Outside the dugout: What's cooking?

My older brother flunked out of college and was ready to be drafted into the Army which meant infantry in Nam. Lots of guys from our neighborhood didn't come back. He decided that enlisting in the Air Force was a better option. When he went in to be sworn in it was "One, two, three, four, five, you are are a Marine."

He did not lose that lottery.

One year at Lowry outside Denver learning how to ski, one year at MacDill, and two years in Thailand. I asked him if he bribed some sergeants for assignments and he just winked.

He went back to school afterwards and I helped him some with calculus, he got his EE degree from Illinois, and had a great career.

I am sure that he made lots more money than I ever did.

As for me with Vietnam War and the draft I was one day late reporting because I was working as a steelworker and didn't want to miss a shift. I was told to never let that happen again. Like that was ever going to happen again.

And my draft lottery number was in the 300's. Only lottery I ever won

 

Now guys in the reserves are more likely to go overseas to a shooting war.

 

Making carnitas. Already made a tomatillo/avocado salsa and pico de gallo as toppings.

You mean as a 1960's casserole topping?

 

I have a lot of Thai basil and then I though that making pesto out of Thai basil would be awesome. A quick Google search showed me that I was not the first to think of that.

Still a Thai basil pesto (thinking about using a different nut than pine nuts. Macadamia or peanut?) with rice noodles and shrimp sounds delish to me. Maybe a little hot chili oil as well.

 

Well my dad had three sons so I wasn't going to get that pass.

The draft during Vietnam and who got out of it and who got into the National Guard to avoid going to Nam pisses me off to this day. Guys from my neighborhood went and not to the National Guard. That was reserved for pro athletes like Dick Butkus and other well connected types. We were working class kids from the Southside of Chicago. I don't think any of my contemporaries got out for fake bone spurs. I had a legit reason for 4-F (imperfect heart valve) but I never pressed it and took my chances as it never really impacted me.

And I really did not want to go, but I felt that I should if my number was called even though I thought the war was a wrong one.

I was ready to go because that is what I should do as an American citizen.

You know, lots of folks talk about the sacrifice made by the "Greatest Generation" and it was really good. Fighting that war was a no-brainer. But the sacrifice made by my generation for a stupid war says more. They died defending American honor and not defending the free world from autocracy.

And then many of them were spit on for doing it.

 

I think that tonight will be more carnitas tacos. Lots of everything left over from last night.

 

This is where grade inflation came from.

Lots of professors way back then didn't want to be responsible for a student losing a deferment.

Back then Dean's List was 3.00. Now nearly every student that shows up most of the time would make it.

 

That doesn't inflate grades, but I get where this comes from. It was instituted during the Vietnam war years. It was a way to earn a D and not get dinged. And profs still didn't want to fail students because of the draft so maybe some passes that were not earned.

One of the unforeseen legacies of the cluster F that was the Vietnam war.

 

Do you ever spatchcock your chickens? I have done that when I don't want to slow cook them with smoke. It is a really good technique.

Or do you just cut them in half for the same effect?

 

NY strip steaks on the KJ tonight. Roasted redskin potatoes with butter, lemon zest and rosemary as the side. "Boiled" peanuts in the Crock-Pot for watching the Super Regionals. I wish that they were done now because the ECU/Vandy game is really good baseball.