Sleeping soundly in our beds

Last night, before I went to bed, I checked the doors to make sure they were locked. I also turned on our security system and listened for that familiar female voice to say “Simply Safe on. Home”. That means that we are snug in our house and if for any reason someone disturbs the perimeter, I will be the first to know it. The alarm is quite loud and annoys the cats to no end. Plus, it gives me time to get my ultra bright flashlight and the loaded Berretta that is at the ready in my nightstand. It’s the most reliable handgun I have ever owned but not my only choice in times of trouble. Even Debbie knows to dial 911 and has her own last-ditch weapon. I trained her a long time ago that if she doesn’t think I am coming back for any reason, point the gun in the direction most appropriate and keep pulling the trigger until the gun goes quiet.

I’d like to tell you the cats would be of service but Moses, the older cat, would simply hide and hope for the best. Oscar, my younger cat would probably just watch casually from the sidelines. And later seek treats.

All of this is probably not needed. In eleven years, we have only had one disturbance. It was a guy who was either drunk or high who came to our front door. The handgun was not enough to convince him he had the wrong house. The Model 870 shotgun however was convincing enough. Once you rack a round, even the most intrusive bad guy has other ideas.

Why all this drama?

Well, we live in the country. The closest neighbor is over a hundred yards away and there aren’t that many in our neighborhood to start with. It takes a while for the state police to get here. So, I decided it was better to be ready for the unexpected than not be ready.

Readiness has long been in my DNA

Even though I credit readiness to my time in the Navy, my deep love of history also ingrained a strong sense of being ready for the unexpected. I love World War 2 history and even though the European part of the war was well underway before December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was the penultimate example of not being ready. I have read every book I could ever find about the event but have also given talks on the road to Pearl Harbor.

The signs were everywhere, and the telegraphing of the enemy’s intentions should have had everyone in the chain of command on high alert. But the first Japanese plane that fired the first gun demonstrated that we were not ready. And that cost lives. All you have to do is stand on the memorial structure over the Arizona and that is entirely evident.

Alert 1, Alert 1

Back in my early days when I sailed on submarines, being ready was part of my job. It was also the job of everyone on board the USS George Washington SSBN 598. Fifty years ago this week, we were heading to the range to demonstrate our ability to launch a ballistic missile from under the water. It was not completely unusual and had happened a number of times on many of the Forty-One For Freedom boats. But it demonstrated the capabilities to the world.

I was not a high ranking official by any means.

I think I was still a mess cook that was just trying to make it through each day. I worked hard at my job and was close to qualifying on one patrol. My efforts must have been noticed since I was called to the wardroom for a meeting with the Captain and the wardroom mess. To be fair, I thought I was somehow in trouble. But when I got there, they told me I had been selected to pick one of the missiles that would be chosen to fire. (I say only a mess cook, but I often think about the cook on Hunt for Red October…lol).

You would think I could remember what numbers I picked out of that hat but frankly, a combination of being afraid and being deathly tired made that memory go away. Since the records of underways are still classified, I couldn’t even research it. All I do remember is that we fired four inert missiles and they all landed exactly where they were supposed to. It was an exciting time until later when I thought about what destruction those four missiles represented. That gave me pause.

We had company

I did not see them, but I do remember hearing about Soviet observation trawlers. All of us knew of their existence since they were waiting for us every time we deployed and every time we came home. They were not very efficient at following us or finding us once we got to our patrol areas, but they were constantly trying to keep an eye on us.

One other thing I remember about patrols was that once you were on station, you made sure the chain of command knew you were in the game. If you fell out of the game for any reason, the skipper had to let someone in Washington know that something was amiss. And apparently there were consequences. Everyone in the wardroom made sure that every t was crossed and every I was dotted. After all, this was the Cold War and at any moment, the Soviets could deliver an astonishing array of doom on the country. Our presence was the ultimate deterrence and that kept them at bay for 45 years.

Every one of us had a role to play. No matter how tired you were, when the alarms went off, you go to your station and performed your tasks. If someone was sick or incapacitated, there was a backup. No one got a day off unless it was incredibly serious. But in that case, everyone in the chain of command knew about it and planned for it. That was just one submarine. I can’t imagine it was much different on any of the other boats at sea. Too much was at risk.

No surprises

Now I am the first to admit that sometimes people get sick. Heck, I spend too much of my free time now going to the VA and rehab. But unlike my former role as a part of the navy’s nuclear watchdog force, no one is expecting me to be ready to advise and consent the forces that are designated to protect us from danger. It would be ludicrous to even imagine I could have a role since I struggle to climb stairs and certainly wouldn’t be comfortable pulling an all nightery in a crisis. (Okay that last part might not be true since there are a lot of nights I can’t sleep very well now that I’m older…).

But I want to have trust that the people who lead this nation’s security can do all of those things. The world is filled with people who want to destroy us. Whether it’s because we are infidels or the fact that they are tyrannical dictators, we have to assume that somewhere in a cave or a palace, someone wants to destroy us. Is it too much to ask that we have leadership that recognizes that? Did we learn nothing from 911? Or Pearl Harbor??? Or any of the hundreds of attacks that are still being waged against the men and women of the armed services that are in dangerous conflict areas around the world?

This is NOT political.

But it is a recognition that if we are supposed to remain a leader in a world filled with danger, there is no room for excuses. There is no margin for error.

I’ll leave you with one thought. If at any time in my twenty plus years with the navy I failed to report my readiness for duty, do you think anyone in my chain of command would give me a blanket approval? Of course not. There would be an investigation and there would be consequences. That would be not just punitive but a reminder that I took an oath to support and defend the constitution of the United States of America. That oath was my highest obligation to the people who were depending on me.

In this world where hypersonic weapons, EMP and advanced nuclear weapons are moments away from changing life as we know it, every single person in the chain of command needs to be ready, willing and capable of fulfilling their oath.

Period.

Note: I have previously done a number of articles on being prepared in your home for the unexpected. I would strongly suggest you review Ready.gov and print off some of the checklists. Apparently, the internet may be vulnerable to looking stuff up in the event of the unthinkable might be a tad difficult.

Mister Mac