Happy Casimir Pulaski Day

I need your help… was your Navy experience a family thing? If so, how?

I can’t remember a time in my life that the Navy wasn’t part of my family. My Dad served in World War 2 and my Grandpa Mac served in World War 1. I joined at 17 and later was joined by my little brother on the USS San Francisco. Tom’s son and my nephew Artie […]

Under the Ice Warfare: Kill or Be Killed

In my career I received the Order of the Ditch and was a Shellback. The first means that I transited the Panama Canal and of course the second means that I crossed the Equator. Going across the equator involves a lot of pomp and circumstances surrounded by a great deal of silliness. I will freely […]

Memorial Day 2026 – How do you define freedom?

I was honored to be able to provide the keynote talk at our community Memorial Day Service. Memorial Day in my family has traditionally been one of the most important days of the year. Growing up, I can remember watching my Dad prepare for the day. His leadership was inspirational and helped me to understand […]

Marx? I thought that guy was dead.

Typically, I avoid political articles since the country is so divided now. Years ago, I indulged in printing a series about the potential change that might come under a new administration in 2020. I archived those articles but go back from time to time to see how accurate they were. Being completely transparent, they were […]

Rembert James War Correspondent- The first part of the story ended way too soon

Blessed are the storytellers… for they shall inherit eternity. Okay, so that isn’t really a beatitude. But it could be. Recently, I discovered a series of articles written by a war correspondent named Rembert F. James. Cold War Stories – Periscopes off our Coasts: 1954 Never heard of him before? Can’t say that I blame […]

Cold War Stories – “perhaps we’ll have an aircraft carrier with the underwater body of a speedboat.”

I’ve written before about the rush of the nation to disarm after the second world war. The navy in particular was hard hit based on the emergence of the atomic bomb and the lack of a major sea going threat. The Soviets exited the war with a small blue water navy. That would not change […]

And so, you master self then, laugh at fear – The Story of a Sub Man and USS Grayback SS 208

And so, you master self then, laugh at fear – The Story of a Sub Man There was a total of fifty-two American submarines lost during World War 2. The damage that the submarine force had inflicted on the Japanese and naval forces was staggering. But losing that many submarines was also a very high […]

Cold War Stories – Truman Joins the Royal Order of Deep Dunkers

The Royal Order of Deep Dunkers Up until today, I had only known of a few US Presidents that had submerged on board a submarine. The first was Theodore Roosevelt who rode an early sub called the Plunger. August 21, 1905 – Plunger to Oyster Bay today A partial list of modern Presidents that would […]

Cold War Stories – “Look at that thing fly” – Submarine Design in the Modern Ages

Look at that thing fly – submarine design in the modern ages The sleek submarines of today are powerful examples of the evolution of naval ship design. What were once awkward frames surrounding the simplest of motive engines, are now the deadliest hunter killers that have ever ranged the oceans deep. The technology to create […]