Tag: featured

Kings & Queens of Congress

Dateline  July 16th, 2016, 1747 hours

by Guardian 6

Ever wonder why it seems Washington never changes? Much of it likely has to do with Old Guard legislators protecting their accumulated authority and power through their formal and informal networks with media, lobbyist, Hollywood, fundraisers and millionaires. They maintain a stranglehold on their Senate or House seat through this network and the financial war chests they’ve built over the decades they have served (themselves).

Take Senator Leahy for example from Vermont, he has now been in the US Senate since 1975. That is 42 years! Now expecting productivity, creativity, or problem solving from anyone in any job for 42 years is kind of nuts. If you didn’t get it done in the first few terms, what makes you think you’ll get it done 5 or 6 or 7 terms later? Like Albert Einstein said, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.”

Term limits, if they’re good enough for the president, governors and public & private boards across the land, why are they not good enough for the Kings & Queens of Congress? Well, perhaps it is because they make the law and their networks and financial war chests continue to stack the deck in their favor against the little guy, the forgotten. After all, not everyone like Senator Leahy can queue up the Grateful Dead to host a fundraising concert for him to support his re-election campaign.

Let’s get to the point, the longer these folks remain in Congress, the less gets done, the more partisan they become and the more out of touch they are with the needs of the American people. We deserve better. We need less kings and queens and more “serfs” (average Joe’s & Jane’s) elected. Imagine what would be possible if we could start with a clean slate … oh, it would be beautiful. Build a team of teams.

 

 

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“Words Don’t Hurt. Bullets Hurt.”

by James Hasson, former Army Captain

New Army Transgender policy, combat multiplier or introducing new risk to the formation, readiness and morale?

Insightful article written by a veteran examining  Army policy that appears to be more concerned with placing the needs of a few over good order and the dignity of the majority in the formation.   

 

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Break-up the Beltway

The 53rd Regiment News Reports

Dateline: Undisclosed location, April 6, 2017, 1935 Hours

A handful of new Senators and Representatives change with each election cycle as incumbents build financial war chests for their next election and we expect change, civility and better outcomes. One party wins, the other party loses and the incumbents maintain the status quo. Albert Einstein once said, “The definition of insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting a different result.” Well here we are folks, largely the same group of players in the House and Senate, a new President, and the status quo incumbent crowd fights to obstruct and do nothing. Meanwhile, back on the farm and a hometown near you, many Americans continue to struggle.

Where is the mainstream media in all this? Well, they’re are doing what they do best; picking sides on the left, obstructing and chasing fake stories or covering up real stories through under reporting or no reporting at all. Hence, American culture has a new term, “Fake News.” These days it seems we have a plethora of Fake News Outlets (FNO), take your pick. It’s somewhat funny watching one FNO accuse another FNO of putting out Fake News. What to do? Read and think for yourself.

Break-up the Beltway! Why is it that every federal agency and intelligence agency has to be physically located in and around Washington DC? Why? With all federal agencies being co-located in the Kabul of the Beltway, power is concentrated, colluded and often contrived (Fake News). Listening to the politicians is often sickening. I digress but did anyone watch democratic senators attack Judge Gorsuch? Wow, if that guy gets beaten the way he did for being simply a good fair man, there is no hope for any of us running through the Fake Hearings Gauntlet.

Both the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and the Federal Election Bureau (FEB) need new headquarters buildings to modernize and house their staff. Where are they looking? Within DC and the ever expanding Beltway of course! Break-up the Beltway! Time for real change. How about we put federal agencies throughout the country to better represent America; eliminate the concentration of power and all the ills that come with it; add geographic and cultural diversity to the federal workforce; and enhance survivability and force protection of our government.

I recommend that we move the FBI to Detroit, MI. The FEB, my candidate state and city is Gary, IN. It’s time for change and to disperse the federal work force so they look more like America and the rest of America benefits from proximity to the federal government. Cities and States should of course compete for the opportunity to bring a federal agency to a hometown near you. The cultural rot of the Senate and House with elected officials that have been there for over 30 or 40 years will fight this, but ladies and gentlemen, this is a battle worth fighting. Time to Break-up the Beltway!

*** Show your support with a Like and pass this article on. Let’s get the movement started. Stand with the 53rd Regiment

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Glory Days – “Lariat Advance”

53rd Regiment News Reports

Dateline March 19th, 2017

Telephone Rings at 0135 hours, somewhere in Germany, circa 1987

 “Lariat Advance, Lariat Advance, Lariat Advance as of 0130 hours!”

Soldier picks up the phone and responds, “Roger, Lariat Advance as of 0130 hours.”

The Cold War was on. Units and Soldiers in the Federal Republic of Germany maintained a high state of readiness. The United States had approximately 250,000 US military personnel stationed in Germany during the 1980’s. If World War III were to break out, Germany was expected to be ground zero.

The Soldier picking up the phone would grab their Alert Roster and execute their portion of the phone tree passing the command on, “Lariat Advance, Lariat Advance, Lariat Advance as of 0130 hours. Battalion Commanders called their Company Commanders, Sergeants Major, and Battalion XO and S3; Company Commanders called their Platoon Leaders and First Sergeants; and Staff Officers called their section NCOIC and key leaders. And so the command was passed down the line for troops living on and off post. For troops living in the barracks, CQs (Charge of Quarters) woke Soldiers up with the same command banging on doors and yelling “Lariat Advance” up and down the hallways.

The sound of that German phone going off at 0130 in the morning was like a five alarm fire. It was loud and startling and you felt like it would wake up the whole neighborhood. Soldiers were given a designated period of time to be on post in their go-to-war uniform, secure their weapon & MOPP gear and get their vehicle/M1A1/Bradley PMCS’d, lined up in designated march order and conduct communications check and provide a status report.

“Kilo 3 this is Kilo 2, comms check, over?”

“Kilo 2, Lima Charlie, out.”

“Kilo 3, this is Kilo 2, as of 0300 hours we are at 75% strength.”

“Kilo 2, 75% strength, roger, out.”

 Racing to get on post, troops never knew if the alert was an exercise or the real thing. This was a well-rehearsed battle plan where units would prepare to execute their General Defense Plan. Units and Soldiers were evaluated from start to finish. Sometimes we would roll out to our Local Training Area for days at a time or leaders would conduct a Key Leaders Recon and rehearsal exercise briefing battle plans through a MAPEX.

There was never an ideal time for Lariat Advance. Back in the day you grabbed your gear, hugged and kissed your wife goodbye and said, “See you soon. I love you, I’ll call when I can.”

“Lariat Advance, Lariat Advance, Lariat Advance as of 0130 hours!”

 

 

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Glory Days — The Wall Falls

53rd Regiment News Reports

Dateline March 5th, 2017

 “General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate.  Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate!  Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”—Ronald Reagan, address at the Brandenburg Gate, June 12, 1987

The Cold War was on. The United States had approximately 250,000 US military personnel stationed in Germany alone during the 1980’s. If World War III were to break out, Germany was expected to be ground zero. Every US unit, German unit, British unit and other NATO units stationed in Germany, had their portion of the General Defense Plan (GDP) to prepare for and we exercised this battle plan routinely.

As a relatively new 2nd Lieutenant stationed in Germany in May 1987, the prospect of war was very real. Every event trained for their Go To War plan, how they would fight and their responsibilities. This included REFORGER exercises where   thousands of stateside troops deployed to Germany in support of the GDP, Tank Gunnery Exercises at Graffenwohr, or combat maneuver exercises at Hohenfels against Opposition Forces (OPFOR). For two years, preparing and training for war was a way of life, with many trips away from my German home along the Main River in Aschaffenburg.

On November 9th, 1989 everything changed. President Reagan’s outreach to Secretary Gorbachev led to real dialogue and Gorbachev himself had written a book called Perestroika, offering the prospect of new thinking and openness for the Soviet Union and satellite countries. Then, somewhat out of the blue, and unexpected on November 9th, 1989 the Berlin Wall fell when the communist party of the German Democratic Republic (divided East Germany), announced that its citizens could travel to the West freely, and travel they did. More than 2 million East Germans travelled to West Berlin and into free Germany in the coming days. People began using hammers and picks to knock down the wall. Berlin would shortly be reunited for the first time since 1945 and the end of WWII.

            As a young soldier, it was an amazing time to be stationed in Germany, when east and west began the journey and struggle in reuniting. Being on the autobahn and watching families of East Germans travel west in their tiny Trabant cars was surreal, and a sign of how communist countries had failed their citizens. Trabants were noisy, slow and about 5 decades behind western car technologies. It must have been shocking to the eyes of East Germans to see how the West lived, how much more advanced the Federal Republic of Germany was and in the end, to now understand that their communist governments had been lying to them.

Much more change was coming for US units stationed in Germany as a new normal, a time of uncertainty was settling in. No one really knew what to expect next. However, there was a war brewing on another continent and many units from Germany would soon be deployed to fight in Operation Desert Storm.

 

 

 

 

   

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Glory Days – “BOLO”

The 53rd Regiment News

Dateline: March 1st, 2017

Army troops know the term. No one wanted to BOLO a training event, fail a land navigation course or be associated with some Army training event or exercise that they failed in. No one wanted to be a “BOLO.”

BOLO is a pejorative term meaning failure. It also has some history meaning “Be on the Look Out,” but this is not the meaning in modern day units. In my “glory days,” BOLO was directed at failure or a person who couldn’t get their act together meeting the lowest of standards. One might hear:

  • “Hey Smith, what the hell happened, BOLO again?”
  • “Hey Sir, on the range today we had 29 qualify and 3 BOLO’s”
  • “Jones, what a major BOLO”

I also found a reference stating that BOLO was a term used in WWII for American trained Philippine guerrilla forces that failed to achieve basic marksmanship proficiency with a rifle. They were issued “bolo” knives instead of firearms to preserve ammunition. Hence, they were perhaps the first “BOLOs.”

In basic training, BOLO was a favorite term among Drill Sergeants for recruits among other words or terms that were not very  pleasant. BOLO was actually one of the kinder words one could be called by a Drill Sergeant for failure. This was back in an era before sensitivity training, Consideration of Others Program (COOP) training or before present day college Safe Spaces.

The 53rd Regiment would like to hear from you about your glory days. Be heard!

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Glory Days – “ENDEX”

53rd Regiment News

Dateline February 26, 2017

As you would expect, Soldiers, troops, veterans of US Service Departments have lots of memories deep in their minds about their days serving our country. In many regards, these memories are the glory days whether they are good or bad recollections. The other day while driving home from work, a word from my past came into focus while thinking about being stationed in the Federal Republic of Germany in the 1980s. That word is, “ENDEX,” meaning end of exercise. The Army has a very unique vocabulary that combines proper English, slang and acronyms to form powerful, succinct, abbreviated statements that get the message across with brevity. Clear, concise commands are critical in combat situations to understand and execute orders. ENDEX is one of those words clearly understood and usually met with tremendous approval.

So what is ENDEX? To put it into context, after being in a field environment training for perhaps two, three or four weeks, this single command tells the complete formation the training exercise has ended. The command ceases all operations and begins recovery operations. Commanders and key leaders will then gather, conduct an After Action Review (AAR) and subordinate leaders and troops will begin executing the recovery and redeployment plan.

How is ENDEX delivered to the command? It is given over Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence networks. Back in the glory days, it was principally given over radio nets. The command directive went something like this delivered over the Operations & Intelligence (O&I) radio network and repeated on other networks as required:

O&I Net: “Guidons, Guidons, Guidons, as of 1400 hours, we have ENDEX. Commands, acknowledge.”

“Sierra 3, Alpha 6, ENDEX as of 1400 hours, Roger.”

“Sierra 3, Bravo 6, ENDEX as of 1400 hours, Roger.”

“Sierra 3, Charlie 6, ENDEX as of 1400 hours, Roger.”

“Sierra 3, Delta 6, ENDEX as of 1400 hours, Roger.”

“Sierra 3, Echo 6, ENDEX as of 1400 hours, Roger.”

All subordinate commands on the network acknowledge ENDEX and subsequently inform their formation and begin the next phase of the operation.

The 53rd Regiment would like to learn about your glory day word that is unique to your military experience. Be heard!

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GothamCiti – Reloaded

Dateline: 53rd Regiment News

February 20, 2017

After two consecutive seasons of making the playoffs to include the World Series in 2015, the Mets have reloaded principally with their Fab Five pitchers reporting for duty healthy and a veteran presence balanced with young talent hungry for a championship. Master Alderson successfully brought back the thunder resigning electric #52 Yoenis Cespedes while also resigning steady Neil Walker, in essence, addition by retention. Terry Collins enters his seventh season at the helm of the Amazin’ Mets showcasing his ability to push all the right buttons while balancing the expectations of managing in New York and setting the tone for his ball club.

Looking to avoid the injury bug this year, will go a long way in getting the Amazin’ Mets back to championship baseball. Last year, 3 of 5 starting pitchers were lost by mid-July and 3 of 4 infielders were lost by August, not a formula for winning but somehow the Mets found a way to get into the playoffs through grit and determination.

So here we are spring training 2017, and here come the Mets! Captain America’s (#5 David Wright) leadership, this Super Hero is battling his health doing everything he can to get on the field from serious back and neck injuries. Returning from the shadows, the Dark Knight (#33 Matt Harvey) has regained his form and he will continue to battle the enemy inside and outside of Gotham. As this glorious battle continues, the Dark Knight will return to form eliminating the criminal element throughout the league.

His battery mate, Wolverine (#45 Zach Wheeler) continues to battle back from the demon Tommy John. Although the Wolverine was a mutant and engineered to not suffer human injuries, he was infected with a virus and suffered a similar injury to the Dark Knight. He inches closer to that 100 MPH heater as I write.

The Silver Surfer (#48 Jacob deGrom) has had his ulnar nerve repaired after a three-month battle. Regularly underestimated entering Gotham’s rotation he emerged in 2014 as the NL Rookie of the League, and in 2015 he used his five different pitches to mow down the AL All-Stars in 10 pitches in a single inning, with three blazing strike outs, an All-Star game record.

Enter stage right from the dugout, Thor (#34, Noah Syndergaard), “if you have a problem with me pitching inside, meet me 60 feet and 6 inches away” led the NY Mets with his big hammer, warrior spirit and willingness to challenge royalty at every turn. While the villain Moustakas fired F-bombs from his safe fortress in the dugout, and hid behind umpires, Thor picked up his hammer and went to work mowing the royalty down. The new villain he battles is #34 whom roams the outfield of the DC Swamp along with a nasty creature called Wolfman.

Returning from a bone spur and a shoulder impingement injury, Iron Man (#32 Steven Matz), part of Gotham’s Vengeance Force, used his brilliant intellect and sophisticated pitches to silence the enemy at the plate, especially his deceptive slider and curve that freezes batters. After his off-season recovery, Iron Man is ready to soar to new heights.

Sadly, The Hulk (#40, Bartolo Colon) has moved to archrival Atlanta where it has been reported they have better clubhouse meals and an unlimited buffet. The Mets must remain vigilant in battling The Hulk’s brute strength, craftiness and his appetite to defeat his enemies.

It is now 2017, teams have reported for spring training, the Amazin’ Mets have reloaded and begin the fight to reclaim the Division Title of the NL East, National League Championship Pennant and ultimately winning the 2017 World Series. It is our time! Bring the season on, Play Ball!

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Takedown!

Dateline 53rd Regiment News

February 16th, 2017

Fake news, manufactured protests, collusion between the media and political class rejecting the will of the American people electing President Trump. Mass hysteria from the “main stream” media; ridicule from the late night comic shows and incoherence from Hollywood showcase who the highly intolerant elites are and how they place themselves above the rest of us, will of the people be damned.

What is perhaps even more discouraging is the notion that intelligence professionals with the support of some senior leaders in Intelligence Agencies are intentionally leaking information to embarrass or disparage their President. This is treasonous and arguable without precedent. All intelligence professionals sign non-disclosure statements and it is a crime to leak or share intelligence with people who do not have the proper clearance,  access or need to know. This is not in America’s interests. While these few individuals bring great discredit to their agencies and themselves, they are undermining American leadership, emboldening our enemies and behaving in a criminal manner.

What does all this mean less than one month into the Trump presidency? The Alt-Left, Never Trump Movement has achieved their first “takedown” or kill of a Trump Administration official by creating false narratives and exaggerating a picture of a relationship between General Flynn and the Russians. General Flynn wasn’t born yesterday and as a career intelligence professional, he knows much more than you and I ever will on how our adversaries operate. And, oh, just a few years ago, the Hillary Clinton Russian Reset “that was easy” button was praised by the same media. Hmmmm. 

With the resignation of LTG Retired Mike Flynn, Trump’s National Security Advisor, there is glee in the swamp. The plotting to undermine the Trump Presidency is now emboldened in the DC swampland but as Trump fully recognizes, he’s not running a popularity contest. As a CEO, he’s in the results business. Let’s hope for the sake of America, he can remain laser focused on what ills America and not be detracted by the manufactured Kabul of negativity that is the Alt-left, main stream media, political class and for-hire-protestors funded by Soros and other extremists.

Finally, keep the faith America. There are quite a few big gators in the swamp that have grown quite large after 30 or 40 years in DC. It is going to take a while to remove them and return them to the areas they migrated from before they made DC their permanent home like a major rat infestation. President Trump is on the hunt and has many, many Swamp People willing to help drain the swamp, Bigly!

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Fake News

Dateline February 2, 2017

Is that what it is called, “Fake news?” I’ve been wondering for all these years what the appropriate term was for mainstream news  reporting. Whether CBS, ABC, NBC, CNN, Washington Post, New York Times, MSNBC, ecetra. There seems to be less hard investigating and reporting and more opinion journalism shaping news and public opinion than seeking the news. Even President Obama’s Daily News Press Conference seemed to be more of a collegial gathering of friends than news services’s asking tough questions to honestly report on news, policies and serve as an objective source of information to serve the greater public interest.

I guess all those polls having Secretary Clinton winning the election handily fit the category of “fake news.” How can they get it so wrong unless they are reporting untruths or trying to depress the vote for the opposition? And doing opinion journalism instead of finding and reporting news, but yet representing it as news and not opinion? I never had heard of this term until the mainstream media outlets starting using it. It’s ironic that the Fake News labeling began with the progressive left mainstream media and they became the biggest proponents of it openly favoring Secretary Clinton. By backing and manufacturing stories to prop up their candidate, they became the drivers of fake news. In socialist and communist countries fake news is known as propaganda.

But we are a democracy, how can we have fake, propaganda news? Is this possible? Well, we now know it is. When the self proclaimed elite journalists of the mainstream mass media conspire along with Hollywood and late night TV news comedians (“Fake-Medians,”) to back the left and vote 90%+  for the democratic candidate year after year, you get … drum roll please … Fake News! Walla!!! We have Fake News!!!

 

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… and they March

 

Dateline: Washington DC (53rd Regiment News)

January 28th, 2017

They didn’t come with hate in their hearts, or wearing vulgar pink hats and give speeches that were somewhere between incoherent and threatening. They came to march with love in their hearts to defend the un-defendable, the unborn. For more than four decades, regardless of weather conditions, men and women, young and old, and students come to give voice to the right to life and to peacefully demonstrate their beliefs in strong numbers. They gather on the National Mall and march to the Supreme Court to give voice for those babies that have perished and send a message to end this scourge on our society.

For the first time a sitting Vice President attended and addressed the Pro-Life rally. VP Pence addressed the hundreds of thousands one week after taking office saying, “Life is winning in America.” When you reflect on this statement it is actually startling. When did life start losing in America? Well, we know the story goes back to the 1973 Supreme Court decision of Roe vs. Wade where abortion was legalized.

Norma McCorvey, the plaintiff behind Roe vs. Wade, now regrets being used as a prop for pro-abortion advocates. In the link below you can watch a one-minute video where she explains her work today as a pro-life advocate. She states,

“You read about me in history books, but now I am dedicated to spreading the truth about preserving the dignity of all human life from natural conception to natural death.”

Woman Behind Roe v. Wade: “I’m Dedicating My Life to Overturning It”

Since 1973, there have been over 50 million abortions in the United States. Think about that number; 50,000,000 lives extinguished before they even got their first breathe. I’ve always thought, my goodness, America is so much better than this. How did we get to this dark, selfish place that we toss away the innocent?

What does 50 million lives terminated before they begin represent? About 1/6th of the current US population; there is nothing to celebrate here. America is better than this and it is time that we find our better nature. Something we can all pray about.

… and they March

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Top 10 List: Why 50+ Democratic Congressman are not attending the Presidential Inauguration

10. They’d rather attend a protest rally then help the country unite behind our new President

9. They don’t believe in celebrating our democracy and a peaceful transfer of power

8. They’ve been too depressed to go outside since the election

7. They haven’t showered since November 8th, 2016

6. Setting the right example has never really been their thing

5. They are scared of tweets and tweedy bird

4. It’s not a safe space

3. Their feelings got hurt so they took their “Respect the Office & Constitution Ball” and went home crying to Mommy

2. They didn’t get the memo that Secretary Clinton is attending

  1. They don’t respect American voters and their decision

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A Simple Prayer

Dateline:   1536 hours, January 15th, 2017

Seven Springs Resort, PA

During the homily in today’s  mass, our priest reflected on a simple prayer during his homily where he was telling the story of presiding over the funeral of a fellow Franciscan Friar this week. The prayer is as follows:

“Lord take me when you are ready and make me ready when you take me.”

This proved to be a very simple nice reflection. This writer has work to do.

 

 

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Bravo Zulu!

Well done! They said it could not be done. Our resolve and commitment were questioned as we gave voice to our beliefs and defended this exceptional country. We never wavered, we never lost faith and we never doubted. Here we are, one year later, stronger and more determined then ever to Be Heard!

As we celebrate our one-year anniversary today January 12th, 2017, I want to take a moment to thank each of you. The 53rd Regiment’s scholars, authors, readers, subscribers, my graphic artist and my dedicated staff, this could not have been done without you. It is an absolute pleasure to saddle up with you each and every day.

Our work is not done. Tyranny and fake news continues to knock at our door but we will remain a force for good, truth, justice and liberty. We will give voice to the challenges of our time and we will stand strong with Lady Liberty as our guide and our fore fathers  that risked it all for this country.

Regiment, this is a significant milestone in our pursuit of truth, justice, and the American way of life but there is much more to do. Remain vigilant.

As Always, stay strong and Be Heard!

Guardian 6

 

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Remnants & Revitalization

Dateline January 10th, 2017 

by Guardian 6

For the better part of 30 years, my family and I have traveled to Dayton, Ohio for the week that follows Christmas. We go there to visit with family, catch up with friends  and enjoy each others company. Having lived in East Dayton while I went to college, I have always been struck by a community that must have been beautiful in its heyday, the early twentieth century and perhaps as recent as the 1960’s. Much of East Dayton today consists of remnants of once beautiful neighborhoods, small tool shop businesses to include small factories and striking churches, especially several Catholic churches. Decades ago East Dayton likely looked like many mid-western city communities; a blend of well-to-do neighborhoods and low-to-middle income neighborhoods that were the fabric of America with small corner stores and people that looked out for each other. Today, many of these communities are trying to hold on and hoping for better economic times while trying to find businesses to invest in their city and find a path back to prosperity.

East Dayton is nestled into the Five Rivers part of Dayton that is starting to rally around a beautiful single A baseball stadium where the Dayton Dragons play, a Cincinnati Reds affiliated team named Fifth Third Park. It borders Five Rivers Park and the city has begun  to beautify the area with walking bridges over the rivers, nice landscape and a Technology Park to attract businesses. There are even newly developed Town Homes being built where old factories once stood and are being torn down. There are many remnants of hard times with dilapidated buildings, closed businesses and areas that have been ignored for far too long but hope and revitalization is underway in several parts of East Dayton.

After being a frequent visitor over the past four decades, it is nice to see change, investment and new possibilities for this part of the Gem city.  It looks promising and I hope it continues as America seems to have advanced the notion it is time  to invest here at home for a while.

 

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