Stan R. Mitchell's Blog, page 58

Some amazing analysis on what should happen to Sgt Bergdahl

The story “We Lost Soldiers in the Hunt for Bergdahl, a Guy Who Walked Off in the Dead of Night” over on the The Daily Beast has gone absolutely viral, as have several similar stories from soldiers who served with him. (Having read many of them, I recommend the one above if you’re just reading one.)

Ignoring the argument of whether it was wise or not to trade for him — that’s too political and heated for me to touch! — the fact is we now have Sgt Bergdahl and we’re going to have to do something with him.

In the military community, the talk has been almost non-stop on what should happen. Frankly, most of it has been over-blown and too passionate, in my opinion.

But an officer I served with made some of the most insanely good commentary I’ve seen yet.

In asking him about Bergdahl, I said, “The evidence against Bergdahl seems pretty stacked, but he deserves the chance to explain what happened. (And I’m glad I don’t have to make the call — five years in captivity would make what should be a pretty simple decision much more difficult.)”

My friend and officer, who I’m choosing not to name, replied with this amazing analysis:

“Seems like a strange cat to begin with. His pops’ whole growing a beard thing suggests the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. But if he deserted, he needs to be held accountable, at least nominally (even if only NJP). Tougher call about all of the VA benefits he would rate as a POW. If he aided and abetted though, he needs to get hammered. That will be a tough case to prove though from an evidentiary standpoint because everyone breaks sooner or later. Tough to draw that line.”

What do the members of Mitchell’s Militia think? Do you agree?

And what do you all think should happen? (If commenting, please keep your comments as tactful and respectful as possible!)

Keep the faith,

Stan R. Mitchell

Oak Ridge, Tenn.

P.S. Please consider subscribing for email alerts of new posts.

 If you enjoy fast-paced books, you just might like my works. “Sold Out” tracks the life of a legendary Marine Sniper after a CIA unit decides to kill him for reasons of national security. “Little Man, and the Dixon County War” tells the uphill fight a young deputy faces after finding himself in the sights of a mighty cattle baron. And “Soldier On,” a short novel, follows the lives of several German soldiers in a depleted infantry company trying to make it through the final, miserable months of World War II.

I will no longer feel guilty for my Diet Coke addiction

I came across some new information recently that makes me feel a little better about my addiction to Diet Coke…

I found this research as part of my never-ending search on the safety of drinking it, since I’ll probably never be strong enough to drop the stuff — see Diet Coke, Guilt, and the Taliban for a hilarious discussion on my (and other’s) thoughts on the matter.

It turns out that the European Food Safety Authority is now saying that “A 150-pound woman could drink twenty 12-ounce cans of diet soda a day without exceeding the safety threshold for the artificial sweetener.”

Story here: We’ve Got Good News for Diet Soda Drinkers.

Honestly, I trust the European Food Safety Authority more than I trust our own FDA. And, as the article points out, the safety of aspartame has also been OK’d by the the American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association, and the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

I also spent some time today re-reading what the Mayo Clinic says about aspartame, as well as what the the Beverage Institute for Health & Wellness proclaims — yes, I know who all is involved in that organization…

At any rate, after probably two years of fretting about my Diet Coke addiction, I’ve decided I’m going to stop feeling so guilty or searching for an alternative. I have read probably 50 websites that go on and on about how dangerous it is for you, and I’m certainly not arguing that it’s good for you, but I’m no longer going to buy into the fears.

Just a couple hundred years ago, you could literally starve to death in this country. And I’m thinking back then, you probably didn’t fret if you lacked a balanced diet and had to eat potatoes every day.

And probably back then, you didn’t worry if your water had been purified a half-dozen times.

I’m not saying to be an ignorant oaf in this day and age, but I am saying that we’ve allowed anxiety and fear to completely dominate our lives. And I’m officially done with it. (At least until the next absurd facebook post comes up talking about how you can use coke to scrub off rust or something stupid… Nah, I’m done with that, too. Especially after reading this article…)

Keep the faith,

Stan R. Mitchell

Oak Ridge, Tenn.

P.S. Please consider subscribing for email alerts of new posts.

 If you enjoy fast-paced books, you just might like my works. “Sold Out” tracks the life of a legendary Marine Sniper after a CIA unit decides to kill him for reasons of national security. “Little Man, and the Dixon County War” tells the uphill fight a young deputy faces after finding himself in the sights of a mighty cattle baron. And “Soldier On,” a short novel, follows the lives of several German soldiers in a depleted infantry company trying to make it through the final, miserable months of World War II.

Solar Roadways?

Now this seems like one of the biggest ideas I’ve ever come across.

What do you all think? (Hat Tip, Kelly Callison.)

Keep the faith,

Stan R. Mitchell

Oak Ridge, Tenn.

P.S. Please consider subscribing for email alerts of new posts.

 If you enjoy fast-paced books, you just might like my works. “Sold Out” tracks the life of a legendary Marine Sniper after a CIA unit decides to kill him for reasons of national security. “Little Man, and the Dixon County War” tells the uphill fight a young deputy faces after finding himself in the sights of a mighty cattle baron. And “Soldier On,” a short novel, follows the lives of several German soldiers in a depleted infantry company trying to make it through the final, miserable months of World War II.

Police officer buys bed, TV, Wii for teen

Good evening, members of Mitchell’s Militia!

Just a reminder that while the world has overwhelming problems that can make you throw up your hands and surrender, there are also things you can do in your own community to completely change someone’s life.

Take this story, as an example.

Police officer buys bed, TV, Wii for teen.

Read it, be inspired, and do a good deed this weekend. (Even a card or letter or visit to a loved one.)

Keep the faith,

Stan R. Mitchell

Oak Ridge, Tenn.

P.S. Please consider subscribing for email alerts of new posts.

If you enjoy fast-paced books, you just might like my works. “Sold Out” tracks the life of a legendary Marine Sniper after a CIA unit decides to kill him for reasons of national security. “Little Man, and the Dixon County War” tells the uphill fight a young deputy faces after finding himself in the sights of a mighty cattle baron. And “Soldier On,” a short novel, follows the lives of several German soldiers in a depleted infantry company trying to make it through the final, miserable months of World War II.

Some pretty big news, and a big thanks to my supporters

So, members of Mitchell’s Militia. I’m kind of on Cloud 9 right now and I felt like I had to share it since you guys are completely the reason for it — and for some reason are tagging along with me on this journey.

Just a bit ago, I was getting in some much needed relaxing, and doing some kung fu before planning to get back on editing “Mexican Heat.”

And I had stopped to check my sales for the day — I do this way too much — and noticed my sales had jumped up a bit today. Immediately, like all newbie authors, I decided to check Amazon to see how high my ranking had climbed.

Unbelievably, “Sold Out” was at the following in its two listed genres:

#78 in the Top 100 in the Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Suspense > Political.
#89 in the Top 100 in the Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Political.

Can you believe that?! (Click this link here to see, if you look fast enough — they change hourly.)

I’m in the Top 100 of the same list that includes Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, Tom Clancy, Nelson Demille, Scott Turow, and others.

And I’m somehow in that list with no marketing support, no nationwide distribution, no big shot editor, no major publishing house behind me.

Without question, the only reason I’m there is because of you guys, so I just wanted to say thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!

Thanks for following me. Thanks for encouraging me. Thanks for telling folks about me.

I know I won’t stay in that list for long — I don’t have enough reviews, name recognition, etc.– but for right now, I’m about as pumped as a man can get!

Keep the faith,

Stan R. Mitchell

Oak Ridge, Tenn.

P.S. If you enjoy fast-paced books, you just might like my works. “Sold Out” tracks the life of a legendary Marine Sniper after a CIA unit decides to kill him for reasons of national security. “Little Man, and the Dixon County War” tells the uphill fight a young deputy faces after surviving three years of war only to find himself in the sights of a mighty cattle baron. And “Soldier On,” a short novel, follows the lives of several German soldiers in a depleted infantry company trying to make it through the final, miserable months of World War II.

Marine Corps named most prestigious branch of service in America

So, distinguished members of Mitchell’s Militia…

It appears the Marine Corps has once again earned a noteworthy ranking…

No, this time, the Marine Corps was not ranked the worst branch to join… (See: Marine Corps ranked worst service branch to join, and I love it.)

Rather, it was named the most prestigious.

Seriously, make sure you check out this story. It’s really interesting, especially how the Navy is perceived. And this isn’t some recent survey that just started a few years ago. Instead, it’s been going since the 1940s.

Let me know your thoughts below, and have a great night! (Hat tip, Old Gyrene.)

Stan R. Mitchell

Oak Ridge, Tenn.

P.S. If you enjoy fast-paced books, you just might like my works. “Sold Out” tracks the life of a legendary Marine Sniper after a CIA unit decides to kill him for reasons of national security. “Little Man, and the Dixon County War” tells the uphill fight a young deputy faces after surviving three years of war only to find himself in the sights of a mighty cattle baron. And “Soldier On,” a short novel, follows the lives of several German soldiers in a depleted infantry company trying to make it through the final, miserable months of World War II.

Ten lessons about life and staying motivated from a U.S. Navy Seal

Good evening, members of Mitchell’s Militia!!!

(Hey, don’t blame me on the name! I told Danah we needed a name for all the awesome supporters and friends that I had and she threw that one out after thinking on it a bit. If you’ve got a better one, post it below. But until there’s a better one, we’re going with Mitchell’s Militia!)

Anyway, two quick things on this stormy Thursday night here in Oak Ridge.

First, “Sold Out” landed an awesome review today, which totally made my day. Here’s the review:

“Just finished another action packed book by Stan R. Mitchell. I loved it but my wife hated it, said I paid more attention to the book than I did to her. Stan has a knack for grabbing the reader’s interest from the very first paragraph and feeding it with every succeeding paragraph. The author obviously does his homework before putting pen to paper; his descriptions of the training, duties, chain of command, armament, and the special mental make up of the men and woman of the military, federal, state, and municipal law enforcement agencies are dead on. I spent over 23 years in the U. S. Coast Guard, primarily as a personnel and administrative officer and was known for my ability to draft clearly written communications concerning complex subjects in a clear, concise manner. Stan does the same in his writing and his characters and story lines come alive without the use of extraneous verbiage.” – Bill RaVell

Thanks, Bill, for the review, and if you haven’t bought “Sold Out,” now’s a great time. It’s sequel “Mexican Heat” will be out in a bit more than a month, so there’s time to read it and be ready for Book 2. (And if you have read “Sold Out” and enjoyed it, please consider dropping a review and telling others about it. Believe me, the reviews are worth their weight in gold and they help tremendously!)

Second, I wanted to share this amazing video with you all.

It’s a commencement speech by a Navy Seal/Admiral, and it has tons of motivation, tons of wisdom, and describes how Navy Seal training relates to life and trying to change the world. It’s truly an inspiring and moving speech, and the ten lessons he covers are priceless, so make sure you save it to watch some other time if you can’t get to it now.

My suggestion: Start it while you clean and organize a bit in the room you’re currently in. (Oh, you think I can’t see that stack of books, those piles of papers, and the dust on those shelves? Get to it, bootcamper, before you end up doing push ups until you pass out.)

And with that, I’ll leave you with the video:

(Hat tip, CPL Beddoe)

Stan R. Mitchell

Oak Ridge, Tenn.

P.S. If you enjoy fast-paced books, you just might like my works. “Sold Out” tracks the life of a legendary Marine Sniper after a CIA unit decides to kill him for reasons of national security. “Little Man, and the Dixon County War” tells the uphill fight a young deputy faces after surviving three years of war only to find himself in the sights of a mighty cattle baron. And “Soldier On,” a short novel, follows the lives of several German soldiers in a depleted infantry company trying to make it through the final, miserable months of World War II.

Don’t bet against America

Some days, I read and watch too much news.

Or stand and talk too long to some crotchety, old man bellowing about how things used to be.

Or maybe I sit and reflect unnecessarily on how our political parties have brewed hatred, hatched controversy, and ripped us apart as a country.

And on the days that I do too much of any of these things, I begin to worry.

But then I come across a video like the one below. And I see how amazing we are as a country. And I remember how we always pull together and form a united front when we’re attacked or forced to confront a problem.

And that’s when I take a deep breath and smile. And I’m betting that you’ll do the same, if you’ll ignore the news, the crotchety old man, and your own anger at the opposing party for just a few mins as you watch the video below.

Watch what happens when three random people (who don’t even know each other) cross paths and create some pretty serious magic…

(Besides the national security/future of America point, there’s also a lesson in dreaming and relaxing in this video. There are literally people trying to track down these guys for a possible record deal. So, stop thinking you can’t – or stop planning so much — and loosen up, relax, and make something happen!)

Stan R. Mitchell

Oak Ridge, Tenn.

P.S. If you enjoy fast-paced books, you just might like my works. “Sold Out” tracks the life of a legendary Marine Sniper after a CIA unit decides to kill him for reasons of national security. “Little Man, and the Dixon County War” tells the uphill fight a young deputy faces after surviving three years of war only to find himself in the sights of a mighty cattle baron. And “Soldier On,” a short novel, follows the lives of several German soldiers in a depleted infantry company trying to make it through the final, miserable months of World War II.

Were Americans truly against the Vietnam War toward the end, or has history been rewritten by the victors?

Could it be that we teach our Vietnam history wrong?

That’s a question I’ve been mulling over after a recent email conversation with a Vietnam vet, who went back for a second tour late in the war.

He wrote me a couple of months back, introducing himself and making a comment about a past article I wrote. He mentioned in the introduction of his email that he had served in Vietnam as a Marine and returned for a second tour from November 1970 to June 1971. It was just a side comment of a broader email, but I was really curious why someone would return so late in the war.

I asked him: “So tell me, in ’71 — as they teach history these days — it seemed clear that America was headed out of Vietnam and the public was completely against the war. Was it that clear back then when you returned for your second tour? Or has the 10,000 foot look back at history tinged how it really was and it wasn’t until more like ’72 that things were so clear (for the American public)?”

His reply blew me away and I begged him to let me share it on my site. He has authorized me to post it as long as I protect his identity. Here is his answer:

“As they say, the victors get to write the history. In this case, the ultimate victors were the tiny minority of leftist radicals in the media and in the Democratic party.

“We knew in ’71 that we were going to continue to draw down the numbers of Americans in country, but would continue to provide Naval Gunfire and aerial support. We would also keep advisors and special ops types of folks active.

“General Abrams had replaced General Westmoreland as MACV (Military Assistance Command, Vietnam) Commander and was making real improvements in overcoming the horrendous World War II tactics we had been forced to use. Abrams reinstituted the “CAC” (Combined Action Company) approach first advocated by General Lew Walt and we were seeing real results. My platoon had an RVN (Republic of Vietnam) platoon (Regular army, not militia) we buddied up with for patrols and operations. This was a great concept. Most of us spoke a few words of Vietnamese, but they always had several people who were fluent in English (and French). It helped both of us do a much better job.

“As far as the on-going lie that ”the majority’ of Americans were against the war — not true. Never was true. A clear example of telling a lie often enough that it becomes ‘fact.’ Keep in mind that in 1972, Nixon won re-election by taking 49 states, and he was the one in charge of the on-going war. Hell, McGovern couldn’t even win his own state (South Dakota), and only managed to grab the very liberal state of Massachusetts.

“The really big point about the ’72 election is that McGovern was the ‘Peace’ candidate — vowing to end the war in Vietnam even if he had to “crawl on his knees to Hanoi” to make it happen.

“Nixon was the ‘Peace with honor’ guy, vowing to end the war but keep our allies safe. The 49-1 thumping in the presidential election was an indisputable statement of how the people of American really felt about the war. It wasn’t “popular,” and neither has any other war been — but it did have the support of the vast majority of people.

“Every survey through about 1973/74 showed a clear majority of Americans supporting what we were doing in Vietnam. They were a ‘protected entity’ of SEATO and we were a member nation. The North (and CHICOMS and Russians and North Koreans) had clearly invaded the South and we were meeting our treaty obligation to help defend against the invasion. We — and about 12-15 other nations.

“The RVN government was pretty screwed up (by our standards), but quite good compared to most of the rest of the world. During WW II, the Japanese did a thorough job of slaughtering any emergent leaders and the French had been screwing things up for about a century. Even though they had been a nation for thousands (yes, thousands) of years, they were having a hard time of it trying to quit being a colony and start being a nation. Their politics (and politicians) were about as mucked up as Hogan’s Goat.

“The much maligned ‘Domino Theory’ was proven to be true after the downfall of Nixon and the subsequent cutting off of funds to the RVN’s by the ‘Watergate Congress’ (93rd or 94th). The NVA blitzkrieged over the RVN’s in their communist bloc armor, the South fell, and the only stabilizing influence in the region (that would be us) was gone. The subsequent massacre of millions throughout SE Asia by the NVA, Pol Pot over in Cambodia, and various warlords in the remote areas created a void that may never be filled.

“Lewis Sorley wrote about the best account of the latter years of the conflict in “A Better War’. He pulls no punches, but demonstrates clearly how close we were to finishing the job over there.”

So, having not lived in that time, I’d love to hear from some of you on how you perceive it. I really want to especially here from those who lived and experienced the war and its ending, not just those like me who are forced to look back on it through the way it’s taught in history.

Was there still pretty solid support (in your opinion) for the Vietnam War in 1971 and 1972?

Have the “victors” rewritten history and altered it for the younger generations such as myself who only know of it through books, movies, and historical accounts on TV?

Love to get some good feedback on this.

Stan R. Mitchell

Oak Ridge, Tenn.

P.S. If you enjoy fast-paced books, you just might like my works. “Sold Out” tracks the life of a legendary Marine Sniper after a CIA unit decides to kill him for reasons of national security. “Little Man, and the Dixon County War” tells the uphill fight a young deputy faces after surviving three years of war only to find himself in the sights of a mighty cattle baron. And “Soldier On,” a short novel, follows the lives of several German soldiers in a depleted infantry company trying to make it through the final, miserable months of World War II.

A Fan Asked Mike Rowe For Life Advice… His Response is Perfect

There’s a lot of wisdom in this…

A Fan Asked Mike Rowe For Life Advice… His Response is Perfect.

Stan R. Mitchell

Oak Ridge, Tenn.

P.S. If you enjoy fast-paced books, you just might like my works. “Sold Out” tracks the life of a legendary Marine Sniper after a CIA unit decides to kill him for reasons of national security. “Little Man, and the Dixon County War” tells the uphill fight a young deputy faces after surviving three years of war only to find himself in the sights of a mighty cattle baron. And “Soldier On,” a short novel, follows the lives of several German soldiers in a depleted infantry company trying to make it through the final, miserable months of World War II.