Happy October 30^th

Some random thoughts as I waited for a family member to come out of his medical procedure here at the Medical Center in Charleston. He has been in pain for a long time, and I hope they can find the root cause of the problem.

I got a call from a very close friend the other night telling me he had just received his award letter from the VA. 100 %. That is awesome. He has had a lot of struggles in the past few years, and this is a great blessing. I encourage all of you who are dealing with long term health issues that are related to your service to make sure you reach out and get the assistance available. I know it can be a frustrating process, but it is worth it to be persistent. I am reminded that all of us were honored to serve our country in uniform but none of us signed up for the toxins and conditions we found ourselves in. Seek the help that is available, and I encourage you to give encouragement to our brothers and sisters that need it.

I was thinking today that it’s been a while since I wrote about naval historic events.

Moving into the new house and adjusting to the difference has been a bit stressful and time consuming. I’ve moved dozens of times and this was my wife and my twenty first move. I am convinced that the last move I will make will be to the national cemetery. Not sure which one at this point since I had a reservation at the Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Pennsylvania. Now that we are in the deep south, I will have to look at the options. I don’t want to make any fuss for my girl. I long ago gave up on being buried at sea. And by buried at sea, I mean shot out of a TDU on a submarine.

In the meantime, I am settling down in our new location and have started to reengage with my veteran’s organizations. There are so many needs for veterans here and around the country. So, it’s a matter of prioritizing and finding out where I can contribute. The Charleston area has a large homeless population, and the recent storms have made the situation worse. I was reading online today that there is a program with the local nuclear power training school that local families can sign up to hose a sailor for the holidays. We are obligated for that weekend, but I hope they will have something similar in the future. We miss having contact with the sailors that are the lifeblood of the Navy, and I think it will be fun to have that kind of contact again.

This time of year, I am reminded about the anniversary of the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in November of 1942.

Friday the Thirteenth was a horrific day for the United States Navy but a day that offered some important relief for the beleaguered Marines on Guadalcanal. Against all odds, a numerically inferior force of American ships foiled the plans of a Japanese force that outgunned them. Their sacrifice damaged the Japanese efforts to overrun the ill equipped and ill supported Marine forces. In the end, the battle would lead to the turning point needed to end the forward advance of the Sons of Nippon. From that day forward, the United States and her allies would gain victory after victory and ultimately sail into Tokyo Bay.

I think the efforts I would like to make in supporting the current day needs has to include a tribute to heroes from previous generations that paved the way. I guess time will tell what that means. Veterans day is coming up shortly.

I hope you are making plans to honor those men and women who have provided our freedom.

The election will be over by then and maybe, just maybe it will be a way for all of us to come together as a nation. It’s been a while. Don’t forget to vote.

Mister Mac