Have you seen the improvements in our Corps website, since Lieutenant Perkinson took over as webmaster? Like anything worth having, this site, in its newly re-designed format, is nothing short of wonderful, in my humble opinion, and it has been worth the wait. He has taken many hours out of his already busy schedule, to create pages, links, posts, add photos and other visuals, all for the benefit of you and me. There are many more exciting things to come, some of which haven't even been thought of yet. Stay tuned. When you get a chance, drop him a line and express your own gratitude. I know he'll appreciate hearing from you.
A staff is only as good as the people who make it up, and I am blessed to have a very dedicated and hard-working staff, who place you and our Corps ahead of self. From the Senior Aide on down to the newest additions, all are kindred souls, who are willing to not only share the load, but also to help keep us all loose and laughing, as we tackle together, myriad problems and concerns, to make the Corps look good. For many years, before joining staff I found myself wondering from time to time, just what a staff does at a reenactment. Now I know. As Chief-of-Staff, I see firsthand, just how many hours go into planning an event,not to mention all the fires that have to be put out, during events themselves. I'd like to thank all the members of our staff, for their dedication and hard work. Folks don't always get to see what you do, but they benefit from every moment of your involvement. Thanks.
Every camp has its cooks, and we have ours. Stinky Vannoy has been around a campfire since Christ was eating oatmeal; even he can't tell you just how many fires he's started (No, I don't mean inside our guts!). Skeeter Davis, the country singer perhaps said it best back in the sixties, when she penned, "To know, know, know him is to love,. love, love him." He'll remind you that he is not a cook, but that he does "a cook's impression." Well, I'll tell you, I've eaten some swill in my life, as I criss-crossed the south on more athletic team buses than I can count, but I don't mind telling you, I've had much worse than Stinky's cuisine. I'd like to thank him as well, for his affable sense of humor and his quick wit. He's almost as quick as me. Now if I could get him to lose those dominoes of his and fix me a sandwich.......... Oops, I said too much. Stinky, thanks. You are truly one of a kind.
Who have you thanked, lately? The guy who rolls your rounds? The woman in camp who sews on your buttons and chevrons? The NCO who keeps you from embarrassing yourself in drill and battle? Your company commander, for making you care to be a great soldier? Your maker, for allowing you to do what you love? You get the point. Before the sun goes down, today, thank someone.
Until next time,
God Bless Longstreet's Corps.
Colonel Gallion
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Friday, May 13, 2011
Colonel Gallion unleashes his assault on technology, by using technology!
Greetings to all,
It has been awhile....... yes I know, I seem to say that every spring. It is good to be back in my lonely writer's garrett, dispensing wisdom (harrumph!) and fomenting things as yet nebulous and undefined. As followers of this blog know, last year's entries were devoted to our Corps Quartermaster, Captain Switzer, as he fought for his life, against esophageal cancer - a battle that he is still winning. Almost a year has passed since he had surgery and follow-up treatments, with the removal of "Earl" on July 19. A week ago, he was given a clean bill of health by his Duke University doctors, and he has never felt so good. The joy is back in his voice, he's learning to eat again, and he is working full time. To put it mildly, he is glad to be alive. I'll keep you posted from time to time.
As for me, my middle school baseball season is now over, fresh hostas have been planted in the garden, my student teacher has moved on to better things and we are now in the midst of the early phases of the 150th anniversary events for our War Between the States. Endview (Battle of Big Bethel) was quite a success and now we're poised for the second year's action at Spotsylvania, next weekend (May 20-22). Manassas looms on the horizon and Gettysburg (in an off-year) will be the first weekend in July. Okay, Colonel, you're digressing. What's this "assault on technology?"
Sorry. You know how I can be when I have a captive audience. At my school, like many of you at your workplace, I have to use technology, mostly in the form of computers, but often with other mechanical beasties that vex and annoy me. You see, it wouldn't be so bad if all I had to do is to write reports, handle e-mails and grade and save evaluation data. That I can do with ease. What gets me is when our well-meaning tech support people send us fists-full of new sites, tricks, gadgets and updates for our updates, all with very little time to practice a few, much less all of what we receive. I know a bunch of educational sites and applications very well, like Moodle, E-Grades, Google Docs, NBC Learn, Pearson, and a plethora of sites geared to my students' sussessful quest for knowledge. Then, along comes my student teacher, having been fully trained in the philosophy of teaching and armed to the teeth with even more technological skills tahn one person should be allowed to possess.
He and I made a deal; I would transform him into a dynamic teacher who can handle anything and everything related to middle school, and he would teach me some of this dangerous technology he so readily called upon each day, while teaching my students. So, your faithful correspondent tackled the likes of Prezi, Edmodo, Sporcle, and several others, with the curiosity of a first grader, the awe of one very old seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time, and the commensurate skills of Russia's 1914 Army confronting the German Army at Tannenburg. To say the least, my gaskets were blown, quickly, and I leaked oil all over the North Atlantic, while maintaining a smile and a pleasant, though mis-guided demeanor, as he schooled the teacher.
Now friends, one has two options in a case like this; one can seek refuge in the Wilderness like Old Joe Hooker or he can have Colonel Alexander lob a few shells, then signal the general advance. I have chosen the latter course, as being more honorable. You see, some of the technology my student teacher used, really delighted and challenged the kids; and if you can do that with seventh graders and keep them enthralled, you can pretty much dictate terms, even during a fire drill or thunder storm. I have latched onto a few of his more successful strategies, to get kids to interact, by learning about such sites as WallWisher.com. Though it sometimes has its glitches (what computer site doesn't eventually?) it is a way for students and teachers to communicate with "electronic sticky notes", about anything going on in the classroom and its learning routines. His students (Now again mine) left him and each other questions and answers about all our topics and lessons on the WallWisher page he created for them.
Lightbulb! Lightbulb! Lightbuld!!!!! Guess what? I've created one for Longstreet's Corps, so that you can post me comments and questions, about our shared hobby. I hope you will agree that this is one way to enhance our communication, with your help. All I ask is that you keep it strictly professional, to what we do - NO POLITICS. I will be moderating, and will read your posting before it goes public. If you are using it the way it is intended, no problems. I will ask that for each potential posting, you use your initials and the unit you belong to, as part of the Corps. Anonymous entries will not be posted.
I will check this site with as much frequency as I can, and will be glad to handle any topic or concern, such as interpretations of Gilham's Manual, staff work, period paperwork, the day-to-day history of the Army of Northern Virginia, tactics, officers, books - just about anything that you and I might engage as gainful interaction. Lieutenant Perkinson is already working to post this bit of technology on our website, Longstreetscorps.com . I'll look forward to your posts. One caveat to the format: those of you who are familiar with Twitter know that such a format limits you to a pre-designed character limit (140 for Twitter). The same is true of WallWisher, with a limit of 160 characters.
Please go to this url: (It is case sensitive - please enter it just like this) http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/rOGakSlj9p
I look forward to hearing from you.
Until next time,
Colonel Gallion
It has been awhile....... yes I know, I seem to say that every spring. It is good to be back in my lonely writer's garrett, dispensing wisdom (harrumph!) and fomenting things as yet nebulous and undefined. As followers of this blog know, last year's entries were devoted to our Corps Quartermaster, Captain Switzer, as he fought for his life, against esophageal cancer - a battle that he is still winning. Almost a year has passed since he had surgery and follow-up treatments, with the removal of "Earl" on July 19. A week ago, he was given a clean bill of health by his Duke University doctors, and he has never felt so good. The joy is back in his voice, he's learning to eat again, and he is working full time. To put it mildly, he is glad to be alive. I'll keep you posted from time to time.
As for me, my middle school baseball season is now over, fresh hostas have been planted in the garden, my student teacher has moved on to better things and we are now in the midst of the early phases of the 150th anniversary events for our War Between the States. Endview (Battle of Big Bethel) was quite a success and now we're poised for the second year's action at Spotsylvania, next weekend (May 20-22). Manassas looms on the horizon and Gettysburg (in an off-year) will be the first weekend in July. Okay, Colonel, you're digressing. What's this "assault on technology?"
Sorry. You know how I can be when I have a captive audience. At my school, like many of you at your workplace, I have to use technology, mostly in the form of computers, but often with other mechanical beasties that vex and annoy me. You see, it wouldn't be so bad if all I had to do is to write reports, handle e-mails and grade and save evaluation data. That I can do with ease. What gets me is when our well-meaning tech support people send us fists-full of new sites, tricks, gadgets and updates for our updates, all with very little time to practice a few, much less all of what we receive. I know a bunch of educational sites and applications very well, like Moodle, E-Grades, Google Docs, NBC Learn, Pearson, and a plethora of sites geared to my students' sussessful quest for knowledge. Then, along comes my student teacher, having been fully trained in the philosophy of teaching and armed to the teeth with even more technological skills tahn one person should be allowed to possess.
He and I made a deal; I would transform him into a dynamic teacher who can handle anything and everything related to middle school, and he would teach me some of this dangerous technology he so readily called upon each day, while teaching my students. So, your faithful correspondent tackled the likes of Prezi, Edmodo, Sporcle, and several others, with the curiosity of a first grader, the awe of one very old seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time, and the commensurate skills of Russia's 1914 Army confronting the German Army at Tannenburg. To say the least, my gaskets were blown, quickly, and I leaked oil all over the North Atlantic, while maintaining a smile and a pleasant, though mis-guided demeanor, as he schooled the teacher.
Now friends, one has two options in a case like this; one can seek refuge in the Wilderness like Old Joe Hooker or he can have Colonel Alexander lob a few shells, then signal the general advance. I have chosen the latter course, as being more honorable. You see, some of the technology my student teacher used, really delighted and challenged the kids; and if you can do that with seventh graders and keep them enthralled, you can pretty much dictate terms, even during a fire drill or thunder storm. I have latched onto a few of his more successful strategies, to get kids to interact, by learning about such sites as WallWisher.com. Though it sometimes has its glitches (what computer site doesn't eventually?) it is a way for students and teachers to communicate with "electronic sticky notes", about anything going on in the classroom and its learning routines. His students (Now again mine) left him and each other questions and answers about all our topics and lessons on the WallWisher page he created for them.
Lightbulb! Lightbulb! Lightbuld!!!!! Guess what? I've created one for Longstreet's Corps, so that you can post me comments and questions, about our shared hobby. I hope you will agree that this is one way to enhance our communication, with your help. All I ask is that you keep it strictly professional, to what we do - NO POLITICS. I will be moderating, and will read your posting before it goes public. If you are using it the way it is intended, no problems. I will ask that for each potential posting, you use your initials and the unit you belong to, as part of the Corps. Anonymous entries will not be posted.
I will check this site with as much frequency as I can, and will be glad to handle any topic or concern, such as interpretations of Gilham's Manual, staff work, period paperwork, the day-to-day history of the Army of Northern Virginia, tactics, officers, books - just about anything that you and I might engage as gainful interaction. Lieutenant Perkinson is already working to post this bit of technology on our website, Longstreetscorps.com . I'll look forward to your posts. One caveat to the format: those of you who are familiar with Twitter know that such a format limits you to a pre-designed character limit (140 for Twitter). The same is true of WallWisher, with a limit of 160 characters.
Please go to this url: (It is case sensitive - please enter it just like this) http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/rOGakSlj9p
I look forward to hearing from you.
Until next time,
Colonel Gallion
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