All posts by Hutchins AAron

Born in Deutschland 1965, hometown was Bütthart, parents were not U.S. government employees. However, when father was tricked into joining the U.S. Air Force Civil Service, in 1969, with the promise that we could remain in Germany, we were promptly shipped off to Iran. Due to one of my Iranian educators being disappeared, along with her husband, by the U.S. ally Shah of Iran's Israeli & U.S. created Savak (for the then official terrorist act of promoting the idea that women can vote), and due to my U.S. citizen mother being placed on Savak's Terrorist Arrest List (for supporting the idea that women should vote, at that time the U.S. ally Shah of Iran did not allow women to vote, now they can) we left Iran for the United States in 1973, literally in the middle of the night. At the U.S. Embassy airbase the CIA operated Gooney Bird (C-47) was so packed with other U.S. citizens fleeing our ally Iran (because the Shah gave the OK to arrest any U.S. citizen for such terrorist acts as promoting the concept of voting) that we were turned away by the Loadmaster and had to take a chance on a civilian flight out of Tehran's airport. My father told me he and my mother had three culture shocks; first when they arrived in Germany as civilians, then after being shipped off to Iran as U.S. government employees, then again returning to the United States as unemployed civilians (because so much had changed in the U.S. while they were gone, their only news source was the U.S. Armed Forces Radio & Television Service which heavily censored information about the home front). Since I graduated high school in 1982 I've worked for U.S. government contractors and state & local government agencies (in California), convenience store manager in California, retail/property management in Georgia, California and Idaho. Spent the 1990s in the TV news business producing number one rated local news programs in California, Arizona and Idaho. 14+ years with California and Idaho Army National Guard and the U.S. Air Force. Obtained a BA degree in International Studies from Idaho State University at the age of 42. Unemployed since 2015, so don't tell me the economy has recovered.

Idaho, Kit Bashing

Busiest turnout ever for the Pocatello Model Railroad & Historical Society’s Open House!

Video December 20, 2025 Hutchins AAron

The 6th of December 2025 turned out to be the biggest and busiest turnout yet for the Pocatello, Idaho, railroad club’s Open House; more than 3-hundred people were counted (according to two of the club members I talked with) between the 10th and 13th hours, and there was still an hour to go!

Was it because word was spread on social media that Santa & Mrs. Claus would be there?

The old Union Pacific building the club calls home is in desperate need of structural repairs. They’ve been trying to raise money for the repairs for a couple of years now.

Ooops! And right in front of the children! Hope they’re not traumatized. Nobody was physically hurt in the incident.

See a whole lot more in my YouTube video:

The actual Union Pacific smoke stack still stands in Pocatello, but for how long?

February 2025: Pocatello Model Railroad & Historical Society, open house.

Here’s my poor quality (camera wouldn’t focus) video from December 2024:

Idaho, International

‘Operation Hawkeye Strike’, Jordan & U.S. bomb Syria! Florida, Idaho, Iowa & Kansas involved!

Video December 20, 2025 Hutchins AAron

A member of the Iowa National Guard signs a GBU-31, target Syria, 18DEC2025, non-disclosed location in Southwest Asia.

U.S. and Jordanian forces launched large-scale strikes (using more than 1-hundred munitions) on more than 70 targets belonging to the so-called ‘Islamic State In Syria’. This in response to recent ISIS attacks upon so-called ‘War on Terror’ coalition forces.

Idaho based (Mountain Home AFB) ‘Bold Tigers’ F-15E Strike Eagle gets bombed-up for Syria, 18DEC2025, non-disclosed location.

AH-64 Apache bombed-up with Hellfire missiles, 19DEC2025, non-disclosed location.

A-10C Thunderbolt-2 ‘Toad’, 19DEC2025, non-disclosed location in Southwest Asia.

I edited together videos released by U.S. Central Command on 19DEC2025:

HiMARS = High Mobility Artillery Rocket System

HiMARS belonging to Florida Army National Guard’s 164th Air Defense Artillery Brigade-3rd Battalion-116th Field Artillery Regiment, in a non-disclosed location in Southwest Asia.

Kansas Army National Guard’s 130th Field Artillery Brigade watches from a command center in a non-disclosed location in Southwest Asia.

HiMARS video released on 22DEC2025:

U.S. Department of State video from 23SEP2025, New York City, Secretary of State Marco A. Rubio meets with Syrian President, and former ISIS commander, Ahmed al-Sharaa:

Syrian Collapse:

Gaza? Lebanon? Syria? It has always been about Iran!

North Dakota B-52s and Idaho F-15Es over Syria, Truman strike group arrives!

U.S. Bradley IFVs on hi-alert after prisoner release!

Idaho invades Syria!

International, Technology

Cold War relics get digital upgrades: Serbia’s new 2S1-M21 SPG & KOT1-V2 command post.

Video December 13, 2025 Hutchins AAron

Notice the anti-drone cage, and the remote controlled machine gun on the rear of the command post.

“The improved KOT1 V2 command post armored vehicle receives orders from the observation post, processes them and, in a split second, forwards them to the self-propelled howitzer, which, in a short time, computes firing data and is ready for all fire missions.”-Sergeant Major Mladen Miletić, Command Sergeant Major of the 23rd Self-Propelled Howitzer Artillery Battalion

Externally the ‘M21’ Gvozdika looks like any other Gvozdika.

Serbia spent the past few years upgrading their 2S1 self-propelled 122 millimeter (122mm) artillery system with the latest digital targeting and communications electronics.

U.S. Army vehicle I-D training image from the Cold War.

During the Cold War, NATO referred to the 2S1 as the ‘M-1974 SAU-122’. The ‘M-1974’ refers to when NATO observers first noticed the SPG (Self-Propelled Gun), during a July 1974 parade in Warsaw, Poland. The SAU-122 refers to the diameter of the gun bore.

Side note; both NATO and former East Bloc countries call the 122mm gun a ‘howitzer’. Technically this is incorrect as howitzer refers to short tubed, easily transportable by infantry, artillery guns. Guns that had barrels which were much shorter than that of the old Soviet 122mm.

During the Cold War, NATO referred to the KOT1 V2 command post as the ‘M-1976’ command post, or as the MTLB-u. Both the 2S1 and the command post are based on the MTLB chassis.

Serbian Defense Ministry video:

This has video of Serb 2S1s launching rounds: Serbian 2S1 Gvozdika

International

Germany brings back The Draft?

December 7, 2025 Hutchins AAron

NATO-Germany just passed a law that says if their military fails to recruit 80-thousand men per year then ‘needs-based conscription’ (the draft) will be implemented. It is known as a ‘dual track system’, meaning if you don’t voluntarily join you will be forced into the military. Apparently this new law is because NATO-Germany is having problems achieving the number of personnel required by its NATO membership. Interesting that in this western-woke country they did not include women in their new law.

Business/Economics, Idaho

Then & Now: Pocatello’s Center Street Tunnel, videos 2023 to 2025, why such never ending deterioration despite never ending ‘projects’?

Video December 1, 2025 Hutchins AAron

In Southeastern Idaho, Pocatello’s Center Street Tunnel (underpass) has been around since The Great Depression (1934 to be exact). The Tunnel was built underneath a very busy Union Pacific railyard. The City of Pocatello is supposedly, constantly, repairing the Tunnel. The repair work never lasts long and recently the Tunnel is looking so bad that perhaps it should be permanently shutdown and completely rebuilt.

If you ever hang-out for sometime in and under the Tunnel you’ll hear how impactful the Union Pacific operations are overhead. It seems to me that the Tunnel was not successfully built to handle such railroad induced seismic activities, resulting in never ending taxpayer funded repair projects.

In 2012, the City began the Center Street Railroad Bridge Underpass Project, stating that it is in the “development stage.”

2019, Pocatello updates its “Center Street Underpass Rehabilitation”: https://projects.pocatello.gov/open-house-for-center-street-underpass-improvements/

In 2021, the pedestrian tunnels became an art project: https://www.eastidahonews.com/2021/11/pocatello-center-street-underpass-the-focus-of-ongoing-art-project/

Here is a video I recorded back on 23SEP2023, both ped-tunnels are open and it looks a lot better than it does now:

In 2024, Pocatello revealed, in an update, that Union Pacific has the final say on projects to improve the Tunnel.

In June 2025, the City announced that the final phase of reconstruction will begin in January 2026. The City also contradicts the date when the Tunnel was originally built, now saying it was 1943 during World War Two! Did the person who wrote the City’s press release transpose the numbers? It was in the 2012 press release that the City established the date as 1934.

In this video I made on 28NOV2025, during the Night Lights Parade, the crumbling concrete is very bad, one of the pedestrian tunnels is blocked off and apparently nobody is maintaining the ped-tunnel that is open:

More Pocatello Shenanigans: City of Pocatello officially rejects motor sports?

Big Lots! failure, par-for-the-course for Pocatello.

Idaho’s Bridge to Nowhere/Northgate District?

Poky Pavegate fallout, Taxpayers asked to clean up their own streets, while paying more taxes!

Pocatello’s failed Hoku leads to 1st Chinese company to default on loan payments!

Pocatello’s Old Fred Meyer & Albertsons on Yellowstone Ave (on the now former Alameda Plaza), did not close down in the 1990s.

International, Technology

World War Two Weapons still in use: M101 vs ZiS-3!

Video November 18, 2025 Hutchins AAron

Great Patriotic War/World War Two: 1941 to 1945.

U.S. World War Two era M101 105-millimeter (105mm) ‘howitzer’ (short gun tube [barrel] artillery) still in use by Philippines.

I edited together several videos via U.S. Marine Corps, recorded during the October 2019 KAMANDAG wargame. KAMANDAG is an acronym for the Filipino phrase Kaagapay Ng Mga Mandirigma Ng Dagat, which translates to Cooperation of Warriors of the Sea:

The United States’ military still uses the M101 for ceremonies.

New Jersey Army National Guard’s M101 howitzer during Memorial Day celebrations.

U.S. Marine Corps M101 during change of command ceremony on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Both the U.S. M101 and Soviet ZiS-3 were used by various countries during the Cold War (approximately 1947 to 1991).

The ZiS-3 (76-мм дивизионная пушка обр. 1942 г. [ЗиС-3]) is considered to be a ‘divisional/regimental’ or ‘field’ gun for use by front line troops, due to its relatively small projectile and short range (compared to larger artillery).

Some ‘official’ sources say the ZiS-3 was in combat use by militaries around the world until 1990 (end of the Cold War). However, the above photo shows a Serb ZiS-3, supposedly used during the war in the former Yugoslavia, being inspected by U.S. Soldiers in Zvornik, Serbia, in 1996.

The ZiS-3 (aka M1942) was so good that the invading Germans captured them for their own use against the Soviets!

The WW2 (Great Patriotic War) era Soviet 76.2mm artillery gun is still being used by Serbia for ceremonial purposes. I edited this from several Serbian Armed Forces videos, recorded from the 14FEB2025 Serbian Statehood Day, and the 11NOV2024 Armistice Day (Veterans Day in the United States), ceremonies:

More artillery:

Utah joins Red Coats to pound Michigan!

2S1, from Cold War to Ukrainian Border Crisis!

2S3 Akatsiya (2C3 Акация), Cold War to Ukraine Border Crisis!

African Lion

Battle Tanks: T-34-85, FROM PATRIOTIC WAR (WW2) TO COLD WAR AND BEYOND?

International, U.S.

Utah joins Red Coats to pound Michigan!

Video November 10, 2025 Hutchins AAron

The word howitzer refers to a short tubed artillery piece, the M109 obviously does not qualify as a ‘howitzer’!

Definitely not a short ‘tubed’ gun.

Gunners of the 2nd Battalion-222nd Field Artillery Regiment, Utah Army National Guard, and with 214 (Worcestershire) Battery-104th Regiment Royal Artillery from United Kingdom, joined forces during wargame Northern Strike in Grayling, Michigan, during the month of August 2025.

I edited together videos via Sergeant Brayden Stephan and Staff Sergeant Daniel Garas:

Approximately 7-thousand-5-hundred military personnel participated in the multinational wargame.

May 2025: Red Coats invade Montana?

January 2023: U.S. Armor Division quietly in the hands of Red Coats?

February 2022: U.S. dollar controlled by the Red Coats?

June 2017: U.S. Army commanded by Red Coats?

Cold War & beyond: Royal Navy handed keys to U.S. Navy nukes!

International

News from Iran, 2025.

Video November 10, 2025 Hutchins AAron

Naderi Pomegranate harvest time in Badroud, Isfahan Province, early November 2025. The Naderi is considered to be among the top five most popular varieties of pomegranates in Iran. Video via Fars News, 08NOV2025:

If sanctions on Iran are so punishing why is Iran cracking down on people smuggling household products into Iran? On 30OCT2025, officials in Afghanistan agreed to work with Iran in reducing smuggling of commercial items into Iran. One of the first steps is that Afghan official say they will replace missing border markers and update existing border signs. This video report (released 09NOV2025) is ostensibly about ‘respecting the authority’ of the border police in Kerman Province. It is clear that this is about people who were arrested trying to smuggle products, everything from big-rig trucks, cars, computers, motorcycles, stereos, kitchen appliances to guns, into Iran:

Pardis is a city in Pardis County, Tehran Province, Iran. Pardis County is experiencing exponential growth, economic and population, and as a result healthcare services have been struggling to keep up. In September, a new helicopter landing pad was unveiled. It is being used to bring critical patients to the Pardis hospital. Officials admitted there have been delays but did not elaborate. The life-flight helicopter is based on the Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm/Kawasaki BK-117 developed during the Cold War. Modern versions are also known as Eurocopter EC145, and Airbus Helicopters H145. Video report via Fars News Agency, 16SEP2025:

New hi-tech passenger car for train on the Bandar Abbas to Mashhad and Tehran route. Each hi-tech car holds 40 people and the service runs once per week, for religious pilgrimages. Video published 16SEP2025:

Iranian wildlife caught on camera, eastern Hormozgan Province. Video via Morteza Aryanejad, posted 14SEP2025:

In February 2025, during wargame Zolfaqar 1403 (conducted along Iran’s Gulf of Oman/Indian Ocean Makran coastline), Iran’s new Russian designed Yakovlev 130 (Yak-130) successfully shot down a target drone with a heat seeking missile. I added music to this PressTV video:

Megalithic Shahr Yeri/Shahar Yeri, Ardabil, Iran, an 8-thousand year old Kurgan cemetery? The Farsi narration audio, in this Fars News Agency video report, is being overpowered by the music soundtrack: