Vietnam War Archives - The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

Feb272012 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Photo Trivia Time: Pick a Capsule… Any Capsule

It's time for a little Associated Press wire service photo trivia! Here is the original image, with the caption information removed. Take a moment and ponder. What could this be? A new miracle drug perhaps? Space Age food capsules? Hmmmm. OK, give up? After the jump is the original AP photo, with the caption information. (more…)

Nov102011 by Chris Holmes3 Comments

To Arms! A Gallery of War Recruitment Posters

Ephemera, Featured Posts, History

In times of war, there are basically two ways for a combatant nation to fill the ranks of its armed services -- it can recruit volunteer soldiers or conscript (i.e. draft) them. The former is accomplished in any number of ways, one of which is the mass production of recruitment posters. As we approach our yearly Veterans Day remembrance, I felt a new gallery was in order, so here it is. Quasi-War (1798 - 1800) This is commonly thought to be a recruitment poster for the American Revolution, but the 11th Infantry Regiment (under Lt. Col. Aaron Ogden) referenced in the poster was not formed until 1798, when war with France loomed. For a full-resolution version of this image click here. American Civil War (1861 - 1865) Despite what you might see on Google, most Civil War re...

Jan312011 by Chris Holmes5 Comments

Album cover of the week: Paranoid

Album Cover of the Week, Music

Is there anything left to say about the music on Black Sabbath's Paranoid? It, even more than their debut album from earlier in 1970, pretty much became the template for heavy metal. "Iron Man," "War Pigs," and "Electric Funeral" are some of the most essential songs of all-time. But man, what's up with that cover? So the background on this weird dude is this - Sabbath originally wanted to call the album War Pigs, and that's what the guy in the Day-Glo outfit, sword, and shield is supposed to be. Vertigo, the band's label, was uncomfortable with that title since the Vietnam War was going on and they didn't want to offend people. I guess they figured a lot of pro-war types were Sabbath fans too? So anyway, they switched the title to match the second song on the record, "Parano...

Dec202010 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

2010: The Gray Flannel Suit Year That Was

Blogstuff

It's been another fun year for me in running this site, and I'd like to thank all of you who visit regularly, irregularly, or even once. I'd also like to thank everyone who has helped by contributing comments and post ideas. It's good to know there's at least a few people out there who enjoy my little corner of the intertubes. Since we're in the midst of year-end review season, let's take a quick look back at the posting year that was 2010 for The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit. Most Popular Posts This is really what it's all about right? It's always interesting to me to see what content takes off and what content gets largely ignored. Since I want to stay positive I'll focus on the former. So here are the eleven most-popular posts on the site for 2010. #11. Happy Hoff-Day! - Davi...

Nov112010 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

America the Brave: A Selection of Veterans Day Images

History

This post was originally published on Veterans Day 2008, and has proven to be one of my more popular entries. So I'm bringing it back as my small tribute for this year. Originally known as Armistice Day, the first Veterans Day was celebrated on November 11, 1938 -- the 20th anniversary of the effective end of World War I. Starting in 1954 the scope of the holiday was expanded to commemorate all those who had fought and served for the United States. I don't have any stirring essays in me, so my small tribute to our armed forces is this collection of images portraying the history of major American military conflict. Thank you all for your service! American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) The Battle of Trenton (December 26, 1776) was a turning point in the American Revo...

Aug252008 by Chris Holmes2 Comments

GFS at the Movies: Tropic Thunder

Movies

The fact that a movie like Tropic Thunder not only exists but is doing well at the box office is refreshing for two reasons - first because we live in age of political correctness run amok, where works of mainstream art are neutered beyond recognition lest they offend anyone; and because it's proof that genre spoofs don't have to be nothing but an endless parade of tired and already dated sight gags and pop culture references (I'm looking at you Epic Movie, Meet the Spartans, etc.). Tropic Thunder is the type of film National Lampoon might have produced back in the day when they were culturally relevant and not resigned to making movies for sexually frustrated twentysomethings. It was instead directed and co-written by Ben Stiller, who I've been thoroughly unimpressed with for the most...