This Carbon Based Life

By David Glenn Cox

Admiral Yamamoto was the brightest star in the Japanese sky, and they thought the world of him. So much so, that it was important that everything be perfect for the Admiral’s upcoming inspection tour. Making sure everyone was prepared and ready on time, they forwarded the Admiral’s schedule and timetable. The message intercepted meant Yamamoto was on his final journey, and wouldn’t trouble anyone, anymore. Loose lips, sink ships.

The war slowed yesterday, as Russian commanders gathered to decide whether to tell their men to eat their boots first, or their hats or each other. With the transport available, the Russians can only support around 62% of their forces on a good day. And around 50% of their needs if the weather is inclement, or Ukrainians refuse to cooperate. When you hear the word Stalingrad bandied about, they aren’t talking about a city, they are talking about a graveyard of hunger.

Watching yet another video, of yet another brand-new shiny armored personnel carrier, abandoned along the roadside. Its front tire deflated, and off the rim. But as the Freedom fighters examined the machine, the radio in the background blared. Jabbering away in Russian and saying all the types of things, that soldiers say to each other. “Where are you?” I’m right here, where are you? “Do you have any food?” No, do you?

Now just a good understanding of basic math, is gonna tell you. You don’t need a computer to figure this one out. The Russian’s have lost three generals, including a poker buddy of Vlad himself. Now take that Russian figure of five hundred dead, and divide it by the number of generals missing. Maybe the Ukrainians just got lucky, those things do happen. And if it were just the generals, I might go along with the coincidence theory. But the Russians have also lost other important officers, including a cargo load Lieutenant Colonels.

Altogether, nine top Russians military officers have met their makers so far, at the hands of the Ukrainians. For those unfamiliar, Lieutenant Colonels are generally ambitious officers on their way up the chain of command. They might be Generals someday, but they ain’t made it there yet. They usually work under a General, or a full Colonel as their aid or assistant.

They are the  kind of officers that God forbid, if anything should ever happen to the General. But if it did, these would be the guys you’d want to be appointed to replace him.  Understand? Loose Lips, sink ships! Shut up already! You  don’t have to tell the whole damn world!

While the Russian media is under a blackout. The Russian military is not. I saw a line of Russian prisoners and they were all wearing mis-matched uniforms. Yet, I saw another prisoner in a nice looking uniform. I don’t know if the Ukrainians are just picking out the goofy looking prisoners. To parade around for the cameras or what. But, “Hi, my name’s Leonid, and this is my brother Darrell, and this is my other brother Darrell.” When the word discipline comes up, you wouldn’t think of these guys.  “I am out of gas.” I will come and pick you up. Where are you?

So where did all the Russian soldiers, attached to all of these expensive abandoned Russian vehicles go? Did they just walk back to camp? “Sergi, where is that twenty-million-dollar missile system, you left out of here with this morning?” Sorry Captain, we lost it in action with an enemy mud puddle. “Did you even try to pull it out?” That’s what she said Captain, sir. But all joking aside, da. I did think about pulling it out sir, and then I remembered. I haven’t had breakfast yet, and its nearly suppertime. And then my stomach said to my head, “Sergi old boy. Fuck a bunch of twenty-million-dollar missile systems.”

I remember they used to pay kids to pass out flyers, and most of the flyers would end up ditched in the woods. Is this how the Ukrainians are finding these abandoned Russian vehicles, ditched in the woods? I must have watched over a hundred videos of abandoned vehicles. I’ve seen hats and jackets, and boots and personal items left behind. But I’ve yet to see so much as one loose Dorito or Pringles can. Either their food discipline is very good, or they don’t have any.

 I watched a video with three abandoned Russian ambulances, and I thought, wait a minute. Why would you ever abandon an ambulance? But as they opened the back of the ambulance, it was filled with artillery shells. Somebody doesn’t have their priorities straight.

They planned this mission for maximum speed with three days of fuel and rations, and this is day fourteen. Their guns were much quieter yesterday, as the Russian air force hid themselves in shame. At the end of their tether, the troops will either be short on food and water, or fuel and ammunition or short on everything!

If the Ukrainians never shoot down another Russian aircraft, it wouldn’t matter at this point. It will take the Russians years to replace their losses in aircraft and crews already. And by their absence in the sky today, points to an unwillingness to keep playing the same game. Meanwhile, the freedom fighters focus on Russian air defense systems with their drones, until control of the sky begins to turn.

The Russians have run as hard as they can, for as long as they can. And bomb civilians because their army is otherwise impotent. Their supply lines are too long, leaving only two alternatives. Either pull 1,500 to 2,000 trucks out of your butt, or retreat.

Military units missing half their weapons or members, become a liability as eaters, more than fighters. The convoy north of Kyiv eats and burns more fuel, than it fights. Multiple war fronts, mean the short rations must be dived up. Most likely, inefficiently. The twenty-two fuel tankers captured by the Ukrainians yesterday, means that a Russian tank battalion, just became the infantry.

Three new Generals and six new Lieutenant Colonels, means that someone has a big mouth, or someone is listening. If the Ukrainians via the US, are listening to every Russian word, what chance do the Russians have? If they can’t feed their own people, what chance do they have?

But Putin has now threatened to call up his reserves and sick Leonid, Darrell, and Darrell’s poorly equipped and poorly trained cousins on us.  Shouldn’t take any longer than six months to a year, to get them ready. After seeing the Varsity team in action, I’m not too frightened by the Junior Varsity. Hunger doesn’t care how good a General you are, or how clever your plan or how good your training. Especially, if you’ve only been a General for an hour or two.

Mortification – the action of subduing one’s bodily desires.