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A soldier assigned to 1st Battalion, 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) presents the U.S. flag and offers condolences to David Sprinkle during the funeral service for Sprinkle's father, U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Cicero Sprinkle Jr., in Section 1 of Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, June 11, 2020.
Sprinkle Jr. served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II with the 319th Bomber Group 438th Bomb Squadron. Sprinkle Jr.’s father was U.S. Army 1st Lt. Cicero Sprinkle Sr. who served in World War I with the 55th Infantry 7th Division. Sprinkle Jr. passed away on January 11, 2019 at age 97. He was interred in Section 1 with his father, mother, and wife.
(U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser / Arlington National Cemetery / released)
Polish Special Forces Soldiers from 1st Special Commando Regiment put on a display of weapons and equipment for a visiting VIP - 27th January 2012
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Click here to learn more about Camp Click here to learn more about Camp Humphreys
U.S. Army photos by Anthony Langley
Ducks top Hoyas in Armed Forces Classic at Camp Humphreys
By Tim Hipps
U.S. Army Installation Management Command
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea – In a season opener between teams led by newcomers, Joseph Young scored 24 points to lead No. 19 Oregon to an 82-75 victory over Georgetown in the 2013 Armed Forces Classic here.
The Ducks and Hoyas tipped off Nov. 9 at 10:16 a.m., on a Saturday morning in the Humphreys Community Fitness Center. For college basketball fans across America, the game was one of many season openers on Friday night. Only one, however, was played before 2,100 U.S. troops and their family members, along with a worldwide television audience on ESPN.
“We’re about to start the journey to determine who is the best team in college basketball, the best team in the country, and we’re doing it in front of the best team in the world,” ESPN announcer Jay Bilas said. “I’m in absolute awe of the commitment, the sacrifice, of our men and women in uniform.”
Young, a junior guard who transferred from Houston is a son of Michael Young, who played for the high-flying “Phi Slama Jama” teams of the early 1980’s. He grabbed five rebounds and was perfect on 12 free throws in his first game as a Duck.
Joshua Smith, a 6-foot-10, 350-pound junior center who transferred from UCLA, led Georgetown (0-1) with 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting and 5 of 9 free throws before fouling out of his first game as a Hoya with 9 seconds remaining.
Jason Calliste made all 11 of his free throws and scored 16 points for Oregon (1-0). Mike Moser added 15 points, seven rebounds and a career-high six steals, the most by an Oregon player in 15 seasons. Darius Wright was the last Duck to post six steals in a game against USC on Jan. 7, 1999.
“We came a long way, so we really didn’t want to lose this one,” Moser said. “It definitely feels good to go home – a 12-hour ride – with a win.”
Damyean Dotson grabbed eight rebounds and Johnathan Loyd had seven assists for Oregon. Loyd recorded his 304th career assist for a spot on the Ducks’ top 10 list.
The Hoyas shot 1 of 15 from 3-point range, failed to find much offensive continuity, and were outrebounded, 40-32.
“Things we can control, we have to control,” Georgetown coach John Thompson III said. “We had too many untimely unforced turnovers. We got our rhythm offensively, but we gave up a lot of threes in a row – it felt like four or five. The timing of that is what we have to learn. When we had to get a stop or a rebound, we didn’t.”
Oregon took an 18-7 lead via a 12-2 run, capped by two free throws by Calliste with 12:27 remaining in the first half. Calliste also converted a three-point play that gave the Ducks a 30-23 lead with 5:25 remaining in the period. Oregon led, 37-34, at halftime.
Georgetown took its first lead since 2-0 on a steal by Markel Starks and Smith’s feed to Jabril Trawick for a layup and a 40-39 lead with 18:06 left. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera’s jumper put Georgetown ahead, 42-39. Loyd responded with a 3-pointer, Young followed with a layup, and the Ducks led the rest of the way.
Starks finished with 16 points and four assists for Georgetown. Trawick added 11 points and three rebounds. Before departing, Moser saluted the troops who welcomed the Ducks to Camp Humphreys, their most distant regular-season game site in school history.
“We had a lot of fun,” Moser said. “Getting a chance to hang out with the troops for a couple days inspired us to try and come out here and win this game.”
Played on Veterans Day weekend, the game featured a military theme throughout. Rather than players’ last names, Army values, such as “Courage,” “Integrity” and “Respect,” adorned the back of Georgetown’s camouflage-patterned jerseys. The backs of the Ducks’ camouflage-patterned jerseys displayed: “USA.” Members of both coaching staffs wore military-style cargo pants and combat boots.
“This was an unbelievable experience,” Thompson said. “It was a privilege to play in this environment, and it was a privilege to play in front of the Soldiers. One of the most rewarding times was serving lunch yesterday and getting the chance to interact with the young men and women stationed here at Camp Humphreys.”
Georgetown players Nate Lubick and Starks also were appreciative.
“This was a great opportunity to get a close-up look at what life is like for the men and women who protect our country,” Lubick said. “We’re very fortunate to have the opportunity to come here and play a game to thank them for all they do.”
“We’re blessed to have the chance to come here and see and tour the base and the helicopters,” Starks added. “It’s amazing all that they do and we’re really thankful to get the chance to meet everyone here.”
Folks at Camp Humphreys thought likewise.
“It’s such a blessing,” said Cassie Gaudette, wife of Army Capt. Brian Gaudette. “I don’t think that they can truly understand how exciting and wonderful it is to have a little piece of home and have the teams come here to South Korea. We’re originally from Eugene [home of the Oregon Ducks], so this was really exciting to see.”
Oregon played without sophomores Dominic Artis and Ben Carter, who were suspended nine games for violating NCAA rules by selling school-issued athletic apparel. If only they knew what they missed.
Singapore's President, Mr. Tony Tan Keng Yam, on the ceremonial jeep, inspecting the Armed Forces' Guard of Honour contingent, with cheer from the crowd.
#nationaldayparade #ndp2016 #singapore #sg51
Remembrance Sunday, 8 November 2015
1 NAM, car of the High Commissioner of Namibia in the United Kingdom.
In the United Kingdom, Remembrance Sunday is held on the second Sunday in November, which is the Sunday nearest to 11 November, Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of hostilities in the First World War at 11 a.m. on 11 November 1918. Remembrance Sunday is held to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts.
Remembrance Sunday is marked by ceremonies at local war memorials in most cities, towns and villages, attended by civic dignitaries, ex-servicemen and -women, members of local armed forces regular and reserve units, military cadet forces and uniformed youth organisations. Two minutes’ silence is observed at 11 a.m. and wreaths of remembrance poppies are then laid on the memorials.
The United Kingdom national ceremony is held in London at the Cenotaph in Whitehall. Wreaths are laid by Queen Elizabeth II, principal members of the Royal Family normally including the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of York, the Princess Royal, the Earl of Wessex and the Duke of Kent, the Prime Minister, leaders of the other major political parties, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Commonwealth High Commissioners and representatives from the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force, the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets and the civilian services, and veterans’ groups. Two minutes' silence is held at 11 a.m., before the laying of the wreaths. This silence is marked by the firing of a field gun on Horse Guards Parade to begin and end the silence, followed by Royal Marines buglers sounding Last Post.
The parade consists mainly of an extensive march past by veterans, with military bands playing music following the list of the Traditional Music of Remembrance.
Other members of the British Royal Family watch from the balcony of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
After the ceremony, a parade of veterans and other related groups, organised by the Royal British Legion, marches past the Cenotaph, each section of which lays a wreath as it passes. Only ticketed participants can take part in the march past.
From 1919 until the Second World War remembrance observance was always marked on 11 November itself. It was then moved to Remembrance Sunday, but since the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in 1995, it has become usual to hold ceremonies on both Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday.
Each year, the music at the National Ceremony of Remembrance remains the same, following a programme finalised in 1930:
Rule, Britannia! by Thomas Arne
Heart of Oak by William Boyce
The Minstrel Boy by Thomas Moore
Men of Harlech
The Skye Boat Song
Isle of Beauty by Thomas Haynes Bayly
David of the White Rock
Oft in the Stilly Night by John Stevenson
Flowers of the Forest
Nimrod from the Enigma Variations by Edward Elgar
Dido's lament by Henry Purcell
O Valiant Hearts by Charles Harris
Solemn Melody by Walford Davies
Last Post – a bugle call
Beethoven's Funeral March No. 1, by Johann Heinrich Walch
O God, Our Help in Ages Past – words by Isaac Watts, music by William Croft
Reveille – a bugle call
God Save The Queen
Other pieces of music are then played during the march past and wreath laying by veterans, starting with Trumpet Voluntary and followed by It's A Long Way To Tipperary, the marching song of the Connaught Rangers, a famous British Army Irish Regiment of long ago.
The following is complied from press reports on 8 November 2015:
"The nation paid silent respect to the country's war dead today in a Remembrance Sunday service. Leading the nation in remembrance, as ever, was the Queen, who first laid a wreath at the Cenotaph in 1945 and has done so every year since, except on the four occasions when she was overseas.
Dressed in her customary all-black ensemble with a clutch of scarlet poppies pinned against her left shoulder, she stepped forward following the end of the two-minute silence marked by the sounding of Last Post by 10 Royal Marine buglers.
The Queen laid her wreath at the foot of the Sir Edwin Lutyens Portland stone monument to the Glorious Dead, then stood with her head momentarily bowed.
She was joined by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, who was invited to the Cenotaph for the first time to lay a wreath marking the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands by British troops.
Watched by his wife Queen Maxima, who stood next to the Duchess of Cambridge in the Royal Box, the King laid a wreath marked with the simple message, 'In remembrance of the British men and women who gave their lives for our future.'
Wreaths were then laid by members of the Royal Family, all wearing military uniform: Prince Philip; then Prince Andrew, Prince Harry and Prince William at the same time ; then Prince Edward, Princess Anne and the Duke of Kent at the same time.
Three members of the Royal Family laying wreaths at the same time was an innovation in 2015 designed to slightly reduce the amount of time of the ceremony and thereby reduce the time that the Queen had to be standing.
Prince Charles attended a remembrance service in New Zealand.
The Prime Minister then laid a wreath. The Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, appeared at the Cenotaph for the first time. He wore both a suit and a red poppy for the occasion.
His bow as he laid a wreath marked with the words 'let us resolve to create a world of peace' was imperceptible – and not enough for some critics. Yet unlike the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Battle service earlier this year, Mr Corbyn did join in with the singing of the national anthem.
Following the end of the official service at the Cenotaph, a mammoth column more than 10,000-strong (some 9,000 of whom were veterans) began marching along Whitehall, saluting the Cenotaph as they passed, Parliament Street, Great George Street, Horse Guards Road and back to Horse Guard Parade. The Duke of Cambridge took the salute from the column on Horse Guards Parade.
Time takes its inevitable toll on even the most stoic among us, and this year only a dozen World War Two veterans marched with the Spirit of Normandy Trust, a year after the Normandy Veterans' Association disbanded.
Within their ranks was 95-year-old former Sapper Don Sheppard of the Royal Engineers. Sheppard was of the eldest on parade and was pushed in his wheelchair by his 19-year-old grandson, Sam who, in between studying at Queen Mary University, volunteers with the Normandy veterans.
'It is because of my admiration for them,' he says. 'I see them as role models and just have the utmost respect for what they did.'
While some had blankets covering their legs against the grey November day, other veterans of more recent wars had only stumps to show for their service to this country during 13 long years of war in Afghanistan.
As well as that terrible toll of personal sacrifice, the collective losses – and triumphs - of some of the country’s most historic regiments were also honoured yesterday.
The Gurkha Brigade Association - marking 200 years of service in the British Army – marched to warm ripples of applause. The King’s Royal Hussars, represented yesterday by 126 veterans, this year also celebrate 300 years since the regiment was raised.
They were led by General Sir Richard Shirreff, former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander of Nato and Colonel of the regiment who himself was marching for the first time.
'We are joined by a golden thread to all those generations who have gone before us,” he said. “We are who we are, because of those that have gone before us.' "
Cenotaph Ceremony & March Past - 8 November 2015
Summary of Contingents
Column Number of marchers
B (Lead) 1,754
C 1,298
D 1,312
E 1,497
F 1,325
A 1,551
Ex-Service Total 8,737
M (Non ex-Service) 1,621
Total 10,358
Column B
Marker Detachment Number
1 Reconnaissance Corps 18 Anniversary
2 43rd Reconnaissance Regiment Old Comrades Assoc 10
3 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery Association 60
4 Royal Artillery Association 18
5 Royal Engineers Association 37
6 Royal Engineers Bomb Disposal Association 65 Anniversary
7 Airborne Engineers Association 24
8 Royal Signals Association 48
9 Army Air Corps Association 42
10 Royal Army Service Corps & Royal Corps Transport Assoc 54
11 RAOC Association 18
12 Army Catering Corps Association 48
13 Royal Pioneer Corps Association 54 Anniversary
14 Royal Army Medical Corps Association 36
15 Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers Association 48
16 Royal Military Police Association 100
17 The RAEC and ETS Branch Association 12
18 Royal Army Pay Corps Regimental Association 36
19 Royal Army Veterinary Corps & Royal Army Dental Corps 18
20 Royal Army Physical Training Corps 24
21 Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps Assoc 48
22 Royal Scots Dragoon Guards 30
23 Royal Dragoon Guards 78
24 Queen's Royal Hussars (The Queen's Own & Royal Irish) 12
25 Kings Royal Hussars Regimental Association 126
26 16/5th Queen's Royal Lancers 36
27 17/21 Lancers 30
28 The Royal Lancers 24 New for 2015
29 JLR RAC Old Boys' Association 30
30 Association of Ammunition Technicians 24
31 Beachley Old Boys Association 36
32 Arborfield Old Boys Association 25
33 Gallipoli & Dardenelles International 24
34 Special Observers Association 24
35 The Parachute Squadron Royal Armoured Corps 24 New
36 Intelligence Corps Association 48
37 Women's Royal Army Corps Association 120
38 656 Squadron Association 24
39 Home Guard Association 9
40 British Resistance Movement (Coleshill Research Team) 12
41 British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association 48
42 British Ex-Services Wheelchair Sports Association 24
43 Royal Hospital Chelsea 30
44 Queen Alexandra's Hospital Home for Disabled Ex-Servicemen & Women 30
45 The Royal Star & Garter Homes 20
46 Combat Stress 48
Total 1,754
Column C
Marker Detachment Number
1 Royal Air Force Association 150
2 Royal Air Force Regiment Association 300
3 Royal Air Forces Ex-Prisoner's of War Association 20
4 Royal Observer Corps Association 75 Anniversary
5 National Service (Royal Air Force) Association 42
6 RAFLING Association 24
7 6 Squadron (Royal Air Force) Association 18
8 7 Squadron Association 25
9 8 Squadron Association 24
10 RAF Habbaniya Association 25
11 Royal Air Force & Defence Fire Services Association 30
12 Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Association 30
13 Units of the Far East Air Force 28 New
14 Royal Air Force Yatesbury Association 16
15 Royal Air Force Airfield Construction Branch Association 12
16 RAFSE(s) Assoc 45 New
17 Royal Air Force Movements and Mobile Air Movements Squadron Association (RAF MAMS) 24
18 Royal Air Force Masirah & Salalah Veterans Assoc 24 New
19 WAAF/WRAF/RAF(W) 25
19 Blenheim Society 18
20 Coastal Command & Maritime Air Association 24
21 Air Sea Rescue & Marine Craft Sections Club 15
22 Federation of RAF Apprentice & Boy Entrant Assocs 150
23 Royal Air Force Air Loadmasters Association 24
24 Royal Air Force Police Association 90
25 Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service Association 40
Total 1,298
Column D
Marker Detachment Number
1 Not Forgotten Association 54
2 Stoll 18
3 Ulster Defence Regiment 72
4 Army Dog Unit Northern Ireland Association 48
5 North Irish Horse & Irish Regiments Old Comrades Association 78
6 Northern Ireland Veterans' Association 40
7 Irish United Nations Veterans Association 12
8 ONET UK 10
9 St Helena Government UK 24
10 South Atlantic Medal Association 196
11 SSAFA 37
12 First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal's Volunteers Corps) 12
13 Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen & Women 48
14 British Nuclear Test Veterans Association 48
15 War Widows Association 132
16 Gurkha Brigade Association 160 Anniversary
17 British Gurkha Welfare Society 100 Anniversary
18 West Indian Association of Service Personnel 18
19 Trucial Oman Scouts Association 18
20 Bond Van Wapenbroeders 35
21 Polish Ex-Combatants Association in Great Britain 25
22 Stowarzyszenie Polskich Kombatantów Limited 18 New
23 Royal Hong Kong Regiment Association 12
24 Canadian Veterans Association 10
25 Hong Kong Ex-Servicemen's Association (UK Branch) 24
26 Hong Kong Military Service Corps 28
27 Foreign Legion Association 24
28 Undivided Indian Army Ex Servicemen Association 11 New
Total 1,312
Column E
Marker Detachment Number
1 Royal Marines Association 198
2 Royal Naval Association 150
3 Merchant Navy Association 130
4 Sea Harrier Association 24
5 Flower Class Corvette Association 18
6 HMS Andromeda Association 18
7 HMS Argonaut Association 30
8 HMS Bulwark, Albion & Centaur Association 25
9 HMS Cumberland Association 18
10 HMS Ganges Association 48
11 HMS Glasgow Association 30
12 HMS St Vincent Association 26
13 HMS Tiger Association 25
14 Algerines Association 20
15 Ton Class Association 24
16 Type 42 Association 48
17 Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service 36
18 Association of WRENS 90
19 Royal Fleet Auxiliary Association 10
20 Royal Naval Communications Association 30
21 Royal Naval Medical Branch Ratings & Sick Berth Staff Association 24
22 Royal Naval Benevolent Trust 18
23 Yangtze Incident Association 24
24 Special Boat Service Association 6
25 Submariners Association 30
26 Association of Royal Yachtsmen 30
27 Broadsword Association 36
28 Aircraft Handlers Association 36
29 Aircrewmans Association 40 Anniversary
30 Cloud Observers Association 10
31 The Fisgard Association 40
32 Fleet Air Arm Armourers Association 36
33 Fleet Air Arm Association 25
34 Fleet Air Arm Bucaneer Association 24
35 Fleet Air Arm Field Gun Association 24
36 Fleet Air Arm Junglie Association 18
37 Fleet Air Arm Officers Association 30
38 Fleet Air Arm Safety Equipment & Survival Association 24
39 Royal Navy School of Physical Training 24
Total 1,497
Column F
Marker Detachment Number
1 Blind Veterans UK 198
2 Far East Prisoners of War 18
3 Burma Star Association 40
4 Monte Cassino Society20
5 Queen's Bodyguard of The Yeoman of The Guard 18
6 Pen and Sword Club 15
7 TRBL Ex-Service Members 301
8 The Royal British Legion Poppy Factory 4
9 The Royal British Legion Scotland 24
10 Officers Association 5
11 Black and White Club 18
12 National Pigeon War Service 30
13 National Service Veterans Alliance 50
14 Gallantry Medallists League 46
15 National Malaya & Borneo Veterans Association 98
16 National Gulf Veterans & Families Association 30
17 Fellowship of the Services 100
18 Memorable Order of Tin Hats 24
19 Suez Veterans Association 50
20 Aden Veterans Association 72
21 1st Army Association 36
22 Showmens' Guild of Great Britain 40
23 Special Forces Club 12
24 The Spirit of Normandy Trust 28
25 Italy Star Association, 1943-1945, 48
Total 1,325
Column A
Marker Detachment Number
1 1LI Association 36
2 Royal Green Jackets Association 198
3 Parachute Regimental Association 174
4 King's Own Scottish Borderers 60
5 Black Watch Association 45
6 Gordon Highlanders Association 60
7 Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Regimental Association 12
8 Queen's Own Highlanders Regimental Association 48
9 London Scottish Regimental Association 30
10 Grenadier Guards Association 48
11 Coldstream Guards Association 48
12 Scots Guards Association 48
13 Guards Parachute Association 36
14 4 Company Association (Parachute Regiment) 24
15 Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment 72
16 Royal East Kent Regiment (The Buffs) Past & Present Association 30
17 Prince of Wales' Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) Regimental Association 24
18 Royal Hampshire Regiment Comrades Association 14
19 The Royal Hampshire Regimental Club 24 New for 2015
20 Royal Northumberland Fusiliers 48 New
21 Royal Sussex Regimental Association 12
22 Green Howards Association 24
23 Cheshire Regiment Association 24
24 Sherwood Foresters & Worcestershire Regiment 36
25 Mercian Regiment Association 30
26 Special Air Service Regimental Association 4
27 The King's Own Royal Border Regiment 100
28 The Staffordshire Regiment 48
29 Rifles Regimental Association 40
30 The Rifles & Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire & Wiltshire Regimental Association 30
31 Durham Light Infantry Association 60
32 King's Royal Rifle Corps Association 50
33 King's African Rifles 14 New for 2015
Total 1,551
Column M
Marker Detachment Number
1 Transport For London 48
2 Children of the Far East Prisoners of War 60
3 First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal's Volunteers Corps) 24
4 Munitions Workers Association18
5 Evacuees Reunion Association48
6 TOC H 20
7 Salvation Army 36
8 Naval Canteen Service & Expeditionary Force Institutes Association 12 Previously NAAFI
9 Royal Voluntary Service 24
10 Civil Defence Association 8
11 National Association of Retired Police Officers 36
12 Metropolitan Special Constabulary 36
13 London Ambulance Service NHS Trust 36
14 London Ambulance Service Retirement Association 18
15 St John Ambulance 36
16 British Red Cross 12
17 St Andrew's Ambulance Association 6
18 The Firefighters Memorial Trust 24
19 Royal Ulster Constabulary (GC) Association 36
20 Ulster Special Constabulary Association 30
21 Commonwealth War Graves Commission 12
22 Daniel's Trust 36
23 Civilians Representing Families 180
24 Royal Mail Group Ltd 24
25 Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals 24
26 The Blue Cross 24
27 PDSA 24
28 HM Ships Glorious Ardent & ACASTA Association 24 Anniversary
29 Old Cryptians' Club 12
30 Fighting G Club 18 Anniversary
31 Malayan Volunteers Group 12
32 Gallipoli Association 18
33 Ministry of Defence 20
34 TRBL Non Ex-Service Members 117
35 TRBL Women's Section 20
36 Union Jack Club 12
37 Western Front Association 8
38 Shot at Dawn Pardons Campaign 18
39 Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes 24
40 National Association of Round Tables 24
41 Lions Club International 24
42 Rotary International 24
43 41 Club 6
44 Equity 12
45 Romany & Traveller Society 18
46 Sea Cadet Corps 30
47 Combined Cadet Force 30
48 Army Cadet Force 30
49 Air Training Corps 30
50 Scout Association 30
51 Girlguiding London & South East England 30
52 Boys Brigade 30
53 Girls Brigade England & Wales 30
54 Church Lads & Church Girls Brigade 30
55 Metropolitan Police Volunteer Police Cadets 18
56 St John Ambulance Cadets 18
57 YMCA 12
Total 1,621
This image may not be used in any way without prior permission
© All rights reserved 2009
Orillia, Ontario, Canada
Lake Couchiching
Canadian Forces Snowbirds and a Canadian Forces CF-18 wow Orillia residents with a show over Lake Couchiching.
View the entire Orillia Airshow photo set.
20090624_183514_0318
This image is part of the Military Archives photo collection. The set relates to images from the Defence Forces Audio Visual Section. Can you help identify the locations, cameras and individuals?
Remembrance Sunday, 8 November 2015
In the United Kingdom, Remembrance Sunday is held on the second Sunday in November, which is the Sunday nearest to 11 November, Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of hostilities in the First World War at 11 a.m. on 11 November 1918. Remembrance Sunday is held to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts.
Remembrance Sunday is marked by ceremonies at local war memorials in most cities, towns and villages, attended by civic dignitaries, ex-servicemen and -women, members of local armed forces regular and reserve units, military cadet forces and uniformed youth organisations. Two minutes’ silence is observed at 11 a.m. and wreaths of remembrance poppies are then laid on the memorials.
The United Kingdom national ceremony is held in London at the Cenotaph in Whitehall. Wreaths are laid by Queen Elizabeth II, principal members of the Royal Family normally including the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of York, the Princess Royal, the Earl of Wessex and the Duke of Kent, the Prime Minister, leaders of the other major political parties, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Commonwealth High Commissioners and representatives from the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force, the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets and the civilian services, and veterans’ groups. Two minutes' silence is held at 11 a.m., before the laying of the wreaths. This silence is marked by the firing of a field gun on Horse Guards Parade to begin and end the silence, followed by Royal Marines buglers sounding Last Post.
The parade consists mainly of an extensive march past by veterans, with military bands playing music following the list of the Traditional Music of Remembrance.
Other members of the British Royal Family watch from the balcony of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
After the ceremony, a parade of veterans and other related groups, organised by the Royal British Legion, marches past the Cenotaph, each section of which lays a wreath as it passes. Only ticketed participants can take part in the march past.
From 1919 until the Second World War remembrance observance was always marked on 11 November itself. It was then moved to Remembrance Sunday, but since the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in 1995, it has become usual to hold ceremonies on both Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday.
Each year, the music at the National Ceremony of Remembrance remains the same, following a programme finalised in 1930:
Rule, Britannia! by Thomas Arne
Heart of Oak by William Boyce
The Minstrel Boy by Thomas Moore
Men of Harlech
The Skye Boat Song
Isle of Beauty by Thomas Haynes Bayly
David of the White Rock
Oft in the Stilly Night by John Stevenson
Flowers of the Forest
Nimrod from the Enigma Variations by Edward Elgar
Dido's lament by Henry Purcell
O Valiant Hearts by Charles Harris
Solemn Melody by Walford Davies
Last Post – a bugle call
Beethoven's Funeral March No. 1, by Johann Heinrich Walch
O God, Our Help in Ages Past – words by Isaac Watts, music by William Croft
Reveille – a bugle call
God Save The Queen
Other pieces of music are then played during the march past and wreath laying by veterans, starting with Trumpet Voluntary and followed by It's A Long Way To Tipperary, the marching song of the Connaught Rangers, a famous British Army Irish Regiment of long ago.
The following is complied from press reports on 8 November 2015:
"The nation paid silent respect to the country's war dead today in a Remembrance Sunday service. Leading the nation in remembrance, as ever, was the Queen, who first laid a wreath at the Cenotaph in 1945 and has done so every year since, except on the four occasions when she was overseas.
Dressed in her customary all-black ensemble with a clutch of scarlet poppies pinned against her left shoulder, she stepped forward following the end of the two-minute silence marked by the sounding of Last Post by 10 Royal Marine buglers.
The Queen laid her wreath at the foot of the Sir Edwin Lutyens Portland stone monument to the Glorious Dead, then stood with her head momentarily bowed.
She was joined by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, who was invited to the Cenotaph for the first time to lay a wreath marking the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands by British troops.
Watched by his wife Queen Maxima, who stood next to the Duchess of Cambridge in the Royal Box, the King laid a wreath marked with the simple message, 'In remembrance of the British men and women who gave their lives for our future.'
Wreaths were then laid by members of the Royal Family, all wearing military uniform: Prince Philip; then Prince Andrew, Prince Harry and Prince William at the same time ; then Prince Edward, Princess Anne and the Duke of Kent at the same time.
Three members of the Royal Family laying wreaths at the same time was an innovation in 2015 designed to slightly reduce the amount of time of the ceremony and thereby reduce the time that the Queen had to be standing.
Prince Charles attended a remembrance service in New Zealand.
The Prime Minister then laid a wreath. The Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, appeared at the Cenotaph for the first time. He wore both a suit and a red poppy for the occasion.
His bow as he laid a wreath marked with the words 'let us resolve to create a world of peace' was imperceptible – and not enough for some critics. Yet unlike the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Battle service earlier this year, Mr Corbyn did join in with the singing of the national anthem.
Following the end of the official service at the Cenotaph, a mammoth column more than 10,000-strong (some 9,000 of whom were veterans) began marching along Whitehall, saluting the Cenotaph as they passed, Parliament Street, Great George Street, Horse Guards Road and back to Horse Guard Parade. The Duke of Cambridge took the salute from the column on Horse Guards Parade.
Time takes its inevitable toll on even the most stoic among us, and this year only a dozen World War Two veterans marched with the Spirit of Normandy Trust, a year after the Normandy Veterans' Association disbanded.
Within their ranks was 95-year-old former Sapper Don Sheppard of the Royal Engineers. Sheppard was of the eldest on parade and was pushed in his wheelchair by his 19-year-old grandson, Sam who, in between studying at Queen Mary University, volunteers with the Normandy veterans.
'It is because of my admiration for them,' he says. 'I see them as role models and just have the utmost respect for what they did.'
While some had blankets covering their legs against the grey November day, other veterans of more recent wars had only stumps to show for their service to this country during 13 long years of war in Afghanistan.
As well as that terrible toll of personal sacrifice, the collective losses – and triumphs - of some of the country’s most historic regiments were also honoured yesterday.
The Gurkha Brigade Association - marking 200 years of service in the British Army – marched to warm ripples of applause. The King’s Royal Hussars, represented yesterday by 126 veterans, this year also celebrate 300 years since the regiment was raised.
They were led by General Sir Richard Shirreff, former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander of Nato and Colonel of the regiment who himself was marching for the first time.
'We are joined by a golden thread to all those generations who have gone before us,” he said. “We are who we are, because of those that have gone before us.' "
Cenotaph Ceremony & March Past - 8 November 2015
Summary of Contingents
Column Number of marchers
B (Lead) 1,754
C 1,298
D 1,312
E 1,497
F 1,325
A 1,551
Ex-Service Total 8,737
M (Non ex-Service) 1,621
Total 10,358
Column B
Marker Detachment Number
1 Reconnaissance Corps 18 Anniversary
2 43rd Reconnaissance Regiment Old Comrades Assoc 10
3 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery Association 60
4 Royal Artillery Association 18
5 Royal Engineers Association 37
6 Royal Engineers Bomb Disposal Association 65 Anniversary
7 Airborne Engineers Association 24
8 Royal Signals Association 48
9 Army Air Corps Association 42
10 Royal Army Service Corps & Royal Corps Transport Assoc 54
11 RAOC Association 18
12 Army Catering Corps Association 48
13 Royal Pioneer Corps Association 54 Anniversary
14 Royal Army Medical Corps Association 36
15 Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers Association 48
16 Royal Military Police Association 100
17 The RAEC and ETS Branch Association 12
18 Royal Army Pay Corps Regimental Association 36
19 Royal Army Veterinary Corps & Royal Army Dental Corps 18
20 Royal Army Physical Training Corps 24
21 Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps Assoc 48
22 Royal Scots Dragoon Guards 30
23 Royal Dragoon Guards 78
24 Queen's Royal Hussars (The Queen's Own & Royal Irish) 12
25 Kings Royal Hussars Regimental Association 126
26 16/5th Queen's Royal Lancers 36
27 17/21 Lancers 30
28 The Royal Lancers 24 New for 2015
29 JLR RAC Old Boys' Association 30
30 Association of Ammunition Technicians 24
31 Beachley Old Boys Association 36
32 Arborfield Old Boys Association 25
33 Gallipoli & Dardenelles International 24
34 Special Observers Association 24
35 The Parachute Squadron Royal Armoured Corps 24 New
36 Intelligence Corps Association 48
37 Women's Royal Army Corps Association 120
38 656 Squadron Association 24
39 Home Guard Association 9
40 British Resistance Movement (Coleshill Research Team) 12
41 British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association 48
42 British Ex-Services Wheelchair Sports Association 24
43 Royal Hospital Chelsea 30
44 Queen Alexandra's Hospital Home for Disabled Ex-Servicemen & Women 30
45 The Royal Star & Garter Homes 20
46 Combat Stress 48
Total 1,754
Column C
Marker Detachment Number
1 Royal Air Force Association 150
2 Royal Air Force Regiment Association 300
3 Royal Air Forces Ex-Prisoner's of War Association 20
4 Royal Observer Corps Association 75 Anniversary
5 National Service (Royal Air Force) Association 42
6 RAFLING Association 24
7 6 Squadron (Royal Air Force) Association 18
8 7 Squadron Association 25
9 8 Squadron Association 24
10 RAF Habbaniya Association 25
11 Royal Air Force & Defence Fire Services Association 30
12 Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Association 30
13 Units of the Far East Air Force 28 New
14 Royal Air Force Yatesbury Association 16
15 Royal Air Force Airfield Construction Branch Association 12
16 RAFSE(s) Assoc 45 New
17 Royal Air Force Movements and Mobile Air Movements Squadron Association (RAF MAMS) 24
18 Royal Air Force Masirah & Salalah Veterans Assoc 24 New
19 WAAF/WRAF/RAF(W) 25
19 Blenheim Society 18
20 Coastal Command & Maritime Air Association 24
21 Air Sea Rescue & Marine Craft Sections Club 15
22 Federation of RAF Apprentice & Boy Entrant Assocs 150
23 Royal Air Force Air Loadmasters Association 24
24 Royal Air Force Police Association 90
25 Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service Association 40
Total 1,298
Column D
Marker Detachment Number
1 Not Forgotten Association 54
2 Stoll 18
3 Ulster Defence Regiment 72
4 Army Dog Unit Northern Ireland Association 48
5 North Irish Horse & Irish Regiments Old Comrades Association 78
6 Northern Ireland Veterans' Association 40
7 Irish United Nations Veterans Association 12
8 ONET UK 10
9 St Helena Government UK 24
10 South Atlantic Medal Association 196
11 SSAFA 37
12 First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal's Volunteers Corps) 12
13 Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen & Women 48
14 British Nuclear Test Veterans Association 48
15 War Widows Association 132
16 Gurkha Brigade Association 160 Anniversary
17 British Gurkha Welfare Society 100 Anniversary
18 West Indian Association of Service Personnel 18
19 Trucial Oman Scouts Association 18
20 Bond Van Wapenbroeders 35
21 Polish Ex-Combatants Association in Great Britain 25
22 Stowarzyszenie Polskich Kombatantów Limited 18 New
23 Royal Hong Kong Regiment Association 12
24 Canadian Veterans Association 10
25 Hong Kong Ex-Servicemen's Association (UK Branch) 24
26 Hong Kong Military Service Corps 28
27 Foreign Legion Association 24
28 Undivided Indian Army Ex Servicemen Association 11 New
Total 1,312
Column E
Marker Detachment Number
1 Royal Marines Association 198
2 Royal Naval Association 150
3 Merchant Navy Association 130
4 Sea Harrier Association 24
5 Flower Class Corvette Association 18
6 HMS Andromeda Association 18
7 HMS Argonaut Association 30
8 HMS Bulwark, Albion & Centaur Association 25
9 HMS Cumberland Association 18
10 HMS Ganges Association 48
11 HMS Glasgow Association 30
12 HMS St Vincent Association 26
13 HMS Tiger Association 25
14 Algerines Association 20
15 Ton Class Association 24
16 Type 42 Association 48
17 Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service 36
18 Association of WRENS 90
19 Royal Fleet Auxiliary Association 10
20 Royal Naval Communications Association 30
21 Royal Naval Medical Branch Ratings & Sick Berth Staff Association 24
22 Royal Naval Benevolent Trust 18
23 Yangtze Incident Association 24
24 Special Boat Service Association 6
25 Submariners Association 30
26 Association of Royal Yachtsmen 30
27 Broadsword Association 36
28 Aircraft Handlers Association 36
29 Aircrewmans Association 40 Anniversary
30 Cloud Observers Association 10
31 The Fisgard Association 40
32 Fleet Air Arm Armourers Association 36
33 Fleet Air Arm Association 25
34 Fleet Air Arm Bucaneer Association 24
35 Fleet Air Arm Field Gun Association 24
36 Fleet Air Arm Junglie Association 18
37 Fleet Air Arm Officers Association 30
38 Fleet Air Arm Safety Equipment & Survival Association 24
39 Royal Navy School of Physical Training 24
Total 1,497
Column F
Marker Detachment Number
1 Blind Veterans UK 198
2 Far East Prisoners of War 18
3 Burma Star Association 40
4 Monte Cassino Society20
5 Queen's Bodyguard of The Yeoman of The Guard 18
6 Pen and Sword Club 15
7 TRBL Ex-Service Members 301
8 The Royal British Legion Poppy Factory 4
9 The Royal British Legion Scotland 24
10 Officers Association 5
11 Black and White Club 18
12 National Pigeon War Service 30
13 National Service Veterans Alliance 50
14 Gallantry Medallists League 46
15 National Malaya & Borneo Veterans Association 98
16 National Gulf Veterans & Families Association 30
17 Fellowship of the Services 100
18 Memorable Order of Tin Hats 24
19 Suez Veterans Association 50
20 Aden Veterans Association 72
21 1st Army Association 36
22 Showmens' Guild of Great Britain 40
23 Special Forces Club 12
24 The Spirit of Normandy Trust 28
25 Italy Star Association, 1943-1945, 48
Total 1,325
Column A
Marker Detachment Number
1 1LI Association 36
2 Royal Green Jackets Association 198
3 Parachute Regimental Association 174
4 King's Own Scottish Borderers 60
5 Black Watch Association 45
6 Gordon Highlanders Association 60
7 Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Regimental Association 12
8 Queen's Own Highlanders Regimental Association 48
9 London Scottish Regimental Association 30
10 Grenadier Guards Association 48
11 Coldstream Guards Association 48
12 Scots Guards Association 48
13 Guards Parachute Association 36
14 4 Company Association (Parachute Regiment) 24
15 Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment 72
16 Royal East Kent Regiment (The Buffs) Past & Present Association 30
17 Prince of Wales' Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) Regimental Association 24
18 Royal Hampshire Regiment Comrades Association 14
19 The Royal Hampshire Regimental Club 24 New for 2015
20 Royal Northumberland Fusiliers 48 New
21 Royal Sussex Regimental Association 12
22 Green Howards Association 24
23 Cheshire Regiment Association 24
24 Sherwood Foresters & Worcestershire Regiment 36
25 Mercian Regiment Association 30
26 Special Air Service Regimental Association 4
27 The King's Own Royal Border Regiment 100
28 The Staffordshire Regiment 48
29 Rifles Regimental Association 40
30 The Rifles & Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire & Wiltshire Regimental Association 30
31 Durham Light Infantry Association 60
32 King's Royal Rifle Corps Association 50
33 King's African Rifles 14 New for 2015
Total 1,551
Column M
Marker Detachment Number
1 Transport For London 48
2 Children of the Far East Prisoners of War 60
3 First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal's Volunteers Corps) 24
4 Munitions Workers Association18
5 Evacuees Reunion Association48
6 TOC H 20
7 Salvation Army 36
8 Naval Canteen Service & Expeditionary Force Institutes Association 12 Previously NAAFI
9 Royal Voluntary Service 24
10 Civil Defence Association 8
11 National Association of Retired Police Officers 36
12 Metropolitan Special Constabulary 36
13 London Ambulance Service NHS Trust 36
14 London Ambulance Service Retirement Association 18
15 St John Ambulance 36
16 British Red Cross 12
17 St Andrew's Ambulance Association 6
18 The Firefighters Memorial Trust 24
19 Royal Ulster Constabulary (GC) Association 36
20 Ulster Special Constabulary Association 30
21 Commonwealth War Graves Commission 12
22 Daniel's Trust 36
23 Civilians Representing Families 180
24 Royal Mail Group Ltd 24
25 Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals 24
26 The Blue Cross 24
27 PDSA 24
28 HM Ships Glorious Ardent & ACASTA Association 24 Anniversary
29 Old Cryptians' Club 12
30 Fighting G Club 18 Anniversary
31 Malayan Volunteers Group 12
32 Gallipoli Association 18
33 Ministry of Defence 20
34 TRBL Non Ex-Service Members 117
35 TRBL Women's Section 20
36 Union Jack Club 12
37 Western Front Association 8
38 Shot at Dawn Pardons Campaign 18
39 Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes 24
40 National Association of Round Tables 24
41 Lions Club International 24
42 Rotary International 24
43 41 Club 6
44 Equity 12
45 Romany & Traveller Society 18
46 Sea Cadet Corps 30
47 Combined Cadet Force 30
48 Army Cadet Force 30
49 Air Training Corps 30
50 Scout Association 30
51 Girlguiding London & South East England 30
52 Boys Brigade 30
53 Girls Brigade England & Wales 30
54 Church Lads & Church Girls Brigade 30
55 Metropolitan Police Volunteer Police Cadets 18
56 St John Ambulance Cadets 18
57 YMCA 12
Total 1,621
Click here to learn more about Camp Click here to learn more about Camp Humphreys
U.S. Army photos by Anthony Langley
Ducks top Hoyas in Armed Forces Classic at Camp Humphreys
By Tim Hipps
U.S. Army Installation Management Command
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea – In a season opener between teams led by newcomers, Joseph Young scored 24 points to lead No. 19 Oregon to an 82-75 victory over Georgetown in the 2013 Armed Forces Classic here.
The Ducks and Hoyas tipped off Nov. 9 at 10:16 a.m., on a Saturday morning in the Humphreys Community Fitness Center. For college basketball fans across America, the game was one of many season openers on Friday night. Only one, however, was played before 2,100 U.S. troops and their family members, along with a worldwide television audience on ESPN.
“We’re about to start the journey to determine who is the best team in college basketball, the best team in the country, and we’re doing it in front of the best team in the world,” ESPN announcer Jay Bilas said. “I’m in absolute awe of the commitment, the sacrifice, of our men and women in uniform.”
Young, a junior guard who transferred from Houston is a son of Michael Young, who played for the high-flying “Phi Slama Jama” teams of the early 1980’s. He grabbed five rebounds and was perfect on 12 free throws in his first game as a Duck.
Joshua Smith, a 6-foot-10, 350-pound junior center who transferred from UCLA, led Georgetown (0-1) with 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting and 5 of 9 free throws before fouling out of his first game as a Hoya with 9 seconds remaining.
Jason Calliste made all 11 of his free throws and scored 16 points for Oregon (1-0). Mike Moser added 15 points, seven rebounds and a career-high six steals, the most by an Oregon player in 15 seasons. Darius Wright was the last Duck to post six steals in a game against USC on Jan. 7, 1999.
“We came a long way, so we really didn’t want to lose this one,” Moser said. “It definitely feels good to go home – a 12-hour ride – with a win.”
Damyean Dotson grabbed eight rebounds and Johnathan Loyd had seven assists for Oregon. Loyd recorded his 304th career assist for a spot on the Ducks’ top 10 list.
The Hoyas shot 1 of 15 from 3-point range, failed to find much offensive continuity, and were outrebounded, 40-32.
“Things we can control, we have to control,” Georgetown coach John Thompson III said. “We had too many untimely unforced turnovers. We got our rhythm offensively, but we gave up a lot of threes in a row – it felt like four or five. The timing of that is what we have to learn. When we had to get a stop or a rebound, we didn’t.”
Oregon took an 18-7 lead via a 12-2 run, capped by two free throws by Calliste with 12:27 remaining in the first half. Calliste also converted a three-point play that gave the Ducks a 30-23 lead with 5:25 remaining in the period. Oregon led, 37-34, at halftime.
Georgetown took its first lead since 2-0 on a steal by Markel Starks and Smith’s feed to Jabril Trawick for a layup and a 40-39 lead with 18:06 left. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera’s jumper put Georgetown ahead, 42-39. Loyd responded with a 3-pointer, Young followed with a layup, and the Ducks led the rest of the way.
Starks finished with 16 points and four assists for Georgetown. Trawick added 11 points and three rebounds. Before departing, Moser saluted the troops who welcomed the Ducks to Camp Humphreys, their most distant regular-season game site in school history.
“We had a lot of fun,” Moser said. “Getting a chance to hang out with the troops for a couple days inspired us to try and come out here and win this game.”
Played on Veterans Day weekend, the game featured a military theme throughout. Rather than players’ last names, Army values, such as “Courage,” “Integrity” and “Respect,” adorned the back of Georgetown’s camouflage-patterned jerseys. The backs of the Ducks’ camouflage-patterned jerseys displayed: “USA.” Members of both coaching staffs wore military-style cargo pants and combat boots.
“This was an unbelievable experience,” Thompson said. “It was a privilege to play in this environment, and it was a privilege to play in front of the Soldiers. One of the most rewarding times was serving lunch yesterday and getting the chance to interact with the young men and women stationed here at Camp Humphreys.”
Georgetown players Nate Lubick and Starks also were appreciative.
“This was a great opportunity to get a close-up look at what life is like for the men and women who protect our country,” Lubick said. “We’re very fortunate to have the opportunity to come here and play a game to thank them for all they do.”
“We’re blessed to have the chance to come here and see and tour the base and the helicopters,” Starks added. “It’s amazing all that they do and we’re really thankful to get the chance to meet everyone here.”
Folks at Camp Humphreys thought likewise.
“It’s such a blessing,” said Cassie Gaudette, wife of Army Capt. Brian Gaudette. “I don’t think that they can truly understand how exciting and wonderful it is to have a little piece of home and have the teams come here to South Korea. We’re originally from Eugene [home of the Oregon Ducks], so this was really exciting to see.”
Oregon played without sophomores Dominic Artis and Ben Carter, who were suspended nine games for violating NCAA rules by selling school-issued athletic apparel. If only they knew what they missed.
Armed Forces Conduct Counter-terrorism Drill Ahead of Rio Olympics
Brazilian soldiers conduct a counterterrorism drill simulating an attack at the Deodoro train station on July 16, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Brazil announced yesterday it was bolstering security for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games following the truck attack in Nice, France, which killed at least 84 people. Deodoro is one of four main venue locations for the upcoming Olympics which begin August 5.
Source: Mario Tama
Vishnu (/ˈvɪʃnuː/; Sanskrit: Viṣṇu) is a popular Hindu deity, the Supreme God of Vaishnavism (one of the three principal denominations of Hinduism) and one of the three supreme deities (Trimurti) of Hinduism. He is also known as Lord Narayana and Lord Hari. As one of the five primary forms of God in the Smarta tradition, He is conceived as "the Preserver or the Protector" within the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the divinity.
In Hindu sacred texts, Vishnu is usually described as having dark complexion of water-filled clouds and as having four arms. He is depicted as a blue being, holding a padma (lotus flower) in the lower left hand, the Kaumodaki gada (mace) in the lower right hand, the Panchajanya shankha (conch) in the upper left hand and the discus weapon Sudarshana Chakra in the upper right hand.
Adherents of Hinduism believe Vishnu's eternal and supreme abode beyond the material universe is called Vaikuntha, which is also known as Paramdhama, the realm of eternal bliss and happiness and the final or highest place for liberated souls who have attained Moksha. Vaikuntha is situated beyond the material universe and hence, cannot be perceived or measured by material science or logic. Vishnu's other abode within the material universe is Ksheera Sagara (the ocean of milk), where he reclines and rests on Ananta Shesha, (the king of the serpent deities, commonly shown with a thousand heads). In almost all Hindu denominations, Vishnu is either worshipped directly or in the form of his ten avatars, the most famous of whom are Rama and Krishna.
The Puranabharati, an ancient text, describes these as the dashavatara, or the ten avatars of Vishnu. Among the ten described, nine have occurred in the past and one will take place in the future as Lord Kalki, at the end of Kali Yuga, (the fourth and final stage in the cycle of yugas that the world goes through). These incarnations take place in all Yugas in cosmic scales; the avatars and their stories show that gods are indeed unimaginable, unthinkable and inconceivable. The Bhagavad Gita mentions their purpose as being to rejuvenate Dharma, to vanquish those negative forces of evil that threaten dharma, and also to display His divine nature in front of all souls.
The Trimurti (three forms) is a concept in Hinduism "in which the cosmic functions of creation, maintenance, and destruction are personified by the forms of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the maintainer, preserver or protector and Shiva the destroyer or transformer." These three deities have also been called "the Hindu triad" or the "Great Trinity", all having the same meaning of three in One. They are the different forms or manifestation of One person the Supreme Being or Narayana/Svayam Bhagavan.
Vishnu is also venerated as Mukunda, which means God who is the giver of mukti or moksha (liberation from the cycle of rebirths) to his devotees or the worthy ones who deserve salvation from the material world.
ETYMOLOGY
The traditional explanation of the name Vishnu involves the root viś, meaning "to settle" (cognate with Latin vicus, English -wich "village," Slavic: vas -ves), or also (in the Rigveda) "to enter into, to pervade," glossing the name as "the All-Pervading One". Yaska, an early commentator on the Vedas, in his Nirukta, (etymological interpretation), defines Vishnu as viṣṇur viṣvater vā vyaśnoter vā, "one who enters everywhere". He also writes, atha yad viṣito bhavati tad viṣnurbhavati, "that which is free from fetters and bondages is Vishnu".
Adi Shankara in his commentary on the Sahasranama states derivation from viś, with a meaning "presence everywhere" ("As he pervades everything, vevesti, he is called Vishnu"). Adi Shankara states (regarding Vishnu Purana, 3.1.45): "The Power of the Supreme Being has entered within the universe. The root viś means 'enter into'." Swami Chinmayananda, in his translation of Vishnu Sahasranama further elaborates on that verse: "The root vis means to enter. The entire world of things and beings is pervaded by Him and the Upanishad emphatically insists in its mantra 'whatever that is there is the world of change.' Hence, it means that He is not limited by space, time or substance. Chinmayananda states that, that which pervades everything is Vishnu."
SACRET TEXTS - SHRUTI & SMRITI
Shruti is considered to be solely of divine origin. It is preserved as a whole, instead of verse by verse. It includes the four Vedas (Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda) the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas and the Upanishads with commentaries on them.
Smṛti refers to all the knowledge derived and inculcated after Shruti had been received. Smrti is not 'divine' in origin, but was 'remembered' by later Rishis (sages by insight, who were the scribes) by transcendental means and passed down through their followers. It includes the Bhagavata Purana and the Vishnu Purana which are Sattva Puranas. These both declare Vishnu as Para Brahman Supreme Lord who creates unlimited universes and enters each one of them as Lord of Universe.
SHRUTI
VAISHNAVA CANON
The Vaishnava canon presents Vishnu as the supreme being, rather than another name for the Sun God, who also bore the name Suryanarayana and is considered only as a form of Vishnu.
VEDAS
In the Yajur Veda, Taittiriya Aranyaka (10-13-1), Narayana suktam, Lord Narayana is mentioned as the supreme being. The first verse of Narayana Suktam mentions the words "paramam padam", which literally mean "highest post" and may be understood as the "supreme abode for all souls". This is also known as Param Dhama, Paramapadam, or Vaikuntha. Rig Veda 1:22:20a also mentions the same "paramam padam". This special status is not given to any deity in the Vedas apart from Lord Vishnu/Narayana.[citation needed] Narayana is one of the thousand names of Vishnu as mentioned in the Vishnu Sahasranama. It describes Vishnu as the All-Pervading essence of all beings, the master of - and beyond - the past, present and future, one who supports, sustains and governs the Universe and originates and develops all elements within. This illustrates the omnipresent characteristic of Vishnu. Vishnu governs the aspect of preservation and sustenance of the universe, so he is called "Preserver of the universe".
Vishnu is the Supreme God who takes manifest forms or avatars across various ages or periods to save humanity from evil beings, demons or Asuras. According to the extant Hindu texts and traditions, Lord Vishnu is considered to be resident in the direction of the "Makara Rashi" (the "Shravana Nakshatra"), which is about coincident with the Capricorn constellation. In some of the extant Puranas, and Vaishnava traditions, Vishnu's eye is considered to be situated at the infinitely distant Southern Celestial Pole.
Following the defeat of Indra and his displacement as the Lord of Heaven or Swarga, Indra asks Lord Vishnu for help and thus Lord Vishnu takes his incarnations or avatars to Earth to save mankind, thus showing his position as Supreme God to all of creation.
In the Puranas, Indra frequently appears proud and haughty. These bad qualities are temporarily removed when Brahma and/or Shiva give boons to Asuras or Rakshasas such as Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakashipu and Ravana, who are then able to defeat Indra in wars between Devas and Asuras. The received boons often made Asuras virtually indestructible.
Indra has no option but to seek help from Vishnu. Indra prays before Vishnu for protection and the Supreme Lord obliges him by taking avatars and generating himself on Earth in various forms, first as a water-dweller (Matsya, fish), then as an amphibious creature (Kurma avatar or Tortoise), then as a half-man-half-animal (Varaha the pig-faced, human-bodied Lord, and Narasimha the Lord with lion's face and claws and a human body). Later, Vishnu appears as human beings (Vamana the short-heighted person), Parashurama, Rama, Krishna, Buddha and finally as Kalki for performing his task of protecting his devotees from demons and anti-religious entities.
Vishnu's supremacy is attested by his victories over those very powerful entities. It is further attested by the accepted iconography and sculptures of Vishnu in reclining position as producing Brahma emerging from his navel. Brahma the creator is thus created in turn by Vishnu out of his own person. Instead Vishnu takes various avatars to slay or defeat those demons. But it is to be noted that Vishnu also provided boons to Akupresura, a bear faced demon who was destroyed by Lord Shiva.
Vishnu's actions lowered Indra's ranking among Hindu deities and led to the ascendancy of Vishnu.
Few temples are dedicated to the Sun or Suryanarayana, nor indeed Indra, nor does Indra figure largely in the Hindu religion.
Indra is almost completely absent from the deities considered as the chief or most important deity.
RIGVEDA
In the Rigveda, Vishnu is mentioned 93 times. He is frequently invoked alongside other deities, especially Indra, whom he helps in killing Vritra and with whom he drinks Soma. His distinguishing characteristic in the Vedas is his association with light. Two Rigvedic hymns in Mandala 7 are dedicated to Vishnu. In 7.99, Vishnu is addressed as the god who separates heaven and earth, a characteristic he shares with Indra.
The Rig Veda describes Vishnu as younger brother to Indra as Vamana. In Vaishnava canon the 'Vishnu' who is younger brother to Indra is identified as Vamana, Avatar of Vishnu, hence referred to as Vishnu by Vaishnavites. Vishnu is the Supreme God who lives in the highest celestial region, contrasted against those who live in the atmospheric or terrestrial regions. Vishnu is content with mere prayer, unlike almost all of the other gods who receive sacrificial offerings such as Havis, which is given using clarified butter, or Soma. Later foreign translators have view that Vedas place Indra in a superior position to Vishnu's Avatar of Vamana but in fact Vamana helps Indra by restoring his Kingdom.
An alternate translation is provided by Wilson according to Sayana:
When Thy (younger brother) Viṣṇu (Vamana) by (his) strength stepped his three paces, then verily thy beloved horses bore thee. (Rigveda 8:12:27)
Wilson mentions Griffith's possible translation as a footnote. However the following verse from Rigveda renders the above translation by Wilson more probable.
Him whose three places that are filled with sweetness, imperishable, joy as it may list them, Who verily alone upholds the threefold, the earth, the heaven, and all living creatures. (Rig veda 1:154:4)
Wilson offers an alternate translation for Rigveda 10:113:2:
Viṣṇu offering the portion of Soma, glorifies by his own vigor that greatness of his. Indra, the lord of heaven, with the associated gods having slain Vritra, became deserving of honour. (Rigveda 10:113:2)
This verse sees Vishnu as one who is glorified by his own strength, while Indra became deserving of honor after having slain Vritra only in association with other gods.
However Vishnu's praise for other gods does not imply worship. Wilson translates:
Viṣṇu, the mighty giver of dwellings praises thee, and Mitra and Varuna; the company of Maruts imitates thee in exhilaration. (Rigveda 8:15:9) (page 280)
The following verses show categorically Vishnu as distinguished from other gods in Rigveda.
He who presents (offering) to Viṣṇu, the ancient, the creator, the recent, the self-born; he who celebrates the great birth of that mighty one; he verily possessed of abundance, attains (the station) that is to be sought (by all). (Rigveda 1:156:2) (page 98)
No being that is or that has been born, divine Viṣṇu, has attained the utmost limit of thy magnitude, by which thou hast upheld the vast and beautiful heaven, and sustained the eastern horizon of Earth.(Rigveda 7:99:2) (page 196)
The divine Viṣṇu, the best of the doers of good deeds, who came to the pious instituter of rite (Indra), to assist (at its celebration), knowing (the desires of the worshiper), and present at the three connected period (of worship), shows favor to the Arya, and admits the author of the ceremony to a share of the sacrifice. (Rigveda 1:156:5) (page 99)
Jan Gonda, the late Indologist, states that Vishnu, although remaining in the background of Indra's exploits, contributes by his presence, or is key to Indra's success. Vishnu is more than a mere companion, equal in rank or power to Indra, or sometime the one who made Indra's success possible.
Descriptions of Vishnu as younger to Indra are found in only the hymns to Indra, but in a kathenotheism religion like that of the Rigveda, each god, for a time, is supreme in the mind of the devotee.
In the Rig Vedic texts, the deity or god referred to as Vishnu is the Sun God, who also bears the name 'Suryanarayana'. By contrast, the 'Vishnu' referred to in 'Vishnu Purana', 'Vishnu Sahasranamam' and 'Purusha Sooktham' is Lord Narayana, the Consort of Lakshmi. Vaishnavites make a further distinction by extolling the qualities of Vishnu by highlighting his differences from other deities such as Shiva,[citation needed] Brahma or Surya.
THREE STEPS
Hymn 7.100 refers to the celebrated 'three steps' of Vishnu (as Trivikrama) by which he strode over the universe and in three places planted his step. The 'Vishnu Suktam' (RV 1.154) says that the first and second of Vishnu's strides (those encompassing the earth and air) are visible to men and the third is in the heights of heaven (sky). This last place is described as Vishnu's supreme abode in RV 1.22.20:
The princes evermore behold / that loftiest place where Vishnu is / Laid as it were an eye in heaven.(trans. Griffith)
Griffith's "princes" are the sūri, either "inciters" or lords of a sacrifice, or priests charged with pressing the Soma. The verse is quoted as expressing Vishnu's supremacy by Vaishnavites.
Though such solar aspects have been associated with Vishnu by tradition as well as modern-scholarship, he was not just the representation of the sun, as he moves both vertically and horizontally.
In hymns 1.22.17, 1.154.3, 1.154.4 he strides across the earth with three steps, in 6.49.13, 7.100.3 strides across the earth three times and in 1.154.1, 1.155.5,7.29.7 he strides vertically, with the final step in the heavens. The same Veda also says he strode wide and created space in the cosmos for Indra to fight Vritra. By his stride he made dwelling for men possible, the three forming a symbolic representation of the dwelling's all-encompassing nature. This nature and benevolence to men were Vishnu's enduring attributes. As the triple-strider he is known as Trivikrama and as Urukrama, for the strides were wide.
BRAHMANAS
The Brahmanas are commentaries on the Vedas and form part of the Shruti literature. They are concerned with the detail of the proper performance of rituals. In the Rigveda, Shakala Shakha: Aitareya Brahmana Verse 1 declares: agnir vai devānām ava mo viṣṇuḥ paramus, tadantareṇa sarvā anyā devatā - Agni is the lowest or youngest god and Vishnu is the greatest and the highest God.
The Brahmanas assert the supremacy of Lord Vishnu, addressing him as "Gajapati", the one whom all sacrifices are meant to please. Lord Vishnu accepts all sacrifices to the demigods and allots the respective fruits to the performer In one incident, a demonic person performs a sacrifice by abducting the Rishis (sages), who meditate by constantly chanting God's name. The sacrifice is meant to destroy Indra. But the rishis, who worship Indra as a demigod, alter one pronunciation of the Veda Mantra, reversing the purpose of the sacrifice. When the fruit of the sacrifice is given and the demon is on the verge of dying, he calls to Vishnu, whom he addresses as Supreme Godhead and "the father of all living entities including himself".
Aitareya Brahmana 1:1:1 mentions Vishnu as the Supreme God. But in the Vaishnava canon, in different ages, with Vishnu in different avatars, his relationship with the asuras or demons, was always adversarial. The asuras always caused harm, while the sages and devas or celestial beings, did penance and called to Vishnu for protection. Vishnu always obliged by taking an avatar to vanquish the asuras. In the Vaishnava canon, Vishnu never gave or granted any boons to the asuras, distinguishing him from the gods Shiva and Brahma, who did. He is the only God called upon to save good beings by defeating or killing the asuras.
Sayana writes that in Aitareya Brahmana 1:1:1 the declaration agnir vai devānām ava mo viṣṇuḥ paramus,tadantareṇa sarvā anyā devatā does not indicate any hierarchy among gods. Even in Rigveda Samhita, avama and parama are not applied to denote rank and dignity, but only to mark place and locality.
In Rigveda 1:108:9,: yadindrāghnī avamasyāṃ pṛthivyāṃ madhyamasyāṃ paramasyāmuta sthaḥ | i.e., in the lowest place, the middle (place), and the highest (place). Agni, the fire, has, among the gods, the lowest place; for he resides with man on the earth; while the other gods are either in the air, or in the sky. Vishnu occupies the highest place. The words avama and parama are understood as 'First' and 'Last' respectively. To support this claim, Sayana adduces the mantra (1,4. As'val. Sr. S. 4, 2), agnir mukham prathamo devathanam samathanam uttamo vishnur asit, i.e., Agni was the first of the deities assembled, (and) Vishnu the last.
In the Kausitaki Brahmana (7.1) Agni is called Aaradhya (instead of avama), and Visnu parardha(instead of parama),i.e., belonging to the lower and higher halves (or forming the lower and higher halves). The Vishnu Purana gives tremendous importance to the worship of Vishnu and mentions that sacrifices are to begin only with both the lighting of fire or 'Agni', pouring of sacrificial offerings to Vishnu in 'Agni' so that those offerings reach and are accepted by Vishnu. Worship of Vishnu through Yajnas (or Homams) and other rituals, will not achieve the desired result if Agni's role is neglected.
Muller says "Although the gods are sometimes distinctly invoked as the great and the small, the young and the old (Rig veda 1:27:13), this is only an attempt to find the most comprehensive expression for the divine powers, and nowhere is any of the gods represented as the subordinate to others. It would be easy to find, in the numerous hymns of the Veda, passages in which almost every single god is represented as supreme and absolute."
However this notion is not completely correct as per the following verses, which shows Rigveda describe one or more gods as subject to other god(s).
Him whose high law not Varuna nor Indra, not Mitra, Aryaman, nor Rudra breaketh, Nor evil-hearted fiends, here for my welfare him I invoke, God Savitar, with worship. (Rigveda 2.038.09)
I invite to this place, with reverential salutations, for my good, that divine Savita, whose functions neither Indra, nor Varun.a, nor Mitra nor Aryaman nor Rudra nor the enemies (of the gods), impede. (Rigveda 2.038.09)
SMRITI
VISHNU SMRITI
The Vishnu Smṛti, is one of the later books of the Dharmashastra tradition of Hinduism and the only one that focuses on the bhakti tradition and the required daily puja to Vishnu, rather than the means of knowing dharma. It is also known for its handling of the controversial subject of the practice of sati (self-immolation of a widow on her husband's funeral pyre). The text was composed by an individual or group. The author(s) created a collection of the commonly known legal maxims that were attributed to Vishnu into one book, as Indian oral culture began to be recorded more formally.
BHAGAVATA PURANA
Vishnu is the only Bhagavan as declared in the Bhagavata 1:2:11 in the verse: vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam yaj jnanam advayam brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate, translated as "Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this non-dual substance as Brahman, Paramātma and Bhagavan."
VISHNU PURANA
In the Vishnu Purana (6:5:79) the personality named Parashara Rishi defines six bhagas:
aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ
jñāna-vairāgyayoś caiva ṣannāḥ bhaga itīṇganā
Jiva Gosvami explains the verse in Gopala Champu (Pūrva 15:73) and Bhagavata Sandarbha 46:10:
jñāna-śakti-balaiśvarya-vīrya-tejām.sy aśeṣataḥ
bhagavac-chabda-vācyāni vinā heyair guṇādibhiḥ
"The substantives of the word bhagavat (bhagavat-śabda-vācyāni) are unlimited (aśeṣataḥ) knowledge (jñāna), energies (śakti), strength (bala), opulence (aiśvarya), heroism (vīrya), splendor (tejas), without (vinā) objectionable (heyair) qualities (guṇādibhiḥ)."
SANGAM LITERATURE
Tamil Sangam literature (300BCE to 500CE) mentions mAyOn, or the dark one, as the supreme deity who creates, sustains and destroys the universe. Paripadal 3 describes the glory of Thirumal in the most superlative terms.
Paripadal by kaduvan iLaveyinanAr:
"thIyinuL theRal nI poovinuL naaRRa nI kallinuL maNiyu nI sollinuL vaaymai aRaththinuL anbu nI maRaththinuL mainthu nI vEthaththu maRai nI boothaththu madhalu nI vencudar oLiyu nI thingaLuL aLiyu nI anaiththu nI anaiththinut poruLu nI"
The last line states that Lord Vishnu is the supreme deity who is the inner controller (Antaryamin) of the entire universe. This is one of the Lord's glories, which is first mentioned in Vedas and later propounded by Alwars in Prabhandams and Sri Vaishnavaite Acharyas in various commentaries
The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple and Vishnu, Lakshmi is mentioned in Tamil works of literature of the Sangam era, including the epic Silapadikaram (book 11, lines 35–40):
āyiram viritteḻu talaiyuṭai aruntiṟaṟ
pāyaṟ paḷḷip palartoḻu tētta viritiraik kāviri viyaṉperu turuttit tiruvamar mārpaṉ kiṭanta vaṇṇamum
On a magnificent cot having a thousand heads spread out, worshipped and praised by many, in an islet surrounded by Kaveri with bellowing waves, is the lying posture of the one who has Lakshmi sitting in his chest.
THEOLOGICAL ATTRIBUTES
The actual number of Vishnu's auspicious qualities is countless, although his six most-important "divine glories" are:
Jnana (Omniscience); defined as the power to know about all beings simultaneously;
Aishvarya (Sovereignty), derived from the word Ishvara which means unchallenged rule over all;
Shakti (Power or Energy), the capacity to make the impossible possible;
Bala (Strength), the capacity to support everything by will and without any fatigue;
Virya (Vigour), the power to retain immateriality as the Supreme Spirit or Being in spite of being the material cause of mutable creations;
Tejas (Splendor), which expresses self-sufficiency and the capacity to overpower everything by spiritual effulgence.
Other important qualities attributed to Vishnu are Gambhirya (inestimatable grandeur), Audarya (generosity), and Karunya (compassion). Natya Shastra lists Vishnu as the presiding deity of the Sṛngara rasa.
The Rigveda says: Vishnu can travel in three strides. The first stride is the Earth. The second stride is the visible sky. The third stride cannot be seen by men and is the heaven where the gods and the righteous dead live. (This feature of three strides also appears in the story of his avatar Vamana/Trivikrama.) The Sanskrit for "to stride" is the root kram; its reduplicated perfect is chakram (guņa grade) or chakra (zero-grade), and in the Rigveda he is called by epithets such as vi-chakra-māņas = "he who has made 3 strides". The Sanskrit word chakra also means "wheel". That may have suggested the idea of Vishnu carrying a chakra.
FIVE FORMS
In Shree Vaishnavism, another school dating from around the 10th century AD, Vishnu assumes five forms:
In the Para Form, Para is the highest form of Vishnu found only in Sri Vaikunta also called Moksha, along with his consort Lakshmi, (and Bhumi Devi and Nila devi, avatars of Lakshmi) and surrounded by liberated souls like Ananta, Garuda, and a host of Muktas (liberated souls).
In the Vyuha form, Vishnu assumes four forms, which exercise different cosmic functions and controls activities of living beings.
In the Vibhava form, Vishnu assumes various manifestations, called Vibhavas, more popularly known as Avataras from time to time, to protect the virtuous, punish evil-doers and re-establish righteousness.
In the Antaryami; "Dwelling within" or "Suksma Vasudeva" form, Vishnu exists within the souls of all living beings and in every substance.
In the Arcavatara or Image manifestation, Vishnu is visible and therefore easily approachable by devotees since Para, Vyuha, Vibhava and Antaryami forms can only be imagined or meditated upon because they are beyond our reach. Such images can be
Revealed by Vishnu, for example, a self-manifested (Swayambhu) icon (murti), e.g. The Mahavishnu Temple at Tirunelli, The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam, The Tirumala Venkateshwara Temple, etc.; or
Installed by Devas or celestial beings such as such as Guruvayur Temple installed by Vayu; or
Installed by humans, and consecrated according to Vaishnava Agama shastras or scriptures such as Lord Jagannatha of Jagannath Temple (Puri) at Puri.
RELATIONS WITH OTHER DEITIES
SHIVA
The three gods of the Trimurti clan are inseparable and in harmony in view of their common vision and universal good. They are perfectly ideal in all respects.
Both Asuras and Devas played supportive roles in this story by keeping company with Vishnu in his incarnated forms. Hanuman is a vanara who is completely dedicated to Rama. He gives Vishnu company and obeys his command, while playing an important part in Rama's life. He is regarded in Vaishnava canon because it is through blessings that Hanuman is born. Thus, Hanuman, Vishnu's constant companion, with his idol appearing temples of Rama, Krishna and Narasimha, i.e. all of Vishnu's avatars, is considered by Vaishnavas.
Syncretic forces produced stories in which the two deities were shown in cooperative relationships and combined forms. Harihara is the name of a combined deity form of both Vishnu (Hari) and Shiva (Hara). This dual form, which is also called Harirudra, is mentioned in the Mahabharata.
LAKSHMI
Vishnu's consort is Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth (also known as Maya). The Samvit (the primary intelligence/dark matter) of the universe is Vishnu, while the other five attributes emerge from this samvit and hence Maya or dark energy of the universe is Lakshmee is his ahamata, activity, or Vishnu's Power. This power of God, Maya or Shakti, is personified and has multiple names: Shree, Lakshmi, Maya, Vishnumaya or Mahamaya. She is said to manifest as Kriyashakti, (Creative Activity) and Bhutishakti (Creation). This world requires Vishnu's creativity. He therefore needs Lakshmi to always be with Him. Her various avatars as Lord Vishnu's consorts are Varahavatar (Bhoodevi) or Bhoomi, Ramavatar Seeta, Krishnavatar Rukmini)
SARASWATI & GANGA
According to Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Lord Vishnu had three wives Lakshmi, Saraswati and Ganga. Due to their constant quarrelsome nature among them. Once Ganga tried to be close with Vishnu, this rebuked Saraswati but Lakshmi tried to pacify them but faced a curse rather. As per the curse, Lakshmi to appear as Tulasi. Sarawati cursed Ganga to run as a river in the world and Saraswati was cursed to run as a river in the netherworld. After this, Lord Vishnu transformed and became Brahma and Shiva to pacify Saraswati and Ganga.
GARUDA
Vishnu's mount (Vahana) is Garuda, the eagle. Vishnu is commonly depicted as riding on his shoulders.
ICONOGRAPHY
According to various Puranas, Vishnu is the ultimate omnipresent reality and is shapeless and omnipresent. However, a strict iconography governs his representation, whether in pictures, icons, or idols:
He has four arms and is male: The four arms indicate his all-powerful and all-pervasive nature. His physical existence is represented by the two arms in the front, while the two arms at the back represent his presence in the spiritual world. The Upanishad Gopal Uttartapani describes the four arms.
The Shreevatsa mark is on his chest, symbolizing his consort Lakshmi.
He wears the auspicious "Kaustubha" jewel around his neck and a garland of vaijayanti flowers (Vanamala). Lakshmi dwells in this jewel, on Vishnu's chest.
A crown adorns his head: The crown symbolizes his supreme authority. This crown sometimes includes a peacock feather, borrowing from his Krishna-avatar.
He wears two earrings: The earrings represent inherent opposites in creation — knowledge and ignorance; happiness and unhappiness; pleasure and pain.
He rests on Ananta, the immortal and infinite snake.
Vishnu is always to be depicted holding four attributes:
A conch shell or Shankha, named Panchajanya, is held by the upper left hand. It represents Vishnu's power to create and maintain the universe. Panchajanya represents the five elements or Panchabhoota – water, fire, air, earth and sky or space. It also represents the five airs or Pranas that are within the body and mind. The conch symbolizes that Vishnu is the primeval Divine sound of creation and continuity. It also represented as Om. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna avatara states that of sound vibrations, 'He is Om'.
The Chakra, a sharp, spinning, discus-like weapon, named "Sudarshana", is held by the upper right hand. It symbolizes the purified spiritualized mind. The name Sudarshana is derived from two words – Su, which means good, superior, and Darshana, which means vision or sight; together. The Chakra represents destruction of ego in the awakening and realization of the soul's original nature and god, burning away spiritual ignorance and illusion, and developing higher spiritual vision and insight to realize god.
A mace or Gada, named "Kaumodaki", is held by the lower right hand. It symbolizes that Vishnu's divine power is the source of all spiritual, mental and physical strength. It also signifies Vishnu's power to destroy materialistic or demonic tendencies (Anarthas) that prevent people from reaching god. Vishnu's mace is the power of the Divine within us to spiritually purify and uplift us from our materialistic bonds.
A lotus flower or Padma is held by the lower left hand. It represents spiritual liberation, Divine perfection, purity and the unfolding of Spiritual consciousness within the individual. The lotus opening its petals in the light of the Sun is indicative of the expansion and awakening of our long dormant, original spiritual consciousness in the light of god. The lotus symbolizes that god is the power and source from which the universe and the individual soul emerges. It also represents Divine Truth or Satya, the originator of the rules of conduct or Dharma, and Divine Vedic knowledge or Jnana. The lotus also symbolizes that Vishnu is the embodiment of spiritual perfection and purity and that He is the wellspring of these qualities and that the individual soul must seek to awaken these intrinsic Divine qualities from Vishnu by surrendering to and linking with Him.
To this may be added, conventionally, the vanamaala flower garland, Vishnu's bow (Shaarnga/Kodand) and his sword Nandaka. A verse of the Vishnu Sahasranama stotram states;vanamālī gadhī shārngī shanki chakri cha nandaki / shrīmān nārāyaņo vişņo vāsudevo abhirakşatu//; translation: Protect us Oh Lord Narayana who wears the forest garland,who has the mace, conch, sword and the wheel. And who is called Vishnu and the Vasudeva.
In general, Vishnu's body is depicted in one of the following three ways:
Standing on a lotus flower, often with Lakshmi, his consort, beside him on a similar pedestal.
Reclining on the coiled-up thousand-hooded Shesha Naga, with Lakshmi seated at his feet; the assemblage rests on the "Kshira Sagar" (ocean of milk). In this representation, Brahma is depicted as sitting on a lotus that grows out of Vishnu's navel.
Riding on the back of his eagle mount, known as Garuda. Another name for Garuda is "Veda atma"; Soul of the Vedas. The flapping of his wings symbolizes the power of the Divine Truth of Vedic wisdom. Also the eagle represents the soul. Garuda carrying Vishnu symbolizes the soul or jiva atma carrying the Super soul or Param atma within it.
AVATARS
Ten avatars (dashavatara) of Vishnu are the most prominent: Apart from the most prominent incarnations there are believed to more.
The most commonly believed incarnations of Vishnu are:
Matsya, the fish that kills Damanaka to save the vedas and also saves Manu from a great flood that submerges the entire Earth.
Kurma, the turtle that helps the Devas and Asuras churn the ocean for the nectar of immortality.
Varaha, the boar that rescues the Earth and kills Hiranyaksha.
Narasimha, the half-lion half human, who defeats the demon Hiranyakashipu.
Vamana, the dwarf that grows into a giant to save the world from King Bali.
Parashurama, "Rama of the battle axe", a sage who appeared in the Treta Yuga. He killed Kartavirya Arjuna's army and clan and then killed all the kshatriyas 21 times.
Rama, the prince and king of Ayodhya who killed the Demon King Raavan.
Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu, who takes part in the Mahabharata epic. Krishna is worshipped as the Supreme Avatar of Vishnu (Supreme Personality of Godhead) in Gaudiya-Vaishnava philosophy.
Buddha, the ninth avatar of Vishnu.
Kalki, the tenth Avatar of Vishnu and said to be the harbinger of the end Kali Yuga. This avatar of Vishnu is yet to come.
Some versions of the above list include Hayagreeva among the Dashavataras while some include Buddha as ninth avatar of Vishnu. Another 22 avatars are given in Chapter 3, Canto 1 of the Bhagavata Purana, although it states that "the incarnations of the Lord are innumerable, like rivulets flowing from inexhaustible sources of water".
BEYOND HINDUISM
SIKHISM
Guru Granth Sahib of Sikhism mentions Vishnu, one verse goes:
The true Vaishnaav, the devotee of Vishnu, is the one with whom God is thoroughly pleased. He dwells apart from Maya. Performing good deeds, he does not seek rewards. Spotlessly pure is the religion of such a Vaishnaav; he has no desire for the fruits of his labors. He is absorbed in devotional worship and the singing of Kirtan, the songs of the Lords Glory. Within his mind and body, he meditates in remembrance on the Lord of the Universe. He is kind to all creatures. He holds fast to the Naam, and inspires others to chant it. O Nanak, such a Vaishnaav obtains the supreme status.
BUDDHISM
While some Hindus consider Buddha as an incarnation of Vishnu, Buddhists in Sri Lanka venerate Vishnu as the custodian deity of Sri Lanka and protector of Buddhism. Lord Vishnu is also known as upulvan, or uthpala varna, meaning "Blue Lotus coloured". Some postulates that Uthpala varna was a local deity who later merged with Vishnu while another belief is that Uthpala Varna was an early form of Vishnu before he became a supreme deity in Puranic Hinduism. According to Chronicles "Mahawamsa", "Chulawamsa" and folklore in Sri Lanka, Buddha himself handed over the custodianship to Vishnu. Others believe that Buddha entrusted this task to Sakra(Indra) and Sakra delegated this task of custodianship to god Vishnu. In contrary to vedic Hinduism, in assimilation of Hindu god Vishnu into Sinhalese Buddhism, Vishnu becomes a mortal being and a Bodhisattva aspiring Buddhahood. Additionally, Vishnu is considered as the god of home and hearth representing mercy, goodness, order and stability. Many Buddhist and Hindu shrines are dedicated to Vishnu in Sri Lanka. In addition to specific Vishnu "Kovils" or "devalayas", all Buddhist temples necessarily house shrine rooms (Devalayas) closer to the main Buddhist shrine dedicated to Vishnu. John Holt in his groundbreaking study examines the assimilation, transformation, and subordination of the Hindu deity Vishnu within the contexts of Sri Lankan history and Sinhala Buddhist religious culture. He then explores the role and rationale of medieval Sinhala kings in assimilating Visnu into Sinhala Buddhism. According to Holt the veneration of Vishnu in Sri Lanka is evidence of a remarkable ability, over many centuries, to reiterate and reinvent culture as other ethnicities have been absorbed into their own. Though the Vishnu cult in Ceylon was formally endorsed by Kandyan kings in early 1700s, Holt states that vishnu images and shrines are among conspicuous ruins in the medieval capital Polonnaruwa. In Buddhist mythology, when Vishnu failed to traverse the universe in three steps, he was given the title "Ardha Vishnu (Half-Vishnu)" and when Vishnu banished demons from the Vaishali (Vishala)in India, he became "Mulu Vishnu or Whole Vishnu". The extreme significance of god Vishnu in Sinhala society is reflected in recitals of the traditional "Offerings to dwarfs and crossing the door frame (bahirwayanta dola pideem saha uluwahu peneema)" that starts with Sri Vishnu invocation.In the recitals,mentioning of the aspiring Buddhahood of Vishnu which is of prime importance to Buddhists and wishes for him to live five thousand and more years highlight the central role of Vishnu in the psyche of Sri Lankan Buddhists.
OTHERS
James Freeman Clarke, Richard Leviton, James Cowles Prichard, and others have noted the similarities between Vishnu and Ancient Egyptian God Horus.
During an excavation in an abandoned village of Russia in the Volga region, archaeologist Alexander Kozhevin excavated an ancient idol of Vishnu. The idol dates from between the 7th and 10th centuries. In the interview Kozhevin, stated that, "We may consider it incredible, but we have ground to assert that Middle-Volga region was the original land of Ancient Rus. This is a hypothesis, but a hypothesis, which requires thorough research"
THOUSAND NAMES OF VISHNU
Vishnu's many names and followers are collected in the Vishnu Sahasranama, (Vishnu's thousand names) from within the larger work Mahabharata. The character Bheeshma recites the names before Krishna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, praising him (Vishnu) as the supreme god. These Sahasranama are regarded as the essence of all Vedas by followers of Vaishnavism, who believe sincere chanting of Vishnu Sahasranama results in spiritual well-being and a greater awareness of God.
The names are generally derived from the Anantakalyanagunas (meaning: infinite auspicious attributes).
According to the Siddhartha-samhita there are twenty-four forms of Lord Vishnu. The twenty-four forms are
Vasudeva
Sankarshana
Pradyumna
Anirudha
Keshava
Narayana
Madhava
Govinda
Vishnu
Madhusudana
Trivikrama
Vamana
Sridhara
Hrishikesha
Padmanabha
Damodara
Purushottama
Achyuta
Narasimha
Janardana
Hari
Krishna
Adhokshaja
Upulvan, Uthpala Varna - In Sri Lanka, Vishnu is also referred to as Upulvan ( Blue Lotus Coloured)
WIKIPEDIA
Polish Navy Special Forces Operators from FORMOZA put on a display of weapons and equipment for a visiting VIP - 27th January 2012
This image is part of the Military Archives photo collection. The set relates to images from the Defence Forces Audio Visual Section. Can you help identify the locations, cameras and individuals?
President Cyril Ramaphosa and Commander-in-Chief of the South African National Defence Forces observes the Military Marching Column during at the Armed Forces Day held in Cape Town. The Marching Column is the Mechanised Column of military vehicles driving past the presidential podium and providing the salute to the Commander-in-Chief. The SANDF; SA Army; SA Air Force, SA Navy and the SA military Health Services contributes their assets in the mechanised column ranging from military parade, support vessels, offshore patrol, vessels;submarine;artillery guns, tanks and armoured cars, bridge building hardware, ground based air defence anti-aircraft guns and the infantry’s range of Ratel Infantry Fighting Vehicles. Armed Forces Day is observed and commemorated annually on 21 February to celebrate and honour members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). [Photo: GCIS]
13 June 2011
Panjwa’i District, Afghanistan
Canadian Forces Flight Engineer, Warrant Officer Ray Tanguay (right) provides security and direction for Royale 22 Régiment, Charlie Company soldiers as they board a CH-147D Chinook helicopter to be transported to their starting position for OP CRAZY FLIGHT II.
Canadian Helicopter Force (Afghanistan), Task Force Freedom contributes to the overall effectiveness and security of OP CRAZY FLIGHT II by providing transportation and protection to ground forces. This aerial advantage allows ground forces to arrive faster, safer and confident with the knowledge that they have aerial support at a moment notice.
OP CRAZY FLIGHT II is the last operation for Royal 22e Régiment, Charlie Company before the Canadian Forces ends its mission in the Southern region of Afghanistan.
Operation ATHENA is Canada’s participation in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. The mission of Task Force Kandahar, the Canadian-led brigade in ISAF Regional Command (South), is to set the right conditions for sustainable progress in security, governance, development and peace in the districts of Panjwa'i, Dand and Daman in Kandahar Province, in conjunction with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Afghan national security forces, and other coalition and civilian partners.
Afghan Special Forces at Camp Morehead, Afghanistan, April 12. (Photo by Maitre Christian Valverde, French Navy, ISAF Public Affairs Office)
Polish Soldiers from the Special Forces Command put on a display of weapons and equipment for visiting VIPs from the Parliamentary Committee for National Defence to help familiarize them with the Weapons and Capabilities of the Special Forces Command – 12th June 2012
Remembrance Sunday, 8 November 2015
In the United Kingdom, Remembrance Sunday is held on the second Sunday in November, which is the Sunday nearest to 11 November, Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of hostilities in the First World War at 11 a.m. on 11 November 1918. Remembrance Sunday is held to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts.
Remembrance Sunday is marked by ceremonies at local war memorials in most cities, towns and villages, attended by civic dignitaries, ex-servicemen and -women, members of local armed forces regular and reserve units, military cadet forces and uniformed youth organisations. Two minutes’ silence is observed at 11 a.m. and wreaths of remembrance poppies are then laid on the memorials.
The United Kingdom national ceremony is held in London at the Cenotaph in Whitehall. Wreaths are laid by Queen Elizabeth II, principal members of the Royal Family normally including the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of York, the Princess Royal, the Earl of Wessex and the Duke of Kent, the Prime Minister, leaders of the other major political parties, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Commonwealth High Commissioners and representatives from the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force, the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets and the civilian services, and veterans’ groups. Two minutes' silence is held at 11 a.m., before the laying of the wreaths. This silence is marked by the firing of a field gun on Horse Guards Parade to begin and end the silence, followed by Royal Marines buglers sounding Last Post.
The parade consists mainly of an extensive march past by veterans, with military bands playing music following the list of the Traditional Music of Remembrance.
Other members of the British Royal Family watch from the balcony of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
After the ceremony, a parade of veterans and other related groups, organised by the Royal British Legion, marches past the Cenotaph, each section of which lays a wreath as it passes. Only ticketed participants can take part in the march past.
From 1919 until the Second World War remembrance observance was always marked on 11 November itself. It was then moved to Remembrance Sunday, but since the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in 1995, it has become usual to hold ceremonies on both Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday.
Each year, the music at the National Ceremony of Remembrance remains the same, following a programme finalised in 1930:
Rule, Britannia! by Thomas Arne
Heart of Oak by William Boyce
The Minstrel Boy by Thomas Moore
Men of Harlech
The Skye Boat Song
Isle of Beauty by Thomas Haynes Bayly
David of the White Rock
Oft in the Stilly Night by John Stevenson
Flowers of the Forest
Nimrod from the Enigma Variations by Edward Elgar
Dido's lament by Henry Purcell
O Valiant Hearts by Charles Harris
Solemn Melody by Walford Davies
Last Post – a bugle call
Beethoven's Funeral March No. 1, by Johann Heinrich Walch
O God, Our Help in Ages Past – words by Isaac Watts, music by William Croft
Reveille – a bugle call
God Save The Queen
Other pieces of music are then played during the march past and wreath laying by veterans, starting with Trumpet Voluntary and followed by It's A Long Way To Tipperary, the marching song of the Connaught Rangers, a famous British Army Irish Regiment of long ago.
The following is complied from press reports on 8 November 2015:
"The nation paid silent respect to the country's war dead today in a Remembrance Sunday service. Leading the nation in remembrance, as ever, was the Queen, who first laid a wreath at the Cenotaph in 1945 and has done so every year since, except on the four occasions when she was overseas.
Dressed in her customary all-black ensemble with a clutch of scarlet poppies pinned against her left shoulder, she stepped forward following the end of the two-minute silence marked by the sounding of Last Post by 10 Royal Marine buglers.
The Queen laid her wreath at the foot of the Sir Edwin Lutyens Portland stone monument to the Glorious Dead, then stood with her head momentarily bowed.
She was joined by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, who was invited to the Cenotaph for the first time to lay a wreath marking the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands by British troops.
Watched by his wife Queen Maxima, who stood next to the Duchess of Cambridge in the Royal Box, the King laid a wreath marked with the simple message, 'In remembrance of the British men and women who gave their lives for our future.'
Wreaths were then laid by members of the Royal Family, all wearing military uniform: Prince Philip; then Prince Andrew, Prince Harry and Prince William at the same time ; then Prince Edward, Princess Anne and the Duke of Kent at the same time.
Three members of the Royal Family laying wreaths at the same time was an innovation in 2015 designed to slightly reduce the amount of time of the ceremony and thereby reduce the time that the Queen had to be standing.
Prince Charles attended a remembrance service in New Zealand.
The Prime Minister then laid a wreath. The Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, appeared at the Cenotaph for the first time. He wore both a suit and a red poppy for the occasion.
His bow as he laid a wreath marked with the words 'let us resolve to create a world of peace' was imperceptible – and not enough for some critics. Yet unlike the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Battle service earlier this year, Mr Corbyn did join in with the singing of the national anthem.
Following the end of the official service at the Cenotaph, a mammoth column more than 10,000-strong (some 9,000 of whom were veterans) began marching along Whitehall, saluting the Cenotaph as they passed, Parliament Street, Great George Street, Horse Guards Road and back to Horse Guard Parade. The Duke of Cambridge took the salute from the column on Horse Guards Parade.
Time takes its inevitable toll on even the most stoic among us, and this year only a dozen World War Two veterans marched with the Spirit of Normandy Trust, a year after the Normandy Veterans' Association disbanded.
Within their ranks was 95-year-old former Sapper Don Sheppard of the Royal Engineers. Sheppard was of the eldest on parade and was pushed in his wheelchair by his 19-year-old grandson, Sam who, in between studying at Queen Mary University, volunteers with the Normandy veterans.
'It is because of my admiration for them,' he says. 'I see them as role models and just have the utmost respect for what they did.'
While some had blankets covering their legs against the grey November day, other veterans of more recent wars had only stumps to show for their service to this country during 13 long years of war in Afghanistan.
As well as that terrible toll of personal sacrifice, the collective losses – and triumphs - of some of the country’s most historic regiments were also honoured yesterday.
The Gurkha Brigade Association - marking 200 years of service in the British Army – marched to warm ripples of applause. The King’s Royal Hussars, represented yesterday by 126 veterans, this year also celebrate 300 years since the regiment was raised.
They were led by General Sir Richard Shirreff, former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander of Nato and Colonel of the regiment who himself was marching for the first time.
'We are joined by a golden thread to all those generations who have gone before us,” he said. “We are who we are, because of those that have gone before us.' "
Cenotaph Ceremony & March Past - 8 November 2015
Summary of Contingents
Column Number of marchers
B (Lead) 1,754
C 1,298
D 1,312
E 1,497
F 1,325
A 1,551
Ex-Service Total 8,737
M (Non ex-Service) 1,621
Total 10,358
Column B
Marker Detachment Number
1 Reconnaissance Corps 18 Anniversary
2 43rd Reconnaissance Regiment Old Comrades Assoc 10
3 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery Association 60
4 Royal Artillery Association 18
5 Royal Engineers Association 37
6 Royal Engineers Bomb Disposal Association 65 Anniversary
7 Airborne Engineers Association 24
8 Royal Signals Association 48
9 Army Air Corps Association 42
10 Royal Army Service Corps & Royal Corps Transport Assoc 54
11 RAOC Association 18
12 Army Catering Corps Association 48
13 Royal Pioneer Corps Association 54 Anniversary
14 Royal Army Medical Corps Association 36
15 Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers Association 48
16 Royal Military Police Association 100
17 The RAEC and ETS Branch Association 12
18 Royal Army Pay Corps Regimental Association 36
19 Royal Army Veterinary Corps & Royal Army Dental Corps 18
20 Royal Army Physical Training Corps 24
21 Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps Assoc 48
22 Royal Scots Dragoon Guards 30
23 Royal Dragoon Guards 78
24 Queen's Royal Hussars (The Queen's Own & Royal Irish) 12
25 Kings Royal Hussars Regimental Association 126
26 16/5th Queen's Royal Lancers 36
27 17/21 Lancers 30
28 The Royal Lancers 24 New for 2015
29 JLR RAC Old Boys' Association 30
30 Association of Ammunition Technicians 24
31 Beachley Old Boys Association 36
32 Arborfield Old Boys Association 25
33 Gallipoli & Dardenelles International 24
34 Special Observers Association 24
35 The Parachute Squadron Royal Armoured Corps 24 New
36 Intelligence Corps Association 48
37 Women's Royal Army Corps Association 120
38 656 Squadron Association 24
39 Home Guard Association 9
40 British Resistance Movement (Coleshill Research Team) 12
41 British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association 48
42 British Ex-Services Wheelchair Sports Association 24
43 Royal Hospital Chelsea 30
44 Queen Alexandra's Hospital Home for Disabled Ex-Servicemen & Women 30
45 The Royal Star & Garter Homes 20
46 Combat Stress 48
Total 1,754
Column C
Marker Detachment Number
1 Royal Air Force Association 150
2 Royal Air Force Regiment Association 300
3 Royal Air Forces Ex-Prisoner's of War Association 20
4 Royal Observer Corps Association 75 Anniversary
5 National Service (Royal Air Force) Association 42
6 RAFLING Association 24
7 6 Squadron (Royal Air Force) Association 18
8 7 Squadron Association 25
9 8 Squadron Association 24
10 RAF Habbaniya Association 25
11 Royal Air Force & Defence Fire Services Association 30
12 Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Association 30
13 Units of the Far East Air Force 28 New
14 Royal Air Force Yatesbury Association 16
15 Royal Air Force Airfield Construction Branch Association 12
16 RAFSE(s) Assoc 45 New
17 Royal Air Force Movements and Mobile Air Movements Squadron Association (RAF MAMS) 24
18 Royal Air Force Masirah & Salalah Veterans Assoc 24 New
19 WAAF/WRAF/RAF(W) 25
19 Blenheim Society 18
20 Coastal Command & Maritime Air Association 24
21 Air Sea Rescue & Marine Craft Sections Club 15
22 Federation of RAF Apprentice & Boy Entrant Assocs 150
23 Royal Air Force Air Loadmasters Association 24
24 Royal Air Force Police Association 90
25 Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service Association 40
Total 1,298
Column D
Marker Detachment Number
1 Not Forgotten Association 54
2 Stoll 18
3 Ulster Defence Regiment 72
4 Army Dog Unit Northern Ireland Association 48
5 North Irish Horse & Irish Regiments Old Comrades Association 78
6 Northern Ireland Veterans' Association 40
7 Irish United Nations Veterans Association 12
8 ONET UK 10
9 St Helena Government UK 24
10 South Atlantic Medal Association 196
11 SSAFA 37
12 First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal's Volunteers Corps) 12
13 Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen & Women 48
14 British Nuclear Test Veterans Association 48
15 War Widows Association 132
16 Gurkha Brigade Association 160 Anniversary
17 British Gurkha Welfare Society 100 Anniversary
18 West Indian Association of Service Personnel 18
19 Trucial Oman Scouts Association 18
20 Bond Van Wapenbroeders 35
21 Polish Ex-Combatants Association in Great Britain 25
22 Stowarzyszenie Polskich Kombatantów Limited 18 New
23 Royal Hong Kong Regiment Association 12
24 Canadian Veterans Association 10
25 Hong Kong Ex-Servicemen's Association (UK Branch) 24
26 Hong Kong Military Service Corps 28
27 Foreign Legion Association 24
28 Undivided Indian Army Ex Servicemen Association 11 New
Total 1,312
Column E
Marker Detachment Number
1 Royal Marines Association 198
2 Royal Naval Association 150
3 Merchant Navy Association 130
4 Sea Harrier Association 24
5 Flower Class Corvette Association 18
6 HMS Andromeda Association 18
7 HMS Argonaut Association 30
8 HMS Bulwark, Albion & Centaur Association 25
9 HMS Cumberland Association 18
10 HMS Ganges Association 48
11 HMS Glasgow Association 30
12 HMS St Vincent Association 26
13 HMS Tiger Association 25
14 Algerines Association 20
15 Ton Class Association 24
16 Type 42 Association 48
17 Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service 36
18 Association of WRENS 90
19 Royal Fleet Auxiliary Association 10
20 Royal Naval Communications Association 30
21 Royal Naval Medical Branch Ratings & Sick Berth Staff Association 24
22 Royal Naval Benevolent Trust 18
23 Yangtze Incident Association 24
24 Special Boat Service Association 6
25 Submariners Association 30
26 Association of Royal Yachtsmen 30
27 Broadsword Association 36
28 Aircraft Handlers Association 36
29 Aircrewmans Association 40 Anniversary
30 Cloud Observers Association 10
31 The Fisgard Association 40
32 Fleet Air Arm Armourers Association 36
33 Fleet Air Arm Association 25
34 Fleet Air Arm Bucaneer Association 24
35 Fleet Air Arm Field Gun Association 24
36 Fleet Air Arm Junglie Association 18
37 Fleet Air Arm Officers Association 30
38 Fleet Air Arm Safety Equipment & Survival Association 24
39 Royal Navy School of Physical Training 24
Total 1,497
Column F
Marker Detachment Number
1 Blind Veterans UK 198
2 Far East Prisoners of War 18
3 Burma Star Association 40
4 Monte Cassino Society20
5 Queen's Bodyguard of The Yeoman of The Guard 18
6 Pen and Sword Club 15
7 TRBL Ex-Service Members 301
8 The Royal British Legion Poppy Factory 4
9 The Royal British Legion Scotland 24
10 Officers Association 5
11 Black and White Club 18
12 National Pigeon War Service 30
13 National Service Veterans Alliance 50
14 Gallantry Medallists League 46
15 National Malaya & Borneo Veterans Association 98
16 National Gulf Veterans & Families Association 30
17 Fellowship of the Services 100
18 Memorable Order of Tin Hats 24
19 Suez Veterans Association 50
20 Aden Veterans Association 72
21 1st Army Association 36
22 Showmens' Guild of Great Britain 40
23 Special Forces Club 12
24 The Spirit of Normandy Trust 28
25 Italy Star Association, 1943-1945, 48
Total 1,325
Column A
Marker Detachment Number
1 1LI Association 36
2 Royal Green Jackets Association 198
3 Parachute Regimental Association 174
4 King's Own Scottish Borderers 60
5 Black Watch Association 45
6 Gordon Highlanders Association 60
7 Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Regimental Association 12
8 Queen's Own Highlanders Regimental Association 48
9 London Scottish Regimental Association 30
10 Grenadier Guards Association 48
11 Coldstream Guards Association 48
12 Scots Guards Association 48
13 Guards Parachute Association 36
14 4 Company Association (Parachute Regiment) 24
15 Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment 72
16 Royal East Kent Regiment (The Buffs) Past & Present Association 30
17 Prince of Wales' Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) Regimental Association 24
18 Royal Hampshire Regiment Comrades Association 14
19 The Royal Hampshire Regimental Club 24 New for 2015
20 Royal Northumberland Fusiliers 48 New
21 Royal Sussex Regimental Association 12
22 Green Howards Association 24
23 Cheshire Regiment Association 24
24 Sherwood Foresters & Worcestershire Regiment 36
25 Mercian Regiment Association 30
26 Special Air Service Regimental Association 4
27 The King's Own Royal Border Regiment 100
28 The Staffordshire Regiment 48
29 Rifles Regimental Association 40
30 The Rifles & Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire & Wiltshire Regimental Association 30
31 Durham Light Infantry Association 60
32 King's Royal Rifle Corps Association 50
33 King's African Rifles 14 New for 2015
Total 1,551
Column M
Marker Detachment Number
1 Transport For London 48
2 Children of the Far East Prisoners of War 60
3 First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal's Volunteers Corps) 24
4 Munitions Workers Association18
5 Evacuees Reunion Association48
6 TOC H 20
7 Salvation Army 36
8 Naval Canteen Service & Expeditionary Force Institutes Association 12 Previously NAAFI
9 Royal Voluntary Service 24
10 Civil Defence Association 8
11 National Association of Retired Police Officers 36
12 Metropolitan Special Constabulary 36
13 London Ambulance Service NHS Trust 36
14 London Ambulance Service Retirement Association 18
15 St John Ambulance 36
16 British Red Cross 12
17 St Andrew's Ambulance Association 6
18 The Firefighters Memorial Trust 24
19 Royal Ulster Constabulary (GC) Association 36
20 Ulster Special Constabulary Association 30
21 Commonwealth War Graves Commission 12
22 Daniel's Trust 36
23 Civilians Representing Families 180
24 Royal Mail Group Ltd 24
25 Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals 24
26 The Blue Cross 24
27 PDSA 24
28 HM Ships Glorious Ardent & ACASTA Association 24 Anniversary
29 Old Cryptians' Club 12
30 Fighting G Club 18 Anniversary
31 Malayan Volunteers Group 12
32 Gallipoli Association 18
33 Ministry of Defence 20
34 TRBL Non Ex-Service Members 117
35 TRBL Women's Section 20
36 Union Jack Club 12
37 Western Front Association 8
38 Shot at Dawn Pardons Campaign 18
39 Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes 24
40 National Association of Round Tables 24
41 Lions Club International 24
42 Rotary International 24
43 41 Club 6
44 Equity 12
45 Romany & Traveller Society 18
46 Sea Cadet Corps 30
47 Combined Cadet Force 30
48 Army Cadet Force 30
49 Air Training Corps 30
50 Scout Association 30
51 Girlguiding London & South East England 30
52 Boys Brigade 30
53 Girls Brigade England & Wales 30
54 Church Lads & Church Girls Brigade 30
55 Metropolitan Police Volunteer Police Cadets 18
56 St John Ambulance Cadets 18
57 YMCA 12
Total 1,621
Polish Special Forces Operators from GROM and FORMOZA during a Vessel Boarding Search and Seizure Operations training exercise – October 2012
Norwegian Special Forces fast-roping down from an American Chinook helicopter somewhere in Afghanistan Spring 2002.
Picture by Norwegian FSK/HJK.
Can you identify any of the individuals in this image?
Jack hammer training from a Non Commissioned Officer to six soldiers.
1st Special Commando Regiment in Lubliniec
The origin of the unit dates back to 1957, when the reconnaissance company, based in the barracks of 16th Assault Squadron, was founded in Krakow. Over the years, the unit changed its location (Dziwnów on Wolin Island) and the nature of organization (the company was transformed to the 1st Assault Battalion). In 1986, it was moved to Lubliniec in Upper Silesia. On 8 October, 1993 a Chief of General Headquarters of Polish Army issued a decree on the formation of a new unit: 1st Special Regiment. The unit reached operational readiness in 1994 and on 23rd November, 1995 the President, at the request of Minister of National Defense, has granted the new unit a banner.
The unit is a continuation of tradition of the following formations:
•1st Polish independent Special Battalion
•National Army Battalion PARASOL
•Independent Company COMMANDO
In addition, being a part of the Regiment, Noncommissioned Officer and Junior Special Operations Specialists School cultivates the heritage of the National Army Battalion ZOŚKA.
Today's 1st Special Commando Regiment from Lubliniec, directly subordinated to a Commander of Special Forces, is intended for conducting special operations in the country and beyond its borders in conditions of peace, crisis and war.
The regiment specializes in the following areas of activity:
1.Special reconnaissance;
2.Direct operations, especially subversive warfare;
3. Military support;
4.Unconventional actions.
1. PSK (1st Special Commando Regiment), took part in the following trainings involving soldiers from other countries - NATO members:
•07.1995 - taking part in "DWA ORŁY" exercise, (30 soldiers) along with 10th SFG company `C '- exercise area - Wędrzyn
•1998 - joint exercises under the code name " SZTYLET I i II” (250 soldiers)
•during April and August with groups 1 / 10 SFG, soldiers of 75th “Rangers” regiment, the GROM unit - exercise area - south western Poland;
•08.1999 - "ARTIST ULAN" exercise with 21st SAS regiment (300 soldiers) exercise area - Bieszczady, Kraków, Rudniki
•01.2000 - joint exercises of KGS (50 soldiers) with 10th SFG group – exercise area - Lubliniec
•01.2000 – participation of KGS (8 soldiers) in a training in mountains with the German 200th long distance recon company
•08.2000 - joint exercises of KGS (48 soldiers) with 10th SFG group, training area - Lubliniec
•04.2001 - joint exercises of KGS (50 soldiers) with 10th SFG group, training area - Lubliniec
•03.2002 - participation in an international training "Strong Resolve" (130 soldiers) - Słupsk;
•Autumn 2006 - international training "SHAMROCK KEY" - Lithuania
At present, the unit is in constant contact with 10th SFG of U.S. Army based in Germany, German 200th long distance recon company, Royal Noncommissioned Officer School from Netherlands and with soldiers from Multinational Corps in Szczecin.
The 2021 Armed Forces Rugby Championship held in conjunction with the 2021 Rugbytown 7's Tournament, held from 20-22 August. Service members from the Navy, Air Force (with Space Force personnel) and Coast Guard battle it out for gold. (Department of Defense Photo, Released)
French Special Forces soldiers of the 4th Helicopters Regiment simulate a hostage-rescue operation on April 28 2010, in a military aera in Tarbes, southwestern France.
1st Special Commando Regiment in Lubliniec
The origin of the unit dates back to 1957, when the reconnaissance company, based in the barracks of 16th Assault Squadron, was founded in Krakow. Over the years, the unit changed its location (Dziwnów on Wolin Island) and the nature of organization (the company was transformed to the 1st Assault Battalion). In 1986, it was moved to Lubliniec in Upper Silesia. On 8 October, 1993 a Chief of General Headquarters of Polish Army issued a decree on the formation of a new unit: 1st Special Regiment. The unit reached operational readiness in 1994 and on 23rd November, 1995 the President, at the request of Minister of National Defense, has granted the new unit a banner.
The unit is a continuation of tradition of the following formations:
•1st Polish independent Special Battalion
•National Army Battalion PARASOL
•Independent Company COMMANDO
In addition, being a part of the Regiment, Noncommissioned Officer and Junior Special Operations Specialists School cultivates the heritage of the National Army Battalion ZOŚKA.
Today's 1st Special Commando Regiment from Lubliniec, directly subordinated to a Commander of Special Forces, is intended for conducting special operations in the country and beyond its borders in conditions of peace, crisis and war.
The regiment specializes in the following areas of activity:
1.Special reconnaissance;
2.Direct operations, especially subversive warfare;
3. Military support;
4.Unconventional actions.
1. PSK (1st Special Commando Regiment), took part in the following trainings involving soldiers from other countries - NATO members:
•07.1995 - taking part in "DWA ORŁY" exercise, (30 soldiers) along with 10th SFG company `C '- exercise area - Wędrzyn
•1998 - joint exercises under the code name " SZTYLET I i II” (250 soldiers)
•during April and August with groups 1 / 10 SFG, soldiers of 75th “Rangers” regiment, the GROM unit - exercise area - south western Poland;
•08.1999 - "ARTIST ULAN" exercise with 21st SAS regiment (300 soldiers) exercise area - Bieszczady, Kraków, Rudniki
•01.2000 - joint exercises of KGS (50 soldiers) with 10th SFG group – exercise area - Lubliniec
•01.2000 – participation of KGS (8 soldiers) in a training in mountains with the German 200th long distance recon company
•08.2000 - joint exercises of KGS (48 soldiers) with 10th SFG group, training area - Lubliniec
•04.2001 - joint exercises of KGS (50 soldiers) with 10th SFG group, training area - Lubliniec
•03.2002 - participation in an international training "Strong Resolve" (130 soldiers) - Słupsk;
•Autumn 2006 - international training "SHAMROCK KEY" - Lithuania
At present, the unit is in constant contact with 10th SFG of U.S. Army based in Germany, German 200th long distance recon company, Royal Noncommissioned Officer School from Netherlands and with soldiers from Multinational Corps in Szczecin.
Soldiers from the Qwat al Khasah, the Special Forces of Iraq, conduct a bunker clearing exercise in preparation for an upcoming mission with members of the United States Special Operations Force at Camp Taji, Iraq March 7, 2020. The Qwat al Khasah, Special Forces of Iraq, are in the fight against Daesh by interrupting enemy operations to continue the further stabilization of Iraq.
U.S. Army phot by Sgt. Robert Douglas
Georgian soldiers of Delta Company, 43rd Mechanized Infantry Battalion, 4th Mechanized Infantry Brigade provide security while conducting defensive operations training during a mission rehearsal exercise (MRE) at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany, Feb. 14, 2015. Georgian Armed Forces and U.S. Marine Corps Security Cooperation Group are conducting the MRE from Feb. 2 to March 3, 2015, as part of the Georgian Deployment Program-Resolute Support Mission (GDP-RSM). The GDP-RSM, formerly the Georgian Deployment Program-International Security Assistance Force, is a program between the U.S. Marine Corps and Georgian armed forces that prepares Georgian service members to support NATO’s Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Lloyd Villanueva/Released)
Stability.
Stabiliteit van het evenwicht.
Construction material in the line of the forces.
Constructie materiaal in de lijn van de krachten.
Stable sailing is a building skill.
Spailboat levert zijn energie, ammoniak, en / of waterstof, LH2, af aan tankers die het naar havens brengen.
Men moet olie gebruiken om ermee te bouwen.
Spailboat is een naam. Er zit speed spailing in, uit het Engels, terwijl er ook spelevaren in zit. Spelevaren is een denigrerende term voor rijke lui die uit verveling niets anders kunnen doen dan doelloos varen, op hun omslaande jachten. De echte verwijzing is echter de letterlijke. Spelen. Toevallig ook met ai, de klank van Sail. Dus, de naam voor het nieuwe type zeilboot, respectievelijk, windsurfboot, of, kitesurfboot, is Speelboot, respectievelijk, Spailboat.
Een Spailboat, speed-sail-boat, is zeilboot die de lift normaal behandelt. Alle gewone -niet normaal- langsgetuigde zeilboten slaan om. Het is eigenlijk ongelofelijk maar, alle zeilboten zijn instabiel, ofwel, labiel, ofwel in mensentermen, een wankel gebeuren. En, levensgevaarlijk. Dus, een Speelboot is wel een zeilende boot, maar, het mag geen zeilboot heten, omdat zeilboot al bezet is door de gangbare. Maar kitesurfen is ook zeilen, maar toch geen zeilboot. Speelboot is een kitesurfboot, met de monoliete behandeling van een windsurfer.
Omdat speelboten niet omslaan. Sterker, speelboten gaan vliegen. De massa, echter, is veel te groot om te gaan vliegen, desalniettemin wil de tuigage het geheel dat deze vasthoudt, opliften. Dus, een speelboot lijkt op een kitesurfer. Want, een kite staat eigenlijk zoals speelbootzeilen staan opgesteld. Een nadere kijk leert ons namelijk dat vleugels die als kite staan, de behandelaars van die vleugels in staat stellen de overbrenging tussen de lift en de blokkade hierop te normaliseren. Ofwel, alleen en slechts dan als de vleugel staat opgesteld als een kite, maar ook windsurferzeil, werkt de lift opwaarts.
Logisch, als men bedenkt dat andere bekende vleugels, aan vogels of vliegtuigen, de lift ook omhoog werken. Heel onlogisch dus dat zeilboten eigenlijk van vliegende naar duikende evolueerden. Vikingschepen, Latijnse zeilboten, de eerste brikken en barken, de latere windjammers (volschepen, barken, brikken) hielden hun zeilen in feit ook al op als kite. Zeilen was aanvankelijk windsurfen. Toen kwamen er rond 1800 AD langsgetuigde zeilboten, en nu kon er wel hoger aan de wind worden gelopen.
Om energie op te wekken hoeven we nergens heen, zodat de "aan de windse koers" waardeloos wordt > weinig snelheid. We kunnen weer vliegen. Dus, een speelboot is geen windsurfer, omdat de zeilen ver weg staan. Wel lijkt een speelboot in alles op een windsurfer. Werkelijk, een speelboot is in feite een windsurfer. De zeilen worden volledig gemanipuleerd met als enige doelen de snelheid en, het vliegen. Dus, een speelboot lijkt het meeste op een kitesurfer, heeft de eigenschappen van een windsurfer, en valt onder de noemer: zeilboten. Maar, een speelboot lijkt in feite nergens op. Het is, zoals gezegd, geen zeilboot, terwijl het wel zeker een zeilboot is. Maar natuurlijk. Kort gezegd komt het erop neer dat een speelboot iets nieuws is.
Een speelboot vaart, net als windsurfers en kitesurfers, half wind en voor de wind, maar, een speelboot kan ook wel degelijk hoogte winnen. Een speelboot kan alles, als het komt tot zeilen. Windsurfen is eigenlijk super zeilen. Een windsurfer zeilt ook, en een kiter zeilt ook. Toch heet kitesurfen geen zeilen, maar kiten. Een windsurfer surft, terwijl surfen toch echt oorspronkelijk zonder zeil gebeurde. Een Spailboat spailt. Ofwel, een speelboot speelt. De link terug naar de actualiteit is spelen van de jeugd. Het leukste spel van allemaal is kiten. Als de jeugd heet voor het zeggen had, dan zouden ze altijd zeilen, als het waait. En dat noem ik spelen.
Een Spailboat is een robot die kan windsurfen. Massa, M, in kg, dat kan windsurfen. Windsurfen kenmerkt zich door de snelheid, v, in m/s en het surfen met de korte windgolven. Het surfen is het mooiste wat er is op aarde. We nemen een groot stuk water. We blazen er wind overheen. Er ontstaan golven. De golven lopen haaks op de wind. De half windse koers loopt parallel aan de golven.
We need stable wind surf machines with turbines.
The new riggings lead to stable sailing compositions. The already mentioned windsurfing, SB, is the wave riding version of the stable sailing compositions and; meant for usage at the windy waters near the both poles, in fact just outside the cargo shipping routes. Also the edges of overcoming hurricanes, especially the periodic appearing ones like, the ones in the Mexican Gulf during the so-called hurricane season, are goals. On both working grounds is room enough for a very large fleet. A “million” super sized, SB, can provide the worlds' hunger for energy, by means of the *provision of hydrogen and electricity. Imagine then an entering of an imaginary million super sized, SB: a tiny significant amount of energy will be sucked out of the hurricane, causing the hurricane to loose a bit of its ferocious strength and so, causing lesser devastating power when hitting land! The mentioned working grounds are characterized by high winds, making beautiful “water mountain chains”, or swell, and in between two “stretched hills” are long “valleys”. These valleys -tubes- can be considered as speedways, which make the ocean in high winds like an endlessly wide freeway, making enough room to spare for the earlier mentioned absurd sounding amount super sized, SB. Gaining maximum speed out of windsurfing is done perpendicular to the wind so that, the mentioned freeways are always windsurfed parallel with the wind front. Because, the wind sweeps the waves. The wave fronts on open sea run perfectly perpendicular to the wind because, here is no diffraction or, refraction of the waves!
In the fact of the matter happens now the coincidence that, both surfing the swell and the usage of the wind alone are done most economically in the same direction; parallel with the wave fronts, perpendicular to the wind. So, the both directions, in where for the two maximum speeds are reached, are the very same. It is therefor that the both speeds reinforce each other, leading towards better sail positions.
The hydrogen, LH2, can be stored on board in special tanks, with Indium.
Cavitation, air bubbles around the water appendages beacause of the high speed. So, SB has luxury problems in high winds, by means of the potential to go faster than the water can take without creating air bubbles around the swords, the water appendages. Windsurfers call this cavitation phenomena: “spin out”. It is therefor no wonder that the needed speed tempering force on the windsurfing, SB, in high winds is, logically, to be used to make passive working paddle wheels, or scoops, spin, in order to drive for instance a continuous current dynamo. There is, however, a major down side in keeping the speed down. More speed means more overall lift and more overall lift means more compulsion and more vertical lifting force. SB, definitely wants to get airborne in order to get rid of the water resistance on the hulls. Without the hulls dragging though water opens way to put the sails in a more economic way, flatter to the wind. This rotatory mechanism, in which the increasing speed then at some point leads towards the possible clear lifting of the windsurfing SB, out off the water -because of more lift and better sail positions-, is now suddenly stopped because of the spin outs, cavitation, around the through water dragging swords! In this rotatory mechanism, one must be aware that by doubling the speed, the lift force increases by a factor four, in other words, the speed and the lift are quadratically related! After all, for getting air born we only need the rotatory speed making boat lifting mechanism to go on for just a bit longer. If we walk around dragging problems in general, then we encounter, at some point of the walk, the replacement of slides by wheels, by firstly the Egyptians. Digging further into the context, in where dragging and cutting are combinations, we encounter the successful replacements of the slide-like dragging cutters, by cutting wheels; in for instance glass cutters and can openers. These cutting wheels spin, during the cutting, causing less cutting resistance. Even a side force can be taken by the cutting wheels, during the cut making! In fact, besides the lower cutting resistance, cutting wheels have the same characteristics as cutting knives. If we translate this cutting information back towards the drag related cavitation problems in the water, then we find that the air bubbles around the water appendages, might not necessary occur, when replacing the former used swords by spinning sword wheels. By dragging spinning wheels with the cutting edges through water, the speed of the windsurfing, SB, now differs from the dragging speed of the cutting edges of the cutting wheels through the water. In other words, the water now “feels” a lower dragging speed, allowing the water to keep its original form, because no cavitation is caused. By controlling the circular speed of the spinning sword wheels, by means of a gear box, the cavitation can be avoided at all times. But off course, cutting water differs from cutting glass and in order to create side ways blocking force on spinning sword wheels in water, these sword wheels must slip! The side ways blocking force in water is also quadratic related with the dragging speed. In order to let the sword wheels slip, for creating -more- side ways blocking force, there is a certain amount of resistance needed! Once again the gear box can regulate the resistance, and so, the spinning speed and once again the tempering force is, logically, to be used for making continuous current and with the surplus, hydrogen. Using sword wheels means most of all that the speed of the hull may now over top the former cavitation speed barrier. More speed implies, notably quadratically, more lift, clearing the way to allow the,SB, to get air born; now leading at once towards lesser water resistance, which now, also at once, speeds up the SB, importantly, resulting once more in better sail positions, et cetera. In other words, the earlier mentioned rotatory mechanism is with usage of swords wheels back in action. In facto, the, as the result of the mentioned rotatory mechanism, reachable speeds over water now have to be tempered for safety reasons, making it once again appropriate to use the speed tempering force on the spinning wheels for generating continuous current! For an optimum energy conversion, we need to solve a so-called differential equation, in where all the parameters are related to one and other. The versions of the composition, SB, for over land ride, or over asphalt, or over non-hardened ground -with then very big wheels under, SB-, or over a special track, rails. The last mentioned version of, SB, the so-called Spailtrains over a special track, might possibly reach speeds running up towards, 400km/hr; because these under carriers clamp their wheels around the rails, like the carriers on roller coaster tracks, increasing the massive control over the sails importantly. And again, these possibly reachable high speeds need to be tempered for safety reasons, making it obvious that again the tempering forces are used to drive continuous current dynamos. The continuous current might now directly be led towards the electricity network. Special tracks for Spailtrains are favorably moored on places where windmills are active, because the electricity transportation cables towards the main electricity networks are already installed. Also one may assume that windmills are placed in windy places on land, where the wind is blowing most of the time from one particular direction. The Spailtrains can be used next to the windmills, at the same time, and, in case the wind is over topping the maximum wind mill operating wind force, clearly additionally, and by doing so, widening the wind force window from, eight bfr, towards, ten, or even twelve bfr. SB, compositions operate, just like windmills, flat on the winds direction, for maximum benefit of the given sail areas. The ends of wind mill blades move, at maximum speed in wind force, eight bfr, up to, 250km/hr. The blade, towards the end, is indeed positioned almost perfectly flat, respectively perpendicular, on the wind. If only wind mills did not vibrate and if the positions at the ends of the blades should be hold in a stable and firm way, then the speed at the ends of the blades, in wind force, twelve bfr, might easily run towards the, 800km/hr, though circular. Steady in position hold transversally moving blades do not have the problem of vibrating caused by the turning motion. In other words, a transversal moving blade could reach, 800km/hr, without shaking to pieces. Spailtrains, clamping their selves around rails, are able to position wings in a stable way, making theoretical speeds of, 800km/hr, possible. SB, in general, widens the operating window of the wind force and, as a consequence, the working ground. Antarctica.
Because of the normalization of the lift transfer, SB can be made strong enough! The fact of the matter is that all stable constructions can be forced to the limit, in where the heaviest loaded parts of the structure firstly collapse. Stabilized towers out of rock, like pyramids or, church towers, are only limited in their heights by the strength of the rocks at the very bottoms. Within, SB, the lift transfer is normalized, making composition, SB, stable constructions, which therefor can be made strong enough and perfectly suitable to get sized -, respectively scaled, up. And then, next to the overall stability of the composition, SB, each mast in, SB, is also almost normally used itself; because the lift force, vector, 10, works only slightly outside the mast line. There are, in certain variations of the composition, SB, periods of time noticeable in where the masts are stressed out perfectly through the center of the so-called core of the mast cross section! In this case of pure stress on the mast, the maximum stress load, to be taken by the mast, is nothing more the product of material strength and the area of cross section. In this very case, we can use a massive mast, as well as a rope! However, SB, is not a kite surfer, it is a wind surfer, in where each towards the wings running mast take care of the first condition for the eventual monolith kind of control, the so-called massive trim, over the wings, 6. On, SB, the masts work the cumulated lift force, vector, 10, slightly outside the mast lines, in order to direct the lift at all times in a straight line towards the blocking force, in water created by the water appendages. SB, masts are mainly stressed out and at the same time loaded with bending forces. In this very case it is wise to use hollow masts; lesser material, same bending strength. Presume now a square hollow mast cross section, of twenty, by, twenty meters, with skin thickness, 1000mm, loaded with a, around a parallel with two sides of the square, working couple, respectively torque. Now, one side of the square cross section is stressed out towards the limit. If the used materials are of highly strong composite materials, which can withstand, 1000N, approximately 100Kg, per square mm, and if the torque then put, 25%, on top of the stress load, then follows for maximum amount of stress force in this mast cross section, approximately: average tension in the cross section, sigma, times the working area of the cross section, A, or: sigma = 0.25 x ((1 x 0.6) + (2 x 0.8)) x 10^3N/mm^2 = 0.8 x 10^3N/mm^2 , A = (10^3mm x 2 x 2 x 10^4mm + 10^3mm x 2 x 1.8 x 10^4mm) = 7.6 x 10^7mm^2. Maximum lift force, vector, 10 = sigma x A = 0.8 x 10^3 N/mm^2 x 7.6 x 10^7mm^2 = 6.08 x 10^10N. One square meter sail area, in 100km/hr, generates, approximately, 300N = 3 x 10^2N, so, on this mast might hang, 2.026 x 10^8m^2, sail area! The common maximum wing on three supporting points, is, 300m x 20m, or, about twice the width and the length of an Airbus380 wing. At a mast of, 300m, length, might, roughly, hang twenty wings, running from the size, 300m x 20m, towards, 50m x 10m. The total sail area the leads, to, approximately: 0.6 x 20 x 300m x 20m = 7.2 x 10^5m^2 = way below, factor, 400, the theoretical maximum applicable sail area. In reality there are dynamic forces working on, and in, the mast, leading,towards maximum mast lengths of, 200m, for safety reasons. In, 315km/hr, the lift per, m^2, is approximately, 3000N. 3 x 10^3N, times the maximum theoretical total sail area, at masts of, 200m; 7.2 x 10^5m^2, provides lift force: 2.26 x 10^9N is smaller than 6.08 x 10^10N, and in this extreme case, even a mast of 200m, length can be made strong enough! Round and oval mast are even better. Well, 200m, mast length, that is something else than regular masts on conventional capsizing sailboats. SB, with four masts, can be made up to a kilometer long! If such, SB, move along with, 100km/hr, over water, or, 300km/hr, over special tracks, it is easy to understand that there is a lot of kinetic energy, ready to be converted into continuous current and after, into hydrogen. Once in race course, the sail positions are not moving too much, with respect to each other and with respect to the under carrier, so that the hydraulic motors and jacks won't take a lot of continuous current; leading to an enormous surplus to drive the hydrogen reactors, in order to make hydrogen. Holding positions of the with respect to each other movable parts, is done by break mechanisms, which might only take from the continuous current during installation. Off course, making nuance differences takes off of the continuous current, but after all, once in race, SB, compositions are almost static compositions,. At the end of the song, SB, are to be considered as mass, M, running from an endlessly long hill, which then only need to steer occasionally. Ekin = 1/2 M v^2, with M as mass in kg and v as velocity in m/s. Super positioning leads towards the conclusion that Spailboat is a peace machine because, any nation in the world can build them; in order to provide them selves with hydrogen and fresh water. With the deliverance of shear endless amounts of clean energy ( hydrogen ), the need for making war over oil can be put to the past. Also nuclear power can be put back. Drinking water can be made and, transported, without any down sides. Even ecosystems can be purified. SB hits the ground running.
Why this picture and the ones after? Imagine wind, storm, and one side of the church will go. The flying butres hangs in there on the pulling side, that is incredible.
BOOK BOEK
vervolg hoofdstuk 9
intussen al twee jaar van voorbij. In dat opzicht is dat verlies. In mijn beleving mocht alles zo blijven zoals het was in, 1990. Zeker in het begin was het een zeldzaamheid, als een plectrum gericht naar iemand toe werd geschoten. Ronnie, kan het beter en dit zinde, Keith, niet. Op een gegeven moment leek het wel een wedstrijd tussen, Keith, en, Ronnie; wie het beste de plectrums naar de bestemde persoon kon schieten. Zoals kleine veranderingen tijdens en na een concert is dit er een van. Feitelijk hebben, Harry, David, Libgart, Ken, Dirk en ik een nieuwe manier van leven geïntroduceerd. David, vraagt vandaag de dag nog steeds hoe het gaat met mijn, “Trail of Terror”. Een leven dat een spoor van vernieling achterlaat, ja dat is mijn leven. Alle schepen heb ik verbrand, terwijl ik nieuwe schepen met succes enterde. Ik haalde mijn universiteit diploma in een werkelijk zeer turbulente tijd, en sleepte het diploma letterlijk uit het vuur. In het verbranden van schepen ben ik altijd goed geweest en, net als, Harry, woon ik nu in een andere stad. Van, Zaandam, ben ik verhuisd naar Delft. En nu woon ik sinds kort in, Den Haag. Als ik nu door de stad fiets, bekruipt me altijd het gevoel van vakantie. De sfeer van een grote stad is toch wel euforisch te noemen. Het doet me kortsluiting maken naar de ervaringen tijdens de Stones-tournee’s langs de wereldsteden van, Europa, en, Amerika. Ik kon bij wijze van spreken naakt op de fiets door het centrum van, Delft, rijden zonder dat mijn familie het te weten komt. Het verbrande schip heette, Zaandam, en door mijn wilde leven hoef ik nergens meer aan te kloppen. Ze hebben allemaal een beetje een hekel aan me gekregen. Ik denk omdat ik altijd blijf volhouden waar ik mee bezig ben en ook nog succes verhaal. Mensen zien niet graag de zweetdruppels, maar veroordelen me snel als ik weer eens naar Amerika ga, want dat valt dan wel in het oog. Je ziet de mensen denken: “Wat doet-ie nu?” Dat is ongehoord. Is ie wel wijs? Mijn leven speelde zich voornamelijk af in de, “frontrow”. Een leven vooraan tijdens een Stones show, waar dan ook ter wereld. In het begin krijg je geen respons van de band, omdat alles, ook voor de Stones zelf, in veel opzichten nieuw was en, vooral Keith had het veel te druk had met zijn nummers en de sound. Aan het einde van de Urban Jungle Tour herkenden ze met gemak Ken, mijn persoon, Libgart, Harry, David en Dirk. We waren er altijd en altijd op hetzelfde plekje aan de barrier. Later, tijdens de, Bridges To Babylon Tour, en verder werd het publiek dat de, Stones, overal volgde, groter en voor mij raakte de jus er een beetje af, omdat mensen hetzelfde trucje herhaalden van wat wij al eerder hadden gedaan. De eerste plectrum van, Keith, was een mijlpaal en een zeldzaam gebeuren. In, 2003, is het altijd hetzelfde vooraan en iedereen heeft wel een plectrum. Maar toen was een, door, Keith Richards, zelf, aangereikte plectrum, een schaars goed, en voor mij was duidelijk dat de, Stones, in, 1997, een gemeenschapsgoed was geworden, omdat er veel plectrums worden verschoten per show. Soms wel tien tussen de nummers door. Iedereen had alles. Het publiek is verwend en steevast nukkig en weinig inspirerend. Ze leven echt voor die ene glimp van Keith en dat is triest. Als de nieuwe helden, doorgezakte veertigers en vijftigers met geld als drek, dan van, Libgart, horen dat wij het al deden in, 1990, deinzen ze terug. Wij gingen het avontuur aan. Zonder veel geld en met veel inventiviteit. Zo stelde, Harry, zijn hagel-nieuwe motor ter beschikking aan, Dan Reed, die het voorprogramma verzorgde tijdens het tweede deel van de, Urban Jungle Tour. In ruil kreeg hij dan backstage-passes. Wij waren vaak ‘s middags al in het stadion. Deze generatie oude zakken koopt alles. Maar ze kunnen toch nooit de rehearsals zien, daar steken de, Stones, wel een stokje voor. Ze staan vooraan, a la, alles geregeld, maar kopen voor grof geld deze plaatsen, daar waar wij vroeger al, door geldgebrek, allerlei listen nodig hadden om telkens maar weer vooraan te kunnen staan. Er waren journalisten die ons volgden om ons verhaal te horen. In ruil kregen we dit en dat. Het spel rondom het stadion was een deel van ons leven geworden. En we werden dan ook steeds beter in het bereiken van ons doel. De eerste rij en backstage passes. Wij baarden in, 1990, nog opzien door overal op te duiken. Het felbegeerde zogenaamde, “all-access-laminate”, maakte en drukte Harry op een gegeven moment zelfs zelf in, 1994, en, 1995. Harry, is een art-director en geniaal op het gebied van ontwerpen en logo’s. Het namaken van de stickers resulteerde zelfs in het veranderen van rond naar ovale stickers, omdat, Harry, zijn stickers verkocht. Had ik al verteld dat hij ook joods bloed had. Zelfs de hologrammen waren niet van echt te onderscheiden. We kregen wel op ons kop van de, Stones, maar ze vonden het prachtig. Jaloezie tussen Stones-fans onderling is immer aanwezig en zo gemoedelijk als het was in, 1990, zou het niet meer worden. In de latere jaren van de jaren negentig en in, 2003, was er veel geld te verspillen voor complete stelletjes en idioten. Maar telkens denk ik dan: ”Waar waren jullie tijdens de Urban Jungle Tour?” Toen ze echt goed waren en snel speelden en het weer opnieuw ontdekten om de, Stones, te zijn. In, 2003, werden complete reizen gearrangeerd voor rijke Canadezen en Amerikanen, die vroegtijdig in het stadion werden binnen gelaten en zo zonder moeite vooraan konden staan. Dat is geen sport meer. Dit is vervlakking van het Stones-publiek. Als ik dan met veel moeite, door steeds weer andere manieren, aan het front kom wordt dat zelfs opgevat als, “vals spelen”, terwijl ik juist uit geldgebrek inventief ben. Vals spelen is wel degelijk een verhaal. Want met, “vals spelen”, kun je de sound-checks zien en in de keuken kijken van de, Stones. Ze zijn dan nog normaal. En ik heb veel sound-checks gezien en altijd is het een belevenis, want, sound-checken doen ze niet vaak. Eigenlijk zouden mensen dit moeten kunnen zien. Want de geadoreerde helden proberen net zoals iedereen een mooi kunstwerkje af te leveren. Net zoals de overdreven aandacht voor een gepoetste auto op zondagmiddag, zo wordt door de Stones de laatste hand gelegd aan een intermezzo of intro. Mensenwerk en burgerlijkheid tot in den treuren. Meerdere malen is het voor gekomen dat ik de helpende hand toesteek aan timmer werkzaamheden en het opruimen van het veld. Eenmaal binnen gedraag ik me als een werknemer, een zogenaamde rodie en omdat niemand, behalve, J.C, een compleet overzicht heeft over de genen op de vloer is het mogelijk de hele dag binnen in het stadion te blijven, zonder dat iemand vragen stelt. Een beetje opruimen hier en een beetje timmeren daar en de middag is zo om. Als dan de poorten opengaan is het chaos en in die chaos begeef ik me naar het front aan de barrière en sta dan weer vooraan. Intussen kostte het me een hele dag werken in het stadion. Zoals gezegd varieert dat van opruimen tot aan timmeren, en de helpende hand toesteken, waar maar kan, of is gewenst. Gratis naar binnen heeft een consequentie en die is dat je moet werken, anders wordt je gepakt en het stadion uit gegooid. Het schijnt heel moeilijk te zijn voor de moderne mens om zich te schikken in een knechtenrol waar je dan uiteindelijk zelf beter van wordt. Als ik met iemand anders in het stadion ben, en komt het erop aan, dan kijken ze vertwijfeld naar me en willen eigenlijk niet werken. Ze willen niet meehelpen en niet werken, maar juist dan val je op en word je eruit gegooid. Het is blijkbaar moeilijk voor nieuwste generatie in te zien dat de kost voor de baat uit gaat. Lang leve, Amsterdam. Op die manier lukt het me steeds weer opnieuw binnen te blijven. De laatste jaren is het steeds raak. In verhouding veel meer sound-checks ten opzichte van gevolgde concerten. In, 1990, was dat nog een op twintig nu loopt het op tot een op vier. Van de afgelopen concerten, vanaf, 1997, heb ik weinig sound-checks gemist. Een keer was ik een paar platen aan het zagen, vlakbij het mindden-podium, voor een paar hekken in de toren. Plotseling voelde ik ogen in me priemen en ik voelde een raar soort spanning. Niemand was meer op het veld, behalve de andere timmerman en ik. Ik voelde dat ik door moest zagen. Het was, Charlie, die met bewondering naar me stond te kijken, en wachtte totdat ik klaar was, want de sound-check ving aan. Dit was kenmerkend, omdat ik druk aan het werk was. Ik ben immers timmerman in hart en ziel. Mijn handigheid met timmergereedschap komt me dan goed uit. Met dank aan de werkplaats van mijn oom, waar ik ben opgeleid tot timmerman, meubelmaker. Het voordeel van binnen zijn is dat je de sound-checks mag meemaken, en daar is het me natuurlijk allemaal om te doen. Menigmaal verstopte ik me ergens in een kast of onder de tribune om niet op te vallen en rustig te genieten van de sound-check. sound-checks zijn de ultieme beloning voor een dag zweten om in het stadion te komen. De sound-checks vormen de basis van dit script. Niemand ziet dit namelijk. Het best bewaarde geheim van de, Stones, wordt hier geopenbaard.
Het resultaat van de rechtszaak volgde de volgende dag. Het vonnis was hard voor de hooligans. Het gerechtshof stuurde de hooligans naar de gevangenis en de vergoeding voor mij was tienduizend gulden. De rechtszaak zelf was een farce maar succesvol. De rechtzaak en het verblijf, destijds in, Engeland, bij, Harry, was een toppunt van het einde. Harry, was naar de klote door drugs, werk en, Mel, zijn beoogde vriendin. Bovendien was die periode voor, Harry, een bewogen tijd, omdat hij toen veel, zo niet al zijn schepen in Engeland, aan het verbranden was. Hij was duidelijk zoekende en zocht een weg om te emigreren naar Amerika; iets waar hij een paar maanden ook toe leek gedwongen, door de uitzichtloze situatie. In Amerika zal hij het wel gaan maken, en verdraaid, twaalf jaar later heeft hij het daar ook gemaakt! Ja, zijn, Rock ‘N Roll-leven, is hard. Feitelijk leeft, Harry, een veel te zwaar leven. Anders dan mijn gestel is zijn gestel van staal. Maar hij gaat elke dag over de schreef en predikt dan, dat dat nu juist de vrijheid is, om te doen waar je zin in hebt. En vrijheid biedt altijd de kans te schijnen. Harry, is en kunstenaar en laat zich niet sturen. Hij voelt zich waarschijnlijk als een strijder. Zijn kunst wordt gevormd door zijn talent en door de keuzes die hij maakt. Hij heeft een feilloos gevoel voor kleuren en zijn werk bestaat voor een groot deel uit inkleuren van voornamelijk mensen. De vlezige huidskleur van mensen op zwart-wit prentjes, moeten worden gevonden op het zogenaamde pallet, en Harry is daar een meester in. Hij heeft bovendien een gave om zich te kunnen uiten met behulp van computers. Naar eigen zeggen is de computer zijn enige echte vriend. Opdrachten volbrengt hij altijd binnen een paar dagen, om vervolgens een week bij te komen. Hij werkt achter elkaar door, als er een opdracht binnenkomt en verdient dan een paar duizend dollar per dag! Zijn inspiratie komt van reizen, motorrijden op zijn Harley Davidson, science-fiction-films en muziek. Zijn concurrenten bedienen zich van veel administratie en weinig talent. Hier is, Harry, door gegriefd. Hij weet dat hij op eenzame hoogte staat, maar de huidige maatschappij is vastgeroest en biedt weinig plaats voor kunstenaars. De reden, aangegrepen voor vertrek uit Engeland, herhaalt zich in Amerika en dat doet hem verdriet. Samen met een vriend, Colin, startten zij een bedrijf en investeerden in een drukkerij. Colin, is leider van de motorbende, maar een ongelooflijke aardige jongen. Hij heeft ook nog eens gestudeerd. Daarnaast is hij, Kunfu-Master, en werkelijk elke dag had hij een andere vriendin. Bende-leider zijn heeft zo zijn voordelen! Eenmaal geïnvesteerd en geïnstalleerd als grafisch bedrijf in, L.A., volgde toen precies de computerrace en hun aanschaf bleek binnen een paar jaar ouderwets en achterhaald. Ze konden niet meer concurreren met grotere bedrijven, die de vernieuwingsrace wel konden volhouden en het bedrijf heeft drie jaar bestaan en toen was het op. Intussen is zijn compagnon werkzaam bij een bouwbedrijf en, Harry, werkt thuis aan zijn ontwerpen en logo’s. Nu is hij dus letterlijk de eenzame strijder. Het onheil heeft hij over zichzelf afgeroepen, maar hij blijft vechten voor zijn bestaan. Het enige dat hem staande houdt is zijn geloof. Hij onderscheidt zich door prachtige ontwerpen, maar die worden verkocht in een commerciële markt en worden niet als kunst erkend, maar als een vervulling van een opdracht. Zijn opdrachten hielden hem lange tijd staande, maar ook, Harry, moest op zoek naar ander werk. Hij vond dit in de vorm van een muziek-bedrijf, MOD, Music On Demand, en is daar eindredacteur, niet slecht. Tussen al de troebelheden van de maatschappij biedt de, Rock ‘N Roll, voor het individu vertrouwen. Harry, laat zich nooit ontmoedigen en gelukkig voor hem leefde zijn muziek helemaal op in de jaren negentig. AC/DC, is zijn favoriete band en juist die deden het voorprogramma van de Stones. Intussen gaan de geruchten over, AC/DC, dat zanger, Brion Johnson, in, Moskou, gaat optreden, met het Russisch filharmonisch orkest. Harry regelt dit bijvoorbeeld. Harry, is een moderne zwerver, met altijd geld! In iedere donkere periode schijnt altijd het licht van de verwondering. De kanonnen, die altijd gepaard gaan met een optreden van concert van, AC/DC, worden vervangen door de echte kanonnen van het Russische leger. Tot zover de laatste geruchten in, April, 2005. Ik heb er weinig van gemerkt. Volgens mij is dit optereden nooit doorgegaan. Maar, Harry, was destijds zeer enthousiast. Hij ziet licht, in het pikkedonker. Ook zal, J.C., inmiddels zijn ontslagen door de, Stones, omdat hij kaartjes zou hebben verkocht. Voor, Harry, en mij betekent dit slecht nieuws. En inderdaad, na 2003, was het betalen om naar binnen te komen. Trouwens, na vier tournee's was mijn geld toch echt op. In, 2006, en, 2007, Bigger Bang Tour, stopte ik met het volgen van alle optredens. Harry, en ik, beseften heel goed dat onze tijd voorbij was. Harry is aan de grond, ging terug naar Engeland en ging zich nestelen. Het laatse wat ik van hem zag, voor mijn voordeur, was hoe hij op zijn motor stapte, met een grote tas op de tank, en me die blik gaf. Dit was goodbye, farewell. Harry, en ik hebben altijd al weinig woorden nodig gehad om punten duidelijk te maken. Harry ging naar huis, na zeventien jaar in L.A. te hebben gewoond. Ik wist het. Voelde het. Dit is het einde van een periode. Juni 2009, het einde, en een nieuw begin. Mijn vriendin heeft toen nog vier jaar met alle mogelijkheden geprobeerd mijn leven te bederven, en het lukte haar ook nog aardig. Harry maakte ook haar duidelijk dat ik niets waard was. Ja, ik heb slaapproblemen, en ben een wrak. In 2014 heeft ze een ander en ik vraag daarom af: hoelang heeft ze al een ander? U moet weten dat ik geen twee minuten weg mocht. Zij had besloten dat ik vreemd ging. En nu moest ik boeten. Harry woonde destijds bij me in, en vond dit helemaal prachtig. En dan ineens kwam er mailtje; kom je nog naar Hyde Park? Ik zei: Nee. Ik peins er niet over. Do you want to melt down on the field, I replied. En dat was het dan. De kunst is om de lichtpunten te zien en, Rock ‘N Roll, is een lichtpunt. Rock ‘N Roll, maakt je blij. Het laat mij zingen. Zomaar. Vooral als de omgeving zo somber is. Het biedt gewoon houvast, dat juist voor gitaristen, die door en door naar de klote zijn, toch nog hun talent de kans geven. De klank van een akoestische gitaar is vergelijkbaar mooi als de klank van een harp. Hun talent om de gitaar te spelen, zullen ze nooit verliezen. Een gitaar klinkt altijd, moe of niet. Zo moet ook, Harry, gedacht hebben. De heldere klanken van inspiratie klinken door en je vergeet de rest. Harry, wist dus zijn droom vast te houden. Ik zal dit van hem overnemen, als levensles. Achteraf is dit de les van de, Stones: “Nooit opgeven en altijd vertrouwen in jezelf houden. Er is op deze aarde ruimte genoeg voor ook jouw persoontje.” Als, Keith, inderdaad te weinig talent zou hebben, is dit nog meer waar.
In de periode van de rechtzaak was ik ook al gecrashed en woonde weer bij mijn ouders in, samen met mijn vriendin, Moniwi en dat ging ook helemaal niet goed. De trip naar, Engeland, bleek de relatie met, Moniwi, te breken, omdat ze niet mee mocht van mij en dus een week alleen bij mijn ouders woonde. Bij terugkomst begreep ik niets van de apathische liefde van, Moniwi, en op het vliegveld in, Amsterdam, vloog ze om mijn nek van blijdschap. Doordat ik niet in staat was dit te filteren, in wat voor, Moniwi, een laatste poging was, om toch nog iets van onze relatie te maken, heeft ze waarschijnlijk een keuze gemaakt. Ongelukkiger kon ze moeilijk worden; ik was weg en ze woonde bij mijn ouders in. Bij terugkomst was ik zo versleten, dat ik niets anders wilde dan met rust gelaten te worden. Stom rund, denk ik wel eens. Maar ja. Had ik maar van haar gehouden zoals ik nu van haar houd! Mmm, trouwens, niet getreurd, de aanspraak van mooie meisjes begint weer te komen. De ergste tijd van depressiviteit is voorbij! Het is niet voor niets, 2014, en de ellende ligt achter me, vandaar de kracht om dit op te schrijven. Daags voor de rechtzaak kwam ik aan in, Engeland. In, Londen, haalde, Harry, me op en we gingen naar zijn nieuwe flat. Wat een puinhoop, die flat met twee verdiepingen en grote kamers, maar donker en zeer groot. Ik kreeg een tablet in mijn mond geduwd, was nog niet eens binnen, en stapte toen over de drempel zijn flat binnen en werd linea recta naar de televisiekamer, met een tweepersoons bed, geleid. Harry, gaf me zijn kamer. Hij, en, Mel, waren overal door het huis. Het licht mocht niet aan van, Mel. Zijn kamer was zeer goed aangekleed voor verblijf. Perfect eigenlijk, met super-films als, Black Adder, en, David Bowie, en, Monty Pytons, “Quest for the Holy Grale”. U weet wel, die film die zich afspeelde ten tijde van, Koning Arthur, en ridders van de ronde tafel, die op zoek gaan naar de heilige graal. Ineens stond daar een politie korps, met wapenstok, de invasie van de ridders te verijdelen, en betekende hiermee het einde van de film. Verwoed zocht ik naar de oorzaak van het plotseling stoppen van de film. De video werkte wel. Na een poos ging ik, Harry, halen en die lachte het uit: ”Dat is juist de bedoeling van, John Cleese, dat je denkt dat de film doorgaat, maar door een paar agenten wordt, Koning Arthur, ingerekend en zodoende is de zoektocht naar de heilige graal afgebroken.” Jammer vond ik dat. Het begon net leuk te worden. Black Adder volgde, lang voordat hij werd ontdekt in Nederland en ik kon gewoon niet begrijpen dat er zulke goede humor bestaat. Black Adder, is, Rowan Atkinson, en belichaamt Britse humor. Niet te vertellen en dat probeer ik ook niet eens. En, Black Adder, is anderhalf uur achter elkaar proesten van het lachen. De volgende dag moesten we nog eventjes naar, Oxford, voor de rechtzaak, maar, na een paar uur voor de video, trippend en wel, maakte dat allemaal niets meer uit. Lachen. De dag zelf zou minder leuk worden, al was het resultaat van rechtzaak ongelooflijk.
De winter na de tournee van, 1990, dus de winter van, 1990 / 1991, was een ommekeer in mijn leven, Moniwi kwam terug. Niet in de laatste plaats omdat ik haar beste vriendinnen had gebruikt om haar jaloers te maken, en dat werkte. In, 1989, had Moniwi het uitgemaakt, nadat ze in de zomer in Spanje een Spaanse jongen ontmoette. Moniwi maakte het na de zomer uit en ik was zielsverloren. De naweeën ervan bestonden uit drugsgebruik en veel stappen, uitgaan dus, en zuipen. Hij, de Spaanse jongen, verlegen, mooi en perfect eigenlijk, stond voor de deur en ik liet, Moniwi, en hij een avond alleen. Urban Jungle-concerten. Dan krijg je tenminste wat je wilt en vergeet je even de realiteit. Mooier kan toch niet? Niets dan. Al het touren zou volgen. Bovendien trok ik tijdens de, Steel Wheels Tour, bij mijn oom en tante in, na de zomer van, 1989. De eerste paar maanden voelde de vrijheid goed aan. Vrijheid in doen en laten, uitslapen bijvoorbeeld. Thuis blijven, bij mijn vader en moeder bleek niet te kunnen. Mijn hoofd spookte en ik sliep niet. Ik voelde me teugelloos en moest weg. Bij mijn oom en tante sliep ik nog steeds slecht, maar omdat ze des morgens weggingen, kon ik toch overdag bij slapen en voelde me redelijk. Ik kon mijn eigen ritme gaan bepalen. Op een gegeven moment kreeg mijn oom in de gaten dat ik vooral overdag sliep en alleen leefde voor het voetbal. Op dat moment droomde ik nog van idealen, zoals het worden van een goede voetballer. Talent had ik, maar mijn lichamelijke gesteldheid werkte niet mee om door te breken. Zo kwam de marihuana van mijn oom en tante, langzaam in mijn leven als slaapmiddel, maar drank en drugs waren gelukkig, ook voor mijn oom en tante taboe. Want drank en drugs maakten je kapot. Weed niet? Nee, volgens hen kon weed geen kwaad. Want dan sliep ik lekker en was ik niet tot last. In de winter van, 1991, in, Februari, ging mijn opa dood en net voor die tijd werd ik het huis uitgezet, geplaatst in een kleine flat. Mijn oom en tante hadden deze flat geregeld, en ik kon mooi daar wonen. In die zes maanden tijdens mijn verblijf aldaar was ik verwend, letterlijk gedrogeerd en mijn baantje kwijt bij de catamaran-importeur, omdat ik voor mijn oom ging werken. Op school ging het slecht en ik bleef ook zitten dat jaar. Ik hunkerde naar weed en seks. Allebei was het op mij flatje in overvloed voorhanden. Moniwi, had altijd zin, en ik ook. Bovendien werkte ik toen voor een klein aannemertje die me grof betaalde. Geld was er gelukkig genoeg om de levensstijl te handhaven, voor een tijdje. Niemand kon werkelijk iets doen. Mijn grootste passie, voetballen ging ook niet meer en ik verspeelde mijn plaats in de selectie en ik moest nu gaan ploeteren in de zogenaamde B-selectie. We werden dat jaar wel kampioen, en het jaar daarop ook en ik heb gelukkig mooie wedstrijden gespeeld en bovendien kwam ik na een jaar in de, B-selectie, weer in aanmerking voor de, A-selectie. Direct tijdens de eerste training van de A-selectie ging het niet. Ik moest afwerken op doel. Mijn enkel was verrekt, mijn bovenbeenspieren waren verrekt, maar dat verzweeg ik natuurlijk. Ik leerde de regels van de straat. Ik moest vechten voor mijn vriendinnetje, ik moest vechten om de school te halen, ik moest vechten op mijn werk. Ik moest een huis bouwen en blijven functioneren. Kortom, ik was naar de klote, en dat voor iemand van, 21 jaar! Ik voelde me tachtig of nog veel ouder. Ik kon, tijdens die selectie-training niet aanzetten en niet schieten en precies die training ging het om felle sprints gevolgd door afwerken op doel. Ik was niet explosief en kon niet voluit schieten, kortom, raakte geen bal en de trainer keek me vertwijfeld aan. Ik kon goed voetballen, passeerde verdedigers met alle gemak, maar in deze training ging het niet om een mannetje te passeren, maar het kwam aan op kracht. De trainer was een Amsterdammer en had veel meegemaakt met zijn pupillen en spelers, maar hoe ik erbij liep was klaarblijkelijk voor hem zelfs deerniswekkend. Met spijt in zijn stem en handelen zei hij niet te begrijpen waarom juist de meest getalenteerde speler, linksbuiten nog wel, zo gebukt gaat onder spanningen. Het waren niet alleen spanningen trainer. De reden dat ik letterlijk steeds door mijn benen zakte was meer, plus het gevoel onbegrepen te zijn en zoals ik later begreep, geluk dat ik ontbeerde, daar waar ik zo gewend aanraakte in de Jaren Tachtig. Mijn bovendijbeen was gescheurd, maar ik zei dit niet. En, we moesten toen precies, natuurlijk, schieten van afstand, afwerken vanaf de tweede lijn, 20 meter van de goal. En bovendien kreeg ik in de grote partij, aan het einde, gewoonweg de bal niet toegespeeld, hoe vrij ik ook stond. Ik werd, “even”, door de, A-selectie, genegeerd en zo ontnamen ze me mijn kans iemand te passeren en een opening te vinden. Ook de plekjes in de kleedkamer zijn voor de grote jongens. Toen vond ik het opzienbarend en kinderachtig en vooral stom om zo opzichtig met de aanvoerders-band te lopen, alsof er nooit een andere zal komen. Werkelijk hilarisch wordt het toneel in de kleedkamer voor de wedstrijd of training als ze blijven staan en grapjes maken, en jou wegkijken, en ik me inderdaad zo gespannen voelde en ergens anders ging zitten. En ik vond dat niet erg. Met inderdaad spot verliet ik dan mijn stelling en zocht een andere kapstok uit, ver weg van de verwarming. De aanvoerder van het elftal was goed en had een perfect atletisch, halfbloedig en dus een aanstekelijk lijf voor de oudere heren, kon de bal goed raken, maar had tijd nodig in de aanname. Hij was ook een goede kickbokser en hier pronkte hij mee door middel van zijn hardheid. Maar met alleen een bal, dus zonder de lange bal, had hij geen kans in het korte spel. Als het eerste speelde, op zondag middag, liep de aanvoerder meer in de rondte als een lust-object, dan als een goede voetballer. Als ik maar eens de kans kreeg om te voetballen in het eerste en als ze me maar de bal toeschoven. Mijn moeder wilde dat ik op atletiek of een andere individuele sport ging, om zo maar niet afhankelijk te zijn van, “klootzakken”. Tijd gaf ik de aanvoerder niet en ik zou hem wel even laten zien wat er gebeurt in de kleine ruimte. Het korte spel en de bal slechts een keer raken en versnellen en hem passeren gebeurde niet in werkelijkheid, slechts in mijn dromen. Om in een eerste elftal te mogen spelen is een ieder afhankelijk van de wensen van de club. Klasse justitie, de zonen van de voorzitter en zo mogen wel meespelen en krijgen kans op kans. Mijn enige kans werd door die ene training vergooid; iets waarvoor ik leefde! De club stelde vervolgens vast, dat het wel plezierig was dat de B-selectie telkens kampioen werd. Voornamelijk door mijn doelpunten en assists. Het zat me wel en niet mee in die tijd op het voetbalveld. Toch heb ik mooie herinneringen, want ik speelde goed. Zo goed dat altijd iedereen bleef staan om me te zien spelen. Het nadeel van de, B-selectie, is dat je zondag om tien uur moet spelen. Voor iemand met slaap-problemen is dat niet een beetje vroeg, maar zeg maar gerust onmogelijk vroeg. Daarna zuipen in de kantine en verplicht naar het eerste kijken en daarna thuis aan de dope. Maandag kon ik niet naar school, punt. Dat was een ding dat zeker was. Dinsdag, donderdag en zaterdagmiddag trainen, alle energie naar het voetballen, terwijl ik die luttele energie nodig had om orde op zaken te stellen, in mijn gewone leven. Waarom zat mijn vader niet in het bestuur? En waarom deed mijn oom, die wel het een en ander te zeggen binnen de club, niet een goed woordje voor me. Oh ja, dat was natuurlijk omdat hij en mijn vader een levenslange ruzie met elkaar hadden, dat was ik even in mijn naïviteit vergeten. Maar voor mij onbegrijpelijk dat werkelijk middelmatige voetballers zich staande hielden in het eerste. Triviaal en kenmerkend voor de grootste club uit de, Zaanstreek, was het absurde lage niveau van het eerste. Ik wist intussen wel hoe dat kwam. Het leek wel een club uit het, Midden Oosten, waar de sheiks het voor het zeggen hebben en per definitie neefjes opstelden in het eerste en niet mijn persoontje, klein en mager maar toch echt wel een talent, de kans gaven om te groeien. Deze ontkenning van mijn voetbal-capaciteiten heeft mij zeer aangegrepen. Mijn neef, die bij een andere club speelde kreeg wel die kans en werd doodleuk uitgenodigd door een prof-club uit de regio, Volendam. Hij speelde daar met, Johan Steur. Helaas voor mijn neef; hij brak zijn enkel. Weg carrière. We voetbalden vaak samen en leerden elkaar trucjes en passeerbewegingen en we waren gewoon echt goede voetballers. Maar hij kreeg de kans en ik niet. Oververmoeid en letterlijk met een waas voor ramde ik steeds vaker zomaar, Moniwi, in elkaar. Steeds vaker uitte mijn agressie zich en op een gegeven moment leek ik gek te worden. Ook in het uitgaansleven heb ik veel ruzies uitgelokt. Mijn broer zal vaak zijn geramd en een enkele keer hard ook. Excuses, Bernard. Toen ik in 1994, zoals dat heet, op een blauwe maandag, nog eenmaal ging voetballen stond ik wel direct in het eerste. Ik was toch sterker en groter geworden en evenwichtiger en nu kon niemand meer om me heen. Maar de, Voodoo Lounge Tour, van, 1994, begon tegelijkertijd met het voetbalseizoen en na een paar weken zegde ik mijn lidmaatschap op en vertrok in, Oktober, naar, Amerika. Het was heel zoet om toch nog een keer in het eerste te spelen. Nog geen maand na de verhuizing, van mijn oom en tante naar de kleine flat, stond Moniwi met een grote koffer op de stoep en ze vroeg of ze bij me mocht wonen. Dit was een droom, maar die verstoorde ik dus zelf. Natuurlijk! De omstandigheden de komende vier jaar waren ook ongunstig. We verhuisden naar een oud huis waarvan zelfs de fundering en de gevels opnieuw opgetrokken dienden te worden. Niet echt een plek om rustig aan een relatie te bouwen. Toen had ik alles op alles moeten zetten om een gewoon leven te gaan leiden en niet domweg blind aan het huis werken om het daarna te verkopen, om Stones-concerten te zien, om maar niet de realiteit van het leven te hoeven zien. Sterker, ik overtuigde, Moniwi, dat het volgen van een Stones-tour geweldig is. En ik dacht echt dat de, Stones, niet meer gingen touren, na het geweldige succes van de, Steel Wheels -, en, Urban Jungle Tour. Dat konden ze onmogelijk overtoppen. Bovendien was het acht jaar stil geweest en ik verwachtte weer zo’n stilte. Dus ik kon makkelijk zoiets suggereren. Ik leefde met de dag. Het ongelooflijke nieuws van de, Voodoo Lounge Tour, deed me letterlijk verblinden. Ja, toen dacht ik echt dat ze nog een keer zouden gaan touren. In, 1994, was het huis klaar en ik zou naar, Amerika, gaan voor de, Voodoo Lounge Tour. Nogmaals, ik was ervan overtuigd dat dit de laatste keer zou worden. Ik vond het toen al gewaagd van de, Stones, om, in, 1994, al T-shirts te drukken met doodleuk de vermelding: 1994/1995 World Tour. Ik moest eerst nog zien dat ze, 1994, volmaakten. 1995, was nog zover weg. Maar ik was dom om te denken dat, Moniwi, altijd aan mijn zijde bleef. Ik heb daar geen minuut meer aan getwijfeld, hoewel, Moniwi, er toch anders over ging denken. Ze hield echt van me, dat bewees ze eigenlijk elke dag, maar op een gegeven moment heeft ze het opgegeven. Ik was gefocusseerd op alles, met name op de verrichtingen van de, Stones, en de voortgang van het huis, behalve op, Moniwi. Nu besef ik dat de ideale situatie er een is die je dagelijks moet onderhouden. Of te wel: ”Er moet gewerkt worden aan relaties, net zoals er gewerkt moet worden aan een huis.” En toch maakte de schoonheid van, Moniwi, me niet gelukkig. Ik was alleen maar met mezelf bezig, en vond de gevoelens van, Moniwi, ondergeschikt. Dit zou ze me terugbetalen, en letterlijk heb ik er tien jaar last van gehad. Mijn deel was verdriet en ongelukkigheid. Ik besloot te gaan studeren in, 1995, omdat ik bang was dat ik dood zou gaan van verdriet. Ik moest een doel hebben om te leven. Stones-concerten waren het enige dat me verroerde en, “over bewust”, lette ik thuis op de uitvoeringen van nummers en diepte ze uit tot in den treuren. Ik had niets beters te doen, lijkt wel. Maar bedenk dat ik geen televisie had gedurende de jaren 90 en altijd aan het werk of studeren was en muziek was mijn rustpunt. Nummers die mijn gehele jeugd hebben bepaald. Mijn steun en toeverlaat. Ik snapte werkelijk niets van de manier van spelen. Waarom zijn de Stones anders dan alle andere bands? Ik kon dan ook de veranderingen van de shows goed meemaken. Hoe is het mogelijk dat de band, in de, Jaren Negentig, dezelfde kleur en emoties kan oproepen als van, de Jaren Zestig. Geen andere band heeft die kleurechtheid. Under My Thumb, Let’s Spend The Night Together, Shattered, en, 19th Nervous Breakdown, klonken tijdens de, Voodoo Lounge Tour, ongehoord echt. Ongelooflijk vond ik dat. Bij het horen van de intro’s voel je dat ze de juiste snaar weten te raken en dat ze terugkeren naar vervlogen tijden. Mijn moeder zei altijd dat de, Beatles, en, Stones, tijdloos waren. En nu begrijp ik dit. Tijdens de, Bridges to Babylon Tour, 1997, en, 1998, en de, No Security Tour, van, 1999, waren de, Stones, weer ouderwets op elkaar ingespeeld en speelden, op verzoek, nummers. Een keer werd, Waiting on a Friend, aangevraagd, via voorkeurstemmen op de internet-site. Bill Gates, sponsorde die tournee en als tegenprestatie kon het publiek voorkeurstemmen uitbrengen, via de website. Ik heb al veel gehoord, maar toen, Waiting on a Friend, out of the blue werd ingezet, was het overduidelijk dat, Waiting on a Friend, en feitelijk alle andere nummers symfonietjes zijn. Nummers van, Keith, kunnen perfect worden geconserveerd. De lijnen en contouren bestaan uit basiselementen. Waarschijnlijk omdat elk Stones-nummer en zeker ook die van de, Beatles, bestaan uit losse elementen, is de kleur-echtheid gegarandeerd. Anders dan het gerommel en gehark en gegraaf, met als gevolg dat de muziek een brei wordt van bandjes die proberen, Rock’ N Roll, te spelen, speelt, Keith, sober en schoon en ontvouwt stalen brug waarop, Waiting on a Friend, leunt. En ook, 19th Nervous Breakdown, werd bijvoorbeeld gedragen door, Keith. De lijnen en de bas-loopjes zijn uitgekristalliseerd. Mijn voorlopige conclusie is dat een nummer eerst zijn vorm aanneemt als de bas-loop is uitgelegd. Om minimaal te spelen, zoals de, Stones, doen, moet de basis helder zijn. Omdat elk nummer bestaat uit basis-lijnen is het zaak te weten wat deze zijn. En omdat, Keith, de nummers zelf schrijft is het triviaal te vermelden, dat hij die gene is, die precies weet wat die basis elementen van zijn nummers zijn. Doordat het onmogelijk is om te spelen als, Keith, is het simpelweg onmogelijk voor bands om dit te kopiëren. En doordat de, Stones, zichzelf, tijdens de jaren negentig, in een levensecht oefenterrein begeven, is het niet verwonderlijk, dat met het verstrijken van de jaren, de klassieke nummers een voor een, klakkeloos, werden afgestoft. Verreweg hoogtepunten waren de versies van, When The Whip Comes Down, Some Girls, You Got The Silver, Sister Morphine, met een toen, uniek voor een Stones-concert, tweede toegift, tijdens de, No Security Tour: You Can’t Always Get What You Want, werd plotseling ingezet, als extra toegift, door, Keith, en volgens mij was dit niet gepland. Voor de liefhebber: Eerste show in, Houston, Februari, 1999. Tijdens de, No Security Tour, van, 1999, was, You Can’t Always Get What You Want, inmiddels uit het repertoire geschrapt, want de, No Security Tour, had een veel harder karakter dan alle voorgaande tournee’s. Mick had pijn. Er knaagde bovendien iets aan zijn geweten en werd zich bewust van zijn bovenmenselijke status, vergelijkbaar met Caesar of Alexander De Grote. Marianne Faithfull, vergelijkt hem met de Zonne-koning, Louis XIV. De grote, Mick Jagger, werd, naar mijn mening, voor het eerst in zijn leven aan de kant geschoven door een vrouw; Jerry Hall. Toen, Keith, You Can’t Always Get What You Want, inzette stond daar een duidelijk geëmotioneerde, Mick Jagger. Je kon het hoopje verdriet opvegen. Ik stond toen, in, Houston, in de, Compaq Centre, direct aan het podium en zag hoe, Keith, plotseling weer naar het midden van het podium liep en achteloos het nummer inzette. Eerder werd die avond ook al, Sister Morphine, op schrijnende wijze vertolkt. Mick, had pijn, dat was duidelijk en, Keith, hielp hem daar overheen. Net zoals bij de tweede toegift liep, Keith, gedurfd, tijdens de intro, naar de rand van het podium en was op dat moment de bliksemafleider. Natuurlijk is het normaal als, Mick, de show steelt, maar toen kon dat even niet. Mick, was een hoopje verdriet. Keith, nam de honeurs waar als voorman en, Mick, kon, na zichzelf weer te hebben hervonden, op hartverscheurende wijze, Sister Morphine, brengen. Inclusief de gebroken stem die precies bij het nummer past. De, No Security Tour, was geen doorsnee tour. De geluidsinstallatie had veel te veel vermogen en was bestemd voor stadions. En de, No Security Tour, had in, Amerika, plaats, in, kleine arena’s. Toen, Some Girls, op verbluffende wijze, authentiek, werd gebracht, met een werkelijk spectaculaire staande intro, waarbij binnen de seconde, alle instrumenten zich perfect mengden, was het duidelijk: Mick, moest weer zingen, iets anders zou hij niet kunnen op dat moment. Hij zou in het dagelijks leven worden uitgehold door verdriet en onmacht, ten gevolge van zijn scheiding. Anders zou hij sterven van verdriet. Wie nu nog durft te zeggen dat de, Stones, slechts voor het geld spelen is niet goed bij zijn hoofd. Die tournee van, 1999, was niet voor het geld. Die was er, om, Mick, te laten te overleven. Om hem zijn verdriet te laten uiten. En, wat is er beter, dan uiting door middel van muziek. Mijn broer was mee naar, Amerika, en zag het ook. Nog steeds verhaalt hij met ontzag de impact van de, Stones, als ze kwaad zijn. Hij vertelde dat de stoere Amerikaanse yuppies, met allemaal een prachtige vriendin aan hun zijde, inclusief een vlotte zonnebril, letterlijk verbleekten toen, Keith, en, Ronnie, bij wijze van hoge uitzondering, over gingen op, Trash Rock. Nogmaals, When the Whip Comes Down, Midnight Rambler, en, Star Fucker, gespeeld op het midden podium in de kleine arena’s, begin, 1999, in, Amerika, waren een zegen voor de diehard fans, maar een regelrechte kwelling voor mensen, die dachten, dat ze het hadden gemaakt in hun leven. Al hun zekerheden konden de prullenbak in. Hun vriendinnen vonden het plotseling geweldig, en vonden, Mick, en, Keith, nu ineens zeer aantrekkelijke beesten. De yuppies en de jetset, zo moet u zich voorstellen, kochten voor honderden dollars een plekje vooraan en probeerde natuurlijk indruk te maken met die plaatsen, op hun veel te mooie, “gekochte”, vriendinnen. De Amerikanen verwachten weer een, Stones-concert, zoals ze die kenden van de, Voodoo Lounge, en, Bridges to Babylon. Zo kenden ze de, Stones, niet, en zo zijn de, Stones, ook helemaal niet aardig voor hun publiek. Letterlijk niet wetende waar te zoeken en te kijken, om zich nog enigszins te profileren als vlotte veertiger, volgde vooral de vrouwelijke, en veel jongere aanhang, de wulpse bewegingen van, Mick. De jetset werd getrakteerd op primitieve omgangs-normen, waar zij dus zogenaamd ver boven dient te staan en er nu met hun neus werden ingewreven. De meisjes vonden dat prachtig en hadden plotseling geen oog meer, en zeker geen interesse voor hun welgemanierde partners. Ze wilden bruut worden aangerand en worden verkracht en als oud vuil worden behandeld. Ze wilden ook die primitieve manier van leven ondervinden. Ze wilden ook wel eens gillend en schreeuwend klaarkomen! Keith, en, Ronnie, gooiden het ene spervuur na het andere de zaal in. Met de veel te grote geluidsinstallatie in de kleine zalen, was het een ware geseling voor de genen, die nog niet uit de zaal waren gevlucht. In het oog van de orkaan stond daar plotseling weer een herboren, Mick Jagger, die zichtbaar opluchtte tijdens de storm. Mick, kwam tot rust en, Keith, lachte liefkozend naar hem. Alsjeblieft, maatje, hier heb je je verdriet, verwerk het maar lekker. Alles komt goed. Wat een band! Sentiment komt wel erg hard aan, maar dat is het leven! Ik sta altijd vooraan en was waar de, Stones, waren. Maniakaal volgde ik ze door heel, Europa, en later, in, 1994, en verder door de, USA. Tot mijn verbazing zag ik van dichtbij de oogcontacten tussen de bandleden en zag dat de, Stones, konden temporiseren en pieken, wanneer ze maar wilden. Zo waren ze instaat een menigte van honderdduizend man in slaap te sussen om ze daarna meedogenloos wakker te schudden. Als ze zin hadden in experimenten werd een gehele set aangepast om de experimenten in te kleden, met als vangnet opsluiting door gepaste nummers. Na bijvoorbeeld probeersels als, Factory Girl, en, I Just Want to Make Love to You, kwam een klassieker, een nummer met een voortstuwende kracht, als, Satisfaction. Dus al zou het experiment mislukken, de menigte zal dit snel vergeten. Klassieke Rock-nummers om de experimentele nummers maskeerden dit, bij voorbaat. De boodschap van dit alles is dat iedereen een kans moet krijgen om te schijnen. De Stones hebben zelf de regie in handen. Ze maken tijd en ruimte voor probeersels, om zo het spectrum op te rekken. Omdat ze omringd worden door zekerheden, de nummers, het stadion en de enorme geluidsinstallatie, mislukken experimenten niet! Het heeft even geduurd, maar toevallig geluk moet je afdwingen.
De Stones, hebben zich een weg gebaand door de tijd en steeds goed opgelet wat mogelijk is voor de tijd. En bekend is dat in deze tijd alles mogelijk is. De, Stones, hebben de tijd met glans naar hun hand gezet. Ik voelde me sterk verbonden met de kracht van de muziek van de, Stones, maar was verloren en zocht ongewild grip in de goede muziek en de entourage van de Stones-karavaan en kwam verder en zo kwam ik in contact met, Alan Dunn, eerst in, Birmingham, USA!, via de telefoon, via, Arend Jan van der Marel in, Amsterdam!, en later in levende lijve bij aanvang van het concert in, 1995, in, Wembley. Alan Dunn, grijnsde. Ik maakte zo goed als deel uit van het Stones-circus en werd zelfs herkend door fans, die me hadden gezien tijdens de, Stones-film, van, 1990, in het, IMAX-theater. Alan Dunn, en meerdere leden van de vaste kern van de Stones-administratie kenden me en in, Londen, in, 1995, zei, Alan Dunn, dat hij wel een vermoeden had, waarom ze elke keer beter gingen spelen en dat dit voor betrokkenen een eindeloze rit is geworden. De crew en de die-hard fans zitten gevangen en worden verblind door de voortgang van de grootste, Rock ‘N Roll-band, aller tijden. Zij worden beter en de fans, die het volgen, gaan langzaam stuk. Het wordt altijd beter, dus de mensen die het laatste goede concert hebben gezien weten net zoveel als de mensen die alle concerten volgen. De groep vaste bezoekers van de eerste rij werd zodoende steeds groter en eind jaren negentig, en tijdens de laatste, Licks Tour, namen zij met honderden mijn plaats in op de eerste rijen en ik distantieerde me ervan. Noodzakelijk, door geldgebrek. Maar ook omdat ik nu zeker wist dat de Stones zo groot zijn geworden door het afdwingen van inspanningen van anderen en als de lachende derde er van door te gaan, met de opgedane kennis. Kijk naar, bijvoorbeeld, Brian Jones, Mick Taylor, Billy Preston. Ik wist dat de, Stones, niet of nauwelijks acht slaan op mensen die hun eigen leven vergooien om, Rock ‘N Roll, te spelen en te zien. Weten ze wat ik weet? Zoeken ze wat? Billy Preston, weet nu dat zijn muziek is samengevat in een nummer, niet van hem zelf, maar van, Jagger / Richards, en heet, Hot Stuff. In dit nummer is de alle franje en tierelantijn afgeschud en wat overblijft is definiërende muziek. Uitgedroogd en sober, als een overblijfsel of relikwie van de muziek van, Preston, is de beat van, Hot Stuff, een belichaming van wat eens zijn muziek was. De, Stones, hebben in alle rust van dichtbij het kunstje afgekeken van, Billy. Hij verzorgde tijdens de, tour van, 1975, en, 1976, het voorprogramma en deed twee nummers tijdens het Stones-optreden. De, Stones, verloren destijds in rap tempo terrein aan met name, Led Zeppelin. De funky muziek van, Billy, was een uitgelezen mogelijkheid voor de, Stones, om zich aan te passen aan de tijd. Led Zeppelin, was onaantastbaar. De kracht waarmee, Led Zeppelin, de jaren zeventig binnen kwam zeilen was ontzagwekkend. De gitarist, Jimmie Page, was in topvorm en de zanger, Robert Plant was de nieuwe belichaming geworden van, Rock ‘N Roll. Voor zowel Jagger als Richards werd, Exile on Main Street, pijnlijk bewaarheid. Ze werden van de weg gereden door, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Dire Straits, en door de nieuwe funk muziek en wat later door de, Punk. Iggy Pop, voorop.
De jaren zestig waren definitief verleden tijd, halverwege de jaren zeventig. Er stonden nu al weer nieuwe soldaten aan het front. De episode met, Mick Taylor, die de band nog steeds en, steeds meer, voorzag van muzikale impulsen, tijdens de begin Jaren Zeventig, liep plotseling af. Hoewel, Mick Taylor, was verworden tot oud vuil leunden de, Stones, op hem; dit oude vuil. Mick Taylor, verliet de band, om de afgang van zijn lichaam te voorkomen. De situatie van de Stones was niets meer dan een stelletje zielepoten, die net hun kip met de gouden eieren, Mick Taylor, zagen verdwijnen. Terug aan de grond in, 1975. Het enige wat overeind bleef waren de geweldige nummers. Zo blijkt, Gimme Shelter, echt een heel goed nummer, dat juist in die periode helemaal werd gearrangeerd en tot in de puntjes werd uitgekauwd. Happy, het solo-nummer van, Keith, bleek zich ook uitstekend modern en vooruitstrevend te gedragen tijdens live-optredens. De tour van, 1975, gaat gepaard met verwoede pogingen van de, Stones, zich te revancheren, op volgens mij met name, Led Zeppelin. Op het podium komen de gebruikelijke bovennatuurlijke krachten nog steeds moeiteloos los. En dat is bij beide bands zo. Duidelijk is alleen dat, op het gebied van pure rock, de, Stones, de meerdere moeten erkennen in, Led Zeppelin, vergelijkbaar zoals de, Who, de, Stones, in, 1968, naar huis speelde.
Gezegend met, zoals hij zelf zegt een antenne heeft, Keith, de teloorgang van zijn band aangekeken. De massieve knetterende drum van, Led Zeppelin, was niet normaal en inderdaad, de drummer overleed in, 1980. Net als overigens de super-drummer van de, Who, Keith Moon, die, in, 1978, overleed. Pink Floyd, pakte de muziek weer anders aan en toverde het ene na het andere sublieme album uit de hoge hoed. Toch, eerlijk is eerlijk, live on stage, kon, Keith, zich nog steeds meten met de nieuwe orde. Keith, heeft gelukkig heel zijn leven geluisterd, hij moest wel. Een gouden kans voor jonge, Mister Richards. Eerst ontspon hij de, Blues, op een manier die de, Beatles, bijkans deed verbleken. Hij deed dit overigens niet alleen, want een zekere, Brian Jones, was toen zijn maatje, zelfs toen, Keith, nog een tiener was. Hij kwam samen met, Brian, tot een synthese van twee gitaren, die klonken als een eenheid. Met name de manier van spelen van, Keith, dwingend, bepalende en ruig vereiste een drummer die niet probeerde die gitaar, de zogenaamde rythem gitaar, te overstemmen. En feitelijk
Click here to learn more about Camp Humphreys
U.S. Army photos by Anthony Langley
Ducks top Hoyas in Armed Forces Classic at Camp Humphreys
By Tim Hipps
U.S. Army Installation Management Command
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea – In a season opener between teams led by newcomers, Joseph Young scored 24 points to lead No. 19 Oregon to an 82-75 victory over Georgetown in the 2013 Armed Forces Classic here.
The Ducks and Hoyas tipped off Nov. 9 at 10:16 a.m., on a Saturday morning in the Humphreys Community Fitness Center. For college basketball fans across America, the game was one of many season openers on Friday night. Only one, however, was played before 2,100 U.S. troops and their family members, along with a worldwide television audience on ESPN.
“We’re about to start the journey to determine who is the best team in college basketball, the best team in the country, and we’re doing it in front of the best team in the world,” ESPN announcer Jay Bilas said. “I’m in absolute awe of the commitment, the sacrifice, of our men and women in uniform.”
Young, a junior guard who transferred from Houston is a son of Michael Young, who played for the high-flying “Phi Slama Jama” teams of the early 1980’s. He grabbed five rebounds and was perfect on 12 free throws in his first game as a Duck.
Joshua Smith, a 6-foot-10, 350-pound junior center who transferred from UCLA, led Georgetown (0-1) with 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting and 5 of 9 free throws before fouling out of his first game as a Hoya with 9 seconds remaining.
Jason Calliste made all 11 of his free throws and scored 16 points for Oregon (1-0). Mike Moser added 15 points, seven rebounds and a career-high six steals, the most by an Oregon player in 15 seasons. Darius Wright was the last Duck to post six steals in a game against USC on Jan. 7, 1999.
“We came a long way, so we really didn’t want to lose this one,” Moser said. “It definitely feels good to go home – a 12-hour ride – with a win.”
Damyean Dotson grabbed eight rebounds and Johnathan Loyd had seven assists for Oregon. Loyd recorded his 304th career assist for a spot on the Ducks’ top 10 list.
The Hoyas shot 1 of 15 from 3-point range, failed to find much offensive continuity, and were outrebounded, 40-32.
“Things we can control, we have to control,” Georgetown coach John Thompson III said. “We had too many untimely unforced turnovers. We got our rhythm offensively, but we gave up a lot of threes in a row – it felt like four or five. The timing of that is what we have to learn. When we had to get a stop or a rebound, we didn’t.”
Oregon took an 18-7 lead via a 12-2 run, capped by two free throws by Calliste with 12:27 remaining in the first half. Calliste also converted a three-point play that gave the Ducks a 30-23 lead with 5:25 remaining in the period. Oregon led, 37-34, at halftime.
Georgetown took its first lead since 2-0 on a steal by Markel Starks and Smith’s feed to Jabril Trawick for a layup and a 40-39 lead with 18:06 left. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera’s jumper put Georgetown ahead, 42-39. Loyd responded with a 3-pointer, Young followed with a layup, and the Ducks led the rest of the way.
Starks finished with 16 points and four assists for Georgetown. Trawick added 11 points and three rebounds. Before departing, Moser saluted the troops who welcomed the Ducks to Camp Humphreys, their most distant regular-season game site in school history.
“We had a lot of fun,” Moser said. “Getting a chance to hang out with the troops for a couple days inspired us to try and come out here and win this game.”
Played on Veterans Day weekend, the game featured a military theme throughout. Rather than players’ last names, Army values, such as “Courage,” “Integrity” and “Respect,” adorned the back of Georgetown’s camouflage-patterned jerseys. The backs of the Ducks’ camouflage-patterned jerseys displayed: “USA.” Members of both coaching staffs wore military-style cargo pants and combat boots.
“This was an unbelievable experience,” Thompson said. “It was a privilege to play in this environment, and it was a privilege to play in front of the Soldiers. One of the most rewarding times was serving lunch yesterday and getting the chance to interact with the young men and women stationed here at Camp Humphreys.”
Georgetown players Nate Lubick and Starks also were appreciative.
“This was a great opportunity to get a close-up look at what life is like for the men and women who protect our country,” Lubick said. “We’re very fortunate to have the opportunity to come here and play a game to thank them for all they do.”
“We’re blessed to have the chance to come here and see and tour the base and the helicopters,” Starks added. “It’s amazing all that they do and we’re really thankful to get the chance to meet everyone here.”
Folks at Camp Humphreys thought likewise.
“It’s such a blessing,” said Cassie Gaudette, wife of Army Capt. Brian Gaudette. “I don’t think that they can truly understand how exciting and wonderful it is to have a little piece of home and have the teams come here to South Korea. We’re originally from Eugene [home of the Oregon Ducks], so this was really exciting to see.”
Oregon played without sophomores Dominic Artis and Ben Carter, who were suspended nine games for violating NCAA rules by selling school-issued athletic apparel. If only they knew what they missed.
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SAN DIEGO (May 13, 2022) Capt. Mark Thomas, Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) San Diego's chief nursing officer (left), gives remarks during a Navy Nurse Corps 114th birthday cake cutting ceremony at the hospital May 13. The Navy Nurse Corps was established May 13, 1908, after the signing of the Appropriations bill by President Theodore Roosevelt. NMRTC San Diego’s mission is to prepare service members to deploy in support of operational forces, deliver high quality healthcare services and shape the future of military medicine through education, training and research. NMRTC San Diego employs more than 6,000 active duty military personnel, civilians, and contractors in Southern California to provide patients with world-class care anytime, anywhere. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Luke Cunningham)
Lithuanian Special Forces undergo timed range evaluations during a bilateral exercise with U.S. Special Forces, held in Kaunas, Lithuania, March 10, 2022.
A Lithuanian Special Forces member rapidly fires during a timed range evaluation as part of a bilateral exercise with U.S. Special Forces, held in Kaunas, Lithuania, March 10, 2022.
These joint range day evaluations are used to exchange tactics, enhance mission readiness and maintain advanced combat marksmanship skills while promoting a strong partnership with allied forces.
U.S. Army photo by Spc. Alisha Grezlik