Great Quotes "It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it.." --Al Gore, Vice President

"Outside of the killings, Washington has one of the lowest crime rates in the country," --Mayor Marion Barry, Washington, DC. "Your food stamps will be stopped effective March 1992 because we received notice that you passed away. May God bless you. You may reapply if there is a change in your circumstances." --Department of Social Services, Greenville, South Carolina

Dwight D Eisenhower Lived in Lake Charles, La In Sept 1940, Ike moved from San Antonio, Tx to Lake Charles and lived at the Majestic Hotel. Lt Gen Krueger and Lt Col Eisenhower’s headquarters were 30 miles NE in Kinder, La. The Blue Army of 200,000 men were stationed at Ragley, La 20 miles north of LC.

Majestic Hotel circa 1907

Louisiana Maneuvers Background When Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939, starting World War II, the United States military began preparing for eventual war in Europe. The very small peacetime U.S. Army, with far fewer troops than most European Armies, sought large bases in which to train an expanded force. Thousands of acres of unused land in Louisiana were selected as a good place for large-scale maneuver training. The area they used extended from the Sabine River all the way east to the Calcasieu River and up north to the Red River.Nazi GermanyPolandWorld War IISabine RiverCalcasieu RiverRed River The U.S. Army in 1939 was largely an infantry force with supporting artillery, engineers, and cavalry, as well as combat support and combat service supporting arms. Few units were motorized or mechanized. As war approached, there was a need both to modernize the force and to conduct large-scale maneuvers to test all aspects of a fast-growing, inexperienced force.infantry

Louisiana Maneuvers 1941 Lt Gen. Krueger, (commander of the Blue southern army) was an aging veteran and competitive taskmaster who, desperately wanted to beat Lear (commander of the Red Army). He gathered a staff of brainy if little- known assistants, including Lt. Col. Dwight Eisenhower as his chief of staff. Eisenhower was an old friend of Patton and, in May, began meticulously planning Louisiana's defenses against Patton's tanks. Marshall, who had doubts about Eisenhower, accepted Krueger's word that "Ike" was a brilliant planner and tough soldier Krueger's judgment of Eisenhower was soon proven on the Louisiana battlefield. Lear's army crossed the Red River on September 15, 1941 with Patton's tanks in the lead. Eisenhower was ready. Three of Krueger's mobile corps rapidly responded to the Red Army threat and moved to pin it against the river.

Patton laughed off the threat, even circulating an offer to subordinates of $50 to any man who captured "a certain SOB called Eisenhower." Unperturbed, Ike and Krueger ordered their armored units to flank Patton and prevent a breakout. Umpires deemed the maneuver successful. The first part of the war was over. The Blue Army, and Eisenhower, had won When the maneuvers were over, Ike was ordered to Washington and soon received his 1 st General’s Star and you know the rest. Many Army officers present at the maneuvers later rose to very senior roles in World War II, including Omar Bradley, Mark Clark, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lesley J. McNair and George Patton.Omar BradleyMark ClarkDwight D. EisenhowerLesley J. McNairGeorge Patton

Stock Market Things do not seem to be going well for the stock market. Perhaps the sell in May and go away strategy is alive and well. I looked up the strategy in the Investors’ Almanac and if one had invested $10,000 in May1 and sold the investments October 31 (worst 6 months of the year) from 1950 through 2008, they would have a total of $8,012, or a loss of $1,988!! On the other hand if one had invested $10,000 from November 1 and sold on April 30 every year from 1950 to 2008, they would have $454,305! There have been good returns in May- October for a few of those years, but on average that period has been the pits.