WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE PARRIS (ISLAND): According to Military.com, the Marine Corps is studying the possibility of closing its Recruit Depots at Parris Island, SC and San Diego and opening a new coed boot camp somewhere else. Why close the storied Parris Island and the (somewhat less storied) facility affectionately known to some as “M-CRuD” San Diego? Parris Island is said to be somewhat susceptible to hurricanes (despite managing not to blow away in the 130 years or so it’s been around.) And the San Diego boot camp is not big enough for all the training needed, so recruits need to travel to nearby Camp Pendleton for some of their training. Still, building a whole new base seems like a drastic step. Part of the motivation for considering it, is congressional direction to ensure gender-integrated training in the Corps. One person who shudders at the thought of shuttering Parris Island is Senator Lindsey Graham (R, SC) who tweeted: “It ain’t gonna happen! If you’re looking to save money – let’s start with cutting those people who think closing Parris Island is a good idea.”
TOP RUN: There is a long tradition of former military personnel who are running for political office, dropping subtle hints about their past service in campaign ads. No one would call an online advertisement posted by a group of Texas Republicans running for congressional seats “subtle,” however. The participants themselves describe it as the “Greatest Joint Campaign Ad in History.” It stars incumbent Congressman Dan Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL who is up for reelection. The nearly four-minute-long minute video (officially titled: “Texas: Reloaded”) starts with Crenshaw parachuting out of an airplane. He meets with Wesley Hunt, a former Army helicopter pilot who is running for another Texas congressional seat. Then they hook up with August Pfluger, a former Air Force F-22 pilot and NSC adviser, and then enlist former Navy Master Chief Tony Gonzales, described as a cyber warfare expert. They are joined by two female candidates who are not veterans but, the video hints they could kick your butt in hand-to-hand fighting. There are lots of special effects, explosions, zooming aircraft and the like. The participants strut and pose. A couple times (very briefly) the words: Making less of an appearance is the disclaimer at the end saying: “Use of military rank, job titles, and photographs in uniform does not imply endorsement by the Navy, Army, Air Force, or Department of Defense” which appears in very small type on the bottom of the screen.
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