The Hero, Davy Crockett

Davy Crockett’s early years were far separated from the fame which he acquired towards the later parts of his life. Son of a strict law-biding father, Davy ran away from home when he was in his teens because he had been caught fighting as school and did not wish to face his father or the consequences.

He would not see his family again until he was 19. Davy lived off the land during this time, hunting, trapping and foraging to find his fare. Finally he returned home and was surprised to find his father had opened a tavern, and that his entire family was just glad to see him again. In 1806 he married his love, Polly Finley who would birth his son and future congressman, John Wesley Crockett.

After a brief stint in the military, where he was promoted to rank of lieutenant colonel, Davy set his sights on politics. He was twice elected as a representative in house, from 1826-1828, but after tiring of politics he traveled the countryside, finally relocated to Nacogdoches, Texas in 1836.

Under the provision of the federal government, Davy set out to claim his 4600 acres of land a begin life anew in beautiful Texas. “I have taken the oath of government and have enrolled my name as a volunteer and will set out for the Rio Grande in a few days with the volunteers from the United States.”

When word of William Barret Travis’s troubles at the Alamo reached Davy Crockett, he immediately left to join ranks with them. Davy is known for this famous battle where around 150 soldiers defended the Alamo against an invading Mexican force of more than 1500. Despite an offer from the enemy of a peaceful surrender and safe passage, Davy and Travis choose to fight, losing their lives in the defense of freedom and country.

Gulf War Syndrome

GWS (Gulf War Syndrome), also know as Desert Storm Illness (DSI), was an immune system disorder that was found prevalent in many of the returning soldiers from Operation Desert Storm in the early 1990s. Of the more than 700,000 men and women who served in the war, around 210,000 of them have reported symptoms consistent with this illness.

The ailments of this disease included many of the following identifiable and linkable symptoms.

• Fatigue
• Headache
• Memory problems
• Muscle/joint pain
• Diarrhea
• Dyspepsia/indigestion
• Skin problems
• Shortness of breath
• Birth Defects
• Auto-immune disorders
• Restlessness
• Insomnia

There have been many theories and theses tested over the past fifteen years trying to pin-point just what was the specific culprit. The United States tried to determine what may have caused this illness and was able to sum it down to a few possibilities including: Parasitical infection, post combustion from spent nuclear or radioactive munitions, all forms of known chemical weapons and their residue, and finally, a side-effect from the widely administered Anthrax vaccination.

After many years of research, and the surfacing of critical documents which retained information necessary to solve this mystery, many experts have concluded that the primary cause of GWS was from vaccinating our soldiers with the un-tested Anthrax vaccine.

This was brought to the attention to congress in the late 90s when they found out the military had failed to inform them of 20,000 soldiers who all had been diagnosed with GWS shortly after receiving the vaccine. A judge ordered the U.S. to stop administering the vaccine in 2004, deeming it unsafe. However, in 2005 the FDA released a statement saying the re-doctored new version of this vaccine, which is currently being administered to our troops, was safe for human beings to use.

Missile Defense System

In the early 1990’s, following the aftermath of the Cold War and the prerequisites to the first war in Iraq, the U.S. government began implementing what it called Ground-Based Mid-Course Defense (GMD). Using ground based Interceptor missiles in Alaska, the system proved to be semi-effective against preventing ICBMs (inter-continental ballistic missiles) from being launched in a nuclear attack against North America.

Originally they had named the system GMD because in the early stages it was only ground based only. The system was renamed in 2002 to encompass all aspects of missile defense, be it by sea, high altitude or space.

President Ronald Reagan implemented the early working for this system in 1983 with what he called the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). However, the new GMD was not intended to be a shield, but rather a system of interception. This new system would use strategically placed interceptor missiles to shoot incoming ICBM’s out of the sky.

The development of this system, very similar to Arrow, the missile defense system Israel uses, received much opposition by surrounding nations. After the ABM (anti-ballistic missile) treaty was signed in 1972 which was introduced by the UN to deter the amassing of nukes in the US, the USSR and China, there was much worldwide debate over the development of this new missile defense system.

Many countries saw it as a form of deterring a deterrent. A vice that is seemingly silly, considering all nuclear powers claim their missiles only exist as a deterrent to other countries that try to invade them. The UN even met in 1999 endorsing a resolution aimed at forcing nations to relinquish their plans of building such systems. To this day Russia, Israel, the U.S. and China have semi-effective missile defense systems in place.

The Battle of Hamburger Hill

Ap Bia Mountain was the host to one of the most famous battles that occurred during the Vietnam Conflict, the battle of Hamburger Hill. The mountain presented very formidable terrain of jungle, bamboo, and elephant grass referred to by the locals as, “the mountain of the crouching beast." Many parts of this mountain were so dense with jungle and overgrowth that there were not many ways to get across it.

The battle on hill 937, took place in 1969 in an operation dubbed “Operation Apache Snow” by the U.S. Military. It was a well planned effort to overwhelm and eliminate the PAVN (People’s Army of Vietnam) after several previous assaults to clear the area had not been as successful.

Three PAVN regiments met with two large U.S. divisions and fought a bloody hillside battle. Narrow pathways, dense jungle, and lack of intelligence made commanding and units and the implementation of tactics very difficult for the U.S. military.

The battle seemed endless, starting on May 1^st, 1969, and was officially concluded on May 11^th of 1969. During the battle and ensuing long after was much political debate as to the justification of taking the hill. A reporter working for the AP (Associated Press) was credited with naming the battle “Hamburger Hill” when he brought attention the American public that we were unnecessarily putting our troops into harms way.

The media frenzy that ensued brought the attention of hill 937 all the way to Congress, where there was much scrutiny over the issue. The U.S. lost 70 soldiers and had more than 300 wounded during the battle, effectively wresting control of the hill from the VC and inflicted massive casualties upon them. However, not even a month later, on June 6^th, General John W. Wright left the hill, as President Johnson began withdrawing our troops from the bloodied jungles of Vietnam.

The Tet Offensive

The Vietnam War was notably one of America’s greater military controversies. Officially it began in 1967 under the administration of Lyndon B. Johnson. What created the sparks in the hay, so to speak, was the “Tet Offensive”. The People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN) joined forces with the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam (Vietcong or VC) and launched a massive offensive directed at swiftly taking over the government, and eliminating any and all resistance.

The name of the operation, “Tet offensive” was actually of Western coining. The PAVN and VC invaded on 30^th of January, 1968, which was Tết Nguyên Đán -- a hallowed holiday in Vietnam where the people celebrate the lunar New Year; similar to Rosh Ha Shanna in Israel. They choose to strike on this day because it would catch the military of South Vietnam off guard and allow them to effectively coup the government in one swift move.

On this historic day, the PAVN and the VC struck 5 large cities and over 100 towns in an operation that combined both of their forces to make up a massive army that numbered more than 80,000. Of the hundreds of targets they attacked, most were not taken. However they did manage to take many key outposts and wrest control of critical command centers around the country. The biggest surprise to allied forces was the sheer numbers and width of the attack.

Technically, the “Tet Offensive” is considered a failure due to the excessive casualties that were inflicted upon the PAVN and the VC. Additionally, most of the targets they struck they did not take over. However, it did serve to wake up the allied forces and made them realize that these two armies were a very serious threat to the stability of the region. What ensued after this was long and bloody war that would claim more than 500,000 lives, a war that has in principle never officially been ended.

Radiological Weapons

Radiological weapons are a tricky topic to define. Radiology can be a positive thing (food, health, water), but radiology can also be used as a form of weaponry. Radiological warfare is effective when it is used throughout a highly populated area (which is why it is also known as “the city bomb”), and it is largely undetectable until it is too late.

A radiological weapon usually consists of a type of bomb that is loaded with radioactive material. Radiological weapons are not nuclear bombs, since they rely on a different sort of reaction, but their impact can still be devastating depending upon the number of people residing in one specific area. Although this type of weapon appears to be useful, radiological weapons are rarely used within the United States military.

Radiological weapons are deemed useless within the military since any area that has been affected by a radiological weapon cannot be entered. Therefore, if the military were to set off a radiological bomb, they would not be able to attack any remaining enemies for quite awhile after the bomb was detonated. Perhaps, this is precisely why terrorist groups would choose to use radiological weapons as a form of destruction.

Since the only known usage of a radiological weapon occurred under Saddam Hussein’s rule in Iraq (it proved to be useless), experts do not know what sort of effect this type of bomb would have on a population were it to be used by a terrorist group. Some speculate that a radioactive bomb would cause little harm, while others tend to see this sort of explosion as a fairly large threat. For now, radiological weapons remain on the “weapons of mass destruction” list, and they are outlawed in many countries.

Weapons of Mass Destruction

The phrase “weapons of mass destruction” (WMD) is thrown around today’s media freely, but this term is often used incorrectly. Many people are under the false impression that WMDs are a recent phenomenon, but this type of warfare has been around sine the 1930s. The weapons listed underneath this category are vast, but they all tend to have the underlying theme of weapons that can wipe out humongous numbers of people, animals, and plants in a matter of moments.

In order to clarify the actual phrase “weapons of mass destruction,” it should be noted that the term itself was concocted during the year 1937 by Reverend Cosmo Lang. The original meaning of the term was used to address a Christian audience in order to sympathize with war torn Spain and China. At the time of Reverend Lang’s address, no nuclear weaponry was in existence. Today, the term is largely blown out of proportion and used in order to sway voters, or it is used as a means of threat from one nation to another. By military standards, the term is usually used in reference to nuclear weapons, which can be found within many countries today.

Weapons of mass destruction include nuclear, biological, chemical, and radiological weapons, which are devised solely to wipe out entire populations should the need arise. Most of the time, when the media speaks of a WMD, they are referring to some sort of nuclear weapon. Nuclear weapons have been used by the United States, and eight other countries (China, France, India, Pakistan, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and North Korea) claim to have tested nuclear weaponry.

Along with the United States, many countries are attempting to place a world wide ban on nuclear weaponry, but some countries still tend to make the claim that they have invented nuclear weapons of their own. Many countries throughout the world possess nuclear weapons, but most of them are underneath some sort of weaponry agreement that prohibits them from firing their weapons.

Chemical Warfare

Chemical warfare is closely related to biological warfare, but there is a major difference between these two types of attack. Chemical warfare solely uses nonliving toxic substances such as botulinum toxin, ricin, or saxitoxin; whereas, biological warfare is dependant upon living organisms. There exist over seventy different types of chemicals that can be classified as chemical warfare weaponry, but there are many more chemical possibilities that have yet to be classified. Similar to biological warfare, chemical warfare has been in use for many centuries, and it is still used (although somewhat more secretly) today.

Chemical warfare really began during the medieval times when arrows were dipped in poison, but some historians believe that other types of chemical were used prior to arrow dipping. Some records show that chemical warfare was actually used during the Stone Age in the form of poisons gathered throughout natural South African environments. The poisons were turned into liquid forms, and used to “paint” weapons with the fatal concoction. However, those that attempted to use chemical warfare during the Stone Age aimed their weaponry at animals they were seeking, which meant poisoning a beast until it fell – most of the time, those that ate the meat would wind up ill as well.

Although chemical weapons have come a long way from various plant and animal compounds, chemical weaponry has been present throughout almost every wary from the ancient Spartan wars to modern day wars. Chemical warfare remains highly controversial, but in some cases moderate forms of chemical warfare can be useful. Additionally, terrorist groups tend to use chemicals in order to fight their wars since chemicals are easily fabricated and are largely inexpensive.

Biological Warfare

There can be few forms of warfare that are as crippling to an entire civilization as biological warfare. The sole purpose of biological warfare is to poison entire populations, or military units, in order to annihilate all that interact with the biological weapon. Biological warfare has been in use since the ancient world, and it is even mentioned in many great plays and tragedies from Shakespeare to Plato. Although biological warfare has restrictions in today’s world, its impact is still widely used and recognized throughout the world.

Beginning with the Assyrians around the sixth century, biological warfare was used during this time in order to poison drinking water. Although poisoning water supplies and food supplies was a popular form of biological warfare during the sixth century, poisons proved their usefulness far after the Assyrians were diminished. Some historians believe that the warrior Hannibal of Carthage used a variety of poisonous snakes in order to decapitate his enemies. Legend has it that Hannibal tossed the snakes onto enemy ships in order to fill the deck with writhing bodies of poison. Though few have used Hannibal’s own idea of biological warfare, the trend did continue throughout the eighteenth century.

During the 18th Century, the Native American population was largely defeated through the usage of blankets given to the Native American people that were infected with smallpox. The smallpox trend grew throughout the 19th Century – whether by incident or on purpose is largely unknown – and some believe that smallpox infested blankets were the cause of the smallpox epidemic in California. Traces of biological warfare can even be found throughout the American Civil War when General Sherman supposedly polluted Union water through the execution of animals that lay decomposing, submerged in ponds and streams.

Today, biological warfare has been banned by the Geneva Protocol, which was erected in 1925, ever since World War II when biological warfare was used as a means to eliminate entire populations. Within the United States, the production of biological weaponry is strictly illegal thanks to former President Richard Nixon who gave the order to eliminate biological weapons within the United States. Although biological weapons are largely outlawed in many countries, instances of biological warfare tend to resurface on occasion giving rise to much objection, but often the perpetrators behind these incidences tend to remain unknown.

Cyber Warfare

Cyber warfare is a relatively recent phenomenon, and has miles to go before its possibilities are exhausted. Cyber warfare consists of a series of attacks from within cyberspace, which can pose a very real threat. These attacks may seem of little consequence, but because so many individuals view, use, and depend upon the internet for daily tasks, cyber warfare can be extremely detrimental in today’s world.

Cyber warfare, as we know it today, largely consists of web vandalism, propaganda, gathering data, denial of service, infrastructure cracking, and equipment disruption. Since society has evolved so much since the days of muskets and swords, cyber warfare can often be more effective in our modern world that foot soldiers marching upon an unsuspecting enemy. In theory, those that choose to use cyber warfare can wipe out entire databases – including government databases.

Additionally, if cyber warfare is conducted upon major infrastructures such as power, water, fuel, and transportation, an entire country can be held at a standstill. In order to combat this potential devastation, many intelligence operators work in order to ensure that any suspicious internet or cyber activity is cut off from the beginning. Although these intelligence officials attempt to capture all activity, many forms of cyber warfare simply cannot be stopped. Why? The answer is relatively simple, since technology is constantly changing, no one person can predict what sort of new device any given country may devise at any given time. Therefore, it is nearly impossible to guess which country may be tapping into top secret information without intelligence knowledge.

Cyber warfare has just seen its beginning, and as more countries begin to create various forms of technology, it is inevitable that cyber warfare will become a popular means of attack. Also, if a country or military can effectively use cyber warfare against an enemy, fewer soldiers will risk their lives and many operations can be carried out largely unnoticed.

Guerrilla Warfare

Contrary to popular belief, guerrilla warfare is not a recent phenomenon. The very term “guerrilla” denotes a “small war,” which originally began with ancient Rome. Guerrilla warfare is an effective way for a small group of people to gain attention when they are attempting to fight a larger, more structured, army.

Guerrilla warfare generally begins amidst the civilian population once things within a country have gone awry, or civilians simply wish to have their voice heard against a much bigger government machine. Many famous revolutions have begun from within a small group of militants wishing to get their point across. Usually, guerrilla warfare is based upon the notion that the general population is entitled to their own opinion regarding government, but in today’s world, guerrilla warfare tends to refer to various terrorist groups and tactics. The basic design of guerrilla warfare is largely dependant upon a combination of tactics used against a large government military.

Since guerrillas often fight an army that can number in the thousands, strategies such as intelligence, ambush, deception, sabotage, and espionage are crucial to any guerrilla task. Guerrillas often begin their siege by attacking all that is mobile within the existing government. It is important, while conducting guerrilla warfare, to cut off supplies, trade routes, structures, enterprises, and certain civilians. Once these major operations have been successfully completed, guerrilla forces can then move in to complete their task as disarming the government.

Guerrilla warfare is not a rapid solution, often guerrilla wars take years to complete as many guerrillas work from the inside out in order to complete a plan of attack. However, guerrilla warfare is largely successful if a government is widely unpopular amongst the people. Guerrillas base their entire operation upon unpreparedness, and they often surprise an unsuspecting government with well thought out actions.

Guerrilla warfare is alive and well today and many countries have been witness to a civilian uprising that results in guerrilla warfare. Since many governments tend to oppress their population, guerrilla warfare is often the only option that people can exercise against a difficult military regime. Guerrilla warfare is never easily executed, and many innocent people often get caught in the cross-fire.

Psychological Warfare

You might say that psychological warfare challenges intellect rather than brute strength, but psychological warfare can be just as effective as outright combat in many situations. Psychological warfare is really based upon the same concept as modern day advertising. Countries, or various military leaders, issue assorted forms of literature in order to influence the minds of the people. Many are under the misconception that wars are fought with arms and muscle, but many commanders across the globe understand and use civilian support to their advantage

Some attribute the beginnings of psychological warfare to ancient Greece, and to Alexander the Great in particular. Through his politicking, Alexander was able to influence the minds of his fellow citizens, and this trend has trickled down to many leaders today.

If you want to grasp the concept of psychological warfare, consider the campaigns that are so furiously fought throughout the North American political “season.” Candidates vie for votes, voters are swayed on one position or another, and often the outcome depends upon the amount of publicity (commercials, slogans, speeches) that one candidate has over another. During war times, psychological warfare can be used to turn civilians against their leaders, or to provide citizens with another outlook.

One military leader who had, perhaps, the most success in distributing propaganda and influencing the minds of civilians was the ruthless leader Adolf Hitler. Hitler managed to turn an entire country, along with thousands of troops, in his favor. Hitler did this with the use of microphone technology, which was later picked up and used by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

Some may say that psychological warfare – or the distribution of propaganda – is more effective than any amount of military strength. Many leaders believe that in order to successfully wage war, the voice of the people must be behind any military campaign. Psychological warfare is often underestimated, or simply ignored, but it is a very important aspect of any war.

Mine Warfare

Mine warfare has been in existence since the ancient Greek historian Polybius made record of mine warfare in his “Histories.” The concept of mine warfare is relatively simplistic – digging underneath various forms of land in order to destroy and surprise the enemy. However, various forms of mining have been used throughout time in order to aid in numerous wars.

During the Middle Ages, mine warfare was thought of as an entirely new concept, and was used largely in order to dig underneath castles and fortified walls in order to enter enemy terrain without actually engaging in outright combat. Often, simply by digging beneath a castle wall, the entire fortress would collapse upon itself allowing attackers a great advantage. The concept of digging tunnels beneath land in order to better attack an opponent was also very useful during the American Civil War.

The infamous Ulysses S. Grant reportedly ordered his troops to dig a tunnel underneath Confederate lines in order to successfully annihilate large amounts of Confederate troops. Leaders such as Grant saw the use of tunnels as a necessary means in order to plant various mines underneath enemy lines. Often, unsuspecting troops never guessed that bombs existed underneath their feet, thus this sort of mine attack was largely successful.

Ever since the dawn of World War I, mine warfare has been largely forgotten about. While troops fighting in the Civil War relied heavily upon trench in order to protect them, modern troops do not lay and wait. Hence, the slow process of digging tunnels in order to plant mines has faded into the background. However, various mine and mine fields can be found throughout the world from past wars, which present a viable danger to many pedestrians. Also, selective countries may still use the implementation of mines to attack unsuspecting civilians or military camps.

Border Warefare

Border warfare largely refers to wars which are fought from inside of each respective border, but in today’s world, border warfare can involve little military combat while still invoking the images of war.

Borders are protected now more than ever, and many citizens are feeling the effect of border warfare whether they realize it or not. Technically, border warfare refers to actual battles that are fought from with border boundaries, – the Soviet Union and China are two great examples of border warfare in action – but in today’s world border warfare takes on a whole different meaning.

Many armed soldiers can be found amongst various North American borders in order to ensure public safety. Recent years have seen tighter passport laws and various other mechanisms put in place in order to protect the borders of the United States. Additionally, countries have begun disagreeing as to the amount of border protection that is necessary in order to realistically protect citizens. Airports have undergone changes and every passenger has felt the impact of potential border threats. In the case of the modern world, borders have undergone various forms of protection in order to prevent possible border warfare, but the threat is still very real.

Various other parts of the world, such as the Middle East, deal with border warfare on a daily basis. Border warfare in this part of the world is relatively rudimentary, and basic weaponry is used in order to fire at one enemy or another. Border warfare is often a last resort, but once a country is pushed back to its boundaries, border warfare becomes necessary in order to prevent invasion.