Cold War Stories – “The atomic age is here to stay. The question is: Are we?”

General Omar Bradley is known for saying, “Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war than about peace, more about killing than we know about living.” Bradley would go on to become the head of the joint chiefs before retiring from the Army. The turbulent times after the […]

Cold War Stories – The next war will be fought on our own soil

Cold War Stories – The next war will be fought on our own soil In 1984, there was a fictional movie called Red Dawn that portrayed an invasion of the United States. It was a very interesting look at what would happen in the country if an enemy was successfully able to bypass all of […]

Cold War Stories – Sharing Atomic Secrets in 1946

Cold War Stories – Sharing Atomic Secrets in 1946 Even prior to the formation of the United Nations organization in 1945, the shifting sands of power around the globe were creating doubts about the visions of the founders. Franklin Roosevelt had made the formation of this new organization one of his highest priorities. He had […]

Cold War Stories – The Importance of Greenland is Magnified

Cold War Stories – The Importance of Greenland is Magnified With all of the recent attention given to Greenland, it is important to note that Greenland has been a central focal point for more than a hundred years to the United States. What was once described as a giant iceberg with little value to America, […]

Cold War Stories: Atomic Submarines that could Dive Deeper than ever

Cold War Stories: Atomic Submarines that could Dive Deeper than ever Most Mondays I get a chance to share stories with students from the Naval Nuclear Power Training Unit that are based at the Weapons Station in Goose Creek in South Carolina. The young people are the best and brightest of their generation and will […]

Truman’s Decision – 1945

It seems a lifetime ago when I last sailed on a submarine. I left the USS Ohio in December of 1984 after making my fourth patrol. It was a routine patrol with nothing special to report. Considering that we were conducting a strategic deterrent patrol, that is a very good thing. After having served on […]

The Great Charleston Earthquake of 1886 and “The Summerville Sensation”

New beginnings – again We made the move to South Carolina over a year ago to downsize from a house that was too big to take care of and find more reasonable winters. I had been stationed for a short while at the Charleston Naval base and Debbie and I had visited South Carolina and […]

Every Moment Mattered – Epilogue

Every Moment Mattered – Epilogue At 01:48 on 13 November, Rear Admiral Daniel J. Callaghan’s relatively small landing support group of thirteen ships engaged the enemy. The Japanese force consisted of two battleships, one light cruiser, and nine destroyers. Because of bad weather and confused communications, the battle occurred in near-pitch darkness and at almost […]

Every Moment Mattered – The Life and Death of Cassin Young, Captain, USN MOH Recipient – Chapter Sixteen: “When the World is at Peace, a gentleman keeps his Sword by his side.” – Wu Tsu

Chapter Sixteen (1929-1933) “When the World is at Peace, a gentleman keeps his Sword by his side.” – Wu Tsu The Young’s would once more find themselves facing another cross-country transfer when Cassin was assigned to the Naval Academy for duty as an instructor. From August of 1928 until May of 1931, the family would […]

Every Moment Mattered – The Life and Death of Cassin Young, Captain, USN MOH Recipient – Chapter Twenty: “Like a ballroom brawl with the lights turned out.”

Chapter Twenty: “Like a ballroom brawl with the lights turned out.” Four days. From the moment Cassin Young reported on board until the night of October 13th there were only four days for him to prepare for the battle that was waiting just beyond the horizon. The San Francisco had nearly 1000 crew members on board […]