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On this day in 1876, Lieutenant Colonel (Major General of Volunteers) George
Armstrong Custer led 600 men into the valley of death.

The day had dawned inauspiciously. On the trail of a large body of Lakota
and Cheyenne, Custer's 7th Cavalry had conducted a night march and was
waiting on the other side of the divide separating the Rosebud and Little
Bighorn valleys. Lieutenant Varnum, Bloody Knife, and the Crow scouts were
atop a height known as the Crow's Nest. The scouts told Varnum that they
could see a large village. Varnum sent for Custer, who confirmed the
Indian's sighting. He quickly decided to lay up during the day, approach
the camp during the night and attack at first light. That, however, was not
to be.

A small party of Lakota was seen taking the contents of a box of hardtack
which had fallen from a 7th Cavalry pack animal. They were attacked by
troopers who had gone back to recover some personal possessions which had
been left behind. Word was sent to Regiment that they had been discovered.
What Custer and his officers could not know was that the party in question
was en route to the reservation and that they did not send word back to the
camp.

The regiment saddled up and rode into the valley. Approximately 675
soldiers, scouts, guides, and civilian contractors (packers and guides)
followed Custer. At the first halt, Custer sent Captain Benteen to the left
on a scout with three companies (a bit more than 100 men in companies D, H,
and K). It is my opinion that Custer intended to send another officer in
command of the scout and leave Benteen with the relatively inexperienced
Reno. However, Benteen surprised Custer and wound up with the scout.

Company B was escorting the pack train in the rear with details from all the
companies, totally over 200 men.

The 7th advanced to a funeral lodge, which his scouts set afire. Still, the
regiment was undiscovered. He divided the command again. Major Reno with
Companies A, G, and M as well as all but the Crow scouts was sent down the
valley to attack the village. Custer promised to support Reno. Major Reno
was observed drinking from his pint flask as his battalion forded the river.
Custer's 210 men and the Crow scouts traveled along the northeast bank of
the Little Bighorn just behind the bluffs overlooking the valley.

Reno achieved surprise and struck a totally unprepared village. Panic in
the camp was so great that Sitting Bull's wife left one of their twin sons
behind in their lodge. The Hunkpapa and Oglala were first to face Reno.
Reno had stopped short of the village, although there were reports that
First Sergeant Ryan and 10 men had entered and left the village without
incident. On the right flank of Reno's dismounted skirmish line, the
Arikara scouts had captured part of the pony herd and had fired into the
village, killing 10 or more women and children, including Gall's wife.

As pressure on Reno's front and the threat to his flank grew, he withdrew to
another skirmish line, and finally into some woods along the river. The
Indians considered this a strong position and, despite an 8:1 advantage in
numbers, did not immediately attack. Some did infiltrate through the woods.

On the bluffs, Custer, Mich Bouyer, and some officers (and possibly the Crow
Scout Curley) saw the withdrawal. Custer turned to his men, who were out of
sight behind the bluff, removed his hat and waved. In the valley,
Lieutenant DeRudio ("Count No Account") saw this and thought Custer was
waving to Reno's men. He then descended the bluff to his men and continued
his march.

To the left, Captain Benteen had continued his scout beyond the point
envisioned and was making very slow progress behind Custer. His progress
was so slow that his own men began to grumble about it.

As Custer got a good look at the village, he sent a message back to Benteen.
"Come quick, bring packs. P.S. Bring packs." Trumpeter John Martin
(Giovanni Martini) was sent back to Benteen with the message. Sergeant
Kanipe (Knipe) was sent to Company B to hurry them forward. Benteen would
stop Kanipe and hold him with his battalion. The message which Sergeant
Kanipe carried was lost.

Reno, was facing difficulty. His men were firing their ammunition off too
fast, there was skirmishing in the woods, he had no good feel for where his
men were located. He had finished off his flask and, in the heat, had to
have been feeling the effects to some degree. Whether the alcohol
influenced his subsequent actions is a matter of conjecture. Bloody Knife
was killed by a Lakota shot and Reno was spattered with blood and brains.
At this point, a redeemable situation devolved into disaster. Reno ordered
the men to mount. Then, he ordered dismount. Finally he mounted them
again, and ordered a "charge". Since no Lakota were in the direction he
charged, it's clear his intention was to cut and run. It quickly became
every man for himself and a rout followed. The Lakota would later refer to
it as a Buffalo Chase. Almost all of Reno's casualties for the day were
suffered during this panicked dash for the bluffs across the river.
Although they would later be accused of cowardice, the Arikara scouts
acquitted themselves bravely and helped to buy time for the soldiers to get
away.

Custer, not knowing of this disaster, continued with his plan. He divided
his force into two battalion. The battalion comprised of companies E and F
rode to the ford and fired two volleys into the village. Once again, the
7th had surprised the village - setting off another panic. This quickly
drew off the force pursuing Reno and the soldiers would remark the almost
total absence of hostiles. Custer remained with companies C, I and L to
await Benteen in an overwatching position.

At about that time, Benteen reached the tattered mess which was Reno's
command. Despite the orders from Custer (actually in Captain Cooke's
handwriting), Benteen chose to stay with Reno.

As pressure on E and F grew, Keogh's battalion moved into a position to
support them, with company L on Calhoun Hill, company I along a hogback to
the left and Company C in reserve. Companies E and F withdrew through
Company L. F moved on to what became known as Last Stand Hill and E
attempted to move beyond that point but encountered Cheyenne and Lakota
warriors coming up from a ford at that end of the village.

Pressure grew and Company C was committed to bolster the flanks of Company
L, with one company to either side. Company E (the "Gray Horse Troop")
apparently made one or two short, controlled charges at the other end of the
line. Custer tried sending two mounted couriers to Benteen. Neither made
it through.

Meanwhile, Captain Weir was pressing for the regiment to move forward to
join with Custer. Denied permission to move Company D, he rode out alone to
what became known as Weir's Hill. Thinking that their commander had
permission to move the company, D followed. Slowly, the rest of the
regiment followed. From there, they saw what was probably the end of
resistance on Calhoun Hill.

As Company L's position collapsed, the men of L and C fled back through I,
Lakota and Cheyenne hard at their heels. The hostiles rolled up the
position as the men fled to Last Stand Hill. With his sergeants and a few
men gathered around him, Captain Keogh went down fighting. There was a
pause as some of the Lakota turned toward Weir's position. Reno's force
fell back to his position on the bluff under pressure, leaving Custer
unsupported with perhaps 100 men. The shooting continued for a time. Then,
the horses were stampeded out to the northeast as about 40 men made a break
for the river. 28 of them(including Mich Boyer) died in what is known as
deep ravine, a few returned to Custer's position and the rest died in the
open ground between.

With resistance seriously weakened, the Indians charged Custer's position
and quickly overwhelmed it. According to some Lakota accounts, Custer was
the last man standing. He was not the last to die. Dying with or near him
were his brothers Tom (a two-time medal of honor winner) and Boston, his
brother in law James Calhoun, and his nephew Autie Reed.

Toward the river, Sergeant Butler of Company C (who may have been one of the
couriers) had been playing dead. As the women prepared to mutilate his
body, he sprang to his feet and defended himself. Those nearest him had
apparently decided to let him go (because of his bravery) when he was killed
by a rifle shot. On the hogback, Captain Keogh recovered consciousness but
was killed as he reached for his pistol. He was probably the last but one
to die. The following day, a badly wounded soldier was killed while
attempting to make his way to the river.

Reno would hold his position until relieved by General Terry's force on the
27th. Custer's fate was unknown until Lieutenant Bradley of the 2d Cavalry
spotted the bodies across the river.

The scout Curley would be the first to bring news of the massacre to the
steamer Far West at the mouth of the Little Bighorn. As near as can be
determined, he accompanied Custer's two battalions (and Mich Bouyer) until
things got too hot and then was able to escape.

Today is the first day of my retirement.  I am now a retired civil servant.  I'll have an ID card cutting ceremony later today.

Since the GOPTP refuses to raise the debt ceiling, the Treasury department today begins raiding federal workers' pension plan and 401k plan for money to operate the government.

From the Washington Post:

"The Obama administration will begin to tap federal retiree programs to help fund operations after the government loses its ability Monday to borrow more money from the public, adding urgency to efforts in Washington to fashion a compromise over the debt. Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner has warned for months that the government would soon hit the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling -- a legal limit on how much it can borrow. With the government poised to reach that limit Monday, Geithner is undertaking special measures in an effort to postpone the day when he will no longer have enough funds to pay all of the government's bills. Geithner, who has already suspended a program that helps state and local government manage their finances, will begin to borrow from retirement funds for federal workers."

When private sector employers raid the pension plan for operating money, they go to jail.

Also from the WaPo, this is one way the GOPTP plans to pay for those tax cuts for the rich which they want to make permanent:

Federal pensions could be a major target in a debt deal, reports Lori Montgomery: "The generous pension system enjoyed by millions of federal workers from clerks to senators and judges has emerged as a key target in negotiations between Vice President Biden and congressional leaders looking to restrain the growing national debt. Republicans have proposed saving more than $120 billion over the next decade by requiring the civilian workforce to contribute more toward retirement -- a plan that would effectively impose an immediate 5 percent pay cut on more than 2 million federal employees...Now, administration officials have expressed interest in raising the amount that employees contribute to their pensions -- though probably not as high as the GOP proposal."

Some folks have shouted that we should have put OBL's body on public display and or desecrated the body before disposing of it. I heartily disagree.

I believe the government's actions were generally correct. (the release of information was not handled well).

In a situation such as the one facing the US, it is necessary to undertake measured actions which hurt the enemy's ability to strike at US and allied interests - without doing anything which could further motivate the other side. In this case, handling the body correctly was good. Burial at sea to avoid the possibility that his grave could become a shrine was also good. Those actions helped to minimize the backlash and defuse the outrage which sympathizers tried to whip up.

Desecrating the body in any way would have simply poured gasoline on the the flames of hatred. It would have been a major mistake. Setting aside practical considerations, it would have been wrong. The US abandoned the ethical/moral high road in the wake of 2001. We need to find it again. Our actions with OBL's body were a good step in that direction. Besides that, we need to find the compassion, the sense of right and wrong, and the desire to do things because they are the right things to do - even if it means a little less profit for the Koch brothers and their ilk.

Wisconsin and Michigan have both cut unemployment benefits. In Michigan, the state will now only pay for 20 weeks of unemployment (previously 26). This was reportedly to balance the state budget. You've gotta pay for those tax cuts somehow... In Wisconsin, legislators declined to take the simple administrative steps which would have allowed unemployed workers in that state to collect an additional 20 weeks of *federally funded* unemployment after their state unemployment ran out. It wasn't to balance the state budget. So, why did they do it?

Indiana, Tennessee, and North Carolina have also declined to take the steps necessary to help out their unemployed citizens. These, too, are GOPTP controlled states.

Meanwhile, the House wants states to use federal unemployment benefits to repay federal loans the states may have taken out. Apparently, this is in response to actions by the states to raise unemployment taxes collected from employers.

If states, perhaps following these examples, cut benefits and use federal dollars to repay loans rather than provide aid, they would take billions from jobless Americans' pockets.

Perhaps someone can help me out here. Why do Republican legislators not want the unemployed to draw unemployment compensation?

When it was announced that US Navy SEALs had killed Osama Bin Laden, many in American celebrated.  This caused me to consider my own feelings on the matter.<br><br>

First, I agree with the course of action the nation took.  Osama bin Laden was an inveterate enemy of the US who had vowed that he would do all in his power to destroy the USA - and had caused grievous harm.  So, killing him was nothing but self-defense by the nation.  The action was done in a way to minimize the chance of civilian casualties, which is always a good thing.  Indeed, it seems the only "collateral damage" was the woman killed when Osama bin Laden tried to use her as a human shield.<br><br>

The President took what I think was the right tone.  Not celebratory, but somber.  He announced that we had finally done something the nation had set out to do almost 9 years ago.  The triumphant rhetoric which some have since used is, I think, inappropriate.<br><br>

The reaction in the Moslem world is both encouraging and of concern.  Many leaders praised the raid, while some called it a crime.  Demonstrations were few, but energetic.  The threat of terrorist action will likely rise for a while, but subside a bit.  However, the currents of ill-feelings and problems which bin Laden tapped are still there and will continue to spawn terrorists.<br><br>

Finally, I deplore the usual reaction in the USA.  Over the years, we have reacted with offense whenever our enemies gloated over our dead.  During the last 24 hours, we have done exactly the same thing.  But, this does not just reflect a double standard.  I think that an ethical person, especially a true Christian, should not celebrate the death of another.  To rejoice at the taking of a human life is, quite simply, over the line and of a piece with the jingoistic frenzy which swept the USA in 2001.  To regard this killing as revenge and to joyfully celebrate yet more deaths is to partake, vicariously, of death. <br><br>

Jesus said, "As you have done unto the least of these, so have you done unto me."  What bin Laden did was wrong.  That, however, does not justify celebrating his death.  It helps to join the celebrants ethically with Fred Phelps and his crowd.<br><br>

I arose early yesterday and we were picked up by the airport shuttle at 0615 (oh-dark-thirty to some).  We got to the airport 5 hours before our flight.  That was two hours before we needed to be there because another traveler on the shuttle had an earlier flight.  We got checked in and then waited.  We had some $3.00 pretzels and the wife had a $3.75 cup of coffee.  Passport control could have been a problem, but I still had my ID card and that smoothed out the wrinkles. At 1245, we clicked our heels three times and headed into the sunset.  Well, at least in that direction.

We arrived on schedule in Chicago after a most uncomfortable flight.  'Twas uncomfortable because I had the most uncomfortable seat I've ever had (the padding was shot).  We breezed through customs and passport control - the ID card was a big help once again.  Then the minor aggravations began.  The UA rep told us to catch our flight at terminal 1.  So, we grabbed the train and got off at terminal 1.  After wending through a very long line we had our boarding passes checked (ID card helped again) and got in line for security.  I went through with nary a problem, but the wife had to remove the multitude of bobby pins and her head cover.  She was a most dissatisfied person in a tent.  Then, we walked forever to catch our flight in *Terminal 2*.

On schedule we climbed into our mini-plane and hopped over various puddles to River City.  The daughters were there to meet us and take us home.  So, we grabbed our bags and crossed the Yellow Brick Road.  From River City, we passed through the Little Malone on the Plains (aka Little Slum on the Plains) on our way home.  After 24 hours, we finally arrived home and fell into bed.

Thus began the weekend which has no end...

I'll likely still be on-line this evening and perhaps early tomorrow morning.  After that, I will be away for the rest of the month.

Today is my last day in the office (where I'm basically just checking mail and then walking about making sure all the on-base agencies know I'm leaving).  Tomorrow, I ship my unaccompanied baggage (including my computers).  Thursday, we'll do the laundry, then ship my car.

Friday, we take the Flight To America and being my weekend that has no end.

My official retirement date is May 31, but I'm on leave during May.  That's just like being retired, but with a larger paycheck.

Today is ANZAC day.  It's being celebrated in New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Turkey, Belgium, England, and at Sandakar on Borneo.  This is the day on which Australia and New Zealand honor their veterans - both living and dead - and their sacrifices.

In Turkey, too, they remember the sacrifices of their dead.  As British, French, Australian and New Zealand troops landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula, a young Turkish officer (Kemal Ataturk) realized the danger.  In order to buy time for reinforcements to arrive, he ordered the Turkish 57th Regiment to purchase that time with their blood.  The Regiment died in place, but the allies were held to a precarious beachhead from which they would never break out.

There is a very fine song about this.  I heartily recommend it to everyone.  It was written by a Scottish immigrant in Australia and is perhaps the most moving war/anti-war song I've ever heard.  The author of the song likes a version done by June Tabor best, but I don't think her version carries the emotion found in that done by John McDermott or by the song's author - Eric Bogle.

Bogle's performance:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=471-ucVd7o0

This is the version I have on CD:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z_dUOhkygY

John McDermott sang this one:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VktJNNKm3B0&feature=related