“C’mon, you sons of bitches. Do you want to live forever!”.,.— US Marine leading charge at Battle of Belleau Wood, 1918.Those famous words, spoken by a US Marine who led the charge at the Battle of Belleau Wood, are etched on a wall at the National Museum of the Marine Corps, in Quantico, Va..US forces suffered 9,777 casualties, including 1,811 killed in brutal, hand-to-hand combat..There is no clear data on the number of German soldiers killed, although 1,600 were taken prisoner..This is the kind bravery being shown by the Ukrainian people, their out-numbered military forces, and their leaders..Now into the sixth day of the Russian invasion, the attention is now turning to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who appears to be doubling down, ratcheting up precision strikes on civilian targets..The top priority of the US and UK intelligence communities is trying to understand Putin’s state of mind in order to determine what he may do next..The concerning issue, above all, is his decision to put his nuclear forces on alert. This is a very troubling development and one we should all be wary of..Is he a madman? Is he crazy? Is he unhinged, as former top intelligence officials James Clapper said during a TV interview? Or is he just playing the intimidation game, as suggested by retired US Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman..Is the world on the brink of nuclear war? Should we be worried?.In all my years, through many US and Russian leaders, from John F. Kennedy, until now, I have never feared this. But today, I do..The difference then, from now, is that JFK got in the Soviets’ face. During the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, he blockaded Cuba and dared the Russians to break it..Joe Biden is hanging back, issuing sanctions, and bolstering troop numbers in Europe. A massive US$350 million aid package has also been approved..But as I have written before, he is not a wartime president. And his secretary of state, Antony Blinken, is no Henry Kissinger..The problem is, we don’t really know the mental state of Mr. Putin, who may not be playing with a full deck, shall we say..Prone to outrageous theories and rants, as some analysts have suggested, little is known about the reclusive president, other than the ruthless elimination of his domestic rivals and clampdown on Russian media outlets who opposed him..The nation possesses approximately 6,400 nuclear warheads — the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world. More than half of the world’s 14,000 nuclear weapons are owned by Russia..They also have advanced nuclear-capable hypersonic missiles — weapons the US is still developing..I wondered if living here in north Calgary and protected by some hills if a nuclear blast wave would pass over us and we would survive the initial detonation..It wouldn’t take a big bomb to erase Cowtown and decapitate our oil industry. The resultant radiation cloud would also be deadly..Discussing this issue with a friend on Messenger last night, he became “depressed,” finally saying, “No more … “.He said he didn’t want to go to sleep contemplating nuclear destruction. Can’t blame the guy really, he has a wife and two young children..Then again, maybe this is just another Putin ruse, to shake us up, to mess with us..According to Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, “It’s my judgment that Putin’s publicly announced statement that he was raising the alert levels was designed more to reinforce his earlier threats against those who might seek to intervene in his invasion against Ukraine from doing so, rather than to actually raise the alert levels to the point where they might actually be used,” Military.com reported..“Nonetheless, it’s an extremely irresponsible and risky move that I think increases the risk of miscalculation and an escalation,” Kimball added..The fact of the matter is, we must stand up to Putin and his shenanigans. We can’t hold back. We must meet strong actions with strong actions, no matter what..Also, Russian strategic forces are always on alert, making it unclear what has fundamentally changed, said Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists..“The core of the announcement is saber-rattling to scare the West and get some concessions,” Kristensen told Military.com..Should Russia move its mobile long-range nuclear missiles out of their bases and hide them around the country, send out significantly more ballistic missile submarines than normal or increase the activities of its bomber fleet, that would signal that Putin’s announcement was more than rhetorical, Kristensen added..And forget about China and Taiwan. Beijing wants him to disrupt the US, not destroy it. And they don’t want Putin to get too strong either. .It does China no good if the world is a radioactive wasteland..This action has relegated Russia to a lowly rogue nation, like Iran and North Korea, and thankfully, the world has united against it..It’s not certain how much longer this onslaught will continue, or how long Ukraine can hold out — it is receiving a lot of military and financial aid. But if Russia shuts off its ports, Ukraine, a big agricultural exporter, may eventually be choked off economically..At the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., there is a cafe in the centre courtyard, where one can get a hotdog and a coffee..According to my intel sources, the hotdogs are OK, not great. It is a military base after all..Nevertheless, this location is known among Pentagon workers, as Target 1 — that being, the first nukes fired at the United States would likely hit here..It is long-rumored the Kremlin is actually saving two nukes just to hit this hotdog stand..Let us hope and pray that never happens..But with Russian forces facing further frustration in their attempts to take Kyiv and other major centres, tensions with the West will inevitably rise..This is a dangerous game of chess for sure, and I really don’t know if we have the men who will lead us to a peaceful solution without bowing to Putin’s malevolent plans..If he is successful, we all know he’s not going to stop..When you are up against evil, sometimes you have to risk it all..Dave Makichuk is a Western Standard contributor. .PTacitus27@gmail.com
