My Stuck Storie

Last week I got stuck. I had taken a day off, and decided to head out to an area that had recently burned. I wanted to check it out, as I had never been close to a forest fire.

When we got to the burned area, we found that the only access was via a private road. This was disappointing, as we had just driven over half an hour to get there. We were able to see very little of the 400+ acre burn from the road. Not wanting the trip to be a total loss, I decide to check out a power line trail.

The trail was well packed, and my Jeep easily navigated it. There was the occasional high spot, causing my transfer case skid plate to scrape. I’ve gotten used to scraping my transfer case skid, the factory tires on my Jeep leave much to be desired. A couple hundred yards down the trail we found an area that had been really chewed up, with one hole a couple of feet deep. These weren’t mud holes; they were open holes in hard packed dirt. Knowing I couldn’t navigate further down the trail, I drove off to the side to make a u-turn. Of course, this violates the rules of “Tread Lightly.”

So, I drove on one side of the trail, to a manageable crossing point, and then I drove across the trail to the other side. There was an island of brush that was between the trail and me, so I made an attempt to go around. The grass that I was aiming towards looked stable, and had tracks on it from a previous trail rig. About the time I settled into the tracks, my driver’s side sunk.

I knew right away I had sunk to the frame. My wheels were just spinning, and not throwing any dirt (largely thanks to those previously mentioned factory tires that don’t clean until highway speeds). It didn’t take long for me to survey the area from the driver’s seat, and see there was nothing anywhere near close enough to winch to.

A couple hours of digging, and trying to bury a log to winch off of, lead to a phone call to my fiancé’s mom. None of the truck owners I knew were in town, and none of the tow companies would come get me out.

The next morning I called the guys over at Trail Toyz. The owner is a really nice young guy, and he was pretty disappointed that his rig was out of service. He wanted to come and bail me out. He’s got a Suburban on swampers that would have easily done the job, if not for the missing rear driveline.

I managed to get a pull pal, and the guys at Trail Toyz swear by it. It’s basically a shovel attached to a bar at a 90-degree angle. I know that doesn’t sound like much, but it doesn’t look like much either. When my Pull Pal got out to the trail I sunk the shovel into the ground, hooked up my winch, and pulled myself right out. Everyone with a winch should have one of these things.

My biggest regret is not bringing a camera with me. I buried my Jeep, and don’t have a single picture. Next time, I’ll be sure to have a camera.

Brandon

Vets Check This Out:

Am I done attacking the Arizona Republic and their ass hole cartoonist? Maybe not. But for right now, I’m going to shift gears. I’ve taken a step in protecting myself that all veteran and active service members should take. I’ve placed a fraud alert on my credit report.

It’s a really easy thing to do. It’s a matter of making a phone call to one of the three credit agencies, and showing that you are who you say you are. Then the agency will place a fraud alert on your credit report, and contact the other two agencies to have them do the same. So one phone call covers you for all three agencies.

The reason that I am recommending this is, of course, because the VA allowed some moron to walk off with personal info on thousands of veterans. If you haven’t heard the story yet, it may be time to crawl out from under that rock.

Anyway, the big thing here is that the fraud alert makes it more difficult to get credit under your personal info. Basically, you have to give extra proof of your identity when applying for credit. This is a nuisance for you, but it makes it much harder to illegitimately apply for credit under your name. This is a good thing, because it is likely that someone will soon by trying to rob veterans of their good credit soon.

Here’s the info you need to put a fraud alert on your credit report:

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241

Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742); www.experian.com; P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013

TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; www.transunion.com; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790

If you want more info on what fraud alerts do for you go here:

http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/con_steps.htm#fraud

Brandon

Email to Benson:

You are a deplorable and despicable disgrace to freedom, democracy, and all of the values that Americans hold dear. Your disregard for the impeccable legacy of the Marine Corps is beyond reproach. You have desecrated an emblem whose significance you cannot begin to understand. The legacy of the Eagle, Globe and Anchor is one marked by constant courage, honor, and commitment in the fiercest of battles. It is obvious that someone as self-absorbed as yourself cannot begin to understand what the words honor, courage, and commitment represent. You are too busy looking for ways to further weaken the cause of freedom in the world.

I spent three months of my life in a struggle to attain the symbol that you have so easily defaced. I would spend evenings at boot camp staring at the ceiling, looking for strength to continue another day. I would find that strength in the memory of the many men who had slept under that same ceiling. So many men had gone before me. They had served in some of this Nation’s most intense and deadly battles. Admiral Chester Nimitz had characterized the courage and discipline of the Corps during the battle for Iwo Jima. His words, “Uncommon valor was a common virtue,” are memorialized at the Marine Corps Memorial in Arlington VA. The legacy of the Corps is what makes it the fighting force that it is.

My grandfather was among those that shaped the legacy of the Corps. He served this Nation proudly in the Korean War, and beyond. He was a part of the Marine Corps for sixteen years, and carried the honor of his service with him to the grave this year.

You have disgraced the legacy of the Corps with you mindless actions, just as any Marine that has acted outside of the Articles of War has disgraced the Corps. The only consolation is that you are not brethren of the Corps, but rather a pissed stained coward.

In the case of the Marines who may have brought dishonor onto the Corps at Haditha, they have yet to be indicted. We are a Nation of laws, laws that Marines are sworn to uphold, and within our Nation we are assumed innocent until proven guilty. Just as the media assumed troops were guilty at Abu Gharib and Guantanamo Bay, they have assumed that the Marines at Haditha are guilty.

The fact that you would desecrate a symbol as impeccable as the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor shows that you are worthless to this Nation. The fact that you would paint an organization with such a harrowing history as the Marine Corps with such a broad brush shows that you are mindless in your pursuit to achieve your political goals. You are as mindless as those that would portray all Muslims as terrorists.

I served this Nation proudly and honorably. I placed myself into harms way during Operation Enduring Freedom to insure that Americans can continue to enjoy the freedom that they so often take for granted. I do not ask for recognition of my service. I do not expect gratitude or special considerations. I do, however, expect that those people who did not have the courage to stand in defense of freedom do not desecrate the memory of those who have.

Brandon

The Arizona Republic is a Disgrace

I found this on the blog Grim's Hall. It ran in the Arizona Republic, and there is a link on Grim's blog for sending letters to the disgusting rag. Below is the letter that I sent them. It was a test to not express my feelings further. I'll post a link to Grim's blog so that anyone who passes can express their feelings to the Arizona Republic.

I just saw the cartoon you ran of the Marine Corps Eagle, Globe, and Anchor. Your lack of judgment in publishing such an offensive and un-American cartoon is reprehensible. I spent four years of my life in service to the institution you mock. I gave my blood, sweat, and tears in honorably defending the freedom that you take for granted. Is this how I am rewarded? To have a sniveling coward spit in my face. The emblem that you have chosen to disgrace is the same emblem my late grandfather served under. He answered the call to arms during the Korean War, and continued to serve for sixteen years. He was an honorable man, who was as proud of his service as I am of mine. Now you have disgraced the institution that we hold dear. You have taken the symbol of this Nation’s most elite fighting force and pissed all over it to serve your own anti-American interests. The Marines that stand guard over your freedom today do so on the shoulders of those that have served before them. It is the courage and unwavering discipline of our predecessors that drives us to charge ahead in the face of adversity. It is this legacy that you have disgraced. I would not expect a publication of such low moral courage to understand the meaning of the words honor or discipline, so my attempts to describe the impact of your mindless actions are no doubt in vain. You have shown the bias of your publication, and I’m sure the patriots of your community will forever remember the disgrace that you have brought them.

Brandon

Update: Here is the email for the cock sucker who drew the cartoon; his name is Steve Benson. steve.benson@arizonarepublic.com

Some of What I Have Been Doing...

This is the fire on Elmendorf Air Force Base. It was about 80 Acres.

This shot was taken on the Elmendorf Fire.

This photo is complimets of the Anchorage Daily News. It shows our guys doing structure protection on the big fire out on Point Mackenzie Rd. They were doused with retardent by the tanker.
This is a shot that one of our firefighters took after the big retardant drop from above. It shows the red coloring of the retardant. This fire was about 460 acres.
This is another Anchorage Daily News photo. It shows one of the hot shot crews that was working structure protection. Also in the picture is the flag that was covered in retardant by the tanker. It was given to our firefighters by the landowner and is now hanging in our engine bay. These guys managed to save every defendable structure threated by the fire. Only two structures were lost, and I don't believe they were homes.

Brandon

Back at Work

I’m back to work again. It’s fire season in Alaska, and I’m back to dispatching. The fire season started out well, we had a couple of big fires. Now things have calmed, and slowed down. It’s actually been boring at work for the last few days.

The reserves schedule proved too taxing. They wanted some prime workdays this summer for annual training. I decided not to continue training with them, and turned in my gear the other day. It will be good to keep me less busy during the school year.

I have been putting time and money into my Jeep. I just installed a two-inch spacer lift the other day, and I have a body lift to install on my next days off. Once I get the lifts on, I can order the 33” tires for it.

I’ve done some other mods as well. I‘ve got a winch, and custom bumpers. I hope to post some pictures, but I need to find the cable for my camera. Good thing I have a big memory card in my camera, otherwise I would be out of luck.

I’d better run along, I’ll write more later on.

Brandon