Liota

Chris & Eric, I only wish you guys were the "ordering authority" I needed. This is the one time where the folks paying the bills have virtually no say in how their money is spent. Merry Christmas, Eric! Liota

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light, I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight. My wife was asleep, her head on my chest, My daughter beside me, angelic in rest. Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white, Transforming the yard to a winter delight. The sparkling lights in the tree I believe, Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve. My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep, Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep. In perfect contentment, or so it would seem, So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream. The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near, But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear. Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow. My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear, And I crept to the door just to see who was near. Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night, A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight. A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old, Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold. Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled, Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child. "What are you doing?" I asked without fear, "Come in this moment, it's freezing out here! Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve, You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!" For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift, Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts.. To the window that danced with a warm fire's light Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right, I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night" "It's my duty to stand at the front of the line, That separates you from the darkest of times. No one had to ask or beg or implore me, I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me. My Gramps died at 'Pearl on a day in December," Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers." My dad stood his watch in the jungles of 'Nam', And now it is my turn and so, here I am. I've not seen my own son in more than a while, But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile. Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag, The red, white, and blue.. an American flag. I can live through the cold and the being alone, Away from my family, my house and my home. I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet, I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat. I can carry the weight of killing another, Or lay down my life with my sister and brother.. Who stand at the front against any and all, To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall." "So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright, Your family is waiting and I'll be all right." "But isn't there something I can do, at the least, "Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast? It seems all too little for all that you've done, For being away from your wife and your son." Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret, "Just tell us you love us, and never forget. To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone, To stand your own watch, no matter how long. For when we come home, either standing or dead, To know you remember we fought and we bled. Is payment enough, and with that we will trust, That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

Matt's and The Burner's videos are both great. Liota

Orders to home.

It's a standard Operations Security poster. I like it. Eric, as usual, I agree wholeheartedly with you. Pet Zuzu for me. Liota

ZMan, I began competing with a P226 and continued to do so for a couple of years. My advice? (Take it for what it's worth, please.) Keep doing what you're doing, method 1. It is the most reliable. Match stress made me do method 2 on occasion. It was never good. Afterwards, keep the concentration going. After awhile, I missed the SECOND shot, but never the first. Go figure. Liota

.40 became "Heavy Metal" when I tried to lift a case of them off the floor. Yes, I'm a girly-girl. L

Gehntlemen, You all are forgetting that the scoring problem was noticed while the squad was shooting the stage. "first 7 of the 9 shooters only shot 2 shots per target" The competitors should have gotten the MD involved. They knew better, but didn't act accordingly. I don't think NPMs are the "right" answer, even though they may be correct. v/r, Liota

Here is a picture of the roller coaster used in the Texas State 3_Gun Championship this year. The coaster rolled backwards this year. The car debuted last year. It's axles are from a minivan. The car's run time is very consistent. We tried it with all different weights of people and other things. Turned out to be a fun ride. Liota

I can say with authority that riding the roller coaster/train for a stage is a great deal of fun. Coleman Gun Club and San Angelo Gun Club have both used it for matches. At the Coleman 4-H Match, I think the train was the stage most reshot. The match is a fund-raiser for the Coleman 4-H Club, so in the spirit of charity you can reshoot any stage you trashed for $5 per run. Honestly, I think they make the bulk of the money on reshoots. Some because you trashed one. Some because the stage is just too much fun to only do once. L

Ted, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to go routing around in the woods here looking for a rifle, or much of anything else. Liota

Carina, +4,000 to what these guys said. I got strep in college. By the time I went to the ER late one night, they thought I had pneumonia and pleuresy. One shot of penicillin and a two weeks of follow-up oral administration did the trick. The most astounding part of the deal was how much better I felt the first morning after the injection. My throat didn't hurt, head was clear, etc... I felt like a new person. Go to the doc now and get it taken care of. You can do some of the other home remedies in addition to the professional care. There's a lot to be said for the chicken soup, both nutritionally and emotionally when you're sick. Liota

Hitman, Steak is a vegetable. Recycled grass. Liota

Sad thing is I thought I'd seen the joke before. While reading, I thought "Hmmm....I think I'm supposed to say carrot." And there it was. I thought of zucchini before. Bad memories of garden veggies as a kid. Liota

Merlin, I firmly plan on being a greeter at Wally World when I retire. Of course, that's if they'll hire me. Liota

Duh. She's a woman. You guys should know better than to answer any of those questions. They rank right up there with such classics as "Does this dress make me look fat?" & "Honey, don't you think we should have a shelf over there?" One friend of mine got talked into nearly a complete remodel on their home over a similar question. Poor guy. Liota

I'm with Kurt. Benny has delivered three guns (one was his own w/ magazines) and one barrell to me in short order. Can't beat it. I didn't even have to bat my eyelashes. Liota

Lee, What's up with the picture of you in only half a uniform on your profile??? Good Luck! Liota

Was your computer misbehaving? Is that why you decided it was a target stand? Sorry to hear about your poor fingers. That really hurts. Glad to hear it wasn't more serious. Liota

Welcome to the brotherhood! Funny, you started playing this game about a year before I DQ'd myself for the first time. It was a harsh lesson, but apparently I didn't learn it too well. Learned it again about six months later. I can laugh at myself now, but the memories are still somewhat chilling. Luckily, the safety was on and functional both times. Liota

Linda, I need to correct something for you immediately. Most of your military shooters are not reimbursed for shooting matches. They take time off, called Ordinary Leave, to come shoot. They pay their own way, match fees and all. Some put in for what's called Permissive TDY, essentially free time off, but they still pay all expenses. The Army Marksmanship Unit is probably the only military organization that sends its members Temporary Duty (TDY) for a match and pays expenses. The Army can do this because the AMU is a recruiting tool. Lee Dimiculangan can tell you how effective they are at it, too. The Air Force has a Shooting Team, but to my understanding, these are regular AF members who get some of their expenses reimbursed. You'd have to ask Roger Sherman about that. I'm not sure about our Navy and Marine bretheren. v/r, Liota Wakal, TSgt, USAF

Here are a couple of things to think about when you're considering which star to buy. 1. Terry weighs and balances each arm and each plate. 2. The spare springs are included. 3. Other than the head, the Original Texas Star doesn't weigh much. I can pick up and walk with the head. 4. The Original Texas Star comes with variable spring sets. It can be set for .22, full-house open/limited rounds, 12-guage and even cowboy loads. BTW, the SASS clubs love them. 5. Depending on where you live, the Ashtons will deliver. My home club is the Ashtons' home club. We still have the original Original Texas Star. It's nearly 8 years old and still running strong. If you do a search on Texas Star here, you will find a lot of material. Liota

Do a search on Google for Terry and Linda Ashton in San Angelo, TX. Terry invented the Star. He and his wife, Linda, build them. Liota

Thank you! She, ahem, only has recollection of one of those meetings.

Thank you, all of you! Siggy, Korea is fun. I'm really enjoying myself. Okay, except for the lack of A/C right now. That should clear up in a couple of weeks. Henny, you just had a Birthday of a sorts. I'm very happy for you. Liota