While America dismantles its forces, others prepare to fill the gap

I am relatively sure that the Chinese are not wasting any resources on sensitivity training as they view the world’s oceans and resources. I wonder if we are maintaining our vision for the last war as they prepare for the next one. China’s Growing Military Might: Top 4 Concerns For The Pentagon Christian Science […]

“Love, Your Son Butch” – Chapter 2

Just a short note before I return to the book. Today (April 27 2013) is the twentieth anniversary of the day John C. MacPherson met Jesus face to face. I’m not sure what time of day it was and frankly at this point it doesn’t matter. On the morning, I was up well before the […]

Love, Your Son Butch, Chapter One

Twenty years ago this month, my Dad finally lost his battle with heart disease and went to be with his Lord. The week after his death, I found a box in the basement of our old house that had all of his letters home from World War 2. Over the next ten years, I plugged […]

“Love, Your Son Butch” – Introduction (April 2013)

Introduction John C. MacPherson, Jr. was seventeen years old when he joined the United States Navy. Over the next seventeen months, he wrote a number of letters to his family. The letters were signed with John’s many names: Sonny, Foo, Butch, and Goofer. But in most cases they ended with two common phrases: “God be […]

USS Omaha (SSN 692) Memorial Park

April 19 is a special day for all former Omaha Crew members and the city of Omaha. There will be a dedication ceremony for the park at 3:30. I wish them well in recognizing this proud ship and crew. Navy’s USS Omaha Destined for New Memorial Park Ketv.com, April 18 OMAHA, Neb. – Key pieces […]

Submarine Force Issues 2013

Its probably no coincidence that submarines are the focus of this article during a week that marks the highs and lows of US Navy submarine history. Save Our Subs: Prioritizing The Attack Submarine By Rep. Randy Forbes and Rep. Joe Courtney AOL Defense, April 9, 2013 For a host of security and economic reasons, […]

Nothing Heroic?

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/mar/28/columnist-wants-end-military-funeral-honors-vets-w/ St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bill McClellan published a column Wednesday, saying the U.S. military should do away with funeral honors, since “most veterans did nothing heroic” anyway. Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/mar/28/columnist-wants-end-military-funeral-honors-vets-w/#ixzz2Owdi2kKW Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter I don’t know what planet this idiot comes from but to suggest that veterans did nothing heroic is one […]

A Good Navy Man

The Bluejacket’s Manual of 1946 was a special edition The US Navy (along with its sister services) had just finished a victory of epic proportions and the BJM writers were writing about the needs the country would have from its sailors for years to come. In the introduction, the manual talks about the need for […]

Russian Submarine Base Pictures

In all of my years on submarines, I can never remember pulling into an underground submarine base. Probably because we didn’t have any! The Russians apparently did have a big underground submarine base and docks once in the USSR. After the Soviet Union collapsed and the Russian army left Ukraine it was partly abandoned and […]

Submarines; Scourge of the Seas or Sentinels of Liberty? (It depends on who is at the helm)

At the outset of the war between the states, the weight of sea power rested with the Northern states both in actual number of existing ships and the capacity to manufacture new ones. The industrial capacity of the north had matured because of many reasons up to that point. Availability of raw materials and capacity […]