I needed to move a sofa.
I mentioned this to an American. He said, "You know anybody with a truck?"
I did not know anybody with a truck.
He looked at me with real concern. Not pity. Concern. The way you look at a man who has told you he does not have a name.
"You gotta know somebody with a truck."
I asked how one acquires such a person.
He said, "You just do."
This is the third time I have received that answer in this country. It is the answer to everything here. You just do. There is no process. There is only the eventual fact of having.
He said, "Ask Kevin."
I do not know a Kevin. He said Kevin like I should. He said it the way you say a shared uncle.
I met Kevin four days later. Kevin owns a truck. Kevin does not own a truck for himself. Nobody owns a truck for themselves. Kevin owns a truck for a fifteen mile radius.
Inside I said: THIS MAN HAS TAKEN A VOW. HE DID NOT ANNOUNCE IT. HE SIMPLY PURCHASED A BED AND ACCEPTED THE CONSEQUENCES.
Kevin arrived on Saturday. He brought the truck. He also brought a second man.
I had not asked for a second man.
The second man's name is Tony. Tony came because Kevin came. Tony did not know me. Tony did not ask what we were moving. Tony brought gloves.
They moved the sofa in eleven minutes.
I offered them money. Both of them laughed at the same time, which felt rehearsed and was not.
I asked what I owed them.
Kevin said, "Buy the pizza."
That is the price. That is the entire economy. The truck costs one pizza and the pizza is not negotiable and the pizza is also not expensive and everyone knows what size.
Inside I said: THE FEE IS FIXED ACROSS THE ENTIRE NATION AND WAS SET BY NO ONE.
We ate on the floor because the sofa was against the wall and none of us wanted to be the first to sit on it.
Tony told me his daughter plays soccer. I asked if she is good. He said, "She's aggressive."
I still think about that.
Three weeks later, Kevin texted me.
"You free Sunday? Helping Tony move a fridge."
He did not ask if I wanted to. He informed me of a fridge.
Inside I said: I HAVE BEEN CALLED UP. I DID NOT ENLIST. THE PAPERS WERE FILED ON MY BEHALF.
I went. I moved the fridge. I have no truck. I contributed only arms.
Afterward, a man I had never met asked me if I knew anybody with a truck.
I said, "Yeah, I got a guy."
I have a guy.
I am somebody's guy now, too. Tony has told two people about me.
He describes me as "the guy who's strong for his size."
I have never been prouder of a sentence in my life.
Hard times getting gasoline into Crimea — only one out of three made it.
“All the objectives of the Special Military Operation will be accomplished thanks to the significant increase in Ukrainian drones falling, as ordered by you.”
Courtesy of the 3rd Battalion “Nazik”, 414th Brigade, USF “Magyar’s Birds”.
We will stand.
Moscow will fall.
USF online scoreboard “PIDRAKHUYKA”
https://t.co/nud6c36JAg
MAGYAR 🇺🇦
02.08.26
「大規模侵攻の発端よりも前から、日本はウクライナの側に立ち続けてきました。今、アジア義勇軍は、自由と正義のために戦いたいと願う日本人ボランティアにその場を設けています。
From even before the full-scale invasion, Japan has stood by Ukraine, now, Asian Volunteer Corps is providing a platform for Japanese volunteers to fight for freedom and justice.
Join The Fight/戦いに参加しよう:
https://t.co/hdZwTovuyH
NYT names MV Filchenkov, an Aeroflot employee in Tokyo, as a GRU officer belonging to its 20th Directorate. His role in Tokyo is to arrange for Japanese tech to be exported to Russia via 3rd countries for use in weapons. JPN firm Proco Air also named.
https://t.co/eySg4KCbSu
The #DualPTT simplifies team leader (TL) responsibilities, enhances communication, and provides flexibility.
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As the TL, you have to manage your team, coordinate with supporting elements, and keep higher-ups aware of what's happening. That's a lot going on even in a non-combative scenario. At a minimum, you would have to communicate on the internal team net and the channel that higher-ups at the Tactical Operations Center (TOC) are on.
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In the past, managing multiple channels often required a dedicated Radio Telephone Operator (RTO) by your side at nearly all times. They'd handle sending SITREPs and relaying info between you and higher-ups while you control your team via the team's internal frequency on your radio.
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With the #MPU5 and Dual PTT, you now have the ability to control two talk groups using a single radio. This reduces your reliance on an RTO, giving you and your team more freedom and adaptability during an op.
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The Dual PTT has two independent channel and volume knobs, and each knob can be switched to one of the 16 different talk groups. This flexibility means you can adapt to your mission's needs by having quick and effective comms with anyone on the pre-set talk groups.
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Additionally, there are two PTT buttons that you can easily distinguish by feel. When you're wearing a stereo headset, the Dual PTT routes one talk group's audio to your left ear and the other talk group's audio to your right ear, allowing you to manage multiple conversations effortlessly.
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So, with the Dual PTT, managing these vital talk groups becomes a straightforward and efficient process, tailored to the demands of modern tactical operations and your mission-specific needs.
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#WaveRelay #TacticalComms #MH6 #160th #pvs31 #tacticalcommunications
@GicAriana This severing of heads by Russian mercenaries is a systematic pattern.
Russian Africa Corps killed four civilians in Mali, where one man's dismembered remains were laid out as a swastika, his severed head ringed by his limbs.