Truth Counts

Proof of "Something" "Brigadier General Ali Abdollahi, Commander of the Central Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters, meets with Supreme Leader Khamenei.  The Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters is the executive arm for war within the Iranian military sytem, overseeing major strategic operations and projects." It is doubtful Tehran would release the exact location for any of their leadership. Things tend to go "Boom" shortly afterward.  So I do not count the image below as "Proof of Life". This image is definitely AI-generated. This is a valid image:

  Mother's Day As we approach Mother's Day, take a moment to pray for the many American mothers who wear the cloth of the nation.  I was in their ranks. And my children also made sacrifices when I was on orders. What was not in the category of a sacrifice, was the news received when I returned from Africa. My youngest son informed me that "Daddy let me eat the macaroni and cheese out of the pot while you were gone."  wink  It takes a special woman to consider taking the oath of office if she has children.  It certainly isn't about the pay scale. And surely not about eating a field stripped MRE in extreme heat or within a cold environment.  They are decent.  But after a few days, I could become fixated on something as simple as a taco or a nice cheeseburger.   Many mothers have deployed to combat zones and left their children in the care of a spouse, grandparents, or another relative. It is tough.  Undoubtedly, our Fleet assets currently ...

New York Times Excellent Analysis Take a few minutes of time to watch the video.  Yes,  I have seen many of the images which are being shown.   And then there are a few images which have not made it to the NYT video.  We have sustained quite a bit of damage to our radar systems, our facilities... and of course, our reputation. https://www.nytimes.com/video/world/middleeast/100000010868609/iran-war-us-military-base-damage.html Accountability for accurate damage reports begins with transparency.  It is doubtful we will receive the aforementioned.  New York Times has done an excellent job covering a difficult topic.  Honesty still counts in reporting.  Without it -  a confidence gap widens between the public and our institutions; and greater conspiracies are entertained which harm our nation. What is less well known is how some of our bases in the Middle East are now virtual ghost towns. And the platforming from the canopy and from the sea ...

What I am Following this Morning There have been several explosions and fires at oil refineries since we engaged Iran. The links below attribute these incidents to aging infrastructure and operational overloads of the plants.  Naturally, my brain moves along corridors of national security with an eye toward the obvious question: "Human error or industrial sabotage?"  But most likely, our systems and capabilities to refine crude oil are being stressed beyond capacity intended for daily operational flow. https://x.com/ShamshadNewsEng/status/2053020464612851937 https://apnews.com/article/refinery-fire-chalmette-oil-gas-new-orleans-159b4e5a69162af9738468d9093838be https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/24/texas-oil-refinery-explosion AI is not always accurate - but here is a spurt of information: Major U.S. Refinery Incidents (2026) Valero Port Arthur Refinery, Texas (March 23, 2026): A major explosion occurred at the Unit 243 diesel hydrotreater , causing the largest disr...

Heritage Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: And the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; So are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: They shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/07/opinion/birthrate-kids-parents-demographics-future.html Reading the link above brings a distinct sadness because the root of my faith is Christianity.  The words "blessing" and "children" are synonymous.  Our own sons have brought tremendous blessing to our lives.  But I can give witness to my mother's words, "If you wait until you can afford to have children you will never have them."   And my parents raised and educated six children with a lot of love, sufficient nourishment, and a great sense of humor and liberality toward each of us as unique human beings with disparate personalities and temperaments.  I sometimes secretly b...

Qeshm Island Attack The view from the island tonight: The United States targeted Qeshm Island's administrative hub, shipbuilding complex and the Bahman Qeshmi pier.   The Bandar Abbas Airbase has also been at the receiving end of an attack and there are injuries at all locations. For their part - Iran engaged three U.S. destroyers tonight.  I just watched a video of the Iranian Navy launching a cruise missile at one of our destroyers.  I would not wish to be on the receiving end of that equation. Talk about fire from the dragon's mouth! Also viewed a video of Iran's missile stockpiles. They lie in wait within literal miles of tunnels.  I doubt we have an accurate assessment.  Iranian hardliners claim they will issue a rebuttal to our media regarding their attacks on our vessels. The claim is that what they attained tonight - is in the category of a miracle. Personally, I think all of us are in need of a miracle at this moment in time. sigh The bad guys are ...