Apollo 16: Losing the Dream

I was an astronaut in the 1960’s. Our launch facility in Western Pennsylvania was incredibly busy from 1963 to April 1972. We were cutting edge at the time. Not only did we have unlimited supplies of oxygen and “space” food, we journeyed well beyond the moon to find planets that even NASA had not discovered […]

In war, truth is the first casualty. AESCHYLUS

Like many baby boomers, I was born in the shadow of the Greatest Generation and the last good war. I am not sure how anything that caused so much destruction could remotely be considered a “good” war other than the fact that hundreds of millions of people were temporarily freed from one set of tyrants, […]

Intolerable Acts

April 19 is a day which has so much meaning to Americans for reasons both good and tragically horrible. It is a lightning rod day all the things that represent the best and worst of our country. In the dark past of our colonial beginnings, it was the day that marked the first “Shot […]

One of the greatest men I ever knew… Uncle Jack

I am a traditionalist and still believe in the idea that you respect your elders. The elders I am referring to came from a different time (in my case most were of the World War 2 generation). Jack Stuart Patrick was no exception. Like all men, he had parts of his life that he lived […]

USS Hunley AS-31 (Cold Warrior Extraordinaire)

Its hard to believe that a little over twenty years ago I checked on board the USS Hunley. The ship was already about thirty years old when I got to her as the Machinery Division Officer (later Auxiliary Division). The previous two years had been spent in Holy Loch Scotland where the Hunley had spent […]

A tribute to our national symbol… you don’t want to miss this

Despite the fact that I use the computer every day, I am still a bit of a novice when it comes to linking things. But I wanted to share something that is absolutely amazing. This site has gained worldwide recognition so you may have to be a bit patient. It is worth the wait. From […]

What a country … (at least it is so far)

As we drove to Church this morning, I was reminded what a great country we live in. We left the house (that we chose to live in) in our car (that we selected from among hundreds of possible choices). We drove on streets that were paved (using money we paid in taxes) and passed at […]

Fenian Ram: The Green Submarine

Any submariner worth his salt has heard of a good Irishman named John Phillip Holland and his submarine design changed the way wars would be fought at sea forever. On March 17, 1898, St. Patrick’s Day, Irish-born engineer John Philip Holland demonstrated a submarine he designed, the Holland VI, for the U.S. Navy Department, off […]

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 […]