Playing at war and actually living through it are two radically different things. On this day in particular I am so grateful to all of those who put their lives on the line to secure the freedoms that I enjoy. And I remember that freedom isn't free. It has cost hundreds of thousands their lives to guarantee it.
My great-uncle, Harold Brown, is one of them. He left Cal Berkley and a young, pregnant wife to do his bit "over there." Towards the end of the Great War, he volunteered to try to get through to "The Lost Battalion." Three others had tried and failed. He would be the fourth. He died in the effort. He received the silver star for his selflessness and his example stirs me to this day. He never saw his daughter who was born while he was away. He never got to hold his wife again, or enjoy a Sunday afternoon relaxing at home. He sacrificed all of that to go beyond the call of duty. To me, he is what Memorial Day is all about. I am humbled to think that our country has been blessed with hundreds of thousands of others like him. And I pray that I will be worthy of their sacrifice.
The link below gives a detailed account of some very brave Americans. Take a few minutes to check it out
The Lost Battalion
Monday, May 27, 2013
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Hail Caesar Battle
We are doing state testing at school, so I thought it might be nice to have a battle after we were done on Friday to let off some steam. Five students and a fellow teacher showed up and we had a good time.
I had painted up some additional Roman cavalry, including two units of Numidian light horse, and I wanted to give them a taste of action. I must say,they did me proud.
It was a very simple scenario; six Gaul units faced off against five Roman. The only objective was to beat the divisions in front of you.
On the Roman left, the cavalry off both sides, both worth two medium and two light units, advanced into contact. The Gaul's got the initial advantage, breaking a Roman medium unit. The Gaul light units also took out two sections of scorpions, but that would be the high water mark as the other Roman horsemen came on strong and drove the barbarians from the field over the course of the next three turns.
Over on the other side of the table, the Gauls failed three consecutive initiative rolls. When they finally got going they had some initial successes, but in the end, the better disciplined legionaires were grinding their way to a victory when we had to wrap things up.
We all felt more comfortable with the rules and had a good time.
I had painted up some additional Roman cavalry, including two units of Numidian light horse, and I wanted to give them a taste of action. I must say,they did me proud.
It was a very simple scenario; six Gaul units faced off against five Roman. The only objective was to beat the divisions in front of you.
On the Roman left, the cavalry off both sides, both worth two medium and two light units, advanced into contact. The Gaul's got the initial advantage, breaking a Roman medium unit. The Gaul light units also took out two sections of scorpions, but that would be the high water mark as the other Roman horsemen came on strong and drove the barbarians from the field over the course of the next three turns.
Over on the other side of the table, the Gauls failed three consecutive initiative rolls. When they finally got going they had some initial successes, but in the end, the better disciplined legionaires were grinding their way to a victory when we had to wrap things up.
We all felt more comfortable with the rules and had a good time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
