The rarest commodity – sleep

Civilians take sleep for granted. But anyone who has ever been in the service, whether as an officer or enlisted person knows that sleep is one of the greatest luxuries that has ever existed. When you leave home and arrive at your basic training, you immediately realize that sleep is regulated by someone who is […]

250 Years of Service to Freedom – Happy Birthday US Navy

As the clock ticks down to the United States Navy 250th birthday, I wanted to take a few moments and reflect on what that really means. As a young boy, I was surrounded by navy relics and memorabilia. My family had served in the navy during both world wars, and I could see the navy […]

Calling All Recruits

I’ve been thinking a lot about the progression of the navy boot camp through the ages. I would imagine if you were able to bring someone from the early twentieth century into today’s experience, they would be completely stunned at how far the experience has travelled since their day. As a collector of old Bluejacket’s […]

Learning to see

It’s the little things in life that make you think. One of the nice things about the new house is that the first owners traded up on a number of things in relation to the construction of the house. One of those items is a very large shower stall. It’s got enough room for several […]

Lest We Forget. USSV CF Memorial and Museum Boat Fund

Lest We Forget. USSV CF Memorial and Museum Boat Fund The desire to memorialize the great sacrifices made for a nation or cause goes back to the earliest times. Cave drawings and crude monuments to great battles are found in all parts of the world. The Romans mastered the art with buildings and statues […]

The Best Hat Ever; THE Kap(SS) 4 Kid(SS) FUND

“Hi, my name is Mister Mac, and I am a hat-oholic.” “Hi Mister Mac…” I’ve been a hat-oholic since I was a kid and discovered the power of hats. My very first hat was a blue and gold short, billed cap that I got as a Cub Scout in Pack 99 in my home community. […]

Blessed are the volunteers… for they shall inherit the next watch … The USSV CF Scholarship Fund

Blessed are the volunteers… for they shall inherit the next watch I have always liked the fact that duty in the armed forces has been a volunteer organization since the draft ended. I signed up in the delayed entry program in April of 1972 when I was just seventeen. The draft still existed but I […]

Navy Training, Sir (Adventures in learning)

Navy Training, Sir One of my favorite movies of all time is Stripes and one of the best lines in the movie is when the platoon completes their razzle dazzle maneuver, and the general asks where they have been. Eventually Bill Murray shouts: Army Training sir.” I’m assured by my friend Phillip Dockter that the […]

I never thought to question it. It was just my place in line.

In 1972, one of the first things that happened after getting my first official navy haircut, I stood in a long line of civilians that was about to be issued their first seabag. It was the third week of June and Great Lakes was unseasonably cold. Living next to one of the Great Lakes was […]

Butter Versus Margarine – An Epic Struggle for Dominance at Dinner for 155 Years

Butter Versus Margarine – An Epic Struggle for Dominance at Dinner for 155 Years Growing up in a typical middle-class home in the sixties, I was used to margarine (AKA Oleo) being the main source of spread on my bread. On the rare occasions when we had pancakes, the yellowish spread was the only choice. […]