The enemy diversion you are ignoring is the main attack. 6)The easy way is always mined. 7)When you have secured an area, don't forget to tell the enemy. 8)Teamwork is essential. It gives the enemy other' to shoot at. 9)Make it too tough for the enemy to get in, and you can't get out. 10)The only terrain that is truly controlled is the terrain upon which you're standing. 11)The easy way generally gets you killed. 12)If you take more than your fair share of objectives, you will have more than your fair share objectives to take. 13)You can win without fighting, but it's a lot tougher to do. And the enemy may not cooperate. Casualties 1)Ammo is cheap; your life isn't. 2)It's easier to expend material in combat than to fill out the forms for Graves Registration. Weapons 1)Always keep in mind that your weapon was made by the lowest bidder. 2)The law of the bayonet says the man with the bullet wins. 3)Tracers work both ways. 4)The best tank killer is another tank. Therefore tanks are always fighting each other... and have no time to help the infantry. 5)Armored vehicles are bullet magnets, a moving foxhole that attracts attention. 6)All five second grenades are three seconds. 7)The bursting radius of a grenade is always one foot greater than your jumping range. 8)If you can't remember, the claymore is pointed towards YOU. 9)Recoilless rifles, aren't. Artillery and Bombing 1)Suppressive fire, won't. 2)Final protective fire doesn't. 3)Friendly fire, isn't. 4)Radios will fail as soon as you need fire support desperately. 5)Incoming fire has the right-of-way. 6)The only thing more accurate than incoming enemy fire is incoming friendly fire. 7)If you are forward of your position, artillery will fall short. 8)All-weather close support doesn't work in bad weather. 9)Precision bombing is normally accurate within plus/minus one mile. 10)Cluster bombing from B-25s and C-130s is very, very accurate. The bombs always hit the ground. Supply 1)Murphy was a logistician. 2)Things that must be together to work, usually can't be shipped together. 3)Radios will fail as soon as you need something desperately. 4)Beer math is "2 beers x 37 men=49 cases." Intelligence 1)Body count math is: two guerrillas plus one portable plus two pigs=37 enemy in action. 2)The enemy side always looks stronger, especially when they are firing at you, to both sides. 3)The othersides weapons always seem to look better than you own. 4)The noisiest weapons always appear to the most powerful.