Beer and Cartoons

Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

Coxswain Patrick Colbert (US Navy) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on October 31, 1864 on board the USS Commodore Hull. His citation reads:

Served on board the U.S.S. Commodore Hull at the capture of Plymouth, 31 October 1864. Painfully wounded by a shell which killed the man at his side, Colbert, as captain of the forward pivot gun, remained at his post until the end of the action, braving the heavy enemy fire and appearing as cool as if at mere target practice.

Sergeant Carlos W. Colby (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on May 22, 1863 at Vicksburg, Mississippi. His citation reads:

Gallantry in the charge of the "volunteer storming party."

Sergeant Darrell Samuel Cole (US Marine Corps) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on February 19, 1945 on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands. His citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as leader of a Machinegun Section of Company B, 1st Battalion, 23d Marines, 4th Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces during the assault on Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands, 19 February 1945. Assailed by a tremendous volume of small-arms, mortar and artillery fire as he advanced with 1 squad of his section in the initial assault wave, Sgt. Cole boldly led his men up the sloping beach toward Airfield No. 1 despite the blanketing curtain of flying shrapnel and, personally destroying with hand grenades 2 hostile emplacements which menaced the progress of his unit, continued to move forward until a merciless barrage of fire emanating from 3 Japanese pillboxes halted the advance. Instantly placing his 1 remaining machinegun in action, he delivered a shattering fusillade and succeeded in silencing the nearest and most threatening emplacement before his weapon jammed and the enemy, reopening fire with knee mortars and grenades, pinned down his unit for the second time. Shrewdly gauging the tactical situation and evolving a daring plan of counterattack, Sgt. Cole, armed solely with a pistol and 1 grenade, coolly advanced alone to the hostile pillboxes. Hurling his 1 grenade at the enemy in sudden, swift attack, he quickly withdrew, returned to his own lines for additional grenades and again advanced, attacked, and withdrew. With enemy guns still active, he ran the gauntlet of slashing fire a third time to complete the total destruction of the Japanese strong point and the annihilation of the defending garrison in this final assault. Although instantly killed by an enemy grenade as he returned to his squad, Sgt. Cole had eliminated a formidable Japanese position, thereby enabling his company to storm the remaining fortifications, continue the advance, and seize the objective. By his dauntless initiative, unfaltering courage, and indomitable determination during a critical period of action, Sgt. Cole served as an inspiration to his comrades, and his stouthearted leadership in the face of almost certain death sustained and enhanced the highest tradition of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.


I went out last night with some friends to little beer place here in Summerville called Taps that Jeremy has been telling me about for about a year (I really have no idea how long he’s been telling me about it, but it feels like at least a year). I say it’s a beer place because to call it a bar wouldn’t be exactly right. Unlike most bars I know, this place wasn’t loud and full of smoke. So that was nice. If you like beer and like trying new beers… this is your place. I didn’t count, but I’m pretty sure they had close to about a bazillion different beers in there. Ok, bazillion might be a little high, but they had more than any other place I’ve been to. The downside to Taps is they don't have PBR, Budweiser, or Miller High Life. How a place in Summerville, South Carolina can call itself a "beer" place and not carry the King of Beers, The Champagne of Beers, or the beer that was selected as America's Best in 1893 is beyond me. But, other than that, it's a nice place. They also don't sell food (which, for someone in my weight class is also a downside), but you can bring it in. I doubt I’ll be a regular, but I wouldn’t be opposed to going back every now and then to hang out with the guys.

So today we introduce the final new segment to our blog. As you know, I feel it is my duty to help those in need and in this case I’m talking about fathers with young children. In this case I’m talking about TV shows you can/should watch with your children. The key here is not so much to deny your children a TV show as much as it is to direct them to good shows. It’s kind of a “Your best defense is a great offense” type philosophy. So in this segment we’re going to take a look at different shows you can/should watch with your children. Why? Because the last thing you want is for your kids to become Barney addicts. That’s one show that could make a Clemson fan hate purple. Anyway, not all of the shows I’m going to talk about are still on the air. Some are… but some aren’t. Some of these may be “kid” shows… some might just be shows that it’s ok to watch with your kids. You might be able to find some as re-runs every now and then. Chances are you’ll be able to find all or just about all of these on DVD. This is the best route to go because you don’t have to worry about commercials and you can watch it whenever you want. But I’ll leave that kind of thing up to you.


The I’m just sayin… Kid Friendly Show You Should Know

I mentioned this show earlier this week and I think it’s a pretty good one to be the first one to make the segment. Phineas and Ferb is a show for all ages. Daniel likes it, Susie likes it, Mary Ruth likes it, I like it, Sonny likes it… even The Wife likes it (though she hated it at first… which may or may not be the reason we started watching it in the first place). It’s a good clean show that makes me laugh… what’s not to like? You can find it on Disney and/or Disney XD… or on DVD. It is in its third season and has been picked up for a fourth season. Basically, the show follows Phineas and his British stepbrother Ferb (who rarely speaks) on their summer vacation. Every day they have some huge project which annoys their big sister Candace… who is always trying to bust her little brothers. That, in and of itself would be a good show. What takes this show to the next level is the “other” part of the show. In each episode their pet platypus, Perry, sneaks away from the family to go fight the evil scientist (Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz). This is my favorite part of the show… Perry and Dr. Doofenshmirtz are my favorite characters. Honestly, it’s a platypus who is a secret agent fighting perhaps the funniest evil scientist ever. How could I not love them? If you haven’t seen it… you should. If you watch it and you don’t like it… watch Barney and then watch this show again. If you still don’t like it, then you have terrible taste and I doubt this segment will help you much…


The I’m just sayin… College Football Playoffs (Playoffs!?) Third Round Predictions:

1 LSU (SEC Champion) vs. 4 Stanford (At Large) – I like Stanford in this game to pull off the upset.

2 Oklahoma St. (Big 12 Champion) vs. 6 Arkansas (At Large) – I think this will be a close one… with Oklahoma State coming away with the win.


The I’m just sayin... Football Predictions

NFL
Pittsburgh at Denver – 4:30pm (CBS) – I’m picking the Steelers to win this game over Tebow… uh… Denver.