I enlisted 10Dec41 in the USMC at the age of 16 and from 06Nov42 to 06Dec42 was engaged in combat on Guadalcanal as a result of which some asshole from the Land of the Rising Sun stuck a bayonet in my left hand ruining forever any opportunity I may have had for becoming first chair for the New York Philharmonic. I got even with the decendants of the little S.O.B. though, every car I've bought since then has been a share-o-ray.

My grandson is a sergeant in the 3rd Marine Division and a Black Belt Instructor in karate and I believe the USMC is better trained and equipped than it's been for a long time butunfortunately there is always somebody around who wants to prove himself and commit suicide by taking on the fastest gun in town.

Comparing the Afghans to the Japanese, however, it is interesting to note that when the shit hit the fan, the Talaban hit the road, Wonder what happened to all that resolve to fight to the death and the longed for desire to achieve martyrdumb. As lacking in decency as they were, the Japanese had more staying power than that.

Finally,aslong as I've got your ear,- I worked in Afghanistan in 1947-48 for Morrison-Knudsen Co. Inc., building a road from Torkham, in the Khyber Pass, to Jalalabad and thence to Kabul. It was built with American Dollars. I suppose that now, because that road with its tunnels and bridges is blown up, that we will have to build them another, and while we're at it buy the cars and trucks to drive on it and the stuff to go in the trucks, too. I wonder why we (as a nation) keep going around the earth building roads and dams and arports and buildings for countries who don't appreciate us and don't protect or maintain what we give them, having spent the other money we gave them for that purpose on guns and terrorist training camps and then we have to go around later blowing it up ourselves.

Male Afghans, left to their own devices, are not industrious people, they are not trustworthy, and they are not possesed of great courage. TREAD WITH CAUTION!! Perhaps their women may have all the brains after all.

Happy Pearl Harbor Day to all!!

Spud

George MacClanahan Veterans' Home of California. And thank you for honoring me and others like me.