The Battle of Long Tan took place on August 18, 1966, in the Phuoc Tuy Province of South Vietnam. It was part of Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War as part of its commitment to the United States' efforts to counter the spread of communism in Southeast Asia. The region's dense jungles, muddy terrain, and unpredictable weather added to the complexity of the conflict. The Australian soldiers were part of the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, and were led by Major Harry Smith.
On that fateful day, a small Australian company of 108 men - 105 Australians and 3 New Zealanders - found themselves vastly outnumbered by a determined North Vietnamese force estimated to be around 2,500 strong. The Australians were based at a rubber plantation in Long Tan, surrounded by thick vegetation that hindered visibility and movement. The North Vietnamese launched an intense assault, employing small arms, mortars, and artillery fire.
Read more: The Battle of Long Tan: A Defining Moment of Courage and Tenacity
I publish this piece as a tribute to all of the modest men and women who reach their own summit ... that of surmounting the challenge to raise a family, survive the avalanche of MSM and governmental indoctrination and rise triumphant at the sunset hours and say, as Sir Edmund Hillary said " What a fortunate man I have been. "
To be able to say, as he said, " I have had much good fortune, a fair amount of success and a share of sorrow, too. Ever since I reached the summit of Everest … the media have classified me as a hero, but I have always recognised myself as being a person of modest abilities. My achievements have resulted from a goodly share of imagination and plenty of energy."
In many respects, to live a life well and know that we have scaled metaphoric mountains to arrive at the pinnacle of our personal mountain, is no small feat. Many have survived war. Too many have survived hardship. Hunger. Homelessness and or helplessness.
And you know what? We can all stand tall and know that a life worth living is a life worth having lived well.
Read more: Sir Edmund Hillary: A Life With Living is a Life Worth Having Lived Well
The Panama Canal officially opened on 15 August 1914. This date marked the completion of the canal's construction and the first successful transit of a vessel, the SS Ancon, which had been acquired by the Panama Railroad Company to haul freight, through the entire length of the canal, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
The Panama Canal stands as one of the most remarkable engineering achievements in human history, a testament to our ability to conquer nature's barriers and connect distant parts of the globe.
However, it took a railroad to build the canal.
The length of the Panama Canal from shoreline to shoreline is about 40 miles (65 km) and from deep water in the Atlantic (more specifically, the Caribbean Sea) to deep water in the Pacific about 50 miles (82 km). It shaved 8,000 miles or about 20,000 km off the Cape Horn route through much safer waters, and it was an immediate hit with the world's shippers at the dawn of the First World War.
The Panama Railroad played a crucial role in facilitating the construction of the Panama Canal. It provided essential transportation infrastructure that supported the movement of people, equipment, and supplies needed for the monumental task of building the canal.
Read more: The Industrial Revolution Part 2 - How a Railroad Helped Build a Canal
For thousands of years, a diagnosis of leprosy meant a life sentence of social isolation. People afflicted with the condition now known as Hansen’s disease were typically taken from their families, treated with prejudice and cruelly exiled into a lifetime of quarantine.
In America, patients were sent to separate settlements but were deprived of fundamental civil liberties: to work, to move freely and see loved ones, to vote, to raise families of their own. Some who bore children had their babies forcibly removed.
In Australia, people were exiled to quarantine facilities. Many " patients " died there.
Read more: The Disease of 2023: Social Leprosy and the Division Bell is Tolling
Throughout our modern world, we are seeing people being thrown into a battle over land rights. It seems strange to me that the welfare of the land is becoming a secondary issue to money. Much like parents bickering over who gets custody of the kids. It is no longer about the land. It is about the money. The power. Control.
And the people who prosper? Well, it's not really black or white, is it?
Australia is heading to the courtroom later this year in a custody battle that is turning ugly and becoming more divisive by the day. It will ultimately end in divorce proceedings and the separation of the aboriginal " mother " and the rest of us, also known as " Dad ". Without " Dad " Australia would not be the country it is today. " Up until " The Voice ", we were mucking along quite nicely and I didn't even realise that we had a problem in the marriage.
So let us have a look at how we got to this sorry state of affairs.
Read more: Land Rights and Custody Battles - It's not really Black or White
When I was young, one of my favourite books was " Wind in the Willows. " Even today, as I approach 70 years of age, I can still relate to this book and, if anything, it means more to me now than when I first read it about 60 years ago. Why do I feel that we are cruising down the river with a weasel at the helm and the " riverbank" is no longer home?
Are we asleep at the wheel?
Having become enchanted with Chaucer's adventure on the Wunderlust II, I found myself increasingly drawn back to the wonderful work of Kenneth Grahame. Written to enchant, excite and amuse, it makes me sad that children today no longer see such work in their school libraries, much less sit back in bed and snuggle down to share the joy of a tale woven out of love and the soothing pleasure of beautiful words. But, even in this lovely tale of friendship, home and the importance of family, there was a sinister threat that lurked. The Weasels.
Read more: Cruising Down the River With a Weasel at The Helm...... Are We Asleep at the Wheel??
Read more: PARIS TO LYON BY CANAL ON THE WANDERLUST II - Part 3
Does anyone else feel that we are on a roundabout and we don't know how to get off? Are we feeling dizzy with the government putting dollars over decency? Do we feel we are swinging by our necks on a government noose?
Of late, " I remember " has taken on a sense of urgency. It is as if our minds need to share as much as possible before the lights go out on the old world we grew up in and the New World Order takes over. Nostalgia is comfort food for the soul.
Particularly in these days when we are being driven crazy by profit over patriotism and callousness over care.
Read more: Roundabouts and Swings - Why Childhood is so Important
As 15th August ( the surrender by Japan in WW II ) approaches one can anticipate the usual diatribes from the unwashed and soy-latte sets lecturing us on how bad we were in 1945 to drop the atomic bombs on Japan. None of these know-alls were even alive in 1945 so whatever they have to say comes from their collective backsides.
Britain, Germany and the USA were all working to become the first to master nuclear fission. Thankfully it was America who won.
The American effort began in 1939 when Albert Einstein wrote a letter to President Roosevelt setting out the possibilities and predicted consequences of unleashing nuclear power. Einstein, a German born Jew, left Germany to study in Zurich and renounced his citizenship in 1896 to avoid compulsory military service.
Read more: Hiroshima and Nagasaki - a Moment in Time or Just in Time?
On July 28, 2023, Weekend Australian Magazine published a bombshell report based on an exclusive interview with Dr. Robert (Bob) Kadlec, the HHS Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) who served under Donald Trump. Basically, the subtext of the interview can be summarized as “it was all Tony’s fault, not mine.”
To many readers this may seem like just more Washington, DC Kabuki theater with a side order of limited hangout (much like the prior Vanity Fair article in which Kadlec provided a generous scoop of spin with a topping of CYA). Personally, I find this whole “inside the Beltway” rush to deflect blame for the gross “public health” mismanagement and rampant lying during the COVIDcrisis slightly amusing, in a twisted sort of way, but definitely popcorn worthy.
I have often pondered why mankind decided to go after the humble whale. After all, the whale was out there, in the ocean, minding his or her own business and wasn't really causing any problem. Unless you were a seal, krill or plankton. In which case, you probably had a civil rights claim or two.
Yet this gentle giant ( as far as humans are concerned ) was not bothering anyone. All the whales wanted to do was what they have done since God first had a great idea " I think I'll make a whale. " and the whales just cruised around, having babies, blowing bubbles and migrating to warmer places and having a jolly old time.
So what did the poor whale do to us? Well, let me tell you a whale of a tale and how the Industrial Revolution saved it.
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