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Speaking Of War
Speaking of war, here are some recent news leads to ponder: “Nearly 20 percent of the more than 2 million troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from mental health conditions, according...
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Childhood Memoirs of Pearl Harbor
On that infamous day, December 7, 1941, I was almost 5 years old and my wife Mollie was almost 4. One doesn’t usually remember much from such an age and yet we both do because it was a time of …...
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Creep
As a retired military officer I note with both interest and alarm that our armed forces are becoming ever more top-heavy and expensive. A USA Today front-page article says that pension benefits are now...
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Politics and Culture
I was motivated to think about politics, culture and the human condition this morning by two seemingly unrelated news items. Joplin’s Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School is a small, expensive...
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Naval Gazing
Last Monday a very interesting and historic event occurred in the Persian Gulf when the USNS Rappahannock fired a 50 caliber machine at a small boat that ignored all warnings and continued to approach....
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Now hear this, Admiral. You guys are in a heap of trouble!
My blogging friend Moe Holland the other day highlighted the kerfuffle over sexual assaults in the military and some of the ensuing misogynistic comments by Congressional dinosaurs. In so doing she...
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Pork Chop Hill
It’s the same old story. What justifies war? Was it worth the blood and treasure? What constitutes “winning” a war – how do you define that? When is it really over? Well, it depends on who you ask and...
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Splice the Main Brace!
My online friend and co-blogger, Pied Type, ran an interesting post a few days ago regarding the author Tom Clancy’s inspiration for music and singing in the movie, Red October. It got me to thinking...
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Man Overboard!
The current kerfuffle over probable deserter Bowe Bergdahl reminds me of a true sea story. It was 1971 or 1972 and I was the Executive Officer (second in command) of a U.S. Navy stores ship steaming...
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The Prosperous Face of Terrorism
Prominently rising in the Bergdahl controversy is the issue of paying ransom to terrorist kidnappers, never mind the fig leaf the Obama administration resorted to by using the Qatar government as an...
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A Remarkable Admission
I have always had the utmost respect for the Marines, and even more so when I was Executive Officer of the Naval ROTC Unit at the University of Kansas, that being the closest affiliation I had with...
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Secrets
As flaps go, the one about Hillary Clinton’s classified emails is one for the history books. It might even be pivotal in the general election. But how many people actually understand the nature of...
View ArticleMaritime Adventures, A Book Review
Not all effects of social isolation in the time of COVID are bad. Motivated by ennui and inspired by the news of a new film starring Tom Hanks, courtesy of an article in Military Officer journal, I am...
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