Elvis and the Hell on Wheels boys

Magnet #1271 - Hell on Wheels Elvis

So when I bought this magnet down the street at Ricky's, ya'll know I was thinking, holy moly, Elvis in uniform!!!

I mean, c'mon, ya'll know I love a cuteboy in uniform. That it's Elvis makes it all the more awesome. Man, can young Elvis wear a uniform.

Then I thought, nope, someone totally photoshopped this image, only because the patch looks a little off. But, it's real.

During his time in the service, Elvis was assigned the 2nd Armored Division, Hell on Wheels, out of Fort Hood, so called because Brigadier General George S. Patton was watching maneuvers in WWII and said they'd be Hell on Wheels in battle.

Today in 1977, Elvis died at a very young 42. He'd have been 76, had he lived. I saw this morning that Doris Day in her 80s is putting out another album this year trying to make a come back, which makes me wonder whether or not Elvis would still be putting out music today.

My guess is hell yeah, and he totally would have been earning that Hell on Wheels moniker in a totally different field of battle.

"Retreat? Hell!"

Magnet #1043 - Retreat Hell!

The atrium of the National Museum of the Marine Corps (one of my favorites) is lined with several quotes attributed to various marines.

I promise, for as long as they have them in the museum's really great gift shop, I'm totally gonna get the whole set. This is number two that I picked up last year. It's attributed to Captain Lloyd Williams of the 5th Marines, during the month-long WWI Battle of Belleau Wood in June 1918.

This quote magnet gets the honor for the last day of 2010, because this year with its more downs than ups has done its damnedest to get me down, but you know what?

I'll be damned if I let it get me down and out for the count, thankyouverymuch.

Still, I am seriously looking forward to getting this year under our belt, on the history books, in my rear view mirror, and whatever phrase you have that means, please, let this crumtastic year end.

And how.

And bring on a better, brighter 2011!

Burgers, fries and a shake

Magnet #829 - Hamburger

To all those who have served, are serving, or will serve in our armed forces around the world, thank you. Right now, I'm kinda wishing I were home to find that magnet with field of poppies on it to celebrate this Memorial Day.

But, I guess I'll have to make do with this old-fashioned hamburger.

Now all's we need are the fries and shake!

Situation well in hand

Magnet #827 - Marines have landed*

Got up this morning at 4, to drive down to North Carolina for a quick visit this Memorial Day Weekend.

We stopped at the National Museum of the Marine Corps along the way, one of my favorite museums. Though I've been there before, I really do want to be able to spend more than a few hours at a time there. Those Marines have a long and storied, and storied, and storied, history.

The great thing about today was that half the crowd at the museum were the Ride to the Wall bikers. Awesome - I not only created my own Fleet Week, but totally found myself in an episode of Sons of Anarchy. It did leave me kinda wondering though, what the ratio is between military service and being in an MC, cuz I'll tell ya'll, there were a ton of boys in various cuts walking through the museum and in the parking lot.

I picked this magnet for today because it's one of my favorite quotes that lines the atrium wall of the museum - plus, it's fitting, since I'm pretty much waiting on my own set of marines to land and get my situation in hand.

*Richard Harding Davis quote

Ooh-rah, ooh-rah, ooh-ray!

Magnet #627 - U.S. Marines

Happy 234th birthday, USMC, and a heartfelt thanks to the 203,000 active and 40,000 reservists in the Corps. I know, I should have a tag for as many times as I've written about our military branches. Oh, wait, I do.

I just love the history of the Marine Corps. I love that they began during the Revolutionary War as an infantry group based on a boat (ok, maybe ship) to help protect the guys aboard. Their emblem includes the eagle, globe and anchor, going back to the 1800s. What? I had to proofread several military history books in a former career.

I also love that the Marines have a Birthday Ball. Now, that I didn't know until I saw it on NCIS. I was like, Birthday? Ball? Sweet! Seriously, they really do have a ball! Like huge celebrations - locally around the states, and even worldwide. There's something kind of cool about everyone dressing up in dress uniforms for it.

And, of course, I love - possibly even more than the balls - the National Museum of the Marine Corps. Love.

First, as a building, it's just the coolest thing ever - it's shaped to evoke the memory of the flag raising at Iwo Jima - so as you're traveling down 95, you can see the tippy top peeping out from the trees. It's also supposed to symbolize the swords crossing, or a howitzer poised for action.

Second, as a museum, it's one of those interactive museums, where you can pick up a fully packed backpack and have a drill sergeant yell at you, where you can experience storming Normandy with bullet (sounds) ricocheting around you, where you can learn the story about the Iwo Jima flag raising, where you can stare up at aircraft into the wild blue yonder, and turn the corner to walk through the Marine legacy left by the past 234 years.

So darn cool. That's where I picked up this magnet. Ooh. Rah.

Anyway, hooray for a happy birthday, Marines.

Think it's funny that while I'm typing this post, I just found out that Police Chief Unser on Sons of Anarchy is a Marine, and as I'm ready to hit this Publish Post button, I'm watching the very, very odd trailer for James Cameron's Avatar, which has the cuteboy Sam Worthington from the last Terminator as a Marine.

Funnier still, is that out of the whole two-minute trailer, the Marines part is the only thing that might get me to see this movie.