"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
news
On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 21:48:28 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:

"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
. ..
On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 17:36:54 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:

Long time ago - mainly to see Taj Mahal.

You went to India?

Cool!!!

I studied with yoga masters, and learned to tie other people in knots.

What kind of knots?

Watch JohnH struggle to not explain to Harry the purpose of the fancy
military drills.

"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 19:40:59 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:

"Eisboch" wrote in message
om...

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in message
...

I thought you were a teacher. Is "you wouldn't understand" one of your
better classroom techniques?

It is impossible to explain something to someone who has already decided
the subject does not exist.

I don't see that Harry has done that. I see the marching thing as another
form of musical theater, no different than a Broadway musical or the smoke
machines so many rock acts are fond of on stage. But I'll bet someone here
objects to this analogy.

Hmmmm - that's an interesting way to put it.

For example, various war preparations of different cultures use
precisely defined dance along with drum and/or base music like
unaccompanied singing with rudimentary instruments in accompaniment to
get the troops ready for battle. It was practice, warm ups and morale
boosting all in one. This type of drill is basically a form of dance.

However, marching in a disciplined fashion with the attendant
directional techniques (like moving in the oblique) has military
value. Alexander the Great's father, King Phillip, developed
something that is actually seen today (with variations) in mass troop
movements - the phalanx. A phalanx consists of 256 men formed 16 by
16 in square formation, carrying 18-foot-long pike poles called
sarissas and according to contemporary accounts, was incredibly mobile
being able to move forward, backward, angled and side-to-side in step
and as one unit. In this situation, the phalanx was practically a
tank. That requires an amazing amount of discipline and coordination
which was invaluable in set piece battles - a commander like Alexander
could put this to good use in both skirmish lines with smaller units
and large unit engagements.

This phalanx technique translated into was we see in Western military
traditions best exemplified by the British infantry. Massed ranks of
rifles in phalanx could bring incredible coordinated power to bear
also in set piece battle. British troops could wheel as one,
fire/reload by rank and even move and fire by rank. That of course
eventually became a problem as mass movements and coordinated fire
became superfluous against more mobile opposition infantry.

Today's military use marching is a way to instill discipline,
camaraderie and unit cohesion - it's basically a training drill and is
called - wait for it, wait for it.........

Drill.

To return to your point about theatre, in some ways I can understand
why you would think that way because a well coordinated drill team
taking basic rifle handling to a whole different level is theatre in a
sense. A good example was when I was at Ford Bragg - my group was
there and we were going to show those Army pukes...er...Army types how
it was done in the real military. :)

That was pure theatre.

So in one way, it has a military function and in another, it is pure
theatre of the highest sort.

And there's nothing wrong with theatre. It's Cirque du Soleil, brought to
the armed forces.

By the way, organized phalanxes make fabulous targets. May as well hang a
"shoot me now" sign on your uniform.

Harry Krause wrote:
On 11/21/2006 5:42 PM, Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:
On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 21:48:28 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:

"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 17:36:54 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:

Long time ago - mainly to see Taj Mahal.
You went to India?

Cool!!!
I studied with yoga masters, and learned to tie other people in knots.

What kind of knots?


Hazel.

Don't forget all those (k)nots for sale on ebay:

http://search.ebay.com/nots_W0QQfnuZ...sopZ3QQxpufuZx

On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 21:13:41 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:

"JohnH" wrote in message
.. .
On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 20:38:01 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:

"Eisboch" wrote in message
news:dJqdnUWd8aCD__7YnZ2dnUVZ_o6dnZ2d@giganews. com...

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in message
...

"Eisboch" wrote in message
...


Then I assume you can respect the pursuit of those qualities in a
classical orchestra and/or Aerosmith?

Eisboch



Of course. I never said otherwise.


Good.

Eisboch


I am, however, waiting for a certain "reaction" here, from someone else.
We'll see.


I have no desire to attempt the 'teaching' of Harry about something he'd
never understand.

Your attitude suggests that you would be unable to teach this thing.
Otherwise, you'd try.


Exercises in futility, except on the golf course, are not my bag.

On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 22:55:23 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:

"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
news
On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 21:48:28 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:

"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 17:36:54 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:

Long time ago - mainly to see Taj Mahal.

You went to India?

Cool!!!

I studied with yoga masters, and learned to tie other people in knots.

What kind of knots?

Watch JohnH struggle to not explain to Harry the purpose of the fancy
military drills.


Struggle??

Harry Krause wrote:
On 11/21/2006 9:57 AM, Vic Smith wrote:
On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 07:32:33 -0500, Harry Krause
wrote:

On 11/21/2006 7:21 AM, JohnH wrote:
On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 11:25:01 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:

On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 02:11:47 GMT, "Calif Bill"
wrote:

US Navy, so must include boats.
Weapons control we can live with.
http://www.whc.net/rjones/USN/USN_team.html
Pfffhhhtt.....

Marine Corps Silent Drill Team is better.

Squids....
The Army's Old Guard puts them all to shame.


I don't understand the purpose of these displays. Are they part of
recruitment programs?

Maybe the audience was parents of graduating recruits. The only time
I saw drill exhibitions was at graduation. Close order marching with
the requisite rifle movement was the order of the day when I was in,
but I do recall one guy in our company who had all the rifle spinning
down pat. I don't remember that he drilled with a separate unit, and
think he picked it up in HS ROTC. And I don't recall seeing rifle
exhibitions when I was in boot camp. Somewhere there's an Admiral
or Captain who likes this stuff, and it's his pet project.

--Vic




Pomp and circumstance, I guess.

Hey, I can understand military rifle and handgun competitions, and
survival competitions, and just about anything promoting and building
the skills needed to survive battle or posting to hostile territory. The
more training and skill promotion for that, the better.

Discipline in one area carries over to other areas.

Somewhere in a land far, far away, I remember seeing pictures with
signs in jungles that said "Relax Marine, You're in Cav. country,
now..."

*ducking*


Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:
On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 07:21:31 -0500, JohnH wrote:

On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 11:25:01 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:

On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 02:11:47 GMT, "Calif Bill"
wrote:


US Navy, so must include boats.
Weapons control we can live with.
http://www.whc.net/rjones/USN/USN_team.html

Pfffhhhtt.....

Marine Corps Silent Drill Team is better.

Squids....

The Army's Old Guard puts them all to shame.

Horsefeathers.

The Marine Corps Silent Drill Team puts them all away if not only
because of style, but the fact that the Marine Corps is clearly the
superior armed service. :)

Vic Smith wrote:
On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 02:11:47 GMT, "Calif Bill"
wrote:


US Navy, so must include boats.
Weapons control we can live with.
http://www.whc.net/rjones/USN/USN_team.html

Looks like they're still using the '06 Springfields - or replicas.
Not bad, but I'd like to see them do a little marching.
A few left and right obliques, and a counter-march or two.
Then maybe some time in the scullery, just to keep them sharp.

--Vic

Vic, I'm sure they could probably handle "all the above" Using the
'03-A3" Springfield is right in time line with the uniform.

Harry Krause wrote:
On 11/21/2006 7:58 AM, Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:
On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 07:32:33 -0500, Harry Krause
wrote:

On 11/21/2006 7:21 AM, JohnH wrote:
On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 11:25:01 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:

On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 02:11:47 GMT, "Calif Bill"
wrote:

US Navy, so must include boats.
Weapons control we can live with.
http://www.whc.net/rjones/USN/USN_team.html
Pfffhhhtt.....

Marine Corps Silent Drill Team is better.

Squids....
The Army's Old Guard puts them all to shame.
I don't understand the purpose of these displays. Are they part of
recruitment programs?

It's a demonstration of martial skill with a weapon. It takes a lot
of discipline, control, timing to handle weapons like that. It's like
a karate kata display only with heavy wooden rifles instead of
nun-chuka, swords, knifes, those tuning fork thingies, smashing blocks
with you're forehead - you know. :)

As to recruiting, eh - maybe it's a benefit to the recruiting process,
but not by much.

Of course if Charlie Rangel has his way, all those poor, uneducated,
under represented social classes currently in the military will be
enhanced by the draft which will force rich/middle class, educated,
over represented social classes into the military thus ending the need
for drill team displays if only because we all know that the
rich/middle class, educated and over represented social classes would
just end up throwing the rifles at each other instead of to each
other.


I appreciate the skill. It's certainly nothing I could do. But I don't
understand why soldiers are engaged in those kinds of activities when we
are short of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

You don't understand Rangel's purpose. He doesn't want to reinstate the
draft. He wants us to think about the fact that the poor and
ill-educated and rural are over-represented in the military, and that
the sacrifices endured by these folks and their families are not shared
by those with more money, education, etc.

CalI it what you may, but I think I understand Rangel's purpose. He
wants to re-instate the draft. Pure and simple. If he didn't, he
wouldn't be sponsoring a bill to re instate it.
Or is his case one of, ?I wasn't for it when I started it???

Think ftetless, man. Fretless!


JoeSpareBedroom wrote:

At a jam session last summer, a guy handed me his violin and said
"Here...give it a try". I came close to being either beaten up, or arrested.