New Coke

My generation grew up in a time where marketing really came of age. We were exposed to subtle and not so subtle messages about the cars we should buy, the shampoo we should use, and of course the soda we should drink. Coca Cola@ was an American icon long before we came along. Coke was […]

Some Track Records Should Be Remembered

1972 was a leap year and changes were going on all over the world. American involvement in Viet Nam was already significantly reduced to a support role and the last combat troops were scheduled to be out by August. The program of Vietnamization was well into its fourth year and the ARVN was placed in […]

It Happened in 1954

I really like cruising around the “store” in the front of my favorite southern cuisine restaurant. You can see the old fashioned toys and magic sets mixed in with collectables of one kind or another. One of my favorites though is the rotating card stand that holds the little books about what happened the year […]

But look at all the money we saved…

With the current drive to save money, the post Cold War Navy is being reimagined once again. This exercise in policy is as old as the nation itself, but has had some very dramatic consequences over the past 61 years. Studying a white paper recently, the role of the Navy has always been dependent on […]

Hope may be audacious, but its not a strategy

Those must have been heady days for the true believers. The sun had not yet risen completely on the new day that was promised but the magic of the possibility stirred their hearts. Here was someone who spoke their language and truly understood their needs. March 5th 2007 Selma Alabama http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2007/03/obamas_selma_speech_text_as_de.html “You know, several weeks […]

Come on up to the porch and sit for a while

For those of you who are looking for submarine stories, check out the Qual Card Drop Down on the right side of the page. Click on it, and look for the words submarine or Navy and you can find a good selection of previous posts… For those who just need a quick break, come on […]

So you want to be a Submariner? (circa 1943)

Every American Bluejacket from the early 1900’s to today receives a copy of the Bluejacket’s Manual. The books were written to help supplement the knowledge of men who were being brought into the Navy. Many times, they lacked even a high school education although over the last century that has been less and less. Newer […]

Godspeed John Glenn

Fifty years ago, John Glenn joined a long list of American pioneers who left their mark on the lexicon of American history. On February 20, 1962, he climbed into Friendship 7 and after a few delays, was finally launched into space. While he was not the first American to do so, his flight was the […]

The Price of Wishful Thinking … Sinking the American Fleet

When I see an internet news story like the recent one detailing the shrinking of the American fleet, I get a kick out of reading the comments in the remarks sections. If you ever want to determine the lack of knowledge of the average internet news story reader, spend a few minutes looking at […]

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

In August of 1914, events on land in Europe came to a head and the first global conflict began As hellish as the existence of the war on terra firma, a new type of warfare was changing the way tacticians and leaders would see the war at sea for generations to come. The small […]