Reverse side of US $2 bill, from John Trumbull's 1919 painting, ‘Declaration of Independence’
Reminiscing on Independence Day brings to mind fireworks and family gatherings, parades and picnics...however, there will be plenty of diaries on those subjects today, so I'm taking this opportunity (thanks, TexDem!) to bring the story of a little-known but typical American hero to you MFers.
This is the abbreviated story of my wife's grandfather, Keith Jensen. He was born in 1921 in Afton, Wyoming, and grew up on the ranch homesteaded by his grandfather. He's spent his entire life on this ranch, save a few years in the mid-1940s when a little conflict known as World War II interrupted.
Keith C. Jensen, US Marines, ca. 1945
Keith joined the Marines, and after basic training was shipped off to fight in the Pacific Theater. While he never explicitly told me which battles he participated in, he did point out the utter barbarity of those conflicts, the deaths, and particularly the smell of death. That a person can experience this without completely losing one's mind is a mystery to me.
One event I'm sure he was present for was the invasion of Okinawa. He was aboard the USS Hinsdale (APA-120) when it sailed from Saipan on March 27, 1945.
USS Hinsdale in San Francisco Bay circa 1945-1946
Damage sustained to the USS Hinsdale
Early in the morning of April 1, 1945 as the
Hinsdale approached the island of Okinawa, the ship was struck by a Japanese kamikaze in the pre-dawn darkness. Explosions ripped through the engine room, knocking out all lights and communications. The ship began to list badly to port; to counter this, the Marines on deck shifted to the starboard side rails. Despite the heavy damage sustained, the
Hinsdale got those Marines ashore. The rest, as they say, is history.
After the war, Keith went on to get married, have children, and eventually start a
hunting guide business. To this day, Keith leads hunters out into the Wyoming wilderness in search of elk, bear and other game. A few years back, he fell off his horse during a hunt and suffered a broken neck -- yet still insisted on
riding the horse back to camp! He's one tough cookie, and has a heart of gold. I'm privileged to know him.
Keith and Nadine Jensen, June 2014
Look for more diaries on the Jensens, coming soon from my alter ego.
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On with the games!!
Mojo Friday Guidelines
Disclaimer; Kinda like the Pirates Code, they're just guidelines, meant for fun. They aren't hard and fast rules. Yarrrrr!
1) If you comment you have to recommend all comments. (in order to receive mojo you have to give mojo. It's only good mojo manners.)
2) Everything you say may be taken as a joke (so if you ask a question, expect a silly answer)
3) You must recommend the diary (and pimp it unapologetically)
4) You don't have to comment to recommend.
5) You can't steal my idea (right, like that ain't goin' to happen. It has in numerous forms, I'm flattered!)
6) Mojo mojo mojo mojo, mojo mojo mojo.
7) TexDem MKinTN (that's me) is not bound by the guidelines. Neither are you
Mojo Friday Goals
Disclaimer; These are mostly here for nostalgia, the site has changed so much and the servers have been upgraded to the point I don't think we could fuck with the site with 1000 people participating. 2007 it ain't.
A. At least 300 different commenters and 1000 comments by 1:30 PM EST and 1500 by 5:00 PM EST Friday Night that it's posted.
B. 100 recommends for each comment, at least.
C. Stay on Recommend List at least five hours (this requires some strategic planning by you guys, refer to guideline #3)
D. At least 200 diary recommends. 300 would be better, spread the word.
E. And always, fun fun fun.
F. Have at least 75% average participation rate as seen here in the Mojo Friday Postgame Show by Woodtick and bjedward.
G. (New) Have at least 30 kossacks over 90% participation (see here for some tips).
H. Overload the servers with recommends, not to mention dominate Top Comments Mojo list. (we do tend to mess with the site with all of our recommends at one time)(also, to dominate the Top Comments Top Mojo we need at least 50 comments with over 200 recommends, see guideline B)
I. That's enough for now. (Have a suggestion? Post it.)
MKinTN (heh) posted a diary to help everyone achieve greater success called How to Succeed at Mojo Friday Without Really Trying. (Note: This was written for DK3, it doesn't work so well for DK4...I may rewrite it once DK5 rolls around.)
For those of you new to MF (Mojo Friday) we have our own lingo about a few things. Thank's to MF'er Jez (the link will explain) go to this diary for a little more fun and explanation. Official Mojo Friday Snecktionary.