Frankly I am at a loss as to why we have such problems dealing with Russia. This is not something new, it is something that has been going on since before Bolsheviks took over the country and established the Soviet Union which lasted for about three quarters of a century. It seems like it doesn't matter whether it is a Tsar, a cousin of the King of England who is in charge, or some despotic, maniacal sociopath such as Stalin, or a "new" strong man like Putin. We just can't seem to figure out how to deal with Russia.
Tsar Nicholas II, or "cousin Nicky" as the British Royalty called him, was essentially of the same mold as the King of England, one of Queen Victoria's nephews! He was a like-minded soul as far as the West was concerned. Yet, we sided with Japan when Teddy Roosevelt brokered a peace between Russia and Japan over the Russo-Japanese War. We sided with Japan because geopolitics of the time dictated that Russia needed to be cut down to size, it was too big and too powerful. Yet, when war broke out in Europe less than a decade later, the West clamored for Russia to enter the war to help defeat that nasty Kaiser (another one of Victoria's nephews) and save Europe from the "Hun."
Russia was ill prepared to enter any kind of war, let alone a World War, a war to end all wars! Russia was in the midst of domestic turmoil, genuine revolution! Russia's entry into the war was a major disaster for the country and it was forced to pull out when its troops began to refuse to fight, instead wanted to overthrow the regime! So, when the Bolshevik Revolution culminated in a civil war, we, the United States, as well as some European powers, sent troops to Russia to help defeat the Bolsheviks. Of course the Bolsheviks were not defeated and instead the U.S. and the West made an enemy out of the new Russian regime.
Let's see, in 1905 we sided with Japan to "remove some of Russia's teeth," so to speak. We forced Russia to make huge concessions, mainly give up its territory in Manchuria to Japan and abandon its concessions in Korea. Prior to this, Manchuria was known as Russian Manchuria, and Russia was Korea's (Yi Dynasty) ally! We essentially "gave" Manchuria and Korea to Japan. Then, less than two decades later we sent troops to fight the new regime, the Bolsheviks! Although the Bolsheviks were not defeated, we allowed Japan to colonize Sakhalin and the surrounding islands. A little over two decades later we went to war against Japan, the same "ally" to whom we generously gave Russia's Manchuria in 1905, take over Korea, and allowed to colonize Sakhalin in 1918. Europe was ablaze with war against Nazi Germany and Russia, i.e., Soviet Union, becomes our ally! After the defeat of Germany and Japan, the "Iron Curtain" came down and the Cold War began until the fall of the Soviet Union. Now it seems a "new" cold war is in the making. That is essentially a very brief summary of our dealings with Russia since the beginning of the 20th Century.
There is no shortage of "experts" on Russian Affairs in our government. But whether they are the "wrong" kind of experts or simply academics who do not comprehend the Russian mentality, they seem to make wrong calls time and time again! Either that, or our Presidents have not listened to their advice. Whatever the case, we seem to be unable to deal with Russians, unable to anticipate their actions or comprehend their motives.
Vladimir Putin's game is to push as far as he can. He saw early on that our government was not going to respond to some of the more aggressive acts if it meant committing our troops. We did nothing in Syria and waffled over Libya. We did nothing except to threaten and establish some economic sanctions when he first pushed his way into Ukraine. We did nothing when he annexed Crimea. He sees our lack of action and inability to make decisions in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. So he pushes. He knows that the so-called "thin red line" that our President continually draws in the sand can be easily erased!
So now we are deploying 250 tanks around Baltic countries and Eastern Europe. Is that going to change anything? Unless we are willing to have those tanks fire upon Russian positions and troops, nothing has changed. Not a thing. As far as Putin is concerned, it is business as usual. Putin thinks he has our number. Whether that is true or not is immaterial, what is important is what Putin thinks, and Putin thinks he can continue to push.
There are those who say that the problem in dealing with Russians is that their mentality is more Eastern than Western. It may very well be that Russian mentality is more Eastern than Western. Russians are most certainly more fatalistic in their approach to things than Europeans. But the more "Eastern" mind-set should not preclude our ability to deal with them or understand them! After all, there are many Eastern countries with whom we get along quite well, regardless of their mind-set.
The bottom line appears to be that on our side, there seems to be a certain degree of mistrust and lack of respect for Russians. Just look at how Russians are portrayed in our movies and TV shows. They are, for the most part, shown as being crude, vicious, not the nicest people! Some of it may be a hang-over from the cold war, but there is no doubt that most view of Russians is not complimentary. Russians, on the other hand, also view the West and the U.S. with suspicion and mistrust. After all, history has shown that the West has not been kind to them. Most Americans may not know or care about what happened in the early 20th Century or how we have treated Russians through the years. But Russians know and do remember, and you can bet Vladimir Putin remembers history.
Friday, June 26, 2015
Monday, June 22, 2015
"Nihon Eiga" - Japanese Movies
Nihon Eiga or hoga as they are called domestically in Japan are Japanese movies. It may interest people to know that Japanese movies have been around a long, long time, almost as long as American movies. In fact, Thomas Edison showed his kinetoscope in 1894 and two years later it was shown in Japan. Shortly afterwards, almost at the same time as American movie industry was launched, Japan produced its first movie in 1897. From then on, it steadily developed, almost parallel with the movie industries in America and Europe.
Most young people today think of Japanese movies as the "anime" video versions or the violent, surrealistic "ninja" movies. But the Japanese movie industry was known for classic, artistic films, long before the appearance of ninja movies and the very popular anime or manga films. Even the cult classics of the 1950s and 60s, those "cheapie" movies that Tokyo churned out with comical monster creatures in kaiju movies such as Godzilla, Mothra, etc., are but a drop in the bucket compared to the serious films that were produced. Unfortunately, most American viewers were not exposed to those films, instead, the more popular "monster" movies were shown and today, the word "godzilla" has become a standard name in describing something that is abnormally huge and fearsome!
Japanese movies were for all practical purposes unknown in the west prior to World War Two. There were some excellent movies made in the 1930s and 40s, such as the first version of the Forty Seven Ronin, but they were not shown in the west. Then, after World War Two, a little known director (in the west, in Japan he was already well known) by the name of Akira Kurosawa made a movie called Rashamon in 1950. This movie was a milestone for the Japanese movie industry. It won the Venice Film Festival Award as the Best Motion Picture in 1951 and it introduced Kurosawa to the world as a great director. Today Rashamon is considered to be the greatest movie ever made!
But it also introduced a young Japanese actor by the name of Toshiro Mifune. Mifune caught the attention of the movie viewers as a handsome, dynamic young actor who could play serious roles as well as comedy scenes. In a way, Kurosawa and Mifune became like John Ford and John Wayne in Hollywood. The two went on to make a bunch of movies, all hits in Japan, and most became popular in the west as well.
Mifune was not just an action movie star, he also played roles in serious dramas. Unlike John Wayne in Hollywood, Mifune was more like a combination of John Wayne/Clark Gable/Cary Grant! In other words, he was not cast only in "he-man" roles but also in dramas where he played the roles of a suave, debonair character down to a rough mannered crook. Mifune also had the distinction of having been cast in roles in foreign films, several Hollywood films and a bunch of Mexican movies! Mexican audiences found Mifune very appealing, "muy guapo y macho" ("very handsome and manly"), they used to say! Some say that his two greatest roles were in The Seven Samurai and Rashamon, both of which won the Venice Film Festival Awards.
If Mifune was a big male movie star in Japan in the 1950s and early 60s, then Machiko Kyo was the female equivalent. However, keep in mind that, like in Hollywood, there were many other actors and actresses in Japan that were considered great as well. I have selected Mifune and Kyo to represent that 1950s, 60s era. Machiko Kyo was a beautiful girl who's two great movies were Rashamon opposite Mifune, and Ugetsu (The Gates of Hell) another great movie that won the Venice Film Festival Award in 1950, a year before Rashamon. Like Hollywood, the Japanese movie industry did not have a shortage of beautiful female actresses, but Machiko Kyo was one of the best, one of the most beautiful. She made only one foreign movie. It was The Tea House of the August Moon opposite Glen Ford! She was that lovely geisha with whom Glen Ford's character fell in love.
As I said, although there were many other great actors and actresses, and directors in Japan, Kurosawa, Mifune and Kyo, more or less represented Japanese movie industry of that era. Interestingly, although Japan was still recovering from the devastation of World War Two, the 1950s and early 60s were the golden era of Japanese movie industry just as it was for Hollywood.
The 1950s were the great period of Hollywood Westerns, and in Japan, the samurai movies, especially with Mifune and directed by Kurosawa (like John Ford and John Wayne) were the big hits. There were also cheap samurai films being made, just like Hollywood's "B" Westerns, these cheap samurai movies were colloquially known as "chanbara" movies. The chanbara were known for sword fighting scenes where the hero fights dozens of opponents and kills a multitude of bad guys, sort of like the "B" Westerns where the hero shoots dozens of attacking Indians.
With the end of the 50s and the beginning of the 60s other genres began to surface as the top box office hits in Japan. Movies about young toughs and gangsters began to dominate the screens in Japan. The same thing was happening in Hollywood as well with a plethora of detective movies and gangster films.
A politically ambitious journalist/writer by the name of Ishihara Shintaro wrote a popular novel about young toughs in Tokyo streets. Ishihara later became a Diet member (Japanese congress) as well as Minister of Defense and Mayor of Tokyo! He is known to be somewhat of a hawk, a nationalist, an ulta-rightist. He was a good friend of the late Yukio Mishima....birds of a feather.
The book was very popular and movie producers grabbed it to make a film version. Ishihara was hired as a script writer and he insisted that his younger brother, Yujiro play the lead role. He said that he patterned the main character of the book after his kid brother, both physically and behaviorally, although his brother was not a delinquent! The producers agreed and the kid was cast and became a sensation overnight. Thus the actor Yujiro Ishihara, a cult figure and a darling of all young Japanese girls became a new movie star. Yujiro made a string of violent movies where he was always the tough guy. His trade mark scene was drinking down a glass of ice cold Sapporo beer! He sold an awful lot of Sapporo beer in Japan!
But like Hollywood, the Japanese movie industry began to take a back seat to television. The rise of television required that movie makers concentrate on different movies, the kind that television was not likely to show or make. So the classic samurai movies and even the style of yakuza movies began to change. Many actors and actresses who were big stars in the 1960s and 70s had to switch to television to survive, and many directors were unable to make classic movies. Just like in Hollywood, the era of the big movie stars was over.
Kurosawa, however, survived. Kurosawa was an innovator in movie making and he constantly came up with new ways to make his movies interesting and exciting. It was Kurosawa who first used the technique of switching to slow motion death scenes in samurai movies. He also pioneered the switching of scenes from color to black and white in death scenes. Sam Pekinpah was the first Hollywood director to borrow that technique from Kurosawa. Kurosawa's Seven Samurai was made into a western, The Magnificent Seven with Yul Brynner and Rashamon was made into The Outrage with Paul Newman.
Far from being upset over Hollywood's pirating of his films, Kurosawa felt flattered and said that the Western and samurai film themes were interchangeable. To prove his point he made movies like, Yojimbo and Sanjuro, which are basically Westerns set in Japan! A few years later, Sergio Leone churned out "spaghetti Westerns" with Clint Eastwood that were nothing but remake of Kurosawa's Yojimbo, Sanjuro and others. Kurosawa also took Shakespear's MacBeth and made it into a samurai movie called The Throne of Blood! So, the movie industry of the world owes much to Akira Kurosawa, one of the greatest movie directors ever to make a film!
Yes, Japanese movies are those silly Godzilla, Mothra type monster films. They are also the fascinating action films of samurai era as well as psychological movies such as Woman in the Dunes or a serio-comic social commentary on ramen noodles in Tampopo. The Japanese movies range the whole spectrum and they are well worth watching.
Most young people today think of Japanese movies as the "anime" video versions or the violent, surrealistic "ninja" movies. But the Japanese movie industry was known for classic, artistic films, long before the appearance of ninja movies and the very popular anime or manga films. Even the cult classics of the 1950s and 60s, those "cheapie" movies that Tokyo churned out with comical monster creatures in kaiju movies such as Godzilla, Mothra, etc., are but a drop in the bucket compared to the serious films that were produced. Unfortunately, most American viewers were not exposed to those films, instead, the more popular "monster" movies were shown and today, the word "godzilla" has become a standard name in describing something that is abnormally huge and fearsome!
Japanese movies were for all practical purposes unknown in the west prior to World War Two. There were some excellent movies made in the 1930s and 40s, such as the first version of the Forty Seven Ronin, but they were not shown in the west. Then, after World War Two, a little known director (in the west, in Japan he was already well known) by the name of Akira Kurosawa made a movie called Rashamon in 1950. This movie was a milestone for the Japanese movie industry. It won the Venice Film Festival Award as the Best Motion Picture in 1951 and it introduced Kurosawa to the world as a great director. Today Rashamon is considered to be the greatest movie ever made!
But it also introduced a young Japanese actor by the name of Toshiro Mifune. Mifune caught the attention of the movie viewers as a handsome, dynamic young actor who could play serious roles as well as comedy scenes. In a way, Kurosawa and Mifune became like John Ford and John Wayne in Hollywood. The two went on to make a bunch of movies, all hits in Japan, and most became popular in the west as well.
Mifune was not just an action movie star, he also played roles in serious dramas. Unlike John Wayne in Hollywood, Mifune was more like a combination of John Wayne/Clark Gable/Cary Grant! In other words, he was not cast only in "he-man" roles but also in dramas where he played the roles of a suave, debonair character down to a rough mannered crook. Mifune also had the distinction of having been cast in roles in foreign films, several Hollywood films and a bunch of Mexican movies! Mexican audiences found Mifune very appealing, "muy guapo y macho" ("very handsome and manly"), they used to say! Some say that his two greatest roles were in The Seven Samurai and Rashamon, both of which won the Venice Film Festival Awards.
If Mifune was a big male movie star in Japan in the 1950s and early 60s, then Machiko Kyo was the female equivalent. However, keep in mind that, like in Hollywood, there were many other actors and actresses in Japan that were considered great as well. I have selected Mifune and Kyo to represent that 1950s, 60s era. Machiko Kyo was a beautiful girl who's two great movies were Rashamon opposite Mifune, and Ugetsu (The Gates of Hell) another great movie that won the Venice Film Festival Award in 1950, a year before Rashamon. Like Hollywood, the Japanese movie industry did not have a shortage of beautiful female actresses, but Machiko Kyo was one of the best, one of the most beautiful. She made only one foreign movie. It was The Tea House of the August Moon opposite Glen Ford! She was that lovely geisha with whom Glen Ford's character fell in love.
As I said, although there were many other great actors and actresses, and directors in Japan, Kurosawa, Mifune and Kyo, more or less represented Japanese movie industry of that era. Interestingly, although Japan was still recovering from the devastation of World War Two, the 1950s and early 60s were the golden era of Japanese movie industry just as it was for Hollywood.
The 1950s were the great period of Hollywood Westerns, and in Japan, the samurai movies, especially with Mifune and directed by Kurosawa (like John Ford and John Wayne) were the big hits. There were also cheap samurai films being made, just like Hollywood's "B" Westerns, these cheap samurai movies were colloquially known as "chanbara" movies. The chanbara were known for sword fighting scenes where the hero fights dozens of opponents and kills a multitude of bad guys, sort of like the "B" Westerns where the hero shoots dozens of attacking Indians.
With the end of the 50s and the beginning of the 60s other genres began to surface as the top box office hits in Japan. Movies about young toughs and gangsters began to dominate the screens in Japan. The same thing was happening in Hollywood as well with a plethora of detective movies and gangster films.
A politically ambitious journalist/writer by the name of Ishihara Shintaro wrote a popular novel about young toughs in Tokyo streets. Ishihara later became a Diet member (Japanese congress) as well as Minister of Defense and Mayor of Tokyo! He is known to be somewhat of a hawk, a nationalist, an ulta-rightist. He was a good friend of the late Yukio Mishima....birds of a feather.
The book was very popular and movie producers grabbed it to make a film version. Ishihara was hired as a script writer and he insisted that his younger brother, Yujiro play the lead role. He said that he patterned the main character of the book after his kid brother, both physically and behaviorally, although his brother was not a delinquent! The producers agreed and the kid was cast and became a sensation overnight. Thus the actor Yujiro Ishihara, a cult figure and a darling of all young Japanese girls became a new movie star. Yujiro made a string of violent movies where he was always the tough guy. His trade mark scene was drinking down a glass of ice cold Sapporo beer! He sold an awful lot of Sapporo beer in Japan!
But like Hollywood, the Japanese movie industry began to take a back seat to television. The rise of television required that movie makers concentrate on different movies, the kind that television was not likely to show or make. So the classic samurai movies and even the style of yakuza movies began to change. Many actors and actresses who were big stars in the 1960s and 70s had to switch to television to survive, and many directors were unable to make classic movies. Just like in Hollywood, the era of the big movie stars was over.
Kurosawa, however, survived. Kurosawa was an innovator in movie making and he constantly came up with new ways to make his movies interesting and exciting. It was Kurosawa who first used the technique of switching to slow motion death scenes in samurai movies. He also pioneered the switching of scenes from color to black and white in death scenes. Sam Pekinpah was the first Hollywood director to borrow that technique from Kurosawa. Kurosawa's Seven Samurai was made into a western, The Magnificent Seven with Yul Brynner and Rashamon was made into The Outrage with Paul Newman.
Far from being upset over Hollywood's pirating of his films, Kurosawa felt flattered and said that the Western and samurai film themes were interchangeable. To prove his point he made movies like, Yojimbo and Sanjuro, which are basically Westerns set in Japan! A few years later, Sergio Leone churned out "spaghetti Westerns" with Clint Eastwood that were nothing but remake of Kurosawa's Yojimbo, Sanjuro and others. Kurosawa also took Shakespear's MacBeth and made it into a samurai movie called The Throne of Blood! So, the movie industry of the world owes much to Akira Kurosawa, one of the greatest movie directors ever to make a film!
Yes, Japanese movies are those silly Godzilla, Mothra type monster films. They are also the fascinating action films of samurai era as well as psychological movies such as Woman in the Dunes or a serio-comic social commentary on ramen noodles in Tampopo. The Japanese movies range the whole spectrum and they are well worth watching.
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Women Warriors Part 4
Recently the U.S. Army announced that three female soldiers who qualified for Ranger training failed to complete the course. Apparently they failed a segment of the course, it was not specified as to exactly which part they failed but seems it had something to do with upper body strength. I found the news to be somewhat confusing. Only a few months earlier the U.S. Army had changed its policy of "men only" for the Ranger School. Seven female soldiers had participated in a trial run and succeeded in completing all of the requirements. The three that had just failed the course were among the seven that had "qualified" earlier. So, I am confused. But, the army says they can reapply and try again.
It has always been my pet peeve the way the U.S. Army set the qualification requirements for the various training courses. There are some physical requirements that have nothing to do at all with the ability to perform in the training program. Perhaps the best example of these "requirements" that fail to take into consideration the individual ability is what happened to Audie Murphy, the most decorated soldier of World War Two. Audie Murphy tried to enlist with the army paratroops and he was told that he was too short! He next tried the Marine Corps and was told the same story. Apparently the Airborne and the USMC felt that he was too small and would not be able to perform his duties! Murphy was finally able to enlist as just a plain infantry soldier and the rest is history. As an infantryman, he not only became the most decorated soldier of World War Two but was awarded the Medal of Honor as well! The Airborne and the Marines missed out on having a most decorated soldier of the war because of their silly height requirement! The Army Airborne, incidentally, changed its height requirements after that! I believe the Marine Corps did the same thing.
I have no doubt that the three female soldiers that failed to complete the Ranger Training are excellent soldiers, highly motivated. Apparently they failed some component of the training program that required upper body strength, something that women usually lack when compared to men. The trainers should recognize the fact that some feats of strength or agility are not as crucial as they make it out to be. It is unrealistic to expect everyone to be athletically gifted and have the same amount of physical strength. As long as the trainee demonstrates willingness to keep trying, ability to improvise when needed, then that trainee should be allowed to pass the stage. By not passing some of these trainees, the army is losing some very good soldiers who may not want to serve in combat arms after failing to complete Ranger or other advanced training.
While the Army and the Marine Corps stuck to their rigid rules and denied Audie Murphy a chance to become a Paratrooper or a Marine, another organization that existed during that time was much more flexible, and therefore, was able to train and use some highly motivated and talented people. That organization was OSS, the Office of Strategic Services, the granddaddy of today's CIA and the Army Special Forces. The OSS believed that human beings are capable of great things, things that are not necessarily demonstrated in training sessions. They believed that will power and motivation, combined with brains, were the greatest assets, not physical strength. Many of their officers proved that point time in and time again!
Virginia Hall was possibly the most celebrated OSS officer during World War Two. I have written earlier blogs on her, but she is such a special individual that a few blogs will never do justice. She repeatedly infiltrated into occupied France and performed espionage and sabotage work, disguising herself in various ways, including as an old woman. She was so successful that she became the most wanted enemy agent by the Gestapo, who posted wanted posters all over occupied France. Of course they never knew just exactly what she looked like. Each time the Gestapo got close, she would sneak out of France and later return with a different identity and disguised as a different person. She would mainly infiltrate at night by a boat, but she parachuted a few times as well. Now, remember, the army airborne felt that Audie Murphy was too small to be a paratrooper! Virginia Hall had a wooden leg! She had lost her leg in a hunting accident before the war, so she had a wooden leg and walked with a limp! Yet, she was able to undergo parachute training and make several jumps into France!
As a grand finale for her superb work in France, she escaped from the Nazis by crossing the Pyrenees Mountains in freezing snow. Afterwards she said that it was one of the hardest things she ever had to do in her life, crossing those mountains in snow and ice with a wooden leg! For her outstanding and valiant work during the war, Virginia Hall was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the only woman to ever receive our nation's second highest award for heroism! It is highly unlikely that Virginia Hall would have been able to pass Ranger training had she been forced to take it. Nor would she have received parachute training had she been in the U.S. Army.
I don't believe there are many people who are Ranger School graduates that could have crossed those mountains in the freezing snow as she did. She had no special equipment or mountaineering gear, just her normal clothing that she wore in the city! There are many soldiers with parachute wings on their chest that never made night jumps or jumps into hostile territory, Virginia made several! So, it is quite apparent that you don't need to be an Olympic athlete to be a successful parachutist or perform difficult marches or mountain climbing like a Ranger. But, the military, it seems, wants to have an airborne force or Ranger trained soldiers that are like world class athletes. That is one reason why the drop out rate is so high in Ranger School and other elite training programs. A pity, since many of the "drop outs" probably would make superb paratroopers or Rangers! Virginia Hall did it all, with a wooden leg!
It has always been my pet peeve the way the U.S. Army set the qualification requirements for the various training courses. There are some physical requirements that have nothing to do at all with the ability to perform in the training program. Perhaps the best example of these "requirements" that fail to take into consideration the individual ability is what happened to Audie Murphy, the most decorated soldier of World War Two. Audie Murphy tried to enlist with the army paratroops and he was told that he was too short! He next tried the Marine Corps and was told the same story. Apparently the Airborne and the USMC felt that he was too small and would not be able to perform his duties! Murphy was finally able to enlist as just a plain infantry soldier and the rest is history. As an infantryman, he not only became the most decorated soldier of World War Two but was awarded the Medal of Honor as well! The Airborne and the Marines missed out on having a most decorated soldier of the war because of their silly height requirement! The Army Airborne, incidentally, changed its height requirements after that! I believe the Marine Corps did the same thing.
I have no doubt that the three female soldiers that failed to complete the Ranger Training are excellent soldiers, highly motivated. Apparently they failed some component of the training program that required upper body strength, something that women usually lack when compared to men. The trainers should recognize the fact that some feats of strength or agility are not as crucial as they make it out to be. It is unrealistic to expect everyone to be athletically gifted and have the same amount of physical strength. As long as the trainee demonstrates willingness to keep trying, ability to improvise when needed, then that trainee should be allowed to pass the stage. By not passing some of these trainees, the army is losing some very good soldiers who may not want to serve in combat arms after failing to complete Ranger or other advanced training.
While the Army and the Marine Corps stuck to their rigid rules and denied Audie Murphy a chance to become a Paratrooper or a Marine, another organization that existed during that time was much more flexible, and therefore, was able to train and use some highly motivated and talented people. That organization was OSS, the Office of Strategic Services, the granddaddy of today's CIA and the Army Special Forces. The OSS believed that human beings are capable of great things, things that are not necessarily demonstrated in training sessions. They believed that will power and motivation, combined with brains, were the greatest assets, not physical strength. Many of their officers proved that point time in and time again!
Virginia Hall was possibly the most celebrated OSS officer during World War Two. I have written earlier blogs on her, but she is such a special individual that a few blogs will never do justice. She repeatedly infiltrated into occupied France and performed espionage and sabotage work, disguising herself in various ways, including as an old woman. She was so successful that she became the most wanted enemy agent by the Gestapo, who posted wanted posters all over occupied France. Of course they never knew just exactly what she looked like. Each time the Gestapo got close, she would sneak out of France and later return with a different identity and disguised as a different person. She would mainly infiltrate at night by a boat, but she parachuted a few times as well. Now, remember, the army airborne felt that Audie Murphy was too small to be a paratrooper! Virginia Hall had a wooden leg! She had lost her leg in a hunting accident before the war, so she had a wooden leg and walked with a limp! Yet, she was able to undergo parachute training and make several jumps into France!
As a grand finale for her superb work in France, she escaped from the Nazis by crossing the Pyrenees Mountains in freezing snow. Afterwards she said that it was one of the hardest things she ever had to do in her life, crossing those mountains in snow and ice with a wooden leg! For her outstanding and valiant work during the war, Virginia Hall was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the only woman to ever receive our nation's second highest award for heroism! It is highly unlikely that Virginia Hall would have been able to pass Ranger training had she been forced to take it. Nor would she have received parachute training had she been in the U.S. Army.
I don't believe there are many people who are Ranger School graduates that could have crossed those mountains in the freezing snow as she did. She had no special equipment or mountaineering gear, just her normal clothing that she wore in the city! There are many soldiers with parachute wings on their chest that never made night jumps or jumps into hostile territory, Virginia made several! So, it is quite apparent that you don't need to be an Olympic athlete to be a successful parachutist or perform difficult marches or mountain climbing like a Ranger. But, the military, it seems, wants to have an airborne force or Ranger trained soldiers that are like world class athletes. That is one reason why the drop out rate is so high in Ranger School and other elite training programs. A pity, since many of the "drop outs" probably would make superb paratroopers or Rangers! Virginia Hall did it all, with a wooden leg!
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Our Failing "Strategy" Against ISIS
Yesterday, June 10, Pentagon announced that 450 more U.S. "trainers" will be sent to Iraq to help bolster the fight against ISIS. So far our strategy against ISIS, as such, has been a dismal failure, despite claims to the contrary by our government. The 450 U.S. "trainers" are to be embedded in Iraqi headquarters and be at their side to give advice and to call in airstrikes. However, there will be no forward observers who can pin-point air strikes, nor will there be "advisors" in the field with the combat units.
Advising from headquarters does not work. It did not work in Vietnam and it will not work in Iraq. Washington has admitted that the Iraqi forces totally lack leadership in the field and that there were instances where the troops ran when they actually outnumbered ISIS 40 to 1! Can you imagine 40 armed men facing one armed enemy and running away in panic? It happened in Ramadi and it continues to take place. Washington admits that ISIS fighters are not some "super warriors." In fact, some of them, from a military standpoint, are very poorly trained. But they are motivated. The much ballyhooed Iranians that we allowed into Iraq experienced some success initially, but they too have bogged down. As I have mentioned in the earlier blog, the Iranians were unable to defeat Iraq in their long bloody war, whatever made Washington think that they could defeat ISIS?
The Iraqi Security Forces are just plain no good! There are no leaders to prop-up faltering troops, there are no leaders to encourage and lead the advance! Under such circumstances, American leadership is desperately needed. We learned in Vietnam that those Vietnamese units that had American advisors with them in the field generally fought much better than those without American advisors. The best units were those that were trained and led by American soldiers like the Montagnard and Nung Mobile Strike Forces. We had units like that in Iraq. They were trained and led by our Special Forces and were considered to be the best in Iraq. The various units were called Iraqi "Commando" units. But when we pulled our combat forces, these units, against our advice, were integrated into regular Iraqi Security Forces. It wasn't long before they fell apart! We just don't seem to learn from history or are simply ignoring it!
Now we are going to try to arm and train Sunni tribesmen that we abandoned to Iraqi government back in 2011 when we pulled out our combat forces. These Sunni tribes felt betrayed by us and some even joined ISIS, after all, ISIS are of Sunni faith. The Kurds, also of Sunni faith, were the best fighters in Iraq and continue to be the best. But they are in a desperate struggle to protect their own territory since they too were literally abandoned by Maliki government when we pulled out. Now, under so-called new government of Abadi, everything is supposed to be better and the Sunni will be integrated into the Iraqi society and government......dream on!
If we arm and train Sunni tribesmen and they succeed in defeating ISIS, the trouble in Iraq will only take on a different path. A strong Sunni element will lead to a full blown sectarian war, and of course, we will be blamed for it, and we will be accused of taking sides, taking Sunni's side! Considering that the majority of the population in Iraq is Shiite, you can guess how America will be viewed by the Iraqis should a sectarian war break out.
Washington is very proud of the fact that there has not been a single American death associated with our fight against ISIS....well.....that's because we are not fighting ISIS! We are using proxies to do our fighting, proxies that can't seem to get the job done. The bottom line is that if we want to defeat ISIS, and not just "degrade" their ability as Washington is fond of saying (incidentally, we haven't "degraded" their ability to fight, if anything, they are stronger now!), then American troops will have to be used and American lives will be lost. As unpalatable as it is to the American government and public, if we want to stop ISIS, we have to do it ourselves. Iraqis won't do it, our European "allies" won't do it. The only country, the only power that can stop and destroy ISIS is America, so we have to decide what we want and what we are going to do.
Advising from headquarters does not work. It did not work in Vietnam and it will not work in Iraq. Washington has admitted that the Iraqi forces totally lack leadership in the field and that there were instances where the troops ran when they actually outnumbered ISIS 40 to 1! Can you imagine 40 armed men facing one armed enemy and running away in panic? It happened in Ramadi and it continues to take place. Washington admits that ISIS fighters are not some "super warriors." In fact, some of them, from a military standpoint, are very poorly trained. But they are motivated. The much ballyhooed Iranians that we allowed into Iraq experienced some success initially, but they too have bogged down. As I have mentioned in the earlier blog, the Iranians were unable to defeat Iraq in their long bloody war, whatever made Washington think that they could defeat ISIS?
The Iraqi Security Forces are just plain no good! There are no leaders to prop-up faltering troops, there are no leaders to encourage and lead the advance! Under such circumstances, American leadership is desperately needed. We learned in Vietnam that those Vietnamese units that had American advisors with them in the field generally fought much better than those without American advisors. The best units were those that were trained and led by American soldiers like the Montagnard and Nung Mobile Strike Forces. We had units like that in Iraq. They were trained and led by our Special Forces and were considered to be the best in Iraq. The various units were called Iraqi "Commando" units. But when we pulled our combat forces, these units, against our advice, were integrated into regular Iraqi Security Forces. It wasn't long before they fell apart! We just don't seem to learn from history or are simply ignoring it!
Now we are going to try to arm and train Sunni tribesmen that we abandoned to Iraqi government back in 2011 when we pulled out our combat forces. These Sunni tribes felt betrayed by us and some even joined ISIS, after all, ISIS are of Sunni faith. The Kurds, also of Sunni faith, were the best fighters in Iraq and continue to be the best. But they are in a desperate struggle to protect their own territory since they too were literally abandoned by Maliki government when we pulled out. Now, under so-called new government of Abadi, everything is supposed to be better and the Sunni will be integrated into the Iraqi society and government......dream on!
If we arm and train Sunni tribesmen and they succeed in defeating ISIS, the trouble in Iraq will only take on a different path. A strong Sunni element will lead to a full blown sectarian war, and of course, we will be blamed for it, and we will be accused of taking sides, taking Sunni's side! Considering that the majority of the population in Iraq is Shiite, you can guess how America will be viewed by the Iraqis should a sectarian war break out.
Washington is very proud of the fact that there has not been a single American death associated with our fight against ISIS....well.....that's because we are not fighting ISIS! We are using proxies to do our fighting, proxies that can't seem to get the job done. The bottom line is that if we want to defeat ISIS, and not just "degrade" their ability as Washington is fond of saying (incidentally, we haven't "degraded" their ability to fight, if anything, they are stronger now!), then American troops will have to be used and American lives will be lost. As unpalatable as it is to the American government and public, if we want to stop ISIS, we have to do it ourselves. Iraqis won't do it, our European "allies" won't do it. The only country, the only power that can stop and destroy ISIS is America, so we have to decide what we want and what we are going to do.
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Criminal Gangs on Okinawa
For those who lived on Okinawa around the 1950s through early 1970s, the existence of criminal gangs on Okinawa was not something in the forefront. Life was good and carefree for most young Americans of high school age. Okinawa was a quaint little place where towns were referred to as "vills" and thought of as sort of a less developed, laid back version of rural Japan.....kind of. However, like any place in the world, criminal gangs did exist, and later the Yakuza made its appearance.
In Japan proper, the main islands (naichi), besides the already established Yakuza groups, there were street gangs called gurentai in big cities like Tokyo and Osaka. The gurentai, sometimes called "mambo boys," were basically young street toughs who either out-grew their wild youth or went on to become Yakuza. They could be identified by their dress, colorful shirts, pegged trouser legs, and distinctive shoes that were called "mambo boys shoes." In the 1950s and 60s, there were also various motorcycle clubs and gangs, made up of young people who had fairly decent jobs or were college students who's parents could afford to buy them motorcycles. The annoying, high school aged bosozoku did not exist yet. The bosozoku made its appearance on main islands later, in the 1970s when Japan was experiencing tremendous economic prosperity and parents could afford to buy mopeds and motorcycles for their high school aged kids!
On Okinawa, it was a different story. The Okinawans were not as prosperous as the Japanese on main islands. Okinawan parents could not afford to buy motorized vehicles for their high school aged kids, they were doing well if they could afford to buy them bicycles! The average family could barely afford a motorcycle for the family! The Yakuza did not make its appearance until the early 1970s and did not establish itself until much later. The bosozoku, Okinawan version, reared its ugly head first in the 1990s and really did not get going until the early new century. But there were always street gangs, primarily in Naha and Koza. These were essentially loosely organized thugs ranging in age anywhere from the 20s into 40s. They specialized in making money off prostitution, black marketeering, and gambling. They were not especially violent and rarely engaged in violence that led to death. They seem to get their way by simply threatening to do harm.
Okinawa had legalized prostitution during the USCAR/GRI era, before reversion took place in 1972. It is kind of ironic, because prostitution was made illegal in Japan, but on Okinawa, under U.S. administration, it was legalized! The gangs controlled the prostitution, both the legalized version with brothels that catered to Okinawan clients and especially the "illegal" prostitution which had G.I.s for clients. They actually made more money off the "illegal" side because the legal houses all paid taxes to GRI, and had set rates. They couldn't afford to pay much "protection" to the gangs. The "illegal" businesses paid no taxes to GRI and charged whatever they could. These houses were owned by gangs so they paid more money. The most popular form of gambling was the "Lucky Ball," sort of a simplified, "poor man's" version of roulette that was set up in shacks and houses in the back streets of Naha and Koza, all in "Okinawan" areas, not where Americans were found. By American standards, the "Lucky Ball" houses made very little compared to the slot machines in the various U.S. military and civilian clubs on the island. But for Okinawans, it was a lot, and the gangs prospered.
In the 1960s, the leader of the Naha gang was a one-legged man in his thirties by the name of Shima. No one knows for sure how Shima lost his leg, he told different stories to different people! But, he did practice karate, even though he only had one leg! His followers feared him, said he was ruthless when he became angry. In the 1970s, a Japanese movie maker made a movie about the Yakuza War on Okinawa. Naturally, he took "aristic" liberties with facts and exaggerated or simply made up some things. Shima was very much around at the time and the movie maker created a one-armed character that he called Yonabaru, who was the leader of the Okinawan contingent of Yakuza.
Okinawa did not have Yakuza at the time. However, the Naha and Koza gangs united to fight the Yakuza that came to take over the island, and Shima became one of the Okinawan leaders. The united Okinawan gangs surprised the Japanese and essentially beat the hell out of them, killing a few in the process. I guess the Yakuza terribly underestimated the Okinawans, thought that they were nothing but a bunch of country bumpkins. At any rate, the Japanese Yakuza gave up their plans to take over Okinawa and left the island.
The bloody Yakuza War on Okinawa was heavily reported by Japanese language press, but for some reason, it was either ignored or very lightly mentioned by English language media. The military Stars & Stripes hardly had any coverage, and the local Morning Star may have had a few pieces, but nothing of significance. It is strange why the English language media ignored a fairly important occurrence on Okinawa!
It took a while for the Okinawan gangs to transition into Yakuza, but by the early 1990s, they were registered with the Japanese government as Kyokuryu-kai, a 300 member strong Okinawan Yakuza. Compared to Yakuza groups on the main islands, the Okinawan group is very small, but it is entirely made up of Okinawans, no mainland Japanese! There are 47 different Yakuza groups registered, with a total of 103,000 individuals. The largest Yakuza group is the Yamaguchi-gumi with 55,000 members. You can see that in comparison, the Okinawan group is small. Incidentally, all Yakuza organization must register with the Japanese government, declaring the number of membership, etc. Most of them claim to be some sort of a construction company. Can you imagine asking the various mobs in the U.S. to register? Only the Japanese could be so compliant, even the criminals!
Today there are no doubt street gangs, Yakuza "wannabees" in Naha and Okinawa City (former Koza). There is, of course, the recognized Yakuza organization, Kyokuryu-kai. There are other suspected groups that have not yet officially declared, come out of the closet, so to speak. But for now, there is only that one Yakuza group on Okinawa. The bosozoku, the noisy, pesky teenage gangs have become a real plague in some neighborhoods on Okinawa. Ironically, in some ways the bosozoku on Okinawa are more of a problem than they are on the main islands, probably because Okinawa is small and they are much more visible. Whatever the case may be, criminal gangs on Okinawa are alive and well, whether they are Yakuza, street thugs, or teenaged bosozoku.
In Japan proper, the main islands (naichi), besides the already established Yakuza groups, there were street gangs called gurentai in big cities like Tokyo and Osaka. The gurentai, sometimes called "mambo boys," were basically young street toughs who either out-grew their wild youth or went on to become Yakuza. They could be identified by their dress, colorful shirts, pegged trouser legs, and distinctive shoes that were called "mambo boys shoes." In the 1950s and 60s, there were also various motorcycle clubs and gangs, made up of young people who had fairly decent jobs or were college students who's parents could afford to buy them motorcycles. The annoying, high school aged bosozoku did not exist yet. The bosozoku made its appearance on main islands later, in the 1970s when Japan was experiencing tremendous economic prosperity and parents could afford to buy mopeds and motorcycles for their high school aged kids!
On Okinawa, it was a different story. The Okinawans were not as prosperous as the Japanese on main islands. Okinawan parents could not afford to buy motorized vehicles for their high school aged kids, they were doing well if they could afford to buy them bicycles! The average family could barely afford a motorcycle for the family! The Yakuza did not make its appearance until the early 1970s and did not establish itself until much later. The bosozoku, Okinawan version, reared its ugly head first in the 1990s and really did not get going until the early new century. But there were always street gangs, primarily in Naha and Koza. These were essentially loosely organized thugs ranging in age anywhere from the 20s into 40s. They specialized in making money off prostitution, black marketeering, and gambling. They were not especially violent and rarely engaged in violence that led to death. They seem to get their way by simply threatening to do harm.
Okinawa had legalized prostitution during the USCAR/GRI era, before reversion took place in 1972. It is kind of ironic, because prostitution was made illegal in Japan, but on Okinawa, under U.S. administration, it was legalized! The gangs controlled the prostitution, both the legalized version with brothels that catered to Okinawan clients and especially the "illegal" prostitution which had G.I.s for clients. They actually made more money off the "illegal" side because the legal houses all paid taxes to GRI, and had set rates. They couldn't afford to pay much "protection" to the gangs. The "illegal" businesses paid no taxes to GRI and charged whatever they could. These houses were owned by gangs so they paid more money. The most popular form of gambling was the "Lucky Ball," sort of a simplified, "poor man's" version of roulette that was set up in shacks and houses in the back streets of Naha and Koza, all in "Okinawan" areas, not where Americans were found. By American standards, the "Lucky Ball" houses made very little compared to the slot machines in the various U.S. military and civilian clubs on the island. But for Okinawans, it was a lot, and the gangs prospered.
In the 1960s, the leader of the Naha gang was a one-legged man in his thirties by the name of Shima. No one knows for sure how Shima lost his leg, he told different stories to different people! But, he did practice karate, even though he only had one leg! His followers feared him, said he was ruthless when he became angry. In the 1970s, a Japanese movie maker made a movie about the Yakuza War on Okinawa. Naturally, he took "aristic" liberties with facts and exaggerated or simply made up some things. Shima was very much around at the time and the movie maker created a one-armed character that he called Yonabaru, who was the leader of the Okinawan contingent of Yakuza.
Okinawa did not have Yakuza at the time. However, the Naha and Koza gangs united to fight the Yakuza that came to take over the island, and Shima became one of the Okinawan leaders. The united Okinawan gangs surprised the Japanese and essentially beat the hell out of them, killing a few in the process. I guess the Yakuza terribly underestimated the Okinawans, thought that they were nothing but a bunch of country bumpkins. At any rate, the Japanese Yakuza gave up their plans to take over Okinawa and left the island.
The bloody Yakuza War on Okinawa was heavily reported by Japanese language press, but for some reason, it was either ignored or very lightly mentioned by English language media. The military Stars & Stripes hardly had any coverage, and the local Morning Star may have had a few pieces, but nothing of significance. It is strange why the English language media ignored a fairly important occurrence on Okinawa!
It took a while for the Okinawan gangs to transition into Yakuza, but by the early 1990s, they were registered with the Japanese government as Kyokuryu-kai, a 300 member strong Okinawan Yakuza. Compared to Yakuza groups on the main islands, the Okinawan group is very small, but it is entirely made up of Okinawans, no mainland Japanese! There are 47 different Yakuza groups registered, with a total of 103,000 individuals. The largest Yakuza group is the Yamaguchi-gumi with 55,000 members. You can see that in comparison, the Okinawan group is small. Incidentally, all Yakuza organization must register with the Japanese government, declaring the number of membership, etc. Most of them claim to be some sort of a construction company. Can you imagine asking the various mobs in the U.S. to register? Only the Japanese could be so compliant, even the criminals!
Today there are no doubt street gangs, Yakuza "wannabees" in Naha and Okinawa City (former Koza). There is, of course, the recognized Yakuza organization, Kyokuryu-kai. There are other suspected groups that have not yet officially declared, come out of the closet, so to speak. But for now, there is only that one Yakuza group on Okinawa. The bosozoku, the noisy, pesky teenage gangs have become a real plague in some neighborhoods on Okinawa. Ironically, in some ways the bosozoku on Okinawa are more of a problem than they are on the main islands, probably because Okinawa is small and they are much more visible. Whatever the case may be, criminal gangs on Okinawa are alive and well, whether they are Yakuza, street thugs, or teenaged bosozoku.
Monday, June 1, 2015
Asian Gangs
Each country, each culture/ethnic group, unfortunately has a criminal element. It doesn't matter whether it is a rich, industrialized society or a struggling country in the developing world. They all have gangs and criminal organizations going back many years.
Japan is known for its Yakuza, and Yakuza have now spread to Europe and the United States. There are Yakuza in every major U.S. city, starting with Honolulu in Hawaii and going across all the way to New York and the eastern seaboard. The Chinese Triads are also well known world wide and have been transnational in their activities for many years. The Korean Kkangpae are not as well known, but they too have become transnational and are everywhere from Honolulu to New York. The Japanese Yakuza and the Chinese Triads are perhaps best known to the American public, the Korean Kkangpae not so much. But the other ethnic gangs or criminal organizations are not all that well known, some in fact, are not known to the American public at all.
Part of the reason for this lack of knowledge by the general public is that they are mostly lumped with and thought of as being Chinese or Japanese! The Vietnamese have had a very active criminal element operating in the U.S. since the mid 1970s. But they are often misidentified as Chinese gangs! There are several Vietnamese street gangs, and perhaps the best known is the "Born To Kill" gang in New York, also known as BTK gang. This violent Vietnamese street gang was a holy terror in New York Chinatown in the mid 1980s. They poached on other gangs' territories without hesitation and often engaged in violent "turf wars" with Chinese gangs. In Vietnam, there were and still are some violent gangs that came to public attention in the 1980s. Most of them were run by former ARVN, Republic of Vietnam Army veterans who were quite familiar with weapons and violence! They turned to life of crime after they were released from the "reeducation camps!"
One almost never hears about Filipino gangs in the U.S, Part of the problem is that they are invariably lumped together with other Hispanic gangs because of their names. For instance, the best known Filipino street gang in Southern California is called "Santana" or STS. Its easy to see how with such a name it is misidentified often as a Latin gang. In Philippines, the best known gang is the Bahala Na gang. At least this gang has a Tagalog name and cannot be confused with a Hispanic gang! The Bahala Na gang got its start in a Manila prison shortly after World War Two and has been active ever since. Some of its members did manage to migrate to the U.S. but seem to have kept away from forming a U.S. chapter!
Every Asian ethnic or national group has a gang in the U.S., even the H'Mong Montagnards! Even the native Hawaiians have a gang that is called "The Company." So, every group has a criminal element, every European, Asian, Hispanic, African, and Middle Eastern group! Some gangs simply migrated from the old country. Others started new gangs. After all, America is a land of opportunity!
Although the criminal organization Yakuza has established itself in the U.S., it is interesting that there are (at least to this point!) no known youth gangs associated with the Japanese community in America. There may be some wild young Japanese, individuals with criminal bent that engage in illegal activities, but no real gangs to speak of, not like back in Japan. The Chinese have both the Triads and the street gangs. The Koreans have the Kkangpae and it seems there are some street gangs in "Korea Town," like in L.A., but not so with the Japanese, its only the Yakuza, the big boys.
Japan is known for its Yakuza, and Yakuza have now spread to Europe and the United States. There are Yakuza in every major U.S. city, starting with Honolulu in Hawaii and going across all the way to New York and the eastern seaboard. The Chinese Triads are also well known world wide and have been transnational in their activities for many years. The Korean Kkangpae are not as well known, but they too have become transnational and are everywhere from Honolulu to New York. The Japanese Yakuza and the Chinese Triads are perhaps best known to the American public, the Korean Kkangpae not so much. But the other ethnic gangs or criminal organizations are not all that well known, some in fact, are not known to the American public at all.
Part of the reason for this lack of knowledge by the general public is that they are mostly lumped with and thought of as being Chinese or Japanese! The Vietnamese have had a very active criminal element operating in the U.S. since the mid 1970s. But they are often misidentified as Chinese gangs! There are several Vietnamese street gangs, and perhaps the best known is the "Born To Kill" gang in New York, also known as BTK gang. This violent Vietnamese street gang was a holy terror in New York Chinatown in the mid 1980s. They poached on other gangs' territories without hesitation and often engaged in violent "turf wars" with Chinese gangs. In Vietnam, there were and still are some violent gangs that came to public attention in the 1980s. Most of them were run by former ARVN, Republic of Vietnam Army veterans who were quite familiar with weapons and violence! They turned to life of crime after they were released from the "reeducation camps!"
One almost never hears about Filipino gangs in the U.S, Part of the problem is that they are invariably lumped together with other Hispanic gangs because of their names. For instance, the best known Filipino street gang in Southern California is called "Santana" or STS. Its easy to see how with such a name it is misidentified often as a Latin gang. In Philippines, the best known gang is the Bahala Na gang. At least this gang has a Tagalog name and cannot be confused with a Hispanic gang! The Bahala Na gang got its start in a Manila prison shortly after World War Two and has been active ever since. Some of its members did manage to migrate to the U.S. but seem to have kept away from forming a U.S. chapter!
Every Asian ethnic or national group has a gang in the U.S., even the H'Mong Montagnards! Even the native Hawaiians have a gang that is called "The Company." So, every group has a criminal element, every European, Asian, Hispanic, African, and Middle Eastern group! Some gangs simply migrated from the old country. Others started new gangs. After all, America is a land of opportunity!
Although the criminal organization Yakuza has established itself in the U.S., it is interesting that there are (at least to this point!) no known youth gangs associated with the Japanese community in America. There may be some wild young Japanese, individuals with criminal bent that engage in illegal activities, but no real gangs to speak of, not like back in Japan. The Chinese have both the Triads and the street gangs. The Koreans have the Kkangpae and it seems there are some street gangs in "Korea Town," like in L.A., but not so with the Japanese, its only the Yakuza, the big boys.
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