#earnednevergiven

For my brothers… April 11, 2014 Mister Mac

Coming Home

Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in. (Robert Frost) Can there be any better feeling than coming home after a journey? It’s always exciting for me to travel around the world and in the past forty two years I have been blessed to see many […]

The Day after Pearl Harbor

The day after Pearl Harbor was still a chaotic day for most in the Hawaiian Islands. Rumors of an invading Japanese force were widespread and panic was probably just below the surface. The brilliant and gleaming fleet was awash in black residue and blood. Shipwrights and common sailors frantically were trying to rescue men […]

“Love, Your Son Butch” Chapter 2–Early May 1945

This is a part of a continuing series based on letters my Dad wrote home during World War 2. For information about the series, see the introduction at: https://theleansubmariner.com/2013/04/20/love-your-son-butch-introduction-april-2013/ While John completed his boot camp training at Camp Sampson New York, the war continued to rage with a fierce level of energy. The Japanese knew […]

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 […]

Man Battle Stations

All day long today I have enjoyed seeing the pictures of men and women in uniform being saluted by so many people. Their service is precious and appreciated by so many. That’s probably why I was so angry when I saw this letter tonight in the McKeesport Daily News. No, angry might be too calm […]

Shared Sacrifices

On the eve of Thanksgiving, please take a moment to think of all the men and women who will not be able to sit around a table with their families this year. Some are sitting in ready rooms on aircraft carriers waiting for an order to launch in support of ongoing operations in far lands. […]

They Never Lost Their Will to Win–The Battle of Cape Esperance

The Battle of Cape Esperance, also known as the Second Battle of Savo Island and, in Japanese sources, as the Sea Battle of Savo Island, took place on 11–12 October 1942, and was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and United States Navy. The battle […]

A Highland Festival of Note

The sky was exactly what would be expected for a festival that claims to celebrate the highlands of Scotland. Sunny one moment and dark grey and foreboding the next. The weather didn’t deter the faithful though as people from all over Western PA and anyplace within reasonable driving distance headed out to the Ligonier […]

Lessons from Guadalcanal: “The Goettge Patrol”

There have been many books written through the ages about fighting a war. From the lessons of Sun Tzu to the lengthy books on modern war campaigns, we have learned better ways to achieve our goals if we are wise enough to learn from other’s mistakes. One of the ones from Guadalcanal was the disastrous […]