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ONE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE LATER

July 9, 2025 by David Gillaspie

How often does a declaration of independence come up? I declared my independence early. It was a quiet declaration that went something like: I do declare my living conditions to be unlivable. What did I do? Nothing.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Army, baby boomer, BOOMER, brother, Coos Bay, declaration, declaration of independence, free, free time, freedom, history, independence, independent, independent minded, Middle Child, personal responsibility, summer job, unstructured time, wife

NO KINGS? HOW THINGS CHANGE OVER TIME

June 14, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Running at the No Kings march? No, but . . . Things change slowly that feel like warp speed looking back. One day you’re a marathoner in Seaside cruising down the road. Feeling good, looking good, before hitting the wall. Then it’s all about recovering and finishing big. On the sandy beach. Ugh.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Army, army shirt, challenges, citizen, citizenship, citizenship test, civic duty, elmer's, garden window, marcher, married, married life, men in masks, no kings, no kings march, peaceful, peaceful protest, peaceful protestors, protest, protest march, runner, suburban streets, things change, Tigard, wife

RESISTANCE TRAINING = BETTER LIFE

June 11, 2025 by David Gillaspie

I believe in resistance training for a better life. Call it a core belief for one and all. Does everyone benefit from resistance? Yes they do, but there is resistance out there.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Army, BIG C, cancer, cancer counselor, cancer treatment, chemo, Death, dying, gym, history, life force, lucky day, marching onward, Marines, normal life, peoples march, radiation, recovery, resistance, resistance training, rude boy, shared history, sooner than later, traditional treatment, vitality, women's march, workout

INDIVISIBLE WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL

June 9, 2025 by David Gillaspie

I’ve been personally indivisible for quite some time. It could be from growing up with brothers where you carved out your own identity, and a sister who had it all figured out. And I wasn’t the first born, which is important, so I never had everything to myself without some pesky little creature making sounds […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: America, american free speech, Army, Baby Boomers, Bandon, blogger, caring community, dignity, education, effect change, family, Florence, following orders, history, hope, indivisible, justice, kindred spirits, liberty, marching, pepper spray, Portland, present and accounted for, protest, SPORT, spring chicken, travel, wrestling

THEIR MEMORIAL DAY ON BOTH SIDES

May 26, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Memorial Day is for the families of service men and women who have passed, but whose memory remains. For them let’s help the service men and women today live their best lives. I’m thinking of those who didn’t die in service to their country, but those who are dying as a result of their service. […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: accident, AGENT ORANGE, american soldier, Army, Army veteran, BOOMER, boomer soldier, breaking news, deadly, family, good example, jody, memorial day, memory, military, military deaths, murder, self-inflicted, sensationalism, sensationalistic, service, suicide, VA, veteran, Veterans’ Affairs, virtue

CONTINUING EDUCATION? CLASS IN SESSION

March 12, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Continuing eduction needs one thing: the continuing part, the part outside formal classrooms and proctored exams. Why? Because that’s where a good education starts working. For example:

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: America, Army, army education, blogger, boomerpdx, college educated, continuing education, drop out, dropping out, educational journey, formal classroom, history, proctored exams, public education, sad story, story, tune in, turn on, writer, writing, young women

FOLLOWING ORDERS WITH FELLOW FOLLOWERS

March 6, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Following orders seems simple at face value: Someone tells someone what to do and the second someone does it. Done deal? Not so fast.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: all volunteer army, Army, boss, bullied, bully, caregiver, cowing down, face value, fear, fellow followers, followers, following, following orders, germany, historical, historical reference, karma, loss, mai lai massacre, orders, Parkinson's, powerful position, senior care, soldiers, testosterone, volunteer, war, WWII, young men

EXCITABLE BOY, THEY ALL SAID

March 5, 2025 by David Gillaspie

An excitable boy at age eighteen is a good thing. I had a great year at that age. Graduated from high school, got a summer job, hitch-hiked to Iowa and back. I left town for college, then turned nineteen and joined the Army the next fall like it was school. That’s where I saw older […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Army, berlin bunker, best results, blowhard, dangerous, excitable boy, exciting times, germany, historical documentaries, historical industry, history, history degree, human depavity, killers, machine guns, peer pressure, research, teachers, testosterone, Vietnam, WWII, young men

HAPPY PLACE? KEEP LOOKING

February 12, 2025 by David Gillaspie

They say you’ll know your happy place when you get there. Who are ‘they?’ Happy people, that’s who ‘they’ are. Are they happy all the time? No, but . . .

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Army, Bill of Rights, blog, blogger, Constitution, declaration of independence, education, grandkids, happy place, history, keep looking, kids, making sense, marrieds, museum, museum manager, national archives, normal happy, rothko, smithsonian, travel, writer, writers, writing, WWII

POLITE SOCIETY WITH FINISHING SCHOOL

January 30, 2025 by David Gillaspie

The notion of ‘Polite Society’ brings up images of well mannered, cultured people, living their best lives. It’s ‘old money’, a good vocabulary, and quiet. “I’m sorry,” leads to, “I’m so sorry,” with every other breath. What are they sorry for? As far as I can tell, they are so sorry that everyone else doesn’t […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Andrew Carnegie, Army, center city, decorum, finishing school, gilded age, Haverford, investment, investors, J.P. Morgan, Jay Gould, John d rockefeller, joint, manners, merino cricket club, modern America, money, money men, older readers, polite, polite society, readers, robber barons, romantic, social manners, society, younger readers