August 28, 1973 The Journey Begins

I joined the Navy in April of 1972 by raising my right hand for the very first time. The Navy used the Delayed Entry Program to pre-sign willing young volunteers and at the age of seventeen, I was anxious to leave home and see the world. I remember my girlfriend at the time crying a […]

Hallmark doesn’t make a card for Sea Daddys. (But maybe they should)

Warning: Some salty language may have snuck past the censors There was a Navy training film many years ago called “The Lost Sailor”. The idea behind the film was for Navy leaders to recognize all the things that could go wrong with a young sailor when they first report on board a ship or submarine. The […]

The First Thanksgiving (Updated from Original Post in 2013)

The First Thanksgiving If you are expecting a traditional story about Pilgrims and Indians, you might as well go back to your search engine and try again. This is a story about my real first Thanksgiving that occurred somewhere in the western Pacific Ocean about 150 feet below the ocean exactly forty years ago today […]

I’d like to be a submariner. How hard could that be?

Caution: Some salty language may be found in this post I belong to a number of very fine military organizations that all have special purposes. The Navy League for instance is a group that supports and promotes the sea services. I think this is important because of the dangers still present in the world at […]