250 Years of Service to Freedom – Happy Birthday US Navy

As the clock ticks down to the United States Navy 250th birthday, I wanted to take a few moments and reflect on what that really means. As a young boy, I was surrounded by navy relics and memorabilia. My family had served in the navy during both world wars, and I could see the navy […]

“Admiral, the Navy is on its way out. There’s no reason for having a Navy and a Marine Corps.” How Johnson and Truman almost lost the Cold War

A Navy Man at Heart I have to begin this story with a blunt acknowledgement: There has never been a day in my life that the Navy wasn’t the center of the universe when it came to a world that was free, and the Navy was an overpowering force for good. That’s kind of a […]

“Well, at least the war is over.” January 23, 1973

Well, at least the war is over. Today is January 23, 2024. I get messages from time to time reminding me of things that happened on this day. For instance, on this day in 1957, the first frisbee was produced, in 1922, insulin is first used to treat diabetes, and Richard M. Nixon declared the […]

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 […]

The SHIP’S DECK LOG SHEET NAVPERS 3100/2 (Rev 5-73) – Every Entry Tells a Story

The SHIP’S DECK LOG SHEET NAVPERS 3100/2 (Rev 5-73) I have been working on my application for PACT act benefits for a number of months now. One of the most frustrating things is trying to prove that we were where we were. Submarines are notorious for secrecy (which they should be) but in order to […]

The Pact Act

I have been going through a personal journey for the past few months. Without oversharing, I have had a number of health issues for over twenty years related to heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Thank goodness for modern medicine since I live a typically active life and still work in a job that is […]

I didn’t march today. But I did remember

Fifty years ago today I marched in the Elizabeth Pennsylvania Memorial Day Parade. It was a family tradition for a number of years and in 1972 it would be my last one as a civilian. I had already joined the Navy in the delayed entry program and would leave a few weeks later. I remember […]

How much the world has changed in fifty years. And how little.

How much the world has changed in fifty years. And how little. January 1972. Fifty years ago this month, I was just beginning to figure out where I was going to head after high school. To be honest, the choices were not very open. I had spent a lot of time pursuing anything but my […]

A Rock and a Hard Place

A rock and a hard place. I remember the first time I took the oath of enlistment. I was seventeen and very wet behind the ears. I knew about service because of my Dad and both grandfather’s experience in the World Wars. But as we repeated the words (inserting our own names at the appropriate […]

We Build, We Fight

I love a good John Wayne Movie. One of my favorites has always been the Fighting Seabees. March 5 is recognized as the official birthday of the Seabees and I salute all of the men and women who have served in this vital part of the US Armed Forces. From World War 2 to present, […]