The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner
BY RANDALL JARRELL
From my mother’s sleep I fell into the State,
And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze.
Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life,
I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters.
When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.
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If you were a machine gunner on a B-17 during the second world war, the ball turret was without question, the last place you wanted to be. Conditions were impossibly cramped. Temperatures at altitude were often 40 or 50 below zero. There was no room to move or stretch or turn around, for hours at a time. Sometimes, for many hours.
4,735 B-17’s were shot down during the war, most with crews of ten men. Some survived, but very few in the ball turret did. And yes, those who perished were often washed out with a hose.
Not a pleasant thing to contemplate, but it’s D-Day, and some things shouldn’t be forgotten.
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#dday #sacrifice #neverforget
Are you among the 96,600 people currently being deceived on the FAKE ACCOUNT that claims to me, but isn’t? Even if you’re not, (and I really hope you’re not), I’d be grateful if you’d share this. @tiktok has yet to take action, and people are getting fleeced right and left.
Keep On Ruckin’
I took a few days off this week to relax and unwind with some friends who own a cabin in the mountains, not too far from where the Donner Party got stranded back in 1847 and wound up eating each other. I brought my GoRuck along. What’s a GoRuck? I’m glad you asked.
A GoRuck is a small but extremely sturdy backpack designed to hold heavy weight, like the iron plates you’d find in a gym. According to @Michael_Easter who wrote extensively about rucking in his terrific book, The Comfort Crisis, you can burn a LOT more calories rucking than you can walking or even running. Now, I’m a rucking devotee, having rucked eight miles every day for the last month and losing ten pounds for my trouble.
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#rucking #goruck #hiking, #thecomfortcrisis #explore
Keep On Ruckin’
I took a few days off this week to relax and unwind with some friends who own a cabin in the mountains, not too far from where the Donner Party got stranded back in 1847 and wound up eating each other. I brought my GoRuck along. What’s a GoRuck? I’m glad you asked.
A GoRuck is a small but extremely sturdy backpack designed to hold heavy weight, like the iron plates you’d find in a gym. According to @Michael_Easter who wrote extensively about rucking in his terrific book, The Comfort Crisis, you can burn a LOT more calories rucking than you can walking or even running. Now, I’m a rucking devotee, having rucked eight miles every day for the last month and losing ten pounds for my trouble.
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#rucking #goruck #hiking, #thecomfortcrisis #explore
Keep On Ruckin’
I took a few days off this week to relax and unwind with some friends who own a cabin in the mountains, not too far from where the Donner Party got stranded back in 1847 and wound up eating each other. I brought my GoRuck along. What’s a GoRuck? I’m glad you asked.
A GoRuck is a small but extremely sturdy backpack designed to hold heavy weight, like the iron plates you’d find in a gym. According to @Michael_Easter who wrote extensively about rucking in his terrific book, The Comfort Crisis, you can burn a LOT more calories rucking than you can walking or even running. Now, I’m a rucking devotee, having rucked eight miles every day for the last month and losing ten pounds for my trouble.
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.
#rucking #goruck #hiking, #thecomfortcrisis #explore
Keep On Ruckin’
I took a few days off this week to relax and unwind with some friends who own a cabin in the mountains, not too far from where the Donner Party got stranded back in 1847 and wound up eating each other. I brought my GoRuck along. What’s a GoRuck? I’m glad you asked.
A GoRuck is a small but extremely sturdy backpack designed to hold heavy weight, like the iron plates you’d find in a gym. According to @Michael_Easter who wrote extensively about rucking in his terrific book, The Comfort Crisis, you can burn a LOT more calories rucking than you can walking or even running. Now, I’m a rucking devotee, having rucked eight miles every day for the last month and losing ten pounds for my trouble.
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#rucking #goruck #hiking, #thecomfortcrisis #explore
Dad –
Remember a few years back, when you and mom came to The Lyric to see me do that one man show? (You were sitting in the first box, stage left. Toward the end of the evening, I took some questions from the audience, and somebody asked me about my “big break.” They wanted to know how I had wound up back on the same stage where I used to sing with the Baltimore Opera, thirty years before.
I was flattered by the question and answered it with a story about the time my high school music teacher, Fred King, insisted I audition for the lead role in Oklahoma, way back in 1980. I got the part and that experience was my first big break. The big break that gave me a new level of confidence that allowed me to audition for lots of other things, including a spot in The Baltimore Opera, where my career in show business got started. A career that, on that particular evening, had come full circle.
I was just sitting here at my kitchen table, sipping coffee and watching the fog blow across the bay, when the digital picture frame I keep on the counter landed on this photo. I’m guessing it was Easter, (1974?) and we were on the way to church.
That old photo made me wish I’d given a better answer that night at The Lyric Opera House. A more truthful answer. What I should have said was, “My big break came when that guy over there in the stage-left box, proposed to the woman sitting alongside him, and then persuaded her to start having babies. I was the first to arrive, and ever since, John Rowe has had an arm around my shoulder – guiding me, encouraging me, watching me, and cheering me on. He was my first big break, and in this great lottery called life, he was the best dad anyone could ever have. In fact, he still is.”
Happy Father’s Day.
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#fathersday #dad
Dad –
Remember a few years back, when you and mom came to The Lyric to see me do that one man show? (You were sitting in the first box, stage left. Toward the end of the evening, I took some questions from the audience, and somebody asked me about my “big break.” They wanted to know how I had wound up back on the same stage where I used to sing with the Baltimore Opera, thirty years before.
I was flattered by the question and answered it with a story about the time my high school music teacher, Fred King, insisted I audition for the lead role in Oklahoma, way back in 1980. I got the part and that experience was my first big break. The big break that gave me a new level of confidence that allowed me to audition for lots of other things, including a spot in The Baltimore Opera, where my career in show business got started. A career that, on that particular evening, had come full circle.
I was just sitting here at my kitchen table, sipping coffee and watching the fog blow across the bay, when the digital picture frame I keep on the counter landed on this photo. I’m guessing it was Easter, (1974?) and we were on the way to church.
That old photo made me wish I’d given a better answer that night at The Lyric Opera House. A more truthful answer. What I should have said was, “My big break came when that guy over there in the stage-left box, proposed to the woman sitting alongside him, and then persuaded her to start having babies. I was the first to arrive, and ever since, John Rowe has had an arm around my shoulder – guiding me, encouraging me, watching me, and cheering me on. He was my first big break, and in this great lottery called life, he was the best dad anyone could ever have. In fact, he still is.”
Happy Father’s Day.
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#fathersday #dad
Maybe it’s because it’s a Saturday. Or maybe it’s because I’m in Dallas. Whatever the reason, everybody at DFW seems to be VERY familiar with dirty jobs. I’ve shaken about 50 hands in 15 minutes, but this is my favorite so far. Joe works for Wells Fargo. He’s married to a nice Greek girl called Athena. They have an 11 year old kid who wants to be an electrician. You can learn a lot in an airport… Dallas, Texas
Another ad in need of a caption. Winner gets a signed cap. (Signed by me, for what it’s worth.) Current front runner is “Check out the catch of the day! Now available at knobelspirits.com.” I’m sure somebody can do better. (Otherwise, I’ll be signing my own cap.)
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@knobelwhiskey
#whiskey #winner
I need a caption for this. We’ve tested a couple, but I think there’s a better one out there. Try to keep it clean…
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#knight #whiskey
can’t tell you how important articles like this one are to our efforts at @mikeroweworks. They go a long way in generating more press, which goes a long way in encouraging more applications, more scholarships, and more donations. Big thanks to @salenazito for writing another great piece, to the @washingtonexaminer for having the good taste to run it. And to all of you, for sharing it far and wide. There’s more to come…
Link in bio
@mikeroweworks is pleased to announce the advent of another Review Process, whereby all those who applied for a work ethic scholarship will have their applications duly processed and evaluated. Recipients will be notified in July. Big thanks to my hardworking staff, who will not see the light of day for the next month.
#FlagDay six years ago.
Much has changed.
Much has not.
To celebrate our independence, as well as the spirit of adventure that made our country great, I’m happy to share my conversation with a true American hero. @astro_maker is an engineer, decorated fighter pilot, fierce defender of the skilled trades, and astronaut. He’s also a devoted husband and a loving father who would, if invited, would go to Mars “in a heartbeat.” That’s a year to get there, two weeks on the surface, and a year or so to get back. And still, he’d go…in a heartbeat.
Given all the chatter about the recent dive to the Titanic, and the danger that always accompanies every endeavor, I thought it might time to check in with a man who has assumed more risk in the course of doing his job than most of us can even imagine. I also thought it would be a good opportunity to better understand how we poop in space. You’re welcome.
Link in bio
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#TheWayIHeardIt #podcast #astronaut #pilot #hero
Two hard-working working men sharing a moment in time – a fisherman and a fireman. Two “knobel” spirits, if you will, engaged in two “knobel” trades. I love the fact that these men are sipping my grandfather’s whiskey, and I’m delighted to see they’ve chosen the barrel strength edition. I’d expect no less from a fisherman and a fireman. I also love the modest table upon which the whiskey sits and the glass of ice off to the side, in a quantity that suggests further rounds, and a respect for preparation. When we fail to prepare, we prepare to fail. Anyway, you’re welcome, Brian.
This one’s almost too easy. But go ahead, give me your best.
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#whiskey
“You Can Give Them Your Underpants”
My most recent catch-up with Mom is a doozy. Below is a short, and possibly inappropriate clip. Do with it what you will, check your bloomers, and have a great weekend.
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Link in bio for the whole conversation.
#podcast #TheWayIHeardIt #TWIHI #mom
It was an impossible choice. There were 14,000 suggestions. Thousands were good, hundreds were great, dozens were sublime. In the end, I went with David Wynne’s caption – “A good knight starts with Knobel.” Many others were just as good, but none were better, or simpler, and I had to choose. Honorable mention goes to Joe Dubin. “Lets party like it’s 1499.” It made me laugh out loud, as did many others.
David and Joe will receive an autographed Knobel hat. The rest of you have my thanks for playing along. If the ad makes you thirsty, you may quench it at knobelspirits.com. Link in bio. To say it another way, “This Father’s Day, get your Knight a Knoble.”
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#whiskey #fathersday #congratulations
“Reguflation, and the Right to Try”
My guest today is @akashjc, and he’s the VP of Government Affairs at @americansforprosperity. In other words, Akash has devoted his life to confronting a long list of public policy decisions that have made it exponentially more difficult for a lot of hardworking Americans to prosper. Akash talks eloquently about a number of regulations currently in place, that–combined with inflation—are crippling the very foundation upon which our republic was founded: individuality and the right to try. It’s a great conversation.
Link in bio for the whole thing.
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#TheWayIHeardIt #podcast
America’s Founding Son
@bobcrawfordbass of the @theavettbrothers is definitely a person you should know.
It would be impossible to argue that John Quincy Adams was America’s greatest president. But according to Bob, and many presidential historians, it would be impossible to find a more consequential ex-president. John Quincy Adams is not a founding father – he’s a founding son. He paved the way for Lincoln, and his oratory and unwavering conviction did more to rid America of slavery than any other elected official I can think of. Bob’s enthusiasm for this topic, along with his love of history and music, are infectious.
Link in bio to listen to our whole conversation.
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#TheWayIHeardIt #podcast
Ep. 324 – Bonus Day
If you liked Returning the Favor, you’re gonna love, love, love… @lovehasnolimits . Jedidiah Thurner is a bloody-do-gooder on steroids, and his efforts to transform the foster care system – among other things – are moving the needle in a meaningful way.
This is one of those conversations that will make you feel better about the species, regardless of what you do or don’t do as a result of listening. A great guy, doing great work.
I invite you to listen to my fantastic conversation with Jedidiah.
Link in bio
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#TheWayIHeardIt #podcast
Another preposterously enthusiastic response to a ridiculous meme. Over 12,000 suggestions. So many good ones.
For me, being a diehard fan of Jaws, it was impossible to resist Victoria Robinson’s winning suggestion, as seen below. That line, perfectly delivered by Roy Scheider, was actually improvised, and may be the best line of many excellent lines delivered by an unmatchable cast in a truly magnificent film.
Equally inspired, (and maybe even better,) was Tony O’Rourke’s take on the same line, “We’re gonna need a bigger glass.” Very clever, and very true. But in the end, you can’t beat the original. So, honorable mention goes to Tony.
You’ll both be getting an autographed hat, for what it’s worth. The rest of you, as always, will receive my undying gratitude and affection.
Carry on.
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#whiskey #jaws #congratulations
“We’re Gonna Need Both Bibles”
Bias aside, my mother is delightful as this short video will prove.
Further proof is linked in bio, guaranteed to enhance your Friday. You’re welcome.
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#TheWayIHeardIt #podcast #mom
