What is a Warrant Officer? A View from the Navy

We have a great group here in the Pittsbugh Area called the Veteran’s Breakfast Club. Men and women of all branches of the service and all eras gather together for breakfast and conversations. I was featured earlier before the Pandemic and had an opportunity to talk about my submarine service. The have on line and […]

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 […]

Christmas in Manila – 1945

Merry Christmas. Simple words of greeting that have been shared all over the world in so many languages. But often the greeting is sent from far away from home. In December 1945, my Dad was working as part of the post war draw down in Manila. He had entered the war on March 8th, 1945 […]

Thank you for your service… A new Way to Show your Thanks

We have many people in our country that are hurting. Veterans are very high on that list. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have resulted in many younger veterans joining the ranks of the older vets that served with honor but now need some extra help. Those younger families are often the first ones […]

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 […]

A Gathering of the Saints

This is the first post I have done in about a week. Summertime seems to be a tough time to write posts and looking back over the last eight years, July has always been the lowest response month for the blog. As someone who fills in for vacationing preachers in the summer, I am fully […]

The Long Way Home

The Long Way Home This is a clipping from a ship’s newspaper (USS Von Steuben) that was dated June 23rd, 1919. The clipping described some of the details of the AEF being shipped home. This year is also the 100 year anniversary of the American Legion founding and both events are tied together. Over a […]

The Home Depot Foundation Pledges Quarter of a Billion Dollars to Veteran-Related Causes by 2020

Yesterday’s post was about a very unhappy man who was mad at (insert name of home improvement store here) for not being eligible for a military discount. https://theleansubmariner.com/2018/10/24/lifer/ I was thinking after I posted that story that many people are not aware of how much some companies work very hard to support actual veterans-in-need causes. Because […]

Memorial Day – Planting a New Seed

Planting a new Seed This was a different kind of Memorial Day for our family. Our recorded history of participation in services goes back to right after the Civil War when communities all across the nation were still trying to adjust to the shocking death toll brought on by the late war. Unlike the wars […]

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 […]