View allAll Photos Tagged supporting
The two little dancers on stage were just about frozen, but someone in the audience knew the moves and was giving them some hints.
A CC-150 Polaris aircraft carrying Afghan refugees who supported Canada’s mission in Afghanistan arrives at Toronto Pearson International Airport on August 13, 2021.
Please credit: Cpl Rachael Allen, Canadian Forces Combat Camera, Canadian Armed Forces Photo
~
Un avion CC-150 Polaris transportant des réfugiés afghans qui ont soutenu la mission du Canada en Afghanistan arrive à l’aéroport international Pearson de Toronto, le 13 août 2021.
Photo : Cpl Rachael Allen, Caméra de combat des Forces canadiennes, Forces armées canadiennes
Some background:
The Nakajima A6M2-N (Navy Type 2 Interceptor/Fighter-Bomber) was a single-crew floatplane. The Allied reporting name for the aircraft was 'Rufe'.
The A6M2-N floatplane was developed mainly to support amphibious operations and defend remote bases. It was based on the Mitsubishi A6M-2 Model 11 fuselage, with a modified tail and added floats. Despite the large central float and wing pontoons, the A6M2-N was aerodynamically a very clean aircraft: compared with its land-based A6M2 cousin, its performance degraded only by about 20%, and for a contemporary single engine floatplane its performance was outstanding.
The aircraft was deployed in 1942, referred to as the "Suisen 2" ("Hydro fighter type 2"), and intended for interceptor, fighter-bomber, and short reconnaissance support for amphibious landings, among other uses. However, when confronted with the first generation of Allied fighters, the A6M2-N was no match in aerial combat and rather employed in supportive roles.
Effectively, the A6M2-N was mostly utilized in defensive actions in the Aleutians and Solomon Islands operations. They were used with good efficiency against Allied positions: marking patrol elements, aiding warship guns, engaging convoys, and reconnoitering areas over-the-horizon.
The A6M2-Ns were also effective in harassing American PT boats at night, and they could drop flares to illuminate the PTs which were vulnerable to destroyer gunfire, and depended on cover of darkness. However, when Allied fighter coverage became more numerous and effective, the value of the A6M2-N dwindled and losses began to naturally mount.
In the Aleutian Campaign this fighter engaged with RCAF Curtiss P-40, Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighters and Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers, but the A6M2-N inventory suffered a severe setback when, on August 7th, 1942, a seaplane base was destroyed by Allied fighter-bombers, taking with it most of the available A6M2-Ns stationed there.
The seaplane also served in defense of fueling depots in Balikpapan and Avon Bases (Dutch East Indies) and reinforced the Shumushu base (North Kuriles) in the same period.
Beyond their use from dispersed and improvised bases, A6M2-N fighters also served aboard seaplane carriers Kamikawa Maru in the Solomons and Kuriles areas and aboard Japanese raiders Hokoku Maru and Aikoku Maru in Indian Ocean raids.
Later in the conflict the Otsu Air Group utilized the A6M2-N as an interceptor alongside Kawanishi N1K1 Kyofu ('Rex') aircraft based in Biwa lake in the Honshū area, defending the Japanese home land against Allied raids.
A total of 327 were built, including the original prototype, before being halted in September 1943.
The last A6M2-N in military service was a single example recovered by the French forces in Indochina after the end of World War II. It crashed shortly after being overhauled, though.
General characteristics:
Crew: 1 (Pilot)
Length: 10.10 m (33ft 1⅝ in)
Wingspan: 12.00 m (39 ft 4⅜ in)
Height: 4.30 m (14ft 1⅜ in)
Wing area: 22.44 m² (251.4 sq ft)
Empty weight: 1,912 kg (4,235 lb)
Loaded weight: 2,460 kg (5,423 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 2,880 kg (6,349 lb)
Powerplant:
1× Nakajima NK1C Sakae 12 air cooled 14 cylinder radial engine,
delivering 950 hp (709 kW) at 4,200 m (13,800 ft)
Performance:
Maximum speed: 436 km/h (235 knots, 270.5 mph) at 5,000 m (16,400 ft)
Cruise speed: 296 km/h (160 knots, 184 mph)
Range: 1,782 km (963 nmi, 1,107 mi)
Service ceiling: 10,000 m (32,800 ft)
Climb rate: 6 min 43 s to 5,000 m (16,400 ft)
Armament:
2 × 7.7 mm Type 97 machine guns in forward fuselage
2 ×20 mm Type 99 cannons in outer wings
Underwing hardpoints for 2× 60 kg (132 lb) bombs
The kit and its assembly:
This is a real world model, despite the weird looks (see below), and an entry for the Arawasi blog's "Japanese Aircraft Online Model Contest 005 - Japanese Seaplanes & Flying Boats" contest in summer 2017. Even though whifs were allowed to enter, I used the opportunity to build a kit I had originally bought for a few bucks and stashed away in the donor bank: a vintage LS Model Nakajima A6M2-N.
The mould dates back to 1963(!), and the kit was re-issued several times, also under the ARII label. You get a tiny box, with only two sprues moulded in a pale baby blue, and the number of parts is minimal. It's truly vintage and pretty toylike at first sight. Consequently, you have to face some real old-school issues, e. g. moulded markings for the roundels on the wings, general mediocre fit of anything and lots of sinkholes and flash. Then there are toylike solutions like the single-piece propeller or separate, moveable ailerons with bulging joints.
The cockpit interior is non-existent, too: there's just a blank place for a dashboard (to be cut out from the printed BW instructions!), and a spindly pilot figure which is held in mid air by some pins. Furthermore, the kit was designed to take a small electric motor in the nose (sold separately) to drive the propeller. Wires, as well as respective internal ducts, and an AA battery holder are included.
Sounds scary? Well, maybe, if you just build it OOB. But all these flaws should not keep the ambitious modeler away because the LS Model kit is (still) a sound basis to start from, even though and by today's standards, it is certainly not a match-winner for a rivet counter-esque competition.
For its age and the typical solutions of its time, it is actually surprisingly good: you get very fine engraved surface details (more delicate than many contemporary moulds!), a pretty thin, three-piece clear (yet blurry) canopy and, as a bonus to the elevons, separate flaps – a unique detail I have never come across before! Proportions are IMHO good, even though the cowling looks a bit fishy and the engravings are rather soft and shallow. Anyway, on the exterior, there’s anything you can ask for to be found, and as another bonus the kit comes with a beaching trolley, which makes display and diorama fitting easier.
Thanks to the kit's simplicity, the build in itself was pretty straightforward and simple. Cleaning the parts and checking fit was the biggest issue. Upon gluing the old styrene showed signs of serious reaction to the dissolving effect of modern glue: it took ages for the material to cure and become hard again for further work!? Weird…
The many sinkholes and overall displacements were corrected with some NC putty/PSR, the protruding elevon/flap joints sanded away as good as possible, and due to the wobbly nature of the kit’s styrene I added blobs of 2C putty inside of the wing halves as stabilizers.
Some mods and improvements were made, though. After cleaning the OOB propeller from tons of flash the piece turned out to be pretty usable, and it was put on a metal axis. A styrene tube adapter was added behind the relatively flat engine dummy, so that the prop can spin freely – for the later beauty pics, because no CG effect beats IMHO the real thing.
A cockpit interior was created from scratch and donor parts, using the new Airfix A6M model's cockpit as benchmark. It’s not an exact replica, because not much would later be visible, but I wanted, as a minimum, “something” inside. A better pilot figure was used, too, and strapped to the new seat with thin strips of adhesive masking tape as seatbelts.
Under the wings, the hardpoints were simulated with some bits of styrene and wire as shackles, but left empty Under the stabilizer fin I added a lug(?), made from thin wire, too.
The elevons were fixed in place, the seams to the wings filled with white glue in order to conceal the gaps as good as possible. The movable flaps remained, though, adding life to the model. The dolly was also taken more or less OOB, since it fits well. I just improved it with some sinkhole fillings and some other details, including cushions on the float stabilizers, made from paper tissue soaked with thinned white glue, and a towing bar.
Painting and markings:
The reason why I settled for an A6M2-N is mostly the weird paint scheme which can be applied, while still being a real world model: a lilac livery!
As far as I could find out, the A6M2-Ns initially carried an all-over IJN Grey livery, which was later, in late 1942, modified with dark green upper sides for a better concealment on the ground, and the Hinomaru received white edges for better contrast.
Anyway, during the Aleutian campaign and more or less in between these two major standards, several aircraft must have received a special camouflage with lilac upper surfaces, and this model depicts such a machine, based on various profiles but no color picture as reliable reference.
The sources I consulted, as well as pictures of finished A6M2-N models, show a wide variety of shades and paint scheme layouts, though. Upper colors range from pale pink through more or less bright shades of purple to a pale, rusty-reddish brown (maybe primer?), while the undersides show a wide range of greys or even light blue. Some depictions of Aleutian A6M2-Ns as profile or model even show a uniform wraparound scheme! Choice is yours, obviously...
Because of the corny information basis, I did my personal interpretation of the subject. I based my livery more or less on a profile by Michele Marsan, published in Aerei Modelismo Anno XII (March 1991). The unit information was taken from there, too – the only source that would provide such a reference.
My idea behind the livery and the eventual finish was that the machine once was fully painted in IJN Grey. Then, the violet upper color was added in the field (for whatever reason?), resulting in a slightly shaggy look and with the light grey shining through here and there in areas of higher wear, e. g. at the leading edges, cockpit area and some seams.
Painting started with an initial coat of aluminum under the floats, around the cockpit and on the leading edges. Then the undersides and some areas of the upper surfaces were painted with IJN grey. The latter is an individual mix of Humbrol 90 (Beige Green/RAF Sky) and a bit of 155 (Olive Drab, FS 34087). On top of that I added a thin primer layer of mauve (mix of ModelMaster’s Napoleonic Violet and Neutral Grey, Humbrol 176) on the still vacant upper surfaces – both as a preparation for the later weathering treatments (see below).
The following, basic lilac tone comes from Humbrol’s long-gone "Authentics" enamel line. The tin is probably 30 years old, but the content is still alive (and still has a distinctive, sour stench…)! I cannot identify the tone anymore with certainty, but I guess that it is 'HJ 4: Mauve N 9', one of the line’s Japanese WWII tones which was later not carried over to the standard tones, still available today.
Anyway, the color is a dull, rather greyish violet, relatively dark (a bit like RAF Ocean Grey), and it fits well as a camouflage tone on this specific model. Since there’s no better alternative I could think of except for an individual mix or garish, off-the-rack pop art tones, I went with it.
After overall basic painting was done and thoroughly cured, weathering started with a careful wet sand paper treatment, removing the salt grain masks and revealing some of the lower IJN Grey and aluminum layers. While this appears messy, I found that the result looks more realistic than artificial weathering applied as paint effects on top of the basic paint.
The engine cowling was painted separately, with a mix of black and a little dark blue. The propeller received an aluminum spinner (Humbrol’s Matt Aluminum Metallizer), while the blades received aluminum front sides (Revell acrylics), and red brown (Humbrol 160) back sides. Two thin, red stripes decorate the propeller tips (Decals, left over from an AZ Model Ki-78, IIRC).
As a standard procedure, the kit received a light wash with thinned black ink, revealing the engraved panel lines, plus some post-shading in order to emphasize panels and add visual contrast and ‘drama’.
Decals and markings were improvised and come from the spares box, since I did not trust the vintage OOB decals - even though they are in so far nice that the sheet contains any major marking as well as a full set of letter so that an individual tail code could be created. Anyway, the model's real world benchmark did not carry any numeric or letter code, just Hinomaru in standard positions and a horizontal, white-and-red stripe on the fin.
The roundels actually belong to a JSDAF F-4EJ, some stencils come from a leftover Hobby Boss A6M sheet. The fin decoration was created with generic decal sheet material (TL Modellbau). Similar stuff was also used for the markings on the central float, as well as for the yellow ID markings on the inner wings' leading edges. I am just not certain whether the real aircraft carried them at all? But they were introduced with the new green upper surfaces in late 1942, so that they appear at least plausible. Another argument in this marking‘s favor is that it simply adds even more color to the model!
The cockpit interior was painted in a light khaki tone (a mix of Humbrol 159 and 94), while the flaps' interior was painted with Aodake Iro (an individual mix of acrylic aluminum and translucent teal paint). Lacking good reference material, the beaching trolley became IJA Green, with some good weathering with dry-brushed silver on the edges and traces of rust here and there (the latter created with artist acrylics.
Close to the (literal) finish line, some soot and oil stains were added with graphite and Tamiya's 'Smoke', and the kit finally received a coat of matt acrylic varnish (Italeri); to the varnish on the engine cover a bit of gloss varnish was added, for a sheen finish.
In the end, quite a challenging build. Not a winner, but …different. Concerning the LS Model kit as such, I must say that - despite its age of more than 50 years now - the A6M2-N model is still a worthwhile offer, if you invest some effort. Sure, there are certainly better 1:72 options available (e. g. the Hasegawa kit, its mould was created in 1995 and should be light years ahead concerning detail and fit. Not certain about the Revell/Frog and Jo-Han alternatives, though), but tackling this simple, vintage kit was fun in itself. And, based on what you get out of the little box, the result is not bad at all!
Beyond the technical aspects, I am also pleased with the visual result of the build. At first glance, this antiquity looks pretty convincing. And the disputable, strange lilac tone really makes this A6M2-N model …outstanding. Even though I still wonder what might have been the rationale behind this tone? The only thing I could imagine is a dedicated scheme for missions at dusk/dawn, similar to the pink RAF recce Spitfires in early WWII? It would be plausible, though, since the A6M2-Ns were tasked with nocturnal reconnoitre and ground attack missions.
I had a bit of time to think about this shot, not when I was prancing around this wet field in office shoes, but in the last half hour as I've plucked away at all the dust spots. It let me think about how the spectrum of refracted light is just the icing on the cake of a scene that's full of nature showing off: from the typically special light, showcasing the landscape against the laden sky, to that strangely bright part of the sky that exists inside the main bow, to the simple pleasure of standing out in simultaneous sunshine and rain. So, here it is without those colours to distract from all the other good stuff.
Team members of the 102nd Civil Support Team, Oregon National Guard, conduct a decontamination training and evaluation exercise at the old Silverton High School in Silverton, Oregon. Sgt. 1st Class Rowena Simshaw and Staff Sgt. April Henrickx of the Decon Team, 102nd Civil Support Team, aid in decontaminating other team members. (U.S. Army photo/Staff Sgt. David Overson)
Some fabulous art work done by our great "inclusion" support teacher Elaine. These drawings were done to support workshops for district staff and classroom teachers.
Best viewed large.
Design for Water is a special project that evolved from a workshop held at AKTO design and Art College in Thessaloniki, Greece on February 20th - 21st, 2013. The workshop titled "Social Design" was conducted by Michael Thompson otherwise called "Freestylee" and Maria Papaefstathiou. The purpose of this workshop is to help young designers channel their creativity into tools that can impact their community and the wider world in a positive direction. Also, to communicate on how to use poster designs as a vehicle for change. We choose the topic "The Clean Water Crisis" as a platform to build awareness around the subject and to support FACE Africa's effort in Liberia. FACE Africa is an organization working in Liberia to resolve the clean water crisis that is so prominent in that West African country.
Ελληνικό κείμενο:
Design for Water είναι ένα ειδικό πρόγραμμα που εξελίχθηκε από την ημερίδα που πραγματοποιήθηκε στον ΑΚΤΟ Art & Design College στη Θεσσαλονίκη, στις 20 και 21 Φεβρουαρίου 2013. Η ημερίδα με τίτλο «Social Design" διεξήχθη από τον Michael Thompson γνωστός και ως "Freestylee" και τη Maria Papaefstathiou. Ο σκοπός αυτού του εργαστηρίου είναι να βοηθήσει τους νέους σχεδιαστές να διοχετεύσουν τη δημιουργικότητά τους σε εργαλεία που μπορούν να επηρεάσουν την κοινότητά τους και τον ευρύτερο κόσμο σε μια θετική κατεύθυνση. Επίσης, να μάθουν σχετικά με το πώς να χρησιμοποιήσουν τα σχέδιά τους ως όχημα για την αλλαγή. Επιλέξαμε το θέμα «Η κρίση του καθαρού νερού" ως μια πλατφόρμα για την ευαισθητοποίηση γύρω από το θέμα και να στηρίξουμε την προσπάθεια οικοδόμησης ενός πηγαδιού από τον οργανισμό FACE Africa στη Λιβερία. Ο FaceAfrica είναι ένας οργανισμός που εργάζεται στη Λιβερία για την επίλυση της κρίσης του καθαρού νερού που είναι τόσο εμφανής σε αυτή τη χώρα της Δυτικής Αφρικής. Μέχρι σήμερα έχουν οικοδομήσει 13 πηγάδια σε 13 κοινότητες της Λιβερίας.
Airman Robbie Day restocks the dessert fridge with fruit March 20, 2014, at the Airey Dining Facility on Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D. Day emigrated from China with his family when he was 19. He recently became a U.S. citizen and plans on becoming a registered nurse and commissioning as an Air Force medical officer. Day is a 319th Force Support Squadron food service apprentice. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Xavier Navarro/Released)
March Past at Portsmouth’s Guildhall for Armed Forces Day. Picture: LA(Phot) Maxine Davies
More than 120 sailors paraded through Portsmouth today (June 27) as part of the Royal Navy’s contribution to Armed Forces Day.
The parade, organised by the City Council, was led by the Portsmouth Royal Marines Band and involved sailors from Portsmouth-based ships and shore establishments in the region.
Troops marched from St John’s Catholic Cathedral to the Guildhall Square via Edinburgh Road, Stanhope Road and Commercial Road.
Sailors from the Fareham training establishment HMS Collingwood formed the parade’s guard of honour and were joined by five platoons comprising personnel from the Naval Base, Fleet Diving Squadron, HMS Edinburgh, Defence College of Policing and Guarding plus medics based at Queen Alexandra Hospital. The Army and RAF were also represented.
In the Guildhall Square Second Sea Lord Vice Admiral David Steel took the salute and inspected the sailors with Portsmouth Naval Base Commander Commodore Jeremy Rigby.
Street Price: (US) $ 1900
Body Material: Metal
CCD
Effective pixels: 4.92 megapixels
CCD size: 2/3"
Colour Filter Array: G - R - G - B
Max resolution: 2560 x 1920
Lower resolutions:
1792 x 1344
• 1280 x 960
• 1024 x 768
• 640 x 480
Image ratio w:h: 4:3
Image formats:
• JPEG (EXIF)
• RAW (2576 x 1924) - final output is 2560 x 1920
• TIFF (8-bit)
Quality Levels:
1/2.7
• 1/4
• 1/8
Sensitivity equiv:
• Auto
• ISO 80
• ISO 160
• ISO 320
Lens Thread: 62 mm
Zoom wide: (W) 35 mm
Zoom tele (T) 140 mm (4 x)
Zoom type: Mechanically linked
Lens Aperture: F2.0 - F2.4
Lens Construction: 14 elements in 11 groups
Digital zoom: None
Auto Focus: Contrast detection
AF Illumination lamp: Yes, Infrared
Manual Focus: 20 cm - Infininty (focus-by-wire ring on front of lens barrel)
Normal focus range: 60 cm - InfinityMacro focus range: 20 cm - 60 cm
Min shutter:
• Program / Aperture Priority / Shutter Priority: 2 sec
• Manual: Bulb, 60 sec
Max shutter:
• IS (2560 x 1920) 1/640 sec
• PS (1792 x 1344) 1/4000, 1/18000 sec
Noise reduction: Yes, can be manually enabled
Pixel mapping: Yes, menu option
Metering
Digital ESP
• Center-Weighted Average
• Spot
Exposure adjustment: -3EV to +3EV in 1/3EV steps
Auto bracketing: • 3 images
• 0.3 - 1.0 EV in 0.3 EV steps
Aperture priority:
Wide: F2.0, F2.2, F2.4, F2.8, F3.2, F3.6, F4.0, F4.5, F5.0, F5.6, F6.3, F7.1, F8.0, F9.0, F10.0, F11.0
• Tele: F2.4, F2.8, F3.2, F3.6, F4.0, F4.5, F5.0, F5.6, F6.3, F7.1, F8.0, F9.0, F10.0, F11.0
Shutter priority:
IS mode: 2, 1.6, 1.3, 1, 1/1.3, 1/1.6, 1/2, 1/2.5, 1/3, 1/4, 1/5, 1/6, 1/8, 1/10, 1/13, 1/15, 1/20, 1/25, 1/30, 1/40, 1/50, 1/60, 1/80, 1/100, 1/125, 1/160, 1/200, 1/250, 1/320, 1/400, 1/500, 1/640 sec
• PS mode additionally: 1/800, 1/1000, 1/1250, 1/1600, 1/2000, 1/2800, 1/4000, 1/18000 sec
Full manual: As above plus these shutter speeds:
• Bulb, 60, 47, 38, 30, 25, 20, 15, 13, 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.5 secExposure Modes • Program AE
• Aperture Priority
• Shutter Priority
• Manual
White Balance:
• Auto WB
• 3000 K (Tungsten)
• 3700 K (Tungsten - Warmer)
• 4000 K (Fluorescent)
• 4500 K (Fluorescent - Warmer)
• 5500 K (Daylight)
• 6500 K (Cloudy)
• 7500 K (Shade)
• Manual Preset
Continuous: IS: 2560 x 1920 - 2.5 fps max 4 images
PS: 1792 x 1344 - 4.5 fps max 7 images
Built-in Flash: Yes, pop-up (manually released)
Flash Range:• Wide: 0.6 - 8.9 m (2.0 - 29.2 ft)
• Tele: 0.5 - 7.4 m (1.6 - 24.3 ft)
Flash modes:
• Auto
• Red-Eye Reduction
• Flash On
• Flash Off
Flash compensation: +/-2 EV in 0.3 EV steps
External flash: Hot-shoe (Olympus FL-40 flash)
• PC Sync terminal
Tripod mount: Yes, metal
Self-timer: Yes, 2 or 12 sec delay
Remote control: Yes, supplied Infrared
Video out: Yes, E-20P - PAL, E-20N - NTSC
Storage media:
Smart Media (up to 128 MB)
• Compact Flash (Type I / II - Microdrive 1 GB supported)
Storage included: 16 MB SmartMedia card
Viewfinder: Optical, TTL (prism), 95% view
LCD: 1.8" TFT, can be tilted by 20 degrees down and 90 degrees up
Playback zoom: Yes, 2x, 3x, 4x
Connectivity: DC-In, USB, Video Out, PC Sync Terminal, Remote control jack
Timelapse: Yes
Battery: 1 x CR-V3 Lithium (non-rechargeable) supplied
Battery charger: 2 x CR-V3 Lithium, or
4 x AA batteries (NiMH recommended)
Weight (inc. battery) 1170 g (2.6 lb)
Dimensions (inc. grip): 128 x 103 x 161 mm (5.1 x 4.1 x 6.3 in)
Happy Valentines everyone. We're a bit tired over here. But its a special day in many ways; its a day not just about couples, but anyone you love. It's a day of heart support.
A BORTAC team member communicates with his team as they search for Richard Matt and David Sweat in the forest outside of Dannemora N.Y on June 14. Photographer: Kristoffer Grogan
Emma Lenora Borden was born to Andrew & Sarah on March 1, 1851. She was 12 yrs old when her mother died, and in making a deathbed promise to her, promised to always watch over little Lizzie.
On the day of the murders Emma was 15 miles away in Fairhaven, MA visiting her friend Helen Brownell. It was here that she received the telegram from Dr. Bowen informing her of the killings and urging her back to Fall River.
Emma showed nothing but the strongest support for her sister during the trial and believed in Lizzie's innocence until the day of her death. She testified at Lizzie's inquest and was a star witness for the defense at the final trial in June 1893.
- lizzie-borden.com/index.php/about-the-house/the-rooms?sho...
V.F.W Post 76, “The Oldest Post in Texas”
The house was completed in 1904 and sits on the banks of the San Antonio River
Corinthian columns support the Victorian-Style home that features a veranda, basement and attic, and at one time had 17 rooms, 5 fireplaces & two kitchens. There are stained glass windows on the main floor & front stair landing, also on the floor at the entrance is original as is all the wood trim, window trim & window. The second floor has a unique feature in the ladies bathroom. There’s a porcelain pedestal sink, cedar chest & porcelain floors.
V.F.W. Post 76 is not only unique by the house, but also by our charter, which was issued June 15, 1917. The organizers of V.F.W. Post 76 were veterans of the Spanish American War.
Although there are no surviving WWI veterans we can proudly say that we have veterans of WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Persian Gulf, Afghanistan & Iraq.
This was a special cookie, and I worked very hard to come up with a UNIQUE design for them. They were ordered by a wife for her husband who is finishing his third tour of duty in Iraq. This was for their anniversary. I didn't ask a lot of questions, but their "thing" is sheep. So this is my sheep with an army twist. Camo background, dog tags, and a heart from his wife.
I made an exception to my ABSOLUTELY NO SHIPPING rule. I packed them for her, and her best friend agreed to ship them. I am very glad it worked out so well. Now lets pray they make it to Iraq safely and in a timely manner!