10/15/2026

Thursday, October 15, 2026

1966: The Black Panther Party was founded by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale in Oakland, California

1991 Clarence Thomas was confirmed as a US Supreme Court Justice (52-48)

2000 Larry David's comedy show "Curb Your Enthusiasm" debuted on HBO

2025: Uruguay became the first country in Latin America to decriminalise euthanasia

In bed at 10:30. up at 7; 0720 201.4 133/84/64. 95;  56/49/61/55, cloudy, rainy most of the day.

 Morning meds at 9 a.m.  Entresto at 7:45a.m. and p.m.

Trump = Turncoat, Betrayal, Treachery.  I started the day with the NYTimes and WSJ informing me that the Ukrainian military was suddenly facing restrictions on its military-grade Starlink terminals.  Ukrainian officials were already suspecting the worst: that President Trump had ordered Elon Musk, who owns the company that operates Starlink, to throttle Ukraine’s access to the satellite systems.  The Ukrainians need Starlink to help them defend their civilian population against savage and criminal Russian attacks on purely civilian targets.  Trump is betraying them as he betrays anybody and everybody who doesn't kowtow to his wishes.  He has turned America from an ally of the Ukrainians into an ally of the Russians in its completely unjustifiable and illegal invasion.  His name should be synonymous with Shame and Dishonor, Quisling.  Consider too his weakening or destroying of NATO, and his threat of military force against NATO partner Denmark re: Greenland.   Republican campaign manager and strategist Rick Wilson wrote a book titled Everything Trump Touches Dies.  That is true of our democracy, flawed as it was, our freedoms from governmental thuggery, and our relationship with the entire rest of the world, save perhaps with Russia, North Korea, and China.

Text exchange with Karyn Roelke:

Karyn: Thank you so much for sending us your journal from your Honor Flight. I will be taking it to our board meeting tonight so everyone can appreciate it. Thank you so much!

Also I noted your mention of Chosin Marines from the Korean War. In 2017, I was standing at the Korean War Memorial on flight day with a Marine who broke down in tears. He had been at Chosin. At the time I was recording podcasts with veterans for SSHF and a few months later I talked him into sitting down with me and telling his story. I was extremely heartbreaking and intense, but we got through it together and I was so proud of him. After that, he told me that he could never talk about it again… he had gotten it out once but I needed to never ask him to tell it again. I felt terrible that I had asked him to tell me in the first place. While I think in the end he needed to get it out, I think it cost him to do so. He passed away a few years later. I have never forgotten him.

 Me: Thank you, Karyn.  I did a bit of editing on the journal entries and sent them as part of a thank-you letter I sent to the teacher of the students at Wauwatosa West High School who sent me ‘letters from home.’  He’s a veteran himself, 10 years Army Reserves, and Kuwait. It was long and I told him to do with it what he thought best with the more than 30 students, so long as they know my deep gratitude to each of them.  And, if it’s appropriate, convert my gratitude to the other board members.

RE the ‘frozen Chosin,’ the fact that most tugs at my heart from that “strategic withdrawal,” was of Marines tucking their feet under each others armpits to keep them from becoming frozen.  Those guys all served under incredibly horrible conditions and, as I said in my journal, no Marine with any knowledge of that war’s history will ever forget them.

My thanks again to you for going out of your way to help me about Moon Mullen’s gravesite, and for all your other service to so many old vets, and thanks to all the board members as well.  Semper Fi.

Email to Chad Mateske:

"Hi, Chad.  Here's the letter I wrote to your students.  I don't know if the photos will copy on this email or not.  [After pasting it, I see that the photos didn't transfer.  I will try it also as a text message.  And of course I can mail a hard copy to you, if desired.].  I also don't know whether it's way too much, TMI, which I'm prone to.  I did a copy-and-paste job from my journal, which is also available as a blog on the Blogger or Blogspot platform under the heading of Slogthrop Imponderables and Incommensurables.  I used that platform simply because it allowed me to incorporate photos and images into my journal.  In any event, you can do with it as you see fit for your students, and I won't be offended.  My main purpose and goal have been simply to let your students who wrote me those letters know how very much I appreciate their efforts on my behalf.  I say the same to you, for your efforts.  Thank you!

To: The thoughtful students at Wauwatosa West High School who wrote me

From: Charles D. Clausen, former Capt., US Marine Corps 

RE: Stars and Stripes Honor Flight, October 10, 2026

Date: October 15, 2026

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the kind and thoughtful letters that you sent to me as my “letters from home” at the end of our day on the Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., last Saturday, October 10.  They were very touching and very much appreciated.

I’m an 85-year-old former Marine officer who served in Vietnam in 1965-1966.  The following year, I was stationed outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where my duties included informing loved ones whose Marines had been killed, wounded, or were missing in action in Vietnam.  That was my worst experience during that long war.

I grew up in Chicago, Illinois, and went to college at Marquette University, where I was a midshipman in the Navy ROTC.  I decided to take my commission in the Marines rather than the Navy because my father was a Marine during World War II.  He fought in a famous battle for the little island of Iwo Jima.  He returned from the war with significant PTSD.

After my 4 years of active duty in the Marines, I went to Marquette Law School where I subsequently served on the faculty for about 25 years.  When I retired, I worked as executive director of the House of Peace Community Center at 17th and Walnuts Streets in Milwaukee.  I’ve been fully retired for about 20 years.

For any who may be interested in my experiences and thoughts about the Honor Flight, I include the following notes from a personal journal (or diary) that I’ve  kept for the last 4 years or so: "

I omit from here the long edited narrative from the journal(s).

Text to Chad Mateske:

Hi, again.  The photos didn’t copy onto the email, but I thought I’d try texting.  In any case, I realize the narrative and reflections are simply too long to deal with at your end, so do with this what you think is best for your purposes.  If the photos don’t copy here and if you’re interested, you can check my blog at Slogthrop Imponderable and Incommensurables on Blogger..  Anyway, here goes. (rest omitted.

Miserable weather day today.  I drove up to the Saukville Walmart for some medical stuff this morning, intending to beat the predicted rainfall all afternoon.  No go: it rained all the way up there and continued all day.  Later I went to Sendik's to pick up some carrots and other stuff, and the rain was worse.  Tomorrow will be worse yet. GALE WARNING tomorrow.  12 to 20-foot waves on Lake Michigan, winds from the north at 25 mph, gusting to 45 mph.   I'll have to try to get to the lakefront somewhere to see it, but it might not be possible.  The worse news is that Geri will be driving from Milwaukee down to Churbana tomorrow for her weekend visit with Kate Donovan and Tuz Healy, in from Dublin, Ireland.