Korean War Story From My Father

This Korean war story by my father was published in the local newspaper today (6/27) in commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of the start of the Korean War.
http://hamptonroads.com/2010/06/testimonials-vignettes-korea-veterans-ms?cid=rltd&cid=srch

On the 24th of December, I was in the fourth platoon on a hill where the ridge line went straight to the enemy positions. We were so close we could see them walking in their trenches.

When the sun started to set, it began to snow. Just before midnight, I heard Christmas music from the other side. I thought, as an 18-year-old, that the music was brought up somehow by the American Army. I felt sad and nearly cried.

Then the music stopped and a voice said, “This is the Chinese communist army and we invite you to surrender.”

The speaker told us how we would get a hot meal and read letters from prisoners of war. Meanwhile, a voice from the foxhole next to me said, “Pass the word, get the artillery.”

So I told the soldier in the next foxhole the same thing. It did not take long.

Soon the shells were flying over our heads toward where the sound was coming from.

When morning came and the fog lifted down in the valley, near the bottom of the hill was a ring of bodies around a speaker stand. Christmas Day, 1951.

– Phillip W. Meyer, Virginia Beach

Book Corner - Finished Reading

Jarhead by Anthony Swofford
Paperback
361 pages
War novel/autobiography
Nonfiction (?)

This is going to be a hard revue. I have never seen the movie and being
one to be influenced by the critics I just took it for granted that it
was a bad movie and book and I wouldn't like either. So I found the
book at our small library and decided I would go ahead and read it.

It didn't take me long to feel like I was right there with the author in
many of the same situations he was in. Twentynine Palms, California in
the 80's, check, Camp Hansen, Okinawa in the 80's, check, The Kinville
bar district outside of Camp Hansen in the 80's (Just being honest, also
last place I ever drank alcohol), check, knuckleheaded Marines, check
and double check.

Some of the situations he describes I have personally known Marines that
experienced the same. Coming home from Okinawa to an empty house or
some other Marine living in your house? Yes, I knew Marines that
through that. I remember a Marine telling me that his wife worked at a
certain bar in Twentynine Palms and that she was the bartender. Another
Marine kind of pulled me to the side and asked me if his wife's name was
such and such and worked at this certain bar which I said yes. He told
me that his wife had been sleeping around and that someone else lives in
his house. I was naive and thought it must be someone else. Well he
shipped back not long after that and it couldn't have been 48 hours
after we saw him that he called a friend in Okinawa crying and said that
his house was empty and his wife had moved in with another man.

Drunken nights and fights in Kinville? I may not have experienced the
fights but certainly seen one or two spill out of a bar.

Some other things that the author has seen in Okinawa, sadly I must
admit I have stumbled upon them myself.

But back to the book. Did I find it vulgar, absolutely, but believe me,
nothing less than I experienced in the Marines. Did I find it over
exaggerated in some parts, of course. I'm sure the author took a
certain liberty to enhance his strengths and weaknesses. Did I find it
poorly edited? Yes, many Marines will take fault with some of the dialog.

So whats my call? Good read or not? I am going to take the unusual and
first time stance of no call. I won't say yes or no.

Book Corner - Finished Reading

Mary Mary by James Patterson
Paperback
400 Pages
Fiction
Alex Cross Series

I know what your saying, 'Doc, another Patterson book, really?'. Yes, I
know, how cliche. I was a bit hesitant to start reading it, but darn
it,. it is easy to read Patterson novels.

I liked this one. Much more inline with Alex Cross, but a little bit
soft. I didn't think he was as edgy.

All in all if your a Patterson fan I'd say it's a good read, albeit a
couple of years old.

Tech Review - BTC 5113RF Wireless Keyboard

I was looking for a wireless keyboard with a built in mouse. There aren't many on the market so I just searched around until I found one that I thought would fit my needs (Ahem, price).

Searching on eBay I found a bunch of listings for the same wireless keyboard with built in mouse. Most from the same seller. This should have sent alarm bells going off in my head. I tried searching for user reviews of the keyboard but couldn't find any.

All in all I thought the price was reasonable, $29 including shipping (If it seems to good to be true).

The keyboard arrived and I am first greeted by poorly written instructions, that being Chinese English and didn't even explain what the additional keys on top were for.

It said that you had to change some dip switch settings on the keyboard and receiver which I thought was odd but I did it anyway.

I plugged it in, crossed my fingers and booted up my computer. I saw that the receiver did light up indicating that the operating system had detected it as a keyboard, that was good and that's about as far as it got.

I tried multiple dip switch configurations, swapped out batteries and have tried everything I know but I can't get the darn thing to work.

Now that I have the product model number I have been able to do some research and see that it is problematic across the board. I also see that a computer liquidator had been selling these keyboards last year for $4.99! Not including shipping but even with shipping it was less that 1/3 of the price I paid, but even the web site I found that was selling them at that price people said to stay away.

S