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Sue Spitulnik

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Sue Spitulnik

I am a retired grandmother that grew up in western New York State, left for 25 years, and am now back in the area. I happily live with my husband and two cats. I am pro-military, writing, food, family, and quilting. I am con-exercise, insulting commercials, and lack of common sense. I have met some great friends through this website.

Thank You Veterans

I’m sharing the post from the National Day of Calendar about National Yellow Bat Day. It was information I didn’t know. Thank you to all our veterans from any time period. The U.S. might not be perfect, but it sure is a grand country and I am proud to be part of it.

April 21st honors National Yellow Bat Day. On this day in 1967, the 265th Army Security Agency Company (Airborne) with the 101st Airborne Division was activated at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

The official insignia of the 265th is a bat with outstretched wings on a full moon rising with the motto Through the Night below. Symbolically the bat represents mystery and secrecy due to its nocturnal nature, which well describes the intelligence support provided by the Army Security Agency Battalion.

Before deploying, all the military vehicles and equipment were painted with a yellow bat symbol which was clearly visible from a distance and aided in the identification of all unit equipment.

On November 19th of the same year, they were deployed to Vietnam with the designation 265th Radio Research Company (Airborne) to provide intelligence support to the 101st Airborne Division. Arriving a few weeks ahead of the Viet Cong Tet Offensive, they soon learned of the of the North Vietnamese campaign, but few commanders would believe the intelligence.

January 31st on the Vietnamese calendar, Tet, is the celebration of the lunar new year and is considered a most important holiday. During the conflict between North and South Vietnam, there had been a long-standing, informal truce on this day.

General Vo Nguyen Giap, commander of the North Vietnamese, was prepared to ring in the lunar new year with a series of coordinated attacks, to break the informal truce.

Doug Bonnot, who was assigned to the 265th RRC (ABN) Operations NCOIC in the spring of 1970 and author of The Sentinel and the Shooter says,”The offensive would come as a surprise to many but personnel of the 265th RRC (ABN) were manning their sector defensive perimeter of Bien Hoa Air Base, along with the very few small units that believed their intelligence reports, some 12 hours before the Tet Offensive was launched.”

The Viet Cong never breached these positions, and the Battle Flag of D: 275th Viet Cong Battalion hangs in the Sentinel Museum today.

D: 275th VC Bn flag which hangs in the Sentinel Museum. The text reads that their mission is to liberate the citizens of Long Binh and Bien Hoa.

The Sentinel Museum is a traveling museum which is designed to provide insight into the Vietnam conflict and awareness of the contributions of the 265th Radio Research Company. The 265th’s activities were highly classified, and the sacrifices of these honorable men cloaked in secrecy until decades after the end of the war. Even today the general public is unaware of these men who worked in the shadows providing silent and ceaseless support to the infantry soldier during the Vietnam War.  The Yellow Bat is a symbol of their secrecy and their service, through the night.

HISTORY

National Yellow Bat Day was submitted by Doug Bonnot, President of the Sentinel Chapter of the 101st Airborne Association. He and the chapter members are all 265th RRC (ABN) personnel. The Registrar at National Day Calendar approved the day in 2016.  For more information on National Yellow Bat Day or the Sentinel Chapter of the 101st Airborne Association, please write to Sentinel Chapter, PO Box 205, Telford, TN 37690.

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No Thank You

It’s National Lima Bean Respect Day. In my opinion, they need a day to demand respect. I eat most anything, but lima beans are at the bottom of my list, and I avoid them if possible. They are that childhood vegetable that would keep me sitting at the table for hours because I wouldn’t eat just three.

According to the National Day of Calendar, lima beans are an excellent source of protein, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc.  They can increase energy levels by helping to restore more iron.  Most of us tried them as a child and didn’t like them.  They advise it’s time to give them a second chance as adults.  They can be delicious in soups, stews, salads, casseroles, by themselves or mixed with other vegetables.

I have to admit, as a child, I didn’t like the texture of lima beans as I chewed them. They were gritty and made my teeth squeak. Now I will eat them in soup or a package of mixed vegetables and pretend they aren’t there. If they are such a healthy food, maybe I should give them a real chance to change my opinion by trying them with nothing else, and an open mind. Well, maybe not. Some parts of me haven’t matured enough to go that route.

It just hit me, if there is a day of respect for them, I must not be the only one that doesn’t like them. That makes me feel better. If you like lima beans I’ll give my respect to you.

 

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Get The Clothespins

It’s National Hanging out day. The title got me. I expected to have to explain spending time doing nothing with a friend. Instead, I get to remember how my mother taught me how to hang out the laundry.

We had two clothes lines in our back yard when I was growing up. One ran from the barn to the back of the house and the other from the back of the house to the corner of the side porch. Underwear was always hung on the latter one so it couldn’t be seen from the street or the parking lot next door. Underwear was still unmentionables in the ’50’s and ’60’s. The other line was for sheets, towels, and regular clothing. That line also got more sunshine. Sheets hung  in the sun and breeze felt and smelled good when you put them back on the bed, but they were stiff.

I can say if I hung laundry like the picture shows I would have been reprimanded. We had a clothespin bag you could hang over the line by its hook and push it along as you took out a pin. If hanging wash cloths, you would secure the corner of two wash cloths under one pin, pull the cloth our straight, then add another. If all the wash hung in one layer it would dry faster. I liked the snap clothespins better than the push on type. You youngsters might have to google images of clothespins to see the difference.

My sisters still have clothes lines. They live on “back” roads outside of their respective towns. I live in the city suburbs and have heard the town frowns on clothes hanging out.  I have some neighbors that do it, all over the age of 75. I have succumbed to the easy way of laundry, the clean wet clothes and sheets go right into the dryer that sits next to the washer. They don’t smell fresh when they are dry, just hot. And no, I don’t use scented dryer sheets like you might suggest because I’m not into chemical fake smells. Some parts of me are pretty fussy.

When my son was an infant I used cloth diapers (Jeez, I’m old!) and we didn’t have a dryer. I would hang those diapers out in the wind, freezing temperatures and standing in the snow. He was born in February. When I would take them inside they would be frozen stiff, but when they thawed out, naturally, I would shake them, smell the freshness, and fold them with love. It was a good time in my life. Pampers or Huggies were available in the early ’70’s, but were only used on vacation or for the babysitter. How times have changed.

When I go for a drive and see laundry hanging out, I admire the person that took the time to do it and remember my younger years.

 

 

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Taken for Granted

stIt’s National Lineman Appreciation Day. After the recent windstorm in western New York and other states to the west of us, this day means a little more. Turning a light on, or the TV, and knowing they are going to work shouldn’t be taken for granted, though I know I am guilty of just that. We expect our power to work at all times, thinking little of how it actually gets to our homes.

“Regardless of the source, the electricity has to be transported by employing transformers and other equipment. Due to the dangerous conditions power poses, safety is of utmost importance for both the lineman and the consumer. When mother nature destroys what our linemen have built up, they are on call to build it back up again as quickly as possible. Even when there is no crisis, they work under dangerous conditions on a daily basis. Whether they are working in trenches, near water or on high towers, the risks are extreme.” (borrowed from the National Day of Calendar)

The windstorm I mentioned above was predicted to have 50 mph winds, but we had gusts over 95 mph which did more damage than expected. Lineman came to help “get the power back on” from many different states and Canada in 20 degree weather. We owe them a big thank you. It was pointed out on the news that they couldn’t work until the downed trees were moved out of their way, which they weren’t allowed to do. For some homes it was a three to five-day wait. And believe me, when the lights came back on, and the heat, people were mighty thankful. We were lucky, our power didn’t go out.

Last week a cat in our local area climbed a power pole and was sitting on top amongst all the wires. The owner called the power company to come rescue her pet and was told it was too dangerous to attempt. That should give a good indication of how dangerous a job these people do. After three days, the cat came down on his own, in the secrecy and quiet of night. It was quite the news story.

Here I sit in front of my computer thinking about the electricity that runs it. I appreciate the linemen that keep my power on.

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Write It Yourself

Today is National Haiku Poetry Day. Haiku poetry is a form of Japanese poetry that is non-rhyming and normally consists of 3 lines with a syllable pattern of 5-7-5.  Haiku poems are usually inspired by an element of nature, a season, a moment of beauty or an individual experience or event.  Sensory language is used to capture a feeling or image. A famous example follows.

              From Haiku: This Other World
              Richard Wright (1908-1960)

                        Whitecaps on the bay:
                        A broken signboard banging
                        In the April wind.

As soon as I read those three lines I could feel the wind blowing, hear the sign banging against a building and see the churning waters in the bay. I almost went to get a sweater.

Now I’ll try a couple;

Easter dinner ham

Baskets full of chocolate

Children run and laugh

 

Daffodils yellow

Green leaves bursting forth on trees

Rain blowing sideways

 

 Not quite the same quality of Mr. Wright, but you get the picture. It isn’t difficult. The key is to activate the five senses and stick with the syllable count. You try it.

I’m going to a poetry reading class tonight. The description said it was for  people who don’t have time to belong to a formal book club. My ulterior motive is to meet the teacher, a lady my Veteran’s writing group would like to have speak. I’m sure it will be a beneficial evening. Maybe my Haiku will improve.

 

 

 

 

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I Know You’re Mad at United but… (Thoughts from a Pilot Wife About Flight 3411)

Always good to hear both sides of the story, and get the facts. Fly United.

The Pilot Wife Life's avatarThe Pilot Wife Life

If there’s one thing I have learned over the years, it’s that there arealways two sides to every story.

On April 9th, a very unfortunate incident played out on United Flight 3411, the video of which has since gone viral causing a mass social media uprising with an ‘off-with-their-heads’ mentality. I mean, across the board. Fire ’em all and let the gods sort it out later.

Look, I get it. When I first saw the video I was appalled too. To say that it was inflammatory would be putting it mildly. But it was also a situation that was escalated far beyond the boundaries of necessity.

If a federal law enforcement officer asks me to exit a plane, no matter how royally pissed off I am, I’m going to do it and then seek other means of legal reimbursement. True story.

Knowing what I know about airport security, I’m

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