Hakko Ichiu (“Eight corners of the World under one roof.”)

Hakko Ichiu. (“Eight corner of the World under one roof.”) Japanese World War II slogan alluding to the Emperor Jimmu, the first emperor of Japan. In an 8th Century literary collection, his words are recalled that the “eight corners of the world be united under one roof” creating a brotherhood of races. In AD […]

March 1, 1945: Surrendering the Chance for Peace

Freedom for millions of people and wars without end were almost guaranteed when President Roosevelt completed his trip to Yalta and came home . In a joint session to the Congress on March 1 1945, President Roosevelt reported informally about the results of the recent Conference at Yalta. While brushing off the prickly questions […]

War in the Pacific – February 1945

The war in the Pacific was raging at full force in February of 1945. The battles in the Philippines were brutal and costly for the warriors and the people who lived there. Iwo Jima was about to be invaded costing the lives of many brave American Marines and Japanese defenders. Back home, citizens were still […]

December 10 – The Loss of the First Sealion

The attack at Pearl Harbor was barely finished when the predicted attacks in the Philippines began. In order for the Japanese empire to complete their planned establishment of a Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere, the Philippines would have to be “liberated” from the American’s influence. A casual study of that part of the world shows […]

Taffy 3 – Courage Beyond Measure

Originally posted on theleansubmariner:
? In the annals of US Naval history, there are a number of instances that demonstrate the courage and determination of a committed group of dedicated officers and men. The one that stands out most in many people’s opinions is the battle which occurred on October 25th 1994. On this day,…

Victory in the Pacific

This is a great documentary of some of the best submarining any of us will ever see. The Story of Submarine Warfare in the Pacific (1946) Mister Mac

How a World War 2 Submarine Works

I saw this video on one of the Navy Facebook pages earlier today and thought it was worth sharing. When you think about how complex a machine submarines really are, you can understand why training and qualifications are so important. Compared to any other occupation or job I have had, none come close […]

Patches

If you look to the right side of my blog, you will see a number of patches that reflect my duty stations (boats and ships) along the way. My sub vets vest has a fair representation of them and it is a matter of some pride that I wear each one. They all stand for […]

A little respect… 42 years later, its still not that big of a deal

Recently I was following a post on one of my submarine Facebook pages. The original guy had posted about a lack of recognition. To be fair, he had a lot of supporters and frankly I can’t give him a hard time since I have seen some of this through the years myself. “Okay I have […]

The “Georgia Swamp Fox” that Fathered the Two Ocean Navy – Carl Vinson

This is a story published in the Port of Pittsburgh, Official Publication of the Navy League of the United States, Pittsburgh Council Jan-March 2014 Volume 18 No.1 edited by Katherine Kersten, written by Bob MacPherson (aka theleansubmariner) “The most expensive thing in the world is a cheap Army and Navy,” Congressman Carl Vinson On March […]