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ORDINARY MEN: RESERVE POLICE BATTALION 101 REVIEW

January 28, 2026 by David Gillaspie

After watching a portion of a documentary on German Reserve Police Battalion 101 I’m left with concerns. As the story is told on Netflix, ordinary men were recruited into police work. The idea of joining a police staff was better than going to the front. The guys selected got some extra training, then loaded up […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Alex pretti, America, americans, baby boomer, Baby Boomer blogger, blogger, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, Constitution, Death, die, dog song, due process, education, father, fellow citizens, following, following orders, friends, government, history, holocaust, killing, learning, liberty, life, mass killing, mother, murderers, neighbors, orders, ordinary men, police battalion 101, property, sing, singing, true americans, writer, writers, writing, WWII

FAMILY TREE BRANCH OF RICHARDSONS

December 7, 2025 by David Gillaspie

As people age up and out they look for meaning in different places. Where some look to DNA, others shake the family tree. That’s what my Grandma did years ago. This is what dropped out:

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: admiral, admiral richardson, Army, baby boomer, Baby Boomer blogger, blogger, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, club life, December 7, education, family tree, following orders, future, general, general richardson, history, illegal orders, learning, Navy, orders, Pearl Harbor, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, Texas state historical association, WWII

FOR THOSE GIVING AND FOLLOWING ORDERS

November 22, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Was it a treat to see an ocean of men and women trained in giving and following orders all in the same place? It was for me. These people are all Hall of Fame worthy, and already enshrined in my personal hall. While most of us packed our gear and went home after two, three, […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: blogger, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, boomers, education, family, following orders, give orders, giving orders, history, illegal orders, learning, Love, MARRIAGE, married, millennials, North Bend, orders, Oregon, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, story, wife, writer, writers, writing

WRITING DOWN MY BONES

November 21, 2025 by David Gillaspie

I bought the book ‘Writing Down The Bones’ a few times. There’s something about the title, but not enough for me to read it and save it, and I’m someone who still has books from my tenth birthday. When I find them all I’ll have my own Natalie Goldberg library. This is from her website:

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Alice Monroe, Authority, axis powers, Baby Boomers, backbone, blog, blogger, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, education, email, following order, giving orders, history, illegal orders, industrial writer, JD Salinger, my lai massacre, nature writer, North Bend Oregon, obedience, ocean writer, orders, Oregon, short stories, taking orders, text, war crimes, writer, writerly, writing, writing down, WWII

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

GIVING ORDERS? LEARN TO TAKE ORDERS FIRST

November 19, 2022 by David Gillaspie

If you’re giving orders, congratulations Kingpin. But it works better if you know how to take orders first. Taking orders is a lifestyle, giving them is a privilege. So, where’s the disconnect?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: blogger, boomerpdx, business, clarification, follow orders, give orders, giving orders, hissy fit, karen, kingpin, orders, take orders, taking orders

FOLLOWING ORDERS: A PRIMER

March 1, 2022 by David Gillaspie

Too many carry the idea that following orders eliminates personal choice. It doesn’t. Remember, when you’re ordered to do something you can do it, or not do it. That’s the first choice; let’s start there. From an experienced order-taker, this is the initial question you ask yourself: ‘Who the hell is giving orders around here?’

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: army training, Authority, consequences, dictator, disinformation, following orders, judgement, legal orders, martinet, mass murderers, misinformation, orders

FROM BOOT CAMP TO VETERANS DAY 2019

November 11, 2019 by David Gillaspie

The greatest way to see what the rest of humanity looks like is by joining the army and going through boot camp. From the mild mannered kid who turned into Sergeant Rock with his provisional rank, the college grad who joined to become an air traffic controller, they all had dreams. First they had to […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Army, boot camp, orders, veteran's day