Milsurp After Hours

I put on a reunion for the veterans of the battalion I was attached to for the most time in Vietnam. When I was in the process I tried to track down the original Battalion flag which, according to tradition, is the Regimental Crest on a dark blue background with the battalion designation showing in the top right corner opposite the pole sleeve. I learned that the flag couldn't be loaned for a Reunion and I was further curious where the flag actually was now. After contacting my Congressman I found out that the Army flag archive, where it should be, could not actually locate it!

Meanwhile, to make a long story shorter, I found out that the last battalion commander, deceased at the time of the reunion, had a smaller copy of the battalion flag made in Vietnam and had it as a keepsake that was passed on to his children and his children were more than happy to loan it. And so it went.

Recently I noticed that there were companies that would print flags for you of about any size from any design expressed as a jpg image. I found some photos of the Colonel's flag from the reunion and Irphan View modified an image until it was about right and ordered two different size flags from two different companies. The smaller flag arrived pretty fast and the larger, made in China, is some place in Texas for the last week. In either case the price was cheap enough. The small one cost slightly less than $23 printed both sides. The only down side is both sides are the same image and the battalion designation that should be on the right facing becomes left facing on the reverse side because the image I sent is only of one side.

I ended up hanging the flag on the wall over my largest batch of cameras.

Nice flag Robert. Like you, I spent most of my time there with the 31st.
Now that is a lot of cameras. I have 2 older digital cameras, and my cell phone is probably
a better camera than either of them. ..

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I have a lot of digital cameras too as well as fair number of other film cameras. I am a prefect model of a fool and his money soon parted over a lot of years. But when I die I'll have owned and taken photos with more cameras than anyone else I know. At the same time I have owned or just shot more guns than anyone I know. You can say the same kind of thing about other things I've collected, like brass trumpets and cornets, and be equally and rightfully unimpressed. However, if you add the collection subjects together as a collection of particular object category fascinations, I'd say I'm all by myself. Nobody has shot as many guns and the same time as many cameras and at the same time tooted on as many trumpets as I have ever, I'd bet.

I totally agree, you have more guns, cameras, and trumpets that anyone I know. At least you have hobbies that
you seem to enjoy and collect. I on the other hand, seem to collect cars. Probably one of the most expensive hobbies,
as I never seem to make any money and lose a LOT doing it. But it makes me happy. ..


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I've got a friend in South Carolina who has lots of old cars and trucks. He has them in fields and sheds and all over the place on a large piece of property. He has parts on top of parts. He still buys more vehicles when the notion hits him and adds to the collection. Most of them don't run or only sometimes run but he also has a lot of engines and transmissions and assorted parts and tools and mechanical lifts and such to deal with them. Since he worked as a master mechanic his whole life he can put them together and knows how to fix them....and sometimes does. Only problem is he is only a few years younger than me and although his mind is willing to fix things his ancient body isn't.

I did see something on facebook the other day that there is someone some place who owns what we used to call a car graveyard who has paths cut and signs erected with information next to various hulks. He charges tourists one fee to just see them and walk around but bumps the fee to $30 if they want to take photos while there. Wonder how that idea is going?

By the way, I got the 3x5 flag from China yesterday. I also have a 8 ft. flagpole so I let it catch the breeze today. It will end up in a closet but it was an adventure acquiring it.

Nice flag, looks good in the breeze.
It seems that technically I'm not a car collector as I only have 2 at a time. Maybe more of a car trader, or more likely
just a fool for spending so much to have different cars. Not sure if it's even a hobby as I don't keep them long. Whatever.


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