------------------------------- Wed Oct 15 06:15:40 PM EDT 2025 ------------------------------- Transcript of Chat box from BLU meeting, Wed, Oct 15. 2025 Meeting held online via Jitsi Meet In attendance (7 total): Speaker(s): * Jerry Feldman BLU officers: * John Abreau * Jerry Feldman * Bill Ricker Attendees (named): * Edward Piecewicz * Marc * Michael I * Randy Cole ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jerry Feldman says:JABR, there are random background noises coming from your system 18:49 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ John Abreau says:Is that better? 18:49 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jerry Feldman says:Yes Jerry Feldman says:I'll start my talk at 7:15 as usual 18:50 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ John Abreau says:I just muted xandar at the system level. It was already muted within jitsi, but muting the speakers entirely seems like a good idea. 18:53 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jerry Feldman says:sounds good. 18:53 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Randy Cole says:Watched The Fog of War and also the PBS Ken Burns series and learned a lot 18:55 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ John Abreau says:A few minutes ago i noticed that recording had stopped. When I checked, I noticed the driftwood session had lost its connection to jitsi. I reconnected and restarted the recording. 18:56 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jerry Feldman Jerry Feldman says:Ken Burns is a very good documentary presenter 18:56 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Randy Cole says:I want to know what people think of the ukraine war and our cold war with china 18:57 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jerry Feldman says:I think that Putin illegally occupied Crimea and waged war on Ukraine. Jerry Feldman says:I think we need to try to work peacefully with all countries. Jerry Feldman says:But, I fully support Ukraine in its war against Russia 19:00 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Randy Cole says:I think we need to provide as much material to the ukranians as they can use 19:00 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jerry Feldman says:I think that Russia's use of Drones over Lithuania and Poland can cause NATO to step in. 19:02 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bill Ricker says:Ukraine is the Afghanistan in Putin's recreation of the Soviet Union 19:03 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Randy Cole says:Yup. Can be used to justify a no-fly zone over all or part of ukr 19:04 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jerry Feldman says:Did anyone hear me a few mins ago 19:05 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Edward Piecewicz says:No 19:05 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Randy Cole says:Not sure I hear typing now 19:05 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jerry Feldman says:talking right now 19:05 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ John Abreau says:I had to disconnect and kill all web browsers on judoon, because the load average was enormous. 19:05 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bill Ricker says:Heard jabr Bill Ricker says:Not hearing Jerry's 19:06 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Edward Piecewicz says:I'm seeingJerry muted. 19:06 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jerry Feldman says:I'm going to restart 19:07 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Edward Piecewicz says:There is an echo coming from Jerry. Edward Piecewicz says:👍 19:10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Randy Cole says:5 by 5? 19:10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jerry Feldman says:😄 19:11 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Edward Piecewicz says:It's fine now. 19:11 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Randy Cole says:What is judoon? 19:11 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ John Abreau says:judoon is one of my laptops, which works with jitsi. Xandar is my desktop with a 4K display, which has been unable to send or receive audio and video within jitsi. I'm using it to screencap the chat and participants panes, which I post on the BLU website to go with the videos on youtube. John Abreau says:Driftwood is the BLU webserver at the colo site in Waltham. I'm recording the meeting from there via Xvfb and VNC thu an ssh tunnel, in hopes that the colo site's higher bandwidth will make for more reliable recordings. John Abreau says:screen looks fine from here 19:16 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bill Ricker says:re Sanity - of course anyone sane would wash out of chopper flight school; it's insane to try to fly a machine with no stationary parts. Bill Ricker says:The video on Android via WiFi is oddly blocky, compression artifacts. Desktop in browser looks fine. 🤷 19:32 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ John Abreau says:I'm recording the meeting from driftwood, and Jerry is simultaneously recording it from his machine. We can compare the video quality after the meeting ends. 19:35 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Randy Cole says:Loved rex trailler 19:45 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Edward Piecewicz says:My dad used to talk about C rations a lot. 19:57 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bill Ricker says:hoping the fog burns off - that's how I feel about the Great Swamp by Dedham 20:03 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Edward Piecewicz says:Thank you. 20:13 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jerry Feldman says:You are welcome 20:13 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Randy Cole says:Very interesting diversion from the normal! Randy Cole says:Was there anything we could have done differently that would have won the war? Randy Cole says:The communists took advantage and coopted the anti-colonial moovement 20:18 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bill Ricker says:right. The Communists liberated Viet Nam from the Japanese at the end of WW2; return of the French Colonies was De Gaulle's price for allowing West Germany to join NATO on parity with the victors of WW2. 20:20 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Randy Cole says:My dad served in WWII and unfortunately was recalled for korea. He couldnt believe how different the wars were and how korea was politicized 20:20 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bill Ricker says:So very much anti-colonial movement. Bill Ricker says:for a WO to get promoted to Brigadier, even on NG side, is remarkable, as it's expected to be a terminal rank for technical personnel. But a flare for Leadership can show up where least expected. 20:24 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Randy Cole says:In The Fog of War Robert Macnamara states that LBJ didnt know what to do in Vietnam so he just kept throwing more troops at the problem 20:25 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jerry Feldman says:"Ezel ware" likely refers to Brigadier General Ezell Ware, Jr., a highly decorated retired U.S. Army and Marine Corps officer. He is best known as the author of the book "By Duty Bound: Survival and Redemption in a Time of War," which recounts his experiences in Vietnam and his upbringing in the Jim Crow South. 20:27 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bill Ricker says:BG Ware, Chief Assistant Adjutant of the California National Guard. Ret 2003. d. 2009. Bill Ricker says:his Book ©2005 "By Duty Bound: Survival And Repemption In a Time Of War" is apparently tale of putting his Evasion training to use for 3 weeks in the jungle. 20:33 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jerry Feldman says:WO1 Rodney L. Rawlings was a VHPA member who died after his tour in Vietnam on 03/27/2023 at the age of 78.2 from Multiple sclerosis Austin, TX Date of Birth 01/15/1945 Served in the U.S. Army Served in Vietnam with 61 AHC, 11 AVN BN, 12 AVN GP, III CORPS Call sign in Vietnam LUCKY STAR This information was provided by Obit More detail on this person: Rodney L. Rawlings of Austin, TX was born on January 1945. He passed away after a long battle with MS on 27 March 2023. Rodney joined the Army on 3 April 1967. After flight school he was assigned to a AHC Gun Platoon. Callsign Lucky Star 61. After Vietnam, he served on numerous Command and Staff positions, rising to the Rank of BG in the Washington Army National Guard. He attended both the Army War College and Command and General Staff college as well as the USA Adjutant General School. Rodney served his country for 20 years, on active duty and National Guard. He retired medically in 1988. His one request was to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. He was laid to rest September 24, 2024, in Arlington with full military honors. He is survived by his lovely wife Verna, his son, Rodney Jr. and daughter Tiffany. He will be missed by everyone who knew or served with him! Godspeed Rodney. 20:34 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Edward Piecewicz says: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/275046569/rodney-lynn-rawlings 20:36 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jerry Feldman says: Mass.gov https://www.mass.gov/ › ... › Aging Resources The SHINE Program provides free health insurance information, counseling, and assistance to people who are eligible for Medicare and their caregivers. 20:37 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Edward Piecewicz says:👍 20:38 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ meeting ended at 8:44 pm