Shoot Move Communicate

Shoot Move Communicate Military & aviation satire. Academy life, service culture, history & humor.
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COMMUNICATE — THE LONG GRAY LINELast week, West Point graduated another class — one more chapter in a line that stretche...
06/01/2026

COMMUNICATE — THE LONG GRAY LINE

Last week, West Point graduated another class — one more chapter in a line that stretches from 1802 to today.

Rain covered the graduation ceremony yet the Corps still looked sharp.

Graduate, shed the cadet uniform for the last time, don the Army greens, take the oath of office, pin the bars, drive away… that’s it.

For most cadets, all they want for four years is to graduate and drive out Thayer Gate — the gate in the rearview mirror.

Years later, perspective changes. What once felt tough and restrictive becomes something remembered with pride and nostalgia.

West Point isn’t perfect, but moments like this still feel like a glimpse of old-school America — tradition, discipline, history, and young officers stepping forward to lead soldiers.

The Long Gray Line keeps moving.

Congratulations to the Class of 2026.

COMMUNICATE — THE LONG GRAY LINE STRETCHESVintage photos from a West Point Graduation Parade.One of the most meaningful ...
05/31/2026

COMMUNICATE — THE LONG GRAY LINE STRETCHES

Vintage photos from a West Point Graduation Parade.

One of the most meaningful traditions at West Point takes place before graduation day.

Four years earlier, after Beast Barracks and the challenges of Plebe Year, the new cadets marched into the Corps during Acceptance Day and took their place in the ranks.

At the Graduation Parade, the process happens in reverse.

The Corps forms one final time for the graduating First Class cadets. The seniors march out from the formation and leave the Corps behind, while the remaining three classes pass in review for them. It is the only parade where the Corps marches for its departing seniors.

The salute.

The pass in review.

The white hats uncovered as classmates pass by.

The final march away as cadets for the last time.

After the parade comes another milestone. The plebes are recognized as full members of the Corps. First names return. The plebe title disappears. Another class steps forward to carry on the traditions of those who came before them.

The next day, the First Class cadets graduate and commission as Second Lieutenants in the United States Army, beginning careers of service as leaders of character committed to Duty, Honor, Country.

Funny how the moments you couldn’t wait to finish become the ones you miss the most.

SMC

05/28/2026

MOVE — “AIN’T NO SUCH THING TODAY, BOY”

In the middle of the fight at LZ X-Ray, Command Sergeant Major Basil Plumley grabs discarded magazines and an M-16 rifle from wounded troopers nearby and hands them to reporter Joe Galloway.

Galloway reminds him:
“I’m a noncombatant.”

Plumley stares him down in the midst of the firefight and says:

“Ain’t no such thing today, boy.”

That’s combat leadership. That’s taking care of troops. That’s the backbone of the noncommissioned officer corps.

The Plumley series continues.

From We Were Soldiers (2002), starring Mel Gibson as Lt. Col. Hal Moore and Sam Elliott as Command Sergeant Major Basil Plumley. The film was based on the book We Were Soldiers Once… and Young by Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and journalist Joe Galloway, portrayed in this scene by Barry Pepper during the Battle of LZ X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley, Vietnam, beginning November 14, 1965.

05/25/2026

MOVE — TAKING CHANCE

Memorial Day was never meant to be just another long weekend.

It’s for the men and women who never made it home. The empty seats at family tables. The folded flags. The names carried forward by the people who refuse to forget them.

This scene from Taking Chance captures a part of military service most Americans never see — the quiet journey of bringing a fallen Marine home.

Remember them. Tell their stories. This is their day.

They did it for us.

Memorial Day movie to watch:

Taking Chance (2009) stars Kevin Bacon as Lt. Col. Michael Strobl, a Marine Corps casualty assistance officer who volunteered to es**rt the remains of Lance Corporal Chance Phelps home to Colorado. The HBO film was directed by Ross Katz and based on the real-life story and journal entries of Lt. Col. Strobl during the Iraq War. Full credit to HBO Films and the original creators of Taking Chance.

05/25/2026

COMMUNICATE — MEMORIAL DAY
Memorial Day is about those who served and never came home. The men and women who gave their lives defending the freedoms we enjoy today.

Today, remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice so we could live freely, speak openly, and gather with the people we care about.

Ronald Reagan was known as a gifted communicator and storyteller. He spent years listening to veterans, families, and everyday Americans, often carrying their stories with him into speeches like this one.

One of Ronald Reagan’s most memorable Memorial Day speeches, televised to the American people during his first presidential term in the 1980s.

05/23/2026

SHOOT — Turns out, Maverick…
There’s a lot of money in flying rubber dog sh*t out of Asia.

Yeah, nothing beats ripping an F-14 at Mach 2 with your hair on fire…

But the real move?

Being that salty old guy hauling cargo out of Asia at a pay rate that’d make a doctor blush.

Scene from Top Gun. Maverick finally gets his shot at Top Gun, and his air boss Stinger (James Tolkan) drops the line—screw up and you’ll be flying rubber dog sh*t out of Hong Kong.

Didn’t age the way he thought it would.

Top Gun was released May 16, 1986, starring Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, and Kelly McGillis. It follows a talented but reckless Navy pilot at the elite Fighter Weapons School, where rivalry, loss, and real-world combat force him to become a disciplined aviator and leader.

05/23/2026

SHOOT — Bedtime Stories

Need counseling? Maybe. It never hurts. But somewhere along the way your kids heard some war stories and military jargon they probably didn’t understand at all. Then one day they casually use military time correctly and you realize at least the good ones stuck.

Humor like this is part of how a lot of veterans deal with the real stuff. We can laugh at the absurdity while still taking care of each other when it actually matters.

See it. Say it. If somebody’s struggling, engage. Check on your people, help each other out, and if you feel like you need somebody to talk to, there are plenty of avenues out there and absolutely no shame in it.

Scene from Major Payne starring Damon Wayans as Major Benson Winifred Payne. Released in 1995, the film follows a decorated Marine combat veteran reassigned to lead a struggling JROTC unit, blending military satire with over-the-top humor that became a cult favorite.

SMC

05/23/2026

MOVE — New Yearlings! Experience “the benefits of Army life…” Lake Popolopen! Welcome to Yearling Summer… 1960s edition.

Back then, West Point summers at Camp Buckner still included military training, branch familiarization, swimming at Lake Popolopen, weekend hops at Barth Hall, and apparently enough waterskiing to convince the Army this qualified as officer development.

Cadets spent weeks living in old tin barracks around Lake Popolopen on the massive West Point Military Reservation before returning to the Corps as Yearlings.

And unlike today, once summer training started… nobody left.

Today, Buckner is very different.

What used to be long summer training periods evolved into Cadet Field Training — shorter blocks, harder training, more tactical integration, and a much more combat-focused experience designed around preparing officers for the modern Army.

Less summer camp.
More tactical lanes.

Camp Buckner was named after Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., West Point Class of 1908, the highest-ranking American officer killed by enemy fire in World War II during Okinawa.

Barth Hall — the old Camp Buckner mess hall and social center — was named after Brigadier General Charles H. Barth, a West Point graduate and World War I officer known for his service as an instructor and tactical leader in the Army. For generations of cadets, Barth Hall became synonymous with summer training, meals after long days in the field, and weekend hops overlooking Lake Popolopen.

And then this film delivers the line that could only come from another era:

“You can count on Lake Popolopen… it gets ’em every time.”

SMC

05/19/2026

MOVE — Don’t Call Me Grandpa.
Sergeant Majors are a different breed.

In between training events out in the woods, LTC Moore of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment is talking to his officers about Sioux warriors—how every woman in the tribe was called “mother,” and every elder warrior “grandfather.” It’s meant to illustrate camaraderie, the tribe, the team, and what they were up against.

Off to the side, the oldest warrior in the group looks back and says it for everyone:

“Any of you sons of bi***es call me grandpa… I’ll kill you.”

That’s Sergeant Major Basil Plumley.

Four combat jumps in WWII with the 82nd Airborne. Another in Korea. One of the most experienced men there—and he leans in just enough to remind those young officers exactly where the line is.

We Were Soldiers was released March 1, 2002, directed by Randall Wallace and starring Mel Gibson as Lt. Col. Hal Moore and Sam Elliott as Sgt. Maj. Basil Plumley. The film depicts the Battle of Ia Drang (LZ X-Ray) in November 1965, focusing on 1/7 Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile)—one of the first major engagements of the Vietnam War and a proving ground for airmobile tactics.

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