10:00 The Global War on Terrorism
Frank Hoffman, Research Fellow at the Center for Emerging Threats and Opportunities at the Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Quantico, VA, and Senior Fellow, FPRI
“The Long War”
9/11 – second deadliest day in American history (#1 was Antietam)
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Radicalized Muslims and encouraged empathy to Al Qaeda’s cause
Immediate, quick gains turned sour after the first 6 months
As insurgency grew, American counter approach was too slow to respond through 2003, 2004, and 2005
Iraq military is improving with US support
Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan
Remains a troubled area
Taliban once vanquished, now rising
Karzai’s government is diminished
Suicide terrorism on the rise
Al Qaeda now destabilizes larger neighbor, Pakistan
Political system seems completely inept
Where are we today?
Neither won nor over
Rapidly nearing the title “The Longest War”
Successes in both countries but no lasting political solution
Huge cost in political standing, lives, financial
Taxonomy to analyze failures in war
Inability to properly anticipate (future tense)
Thoughts about where the next enemy system will come from and how we will be prepared for them
Failure to learn (past tense)
Learn from own prior experiences and those experiences of others
Inability to adapt (present tense)
Responding to the moment of war quickly and effectively
Taxonomy applied to “The Long War”
Inability to properly anticipate
Developed military technology as the future of war
Did not anticipate non-state, strong-willed enemies
Driving ideas based on quick, efficient “shock-and-awe” style fighting
Wanted to see enemies much like the US using precision air strikes mostly
Successes in 1990-1 and 2003 against Saddam Hussein were due to the conventional nature of state-state warfare
All other conflicts in 1990s and 2000s were less successful due to non-state actors and unconventional warfare
The Army actively decided not to study the lessons of Vietnam due to their messy, ambiguous natures
Did not expect Al Qaeda’s resistance, ability to elude capture and move to Pakistan
Did not foresee costs of fighting war or paying for Iraq’s reconstruction
Did not recognize the importance of building a strong coalition before entering war
Did not anticipate the blowback in Muslim areas and elsewhere around the world
Did not appreciate the need to secure Iraq’s infrastructure
Problems with prisoner taking and interrogation process
Did not understand the implication of de-Baathification of Iraq
Inability to learn
Must put in time/effort to learn lessons from history rather than trial and error that results in deaths of soldiers
Army and Marines did not use Vietnam lessons to renew guiding doctrines
In 2003, most Army/Marine officers knew more about the American Civil War than insurgency
Best Practices
Big picture of dealing with insurgency – must deal with the population itself not just the “bad guy” in the enemy’s military
Need integrated civil-military operations in host nations
Need to move host government along with reforms
Need social-economic services, jobs, electricity, education, infrastructure
Integrated intelligence – need human sources, not just high technology
Special units for foreign internal defense – turn former counter-insurgents into supportive units
Need targeted military training for the actual situation including cultural training
Information operations – battle of narratives, not just physical combat; need to mainstream psychological operations instead of just using special operations to handle these sorts of things
Population control – secure the borders, keep out combatant support, take care of the people so they support the operation
Resource control – be in control of supply lines
Discriminate force – Lethal force applied carefully, as little as possible, success is not achieved by attrition; killing a lot of insurgents could actually lead to a loss of the war instead of victory
Inability to adapt
Adapting tests the system and the organization
Have to be able to recognize weaknesses and be willing to look for quick, effective solutions
National security machine at the political level has to recognize this issue
Resistance to leadership structural changes
Creation of counterinsurgency guide changes the overall way of American war dramatically
Have made changes
Headquarters style
Communication with leaders in Washington and allied leadership
Now using small groups at provincial level
Changes to educational systems
Changes to force structures with different skill sets (human intelligence, interrogators, translators, explosive ordinance disposal)
State Dept – created a group to plan for these types of events rather than just react to them
Nonmilitary personnel still not used for all necessary functions
Still struggle to adapt to irregular forms of warfare
Many unimplemented recommendations for improving National Security Council and State Department
Still no agency devoted to telling the American narrative around the world
Took too long to recognize that 2004-6 strategy was not working
Once this did happen (Gates replaced Rumsfeld)
Priorities changed
Way of war changed to population approach
“Surge Strategy”
Not as successful as we would like
Possibly came too late for the American people
Did get Iraqi war off the front page of the paper but still no political reconciliation
Catastrophic failure was avoided by painfully slow adaptation to diminishing results on the ground
Enduring Questions
What is the purpose of the fighting? It can’t be just to destroy the enemy.
How do we know if we are succeeding?
Is it a success that the US has not been attacked since 9/11 if our allies have been attacked?
How much in the area of individual rights are we willing to sacrifice in order to protect national interests?
How do we avoid fighting the last war?
Gaining a small, temporary victory from water-boarding for example can have longer problems with increasing hatred and anger in the Muslim community
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Gulf War I
8:30 Gulf War I
LTG (Ret) Bernard Trainor, co-author of Cobra II: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq
First major military engagement of the US in the post-Cold War period
American Organizing Principles
30s – getting out of the Depression
40s – World War II – defeating Japan, Germany, Italy
50s-80s – Cold War – defeating Soviet Union
90s – Now what?
Becomes dealing with the Middle East
Fundamental Islam
Terrorism
Failed states
Insurgency
WMDs
Two major players
Iraq – Arab
Satellite of USSR under Saddam Hussein
USSR support falters so US steps in
Iran – Persian
Satellite of US under Shah of Iran
Ayatollah replaces Shah in revolution
Turn on US alliance so US moves to Iraq
Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)
Millions of casualties on both sides
Expensive war for Iraqis à serious debt, economic problems
War funded by loans from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia
Buildup to war in Kuwait
Kuwait pressed for repayment of war loans
Hussein believed he fought Persia on behalf of all Arabs
Hussein challenged the legitimacy of Kuwait’s government
Considered Kuwait the 14th Iraqi province
Challenged Kuwait with slant drilling (draining oil from Iraq beneath the surface)
Neighbors believe Hussein is mostly saber-rattling
Hussein calls American ambassador (April Glasby) to gauge international opinion
“We have no opinion on the Arab-Arab conflicts like your border disagreement with Kuwait.”
Hussein takes this as a green light to move forward
Iraq begins to mass armies along border with Kuwait
US Response
Consider sending squadron and amphibious group to send a signal
Arab leaders suggest there is no issue to worry about
Mobilizing would be provocative
Hussein sees lack of response as a sign that the US is not going to act
August 1990
Invade Kuwait, take the capital and keep moving further into southern Kuwait
Use “Highway of Death” from Iraq into Kuwait
US becomes concerned quickly that Hussein is moving toward Saudi Arabia, which would threaten US oil supply
Hussein pulls troops back from Saudi border to avoid complete provocation of US forces
US sends Sec. of Defense (Dick Cheney) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs (Colin Powell) to Saudi Arabia to convince them to accept US troops
Big thing, difficult to accept by Saudi Arabia
US did have major air bases but were unoccupied
Agree to accept US forces due to the perceived threat of Iraq
Operation Desert Shield
Signal to Hussein that he best not move on Saudi Arabia
Building the Coalition
No desire to repeat failed attempt to stabilize government (like in Somalia)
Unpopular among American people
Decision makers = President George H. W. Bush, Secretary of State James Baker, National Security Advisor
Necessary to build coalition with foreign nations and within America before taking action
Strategy was to build foreign coalition first and use that to garner support at home
Plan worked à UN resolutions and pressure placed on Iraq before Bush approached Congress
Congressional approach to give president right to use military force = 52-47
Disagreement Among Leadership
Some believe US should not risk American lives in Kuwait; others think it is necessary to repel Hussein
Hussein’s Calculations
Hussein miscalculated the US
Huge American military based in Europe with no enemy left due to the end of the Cold War and reunification of Germany
Hussein believed US would be reluctant due to pulling out of Vietnam, Somalia, etc.
Iraqi army was battle hardened after 8+ year war with Iran
Changing Priorities
Mass of troops limited danger of an invasion of Saudi Arabia
New concern became the building of WMDs
2 confirmed sites in Iraq
Defeat of Hussein’s field armies in Kuwait would cause an internal coup and Hussein would be gone without necessitating US forces entering Iraq (which had not been approved by UN resolution)
US War Strategy
Hussein was massed near southeastern part of Kuwait
US plan was to cut off Iraqi army and destroy it
Attack from north and west to trap Iraqi military and cut off supply lines
Simultaneously – 9 black ops CIA groups would be targeting Shiite population to encourage an uprising
Target air defenses, economic infrastructure, political command before attacking field forces
Iraq War Strategy
Attack US if it comes
Use anti-aircraft and artillery to pummel invasion forces trapped in a killing zone area
Use regular army, preserve Republican Guard forces for later attacks
Did not plan well for overwhelming bombing that actually came
January 1991
Begin with air raids
Hussein has to stop the bleeding so sends a small group to absolute southeastern Kuwait/northeastern Saudi Arabia to start the war on his own terms
Successfully captures border town
Americans react with air power
Hussein believed he could use air defenses to protect his forces against this approach
Air powers overwhelmed Hussein’s forces decisively
Hussein sees that he could lose the war à changes strategy from defend in place to retreat into Iraq
US Attack
Marines attack into the gut of Iraqi field troops in southern Kuwait
Army attacks from behind the Iraqi lines in the west/north
Americans found that battle-hardened Iraqi field troops were smaller than expected, exhausted, and unmotivated
Very little fighting as Iraqis surrendered all along the line
Marines were moving so quickly that Schwarzkopf had to slow them down so they wouldn’t outrun the Army units meant to cut off the retreat
50% + Iraqi Republican Guard was able to escape back into Iraq with most of the regular army surrendering
Extraordinarily low US casualties (under 200)
Administration decided not to follow retreating troops into Iraq due to 1) no mandate from UN, 2) desire not to get caught up in a long war in Iraq
Ceasefire
“The 100 Hour War”
Utter confusion on the battlefield; Schwarzkopf had no idea where his units were
Decision to stop the war was done by civilian, political leadership based on political rationale, not military priorities
US caught retreating supporting soldiers along Highway of Hell à political leadership did not want public opinion to turn against the action
End of military operations
Shiite Uprising
Did rise up as US hoped
Iraq put down the revolt with attack helicopters and US stood by and did absolutely nothing
Conclusions
Miscalculations on both sides
UN forces went in to enforce sanctions agreed upon by ceasefire agreement
Found 19 WMD sites in 39 facilities
Tried to continue after the Persian Gulf War, but when it became clear that this would not be successful, Hussein closed down programs but kept all who worked at the facilities in the country so few outside Iraq knew this was all over
Even Hussein’s top leaders didn’t believe that the country had no WMDs when they met in December 2002
Hussein kept posturing b/c he saw Iran as a threat and needed to protect himself from an internal Shiite uprising/military coup
Capitalized on internal/external doubt to maintain his power base
Troops came home with very little combat experience
Hussein turned the read of the war to argue that the Iraqi army never allowed the Americans to cross the Euphrates onto Iraqi soil, handed out medals to soldiers
Kept Hussein with strong leadership position
End of WWI = Beginning of WWII; End of Persian Gulf War = Beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom
Yellow ribbons, troops come marching home victoriously
Problems
Hussein didn’t fall
Hussein claimed victory
Shiite uprising was brutally put down
American troops in Saudi Arabia could be used as ammunition by Osama bin Laden that infidels were in the land of the holy mosques
LTG (Ret) Bernard Trainor, co-author of Cobra II: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq
First major military engagement of the US in the post-Cold War period
American Organizing Principles
30s – getting out of the Depression
40s – World War II – defeating Japan, Germany, Italy
50s-80s – Cold War – defeating Soviet Union
90s – Now what?
Becomes dealing with the Middle East
Fundamental Islam
Terrorism
Failed states
Insurgency
WMDs
Two major players
Iraq – Arab
Satellite of USSR under Saddam Hussein
USSR support falters so US steps in
Iran – Persian
Satellite of US under Shah of Iran
Ayatollah replaces Shah in revolution
Turn on US alliance so US moves to Iraq
Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)
Millions of casualties on both sides
Expensive war for Iraqis à serious debt, economic problems
War funded by loans from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia
Buildup to war in Kuwait
Kuwait pressed for repayment of war loans
Hussein believed he fought Persia on behalf of all Arabs
Hussein challenged the legitimacy of Kuwait’s government
Considered Kuwait the 14th Iraqi province
Challenged Kuwait with slant drilling (draining oil from Iraq beneath the surface)
Neighbors believe Hussein is mostly saber-rattling
Hussein calls American ambassador (April Glasby) to gauge international opinion
“We have no opinion on the Arab-Arab conflicts like your border disagreement with Kuwait.”
Hussein takes this as a green light to move forward
Iraq begins to mass armies along border with Kuwait
US Response
Consider sending squadron and amphibious group to send a signal
Arab leaders suggest there is no issue to worry about
Mobilizing would be provocative
Hussein sees lack of response as a sign that the US is not going to act
August 1990
Invade Kuwait, take the capital and keep moving further into southern Kuwait
Use “Highway of Death” from Iraq into Kuwait
US becomes concerned quickly that Hussein is moving toward Saudi Arabia, which would threaten US oil supply
Hussein pulls troops back from Saudi border to avoid complete provocation of US forces
US sends Sec. of Defense (Dick Cheney) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs (Colin Powell) to Saudi Arabia to convince them to accept US troops
Big thing, difficult to accept by Saudi Arabia
US did have major air bases but were unoccupied
Agree to accept US forces due to the perceived threat of Iraq
Operation Desert Shield
Signal to Hussein that he best not move on Saudi Arabia
Building the Coalition
No desire to repeat failed attempt to stabilize government (like in Somalia)
Unpopular among American people
Decision makers = President George H. W. Bush, Secretary of State James Baker, National Security Advisor
Necessary to build coalition with foreign nations and within America before taking action
Strategy was to build foreign coalition first and use that to garner support at home
Plan worked à UN resolutions and pressure placed on Iraq before Bush approached Congress
Congressional approach to give president right to use military force = 52-47
Disagreement Among Leadership
Some believe US should not risk American lives in Kuwait; others think it is necessary to repel Hussein
Hussein’s Calculations
Hussein miscalculated the US
Huge American military based in Europe with no enemy left due to the end of the Cold War and reunification of Germany
Hussein believed US would be reluctant due to pulling out of Vietnam, Somalia, etc.
Iraqi army was battle hardened after 8+ year war with Iran
Changing Priorities
Mass of troops limited danger of an invasion of Saudi Arabia
New concern became the building of WMDs
2 confirmed sites in Iraq
Defeat of Hussein’s field armies in Kuwait would cause an internal coup and Hussein would be gone without necessitating US forces entering Iraq (which had not been approved by UN resolution)
US War Strategy
Hussein was massed near southeastern part of Kuwait
US plan was to cut off Iraqi army and destroy it
Attack from north and west to trap Iraqi military and cut off supply lines
Simultaneously – 9 black ops CIA groups would be targeting Shiite population to encourage an uprising
Target air defenses, economic infrastructure, political command before attacking field forces
Iraq War Strategy
Attack US if it comes
Use anti-aircraft and artillery to pummel invasion forces trapped in a killing zone area
Use regular army, preserve Republican Guard forces for later attacks
Did not plan well for overwhelming bombing that actually came
January 1991
Begin with air raids
Hussein has to stop the bleeding so sends a small group to absolute southeastern Kuwait/northeastern Saudi Arabia to start the war on his own terms
Successfully captures border town
Americans react with air power
Hussein believed he could use air defenses to protect his forces against this approach
Air powers overwhelmed Hussein’s forces decisively
Hussein sees that he could lose the war à changes strategy from defend in place to retreat into Iraq
US Attack
Marines attack into the gut of Iraqi field troops in southern Kuwait
Army attacks from behind the Iraqi lines in the west/north
Americans found that battle-hardened Iraqi field troops were smaller than expected, exhausted, and unmotivated
Very little fighting as Iraqis surrendered all along the line
Marines were moving so quickly that Schwarzkopf had to slow them down so they wouldn’t outrun the Army units meant to cut off the retreat
50% + Iraqi Republican Guard was able to escape back into Iraq with most of the regular army surrendering
Extraordinarily low US casualties (under 200)
Administration decided not to follow retreating troops into Iraq due to 1) no mandate from UN, 2) desire not to get caught up in a long war in Iraq
Ceasefire
“The 100 Hour War”
Utter confusion on the battlefield; Schwarzkopf had no idea where his units were
Decision to stop the war was done by civilian, political leadership based on political rationale, not military priorities
US caught retreating supporting soldiers along Highway of Hell à political leadership did not want public opinion to turn against the action
End of military operations
Shiite Uprising
Did rise up as US hoped
Iraq put down the revolt with attack helicopters and US stood by and did absolutely nothing
Conclusions
Miscalculations on both sides
UN forces went in to enforce sanctions agreed upon by ceasefire agreement
Found 19 WMD sites in 39 facilities
Tried to continue after the Persian Gulf War, but when it became clear that this would not be successful, Hussein closed down programs but kept all who worked at the facilities in the country so few outside Iraq knew this was all over
Even Hussein’s top leaders didn’t believe that the country had no WMDs when they met in December 2002
Hussein kept posturing b/c he saw Iran as a threat and needed to protect himself from an internal Shiite uprising/military coup
Capitalized on internal/external doubt to maintain his power base
Troops came home with very little combat experience
Hussein turned the read of the war to argue that the Iraqi army never allowed the Americans to cross the Euphrates onto Iraqi soil, handed out medals to soldiers
Kept Hussein with strong leadership position
End of WWI = Beginning of WWII; End of Persian Gulf War = Beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom
Yellow ribbons, troops come marching home victoriously
Problems
Hussein didn’t fall
Hussein claimed victory
Shiite uprising was brutally put down
American troops in Saudi Arabia could be used as ammunition by Osama bin Laden that infidels were in the land of the holy mosques
Saturday Evening Notes
5:00 Tour of the Museum and Gardens
The First Division Museum turned out to be one of the best I have visited anywhere in the world primarily due to the beauty of the property (500 acres of parkland donated by a WWI veteran turned owner of the Chicago Tribune), the beauty of the museum itself, and its detail-oriented, realistic décor.
The museum works you through the First Division’s experiences in World War I, World War II, Vietnam and – briefly – the Persian Gulf War. This means you walk through a full scale World War I trench and bunker, sit inside a World War II Normandy landing craft while watching actual footage of the landing and storming of the beach, and struggle to make your way through the jungles of Southeast Asia.
This is a place that I need to come back to someday when I have time to actually see all the exhibits.
6:00 Reception and Dinner
My last FPRI conference including house wines with dinner, but this one featured an open, premium bar. I had a couple drinks while talking with the people at my table (randomly assigned). To my right was someone who I sat next to throughout the day, a professor at the University of Little Rock. Janeck is a native of Poland and we talked a lot about my upcoming trip to eastern Europe. To his right was the leader of the FPRI program, Alan Luxemborg and we talked a bit about my experience at the Living Without Freedom history institute a couple years ago in Philadelphia and the continued presence it has in my classroom. To my left was Tony Dalesio, a middle/high school teacher near Scranton, PA.
We had a great salad followed by a main course of steak, chicken, (lobster?) mashed potatoes and vegetables followed by a brownie dessert. A Bailey’s topped the meal off wonderfully.
7:30 Discussion on Teaching about War, plus brief presentation by a representative of the American Battle Monuments Commission
They decided to skip the discussion due to the length of the day’s programs, but we did have a brief presentation by a representative from the American Battle Monuments Commission. The speaker was advocating that we – and our students – visit American military cemeteries abroad and mentioned People to People as a key ally in exposing Americans to their existence. I visited the cemetery at Normandy a few summers ago and last summer I visited the Pacific cemetery near Pearl Harbor, also operated by the Commission even though it is in the United States.
I spoke briefly with the representative on the bus back to the hotel and then back at the hotel and I think he might have been hitting on me or something. The last thing he said to me was something about my room must have mirrors on the ceiling. Perhaps he just had a few too many at the open bar; I’m not sure what was going on exactly.
8:30 Bus leaves Catigny for hotel
There was a prom going on back at the hotel. I printed my boarding pass for tomorrow and caught up on some e-mail and news. It was exciting to see that the Montgomery varsity baseball team upset the #1 seed in the county tournament (Immaculata). Although I am not really associated with the varsity team, it is still a cool thing.
The First Division Museum turned out to be one of the best I have visited anywhere in the world primarily due to the beauty of the property (500 acres of parkland donated by a WWI veteran turned owner of the Chicago Tribune), the beauty of the museum itself, and its detail-oriented, realistic décor.
The museum works you through the First Division’s experiences in World War I, World War II, Vietnam and – briefly – the Persian Gulf War. This means you walk through a full scale World War I trench and bunker, sit inside a World War II Normandy landing craft while watching actual footage of the landing and storming of the beach, and struggle to make your way through the jungles of Southeast Asia.
This is a place that I need to come back to someday when I have time to actually see all the exhibits.
6:00 Reception and Dinner
My last FPRI conference including house wines with dinner, but this one featured an open, premium bar. I had a couple drinks while talking with the people at my table (randomly assigned). To my right was someone who I sat next to throughout the day, a professor at the University of Little Rock. Janeck is a native of Poland and we talked a lot about my upcoming trip to eastern Europe. To his right was the leader of the FPRI program, Alan Luxemborg and we talked a bit about my experience at the Living Without Freedom history institute a couple years ago in Philadelphia and the continued presence it has in my classroom. To my left was Tony Dalesio, a middle/high school teacher near Scranton, PA.
We had a great salad followed by a main course of steak, chicken, (lobster?) mashed potatoes and vegetables followed by a brownie dessert. A Bailey’s topped the meal off wonderfully.
7:30 Discussion on Teaching about War, plus brief presentation by a representative of the American Battle Monuments Commission
They decided to skip the discussion due to the length of the day’s programs, but we did have a brief presentation by a representative from the American Battle Monuments Commission. The speaker was advocating that we – and our students – visit American military cemeteries abroad and mentioned People to People as a key ally in exposing Americans to their existence. I visited the cemetery at Normandy a few summers ago and last summer I visited the Pacific cemetery near Pearl Harbor, also operated by the Commission even though it is in the United States.
I spoke briefly with the representative on the bus back to the hotel and then back at the hotel and I think he might have been hitting on me or something. The last thing he said to me was something about my room must have mirrors on the ceiling. Perhaps he just had a few too many at the open bar; I’m not sure what was going on exactly.
8:30 Bus leaves Catigny for hotel
There was a prom going on back at the hotel. I printed my boarding pass for tomorrow and caught up on some e-mail and news. It was exciting to see that the Montgomery varsity baseball team upset the #1 seed in the county tournament (Immaculata). Although I am not really associated with the varsity team, it is still a cool thing.
Vietnam
3:45 Vietnam
Ronald Spector, Professor of History and International Affairs, George Washington University
Longest war so far
Most controversial history of an American war
First clear loss of American war history
Several wars: air in North Vietnam, ground in South Vietnam, war at home, diplomacy of negotiations, pacification campaigns
Air war
Began in spring of 1965
Sustained, massive bombing campaigns
Believed North Vietnam would relent (didn’t work)
Believe South Vietnam morale would increase (worked)
Great worry that China would interfere if not careful
Bombing kept on increasing but some areas were spared: key cities, places near Chinese border
North Vietnam supplied by China/USSR especially in area of air defenses
Huge costs of war - $10 for every $1 of damage sustained based on Sec. of Defense McNamara’s analysis
Bombing did have some impact on communist North’s willingness to continue fighting in the South but decision-makers kept moving forward
China had promised North Vietnam it would intervene if US invaded the North and US knew this (although it was a secret at the time)
Pacification – win hearts and minds of rural population
Helped by NLF’s losses during Tet
Phoenix Program identify and neutralize Vietcong
Improved security in countryside by 1969
Defections by Soviets
By end of 1969, >70% lived in areas controlled by government compared to 40% in beginning of 1968
Mixed views of success of this movement still today
Personal impressions of Vietnam
No Vietnam story is ever completely true or completely false
3 million served in country; most only for 1 year
Most battles were short, small clashes that lasted minutes or hours
Short but costly before US could bring up support
Popular story of Vietnam
PTSD, male, jungle, constant, VC contact
Majority of GIs seldom (if ever) in contact with enemy
Most stationed at base camps with amenities
Majority Vietnam GIs were not on patrol/front lines but for those who were, it was as dangerous and catastrophic as other 20th century wars
Ronald Spector, Professor of History and International Affairs, George Washington University
Longest war so far
Most controversial history of an American war
First clear loss of American war history
Several wars: air in North Vietnam, ground in South Vietnam, war at home, diplomacy of negotiations, pacification campaigns
Air war
Began in spring of 1965
Sustained, massive bombing campaigns
Believed North Vietnam would relent (didn’t work)
Believe South Vietnam morale would increase (worked)
Great worry that China would interfere if not careful
Bombing kept on increasing but some areas were spared: key cities, places near Chinese border
North Vietnam supplied by China/USSR especially in area of air defenses
Huge costs of war - $10 for every $1 of damage sustained based on Sec. of Defense McNamara’s analysis
Bombing did have some impact on communist North’s willingness to continue fighting in the South but decision-makers kept moving forward
China had promised North Vietnam it would intervene if US invaded the North and US knew this (although it was a secret at the time)
Pacification – win hearts and minds of rural population
Helped by NLF’s losses during Tet
Phoenix Program identify and neutralize Vietcong
Improved security in countryside by 1969
Defections by Soviets
By end of 1969, >70% lived in areas controlled by government compared to 40% in beginning of 1968
Mixed views of success of this movement still today
Personal impressions of Vietnam
No Vietnam story is ever completely true or completely false
3 million served in country; most only for 1 year
Most battles were short, small clashes that lasted minutes or hours
Short but costly before US could bring up support
Popular story of Vietnam
PTSD, male, jungle, constant, VC contact
Majority of GIs seldom (if ever) in contact with enemy
Most stationed at base camps with amenities
Majority Vietnam GIs were not on patrol/front lines but for those who were, it was as dangerous and catastrophic as other 20th century wars
The Korean War
2:15 The Korean War
Allan Millett, Stephen E. Ambrose Professor of History, University of New Orleans, and Director of the UNO Eisenhower Center for American Studies, Author of Their War for Korea, 1945-1950: A House Burning
Put the Koreans back in the Korean War
For the Koreans, the war was total
25% of families in South Korea have family in North Korea
10% population died; 80% casualties were noncombatants
Difference between American narrative (1950-3) and Korean narrative (1919-present)
Japan entered in 1880s b/c Koreans sought foreign support to diminish influence of China
1905/1910 – Japanese protectorate/annexation à 2 different, broad political movements
Kim Il Sung – communist, anti-Japanese, unified Asian communist movement (Ho Chi Minh, Mao Tse-tung)
Nationalists – terrorist, fascist concepts, relationship with Kuomintang or Synghman Rhee, Christian, western, potential tyrant
End of WWII, Korea basically became American due to Allied victory. Koreans were in need of liberation, but were technically Japanese due to being taken over
Partition between USSR/US for temporary occupation
Koreans wanted independence
1946 – shots exchanged between protestors, South Korean police, American troops
Break off relations w/USSR and turn problem over to UN to either unify nation, or hold elections - 1948
Members of Korean Constabulary were young (20s-30s) but most were experienced officers in Japanese military previously
Constabulary – Republic of Korea Army
Executed its own rebel members
1948-50 war within Korea with guerillas
1948 – ROK independent under Syngman Rhee; US began pulling out troops
June-September 1950
US/ROK pushed deep into Pusan Perimeter
September-November 1950
UN/US land at Inchon and push North to Yalu River
ROK Army took people off the front, gave them two weeks training and sent them into battle to replace killed soldiers
November 1950-January 1951
Chinese enter and push back over the 38th
January 1951-June 1953
Stalemate along 38th parallel
Nasty atrocities on both sides of the war
Chinese army had serious logistical problems
Many former nationalists fought and lost gladly so they could go to Formosa (Taiwan)
Conclusion reached that unification by force was impossible so in 1951 mission changed to preserve South Korea
Armistice agreements hold to present
Allan Millett, Stephen E. Ambrose Professor of History, University of New Orleans, and Director of the UNO Eisenhower Center for American Studies, Author of Their War for Korea, 1945-1950: A House Burning
Put the Koreans back in the Korean War
For the Koreans, the war was total
25% of families in South Korea have family in North Korea
10% population died; 80% casualties were noncombatants
Difference between American narrative (1950-3) and Korean narrative (1919-present)
Japan entered in 1880s b/c Koreans sought foreign support to diminish influence of China
1905/1910 – Japanese protectorate/annexation à 2 different, broad political movements
Kim Il Sung – communist, anti-Japanese, unified Asian communist movement (Ho Chi Minh, Mao Tse-tung)
Nationalists – terrorist, fascist concepts, relationship with Kuomintang or Synghman Rhee, Christian, western, potential tyrant
End of WWII, Korea basically became American due to Allied victory. Koreans were in need of liberation, but were technically Japanese due to being taken over
Partition between USSR/US for temporary occupation
Koreans wanted independence
1946 – shots exchanged between protestors, South Korean police, American troops
Break off relations w/USSR and turn problem over to UN to either unify nation, or hold elections - 1948
Members of Korean Constabulary were young (20s-30s) but most were experienced officers in Japanese military previously
Constabulary – Republic of Korea Army
Executed its own rebel members
1948-50 war within Korea with guerillas
1948 – ROK independent under Syngman Rhee; US began pulling out troops
June-September 1950
US/ROK pushed deep into Pusan Perimeter
September-November 1950
UN/US land at Inchon and push North to Yalu River
ROK Army took people off the front, gave them two weeks training and sent them into battle to replace killed soldiers
November 1950-January 1951
Chinese enter and push back over the 38th
January 1951-June 1953
Stalemate along 38th parallel
Nasty atrocities on both sides of the war
Chinese army had serious logistical problems
Many former nationalists fought and lost gladly so they could go to Formosa (Taiwan)
Conclusion reached that unification by force was impossible so in 1951 mission changed to preserve South Korea
Armistice agreements hold to present
The U.S. Navy in World War II
12:45 The U.S. Navy in World War II
James Kurth, Claude Smith Professor of Political Science, Swarthmore College, and Senior Fellow, FPRI
Series of concentrated struggles/battles in the Pacific comparable to any of world history that creates a grand, epic narrative
Pearl Harbor
Conceived the inevitable need to fight Japan in Pacific
“the orange plans”
Assumed battleships would be used for a massive sea battle (envisioned by Alfred T. Mahan)
Battleships sunk by Japanese carriers b/c Navy misread the strategic situation
Bureaucracy could not put pieces together to fully predict where, when, how of Pearl Harbor
b/c carriers were out to sea, Japanese commanders decided not to launch a 3rd wave of attacks against PH, allowed rebuilding and reaction
created national morale/support and political will
Battle of Midway
Archetypal battle of US Navy lore
Cracked Japanese code and realized Japan was moving to attack at Midway
Failure of torpedo bombers completely, but dive bombers were successful b/c anti-aircraft was focused on low-flying torpedo bombers (luck and chance)
Chance of sick admiral led to change of naval strategy, which ended up protecting American carriers
Victory protected Pearl Harbor and, more importantly, California so plans could move forward to send troops to Europe
Pacific Strategy
Focus on Europe or Pacific?
FDR could not get broad domestic consensus to fight the war w/o dealing w/both fronts at once despite his preference to fight Germany.
Competition between service branches affects strategy plans; Navy – central Pacific, Army – southern Pacific, Air Force – need island bases to fight Japan
US ‘total war’ development allowed the US to proceed w/all 3 fronts in the Pacific
American way of war = mass and mobility and technological supremacy
Leyte Gulf = largest naval battle, destroyed most of Japanese fleet
Iwo Jima and Okinawa
Huge losses but overwhelming mass would eventually prevail; necessitates courage and persistence
Nimitz = “uncommon virtue as common…”
Some damage to morale at home as people began to believe that invasion of Kyushu and Honshu would be even more catastrophic
Battle of the Atlantic
Vs. German u-boats but convoy system had held it at bay until Dec. 1941 when u-boats began attacking along the East coast
Navy attempted their own anti-Uboats strategy instead of learning from the British at first
Contrast between Atlantic & Pacific
Similarities: needed an event in each theater to get popular support; US used German u-boat strategy in Pacific against Japan; North African role = Guadalcanal role to get military prepared; Italy = Philippines; Normandy = Iwo Jima/Okinawa
Differences: escorts were the key in Atlantic while carriers were the key in Pacific; unilateral ally force in Pacific led by Navy while there were numerous countries fighting in the Atlantic
Then & Now
9/11 surprise attack due to intelligence failures & bureaucratic procedures getting in the way
Defense budget competition between services & w/in services
American way of war today is not mass/mobility and technology
American way of war today is counter-insurgency but there is debate w/in Navy about how to change (or not)
Description of surrender ceremony on Missouri
James Kurth, Claude Smith Professor of Political Science, Swarthmore College, and Senior Fellow, FPRI
Series of concentrated struggles/battles in the Pacific comparable to any of world history that creates a grand, epic narrative
Pearl Harbor
Conceived the inevitable need to fight Japan in Pacific
“the orange plans”
Assumed battleships would be used for a massive sea battle (envisioned by Alfred T. Mahan)
Battleships sunk by Japanese carriers b/c Navy misread the strategic situation
Bureaucracy could not put pieces together to fully predict where, when, how of Pearl Harbor
b/c carriers were out to sea, Japanese commanders decided not to launch a 3rd wave of attacks against PH, allowed rebuilding and reaction
created national morale/support and political will
Battle of Midway
Archetypal battle of US Navy lore
Cracked Japanese code and realized Japan was moving to attack at Midway
Failure of torpedo bombers completely, but dive bombers were successful b/c anti-aircraft was focused on low-flying torpedo bombers (luck and chance)
Chance of sick admiral led to change of naval strategy, which ended up protecting American carriers
Victory protected Pearl Harbor and, more importantly, California so plans could move forward to send troops to Europe
Pacific Strategy
Focus on Europe or Pacific?
FDR could not get broad domestic consensus to fight the war w/o dealing w/both fronts at once despite his preference to fight Germany.
Competition between service branches affects strategy plans; Navy – central Pacific, Army – southern Pacific, Air Force – need island bases to fight Japan
US ‘total war’ development allowed the US to proceed w/all 3 fronts in the Pacific
American way of war = mass and mobility and technological supremacy
Leyte Gulf = largest naval battle, destroyed most of Japanese fleet
Iwo Jima and Okinawa
Huge losses but overwhelming mass would eventually prevail; necessitates courage and persistence
Nimitz = “uncommon virtue as common…”
Some damage to morale at home as people began to believe that invasion of Kyushu and Honshu would be even more catastrophic
Battle of the Atlantic
Vs. German u-boats but convoy system had held it at bay until Dec. 1941 when u-boats began attacking along the East coast
Navy attempted their own anti-Uboats strategy instead of learning from the British at first
Contrast between Atlantic & Pacific
Similarities: needed an event in each theater to get popular support; US used German u-boat strategy in Pacific against Japan; North African role = Guadalcanal role to get military prepared; Italy = Philippines; Normandy = Iwo Jima/Okinawa
Differences: escorts were the key in Atlantic while carriers were the key in Pacific; unilateral ally force in Pacific led by Navy while there were numerous countries fighting in the Atlantic
Then & Now
9/11 surprise attack due to intelligence failures & bureaucratic procedures getting in the way
Defense budget competition between services & w/in services
American way of war today is not mass/mobility and technology
American way of war today is counter-insurgency but there is debate w/in Navy about how to change (or not)
Description of surrender ceremony on Missouri
The U.S. Army in World War II
10:30 The U.S. Army in World War II
Rick Atkinson, author of The Army at Dawn and The Day of Battle
Rick Atkinson is an excellent storyteller who sounds sort of like Tom Brokaw (and even a hint of Jerry Seinfeld). He used amazing vocabulary, diction and composure and really grabbed my interest. His answers during Q&A were a little longer than my liking, but it was very interesting.
Ten things we should make sure students know about the Army in WWII:
The US Army was a puny weakling when the war began.
190,000 à 8.3 million soldiers
Extremely old officer corps
Completely unprepared to fight a war
Mentally unready for war
The war encumbered nearly all of America.
16 million served in war out of 130 million Americans
i. Today – 500,000 out of 300 million
Every American had an investment
Still completely outnumbered by Germans/Soviets
Needed to keep manpower at home for industrial output
2/3 in Europe 1/3 in Pacific (Army divisions)
Unable to rest soldiers b/c all were needed all the time
Replacement system kept army staffed unlike enemy armies – US army kept divisions running despite 100-200% casualty rates
The US Army did not win WWII by itself.
Truly global conflict
27 months of fighting before US got involved
60 nations on Allied side by the end of the war
Coalition politics were important – the best team wins
The US Army’s role in the liberation of Europe did not start at Normandy.
North Africa (British belief) Europe (American belief)
Germany first policy between Roosevelt and Churchill
North Africa – Vichy France was allowed to keep territory in Africa as long as they agreed to fight off invaders
Operation Torch – November 8, 1942
i. 1st fight is against Vichy France for 3 days
ii. Land Morocco, Algeria à push to Tunisia before stopped by Germans, Italians (stalemate)
iii. Same time British (Bernard Montgomery) coming from east (vs. Rommel)
iv. Capture ¼ million German/Italian soldiers
v. Move to Sicily & Italian campaign
The US Army, for some considerable time, was not very good.
Inferior to enemies’ equipment, commanders in beginnings
Sifts out competent/incompetent, physically fit/not so, lucky/unlucky
US develops systemic advantage in size, scale of industry, logistical command
The US Army of WWII comprised much more than just riflemen.
Include Army air forces
i. Firebombing, atomic bombs, “arsenal of democracy”
ii. 1941 – 3.5 million private autos; 139 for rest of war
iii. All industry turned to war materiel
iv. Support army within the larger army to service machinery and mobilize resources unlike other nations
The Army remained, from beginning of war to end of war, under civilian control.
President made decisions, not military commanders often contrary to military preferences
The US Army in WWII is among the greatest agents of social change in the 20th century.
Social change in the 20th century
Huge increase of blacks in Army escalated civil rights movement (Victory over enemies abroad, Victory over discrimination at home = Double V)
Tuskegee Airmen showed limitations in placing limits on black soldiers
Women drawn into national workplace
Democratization of army (all live and die side by side)
WWI is among the greatest stores of the 20th century and should be taught that way.
Narrative can help tell the stories of WWII
They died for you.
Core of the story is suffering
300,000 battle deaths, 100,000 other deaths
Tell the story of one
i. Ernie Pyle account of Wasco’s death and Wasco’s letter to his family
ii. December 1943
Q&A
“Greatest Generation” is a disservice and caricatures WWII veterans and minimizes contributions of other generations that built US
How do Americans deal with casualties of WWII when we don’t even want to deal with comparably low numbers today?
i. Role of national leadership
ii. Just cause, will prevail
iii. Who the war touches
Rick Atkinson, author of The Army at Dawn and The Day of Battle
Rick Atkinson is an excellent storyteller who sounds sort of like Tom Brokaw (and even a hint of Jerry Seinfeld). He used amazing vocabulary, diction and composure and really grabbed my interest. His answers during Q&A were a little longer than my liking, but it was very interesting.
Ten things we should make sure students know about the Army in WWII:
The US Army was a puny weakling when the war began.
190,000 à 8.3 million soldiers
Extremely old officer corps
Completely unprepared to fight a war
Mentally unready for war
The war encumbered nearly all of America.
16 million served in war out of 130 million Americans
i. Today – 500,000 out of 300 million
Every American had an investment
Still completely outnumbered by Germans/Soviets
Needed to keep manpower at home for industrial output
2/3 in Europe 1/3 in Pacific (Army divisions)
Unable to rest soldiers b/c all were needed all the time
Replacement system kept army staffed unlike enemy armies – US army kept divisions running despite 100-200% casualty rates
The US Army did not win WWII by itself.
Truly global conflict
27 months of fighting before US got involved
60 nations on Allied side by the end of the war
Coalition politics were important – the best team wins
The US Army’s role in the liberation of Europe did not start at Normandy.
North Africa (British belief) Europe (American belief)
Germany first policy between Roosevelt and Churchill
North Africa – Vichy France was allowed to keep territory in Africa as long as they agreed to fight off invaders
Operation Torch – November 8, 1942
i. 1st fight is against Vichy France for 3 days
ii. Land Morocco, Algeria à push to Tunisia before stopped by Germans, Italians (stalemate)
iii. Same time British (Bernard Montgomery) coming from east (vs. Rommel)
iv. Capture ¼ million German/Italian soldiers
v. Move to Sicily & Italian campaign
The US Army, for some considerable time, was not very good.
Inferior to enemies’ equipment, commanders in beginnings
Sifts out competent/incompetent, physically fit/not so, lucky/unlucky
US develops systemic advantage in size, scale of industry, logistical command
The US Army of WWII comprised much more than just riflemen.
Include Army air forces
i. Firebombing, atomic bombs, “arsenal of democracy”
ii. 1941 – 3.5 million private autos; 139 for rest of war
iii. All industry turned to war materiel
iv. Support army within the larger army to service machinery and mobilize resources unlike other nations
The Army remained, from beginning of war to end of war, under civilian control.
President made decisions, not military commanders often contrary to military preferences
The US Army in WWII is among the greatest agents of social change in the 20th century.
Social change in the 20th century
Huge increase of blacks in Army escalated civil rights movement (Victory over enemies abroad, Victory over discrimination at home = Double V)
Tuskegee Airmen showed limitations in placing limits on black soldiers
Women drawn into national workplace
Democratization of army (all live and die side by side)
WWI is among the greatest stores of the 20th century and should be taught that way.
Narrative can help tell the stories of WWII
They died for you.
Core of the story is suffering
300,000 battle deaths, 100,000 other deaths
Tell the story of one
i. Ernie Pyle account of Wasco’s death and Wasco’s letter to his family
ii. December 1943
Q&A
“Greatest Generation” is a disservice and caricatures WWII veterans and minimizes contributions of other generations that built US
How do Americans deal with casualties of WWII when we don’t even want to deal with comparably low numbers today?
i. Role of national leadership
ii. Just cause, will prevail
iii. Who the war touches
Gathering Storm: From World War I to World War II
9:00 Gathering Storm: From World War I to World War II
Williamson Murray, Institute for Defense Analyses
Myth: Treaty of Versailles caused WWII
Context is important to understand
Germany executed 6000 civilians in August 1914
Germany ignored treaties as war began
Many atrocities in WWI (even though they may pale in comparison to WWII atrocities)
No Allied troops on German territory when war ended
Allowed military to claim military strength despite being utterly dismantled
Versailles did not address the key problem: Germany’s strength
Could not give “easy peace” because civilians in France and Great Britain would not accept letting Germany off the hook
Emergence of Soviet Union contributed to instability in Europe
New states of eastern Europe carved from the pre-war empires
Unable to cooperate with each other or powers of the continent
After WWI, Germany only had 1 strong enemy (France) and even that nation was severely damaged psychologically
Britain needed Germany as a strong trading partner for a good, prosperous economy
1920s – anti-war literary movement underlined the impact of the brutal warfare of WWI
Attitude in Britain in the 1930s became – war could be avoided because all leaders could be reasonable and compassionate
Neville Chamberlain – sit down talk between democracies and dictatorships
Winston Churchill – Nazi Germany was a moral/strategic danger
US
Harley-Smoot Tariffs led to world depression
Political isolationism
France
Fear of Germany
Dependent on British, Russians, Poles, etc. for defense
Germany
Bitterness over losing the war immediately upon treaty
Storm of Steel represented German intellectual reaction to WWI while All Quiet on the Western Front was popular in Britain/US
Used disinformation about causes of WWI to convince its own people and even people elsewhere
1923 – French occupation of the Ruhr
1932-3 – Great Depression
Allowed Adolf Hitler to come to power (April 30, 1933)
“Conspiracy” – HBO movie about conferences by Nazis on how to rid Europe of Jews
Germans represented the center of all human advances
Aryans needed to expand in order to survive via enslavement of eastern Europe
Rearmament of Germany as soon as Hitler takes power
Need biggest military and it will be used to overturn European state system that had existed since 17th century
1933 – withdraws from League of Nations
1935 – created Luftwaffe
Others
Italian invasion of Ethiopia
Japanese invasion of Manchuria
Spanish civil war
1938 – appeasement à occupation of Austria
1938 – Czech crisis (Sudetenland)
1938 – Munich Agreement led to destruction of Czechoslovakia by March 1939
Led to outrage in Britain, but Britain had not been well rearmed after WWI to protect eastern Europe
What would Soviet Union do?
Join Germany – pick up broken pieces of defeated western powers
Join Western powers – need to fight Germany
Nazi-Soviet Pact
August 1939
Poland’s fate was sealed (lose to Germany or USSR)
3 million Poles died in defense of territory
USSR followed agreement faithfully from beginning to end all the way until Germany invaded
Q&A
Weak League of Nations
Weak Weimar Republic
Instability/insecurity in Germany on right (SA) and left (communists)
Ending WWI – no full surrender by German high command; instead civilians signed armistice and were used as scapegoats
US Neutrality Acts after Europe/Asia already in chaos
Williamson Murray, Institute for Defense Analyses
Myth: Treaty of Versailles caused WWII
Context is important to understand
Germany executed 6000 civilians in August 1914
Germany ignored treaties as war began
Many atrocities in WWI (even though they may pale in comparison to WWII atrocities)
No Allied troops on German territory when war ended
Allowed military to claim military strength despite being utterly dismantled
Versailles did not address the key problem: Germany’s strength
Could not give “easy peace” because civilians in France and Great Britain would not accept letting Germany off the hook
Emergence of Soviet Union contributed to instability in Europe
New states of eastern Europe carved from the pre-war empires
Unable to cooperate with each other or powers of the continent
After WWI, Germany only had 1 strong enemy (France) and even that nation was severely damaged psychologically
Britain needed Germany as a strong trading partner for a good, prosperous economy
1920s – anti-war literary movement underlined the impact of the brutal warfare of WWI
Attitude in Britain in the 1930s became – war could be avoided because all leaders could be reasonable and compassionate
Neville Chamberlain – sit down talk between democracies and dictatorships
Winston Churchill – Nazi Germany was a moral/strategic danger
US
Harley-Smoot Tariffs led to world depression
Political isolationism
France
Fear of Germany
Dependent on British, Russians, Poles, etc. for defense
Germany
Bitterness over losing the war immediately upon treaty
Storm of Steel represented German intellectual reaction to WWI while All Quiet on the Western Front was popular in Britain/US
Used disinformation about causes of WWI to convince its own people and even people elsewhere
1923 – French occupation of the Ruhr
1932-3 – Great Depression
Allowed Adolf Hitler to come to power (April 30, 1933)
“Conspiracy” – HBO movie about conferences by Nazis on how to rid Europe of Jews
Germans represented the center of all human advances
Aryans needed to expand in order to survive via enslavement of eastern Europe
Rearmament of Germany as soon as Hitler takes power
Need biggest military and it will be used to overturn European state system that had existed since 17th century
1933 – withdraws from League of Nations
1935 – created Luftwaffe
Others
Italian invasion of Ethiopia
Japanese invasion of Manchuria
Spanish civil war
1938 – appeasement à occupation of Austria
1938 – Czech crisis (Sudetenland)
1938 – Munich Agreement led to destruction of Czechoslovakia by March 1939
Led to outrage in Britain, but Britain had not been well rearmed after WWI to protect eastern Europe
What would Soviet Union do?
Join Germany – pick up broken pieces of defeated western powers
Join Western powers – need to fight Germany
Nazi-Soviet Pact
August 1939
Poland’s fate was sealed (lose to Germany or USSR)
3 million Poles died in defense of territory
USSR followed agreement faithfully from beginning to end all the way until Germany invaded
Q&A
Weak League of Nations
Weak Weimar Republic
Instability/insecurity in Germany on right (SA) and left (communists)
Ending WWI – no full surrender by German high command; instead civilians signed armistice and were used as scapegoats
US Neutrality Acts after Europe/Asia already in chaos
Schedule - 5/4-5/10
Monday, May 4 - AM Commons Duty, School, Baseball home vs. Moorestown (rained out)
Tuesday, May 5 - AM Commons Duty, School, Baseball home vs. Watchung Hills (rained out)
Wednesday, May 6 - AM Commons Duty, School, Baseball home vs. Franklin
Thursday, May 7 - School, Baseball home vs. North Hunterdon, Depart for trip to Gettysburg
Friday, May 8 - Gettysburg
Saturday, May 9 - Gettysburg, Return from Gettysburg
Sunday, May 10
Tuesday, May 5 - AM Commons Duty, School, Baseball home vs. Watchung Hills (rained out)
Wednesday, May 6 - AM Commons Duty, School, Baseball home vs. Franklin
Thursday, May 7 - School, Baseball home vs. North Hunterdon, Depart for trip to Gettysburg
Friday, May 8 - Gettysburg
Saturday, May 9 - Gettysburg, Return from Gettysburg
Sunday, May 10
Saturday, May 02, 2009
Chicago Day 1
May 1
3:30pm
I left school around 10:30 and headed back to Hillsborough to mail the first batch of our wedding invitations. Despite the always slow service at the Hillsborough post office, I was able to get everything done relatively quickly with time to stop home to pick up some snacks for the trip to Chicago.
I got on the road with about four hours to make the 1.5 hour trip. Rather than relax at home, I figured I’d just get to the airport early. I stopped at a Panera near Levittown, PA for lunch and some free Wi-Fi time and then continued on to Philadelphia International.
After getting through security, I jumped on a United kiosk and got myself onto the standby list for an earlier flight to Chicago. Unfortunately, rain in the Philly air delayed that flight. As I sit in the terminal bar typing this at 3:33, that “earlier” flight is delayed nearly two hours and my use of the United notification system let me know that my flight is delayed from 4:50 to 5:15 so far. Of course, this could be expanded even further, but hopefully things will clear up and we’ll get on our way.
10:15pm (Central Time)
We finally boarded around 5:30. I ended up having a burger and another beer at the bar while waiting for the flight. Thanks to a cool feature I found on United’s web site earlier today, I received phone call updates on my flight status while waiting. The phone calls were more up to date than the information being posted at the gate so this could come in handy if a flight is ever cancelled. It would provide me with a few minutes head start on rebooking possibly.
Upon boarding, we were informed that the plane suffered some damage to a cargo door on its flight into Philadelphia. As a result, we sat on the plane until 6:45 or so while this was being taken care of. I dozed off a little before we finally took off.
There were a few bumpy minutes, but we got into O’Hara a little after 8. I called the limo company that was picking me up and they were there within 5 minutes of calling (within 15 minutes of getting off the plane). I rode to the hotel with two other conference participants: Stephanie Parobek – 7th and 8th grade American history teacher at North Collins JS/HS outside Buffalo, NY and Julia Tutino – American History, Economics, and Sociology teacher at Delone Catholic High School in McSherrystown, PA (near Gettysburg).
We had a good 30-minute ride to the hotel where we wound up talking mostly about other programs we have been on and Gettysburg where Julia is from and I am going next weekend. Upon check-in, I was hoping to grab a drink and maybe a snack at the bar, but neither of them seemed all that interested so I took a shower, grabbed a granola bar and am now going to relax for a bit before bed. My assigned roommate has not checked in. His name is Vincent Newman and he is an 8th grade US History and 6th grade World History teacher from Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
May 2, 2009 6:55am
My roommate arrived a little after 11 and we made the obligatory small talk followed by his odd, rambling about a variety of seemingly unrelated topics. He is an interesting person with strong opinions – nice enough – but not the sort of person I want to spend hours sitting and chatting with.
I got up this morning a little after six and had coffee in the room. The breakfast buffet in the hotel costs $11 if you just want bread and $15 if you want everything. Unfortunately, that seems to be the only in hotel or in walking distance option for food and breakfast is on our own. I guess it’ll be a granola bar for me.
3:30pm
I left school around 10:30 and headed back to Hillsborough to mail the first batch of our wedding invitations. Despite the always slow service at the Hillsborough post office, I was able to get everything done relatively quickly with time to stop home to pick up some snacks for the trip to Chicago.
I got on the road with about four hours to make the 1.5 hour trip. Rather than relax at home, I figured I’d just get to the airport early. I stopped at a Panera near Levittown, PA for lunch and some free Wi-Fi time and then continued on to Philadelphia International.
After getting through security, I jumped on a United kiosk and got myself onto the standby list for an earlier flight to Chicago. Unfortunately, rain in the Philly air delayed that flight. As I sit in the terminal bar typing this at 3:33, that “earlier” flight is delayed nearly two hours and my use of the United notification system let me know that my flight is delayed from 4:50 to 5:15 so far. Of course, this could be expanded even further, but hopefully things will clear up and we’ll get on our way.
10:15pm (Central Time)
We finally boarded around 5:30. I ended up having a burger and another beer at the bar while waiting for the flight. Thanks to a cool feature I found on United’s web site earlier today, I received phone call updates on my flight status while waiting. The phone calls were more up to date than the information being posted at the gate so this could come in handy if a flight is ever cancelled. It would provide me with a few minutes head start on rebooking possibly.
Upon boarding, we were informed that the plane suffered some damage to a cargo door on its flight into Philadelphia. As a result, we sat on the plane until 6:45 or so while this was being taken care of. I dozed off a little before we finally took off.
There were a few bumpy minutes, but we got into O’Hara a little after 8. I called the limo company that was picking me up and they were there within 5 minutes of calling (within 15 minutes of getting off the plane). I rode to the hotel with two other conference participants: Stephanie Parobek – 7th and 8th grade American history teacher at North Collins JS/HS outside Buffalo, NY and Julia Tutino – American History, Economics, and Sociology teacher at Delone Catholic High School in McSherrystown, PA (near Gettysburg).
We had a good 30-minute ride to the hotel where we wound up talking mostly about other programs we have been on and Gettysburg where Julia is from and I am going next weekend. Upon check-in, I was hoping to grab a drink and maybe a snack at the bar, but neither of them seemed all that interested so I took a shower, grabbed a granola bar and am now going to relax for a bit before bed. My assigned roommate has not checked in. His name is Vincent Newman and he is an 8th grade US History and 6th grade World History teacher from Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
May 2, 2009 6:55am
My roommate arrived a little after 11 and we made the obligatory small talk followed by his odd, rambling about a variety of seemingly unrelated topics. He is an interesting person with strong opinions – nice enough – but not the sort of person I want to spend hours sitting and chatting with.
I got up this morning a little after six and had coffee in the room. The breakfast buffet in the hotel costs $11 if you just want bread and $15 if you want everything. Unfortunately, that seems to be the only in hotel or in walking distance option for food and breakfast is on our own. I guess it’ll be a granola bar for me.
Chicago Conference Schedule
WHAT STUDENTS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICA’S WARS
PART 2: 1920-PRESENT
Sponsored by the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Wachman Center
www.fpri.org
Cosponsored and Hosted by the Cantigny First Division Foundation
At the First Division Museum
1 S 151 Winfield Road, Wheaton, IL
www.firstdivisionmuseum.org
Overnight:
Wyndham Hotel Lisle, 3000 Warrenville Road, Lisle, IL
May 2-3, 2009
Saturday
8:20 Bus from Hotel to Conference Site
8:50 Welcome Remarks
Paul Herbert, Executive Director, Cantigny First Division Foundation
Walter A. McDougall, Co-Chair, FPRI History Institute
9:00 Gathering Storm: From World War I to World War II
Williamson Murray, Institute for Defense Analyses
10:15 Break
10:30 The U.S. Army in World War II
Rick Atkinson, author of The Army at Dawn and The Day of Battle
12:00 Lunch
12:45 The U.S. Navy in World War II
James Kurth, Claude Smith Professor of Political Science, Swarthmore College, and Senior Fellow, FPRI
2:00 Break
2:15 The Korean War
Allan Millett, Stephen E. Ambrose Professor of History, University of New Orleans, and Director of the UNO Eisenhower Center for American Studies, Author of Their War for Korea, 1945-1950: A House Burning
3:30 Break
3:45 Vietnam
Ronald Spector, Professor of History and International Affairs, George Washington University
5:00 Tour of the Museum and Gardens
6:00 Reception and Dinner
7:30 Discussion on Teaching about War, plus brief presentation by a representative of the American Battle Monuments Commission
8:30 Bus leaves Catigny for hotel
Sunday
7:45 Bus from Hotel to Conference Site
8:30 Gulf War I
LTG (Ret) Bernard Trainor, co-author of Cobra II: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq
9:45 Break
10:00 The Global War on Terrorism
Frank Hoffman, Research Fellow at the Center for Emerging Threats and Opportunities at the Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Quantico, VA, and Senior Fellow, FPRI
11:15 Break
11:30 The American Culture of War
Adrian Lewis, Professor of History and Director, Office of Professional Military Graduate Education, University of Kansas
12:45 Boxed lunch and transportation to Chicago O’Hare Airport
PART 2: 1920-PRESENT
Sponsored by the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Wachman Center
www.fpri.org
Cosponsored and Hosted by the Cantigny First Division Foundation
At the First Division Museum
1 S 151 Winfield Road, Wheaton, IL
www.firstdivisionmuseum.org
Overnight:
Wyndham Hotel Lisle, 3000 Warrenville Road, Lisle, IL
May 2-3, 2009
Saturday
8:20 Bus from Hotel to Conference Site
8:50 Welcome Remarks
Paul Herbert, Executive Director, Cantigny First Division Foundation
Walter A. McDougall, Co-Chair, FPRI History Institute
9:00 Gathering Storm: From World War I to World War II
Williamson Murray, Institute for Defense Analyses
10:15 Break
10:30 The U.S. Army in World War II
Rick Atkinson, author of The Army at Dawn and The Day of Battle
12:00 Lunch
12:45 The U.S. Navy in World War II
James Kurth, Claude Smith Professor of Political Science, Swarthmore College, and Senior Fellow, FPRI
2:00 Break
2:15 The Korean War
Allan Millett, Stephen E. Ambrose Professor of History, University of New Orleans, and Director of the UNO Eisenhower Center for American Studies, Author of Their War for Korea, 1945-1950: A House Burning
3:30 Break
3:45 Vietnam
Ronald Spector, Professor of History and International Affairs, George Washington University
5:00 Tour of the Museum and Gardens
6:00 Reception and Dinner
7:30 Discussion on Teaching about War, plus brief presentation by a representative of the American Battle Monuments Commission
8:30 Bus leaves Catigny for hotel
Sunday
7:45 Bus from Hotel to Conference Site
8:30 Gulf War I
LTG (Ret) Bernard Trainor, co-author of Cobra II: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq
9:45 Break
10:00 The Global War on Terrorism
Frank Hoffman, Research Fellow at the Center for Emerging Threats and Opportunities at the Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Quantico, VA, and Senior Fellow, FPRI
11:15 Break
11:30 The American Culture of War
Adrian Lewis, Professor of History and Director, Office of Professional Military Graduate Education, University of Kansas
12:45 Boxed lunch and transportation to Chicago O’Hare Airport
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Schedule - 4/27-5/3
Monday, April 27 - AM Commons Duty, School, Baseball at Princeton
Tuesday, April 28 - AM Commons Duty, School, Baseball at Immaculata
Wednesday, April 29 - AM Commons Duty, School, Extra Help, Bargaining Council Meeting, Ali's Birthday
Thursday, April 30 - School, Baseball at Phillipsburg
Friday, May 1 - School, Baseball vs. Franklin, Depart for Chicago on United #0563 (Philadelphia to Chicago, 4:50pm-6:10pm) for "What Students Need to Know About America's Wars Part 2: 1920-Present"
Saturday, May 2 - Conference (See separate schedule)
Sunday, May 3 - Conference, Depart for Philadelphia on United #0446 (Chicago to Philadelphia, 3:52pm-7:05pm)
Tuesday, April 28 - AM Commons Duty, School, Baseball at Immaculata
Wednesday, April 29 - AM Commons Duty, School, Extra Help, Bargaining Council Meeting, Ali's Birthday
Thursday, April 30 - School, Baseball at Phillipsburg
Friday, May 1 - School, Baseball vs. Franklin, Depart for Chicago on United #0563 (Philadelphia to Chicago, 4:50pm-6:10pm) for "What Students Need to Know About America's Wars Part 2: 1920-Present"
Saturday, May 2 - Conference (See separate schedule)
Sunday, May 3 - Conference, Depart for Philadelphia on United #0446 (Chicago to Philadelphia, 3:52pm-7:05pm)
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Schedule - 4/20-4/27
April 20 - AM Commons Duty (6:45-7:15), School (7:30-2:18), Baseball vs. Franklin (3:45), P2P Meeting (7-9)
April 21 - AM Commons Duty, School, Baseball at Hillsborough, Budget/BOE Election
April 22 - AM Commons Duty, School, Extra Help (2:18-3:18), Baseball Practice (3:00-5:30)
April 23 - School, Baseball vs. Hunterdon Central
April 24 - Delayed Opening for professional development, School, Baseball at Princeton
April 25 - East Asia Seminar at Princeton University (9:30-2:30), Baseball vs. Perth Amboy (11:00)
April 26 -
April 21 - AM Commons Duty, School, Baseball at Hillsborough, Budget/BOE Election
April 22 - AM Commons Duty, School, Extra Help (2:18-3:18), Baseball Practice (3:00-5:30)
April 23 - School, Baseball vs. Hunterdon Central
April 24 - Delayed Opening for professional development, School, Baseball at Princeton
April 25 - East Asia Seminar at Princeton University (9:30-2:30), Baseball vs. Perth Amboy (11:00)
April 26 -
Monday, April 13, 2009
Ali's Car Accident Photos
| ||||||
Craziness
Just before spring break, things got really crazy.
On Thursday, April 2, Ali called me at 6:05am from the scene of an accident she was in on Route 78 on her way to work. I met her at Somerset Medical Center where she was on a back board and pretty banged up. It took a few hours, but a CT Scan cleared her for internal injuries despite severe pain in her ribs, an injured shoulder, new back pain, dizziness, an injury to her finger, and contusions. Once she was discharged from the hospital, we picked up her pain medications and headed home.
Ali's friend Juli came over to help out and I left to go to baseball practice. Towards the end of practice, Ali called to let me know they were heading back to the hospital because her head pain had gotten worse and her dizziness wasn't going away. A rude doctor who didn't seem to take us very seriously said she probably had a concussion and reluctantly agreed to do a CT Scan on her head to ensure there wasn't anything more serious. He laughed away my question about whether it was safe for Ali to sleep that night calling that advice a myth. It turns out the discharge papers specifically said to wake her up every hour throughout the night.
Although everyone was very nice during the morning visit and Ali was extremely lucky as evidenced by our later visit to her totaled car, it is astonishing that no one ever checked her for a head injury even though she complained of nausea, dizziness, memory loss and pain to everyone from the EMTs on scene to the nurse/doctor in the emergency room during the initial visit to the nurse/doctor in the emergency room during the second visit.
Ali's parents came down to be there early Friday morning so I could go to work, which helped a lot. Ali actually felt better on Friday than expected although she was in a lot of pain that continued to get worse over the next few days following the accident. By Saturday afternoon, she had purchased a new car and we spent lots of time on Monday and Tuesday driving around to get everything figured out - insurance paperwork, bank check for the new car, get Ali's belongings out of the totaled car, etc. It was a crazy few days for sure.
To add on to the fun, on Sunday our toilet started acting up. I called a plumber and he told me that there would be a $119 charge just to come out on a Sunday on top of the charge for the service. Instead, we checked into the Days Inn in Hillsborough for the night for $60 and had the plumber come on Monday morning. A different toilet issue later in the week led to us getting a brand new toilet for a grand total of $900 of unexpected expenses.
Throughout the week of spring break, I had baseball most days. We are actually doing pretty well with a 3-0 record including two mercy rule wins in a row now, one of them over Ridge in my head coaching debut. Although there are a few kids on the team that drive me crazy, I am enjoying the experience so far.
On Friday, I saw a posting on Freecycle for two tickets to the Colin Mochrie/Brad Sherwood show in Morristown on Saturday night. Ali and I were able to make a nice night of it with dinner at a cool restaurant in the Hyatt Morristown, a drink at the Dublin Pub and then the really funny show.
Now Ali is in Cancun for a few days while I am back to school. I left out many details and thoughts, especially regarding the emotional side of Ali's accident, but that's a little bit about what's been happening the last 10 days or so. Hopefully things will calm down a little so we can focus on other things - like our wedding being less than four months away!
On Thursday, April 2, Ali called me at 6:05am from the scene of an accident she was in on Route 78 on her way to work. I met her at Somerset Medical Center where she was on a back board and pretty banged up. It took a few hours, but a CT Scan cleared her for internal injuries despite severe pain in her ribs, an injured shoulder, new back pain, dizziness, an injury to her finger, and contusions. Once she was discharged from the hospital, we picked up her pain medications and headed home.
Ali's friend Juli came over to help out and I left to go to baseball practice. Towards the end of practice, Ali called to let me know they were heading back to the hospital because her head pain had gotten worse and her dizziness wasn't going away. A rude doctor who didn't seem to take us very seriously said she probably had a concussion and reluctantly agreed to do a CT Scan on her head to ensure there wasn't anything more serious. He laughed away my question about whether it was safe for Ali to sleep that night calling that advice a myth. It turns out the discharge papers specifically said to wake her up every hour throughout the night.
Although everyone was very nice during the morning visit and Ali was extremely lucky as evidenced by our later visit to her totaled car, it is astonishing that no one ever checked her for a head injury even though she complained of nausea, dizziness, memory loss and pain to everyone from the EMTs on scene to the nurse/doctor in the emergency room during the initial visit to the nurse/doctor in the emergency room during the second visit.
Ali's parents came down to be there early Friday morning so I could go to work, which helped a lot. Ali actually felt better on Friday than expected although she was in a lot of pain that continued to get worse over the next few days following the accident. By Saturday afternoon, she had purchased a new car and we spent lots of time on Monday and Tuesday driving around to get everything figured out - insurance paperwork, bank check for the new car, get Ali's belongings out of the totaled car, etc. It was a crazy few days for sure.
To add on to the fun, on Sunday our toilet started acting up. I called a plumber and he told me that there would be a $119 charge just to come out on a Sunday on top of the charge for the service. Instead, we checked into the Days Inn in Hillsborough for the night for $60 and had the plumber come on Monday morning. A different toilet issue later in the week led to us getting a brand new toilet for a grand total of $900 of unexpected expenses.
Throughout the week of spring break, I had baseball most days. We are actually doing pretty well with a 3-0 record including two mercy rule wins in a row now, one of them over Ridge in my head coaching debut. Although there are a few kids on the team that drive me crazy, I am enjoying the experience so far.
On Friday, I saw a posting on Freecycle for two tickets to the Colin Mochrie/Brad Sherwood show in Morristown on Saturday night. Ali and I were able to make a nice night of it with dinner at a cool restaurant in the Hyatt Morristown, a drink at the Dublin Pub and then the really funny show.
Now Ali is in Cancun for a few days while I am back to school. I left out many details and thoughts, especially regarding the emotional side of Ali's accident, but that's a little bit about what's been happening the last 10 days or so. Hopefully things will calm down a little so we can focus on other things - like our wedding being less than four months away!
Schedule - 4/13-4/19
Monday, April 13 - Ali leaves for Cancun (early AM), Professional Development (8:30-3:30), Baseball Practice (3:00-5:30)
Tuesday, April 14 - School (7:30-2:18), Baseball vs. Bridgewater
Wednesday, April 15 - AM Commons Duty (6:45-7:15), School, Baseball at Princeton, Mom arrives from Florida
Thursday, April 16 - School, Baseball vs. Warren Hills
Friday, April 17 - School, Baseball Practice
Saturday, April 18 - Baseball Practice
Sunday, April 19 -
Tuesday, April 14 - School (7:30-2:18), Baseball vs. Bridgewater
Wednesday, April 15 - AM Commons Duty (6:45-7:15), School, Baseball at Princeton, Mom arrives from Florida
Thursday, April 16 - School, Baseball vs. Warren Hills
Friday, April 17 - School, Baseball Practice
Saturday, April 18 - Baseball Practice
Sunday, April 19 -
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Schedule - 4/6-4/12
No School this week due to spring break
Monday, April 7 - Baseball vs. Franklin (9:30 report, 11:00 game), meet insurance rep for Ali's car?, pick up Ali's new car?
Tuesday, April 8 - Baseball vs. Ridge (2:30 report, 3:45 game), Dinner with Allie and Matt?
Wednesday, April 9 - Baseball Practice (10-12)
Thursday, April 10 - Baseball at Lawrence (10:00 bus, 11:00 game)
Friday, April 11 -
Saturday, April 12 - Baseball vs. Union (9:30 report, 11:00 game)
Sunday, April 13
Monday, April 7 - Baseball vs. Franklin (9:30 report, 11:00 game), meet insurance rep for Ali's car?, pick up Ali's new car?
Tuesday, April 8 - Baseball vs. Ridge (2:30 report, 3:45 game), Dinner with Allie and Matt?
Wednesday, April 9 - Baseball Practice (10-12)
Thursday, April 10 - Baseball at Lawrence (10:00 bus, 11:00 game)
Friday, April 11 -
Saturday, April 12 - Baseball vs. Union (9:30 report, 11:00 game)
Sunday, April 13
Monday, March 30, 2009
Entitlement
I have had a couple cases of Montgomery entitlement over the past few weeks. Prior to these, I had a pretty good run of not dealing with this type of thing, which was prevalant at Ridge as well. Although I'd heard colleagues' stories of students and/or parents thinking they were above the system or deserved more than the average person, I hadn't really encountered it.
Now I have.
First, I have a 9th grade student who complained about my evaluation of an essay she wrote a few weeks ago. We met and I agreed to adjust her grade slightly. Her father sent an e-mail indicating his displeasure with my assessment of her work and the test question on its own. He implicated that my teaching methods were to blame for her shortcomings. I responded to his e-mail carefully and he replied to let me know that he was still dissatisfied and would not let the issue die.
I talked it over with my supervisor and the next day she received an e-mail from the "student." It was actually the same e-mail the father sent me with some words changed around for it to be from the student rather than a parent. When my supervisor met with the student to reiterate my position, the student flipped out. Other colleagues in the office actually remarked to my supervisor about the student.
Next, the parent e-mailed my supervisor to explain that he was not satisfied with the supervisor's meeting with the student. My supervisor offered him a meeting time for the three of us (excluding the student), but that has not been scheduled yet.
Since this started, I have been keeping notes of every questionable conversation with the student and copies of all her written work that has had the same problems as the question that she originally complained about. I think there is more to this issue than one test question because I never heard from the parent before and it seems like going way too far for just a couple points. We'll see what happens.
The other entitlement front came with baseball. The head coach and I decided not to cut anyone from the freshmen team for a few reasons - two coaches can handle the 22 guys we have, 3 guys can't play right now due to injuries, no one is that much worse/better than anyone else. The Monday after that decision was announced, the head varsity coach received two anonymous letters containing BS about how this was a terrible idea and unfair to the better players who would lose playing time. Nothing big came of these letters, but it was a nuisance to deal with in the midst of the other situation.
Otherwise, baseball has been going really well. I'm enjoying it, learning a lot, and doing an okay job so far.
Now I have.
First, I have a 9th grade student who complained about my evaluation of an essay she wrote a few weeks ago. We met and I agreed to adjust her grade slightly. Her father sent an e-mail indicating his displeasure with my assessment of her work and the test question on its own. He implicated that my teaching methods were to blame for her shortcomings. I responded to his e-mail carefully and he replied to let me know that he was still dissatisfied and would not let the issue die.
I talked it over with my supervisor and the next day she received an e-mail from the "student." It was actually the same e-mail the father sent me with some words changed around for it to be from the student rather than a parent. When my supervisor met with the student to reiterate my position, the student flipped out. Other colleagues in the office actually remarked to my supervisor about the student.
Next, the parent e-mailed my supervisor to explain that he was not satisfied with the supervisor's meeting with the student. My supervisor offered him a meeting time for the three of us (excluding the student), but that has not been scheduled yet.
Since this started, I have been keeping notes of every questionable conversation with the student and copies of all her written work that has had the same problems as the question that she originally complained about. I think there is more to this issue than one test question because I never heard from the parent before and it seems like going way too far for just a couple points. We'll see what happens.
The other entitlement front came with baseball. The head coach and I decided not to cut anyone from the freshmen team for a few reasons - two coaches can handle the 22 guys we have, 3 guys can't play right now due to injuries, no one is that much worse/better than anyone else. The Monday after that decision was announced, the head varsity coach received two anonymous letters containing BS about how this was a terrible idea and unfair to the better players who would lose playing time. Nothing big came of these letters, but it was a nuisance to deal with in the midst of the other situation.
Otherwise, baseball has been going really well. I'm enjoying it, learning a lot, and doing an okay job so far.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Schedule - 3/30-4/5
Monday, March 30 - AM Commons Duty (6:45-7:15), School (7:30-2:18), Baseball Practice (3:00-5:30)
Tuesday, March 31 - School, Extra Help (2:18-3:18), Baseball Practice (3:00-5:30)
Wednesday, April 1 - School, Baseball @ Watchung Hills (2:30 bus, 3:45 game)
Thursday, April 2 - School, Baseball Practice
Friday, April 3 - School, Baseball vs. Ridge (3:45 game), Dave & Mandy's Wedding
Saturday, April 4 - Baseball @ Princeton (10:00 bus, 11:00 game)
Sunday, April 5 -
Tuesday, March 31 - School, Extra Help (2:18-3:18), Baseball Practice (3:00-5:30)
Wednesday, April 1 - School, Baseball @ Watchung Hills (2:30 bus, 3:45 game)
Thursday, April 2 - School, Baseball Practice
Friday, April 3 - School, Baseball vs. Ridge (3:45 game), Dave & Mandy's Wedding
Saturday, April 4 - Baseball @ Princeton (10:00 bus, 11:00 game)
Sunday, April 5 -
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Schedule - 3/23-3/29
Monday, March 23 - AM Commons Duty (6:45-7:15), School, Baseball Practice (3:00-5:30)
Tuesday, March 24 - School, Baseball Scrimmage vs. Piscataway, Board of Education Meeting (7:00)
Wednesday, March 25 - AM Commons Duty, School, Baseball Practice, Baseball Coaches' Clinic at Hunterdon Central High School (6:00-9:00)
Thursday, March 26 - School, Baseball Scrimmage at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North
Friday, March 27 - School, Baseball Practice
Saturday, March 28 - Baseball Scrimmage vs. Elizabeth (11:00), Dave's Bachelor Party
Sunday, March 29
Tuesday, March 24 - School, Baseball Scrimmage vs. Piscataway, Board of Education Meeting (7:00)
Wednesday, March 25 - AM Commons Duty, School, Baseball Practice, Baseball Coaches' Clinic at Hunterdon Central High School (6:00-9:00)
Thursday, March 26 - School, Baseball Scrimmage at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North
Friday, March 27 - School, Baseball Practice
Saturday, March 28 - Baseball Scrimmage vs. Elizabeth (11:00), Dave's Bachelor Party
Sunday, March 29
Sunday, March 15, 2009
This Weekend
Ugh - another long time between meaningful posts. I even promised myself a few days ago that I would try to write for at least 10 minutes a night to keep this thing more up to date.
Saturday morning, we had our first scrimmage of the season. I still don't feel much like a baseball coach, but I think I am picking things up pretty quickly from my (much) senior head coach. The students are pretty good although they can be typically immature freshmen boys at times, too. We lost to Piscataway 9-5. My overzealousness with statistics and record keeping allows me to know that confidently even though we did not officially keep score or share that information with the players.
When I got into my car to leave for the game, my passenger side window was down. At first, I thought I just left it down by accident the day before, but then I remembered that it was below 40 degrees the past few days. I pulled over since the motor was dead for that window, but could not get it closed even manually. When I got to school, I found some duct tape and a garbage bag to "secure" it as much as possible and then took it to my mechanic on the way home later that afternoon. Since they would not be able to get to it until Monday, I left it in a bay and went ahead making sub plans for Monday. It's not a great day for me to miss school and I need to be able to get there in time for baseball either way, but there wasn't much of an option available. I couldn't even rent a car due to the time that everything happened.
Saturday night, Ali and I went out to dinner with Dave and Steph at McCormick and Schmick's at Bridgewater Commons. We had a good time catching up.
This morning, we drove out to meet with our florist/wedding planner Loretta who took us out to a place to look at invitations. We finally placed an order for something and should be able to send out the first batch of invitations early in April. Loretta also bought us coffee and then lunch while talking about all her grand plans for the wedding. We are lucky to have her working so far above and beyond what a florist normally does though so we don't have to worry about the overall vision of the wedding all that much.
Tonight I met up with some of my former Ridge colleagues for our annual NCAA pool picks. It was fun to catch up; we'll do some more of that at Dave's wedding in a few weeks. Those were good days when we were all new, young teachers at Ridge, hanging out on the weekends, playing poker, going to Morristown and happy hours...I'm glad to have had those experiences.
Saturday morning, we had our first scrimmage of the season. I still don't feel much like a baseball coach, but I think I am picking things up pretty quickly from my (much) senior head coach. The students are pretty good although they can be typically immature freshmen boys at times, too. We lost to Piscataway 9-5. My overzealousness with statistics and record keeping allows me to know that confidently even though we did not officially keep score or share that information with the players.
When I got into my car to leave for the game, my passenger side window was down. At first, I thought I just left it down by accident the day before, but then I remembered that it was below 40 degrees the past few days. I pulled over since the motor was dead for that window, but could not get it closed even manually. When I got to school, I found some duct tape and a garbage bag to "secure" it as much as possible and then took it to my mechanic on the way home later that afternoon. Since they would not be able to get to it until Monday, I left it in a bay and went ahead making sub plans for Monday. It's not a great day for me to miss school and I need to be able to get there in time for baseball either way, but there wasn't much of an option available. I couldn't even rent a car due to the time that everything happened.
Saturday night, Ali and I went out to dinner with Dave and Steph at McCormick and Schmick's at Bridgewater Commons. We had a good time catching up.
This morning, we drove out to meet with our florist/wedding planner Loretta who took us out to a place to look at invitations. We finally placed an order for something and should be able to send out the first batch of invitations early in April. Loretta also bought us coffee and then lunch while talking about all her grand plans for the wedding. We are lucky to have her working so far above and beyond what a florist normally does though so we don't have to worry about the overall vision of the wedding all that much.
Tonight I met up with some of my former Ridge colleagues for our annual NCAA pool picks. It was fun to catch up; we'll do some more of that at Dave's wedding in a few weeks. Those were good days when we were all new, young teachers at Ridge, hanging out on the weekends, playing poker, going to Morristown and happy hours...I'm glad to have had those experiences.
Schedule - 3/16-3/22
Monday, March 16 - No school due to car being in the shop, Baseball (3:00-5:30)
Tuesday, March 17 - School, Baseball vs. Hamilton West (3:45)
Wednesday, March 18 - School, Extra Help, Baseball (3:00-5:30)
Thursday, March 19 - School, Baseball at Steinert (3:45)
Friday, March 20 - School, Baseball (3:00-5:30)
Saturday, March 21 - Baseball?
Sunday, March 22 -
Tuesday, March 17 - School, Baseball vs. Hamilton West (3:45)
Wednesday, March 18 - School, Extra Help, Baseball (3:00-5:30)
Thursday, March 19 - School, Baseball at Steinert (3:45)
Friday, March 20 - School, Baseball (3:00-5:30)
Saturday, March 21 - Baseball?
Sunday, March 22 -
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Schedule - 3/9-3/15
Monday, March 9 - AM Commons Duty (6:45-7:15), School, Baseball Practice (after school and/or evening depending on weather), MTEA meeting (4:00-5:00), P2P Meeting (7:30-9:30)
Tuesday, March 10 - School, Baseball Practice (after school and/or evening depending on weather), Girls Basketball at North Brunswick High School vs. Colts Neck for Central Jersey Group IV Championship (game time 7:30)
Wednesday, March 11 - AM Commons Duty, School, Baseball Practice @ ProQuest Sports Center (after school)
Thursday, March 12 - School, Extra Help (2:30-3:30), Baseball (after school and/or evening depending on weather)
Friday, March 13 - School (Delayed Opening for professional development), Baseball (after school and/or evening depending on weather)
Saturday, March 14 - Scrimmage @ Piscataway (bus departs 8:30am, game time 10:00am)
Sunday, March 15 - Meeting for invitations (morning), NCAA Auction at Tim's (6:00pm)
Tuesday, March 10 - School, Baseball Practice (after school and/or evening depending on weather), Girls Basketball at North Brunswick High School vs. Colts Neck for Central Jersey Group IV Championship (game time 7:30)
Wednesday, March 11 - AM Commons Duty, School, Baseball Practice @ ProQuest Sports Center (after school)
Thursday, March 12 - School, Extra Help (2:30-3:30), Baseball (after school and/or evening depending on weather)
Friday, March 13 - School (Delayed Opening for professional development), Baseball (after school and/or evening depending on weather)
Saturday, March 14 - Scrimmage @ Piscataway (bus departs 8:30am, game time 10:00am)
Sunday, March 15 - Meeting for invitations (morning), NCAA Auction at Tim's (6:00pm)
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Schedule - 3/2-3/8
Monday, March 2 - Snow Day, Meeting with 403(b) Rep (5:00)
Tuesday, March 3 - HSPA Administration, Baseball Coaches' Meeting at Famous Dave's (4:00)
Wednesday, March 4 - HSPA Administration, Girls Basketball State Tournament Game (6:15)
Thursday, March 5 - HSPA Administration, Extra Help (2:30-3:30)
Friday, March 6 - School, Girls Basketball State Tournament Game, Baseball Tryouts (3:00-3:30, 6:00-9:00)
Saturday, March 7 - Baseball Tryouts (2:00-5:15), Princeton University East Asia Seminar (9:30-2:30)
Sunday, March 8 - Daylight Savings Time begins
Tuesday, March 3 - HSPA Administration, Baseball Coaches' Meeting at Famous Dave's (4:00)
Wednesday, March 4 - HSPA Administration, Girls Basketball State Tournament Game (6:15)
Thursday, March 5 - HSPA Administration, Extra Help (2:30-3:30)
Friday, March 6 - School, Girls Basketball State Tournament Game, Baseball Tryouts (3:00-3:30, 6:00-9:00)
Saturday, March 7 - Baseball Tryouts (2:00-5:15), Princeton University East Asia Seminar (9:30-2:30)
Sunday, March 8 - Daylight Savings Time begins
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Schedule - 2/23-3/1
Monday, February 23 - AM Commons Duty (6:45-7:15), School (7:30-2:18), Faculty meeting (2:30-4:00)
Tuesday, February 24 - School, Baseball interest meeting (2:30-?), Board of Education meeting (7:30)
Wednesday, February 25 - AM Commons Duty, School, Lesson plan writing with colleague (2:30-?)
Thursday, February 26 - School, Extra Help (2:30-3:30), See wedding band (7:30-9:00)
Friday, February 27 - School, P2P Meeting (7:00-9:00)
Saturday, February 28 -
Sunday, March 1 - P2P Leader Meeting (1:00)
Tuesday, February 24 - School, Baseball interest meeting (2:30-?), Board of Education meeting (7:30)
Wednesday, February 25 - AM Commons Duty, School, Lesson plan writing with colleague (2:30-?)
Thursday, February 26 - School, Extra Help (2:30-3:30), See wedding band (7:30-9:00)
Friday, February 27 - School, P2P Meeting (7:00-9:00)
Saturday, February 28 -
Sunday, March 1 - P2P Leader Meeting (1:00)
Monday, February 16, 2009
Schedule - 2/17-2/22
Tuesday, February 17 - School, PM Commons Duty/Extra Help, MTEA Bargaining Council meeting, Girls BBall vs. Hunterdon Central
Wednesday, February 18 - School, Appointment for Invitations (6:30)
Thursday, February 19 - Nathanael Greene Liberty Fellowship
Friday, February 20 - Nathanael Greene Liberty Fellowship
Saturday, February 21 - East Asia Seminar at Princeton University, Girls County Tournament game
Sunday, February 22 - P2P Leaders Meeting (1:00)
Wednesday, February 18 - School, Appointment for Invitations (6:30)
Thursday, February 19 - Nathanael Greene Liberty Fellowship
Friday, February 20 - Nathanael Greene Liberty Fellowship
Saturday, February 21 - East Asia Seminar at Princeton University, Girls County Tournament game
Sunday, February 22 - P2P Leaders Meeting (1:00)
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Not Me
Check out the article in a local paper. A 20-year-old Matthew Mingle from a town bordering mine was arrested on drug charges. It should be interesting to see if this causes any odd glances.
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Schedule - 2/9-2/16
Monday, February 9 - Secretshop at Monty Wawa, AM Commons Duty (6:45-7:15), School (7:30-2:18), MTEA Meeting (4-5), Meet with All About Honeymoons rep at Panera in Basking Ridge (6:30), Meet with officiant at Panera in Basking Ridge (8:00)
Tuesday, February 10 - School, Extra Help (2:30-3:30)/PM Commons Duty (2:30-4:00), Girls Basketball vs. Immaculata (7:00)
Wednesday, February 11 - AM Commons Duty, School, Dinner with Allie/Matt at Maggiano's in Bridgewater (Time TBA)
Thursday, February 12 - Professional Development/No School, Boys basketball vs. Westfield
Friday, February 13 - Professional Development/No School
Saturday, February 14 - Girls basketball vs. Ridge in County Tournament (Time TBA)
Sunday, February 15 -
Monday, February 16 - No School
Tuesday, February 10 - School, Extra Help (2:30-3:30)/PM Commons Duty (2:30-4:00), Girls Basketball vs. Immaculata (7:00)
Wednesday, February 11 - AM Commons Duty, School, Dinner with Allie/Matt at Maggiano's in Bridgewater (Time TBA)
Thursday, February 12 - Professional Development/No School, Boys basketball vs. Westfield
Friday, February 13 - Professional Development/No School
Saturday, February 14 - Girls basketball vs. Ridge in County Tournament (Time TBA)
Sunday, February 15 -
Monday, February 16 - No School
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Quick Updates
Too many things to write about at once so some quick updates:
- I officially did not get the job in Hillsborough
- Ali and I are going to Ireland with the University of Delaware and University of Massachusetts marching bands from December 26, 2009-January 4, 2010
- We have chosen a photographer, videographer and florist
- We met with a travel agent and narrowed things down to Venice (possible a Mediterranean cruise) or Hawaii (possibly including an inter-island cruise)
- We have meetings scheduled with two officiants and will finalize that within the next 10 days
- I may be taking the position of freshman baseball coach at Montgomery. They still need someone and the varsity coach and I had a good chat about my lack of qualifications yet my interest in this sort of thing. He seems to think we can make it work.
- Taxes are just about done - my refund will pay most of the Ireland trip cost
Weekly Schedule - 2/2-2/8
Monday, February 2 - AM Commons Duty, School, Department Meeting
Tuesday, February 3 - School, PM Commons Duty, Boys Basketball vs. Bridgewater
Wednesday, February 4 - AM Commons Duty, School
Thursday, February 5 - School, Extra Help, Girls Basketball vs. Hillsborough (5), Boys Basketball vs. Hillsborough (7)
Friday, February 6 - School, Meeting with Potential Officient (6:30)
Saturday, February 7 -
Sunday, February 8 - Meeting with Florist (1)
Tuesday, February 3 - School, PM Commons Duty, Boys Basketball vs. Bridgewater
Wednesday, February 4 - AM Commons Duty, School
Thursday, February 5 - School, Extra Help, Girls Basketball vs. Hillsborough (5), Boys Basketball vs. Hillsborough (7)
Friday, February 6 - School, Meeting with Potential Officient (6:30)
Saturday, February 7 -
Sunday, February 8 - Meeting with Florist (1)
Monday, January 26, 2009
Ireland?
The University of Delaware and University of Massachusetts marching bands are heading to Ireland from December 26, 2009-January 4, 2010 for touring and performance. All UDMB and UMMB alumni and family are also invited to attend. Alumni are permitted to perform alongside the current bands during a parade performance on New Year's Day in Dublin.
Alison and I have been hemming and hawing about whether to go because it would be another trip on top of a wedding and a honeymoon. The cost is $2500/person including round-trip airfare, accommodations for 8 nights, all breakfasts, 5 dinners, and entrance to most sights. That is a great price for everything that it includes.
The bad part is we have to make a deposit by February 5 so time is running out! We are leaning towards going, but have to make sure our schools will let us take off on January 4, 2010 since it is the Monday after a holiday.
Alison and I have been hemming and hawing about whether to go because it would be another trip on top of a wedding and a honeymoon. The cost is $2500/person including round-trip airfare, accommodations for 8 nights, all breakfasts, 5 dinners, and entrance to most sights. That is a great price for everything that it includes.
The bad part is we have to make a deposit by February 5 so time is running out! We are leaning towards going, but have to make sure our schools will let us take off on January 4, 2010 since it is the Monday after a holiday.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Weekly Schedule - 1/26-2/1
Monday, January 26: AM Commons Duty (8:45-9:30), Exams, Department Meeting (2:30-3:45)
Tuesday, January 27: Exams, PM Commons Duty (2:30-4:00), Girls BBall vs. Watchung Hills
Wednesday, January 28: AM Commons Duty (6:45-7:15), School, Meeting with photographer (5), Photographer/Videographer Showcase Wine & Cheese Party (6:45)
Thursday, January 29: School, Boys BBall vs. Franklin
Friday, January 30: School. P2P Meeting (7-9)
Saturday, January 31: East Asia Professional Development at Princeton (9:30-2:30), Girls BBall vs. Moorestown (1), Boys BBall (?)
Sunday, February 1: Super Bowl Party?
Tuesday, January 27: Exams, PM Commons Duty (2:30-4:00), Girls BBall vs. Watchung Hills
Wednesday, January 28: AM Commons Duty (6:45-7:15), School, Meeting with photographer (5), Photographer/Videographer Showcase Wine & Cheese Party (6:45)
Thursday, January 29: School, Boys BBall vs. Franklin
Friday, January 30: School. P2P Meeting (7-9)
Saturday, January 31: East Asia Professional Development at Princeton (9:30-2:30), Girls BBall vs. Moorestown (1), Boys BBall (?)
Sunday, February 1: Super Bowl Party?
Saturday, January 24, 2009
We have a band!
Who Are The Brass Tacks?
The Brass Tacks Orchestra is unique in the world of big bands. We are not a pick-up band. We are a rehearsing band with 19 members, some of whom have been together for nearly 20 years. The result is a sound and feeling of our performances which are instantly recognizable.
The Brass Tacks Orchestra is an authentic 17-piece "big band", which includes a full rhythm section and 13 brass and wind instruments, complimented by lead male and female vocalists, as well as male and female backing singers. Hits from Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, Count Basie and Harry James make the most of the band’s 17-piece instrumentation with authentic performances of many of the artists’ original arrangements.
The band’s male and female vocalists feature the best of Frank Sinatra, Harry Connick, Jr., Natalie Cole and Linda Ronstadt, to name only a few. The Brass Tacks Orchestra’s varied repertoire also includes a full range of more contemporary selections made popular by such artists as Garth Brooks, Santana, Gloria Estefan, Tina Turner, Brian Setzer and Bruce Springsteen.
The Brass Tacks is well versed in all forms of Ballroom and Society Dances such as the fox trot, cha-cha, meringue, tango and waltz. We have performed private ballroom dinner dances for highly discriminating dance studios throughout New Jersey.
Musicians comprising The Brass Tacks Orchestra possess on average more than 20 years experience. Some band members are recent graduates of top music schools; others are music teachers and still others performed the greatest hits of the Big Band era during its heyday. Band members have in common a dedication to professionalism evident in every appearance.The Brass Tacks Orchestra presents a top-notch show that keeps its audiences dancing or toe tapping throughout its performance - and talking about it for weeks later.
The Band has entertained audiences at some of New Jersey’s finest venues, such as the PNC Arts Center in Homdel, the Parsippany Hilton, The Fair Lawn Pavilion in Montclair, Sea Oaks Country Clusb, Deal Counry Club, the Mill in Spring Lake Heights and several casinos including Bally’s Park Place Casino Hotel, and the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Inauguration
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Thursday, January 22, 2009
Check out this page on NJ.com
Dear Blog:
Matt Mingle (mmingle16@aol.com) thought you would be interested in this item from NJ.com
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/01/paramus_suspends_employee_for.html
Matt Mingle
Chris is a graduate of Saddle Brook High School and a former firefighter at the same firehouse that I was at.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Fwd: Departure Dates and Teamed Delegation Tips
My travel dates are confirmed for July 12-July 31. This means I will have exactly 1 week from my return until wedding day. Busy week!!!
-----Original Message-----
From: People to People <info@peopletopeople.com>
To: mmingle16@aol.com
Sent: Fri, 16 Jan 2009 3:32 pm
Subject: Departure Dates and Teamed Delegation Tips
-----Original Message-----
From: People to People <info@peopletopeople.com>
To: mmingle16@aol.com
Sent: Fri, 16 Jan 2009 3:32 pm
Subject: Departure Dates and Teamed Delegation Tips
To unsubscribe, please click here or contact us here: People to People Ambassador Programs | Dwight D. Eisenhower Building | 1956 Ambassador Way | Spokane, WA 99224-4002 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Save the Date!
We booked Friday, August 7 at Bridgewater Manor in Bridgewater, NJ. The ceremony will begin at 5:30pm with dinner/dancing from 6-11pm.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Two More Reception Halls and a Fair
On Saturday morning, we visited The Palace at Somerset Park in Somerset, NJ. It is designed after Versailles and is similarly elegant and high class. Although the facilities are beautiful, we felt a little out of place and think it might actually be too much for us. Pros:
- Beautiful setting
- Great food options
- Elegant additions possible including fireworks
- Shuttle available with nearby hotel
- Personal wedding planner provided
- Base package includes many things not available in other places including things like sushi stations and other premium foods
- Indoor/outdoor settings for ceremony both great
Cons:
- Very expensive
- Minimum guest guarantee is a bit high for our expected guest list
- Available only on Sunday of our preferred weekends
On Sunday morning, we visited the Highlander Pavilion at Royce Brook Golf Club in Hillsborough. This is a pseudo-outdoor tent setting although we toured the indoor facilities today. It took a little imagination for us today because the setting and facility are really geared towards the spring, summer, and fall months instead of a snowy winter's day.
Pros:
- Close to home
- Highly personalized service due to only running 1 wedding at a time
- Gatsby-like setting with pavilion and rolling greens of the golf course
- Good deal with local hotels including shuttle service
- Good feel from contact at the location
- Willing to go above and beyond to make sure everything we need is available
- 3 staff members dedicated to the logistics on wedding day plus all necessary support staff
Cons:
- Hard to imagine during winter
- Lots of moving around required of guests to go from ceremony to reception
- Bad weather option is not ideal
- Bathrooms are in portable building (they are full-service and supposed to be nice...but still)
- Tougher terrain for older guests
On Sunday, we also visited the Olde Mill Inn in Basking Ridge for a bridal show. As it was our first such event, we were completely overwhelmed. We did hear a couple good bands and picked up information from some vendors, but we were more stressed out than excited. Hopefully, we 
will be able to make better use of these sorts of things in the future. We are hoping to finalize a date and location this week so that we can move on to other aspects of planning. Anyone with thoughts on our two finalists (Bridgewater Manor and Royce Brook Golf Club) is welcome to make comments here!
Schedule - 1/12-1/18
Monday, January 12 - AM Commons Duty, School, Observation during period 1, MTEA meeting?
Tuesday, January 13 - School, Extra Help, PM Commons Duty, MTEA Bargaining Council meeting (4:00), Girls Bball vs. Bridgewater Raritan
Wednesday, January 14 - AM Commons Duty, School, Band Concert
Thursday, January 15 - School, Post Observation Conference, Detention
Friday, January 16 - School, Girls BBall vs. Voorhees, Dave's band plays in Bernardsville
Saturday, January 17 - CPR class in Metuchen (8-10am), Boys bball vs. Princeton Day School
Sunday, January 18 - Surprise birthday/Valentine's Day present from Ali
Tuesday, January 13 - School, Extra Help, PM Commons Duty, MTEA Bargaining Council meeting (4:00), Girls Bball vs. Bridgewater Raritan
Wednesday, January 14 - AM Commons Duty, School, Band Concert
Thursday, January 15 - School, Post Observation Conference, Detention
Friday, January 16 - School, Girls BBall vs. Voorhees, Dave's band plays in Bernardsville
Saturday, January 17 - CPR class in Metuchen (8-10am), Boys bball vs. Princeton Day School
Sunday, January 18 - Surprise birthday/Valentine's Day present from Ali
Friday, January 09, 2009
Hillsborough Interview Report
I interviewed for an Assistant Principal position at Hillsborough High School yesterday. The whole thing was a little strange since I received a call the day before winter break after not hearing anything for six weeks since applying.
Anyway, I arrived at the high school for my 2pm interview and was quickly met by an assistant principal. There was no introduction or background on the position before we went into a conference room and met with a committee of about 12 people. Nobody was introduced so I am not really sure who made up the group.
I think I handled the questions very well throughout. I was prepared for everything they came up with and I think I did a pretty good job. At the very end of the interview, the assistant principal leading the proceedings asked a pointed question about why I left Ridge, which had a negative connotation to me. He also mentioned talking to people there who had good things to say about me, but when I asked my Montgomery references if they had been contacted, they indicated they had not been. This is a bit odd that Hillsborough would call an old district and not a new one.
Anyway, they have more interviews next week before they cut down the pool for the next round. Since this is a position that would begin this April, they hope to fill it by February so at least things should move quickly one way or another.
Anyway, I arrived at the high school for my 2pm interview and was quickly met by an assistant principal. There was no introduction or background on the position before we went into a conference room and met with a committee of about 12 people. Nobody was introduced so I am not really sure who made up the group.
I think I handled the questions very well throughout. I was prepared for everything they came up with and I think I did a pretty good job. At the very end of the interview, the assistant principal leading the proceedings asked a pointed question about why I left Ridge, which had a negative connotation to me. He also mentioned talking to people there who had good things to say about me, but when I asked my Montgomery references if they had been contacted, they indicated they had not been. This is a bit odd that Hillsborough would call an old district and not a new one.
Anyway, they have more interviews next week before they cut down the pool for the next round. Since this is a position that would begin this April, they hope to fill it by February so at least things should move quickly one way or another.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Schedule - 1/5-1/11
Monday, January 5 - AM Commons Duty, School, Pre-Observation Conference with Director of Humanities, Faculty Meeting
Tuesday, January 6 - School, PM Commons Duty, Girls Basketball vs. Franklin
Wednesday, January 7 - School, Guidance/Student meeting (2:30), Food tasting at Bridgewater Manor (5:30)
Thursday, January 8 - School (until 11:45am), Interview for Vice Principal position at Hillsborough High School, Midterm writing with colleagues for World Studies, Girls Basketball vs. Warren Hills
Friday, January 9 - Delayed Opening for professional meetings, School, Dinner with Matt and Allie in Montclair
Saturday, January 10 - Visit at The Palace at Somerset for reception possibility (10am)
Sunday, January 11 - Visit at Royce Brook Golf Club in Hillsborough for reception possibility (11:30am), Bridal Show at Olde Mill Inn in Basking Ridge (1pm)
Tuesday, January 6 - School, PM Commons Duty, Girls Basketball vs. Franklin
Wednesday, January 7 - School, Guidance/Student meeting (2:30), Food tasting at Bridgewater Manor (5:30)
Thursday, January 8 - School (until 11:45am), Interview for Vice Principal position at Hillsborough High School, Midterm writing with colleagues for World Studies, Girls Basketball vs. Warren Hills
Friday, January 9 - Delayed Opening for professional meetings, School, Dinner with Matt and Allie in Montclair
Saturday, January 10 - Visit at The Palace at Somerset for reception possibility (10am)
Sunday, January 11 - Visit at Royce Brook Golf Club in Hillsborough for reception possibility (11:30am), Bridal Show at Olde Mill Inn in Basking Ridge (1pm)
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
UPDATE: Search continues for prison inmate who escaped from Montgomery farm
You have been sent an online news article from Matt as a courtesy of mycentraljersey.com.
Article Title:
UPDATE: Search continues for prison inmate who escaped from Montgomery farm
To view the contents on www.mycentraljersey.com, go to:
http://www.mycentraljersey.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/200901061032/NEWS/90106013
Check out this page on NJ.com
Dear Blog:
Matt (mmingle16@aol.com) thought you would be interested in this item from NJ.com
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/01/state_prisoner_escapes_from_so.html
Matt
We went into a full lockdown at 9:45am for about 45 minutes. This means lights off, everyone on the floor in a corner away from windows, no noise. Then we moved to a modified lockdown in the room but free to move around. After about 90 minutes, we moved into another form of lockdown where the school was secured with only one entrance/exit operating, but moving freely throughout the building. It made for an interesting day.
Monday, January 05, 2009
Engagement Photos
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Winter Wanderland Day 12 - January 4
The last day of winter break! :(
We got up early to head to Princeton where Ali's friend (and Maid of Honor) Juli did a photo shoot of us for newspaper announcements and other photo needs that arise. I will post a link to photos soon. We had fun although it was really cold and I'm not very good at that sort of thing and the pictures came out really well. We even stopped for coffee and a couple shots at the coffee shop where we had our first date.
I took a long nap in the afternoon before heading out to meet Marian and three of our former Ridge students for dinner. Our dinner turned in to a five hour meal and catch up session. We all had a lot of fun, but it meant getting home after 11pm. Ali and I stayed up til well after midnight talking about wedding stuff since we couldn't get to sleep anyway.
We had a great, long winter break with lots of excitement and traveling all over the place. I hope to keep the blog more updated than usual especially as we continue to make wedding plans.
We got up early to head to Princeton where Ali's friend (and Maid of Honor) Juli did a photo shoot of us for newspaper announcements and other photo needs that arise. I will post a link to photos soon. We had fun although it was really cold and I'm not very good at that sort of thing and the pictures came out really well. We even stopped for coffee and a couple shots at the coffee shop where we had our first date.
I took a long nap in the afternoon before heading out to meet Marian and three of our former Ridge students for dinner. Our dinner turned in to a five hour meal and catch up session. We all had a lot of fun, but it meant getting home after 11pm. Ali and I stayed up til well after midnight talking about wedding stuff since we couldn't get to sleep anyway.
We had a great, long winter break with lots of excitement and traveling all over the place. I hope to keep the blog more updated than usual especially as we continue to make wedding plans.
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Winter Wanderland Day 11 - January 3
We slept in this morning after getting to bed sometime between 1 and 2am after the wedding last night and our first stop after checking out of the hotel was a diner for brunch.
We killed some time at Bridgewater Commons before our 2pm appointment at Bridgewater Manor.
We killed some time at Bridgewater Commons before our 2pm appointment at Bridgewater Manor.
Pros for Bridgewater Manor:
- Beautiful setting inside and out
- Perfect setting for an outdoor ceremony and photos with gazebos, gardens, etc.
- Well-oiled machine as far as staff is concerned
- Price is inclusive of lots of things not included at other places - tax/gratuity, all linens, cake, etc.
- Valet parking provided
- Deals with local hotels for shuttle services and bridal suite
- Food choices great
- Maitre'd/event manager handle all the details on the wedding night
- Ability to add overtime for reasonable cost on the night of the wedding
- Decorating policy is pretty lenient and with a Friday wedding, we could get in almost anytime to get things set up
Cons for Bridgewater Manor:
- No hotel on property
- Numerous events at one time
- Saturday not available during desired weekend for ceremony
- Room is a little small although it will definitely accomodate our guest list
We got a really good feeling about this place although we want to visit at least one other site - an outdoor pavilion style room at a gofl club right here in Hillsborough. We are 90% committed to August 7 or August 8 and hope to nail down an exact date in the next week or two.
When we got home, we spent some more time going over guest list drafts and planning other details. We even began working on invitations. It is hard to believe that we have only been engaged for 8 days. We are doing all the planning together and have been making good progress so far. It isn't so hard when you are on the same wavelength going into it.
Ali's friend Juli is stopping by tonight so we can talk about some engagement photo possibilities. We plan to head out tomorrow morning to do that so we can send out newspaper announcements and have a store of high-quality images to use for other things that come up along the way.
Winter Wanderland Day 10 - January 2
We set out this morning for our first reception site appointment - this one was at the Bridgewater Marriott in Bridgewater. We prepared a list of topics to discuss ahead of time to make sure we got everything on the first show - at least as much as we know to get at this point.
Pros of Bridgewater Marriott:
- Provides 10:1 Marriott Rewards points to dollars spent for a Friday wedding, which can be used toward a honeymoon
- Ceremony, reception, and hotel accommodations all at one site
- Easily accessible from nearby highways
- No worries about traveling, shuttles
- Wedding planner provided
- Suite for bridge/groom and rooms for parents provided on wedding night
- Big space for cocktail hour
- Allowed to visit to see other events in action
- Audio/visual team on site if needed
Cons of Bridgewater Marriott:
- Not available on preferred date of August 7
- Could have another wedding/event on the other side of a dividing wall
- No good spot for photos in or around the hotel
- Limited linens available - black or white only
- Extra cost for chair covers
- Share common hotel bathroom with other guests during wedding
- Ugly Christmas color carpet in ballroom with green chairs
After the hotel, we stopped at the nearby Men's Warehouse to try to take care of the missing cuff links and button covers for my tux rental. The incompetent staff there (incompetent when I picked up the tux as well) could not find them and could not get through to the nearby store to find out if they had them available. I convinced the associate to contact other stores along my route to the wedding and we located replacements in Union, near the hotel. This has helped narrow down my tux locations - Men's Warehouse is off the list.
We had a little bit of down time in the hotel before I headed to Steve's room for photos and video. This was pretty relaxed with about an hour and a half of chill time before getting on the party bus to the church. We even had time to play some Wii!
Everything moved pretty quickly and smoothly at the church. The priest asked me to signal him when the bride was ready, but when I came to do just that he was nowhere to be found. The other groomsmen, Steve, the church musicians and I all searched for this guy to no avail. Finally he emerged from the rectory with the excuse that he thought the wedding started at 5pm (it was 4:30). This led to a 15-minute delay or so, which was annoying but not that big a deal in the end.
Once we ushered everyone out of the church, we hopped on the party bus to head to the reception site. During the cocktail hour, the wedding party did some photos and hid away in our separate area. The wedding went really well and everyone had a great time with tons of people on the dance floor all throughout.
I got really nervous for my toast just before giving it, but it went well and I think I got everything out I wanted to say without too much stumbling. I got the right chuckles and claps in the places I was hoping for them so that is a good sign.
Steve thoughtfully arranged for van shuttles to/from the hotel for guests to take advantage of as well. The only snafu developed when the event ended and more people wanted rides that anticipated. We wound up paying a small overtime fee to make sure everyone got a ride back safely, though, and it all worked out well.
Ali and I spent some time talking about our own plans, which we have been excitedly making pretty rapidly. Steve and Steph had a photo booth, which was one of the things we had decided to include too!
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Winter Wanderland Day 9 - January 1
We woke up in Allentown and had a cup of coffee in the room with some Mummers Parade coverage on in the background before heading out for the return to NJ. Some Dunkin' Donuts sustained us for the ride back.
Nothing really substantive happened today. We did some cleaning around the condo, did some more research and planning for wedding ideas, and I wrote and practiced my toast for Steve's wedding. I am excited and anxious for the wedding so I am not even going to try going to sleep just yet. We have a big day tomorrow with a visit to a potential reception site before heading to the hotel. I also have to stop at the tux place because they seem to have forgotten the cuff links that were supposed to be with my rental. Hopefully they have them in stock somewhere otherwise there is going to be a problem. I did not notice they were missing when I tried everything on the other day. We were already busy worrying about the missing socks and pocket square that day.
Nothing really substantive happened today. We did some cleaning around the condo, did some more research and planning for wedding ideas, and I wrote and practiced my toast for Steve's wedding. I am excited and anxious for the wedding so I am not even going to try going to sleep just yet. We have a big day tomorrow with a visit to a potential reception site before heading to the hotel. I also have to stop at the tux place because they seem to have forgotten the cuff links that were supposed to be with my rental. Hopefully they have them in stock somewhere otherwise there is going to be a problem. I did not notice they were missing when I tried everything on the other day. We were already busy worrying about the missing socks and pocket square that day.
Winter Wanderland Day 8 - December 31
We slept in the whole morning and then it started snowing so we did not get out to any reception sites like we originally planned. We did set appointments at three of them, listened to some band samples, and even got our first band bids for our event and they are not as expensive as we thought they would be. We think we have narrowed down wedding dates to the weekend of August 7-9, 2009.
Around 2, we left for our exciting New Year's celebration in beautiful Allentown, Pennsylvania. We checked into the Holiday Inn and had to go back to the front desk 3 times just to get a working key, but it turned out to be a great place anyway. After showering and getting ready, we went down to the hotel's lounge to use our 1 free drink coupon and wound up getting a couple free beers and a free cheese quesedilla from a nice bartender.
Thanks to random chance, I saw that there was free shuttle service to nearby places so we had a chauffeur to Crocodile Rock to see Jimmy Norton from the Opie & Anthony show and another free shuttle back later on that night. We had a lot of fun, the comics were great; all in all a worthwhile event.
Back at the hotel, we had about two hours until midnight so we took a short nap and relaxed in the room. Around 11:30, we headed back down to the hotel lounge and our nice, but lonely bartender who provided hats and noisemakers to ring in the New Year with a few others who were at the Norton show too.
We were getting really hungry and no food was available in the hotel, but luckily we were able to order some delivery, which arrived just as we left the lounge. After the midnight snack, it was time to get some sleep.
Happy New Year!
Around 2, we left for our exciting New Year's celebration in beautiful Allentown, Pennsylvania. We checked into the Holiday Inn and had to go back to the front desk 3 times just to get a working key, but it turned out to be a great place anyway. After showering and getting ready, we went down to the hotel's lounge to use our 1 free drink coupon and wound up getting a couple free beers and a free cheese quesedilla from a nice bartender.
Thanks to random chance, I saw that there was free shuttle service to nearby places so we had a chauffeur to Crocodile Rock to see Jimmy Norton from the Opie & Anthony show and another free shuttle back later on that night. We had a lot of fun, the comics were great; all in all a worthwhile event.
Back at the hotel, we had about two hours until midnight so we took a short nap and relaxed in the room. Around 11:30, we headed back down to the hotel lounge and our nice, but lonely bartender who provided hats and noisemakers to ring in the New Year with a few others who were at the Norton show too.
We were getting really hungry and no food was available in the hotel, but luckily we were able to order some delivery, which arrived just as we left the lounge. After the midnight snack, it was time to get some sleep.Happy New Year!
Winter Wanderland Day 7 - December 30
Ali got up early and went to have lunch with an old friend in New York. I ran some errands including picking up my tux for Steve's wedding.
We headed to Cranford for Steve and Steph's rehearsal dinner. Things seem to be going relatively smoothly and everybody's ready for Friday's wedding.
When we got home, we spent some more time with wedding planning ideas and narrowed down the wedding to early August. We also began playing with ideas to do a 1920s themed wedding reception. That led to lots of fun planning and we even requested bids from some bands and narrowed down the list of reception sites to four good ones in the local area. We even had an improptu slow dance to a 1920s ballad.
We headed to Cranford for Steve and Steph's rehearsal dinner. Things seem to be going relatively smoothly and everybody's ready for Friday's wedding.
When we got home, we spent some more time with wedding planning ideas and narrowed down the wedding to early August. We also began playing with ideas to do a 1920s themed wedding reception. That led to lots of fun planning and we even requested bids from some bands and narrowed down the list of reception sites to four good ones in the local area. We even had an improptu slow dance to a 1920s ballad.
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