Cold War Stories – Homecoming 1946

Homecoming 1946 Nearly eight million men and women served in the United States Armed Forces during the second world war. Many recent articles in various news outlets and television stories highlight the hundred plus years the few remaining survivors are celebrating this year. But the numbers are diminished greatly with the passing of time. They […]

Cold War Stories – Prepare to Snorkel

Cold War Stories – Prepare to Snorkel When the word is passed “Prepare to Snorkel” on a submarine, a number of actions need to be taken immediately. The boat has to be at the correct depth, valves need to be adjusted and of course, the diesel operator needs to do some preliminary actions. The snorkel […]

Cold War Stories – The Importance of Greenland is Magnified

Cold War Stories – The Importance of Greenland is Magnified With all of the recent attention given to Greenland, it is important to note that Greenland has been a central focal point for more than a hundred years to the United States. What was once described as a giant iceberg with little value to America, […]

Cold War Stories: Atomic Submarines that could Dive Deeper than ever

Cold War Stories: Atomic Submarines that could Dive Deeper than ever Most Mondays I get a chance to share stories with students from the Naval Nuclear Power Training Unit that are based at the Weapons Station in Goose Creek in South Carolina. The young people are the best and brightest of their generation and will […]

Cold War Stories: The Atomic Bomb – “I think it’s dreadful of the Americans to have done it. I think it is madness on their part.”

As one war was coming to an end after so many years of senseless bloodshed, another one was in its germination. The period commonly known as the Cold War had its beginnings in the days leading up to the end of the conflict in Europe. The two future opponents were already racing to scoop up […]

New Years Resolutions (and other thoughts)

Happy New Years I know, it’s already mid-way through the month, but I have been really busy since the actual new year and writing fell pretty far down my list of priorities. This is the calendar year where America turns 250 years, and I want to try and focus on that with stories unique to […]

Saying goodbye to 2025

Like so many others, I use the last day of the year to look back on what has been accomplished and what the plan for next year is. It has been a quiet year in some respects but one with a lot of good memories. We are settling into our new home now and are […]

Truman’s Decision – 1945

It seems a lifetime ago when I last sailed on a submarine. I left the USS Ohio in December of 1984 after making my fourth patrol. It was a routine patrol with nothing special to report. Considering that we were conducting a strategic deterrent patrol, that is a very good thing. After having served on […]

The Great Charleston Earthquake of 1886 and “The Summerville Sensation”

New beginnings – again We made the move to South Carolina over a year ago to downsize from a house that was too big to take care of and find more reasonable winters. I had been stationed for a short while at the Charleston Naval base and Debbie and I had visited South Carolina and […]

Every Moment Mattered – Epilogue

Every Moment Mattered – Epilogue At 01:48 on 13 November, Rear Admiral Daniel J. Callaghan’s relatively small landing support group of thirteen ships engaged the enemy. The Japanese force consisted of two battleships, one light cruiser, and nine destroyers. Because of bad weather and confused communications, the battle occurred in near-pitch darkness and at almost […]