Robert Gutierrez Jr

"I've seen those types of injuries before and time isn't your friend," said Staff Sgt. Robert Gutierrez Jr. "I thought, I have three minutes before I'm going to die. I've got to do something big. Based on that time frame, I'm going to change the world in three minutes."

With a softball size hole in his back, broken ribs and shoulder, a collapsing lung, and losing five pints of blood, Gutierrez stayed on the radio, calling in close air support. His actions are credited with saving the lives of his team. He survived, and is being awarded the Air Force Cross for "extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship, and aggressiveness in the face of the enemy."

Dice

In tonight's replay of Bussaco: Ney's Assault, Josh said "This game convinces me that you do black magic on your dice." That probably implies that Josh is a better player than I am, as with the assistance of dice wizardry I won 7:4 (and if Josh had had one more turn, it would have been 7:5), whereas on the previous game, Josh whipped me 7:2.

Shooting

Josh and I got a shooting lesson tonight at A&P Arms. We each fired at 5 yards, 10 yards and 15 yards with a H&K 9mm. Josh had all but two of his rounds within the red circle, and those two were less than an inch out. My fire was a little more widespread; I'm having a hard time with the "left eye dominant" and "focus on the front sight, not the target" part. More practice...

Hazards of Intergenerational Discussion

Overheard phone conversation this evening.

Grandmother: Josh, just be sure to take this relationship slowly.

Josh: How long were you dating Granddaddy before he proposed? It was a week, wasn't it? And how long were you engaged?

Grandmother: It was six months. But actually I just found out from your great grandmother that they got engaged three weeks after they met, and married three months later.

Josh: So, what I'm hearing is, you want me to take it slowly, and I've been dating Gwen for longer than you AND Mema were dating AND engaged, combined, total?

Traits

Josh to Diana: "Have you noticed that sometimes when you say something, Dad and I both look at you....both look at each other...both raise an eyebrow...and both look at you again?"

Note to self

Do not store kayak face up and uncovered when it is going to be raining for five days.

Bussaco

The latest battle report is at Battle Honors.