History Lesson & More

Headlines from newsmax.com: “California Homicides Up 31 Percent From 2019.” And: “Poll: Nearly 80 Percent Favor Voter Identification Requirement.” And: “US Adds 850,000 Jobs, Unemployment Ticks Up to 5.9%.”

Australian and New Zealand military personnel were in Vietnam for a decade beginning in 1962. Australia suffered 521 KIA, approximately 3000 wounded, New Zealand 37 and 187. On August 18th 1966, 108 soldiers from Down Under fought the Battle of Long Tan, a three-and-a-half hour hell against a force of at least 1000. 17 died, 25 were wounded. It is estimated that 245 of the enemy were killed, hundreds wounded. The battle is the subject of Danger Close (2019), a film long on realism. Wisely, it avoids politics and focuses on the bravery of men in war. I was completely unfamiliar with the cast, always a plus, as there are no pre-conceived notions about the actors. Another plus is that the action could well have taken place in the Pacific Theater during WWII. It does not make the mistake of making it appear the combat in Vietnam was significantly different than in other wars. It was directed by Kriv Stenders, who has 25 titles under his name at IMDb. Five writers receive screenplay credit. Ben Nott’s cinematography is outstanding. The date the battle was fought is observed annually as Long Tan Day and is also known as Vietnam Veterans’ Remembrance Day. Kudos to the creators for bringing this piece of history to light to the uniformed. I don’t recall having ever considered the Aussies’ participation in Vietnam. 1100+ users at IMDb have rated Danger Close, forging to a consensus of 6.8 on a scale of ten. It failed terribly at the box office, returning only two million on a budget of $24 million. I’m sure it would appeal to anyone who enjoys war movies. One oddity: singer Little Pattie, then in her teens, now 72 and still active, was performing just as the battle began. Her entourage was whisked away by helicopter. Here are Emmy Dougall and the singer she portrayed. followed by a still from the flick:

From an article at foxnews.com by Melissa Roberto, edited by yours truly: Country singer Aaron Lewis has released a single he dedicates to “all the patriots” that will surely ignite a social media firestorm. Here are some of the lyrics: “Am I the only one here tonight / Shakin’ my head / And thinkin’ something ain’t right? / Is it just me / Am I losing my mind / Am I standing on the edge / Of the end of time? Am I the only one / Willin’ to fight / For my love / Of the red and white / And the blue / Burnin’ on the ground / Another statue comin’ down.” He also mentions Bruce Springsteen in an unflattering way. As I’ve said before, we are in the midst of a civil war I hope never goes beyond words.

Foul weather put the kibosh on the floating book shop for a second straight day. Trying to stay sane.

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