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 […]

National Freedom Day

I was looking at my desk calendar and noticed that today (February 1) is National Freedom Day. I have never really paid much attention to anything in February other than President’s Day, Valentines Day, and Groundhog day. President’s day of course is a made up holiday that neither falls on Washington or Lincoln’s actual birthday […]

The Invisible Star

There were probably no flags flying when Alex and Sophia boarded the Susan B. Howell in the Port of Londonderry. They were surrounded by all of their children, a few meager possessions, and a dream for a better life. If there was a flag flying ashore, it was more than likely the hated Union Jack […]

Freedom on the other side

I have lived my life with a firm conviction that being a free man is more important than any other thing. I gave up part of my freedom to protect it (US Navy) and I give up a part of my freedom each time I pay my taxes to support the structures that try and […]

The Cost of Freedom

These pictures were taken at the Masonic Village in Central Pennsylvania See link at end of post for more detailed information There is an American Flag for every Service Member that has given their life since 911 There is a separate Blue State flag for every Pennsylvanian The tradition of remembering these American Heroes goes back […]

Galvanized or Gone

Fire in the night Growing up in a steel town, I learned the terms associated with making steel at an early age. At night, the sky was orange from the glow of the furnaces and the cooling steel that emerged. No one who has ever lived near a mill can forget the burning sulfur like […]