“What our people are is what our country is” Admiral Rickover’s Reflection After Sea Trials on the SSN 711 Boat

I have been watching the news recently and it is sad how there is so much division in the world. I was going through some old files today and found a copy of the short speech Admiral Rickover gave after we finished sea trials on the USS San Francisco SSN 711 in 1981. It’s hard […]

I hated the PRT… until I realized how bad things could get without it

I’ll be the first person to admit that of all the things I encountered in the navy, the PRT (Physical Readiness Test) was my least favorite thing. I can imagine there are a lot more like me out there. Let me explain. From the day you join any of our armed services, they start breaking […]

The Value of Shipmates

A while back, I was on Facebook and called someone a shipmate. Well, to me, the name shipmate is one of honor. But to the person who I was communicating with, it seemed to have had a less than positive meaning. Almost to the point where the name had become an insult. I’m not sure […]

A Great Reunion – Well, Mostly Great

The 2024 Gathering of the Saints is finally over. I have been absent from the keyboard for a while as we executed our latest reunion in Charleston SC. The planning for the reunion started at the end of 2023 and was non-stop until the very last day of the event. One thing about reunions is […]

April 11 2024 – Holland Club

I was honored to have my wife and my Submariner Brothers present last night at the USSVI Charleston Base to see my induction into the Holland Club. I actually wasn’t sure I would ever make it. A special thanks to RADM Mike Sharp and the men from the USS San Francisco SSN 711 that were […]

Things to do in the Charleston SC Area

One of my new friends in Charleston fired a note off to me the other night to remind me that I am not a native there. In a very kind way, he reminded me that there is no “P” in Fort Sumter. (To be fair, when I told Debbie, she was kind of surprised as […]

Another New Adventure; Supporting the USS Pennsylvania

I belong to a number of organizations that promote the support of our navy and veterans. Those include the Navy League, the American Legion, the VFW, the Naval Institute and the Naval Submarine League (NSL). I recently became a life member of the NSL. The great thing about becoming older is that the cost of […]

Military Reunions… Why bother?

Why indeed. I have planned and executed three reunions for my third submarine (USS San Francisco SSN 711) to date. I am in the process of putting together the fourth. My beautiful bride of forty-three plus years has told me that this will be the last one I put together. I had forgotten how much […]

Sudden Impact… Forever Impacted

Sudden Impact… Forever Impacted It was a cold and freezing night. (I’ve always wanted to use that line ever since Snoopy used something similar in one of his attempts to be a novelist. Cartoonist Charles Schulz made Snoopy use this phrase because “it was a cliché and had been one for a very long time”. […]

Nautilus to Columbia by James C. Goodall

Happy December. This is the time of year when we get presents in the mail and for me that includes the latest project by my friend James. C. Goodall. Jim is a former Air Force guy (Retired) who combines his photographic skills with his passion for submarines and other technical platforms to create valuable resources […]