So you want to be a Submariner? (circa 1943)

Every American Bluejacket from the early 1900’s to today receives a copy of the Bluejacket’s Manual. The books were written to help supplement the knowledge of men who were being brought into the Navy. Many times, they lacked even a high school education although over the last century that has been less and less. Newer […]

The Submariner

Looking back over the last forty years, my thoughts of what a good submariner looks like have become much clearer. I have not been on a boat for over twenty years but there are some things that still stand out even through the haze of the years. I should tell you that I greatly admire […]

USS George Washington SSBN 598

You never forget your first… When I requested a submarine for my first assignment after sub school , I wanted to be on a Diesel Boat first, a fast attack second, and a Boomer third preferably a 640 class. I vaguely remember an old salt at a bar in Groton talking about how beautiful Key […]

Hu Said What?

Normally I would think of a routine from an old Abbott and Costello movie when I see something a comical as the title of this post. Not this time though. Hu Jintao (the President of the People’s Republic of China) has been very vocal recently about upgrading and preparing the military in general and the […]

Goin’ to the Chapel and We’re Gonna Get Married – Part Three

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/12/01/first-same-sex-marriage-being-celebrated-saturday-at-west-points-cadet-chapel/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fpolitics+%28Internal+-+Politics+-+Text%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo Oh happy day, break out the bubbly, the Nation’s first gay marriage at West Point. I can barely contain my joy. Oh well. They can explain it to the big Guy themselves when the time comes. I am now officially done with worrying about traditions. Go Navy. Beat Army. Mister Mac I had no […]

Blinders? Why no, these are my new leadership Goggles!

For over a century the leadership of the U.S. Army and Navy were in agreement about how the United States coast would be managed: the Army would defend the beaches and out to the range of their coastal guns, and the Navy would protect anything beyond that range. The advent of the airplane challenged that […]