Texas Deep Freeze Manmade Natural Disaster What PTSI Vets Can Teach Us

Natural disasters, and manmade natural disasters especially, teach us the importance of the art of civil defense to teaches us, once again, the importance for Americans to stockpile water, food, medical supplies, survival gear, and prayers.

Manmade Natural Disasters are Everywhere

The Texas Deep Freeze is an excellent example of how it became a catastrophe due to a manmade disaster making a natural disaster a horrific experience for millions of Texans starting on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2021.

Note: For a quick review of how to protect yourself and your family in a Deep Freeze, see my civil defense live stream on Periscope here.

It also teaches you that you and your family are on their own. The corporate media and White House barely covered it. Senator Cruz went to Cancun, Mexico to party with his college age daughters. 

That should tell you all you need to know about who you can count in in a manmade natural disaster.

For good tips for how to survive extreme cold weather, see here.

Even when I taught at the Emergency Management Institute back in the 1980's, the division of disasters into two categories, manmade and natural, struck me as odd. Most disasters combine elements of manmade and natural disasters and we must train accordingly.

Rather than exchanging the love of St. Valentine that day, they were the victims of Communist Chinese Party Climate Change Organizations (CCPCCO's) and their Federal and Texas government allies.

Before you think this has nothing to do with you or your family, know that this pattern of spending billions of your tax dollars on solar and wind turbine energy sources rather than nuclear, oil, and gas energy sources is also grinding ahead in your state and neighborhood. Just look at California.

For decades, the CCPCCO's have worked methodically to gain control over the Federal and State agencies that control energy. They have put their ideology in place in the decision making process and the automatic payments of federal, state, and local tax money in an effort to eliminate nuclear and fossil fuel sources of energy and to favor solar and wind turbines.

Why is this dangerous?

Look at the Texas Valentine's Day energy source massacre.

Millions of American citizens (children, grandchildren, grandfather's and grandmothers, the disabled, the meek, the poor and everyone else) were left freezing in the cold. They quickly exhausted their basic survival resources: water, food and medicine.

As a Christian, I cannot abide this kind of evil, even if the corporate media is complicit in this evil by their silence and their silencing of accurate information and analysis that will help the American people deal with this Deep Freeze and other manmade natural disasters.

What PTSI Vets Can Teach Us about How to Handle Manmade Natural Disasters

Everything  you need to know is here.

Manmade natural disasters can result in Post Trauma Delayed Stress Injury (PTSI). Unfortunately, it is not always visible...but it's end in suicide is.

Please never use the term Post Trauma Delayed Stress Disorder (PTSD) to describe this condition. It is not a disorder. It is an injury. This is a critical difference to know if you ever deal with anyone who has it from combat in war, rape, or as the victim of pedophiles or criminal predators. Here is why.

A disorder assumes the person who has it is responsible for the disorder. An injury is outside the control of the person who has it. You recover from an injury. You have a very difficult life if you have a disorder. 

The great NSA analyst, author, and patriot Tom Glenn explains it better than I can.

"I mentioned in an earlier post that I suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress. I’ve been pushing as hard as I can to change the nomenclature from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to Post-Traumatic Stress Injury (PTSI). My point is that the disease is not an internal system gone awry but an externally inflicted wound. The “disorder” label reinforces the notion that strong and brave men don’t suffer from it; only the weak and cowardly do. I find a strong strain among the military who dismiss PTSI as cowardice. It’s obvious to me that it is as much a wound (Ron Capps calls it a wound to the soul) as any physical laceration. The difference is, it never heals."

I say this from experience, my own, and the many Vets I have worked with over the years.

When I was in my Thirties, I had a friend who had fought in Vietnam. He was having trouble making the transition from military to civilian life. When I met him, he was writing down numbers of radio's for a telecommunications company...in a storage closet.

One day I heard him speaking Vietnamese on the phone, then French, then Russian. I asked him where he learned those languages. 

He answered, "When I was in the Special Forces."

My interest was peaked. "What was your job before here?"

"I worked in the White House Communications Office" he replied.

"Why are you writing down numbers when you have so much experience?" I had to ask.

"Because I can't write a resume. I keep getting rejections because I don't seem to be able to write one the civilian employers like."

"Maybe I can help" I volunteered. "I'm a writer and I can take a whack at it."

"Sure, Dude, knock yourself out."

He gave me his resume and I knew why he was not getting any call backs or replies. Everything was still in military speak. I joked with him and asked if he wore his standard issue white sox when he went to interviews.

I interviewed him about his skill stack, rewrote his resume to be contemporary and reflect his remarkable skill stack, high IQ, adaptability, deep knowledge of humans, multiple language skills, leadership experience, etc.

He got a new job at three times the salary in just one month.

Since that time, I have written many resumes for many Vets. Many of them have PTSI. They also have remarkable, God-given, skills, resilience, leadership ability, high IQ, emotional maturity, good listening and story telling skills, maturity, adaptability...and most are devout Christians as they have had their brush with immortality and want to be ready for the next time if they check out.

What does this have to do with the Americans in Texas in the Valentine's Day Deep Freeze massacre?

Most of them do not know it, in varying degrees, they all have PTSI from that experience. Their leadership failed them. Their government failed them. Their religious leaders failed them. For some, their loved ones failed them. In a real if different way, they are experiencing what the Vietnam Vets I have worked with over the years experienced when they came home from that terrible war.

My PTSI Story

Raising a house ladder while painting a house in Ambler, PA at 15, an arc of electricity jumped out and grabbed the ladder. I felt the electricity burn my hands as I was holding the rope to raise it. "Man, did you guys feel that?" I asked.

A young athlete, Jimmy, holding one side of the ladder and the older black owner of the painting company that I worked for at the time, Andy, held either side as the electrical current shot through their brains and bodies. 

All I heard in response was BUZZING and BANGING. So much electricity was being conducted through them and the ladder their bodies and the ladder were being bounced off the concrete.

I saw blood and spittle pouring out of their mouths, the whites of their eyes as the they were rolled back into their heads, saw the electricity exiting in bright flashes out of their hands and feet, and looked down to see Andy's feet melted into the sidewalk.

"LET GO!!! LET GO, ANDY!!! LET GO, JIMMY!!!" I screamed, not realizing that they could not hear a word I was screaming in hopes of saving their lives.

My brother was painting the back of the house. He heard the noise and me screaming and came out front. Thinking quickly, he grabbed a painters quilt off Andy's truck and threw it at them.

Nothing.

They continued to burn and bounce off the concrete as they were live conductors of the electrical current exiting the live Philadelphia Electric Company power line through their mostly water bodies.

Eventually, Jimmy collapsed onto the concrete to my right. The ladder then fell onto his leg. Andy collapsed next and kept repeating, "Oh, Lord, what happened? Oh, Lord, don't let me die."

Jimmy died of heart attack failure the second the electricity shot through him. Andy had his feet burned off, but he was breathing and saying, "Oh, Lord, what happened? Oh, Lord, don't let me die."

I witnessed this event in Ambler, PA . Philadelphia Electric Company had a troubleshooter at the grisly scene half an hour before the Ambler Fire Company, only three blocks away, arrived.

Although I have never been in combat, I can tell you that burning flesh has a unique odor that you never forget. The scent goes deep into your olfactory centers, hits your brain immediately, and makes you want to vomit. I know because I experienced that sensation that day.

So, although I cannot ever relate to what combat is like, I can relate to what burning human flesh smells like. It is one more reason I loved Vets and will do anything to keep them alive.

I can also understand repressed memory because I repressed that memory for 10 years to be able to function each day.

To survive, I buried that memory and the next year was awarded a loan and scholarship to attend the University of Pennsylvania. When I graduated from Penn in 1977, there were no jobs in Philadelphia and we were in the midst of a major "recession."

What I did not now then, what I do know now (thanks to USAF retired Lieutenant General Rob Spaulding) is that American and international corporations had pulled their money, factories and jobs out of Philadelphia and the American industrial heartland and transferred them to China. Result? No jobs for Americans like me.

As my parents stated very clearly to me the third night I returned from Penn, "We can't afford to support you so you need to find a job fast." 

Fortunately, the next day I was offered a job for a management consulting company with a contract with the Economic Development Administration. I travelled to areas impacted by the globalist/CCP devastation of our nation, saw up close the decline in housing prices and jobs in Bisbee Arizona, Dalton Georgia, Grants-Milan New Mexico, Minot North Dakota and other American cities.

Eventually, I met a woman who was getting an MBA and law degree. We fell in love, talked of marriage, and had a long distance relationship for three years. It ended horribly and in a timeless tradition for men, I went into the United States Air Force to get over her, because I loved this nation, and because my MIA Uncle Frank J. Curley was my hero.

I excelled at the USAF Officer Training School (OTS). Then when home between OTS and my first AWACS training, a Philadelphia lawyer showed up at my mother's front door. 

"I've kept him away for years, Bruce. He came when you were a student in Paris. But he is here now and I think you have to talk to him or he will subpoena you because the trial starts tomorrow in Norristown."

Philadelphia lawyers have the reputation for being bright, tough, legally gifted, and ruthless while pretending to be your friend. This Philadelphia Electric Company lawyer was all that and then some.

He produced photos of the accident, huge photos, and kept insisting that I was wrong when I said we never hit the wire that day but argued, forcefully, that we touched the wire and caused the death of Jimmy and the dismemberment of Andy.

After two hours of his badgering in my mother's kitchen, I said matter-of-factly, "Sir, you can give your version, but you were not there. I was the only witness. I made sure we were at least six to nine feet from that power line. I was never comfortable with the aluminum ladders Andy used and always insisted we stay far from any power lines as we raised it. I was on the grass behind the bush that separated me from them. They were away from the power lines when I pulled that rope. It was an extremely humid day and the power jumped from that line to the ladder. That is what I will testify tomorrow no matter how many times you rephrase your line of questioning to get me to change my story."

The next day I dressed in my Air Force blues and was walking out the door to drive to Norristown to testify in an hour when the phone rang.

"It's for you" my Mom said. 

"Lieutenant Curley, the trial was called off and we will settle with the parties. [I was not one of the parties as I did not sue.] You no longer have to be a witness."

It was over for them. They moved on. I, however, had memories revived I had suppressed for 10 years. My bad luck it was between OTS and AWACS training when the photos triggered memories, but more importantly, sights, sounds, tastes, scents, feelings, and tactile sensations I had, or thought I had, buried a decade ago.

Result? I froze for several minutes in the training room when I heard a buzzing coming from the power lines in the room. It was noted, and several months later after appearing before a USAF medical advisory board, they separated me with a 10% disability rating after I said I wanted nothing. They originally offered me a 30% disability rating but when I argued I did not want the stigma of a disability rating when searching for employment, the MAB reduced it to 10%.

It took me years to recover from the pain of that event. Eventually, I learned what every Vet with less than a sterling performance has to learn...you only repair, move on and contribute by helping other Vets in their pain. My way has been to write resumes for many Vets over the years and to counsel suicidal Vets.

In the course of their describing their qualifications for their resumes, often it triggers other memories...PTSI memories. We talk. I share how I survived and emphasize I am not them but maybe a few things I have learned the hard way may help them.

Things like civil defense. So what does this have to do with the Texas Valentine's Day Deep Freeze manmade natural disaster? 

Everything.

Due to the misguided federal and state policy of pushing CCP solar panels and wind turbines, the electric grid of Texas almost experienced total failure.

To prevent this, the authorities cut off power to millions of Texans who froze for days without energy.

Many of the people who went through this will experience PTSI on top of the PTSI they have from the CCP virus impacts on them and their families. They don't know it yet, but they will. And they need to take steps to get better.

No one gets past PTSI. Instead, you learn to live with it, see it as a gift rather than a curse, and then get busy helping many others get past their their grief. 

The beautiful knives, canes, axes and other military gear you see in the photos here are from Creations by Silver Eagle owned by Dave Kline 261 South Sheridan Street, Wilkesbarre, PA 18702, 570 817 4832, kline_777.msn.com. He sells the handicraft of PTSI Vets at gun shows. 

I met him at the 2021 York, PA show. Once Vets get comfortable with their PTSI and master it's impact on their lives, they are incredibly productive as they tap the resources, resilience and spirit that made them young warriors now that they have an adult's maturity.

My way of helping Vets and my fellow Americans is to master the art of civil defense to help parents and grandparents educate their children and grandchildren how to use it to save their lives and property.

My gift is not your gift. Everyone's happiness is the same while everyone's misery is unique.

Life is good. Live it well. Help others to know that secret.

Texans need help. They have given so much to this country. We must help them.

The first step is for those who went through the Valentine's Day Deep Freeze Manmade Natural Disaster with no help from their federal, state or local governments' (other than the heroic work of the first responders) is to admit that they just went through a massive catastrophic event, bigger than Katrina, that will impact their lives for years to come as they get their energy sources straightened out.

The second step for them is to realize they are on their own. Here are some resources to help them train up themselves and their families. Go to the right side of my blog and there are hundreds of blog posts to help you as well.

The first step is to promote nuclear, coal, gas and oil as dependable energy sources over wind turbines and solar panels that enrich the CCP while destroying American jobs, families, and the American Dream.

We the People, like the Founding Fathers who gave us our magnificent American Constitution, need to reclaim local control of energy under the guiding principal of subsidiarity.

American Rare Earth Elements Vulnerability

The greatest American tactical civil defense and national security vulnerability is our almost total dependence on the CCP for rare earth elements. 

I invested years ago in an American rare earth elements mining operation in Nevada in hopes of correcting that vulnerability. Sadly, that company had serious leadership issues and never became productive.

We have to have a crash program like the Manhattan Project to correct our extreme vulnerability and dependence on the atheist and brutal Communist Chinese Party (CCP) for rare earth elements for our defense stockpile.

Given the dependency of the American military, solar, electric cars, cell phone, computer, industrial machinery and other sectors of American life on rare earth elements, and the CCP plans to play hardball with us to limit our sources for them, you need to know about rare earth elements.

Learn about rare earth elements here and here and here. Here is a quick introduction.

Lynas USA: FAQs Safe for our people, safe for our communities and safe for the environment   

Q. Who is Lynas? 

A. Lynas is a publicly listed Australian company. We operate one of the world’s highest grade Rare Earth mines, Mt Weld, in Western Australia and an advanced materials processing facility in Malaysia. As the only significant producer of separate Rare Earth materials outside of China, we provide an important alternative for outside China manufacturers in high technology markets, including green technology. Lynas was purpose-designed as an ethical and environmentally-responsible producer, and we are certified under international standards. This includes being assessed by 3rd parties for our approach to sustainability. 

Q. What are Rare Earths and why are they important? 

A. Rare Earths are a group of 15 elements in the periodic table known as the Lanthanide series, plus Yttrium. Rare Earths are used in the manufacture of many things we use every day – from smart phones to cars, electrical appliances, and importantly, hybrid and electric vehicles. 

Q. What are Lynas’ plans in Hondo, Texas? 

A. We are excited by the opportunity to create a new enterprise in the U.S. Subject to finalization of arrangements with our long term partner in the U.S., Blue Line, and significant work to characterize the site, our current plan is to locate our proposed Light Rare Earths separation facility adjacent to our proposed Heavy Rare Earths separation facility in Hondo, Texas, at the current Blue Line site. We believe Texas and Hondo are excellent locations for a Rare Earths processing facility and will both serve our U.S. customers and support the U.S. government’s moves to strengthen its industrial base and make supply chains more resilient. 

Q. How many jobs will the proposed facility in Hondo, Texas create? 

A. We are undertaking an economic impact assessment and will provide an update when the assessment is complete. 

Q. Can you explain Lynas’ recent contract the U.S. Government? 

A. As announced on January 22, 2021, Lynas is delighted to enter into an agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense to develop a Light Rare Earth separation facility in the United States. This funding will allow us to accelerate planning and studies. Rare Earths separation capability has been absent from the United States for several years, and this co-funded plant will ensure the U.S. has a secure domestic source of high quality separated Light Rare Earth materials. Security of supply is an essential foundation for the renewal of downstream specialty metal making and permanent magnet manufacturing in the USA. 

Q. How much will be invested in the new facility? 

A. The funding amount from the US Government for the Light Rare Earths project will be capped at approx. US$30 million and Lynas is expected to contribute approximately US$30 million under the agreement. 

Did you know? 

1. A single smartphone contains 8 different rare-earth materials. 

2. Rare Earths make cars greener – Cerium (Ce) is used in catalytic converters to reduce exhaust gas pollution. 

3. Neodymium (Nd) is the strongest known magnetic substance. 4. Many MRI machines use Neodymium (Nd) magnets. \ Lynas USA: FAQs Safe for our people, safe for our communities and safe for the environment   

Q. What are the next steps for the new facility? 

A. We are currently at an early stage of planning. We will follow proper processes and procedures before we finalize our planning and site selection.    

Q. When will the new facility be operational? 

A. We are currently at an early stage of our planning and will provide an update on timing when appropriate.    

Q. What is Lynas’ approach to sustainability? 

A. We are passionate about sustainability and having a positive effect on our people, our customers and suppliers, our communities and the environment. We offer mine to magnet traceability and Life Cycle Assessment with selected partners. We have an excellent track record of compliance, including with local laws and regulations. We also adopt international best practice and participate in external sustainability and verification initiatives. 

Lynas is a Signatory to the United Nations Global Compact; both of our current operating sites are accredited to ISO 14001 (Environmental Management Systems); and the Lynas Malaysia plant was awarded a Gold EcoVadis CSR rating across the environment, labour and human rights, ethical and sustainable procurement, ranking in top 5% of companies evaluated. 

Q. Will you be mining in Texas? 

A. No, our mine is in Western Australia. 

Q. Is the material Lynas will processes in the U.S. radioactive? A. No. The material that will be used to feed the proposed plant is not a radioactive material. 

Q. How much water will the plant use and what will happen to waste water? 

A. We are working through all details, including water, as part of our detailed planning. We will consider all options, including reuse and recycling. 

Q. Are Lynas’ operations safe? 

A. Yes. Our first priority will always be ensuring our operations are safe for our people, safe for our communities, and safe for the environment. We have been operating in Western Australia for over 10 years and in Malaysia for 8 years. During that time we have demonstrated that we are a lawful and compliant company and we have never been involved in a public health incident. You can read our latest Sustainability Report at: https://www.lynascorp.com/sustainability/our -commitment-to-sustainability/ Fast 

Facts 

1. Rare Earths are often call the “vitamins of modern industry” because of their special properties which help to improve technologies.

 2. Lynas is the world’s second largest producer of separated Rare Earth materials. 3. Rare Earth Elements are not rare in the earth’s crust – but they’re rarely found in commercial concentrations as they are Lynas’ Mt Weld resource. 

NearMap is Vital to our Civil Defense

NearMap is vital to American tactical civil defense.

Google Maps as the go to source for most mapping is a national security vulnerability that is stunning. 

My thanks to NearMap for correcting that vulnerability.

Wind Turbines Frozen and Useless in Texas

Solar is not a Solution for a Deep Freeze

Wind turbines are not dependable, durable, or practical. Don't believe me? Ask the millions of Texans without power in the middle of a deep freeze right now.

 I worked at the Solar Energy Research Center as an intern when I attended the Johns Hopkins School of International Relations in Washington, DC in the 1980's.

I wrote a took about the Canadian solar program. While there, I got to see solar and wind turbines as "alternative energy sources" that were beginning to get traction in the market.

Fast forward four decades, and solar and wind turbines are not longer alternative energy sources. They are everywhere.

Outside my house, I have many solar lights on the house, as well as solar lights in the garden to bring into the house as a dual use technology in a power failure.

However, I am more for nuclear power, fossil fuel, and water generated energy power. All are more dependable, practical, and cheaper than wind turbines. 

Why? Because solar is only useful, today, for limited power generation. It is best used in remote, rural settings that do not have access to nuclear, fossil fuel, or water energy sources.

In February 2021, Texas is in the middle of a deep freeze. Millions are without power as their wind turbines have frozen and are useless. 

I do not like wind turbines as I am a birder who loves God's creatures the gentle and peaceful birds that wind turbines kill by the millions, including the American Bald Eagle, symbol of the United States of America.

In any just world, the wind turbines in the United States would have been shut down years ago. 

Why? Because they are not dependable, durable, or able to deal with weather extremes. And they kill millions of migrating birds every year.

Find the full story here.

Expandable Mass Casualty Emergency Response Vehicle ETTCor

This product is absolute genius!

Rick, the inventor, will have the impact with this emergency response vehicle and the other variations of this product, that John Vincent Atanasoff's digital computer had on the world.

For more on John Vincent Atanasoff, see his story here.

Marine Base Quantico and my Letter from H. Norman Schwarzkopf

Marine Base Quantico Desert Shield/Desert Storm Marine Letter Donation

Although they did not accept my collection, on January 11, 2021, I donated my Desert Shield/Desert Storm collection of the letters I wrote and received from 39 Marines on the trip wire to Marine Base Quantico. 

Interestingly, the Archivist said 3 things of interest when I delivered them to the Marine Corps University.

1. They did not have many letters, as yet, from the Desert Shield/Desert Storm service members. When I asked why, she said: "Not enough of them have died yet so their families have yet to donate them."

2. Desert Shield/Desert Storm was the last war when Marines actually wrote letters home, as in my collection. The new digital world means that Marines now use text messages, instant messing, email and other digital platforms. Result? No historical record of their experience.

3. The copies of the Stars and Stripes and other magazines and newspapers they sent me, as well as the news stores I sent them, would be valuable. Apparently time moves on and such artifacts disappear.

For a refresher about this war, see General Stormin Norman Schwartzkopf here.

And here.

For me, the greatest part of meeting with the Archivist was the actual room. 

There was a stunning photo of the orderly retreat of the Marines from the Korean Chosin Reservoir. 

Background of that stunning battle can be found  here, and here, and here.

There are many books that offer the story of the tactical and strategic mistakes of the egomaniac General Arthur McCarthy's gamesmanship on the Yalu River that caused the Red Chinese to enter the war, in contrast to the tactical and strategic genius of 1st Marine Division Major General Oliver P. Smith.

The best one I have found is A Christmas Far from Home: An Epic Tale of Courage and Survival During the Korean War by Stanley Weintraub.

As the cover describes it: 'The epic story of the 1950 Christmas season, when American troops faced extreme cold, a determined enemy, and long odds.

The day after Thanksgiving, five months into the Korean War, General Douglas MacArthur flew to American positions in the north and grandly announced an end-the-war-by-Christmas offensive, despite recent evidence of intervention by Mao's Chinese Troops.

Marching north in plunging temperatures, General Edward Almond's X Corps, which included a Marine division under the able leadership of General Oliver Smith, encountered little resistance. 

But thousands of Chinese, who had infiltrated across the frozen Yalu River, were lying in wait and would soon trap tens of thousands of U.S. troops.

Led by the Marines, an overwhelmed X Corps evacuated the frigid, mountainous Chosin Reservoir vastness and fought a swarming enemy and treacherous snow and ice to reach the coast. 

Weather, terrain, Chinese firepower, and a 4,000-foot chasm made escape seem impossible in the face of a vanishing Christmas. But endurance and sacrifice prevailed, and the last troopships weighed anchor on Christmas Eve.

In the tradition of his Silent Night and Pearl Harbor Christmas, Stanley Weintraub presents another gripping narrative of a wartime Christmas season."

What a story of courage, strategy, and brilliant leadership and grunt grit. What an honor to see the painting of the Chosin Marines in that room.

God Bless the Marines.

My H. Norman Schwarzkopf Letter Donation

H. Norma Schwarzkopf sent me a letter dated 12 January 1991, with four days left in Operation Desert Shield and four days before Operation Desert Storm began. Beneath a red flag with four gold stars, it reads:

COMMANDER IN CHIEF

UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND

OPERATION DESERT SHIELD, APO NY 09852

Dear Mr. Curley,
       Thanks for sending me a copy of your letter to President Bush.  Believe me when I say I will consider all options when it comes to achieving victory.  It means a great deal to hear from fine citizens, such as you, who support our efforts in this time of world crisis.
       Rest assured that the safety and well-being of my troops has been and will continue to be foremost on my mind. Have no fear, if it comes to war, we are not going into this one with one hand tied behind our backs.
       Again, thanks for your support.

                                   Sincerely,

                                   H. NORMAN SCHWARTZKOPF
                                   General, U.S. Army

Funny thing is, I never sent a letter to General Schwarzkopf. On November 2, 1990, I did send a letter to President George H. W. Bush with the following strategy.

November 2, 1990
President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20008

Dear Mr. President,

Considering substantial Iraqi armed forces due in and around Kuwait City, would it be effective for us to adopt a "desert island hopping strategy by going around the "island" of Kuwait and racing straight for Baghdad and the Hussein clique in the event of war?
          This strategy follows centuries of American doctrine. General George Washington used it very effectively against a vastly superior force at Trenton.

Germantown, etc. General Lee repeatedly beat 4 to 1 odds at critical battles during the Civil War by using such an attack strategy. His forces feigned to the front and then rolled rapidly to the left or right to quickly win over vast Union armies. General MacArthur realized early on he could never defeat the superior Japanese forces in WWII by taking them on man for man so he by-passed them time and again until he took Tokyo. Your military and strategic advisers can certainly cite many other examples of the effective use of this "by-passing" strategy drawn from numerous battles during these and other successful American wars.
          These advisers are, not doubt, offering far wiser and more learned advice and options to you at present. I only write because I believe such a strategy, if adopted, will minimize losses. Although I feel a little self conscious about writing, I do so because I currently correspond with a host of marines located just ten miles from the Kuwait border.  After arriving at his "desert island hopping" strategy, I believe I owe it to them -- in hopes of extending their precious lives -- to at least suggest it to you and your advisers for consideration.
          May God grant you wisdom whatever course of action you take. My family and I will continue to keep you in our prayers.
                                                                              Respectfully yours,

                                                                              Bruce V. J. Curley

Now, how did that letter get from the White House to General Schwarzkopf? I have no way of knowing. 

I do know that when his letter arrived in June of 1991, well after the war ended in such a spectacular victory for us, my wife said, "Who do you know in Saudi Arabia?"
"No one." I replied.
"Well, this letter is addressed to you and it is from Saudi Arabia."
I looked at it and it had the four star flag on the outside, but no name. 
My son and I had been writing and sending things to about 32 service members, so it could have been one of them.
But when I opened it, sand grains feel out. 
These grains of sand rubbed the ink from the line, "...no fear, if it comes to war, we..." 
And it was the letter reproduced above.
What is remarkable is that a letter from an unknown civilian was analyzed in the White House, sent to the General, and that he took the time 4 days before the war to respond to it. I can't think of many countries where that could happen.
It is one small story in a fabled story that is General Schwarzkopf's life. 
Learn more about him. 
Especially if you are a junior officer in the military. 
He was a real general, in contrast to the perfumed prince generals numerous these days, politicians following whatever winds blow in the White House and willing to do anything to get ahead. 
Colin Powell, who stopped General Schwarzkopf from going to Baghdad because of how the news media was showing the Iraqi soldiers deaths, is the kind of craven, politically driven, advance by plot rather than competence, that is the opposite of General Schwarzkopf. 
Sadly, he is the model of so many current generals who are so craven they print manuals saying that Taliban attacks on American troops are due to our troops insensitivity. 
God help us.

• It Doesn't Take a Hero" is his autobiography. I read it and reread it. Besides being a book about leadership, it is chock full with history. His father's and Norman's days in Tehran during WWII (and thus his deep insight into the Muslim mind), with the Lindbergh baby kidnapping alone is worth the read. But there are detailed insights. For example, at one point the Saudi's kept complaining the American tanks kept breaking down. This is weeks before Operation Desert Storm when he had a thousand other tasks to deal with. But he stopped, sent his top general to find out what was going on, and quickly learned that the Saudi's, all being lazy, had ignored their instructions to change the tank filters when they filled with sand. Instead of arguing, he had his men do it and added hundreds of tanks to his arsenal.
• Bio post death of General Schwarzkopf can be found here in the Tampa Bay Times.
• General Schwarzkopf's 14 Rules for Leaders can be found here.
• Leading Marines link on General Schwarzkopf's leadership. 

Rebirth of American Manufacturing by General Spaulding

General Rob Spaulding (26 year veteran of the United States Air Force) is a brilliant analyst of the rebirth of American entrepreneurs and manufacturing and how they create new products and jobs.

Links to explore and learn his astute business analysis on Back-2 Business (B2B) may be found below.

How has Covid Changed Business Operations

China vs. American Factories

China's Secret Invasion of the US

As he explains it...

"Introducing B2B (Back-2-Business). COVID-19 has changed the world we live in today. Specifically, it has re-shaped the business realm and common practice that once existed. I have served in senior positions of strategy and diplomacy within the Defense and State Departments for more than 26 years to ensure the American republic endures. B2B focuses on entrepreneurship and business, a core pillar of our Republic. I hope to educate and inspire. Please let me know what you think of B2B in the comments below! FREE CHAPTER OF STEALTH WAR: https://www.GeneralSpalding.com FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/GeneralRober... FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/generalspal... #china #coronavirus #covid #usa #japan #india #love #corona #travel #asia #italy #chinese #shanghai #korea #instagram #beijing #photography #virus #hongkong #russia #like #germany #wuhan #art #indonesia #instagood #canada #america #dubai #bhfyp #huawei"

For background on General Spaulding, read his book Stealth War. Below is a summary of Stealth War taken from the Amazon sales page.

"China expert Robert Spalding reveals the shocking success China has had infiltrating American institutions and compromising our national security.

The media often suggest that Russia poses the greatest threat to America's national security, but the real danger lies farther east. While those in power have been distracted and disorderly, China has waged a six-front war on America's economy, military, diplomacy, technology, education, and infrastructure--and they're winning. It's almost too late to undo the shocking, though nearly invisible, victories of the Chinese.

In Stealth War, retired Air Force Brigadier General Robert Spalding reveals China's motives and secret attacks on the West. Chronicling how our leaders have failed to protect us over recent decades, he provides shocking evidence of some of China's most brilliant ploys, including:

  •  Placing Confucius Institutes in universities across the United States that serve to monitor and control Chinese students on campus and spread communist narratives to unsuspecting American students.

  •  Offering enormous sums to American experts who create investment funds that funnel technology to China.

  •  Signing a thirty-year agreement with the US that allows China to share peaceful nuclear technology, ensuring that they have access to American nuclear know-how.

Spalding's concern isn't merely that America could lose its position on the world stage. More urgently, the Chinese Communist Party has a fundamental loathing of the legal protections America grants its people and seeks to create a world without those rights.

Despite all the damage done so far, Spalding shows how it's still possible for the U.S. and the rest of the free world to combat--and win--China's stealth war."

Or listen to a podcast on Stealth War here and analysis of the book here.

Learn of his United States Air Force background here.

If you are building a business or even have a new business idea, in addition to providing excellent free advice, he is very approachable for advice.

For example, here is a recent email he sent me.

"Hey Bruce,

My new episode of B2B is now live!

How is manufacturing different around the world?  What can Americans do to ensure our manufacturing jobs are not lost to China? 

How is China stripping the fabric of American manufacturing?

In this episode of B2B, we explore how manufacturing is not just an economic opportunity issue, it is also a national security issue.

Best,

Rob

Robert Spalding
rob@generalspalding.com


General Spalding
PO Box 2815
Arlington, VA 22202"

Hey Bruce,

I wish you a healthy and prosperous new year.

I beg you to look deeply into your portfolios. I know it's difficult, but as things slow down this time of year it is important to take stock. Pun intended, because the president just signed into law a measure designed to scrub Chinese equities from our capital markets. This article on Ali Baba's 20-F Annual Report will tell you why. The CCP is accumulating cash that they will convert to hard assets, while the stocks in your portfolio will implode. Don't say I didn't warn you.  

We have much work to do in 2021 rebuilding our country. I look forward to continuing this mission to protect our Republic.

For Our Republic,
Rob