About 13 years ago while working for the aerospace company that produced this aircraft, I had the privilege of working on prototype avionics systems for pilotless aircraft systems like this. Video taken in the vicinity of Edwards AFB in California’s high desert.

From Fox News:

The U.S. Navy said it made a breakthrough in drone technology with the first flight of the X-47B, a bat-winged unmanned jet designed to take off and land from an aircraft carrier, one of the most complex and difficult feats in aviation.

If you know any WWII vets, today is a good opportunity for you to thank them for their sacrifices and service . . .

From Mark Alexander at The Patriot Post

It is notable that Veterans Day shares the same anniversary date as the signing of the Mayflower Compact in 1620. That simple document, after all, is the taproot of a great nation, now a shining beacon of Liberty, which owes its very existence to the toils and trials of generations of American Veterans.

From the cold winter winds at Valley Forge in 1777 to the deadly terrain of the Korengal Valley in eastern Afghanistan today, generations of American Patriots have stood fast in defense of Liberty and at great cost.

I am certain I will never meet a seasoned war Veteran who is fond of combat, but to a man, every Patriot concurs with John Stuart Mill’s timeless note on the subject: “War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing worth a war, is worse. A man who has nothing which he cares more about than he does about his personal safety is a miserable creature who has no chance at being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.”

I am equally certain that these Patriots, like millions of others since the 1789 founding of our Republic, have honored their “sacred oaths” to support and defend the Liberty enshrined in our Constitution, against all enemies foreign and domestic.

God Bless our veterans!

We stopped to walk the dogs and take a rest on our way back to California at the General Patton Memorial Museum located at Chiriaco Summit on Interstate 10. We did not go into the museum today, but took some photos of the large display of vintage military tanks and armored vehicles. Click on the image to enlarge.

Sixty-six years ago, the invasion of Normandy began. My Dad was an electricians mate aboard the USS Brooklyn light cruiser, whose 5 and 6 inch guns softened targets in France so the Allies could do their thing. Dad came back from the War, but many did not. Take a moment today to remember those selfless, brave men that chiseled out our victory in Europe.

This will be the centerpiece on today’s holiday table. God bless those brave souls that paved the way to our freedom with their blood. Have a great holiday, everyone. Click image to enlarge.

Today, we honor the men and women who died in the attacks on Hawaii late in 1941. In the photograph below, the Officers and Crew line the flight deck of the USS Ronald Reagan, CVN-76, as they salute the war memorial at the resting place of the USS Arizona.

More than ever, we must honor our Veterans and those who serve today in the best military in the world. God Bless them in this holiday season and always.

There are many veterans who deserve credit for keeping our nation safe and free by putting themselves in harm’s way. Not all such “harm’s way” scenarios require combat or the battlefield. Sailors who work on the dangerous decks of aircraft carriers, Soldiers who prepare ordinance and test weaponry, Marines who carry out firefighting missions, Airmen who crew patrol and transport aircraft and Guardsmen who patrol our coasts in aircraft and on the sea.

Special thanks go out to combat veterans as well as those who have risked their lives in training and support roles. God bless them all.

Damsel and I have the Ft. Hood victims in our thoughts and prayers tonight. We are still following the news as it develops.

Looking around the internet and watching the news, we see various reports and opinions about this horrific event. I found this tweet from K.J. Lopez, who blogs at the NRO Corner, very interesting:

re fort hood: why do we reflexively rule out terrorism?

Given the identity of the alleged shooter, Maj. Malik Nadal Hasan, we have to ask the same question.

Image: Ft. Hood commander Lt. Gen. Robert Cone making statement to press

UPDATE: Talk about the inmates running the asylum - Hasan was an Army psychiatrist!

UPDATE: Col. Terry Lee (RET), a psychiatrist who worked with Hasan, told Fox News that several times Hasan made radical statements and thinly-veiled threats against US involvement in the War on Terror.