2022 – A year’s worth of special days

April 2022 will mark the fiftieth year since I raised my hand for the first time to take an oath of allegiance to the United States of America. As a seventeen year old boy from Western Pennsylvania, I don’t really think I understood what I was doing other than to know that once I took the […]

Happy Hat Day – 2020

I was thinking last night how many hats I have worn in the course of my lifetime. I think as a child you wear a lot of hats in the winter time and of course there is the baseball cap in the summer. But for the longest time, I did not want to wear a […]

After the parades are over…

The Day After Veteran’s Day Proud… standing straight and erect with shoulders held back and eyes focused forward with a steel and resiliency that is unquestionable. Months of practice have made sure that even a sudden noise won’t change that. Crisp uniforms, flawless creases, perfect lines and hands glued in place at their sides. Chiseled […]

Veteran’s Day 2019 – Neptune’s Cadillac Redux

Veteran’s Day is about remembering the men and women who sacrificed so much for the country. If you asked most of us, and we were honest. We would simply say that we did our jobs This article came from the Honolulu Advertiser and was written about the USS San Francisco shortly after we made the […]

Reporters noted: “There is a typical submarine smell” Stories from the U 111 Archives

This week was the annual Veterans Day remembrance in the United States and around the world. Of course, this year was the Centennial of the original celebration of Armistice Day when the land armies in Europe stopped fighting on 11-11 -1918 at 11:00 AM. The Navy’s involved did not have the same cease fire. In a few […]

I never planned on becoming an old veteran

As Veteran’s Day approaches once more, my thoughts turn to how many veterans I have known in my life. My Dad, of course, comes to mind immediately. He served during the last year of World War 2 in the Navy and returned to an America that was fundamentally changed from the country he had grown […]

Global Undersea Warfare Champions

As Veterans Day 2018 approaches, I wanted to say thanks to the winning team that has given so much to the nation. On December 7th, 1941, unforeseen circumstances changed the role of submarines forever. Gone was the role of coastal protection and scouting for the fleet and our submarine force has never looked back. Sheer […]

Something Meaningful

Long time readers of my blog know that I have some very strong feelings about Veteran’s Day. As someone who served his country in times of war and peace, I am always humbled when another person recognizes me as a veteran and thanks me for my service. I have struggled for a long time with […]

90 Days to nowhere… Submarine Documentary 1977

Another great video from a bygone era. The 41 for Freedom Boats were still in their glory and the USS Ohio was going through its growing pains at the shipyard at Electric Boat. While the patrol cycle is sometimes given short shrift by non-boomer sailors, it had a unique purpose and involved a large number […]

Veterans Day 2019 – Thanks to all who served

Original Post from 2014: I posted this a few days ago on Facebook and the response has been pretty terrific. Lots of “Shares” and hundreds of “Likes” from all over the world. The picture has been on the blog a few times but I was thinking about what a veteran really is. As I told […]