46 Comments
User's avatar
M. Thompson's avatar

100% all the way. Be ready, until the end of your life.

Paul Morgan's avatar

Not quite 100% for me. I would have been on the side of the native Indians, to whom the colonists behaved no better than the Brits behaved to them.

Jetcal1's avatar

Lord De La Warr would like a word with you.

Bear's avatar

The natives killed every white man. Colonist or Red coat and would not spare you.

John of Argghhh!'s avatar

This is where I brag that I had a direct-line family member with Roger's Rangers at Louisbourg. That, and $8 will get me coffee at Starbucks. Reflected glory, 8 times removed! I do have a Georgian sword, though. And a cannon.

Alan Gideon's avatar

I admit to envying you for your cannon. When I was going to grad school in Massachusetts, a neighbor (presumed re-enactor with the Bedford Minutemen) had the whole kit loaded on a trailer at his house. I was up to my eyeballs with 3D calculus in the imaginary plane (a hydrodynamics thing) and didn’t investigate. Missed opportunity. Here’s hoping his group has fun with Battle Road 250.

Alan Gideon's avatar

Good job on placement, guarding the approaches to the house. Although, with the number of untrained crew you may be limited to (family and neighbors), you might want to consider a swivel platform, a la later 19th century shipboard secondary batteries. No criticism, just a thought. Three of your flags are easily read, but the one with the skull and crossbones and fleur-de-lis (?) is one I’m not familiar with. Would you please explain?

John of Argghhh!'s avatar

The flag is that of the "Veteran Exempts."

As a third generation artilleryman, I'm sure the faculty at Fort Sill is relieved that their training "took!"

Heck, I can still construct a firing chart, work a MET, derive a GFT setting and compute firing data. 😀

And I have a couple of stands of grape as well as canister on-hand.

Alan Gideon's avatar

I think you have just pointed me toward my new 2nd favorite flag, following only the U.S. flag. Veteran Exempts, indeed! Particularly apropos for this particular Fullbore Friday, in spirit if not in actual fact. I also have to commend your choice of ammunition, sir. You also have the advantage of defining pre-sighted targets.

Edit: BTW, one of my grandfathers was stationed at Ft. Sill during WWI, as a mule team driver hauling field artillery and/or ammunition around the fort.

Boat Guy's avatar

Third generation RedLeg as well. AND descended from a Massachusetts Minute Man who was called out on 19 April 1775, 24 year old farmer, wife and two kids.

Funny was just talking "Call for Fire" with a colleague yesterday.

John of Argghhh!'s avatar

Of course, the real problem these days, is the Lobsterbacks won't come down the road in formation, so gonna need some detcord in the drainage ditches.

Jim Lowder's avatar

I will keep my oath to protect and defend the Constitution as long as I draw breath.

Alan Gideon's avatar

I’ve often said the the same.

Boat Guy's avatar

I don't recall any expiration on it.

John A.'s avatar

A reminder I needed. Thank you.

Alan Gideon's avatar

Out of the entire Revolutionary War, I’ve identified with two men. The first was a direct ancestor, Henry Farnsworth, who left his family on their leased farm to join the Virginia Militia. The second was Sam, especially as I’ve approached his age. There are days when you’ve just gotta do what you’ve gotta do.

Dale Flowers's avatar

I am not much into genealogy, but I have a few cousins who have traced our lot to a lad of 14 who fought in the Revolutionary War. Makes me proud.

Aviation Sceptic's avatar

Talk about Full Bore! This reads like the screenplay for a SCI-FI movie about an immortal alien with regenerative powers. For the times, living to 98 was...highly unusual. Given the state of his body and number of injuries, this is, well, biblical. Something tells me "Rest in peace" in the hereafter is unlikely for this gentleman, unless he consciously chooses to be "peaceful".

Kamas716's avatar

I'd just appreciate it if they made a historical movie that actually reflected real history instead of altering events while race/gender swapping those involved. We finally got a couple of movies/TV shows about Bass Reeves, though I haven't seen the series yet. There's supposed to be a movie about Robert Smalls (slave who stole a confederate ship and ferried Union soldiers along the east coast) coming out at some point, but I haven't seen anything in years.

John in Indy's avatar

N.B. The 47th Regiment of Foot was otherwise known as the Black Watch, a crack Scots Regiment. He was standing against their best.

John in Indy

Britannicus's avatar

Aye. The picture should show them attired in kilts.

Britannicus's avatar

(Not strictly accurate, John, but close enough!)

John in Indy's avatar

Mea Culpa. Mea Maxima Culpa.

It was the 42nd Regiment of Foot that was the Black Watch.

The 47th was the Lancashire Regiment. But they were also a solid Regiment with a long history.

Simon Tanner's avatar

That’s inspiring, archived!

Nichevo's avatar

That was when the old gentleman came along, the colonel, who had first been under fire in the Boer War and who had survived three wounds at Arras and the Somme. He was the only civilian in sight; such of the other inhabitants of Playden who had not fled before the parachutists were sitting apprehensively in cellars and kitchens. But the colonel walked boldly along. The empty sleeve showed that he was only a crippled noncombatant; his remaining hand was in the side pocket of his tweed coat. And running through his mind was Churchill’s phrase, ‘You can always take one with you.’

The keen blue eyes recognized the command car and the general with the Iron Cross under his chin. The old Mauser pistol, which had been his mascot on the Somme, had three rounds still in the magazine — thirty years old, but when he pulled out the pistol and pressed the trigger, they did their work. The young general fell headfirst out of the command car, tumbling to the road with a look of surprise still on his face, and the colonel fell four yards away from him, riddled by bursts from the pistols of the general’s infuriated staff.

From "If Hitler Had Invaded England," in Gold from Crete by C.S. Forester

Sicinnus's avatar

Worthy of the Pile of Brass with Oak Leaves award. Full bore indeed!

campbell's avatar

Fullbore to the nth degree. JOHN 15:13 applicable here; as was the original quote regarding another Friday.

billrla's avatar

The book, "Paul Revere's Ride," By David Hackett Fischer, is an excellent account of what happened immediately prior to and during the Battle of Lexington and Concord. One of the pages on my website features an historical image of the famous battle, in reference to our nation's culture of civilian ownership and training (of the lawful and responsible kind) with firearms.

Palmer Brown's avatar

At age 88 I guess I'm not too old to be of value to my Corps and country.

LAGrant53's avatar

Holy cr@p! He must've been made of old boot leather and bad attitude!

I would be proud to be related or to serve with him!