A website that links all my ideas, thoughts and works to one site so you can pick and choose where you want to go and visit me
Monday, August 31, 2015
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Monday, August 24, 2015
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Monday, August 17, 2015
War was not Hell, Hell was Hell and War was War
The Vietnam War has been called the forgotten war for many different
reasons. One reason was the political aspect of its unpopularity and how we
fought inside a country torn in Civil War. War was indeed hell for our fighting
men giving their all for a cause that was so foggy and unclear to the many of
us in battle – a medic – my dual role as a fighter and a healer was most
difficult but events dictated whether I carried my M-16 or if I worked my magic
out of my first aid bag to save my fellow soldier’s lives. Either way, it was a
delicate balance.
When not out in the field during search and destroy missions or in
support of a large offensive force, the medic served multipurpose night and day
and traveled often between the units, the first aid station and the surgical
hospitals they were all assigned to, directly or indirectly. Their job was
never done.
The year, 1967 saw a high increase of civilian casualties and the
military had prepared a larger civic action plan (CAP) to engage the South
Vietnamese villagers or civilians with a strategy to interact with them and
provide them additional healthcare and first aid due to illness, injuries or
diseases incurred on a daily basis.
Medical corpsmen were valuable commodities in war – they were essential
for every mission planed or undertaken. There were no exceptions and when not
active in the field, they were ordered to conduct regular MEDCAP (medical
visits) to designated civilian populations to help create a better common bond
between the military and civilians in the area.
It was a difficult task as we had many occasions where we had language
barriers and if it were not for our interpreters, we could have never done the
job so efficiently and thoroughly. The corpsmen, always known as Doc, provided
medical care for the civilians as well as the soldiers’ fighting in the
immediate area and assigned to protect us during such activities. Taking the time
to carry and load bushels and bags of food, milk, water and other nutrients,
the challenge was to make sure every kids was fed and every child was treated
for illnesses, disease or wounds.
MEDCAP was an entirely different task and duty for the medic – it involved
a wide range of odd jobs that may entail digging for water wells, water
purification methods, building schools or churches that could be made into make
shift hospitals if the wounded became too much to handle at the usual places
and much more. It was a total departure
of war, and the spirit was voluntarily brought to the front as nobody there
objected to helping others get better or live longer.
Medical supplies were scarce at times and under tight controls –
syringes, inoculation vaccines, penicillin and other antibiotics, pain killers
and other controlled substances were handled by medics only under the close eye
of a sergeant or E-5 who was in charge of these details. MEDCAP personnel dedicated their roles,
expertise, energy and knowledge to save lives, to treat infant to elderly and
to ensure disease and other communicable issues were controlled and life
preserved. There were times when we treated animals as well ranging from dogs,
pigs and water buffaloes.
It was rare such MEDCAP teams came under hostile fire but there were
several occasions the treatment had to be stopped until the fighting was under
control. The biggest fear were snipers and since the containment circle was a
wide circle of the village, it was easy to penetrate the perimeter and find a
target if one wanted to do so randomly or silently with their sniper rifles.
In this war, soldiers were caretakers and caregivers to the civilians of
the South Vietnamese Republic. Not much has ever been said about this role the United States
took as part of the responsibility to interact with the locals and understand
their customs, so that the job could be done safely and effectively. Locally, it provided a sense of pride that
medics were saving lives of infants and children, adults and elderly regardless
whether they were friend or foe at the end of the night.
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Bad Weather and the Fog by Carl ToersBijns
Sometimes, we think of bad weather as death and decay as if it is the time of day we mourn for the sun. Like a bad day, nightmare or dream, we refer to bad weather commonly with the words bleak or despair as if it brings us feelings negativity and darkness
It often brings us a general bad feeling of infectious moods or ill tempered emotions that rise to the top whenever the darkening clouds gather and rumble their thunderous sounds. An east wind blows, the foul weather comes and goes as we watch the fog lay itself down and then dissipate slowly into the thin air in front of us.
Many days have started with darkness as many nights have been covered with the whiteness of a soft layer of clouds that create a fog or misty setting we have to overcome to find our way through the night as it retires to bring us the welcomed sunlight.
In a stroke of luck, we see a glimmer of sunlight penetrate the fog as it slowly reveals what has been hidden for some time now. Exemplified by the bad weather surrounding us, it reflects mood swings, symbolism of the dead, and the theme that sadness is around any corner we need to turn as the streets are filled with pain
The mud, the rain is used to clean the soul as well as destroy the evil or wickedness of mankind that has lied, cheated and superseded by species who strongly suggest that bad weather is filled with pestilent feelings
Bad weather along with the fog, brings new faces to the earth as it shapes a new beginning and signals the end that is filled with theories of evolution and revolution by men who died fighting for what is right
No floods, nothing out of place as we keep pace with the human race, and sometimes we waddle like ducks out of water when the water rises high, and the thunder and lightening brightens up the sky
Bad weather brings us a primitive atmosphere sometimes filled with fear, only you can imagine what it brings when the fog lifts and the view of the trees around you are seen clearly once more.
The fog is everywhere, it dances with the pestilence of man and all sinners, as it darkened the houses and brightens the heavens above its lofty clouds lying so low to the ground.
The rains created the waterfalls and rivers; there is plentiful moisture but the river remains stagnant as it waits for the sun to come out and bring back the life of this earth before the earth has a chance to decay any further as the storm passes slowly to flush out the mold that has grown in the moist and dark places where man never looks.
Thunder and lightening, the sleet, the snow and the rain sing a song that only the homeless can understand and endure to survive this precious gift from up above. A pauper’s cemetery flooded with death, a lonely widow praying by the head stone on her knees asking forgiveness.
The soldiers at war, seek shelter from the storm and as they sit there waiting for the clouds to lift to face their enemies, they see a thick mist of death obscuring the reasons why they are fighting and how their time is stretching into a indefinite period of time and wrath, as it never rose above the earth as darkness falls too often.
A casket, driven by a team of horses, draped with a flag of the
stars and red white and blue is lowered to the ground to be put at the gate of heaven for the deeds well done and honor earned. In vain, the family looks for understanding, as the hours tick away, they silently pray and walk away to never see their wife, husband, mother, father, brother or sister relative forever
Like a ghost, the dead walk freely and unbounded through the fog and numb to the world, they seek to find peace in the rain as it falls to the earth with gentle drops between the torrent wind driven rain that can destroy or heal a heart that is broken.
The idiom of bad weather covers life, death and sorrow; it covers yesteryear, the present and tomorrow. Once lost, now found, the grace of God is inside you as you walk on the softly layered snow so thick your footprints sink deeper and deeper obscuring the filth, the dirty ground below as the much as the fog does hiding what surrounds you.
Crocodile tears for Arizona - Governor Ducey leads the pack
Honorable Legislators, guests,
For his first eight months,
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey has tried to become a prominent and
influential leader but has failed in doing so with his obvious crocodile
tears showing. Only a fool would think he has done any good since he
was sworn in as our governor. One can pick up on his lack of sensitivity
of his office and his agenda, by the way he puts out waxed lyrical
rhetoric about the need for better educational and economic conditions
and then slam the budget to give more money to the prison system while
denying those vital funds for healthcare, children safety and other
topics discussed during his campaign.
The past eight months has failed to show anyone, the presence of real prominent and genuine leaders from our legislative body or even non-government entities who have succumbed to the political will of those elected to office. It is time for all politicians to review their own personal conscious awakening and decide whether they want to lead or follow.
Our state is suffering more lows than highs in many areas. Perhaps their stint of office should be based on their performance rather than their financial contributions to their respective political parties. Corporations refuse to re-locate to Arizona because of the poor emphasis on education for kids or extended families and the high tuition for those seeking post secondary educational opportunities. Their lackluster performance, dedication to public needs and their insensitivity to government lucidity and accountability seems to escape the attention of many when they show their dark side.
This is not and does not in any way denote or reflect a lack of respect to those who have led from the front and who have broken their silence on these important issues. They have shown their commitment to our future and the terms of governance of the state in a most appropriate and rightful manner. It is pleasing that some still believe in government for the people and not against the people.
This means that the rest of these so-called leaders either have crocodile tears or want to appear the pleasing of those who greatly benefited from dark money and contributions that harm our future more than inaction itself. There is no doubt, Governor Ducey, leads the pack with crocodile tears as he pretends to care about education, our kids and our future but continues to make decisions that benefit the rich and denies progress to the middle class and the poor.
Politicians should avoid treating the masses with disrespect and insincerity. Their talk of change only benefits those who contributed to their election coffers and in all actual sense, they are planning their own future rather than that of the state and the people who live there.
Regards,
Carl ToersBijns
Mesa, Arizona
The past eight months has failed to show anyone, the presence of real prominent and genuine leaders from our legislative body or even non-government entities who have succumbed to the political will of those elected to office. It is time for all politicians to review their own personal conscious awakening and decide whether they want to lead or follow.
Our state is suffering more lows than highs in many areas. Perhaps their stint of office should be based on their performance rather than their financial contributions to their respective political parties. Corporations refuse to re-locate to Arizona because of the poor emphasis on education for kids or extended families and the high tuition for those seeking post secondary educational opportunities. Their lackluster performance, dedication to public needs and their insensitivity to government lucidity and accountability seems to escape the attention of many when they show their dark side.
This is not and does not in any way denote or reflect a lack of respect to those who have led from the front and who have broken their silence on these important issues. They have shown their commitment to our future and the terms of governance of the state in a most appropriate and rightful manner. It is pleasing that some still believe in government for the people and not against the people.
This means that the rest of these so-called leaders either have crocodile tears or want to appear the pleasing of those who greatly benefited from dark money and contributions that harm our future more than inaction itself. There is no doubt, Governor Ducey, leads the pack with crocodile tears as he pretends to care about education, our kids and our future but continues to make decisions that benefit the rich and denies progress to the middle class and the poor.
Politicians should avoid treating the masses with disrespect and insincerity. Their talk of change only benefits those who contributed to their election coffers and in all actual sense, they are planning their own future rather than that of the state and the people who live there.
Regards,
Carl ToersBijns
Mesa, Arizona
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