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John Clark Sr receives VFW National Honorary Appointment

Editor;

Today I received a letter from VFW National Adjutant General Kent. He notified me that I have been appointed as National Aide-de-Camp to Commander-in-Chief Richard L. DeNoyer. The Dept of Pacific Areas Commander has recommended me for this honorary appointment.

I was also told that my VFW Post Commander 9876 is the person who requested that I receive this honor.

This is the highest honor that I have received for my service and work in the VFW. I am extremely humbled and honored by this appointment for doing what I love to do - service to my fellow veterans, widows and community.

John (Pat) Clark, MSgt, USAF (Ret)

CINC National Aide-de-Camp 2011-2012

Junior Vice Commander

VFW Post 9876 and VFW District V (Thailand/Cambodia)


How long will they last?

Dear Editor,

I just return from a drive around Pattaya and I just had to laugh out loud. It seems the city has installed many flashing yellow & black curve warning signs around most road curves around town, hundreds I would guess. These have integral flashing arrow lights powered by a small solar panel mounted on top of the flashing light.

Although they seem effective and look very nice, I will give them 2 or 3 weeks before the young enterprising scavengers in Pattaya come along slyly in the night and harvest the lot! All one needs is a small wire cutting pliers, a big bag to collect them and a quick motorbike.

Surely the small solar panels will be worth a bob or two each on the black market.

This harvest will take no cunning at all compared to the big harvest made by their older brothers 6 or 8 years ago on the new Bali Hai seafront road when they snipped off 2 of the 4 large stainless steel nuts from each of the 100 or more seaside lamp posts. This would have taken a very large bolt cutter and again, a big bag. It is a pity but history will repeat itself!

Soothsayer George


Balance between optimism and pessimism is important

Dear Editor,

I read the article “Child Protection Committee rescues 12 youths from dire conditions” in Pattaya Mail (Sept. 9, 2011). The Pattaya Child Protection Committee worked with local charities to assist low-income youths. Most at-risk youths came from poor families that migrated to Pattaya to look for work and settled in the slum areas. They are often physically, emotionally and sexually abused, flock to drugs and are neglected by elders focused on finding food for them. During their research, bureaucrats came across 12 children in dire straits and placed them in the custody of the state and document their cases.

In Japan, we have the same kind of problems; however, I think the situation seems to be worse in Thailand. Maybe it is because of the Thai character.

I have lived in Pattaya about three years. Apparently, the biggest difference between Japan and Thailand is the climate. I think the climate affects the Japanese and Thai characters.

In Thailand, it is basically hot throughout the year. When it comes to natural disasters, I can think of floods during the rainy season. It is not so serious usually, but this year is the exception.

In Japan, we have four seasons: spring, summer, fall and winter. The temperature difference in summer and winter is about 30 to 35 degrees. With regard to natural disasters, I can think of typhoon, earthquake, tsunami, flood and snow avalanche.

Comparison between Thailand and Japan reminds me of a story “The Ant and the Grasshopper.” During summer, ants continue to work to store up food for winter. On the other hand, grasshoppers sing songs and play. When winter comes, the grasshoppers cannot find any food. The grasshoppers ask the ants to share the food, but ants decline and say, “Why don’t you dance in winter? You sang in summer.” At the end, the grasshoppers die of hunger.

I think Japanese people are like ants in the story and always try to prepare for the future. Also, I think Thai people are like grasshoppers which never experience the severe winter. In this point, I really envy Thai people. They can easily be optimistic. If they lose a house, they can sleep outside throughout the year. If they lose all the money, they can easily find something to eat like tropical fruits throughout the year.

Japanese people tend to prepare for the possible crises. For example, after the Tohoku Region Pacific Coast Earthquake this year, Japanese people now work on the recovery and at the same time, start preparation for the next severe earthquakes.

I think the optimism of the Thai people sometimes leads to the bad situation such as youths neglected by the parents. For example, when some of the Thai people I know have a regular job, they spend the salary right away. As soon as they get the regular job, they buy a new mobile phone, car, house and so on. I guess they spend money in such ways, because they are optimistic. If I were them, I wouldn’t spend the money in such ways. I will spend some of the money, but I will save others for the future. Once, one of the Thai people asked my husband to lend him money, but we said “no.” It is because we knew that he would never give it back to us.

If there are many parents like him in Thailand, it is possible there are so many children in an adverse condition. Just by changing the optimism to pessimism a little bit, I think there will be fewer children at risk.

Because of the flood, Thai people now face a crisis situation. I’ve been worried that Thai people would be very optimistic and say, “Mai pen rai. The flood went away. Now everything is OK. It is not necessary to prepare for the next flood.”

I think many Thai people tend to think if you are happy today, it is OK. Tomorrow is tomorrow. They think it tomorrow.

It may be ideal that you can be optimistic anytime, but I guess the balance between optimism and pessimism is also very important. I think the way of thinking many Thai people have make the low income youths situation worse. It was a big surprise for me I heard that many Thai parents dumped on relatives (grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.). When I listened to the stories, I figured that many of them did so due to their selfishness and optimistic view.

The flood this time may be the turning point for Thai people. If they could change the optimistic view slightly and prepare for the future, Thailand would grow up as a nation. If not, no more development may be expected nationally and economically.

Noriko Taguchi


All generals could be called infamous

Dear Editor,

The letter from a Mr. Dee is little arrogant, self serving impudent and conceived. In any case distinctive of a provincial behavior.

Mr. Dee does not understand a thing on Special Air Service. He doesn’t know that Sir Col. David Stirling a Scottish laird that I personally admire for his practical temperament spirit of adventure and boldness, achieved outstanding results in many part of the world. This is the fine side of the picture. Do you know that there is a huge statue of Col. Stirling in Doune, Stirlingshire?

He was appointed by Ministry of Defence under SIS approval to set up a special force that in the years bravely and dangerously operate in various part of the world in actions most of them concealed.

On the morality of duty or their performance is up to the History make the final assessment.

But at the very beginning the initial recruiters were not angels or missionaries. There was no time to make a keen selection. The biography of each single recruit can be found in some hidden disk master.

Therefore the start of S.A.S. was what I already said I have received from a Brit buddy an amazing statement.

In addition I’d advice Mr. Hothead to pay a visit to SAS club located steps away from the rear door of Harrods in central London.

Assuming he may have access to a very exclusive club he should enter in the library if permitted and start consulting thousands of documents on the life of SAS from the beginning to nowadays.

Anyway, all institutions as Secret Service, Army, Police, mercenary groups, you name it, have a number of skeletons in the cupboard performing dirty but it is said necessary jobs for... ‘National Security’.

They are not friendly or Charity Institutions and there is a huge record on such organizations.

Said that, Mr. Hothead calm down, take a cold shower and be documented before make any statement on unknown topics or get excited over nothing.

Regarding Gen. Rommel: In some way all generals should be called infamous as deliberately they send millions of soldiers to death and they don’t really care about it. Therefore Gen Rommel is not more infamous than his enemy. Or not?
Regards
PR


HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]

John Clark Sr receives VFW National Honorary Appointment

How long will they last?

Balance between optimism and pessimism is important

All generals could be called infamous
 

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