My first attempt at shaping a hat and a new Stetson

[ezrydn]

I thought I was mostly English until I started nosing around in the woodpile. LOL

I wanna thank you guys again for the assist with the hat. I was afraid I'd totally screw the thing up but you put my mind at rest and I got pretty much what I was after. A little education goes a long way. And you were the only one's around to provide it.

John

 

[Boodles]

Mr Ezrydn - Photo sizing

Perhaps what I have been mssing is that I need to save the photos within Photobucket in the size that I want to see them in the posting?

Boodles,

I took the pixs above with my Nokia e71 smartphone. They were too big so I ran them through Irfanview, a free program you can download online. Just resized them to the size I wanted. That took care of the size idea. Then, as the guys said, uploaded them to one of my sites and linked them into the page here.

Google "Irfanview" and you'll find the photo program. It's been around for years and still works great.

John

 

[ezrydn]

Yes,

The size photo you post is the size you've see. I suddenly noticed that there's an option within my phone to take "email sized" photos which is the size we need. I've now got that option activated so I don't have any more 5M pixs! LOL When I first took the shots and transfered them to the computer, I needed my monitor and the one down the street to see them. A quick run through Irfanview brought them within specs.

John

 

[ezrydn]

Blackhorse?

Nope, Boodles. 7th U.S. Cavalry. A wonderous history, not only Little Big Horn. Our claim to fame is LX X-ray, Ia Drang Valley, RVN. You can see and listen to the major players here:

Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0l6mDDeUcg

Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYJxSOaf3eo

Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqQ7SkUaHB8

Part 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmW11FKveJg

Part 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQNydpgdPhI

Part 6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut7Q6itNLmk

Part 7
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyumCV-XKYk

Part 8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG5CCCJdE4Q

Part 9
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdPiwOa1Hi4

These are the men who turned me into a man. And I'm still in contact with them.

John

 

[Blackthorn]

Nope, Boodles. 7th U.S. Cavalry. A wonderous history, not only Little Big Horn. Our claim to fame is LX X-ray, Ia Drang Valley, RVN. You can see and listen to the major players here:

Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0l6mDDeUcg

Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYJxSOaf3eo

Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqQ7SkUaHB8

Part 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmW11FKveJg

Part 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQNydpgdPhI

Part 6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut7Q6itNLmk

Part 7
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyumCV-XKYk

Part 8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG5CCCJdE4Q

Part 9
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdPiwOa1Hi4

These are the men who turned me into a man. And I'm still in contact with them.

John

As well you should be, John! I take my hat off to ALL of you. I wish there were an icon showing a hat being tipped. You guys are the stuff of legend.

 

[ezrydn]

Blackthorn,

We hear that all the time but it just doesn't sink in. While some might think we did it for Democracy, Mother Pie and the Flag, it wasn't that at all. Some here know what I mean.

It was about sharing totally and protecting each other. It was "do whatever you have to do to get a ticket home." The thoughts I went over with were not the ones I came home with. I had had 3 years of Jr. ROTC in High School so Army "education" was already there. Most of what I encountered in Basic and AIT were just brush-ups.

It wasn't until I started living in the bush that I started realizing what was needed, not expected.

As you'll hear more than often, "we were just doing our jobs." We always seemed to bite off more than we could chew. Typical of the 7th Cav, I guess.

After Ia Drang, we went into the Bong Son area for 2 months, chasing and smashing the NVA units we had encountered at X-Ray. To us, it was simply "payback."

You might be aware of Sen. Jim Webb from Va. He wrote a book I just finished called "Fields of Fire." It takes you down to the personal grunt level of understanding. Outstanding descriptions. For those who weren't there, read it. Webb was an officer in the Marines in '69.

Ours was but one story in a sea of naratives. If someone reading this was at the "support" level of Nam, without being in country, I take my hat off to you. You made sure we had water, food, ammo, clothing, mail, things that made life a little better. It doesn't matter that you were not in country. For, without your help, we couldn't have done our jobs. Never think less of yourselves. You were our "lynchpin."

Later in my tour, I transfered to Cauldwell's B Co., 229th Assault Helicopter Bn. as a Door Gunner. Finished out my tour as a Crew Chief. It was interesting that B/229 was the taxi service for B/1/7 so the apple didn't fall far from the tree.

I talk to the GIs in the airports when I travel and they always refer to me as "Sir." "Sir? I was a grunt, just like you!" LOL A "mud-bud."

I've had a couple comments on the hat shaping. Everyone likes it. Several asked me where I got it done. I tell them "The Fedora Lounge" online.

John

 

[Woodfluter]

Thanks John, for your reply and insights. I was of the same generation but wasn't "over there". What you said accords very well with the accounts of others I know who were.

Yes, I know we're here to talk about hats...but my hat's off to you, regardless. I have a slight inkling of what it must have been like, and you deserve honor and respect.

- Bill

 

[jaymag_87]

PS...For some who may be wondering, B. Co., 1st Bn., 7th US Cav, 1st Air Cav Div (AM), 65-66, grunt RTO.

From one old Cavalryman to another...Thank you for your service, sir. Yes, I know...don't call you "Sir". You worked for a living.

Me...A/5-17 CAV, 2ID; B/2-8 CAV, 1CD (Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm); RHHT, 3ACR. I was a "Sir". I didn't work for a living.


My Stetson was blocked and formed after a good soaking of beer (and other alcoholic beverages) when I "christened" it as a Platoon Leader.

 

[ezrydn]

Hey, jaymag,

We gottem out numbered, there's TWO of us! LOL We went through 6 "Sirs" in Bong Son. The last one left our Plt Sgt, Savage, in charge til he thought the new "brown bar" was ready. This guy, we protected. As you know, we had both good and bad officers. It was the good ones that seemed not to realize they were officers. LOL

There's something "nostalgic" about being a Cavalryman. While we've change our horses for flying ones, we carry on the traditions.

If you saw the movie "We Were Soldiers," you might have noticed the bit of story about the "bugle" at the beginning and end of the movie. Said bugle is currently sitting in the 1st Cav Museum at Ft. Hood, Tx (for those of you in the area).

The French found out we had it and asked that it be returned. You can guess what the response was. LOL

So, a hearty, heart-felt "Garry Owen" to you all. I wouldn't have been "complete" without your help. Now, in our group pixs, I won't be the only one without a hat!!

John