British Weapons History
Sealed patterns, marked with a red wax seal and kept in the Tower, survive from the 18th century onwards. Infantry swords were largely discarded but patterns were provided for troopers’ cavalry swords and weapons for specialist bodies. Officers still carried privately purchased weapons that conformed to Ordnance patterns. Until about 1710, during the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-14), the Board of Ordnance had usually bought complete weapons from private contractors. Then it began to place separate contracts for the different stages of manufacture and assembly, so that it had greater control. Most gun barrels and locks were made in and around Birmingham.
London gun-makers, mostly in the Minories near the Tower, added the stocks and completed the weapons. The Tower was the central depot. The Ordnance provided the contractors with detailed specifications, including specimens or patterns, and inspected and proved (tested) their work at the Tower, where it was then stamped or engraved with the Ordnance mark. During the Napoleonic Wars (1792-1815) such was the demand for weapons for Britain and her allies that an organisation similar to the Tower’s was set up in Birmingham, for the complete manufacture and proving of weapons. In London the Ordnance itself took on the production and assembly of components, with a factory on Tower Wharf as well as at Lewisham.
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Life After West Point Military School
West Point exists to educate and train Cadets who are commissioned as Officers in the US Army upon Graduation. The commitment is for a total of 8 years, 5 of which are on active duty and 3 in the Reserves if you choose not to continue on active duty. A very few graduates may select commissioning in other services, primarily where one of their parents has served a career in another service.
The primary options for Army service are the choice of branch of service. You choose that at the beginning of your senior year. What are your army career options? After graduating from West Point, you will be commissioned in one of several Army branches. You may want a combat arms branch such as Infantry, Field Artillery, Armor, Air Defense Artillery, Aviation or Combat Engineers. You also may choose a combat support branch such as Signal, Military Police, Chemical or Military Intelligence.
You may also want to choose one of the combat service support branches such as Ordnance, Quartermaster, Transportation, Adjutant General or Finance. Opportunities are also available for the Medical Service Corps or the Judge Advocate General Corps later in your service career. You will advance to positions of greater responsibility in each branch based on your abilities.
West Point is looking for well rounded young men and women who want to serve as commissioned officers in the US Army. By well rounded I mean good students, good athletes, and good leaders. The focus is on service in the Army rather than on the college education part.
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History of Army Officers
While the US Army structure is based on the British military tradition, the History of Army Officers dates back to the 18th century. The categorisation of Privates and Commissioned Officers required distinction among the ranks, which called for the introduction of badges of distinction – this was followed up with the introduction of two stars for major generals and one star for brigadier generals, in 1780. The commissioned officers of the Army of United States were called the “General of the Armies of the United States”. By 1798, three stars were introduced to indicate Lieutenant Generals, while four stars were awarded to the rank of General, in 1866.
The “General and Commander-in-chief of the Army of the United Colonies” appointed in 1775 was George Washington, on the instance of the Revolutionary War, holding his post till 1783 under a Commission. George Washington was supposed to have been conferred the “Commander of the Army of the United States” and his position of “Lieutenant General” was to be abolished, but George Washington died while still under the commission of Lieutenant General.
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Prepare For War!
War can be defined as conflict, fighting or hostilities between two countries or interest groups. You fight wars to protect your interests or sovereignty. When you are putting together a nation or any entity for that matter, it is taken for granted that you should also put in place the machinery to protect it, otherwise you will wake up to see that your enemies have overran the whole place. I believe this is the reason why it is wisely said that if you want peace, you have to prepare for war. And I think that was what helped the wisest man ever-lived – Solomon. He was so wealthy, powerful, connected (humanly and divinely), wise, blessed, militarily armed and prepared that no enemy dared to attack him. He had a very peaceful and prosperous reign. It was not that everybody loved him, but his strength and capability were enormous. He was well prepared for any eventuality. We will talk about these later. You are in a war!
Our God is a warrior and we must see things the way He sees them. We must go closer to Him and see the way He fights His battles, and also learn how to allow Him lead us through the war called life. We must not take anything for granted. Yes, life is war, and as in every war there are always many battles to fight. When you win one, then you prepare or go over to the next. Until you win the entire war. Have you noticed that even the bible is a book of war? It is a record of so many battles between the kingdom of God and that of Satan. Between righteousness and unrighteousness. It started with a battle and ended with another. And in-between, almost every book shows this battle of two kingdoms.
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Program For Army Personnel
Military debt consolidation is very much like the normal consolidation of loans. The borrowers use this approach to consolidate all their existing loan amounts to a single loan or monthly payments. The loan is approved for an extended period of time with lower amortization charges. This can be arranged by third party financial institutions on liaise between the debtor and the creditor. Some of the characteristic features are
. Extended period of term
. Lower interest rates
. Lower monthly payments
. Debtors property is made collateral
. Single existing loan
Military debt consolidation loans are offered to the family members of military personnel who are on duty and also for the retired officials. Agencies that favor these kinds of loans are Military Debt Management Services, Military Debt Management Agency, and AAFES. The lending institutions offer better help to such officials and assist them to sail through the troubled waters. Financial institutions lend their hands in assisting military debt consolidation by arranging services to convert their loans to an affordable monthly payment. They offer debt settlement services and negotiate with the creditors to lower the interest rates. There are certain lending companies which are dedicated to the military debt consolidation services. The government is very keen in these kinds of programs after all these persons have dedicated their life for the security of the country. Read the rest of this entry »
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