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 […]

Voyage to the Bottom of the Seas – The Nuclear Navy of 1964

In 1964, I was ten years old. The movie, Voyage to the Bottom of the Seas had come out in 1961 but I only remember it from later showings on television when I was much older. The TV series that was born from that movie ran from 1964 to 1968 and I am pretty sure […]

Who ya gonna call? (What if the answer is no one?)

Déjà vu all over again. Anyone who reads my blog knows that I have a passion for the US Navy and the men and women who keep us safe. I have been enlisted and was later given the privilege to lead so many of them through clam seas and storms. But I also recognize that […]

Alert 1, Alert 1… This is not a drill

Sleeping soundly in our beds Last night, before I went to bed, I checked the doors to make sure they were locked. I also turned on our security system and listened for that familiar female voice to say “Simply Safe on. Home”. That means that we are snug in our house and if for any […]

Military Reunions… Why bother?

Why indeed. I have planned and executed three reunions for my third submarine (USS San Francisco SSN 711) to date. I am in the process of putting together the fourth. My beautiful bride of forty-three plus years has told me that this will be the last one I put together. I had forgotten how much […]

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. […]

Sudden Impact… Forever Impacted

Sudden Impact… Forever Impacted It was a cold and freezing night. (I’ve always wanted to use that line ever since Snoopy used something similar in one of his attempts to be a novelist. Cartoonist Charles Schulz made Snoopy use this phrase because “it was a cliché and had been one for a very long time”. […]

A Sense of Belonging – USSVI Charleston Base 2024

I have always liked Charleston. Ever since I went to Submarine Auxiliary Package Course at the Fleet Ballistic Missile Base in Charleston SC in 1973, the area has held a special place in my heart. There are some places that are just more impactful than others in your development. I joined the Navy when I […]

Want Volunteers? Keep Your Promises!

Fair warning: If you are strongly invested in Societal Permissiveness and DEI as a part of National Defense, this post is probably not for you. Also, a couple of salty words may have accidently slipped in. My apologies for the second. Sometimes the sailor in me has no filter. Final Warning. Some of the pictures […]

Lessons from 1944 – The Need for Advanced Bases

I’ve been watching the news recently and the escalation of naval conflicts. Because I spend more time than I should looking at the nature of naval construction and strength, I have been concerned about the lack of resources to support the people who are sailing in harm’s way. I’m sure the navy planners have looked […]