August 19 – The Liberation of Paris

I didn’t think I would like Paris very much. The people who are natives have a reputation for not liking Americans (or anybody else for that matter). So my first trip there for business was actually a reluctant visit. By the third time I went over however, I made sure to allow enough time to […]

A letter to my Dad

Anyone who has read this blog for the past year knows that I found a box of my Dad’s old letters after he passed away and made them into a book called “Love Your Son Butch”. Those old letters were revealing about a man who served his country during a time of great fear – […]

“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 […]

I love a parade…

I love a parade,the tramping of feet, I love every beat I hear of a drum. I love a parade, when I hear a band I just want to stand and cheer as they come. That rat-a tat-tat, the blare of a horn. That rat-a tat-tat, a bright uniform; The sight of a drill will […]

The Sinking of the SS McKeesport

April 29th marks the anniversary of the sinking of the SS McKeesport by a German U-boat Like they have for many years, aging veterans and their families come to the shores of the Youghiogheny at a place called the Palisades to remember the proud little cargo ship that served its country well from 1919 to […]

“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 […]

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 […]

January 1943… Freedom Rising

Change… new directions… imperial doctrines… When you have nothing less to lose, giving your life gains new meaning. We are going to be tested soon in ways that a few years ago would have been unimaginable. But consider this… in the 1920′s before the rise of Hitler and the Nazi’s would you have even thought […]