A man of principle to say the least - That is the way they make them in the USMC. I hope his assessment turns out to be incorrect as if this is the start of a group of similar proclaimations, the road ahead will be even tougher than we expected.....
U.S. official resigns over Afghan war
Foreign Service officer and former Marine captain says he no longer knows why his nation is fighting
By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
When Matthew Hoh joined the Foreign Service early this year, he was exactly the kind of smart civil-military hybrid the administration was looking for to help expand its development efforts in Afghanistan.
A former Marine Corps captain with combat experience in Iraq, Hoh had also served in uniform at the Pentagon, and as a civilian in Iraq and at the State Department. By July, he was the senior U.S. civilian in Zabul province, a Taliban hotbed.
But last month, in a move that has sent ripples all the way to the White House, Hoh, 36, became the first U.S. official known to resign in protest over the Afghan war, which he had come to believe simply fueled the insurgency.
"I have lost understanding of and confidence in the strategic purposes of the United States' presence in Afghanistan," he wrote Sept. 10 in a four-page letter to the department's head of personnel. "I have doubts and reservations about our current strategy and planned future strategy, but my resignation is based not upon how we are pursuing this war, but why and to what end."
The reaction to Hoh's letter was immediate. Senior U.S. officials, concerned that they would lose an outstanding officer and perhaps gain a prominent critic, appealed to him to stay.
U.S. Ambassador Karl W. Eikenberry brought him to Kabul and offered him a job on his senior embassy staff. Hoh declined. From there, he was flown home for a face-to-face meeting with Richard C. Holbrooke, the administration's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/26/AR2009102603394_pf.html
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
SEMPER FI - Marines Win Top Sharpshooter Prize
SEMPER FI GENTLEMEN...Here is hoping you get to use those skills to find a few "Prime Targets" in the mountains of Waziristan....SOON !
Marines Win Top Sharpshooter Prize
October 26, 2009
Military.com|by Bryant Jordan
The Marine Corps earned bragging rights during the 9th annual U.S. Army International Sniper Competition at Fort Benning, Ga., last week, when Leathernecks from the Corps' Scout Sniper School (West) in Camp Pendleton, Calif., claimed the title of top marksmen.
But because of the nature of their work the top-scoring Marines -- Team 3 of the Pendleton school -- will not be doing any public bragging.
Those Marines, along with most other winners -- Marine and Soldier alike -- are keeping their names confidential, according to Benning spokeswoman Brenda Donnell, who told Military.com today that only two Army team members are being identified. Donnell believes the secrecy is related to the commands the snipers are with.
In all, 31 two-man teams took part in the week-long event that, in addition to the Overall place won by Pendleton's Team 3, featured 1st- 2nd- and 3rd-place winners in the Service Class and Open Class categories, according to a Benning announcement.
Service class teams were Marines or Soldiers who fire 7.62 NATO or small rounds as a primary or secondary weapon system, while those competing in the Open Class were snipers whose primary or secondary weapon fires a round larger than the 7.62, the Army said.
In addition to winning in the Overall category, Pendleton's Team 3 won 1st Place in Service Class.
Other winning teams in the Service Class were:
2nd Place - Team 24, D Company, 2nd Battalion, Special Warfare Training Group, Fort Bragg, N.C.
3rd Place - C Troop, Team 6, 1st Bn., 73rd Cavalry, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg. Team members were identified as Ian Erickson and Justin Chavis. Donnell did not have their ranks.
Open Class winners were:
1st Place - Team 10, A Company, 2nd Bn., 46th Infantry Regiment, 194th Armor Brigade, Fort Knox, Ky. Team members were Staff Sgt. Kevin Wildman and Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Johns, Donnell said.
2nd Place - Team 23, D Company, 2nd Bn., SWT Group, Fort Bragg.
3rd Place - Team 21, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg.
Marines Win Top Sharpshooter Prize
October 26, 2009
Military.com|by Bryant Jordan
The Marine Corps earned bragging rights during the 9th annual U.S. Army International Sniper Competition at Fort Benning, Ga., last week, when Leathernecks from the Corps' Scout Sniper School (West) in Camp Pendleton, Calif., claimed the title of top marksmen.
But because of the nature of their work the top-scoring Marines -- Team 3 of the Pendleton school -- will not be doing any public bragging.
Those Marines, along with most other winners -- Marine and Soldier alike -- are keeping their names confidential, according to Benning spokeswoman Brenda Donnell, who told Military.com today that only two Army team members are being identified. Donnell believes the secrecy is related to the commands the snipers are with.
In all, 31 two-man teams took part in the week-long event that, in addition to the Overall place won by Pendleton's Team 3, featured 1st- 2nd- and 3rd-place winners in the Service Class and Open Class categories, according to a Benning announcement.
Service class teams were Marines or Soldiers who fire 7.62 NATO or small rounds as a primary or secondary weapon system, while those competing in the Open Class were snipers whose primary or secondary weapon fires a round larger than the 7.62, the Army said.
In addition to winning in the Overall category, Pendleton's Team 3 won 1st Place in Service Class.
Other winning teams in the Service Class were:
2nd Place - Team 24, D Company, 2nd Battalion, Special Warfare Training Group, Fort Bragg, N.C.
3rd Place - C Troop, Team 6, 1st Bn., 73rd Cavalry, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg. Team members were identified as Ian Erickson and Justin Chavis. Donnell did not have their ranks.
Open Class winners were:
1st Place - Team 10, A Company, 2nd Bn., 46th Infantry Regiment, 194th Armor Brigade, Fort Knox, Ky. Team members were Staff Sgt. Kevin Wildman and Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Johns, Donnell said.
2nd Place - Team 23, D Company, 2nd Bn., SWT Group, Fort Bragg.
3rd Place - Team 21, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg.
Friday, October 23, 2009
YOU OWN IT NOW MR. PRESIDENT
I don't mind showcasing superior writing when I see it (and/or read it)
Peggy Noonan steps up to the plate and smacks one out of the park.
" President Obama, in office a month longer than Bush was when 9/11 hit, now owns his presidency. Does he know it? He too stands on rubble, figuratively speaking—a collapsed economy, high and growing unemployment, two wars. Everyone knows what he's standing on. You can almost see the smoke rising around him. He's got a bullhorn in his hand every day.
It's his now. He gets the credit and the blame. How do we know this? The American people are telling him. You can see it in the polls. That's what his falling poll numbers are about. "It's been almost a year, you own this. Fix it."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704224004574489530713762884.html#printMode
Peggy Noonan steps up to the plate and smacks one out of the park.
" President Obama, in office a month longer than Bush was when 9/11 hit, now owns his presidency. Does he know it? He too stands on rubble, figuratively speaking—a collapsed economy, high and growing unemployment, two wars. Everyone knows what he's standing on. You can almost see the smoke rising around him. He's got a bullhorn in his hand every day.
It's his now. He gets the credit and the blame. How do we know this? The American people are telling him. You can see it in the polls. That's what his falling poll numbers are about. "It's been almost a year, you own this. Fix it."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704224004574489530713762884.html#printMode
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
President JAFO is AWOL
From the WSJ...
Obama Goes AWOL On Afghanistan, "voting present" would be an improvement.
By JAMES TARANTO
...we suppose it's easy to sit on the sidelines and snark. Barack Obama is President of the United States, and he is juggling all kinds of urgent responsibilities. Such as this one, reported by the New York Times:
Mr. Obama will fly to New York on Tuesday for a lavish Democratic Party fund-raising dinner at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel for about 200 big donors. Each donor is paying the legal maximum of $30,400 and is allowed to take a date.And hey, if you don't like it, " grab a damn mop!" As Obama said just last week at . . . uh, another lavish Democratic Party fund-raiser.
Meanwhile, the New York Times reports from Washington that "frustrations and anxiety are on the rise within the military" as the president dithers over Afghanistan:
A retired general who served in Iraq said that the military had listened, "perhaps naïvely," to Mr. Obama's campaign promises that the Afghan war was critical. "What's changed, and are we having the rug pulled out from under us?" he asked. Like many of those interviewed for this article, he spoke on the condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisals from the military's civilian leadership and the White House.Shouldn't it be the enemy that fears reprisals?
During the presidential campaign, Obama's opponents mocked him for frequently voting "present" on difficult questions that came before the Illinois Senate. This is even worse. The commander in chief is absent without leave.
He is AWOL...as we would say in the military when you were confronted with something that made no sense "WTF, over?"
Obama Goes AWOL On Afghanistan, "voting present" would be an improvement.
By JAMES TARANTO
...we suppose it's easy to sit on the sidelines and snark. Barack Obama is President of the United States, and he is juggling all kinds of urgent responsibilities. Such as this one, reported by the New York Times:
Mr. Obama will fly to New York on Tuesday for a lavish Democratic Party fund-raising dinner at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel for about 200 big donors. Each donor is paying the legal maximum of $30,400 and is allowed to take a date.And hey, if you don't like it, " grab a damn mop!" As Obama said just last week at . . . uh, another lavish Democratic Party fund-raiser.
Meanwhile, the New York Times reports from Washington that "frustrations and anxiety are on the rise within the military" as the president dithers over Afghanistan:
A retired general who served in Iraq said that the military had listened, "perhaps naïvely," to Mr. Obama's campaign promises that the Afghan war was critical. "What's changed, and are we having the rug pulled out from under us?" he asked. Like many of those interviewed for this article, he spoke on the condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisals from the military's civilian leadership and the White House.Shouldn't it be the enemy that fears reprisals?
During the presidential campaign, Obama's opponents mocked him for frequently voting "present" on difficult questions that came before the Illinois Senate. This is even worse. The commander in chief is absent without leave.
------------------------------------------------------
He is AWOL...as we would say in the military when you were confronted with something that made no sense "WTF, over?"
Monday, October 19, 2009
Make a decision President JAFO
As President JAFO plays politics with the Afghanistan issue, I feel that we are only fiddling while our best & brightest burn....we (and they) cannot wait until the WH decides whether the political climate is right for a decision...Men are dying in the field...
While I understand the need for boots on the ground, and the whole hearts & minds thing, we should not be holding back in areas where we have clear tactical advantage, i.e. hitting the caves/desolate outposts with the guided munitions.
While we need both types of battle, we should be maximizing the use of finding the places where they are training/ resupplying in the wilds of Waziristan and hitting those caves/camps with everything we got.
Using the surveillance drones to make sure we are not hitting the WRONG places and making sure that we are hitting the RIGHT places. NO bombing weddings accidentally, just hitting the bad guys as they are getting trained up in the SH-Twilds…
The area along the PAK/AFGHAN border is too rugged to control with troops on the ground and by now, we should be able to use our superior tactical advantage to smoke them out of the holes….Find em and send them to Allah…
I thought the whole issue with the Kamdesh firebase that was attacked and almost overrun would have made the perfect test for the right application of this type of battle. After we left this base and made it unusable, the Taliban announced to the world that they had taken over the base and were flying their flag over the base.
Really?? Well someone at CENTCOM should have told them ” Stay right there..” as a C-130 flew overhead and dropped a Daisycutter on the spot as we knew exctly where they were and what they were doing. As the side of the mountain sheered off from the blast, we could have taped it and played the film at a news conference over & over again….Then we would conclude the news conference by quoting John McCain who stated, ” We will chase you to the gates of Hell..” as this will be the only way the Taliban Cockroaches stop what they are doing and run for their miserable lives…
I’m sorry to sound harsh but these extremists will only stop when we make them….It is about time we use our superior advantage to it’s optimum ability and make them stop.
I lost a buddy at WTC and another on the USS Cole, along with many shipmates in Fallujah….we have suffered enough loss of our best, it is time we take out their worst.
While I understand the need for boots on the ground, and the whole hearts & minds thing, we should not be holding back in areas where we have clear tactical advantage, i.e. hitting the caves/desolate outposts with the guided munitions.
While we need both types of battle, we should be maximizing the use of finding the places where they are training/ resupplying in the wilds of Waziristan and hitting those caves/camps with everything we got.
Using the surveillance drones to make sure we are not hitting the WRONG places and making sure that we are hitting the RIGHT places. NO bombing weddings accidentally, just hitting the bad guys as they are getting trained up in the SH-Twilds…
The area along the PAK/AFGHAN border is too rugged to control with troops on the ground and by now, we should be able to use our superior tactical advantage to smoke them out of the holes….Find em and send them to Allah…
I thought the whole issue with the Kamdesh firebase that was attacked and almost overrun would have made the perfect test for the right application of this type of battle. After we left this base and made it unusable, the Taliban announced to the world that they had taken over the base and were flying their flag over the base.
Really?? Well someone at CENTCOM should have told them ” Stay right there..” as a C-130 flew overhead and dropped a Daisycutter on the spot as we knew exctly where they were and what they were doing. As the side of the mountain sheered off from the blast, we could have taped it and played the film at a news conference over & over again….Then we would conclude the news conference by quoting John McCain who stated, ” We will chase you to the gates of Hell..” as this will be the only way the Taliban Cockroaches stop what they are doing and run for their miserable lives…
I’m sorry to sound harsh but these extremists will only stop when we make them….It is about time we use our superior advantage to it’s optimum ability and make them stop.
I lost a buddy at WTC and another on the USS Cole, along with many shipmates in Fallujah….we have suffered enough loss of our best, it is time we take out their worst.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
LEADERSHIP - Old School Style
A great picture that provides one of the key lessons for all who supervise others.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
PRESIDENT JAFO
I have tried to stay away from Politics in this Blog because it is one issue where things get ugly and there is enough of that elsewhere. I would rather talk about cars, old Jeeps, Warbirds, etc.
The continuing whine about RACE & Racism in politics is really, really, really getting tired. The RACE Card is as dumb as calling your opponent a "NAZI"....Both tactics are beneath contempt and show true lack of intellect. Take a point & defend it. Leave the mud slinging out of it.
That said, Obama was elected but he is NOT the right person for this job or times. He has surrounded himself with others who are not competent enough to do their jobs either ( Biden, Politano, Gietner, etc.) and they think because we don't follow their lead, we are/must be racists.
They are false leaders. Like others of their ilk - Oprah, Dr. Phil, Romney, Rush, etc. They are not the right people to be in Leadership roles. They don't have the skills necessary or the intestinal fortitude to make the key decisions.
NONE of them could hold a match to people like FDR, Churchill, Truman, IKE, or JFK.
The movie Blue Thunder featured Roy Schieder & his young side kick who he tagged with the name "JAFO". The kid couldn't figure it out until he was let in on the joke.
JAFO - Just Another F*&kin' Observer -
President JAFO ain't getting it done.
The continuing whine about RACE & Racism in politics is really, really, really getting tired. The RACE Card is as dumb as calling your opponent a "NAZI"....Both tactics are beneath contempt and show true lack of intellect. Take a point & defend it. Leave the mud slinging out of it.
That said, Obama was elected but he is NOT the right person for this job or times. He has surrounded himself with others who are not competent enough to do their jobs either ( Biden, Politano, Gietner, etc.) and they think because we don't follow their lead, we are/must be racists.
They are false leaders. Like others of their ilk - Oprah, Dr. Phil, Romney, Rush, etc. They are not the right people to be in Leadership roles. They don't have the skills necessary or the intestinal fortitude to make the key decisions.
NONE of them could hold a match to people like FDR, Churchill, Truman, IKE, or JFK.
The movie Blue Thunder featured Roy Schieder & his young side kick who he tagged with the name "JAFO". The kid couldn't figure it out until he was let in on the joke.
JAFO - Just Another F*&kin' Observer -
President JAFO ain't getting it done.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
B-25 Mitchell for Sale...Can you spare a few bucks?
I would like to see about acquiring this old girl ( or another just like her) as part of a non-profit group mission to bring awareness of historic aircraft to more people
NORTH AMERICAN B-25 MITCHELL
Equipment Specifications
Manufacturer
NORTH AMERICAN
Model
B-25 MITCHELL
Price
US $750,000
Location
Rvs, Oklahoma
Condition
USED
Registration Number
N345BG
Total Time
9744 Hours
Any donations to the cause will be gratefully accepted and include a free ride once she is purchased....email me at usnavyjeep@gmail.com
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Right for the Wrong Reasons- From NEPTUNUSLEX
From NEPTUNUSLEX, a great military blog....
Right for the Wrong Reasons
Ross Douthat postulates that there may be worse things than cutting and running from the Af, worse even than trying to muddle through or split the difference between the augments the forward commander has requested and the forces currently arrayed:
(I heard a) theme, in public and private, from many counterinsurgency advocates last week. Having recently described Afghanistan as a “war of necessity,” they asked, can the president really turn down a request for more troops from a general he himself appointed to support a campaign that he personally endorsed?
The answer is very likely no. However serious his doubts about escalation, Obama seems boxed in — by the thoroughness of McChrystal’s assessment and the military’s united front, by his own arguments across the last two years and by his party’s long-running insistence on painting Afghanistan as the neglected “good war.”
But if Obama takes us deeper into war out of political necessity rather than conviction, the results could be disastrous.
He’s got to believe it’s possible to forge something like a victory, and that the cost of doing so is less than the consequences of outright retreat and failure. He’s got to commit not just forces, but his presidency.
If he can’t – if in the depths of his soul he can’t – then he would be right to ditch the whole project before any more damage is done, before even one more soldier or Marine dies in a cause their commander in chief does not believe in. He can even blame it on Bush, if that gets him through the night.
It’s a tough place to be for a 47-year old half term Senator with a background in community organizing. But this is the job he fought for, and these are the choices he faces.
But he needs to remember that he’s not facing them alone. That his actions – and even his inaction – has consequences.
It’s time to man up and pull the trigger, Mr. President. One way or the other
Right for the Wrong Reasons
Ross Douthat postulates that there may be worse things than cutting and running from the Af, worse even than trying to muddle through or split the difference between the augments the forward commander has requested and the forces currently arrayed:
(I heard a) theme, in public and private, from many counterinsurgency advocates last week. Having recently described Afghanistan as a “war of necessity,” they asked, can the president really turn down a request for more troops from a general he himself appointed to support a campaign that he personally endorsed?
The answer is very likely no. However serious his doubts about escalation, Obama seems boxed in — by the thoroughness of McChrystal’s assessment and the military’s united front, by his own arguments across the last two years and by his party’s long-running insistence on painting Afghanistan as the neglected “good war.”
But if Obama takes us deeper into war out of political necessity rather than conviction, the results could be disastrous.
He’s got to believe it’s possible to forge something like a victory, and that the cost of doing so is less than the consequences of outright retreat and failure. He’s got to commit not just forces, but his presidency.
If he can’t – if in the depths of his soul he can’t – then he would be right to ditch the whole project before any more damage is done, before even one more soldier or Marine dies in a cause their commander in chief does not believe in. He can even blame it on Bush, if that gets him through the night.
It’s a tough place to be for a 47-year old half term Senator with a background in community organizing. But this is the job he fought for, and these are the choices he faces.
But he needs to remember that he’s not facing them alone. That his actions – and even his inaction – has consequences.
It’s time to man up and pull the trigger, Mr. President. One way or the other
Saturday, September 26, 2009
5. COMMUNICATION – WOOF, WOOF - BARK, BARK, BARK
It is amazing that Dogs have a fine tuned ability to communicate effectively in their pack without having a large vocabulary. They are able to let others know what’s going on with subtle changes in their stance and also with their vocal cues.
The other evening, Tessa, my Border Collie/Dalmatian mix saw something outside she didn’t like. She set up and started to growl softly and then let out a Bark – Bark – Bark. The other dogs were not in the same room or in sight of what was going on but they immediately started a unison of barking as a way of saying “OK, I’m with you, even though I’m not sure what you are barking at…” This went on for a few minutes until all the dogs were standing together in a cacophony of bark, bark, bark. They were telling who ever it was outside, “We’re together, we see you and you better not try coming in here…” It was a clear message to intruders or cats alike – Get lost.
I have never been more amazed than when one of our Dogs will attempt to mimic human speech. This usually happens when they are insistent about something like it’s time for a walk, their supper or something else and they will move their mouth in a very human like manner. It sounds like the noise Charlie Brown’s teacher made in the Peanuts specials – a Wahh- Wahh-Whaaa noise. The Dog is working very hard to mimic our speech and say, “Hey – this is important to me…pay attention!” -
Dogs communicate effectively with the Woofs & Barks but also visual signs like stance and positioning of their ears and snouts. Dogs have also learned to take visual cues from us as 90% of what they learn from humans comes from watching our faces and our eyes. Between their hearing acuity and the effectiveness of their visual communications, Dogs surpass us and are more in tune with the pack than we could ever be with our peers. If we were able to pick up 10% of the ability that Dogs use to learn from those around us, we would be better listeners and communicators.
Monday, September 21, 2009
USS Arizona / Pearl Harbor
A solemn and wonderful place to spend some time. I took this picture from Ford Island looking out over Pearl Harbor. It is a great spot to pay your respects to our fallen sailors on the USS Arizona.
If you ever go to Hawaii, this is a place all must go.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
CAR SHOW PICTURES / NE PATRIOTS CHEERLEADERS
Here's a few pictures of my 1963 US Navy Jeep at a local car show, dressed up courtesy of the
NE Patriots Cheerleaders. The Patriots pulled off a great come-from-behind win against Buffalo last night and I was able to attend the game. The Car Show was on the weekend and it was a bit gray & damp.
No worries - Jeeps are used to being out in the elements... and the Cheerleaders were most gracious in posing with my Jeep.
Monday, September 14, 2009
I AM THE AMERICAN SAILOR
A great piece that I read at our local Veteran's Day ceremonies....The author is a wise Master Chief...I am glad to share his eloquent words.
I AM THE AMERICAN SAILOR
Hear my voice, America! Though I speak through the mist of 200 years, my shout for freedom will echo through liberty's halls for many centuries to come. Hear me speak, for my words are of truth and justice, and the rights of man. For those ideals I have spilled my blood upon the world's troubled waters. Listen well, for my time is eternal -yours is but a moment. I am the spirit of heroes past and future.
I am the American Sailor. I was born upon the icy shores at Plymouth, rocked upon the waves of the Atlantic, and nursed in the wilderness of Virginia. I cut my teeth on New England codfish, and I was clothed in southern cotton. I built muscle at the halyards of New Bedford whalers, and I gained my sea legs high atop mizzen of Yankee clipper ships.
Yes, I am the American Sailor, one of the greatest seamen the world has ever known. The sea is my home and my words are tempered by the sound of paddle wheels on the Mississippi and the song of whales off Greenland's barren shore. My eyes have grown dim from the glare of sunshine on blue water, and my heart is full of star-strewn nights under the Southern Cross. My hands are raw from winter storms while sailing down round the Horn, and they are blistered from the heat of cannon broadside while defending our nation. I am the American Sailor, and I have seen the sunset of a thousand distant, lonely lands.
I am the American Sailor. It was I who stood tall beside John Paul Jones as he shouted, "I have not yet begun to fight!" I fought upon the Lake Erie with Perry, and I rode with Stephen Decatur into Tripoli harbor to burn Philadelphia. I met Guerriere aboard Constitution, and I was lashed to the mast with Admiral Farragut at Mobile Bay. I have heard the clang of Confederate shot against the sides of Monitor. I have suffered the cold with Peary at the North Pole, and I responded when Dewy said, "You may fire when ready Gridley," at Manila Bay. It was I who transported supplies through submarine infested waters when our soldier's were called "over there." I was there as Admiral Byrd crossed the South Pole. It was I who went down with the Arizona at Pearl Harbor, who supported our troops at Inchon, and patrolled dark deadly waters of the Mekong Delta and the Persian Gulf.
I am the American Sailor and I wear many faces. I am a pilot soaring across God's blue canopy and I am a Seabee atop a dusty bulldozer in the South Pacific. I am a corpsman nursing the wounded in the jungle, and I am a torpedoman in the Nautilus deep beneath the North Pole. I am hard and I am strong. But it was my eyes that filled with tears when my brothers went down with the Thresher, and it was my heart that rejoiced when Commander Shepherd rocketed into orbit above the earth. It was I who languished in a Viet Cong prison camp, and it was I who walked upon the moon. It was I who saved the Stark, the Samuel B. Roberts and the USS Cole in the waters of the Persian Gulf. It was I who pulled my brothers from the smoke filled compartments of the Bonefish and wept when my shipmates died on the Forestall, the Iowa and White Plains. When called again, I was there, on the tip of the spear for Operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm and Operation Enduring Freedom.
I am the American Sailor. I am woman, I am man, I am white and black, yellow, red and brown. I am Jew, Muslim, Christian, and Buddhist. I am Irish, Filipino, African, French, Chinese, and Indian. And my standard is the outstretched hand of Liberty. Today, I serve around the world; on land, in air, on and under the sea. I serve proudly, at peace once again, but with the fervent prayer that I need not be called again. Tell your children of me. Tell them of my sacrifice, and how my spirit soars above their country. I have spread the mantle of my nation over the ocean, and I will guard her forever. I am her heritage and yours.
I am the American Sailor.
MUCM J. Wallace, USN
I AM THE AMERICAN SAILOR
Hear my voice, America! Though I speak through the mist of 200 years, my shout for freedom will echo through liberty's halls for many centuries to come. Hear me speak, for my words are of truth and justice, and the rights of man. For those ideals I have spilled my blood upon the world's troubled waters. Listen well, for my time is eternal -yours is but a moment. I am the spirit of heroes past and future.
I am the American Sailor. I was born upon the icy shores at Plymouth, rocked upon the waves of the Atlantic, and nursed in the wilderness of Virginia. I cut my teeth on New England codfish, and I was clothed in southern cotton. I built muscle at the halyards of New Bedford whalers, and I gained my sea legs high atop mizzen of Yankee clipper ships.
Yes, I am the American Sailor, one of the greatest seamen the world has ever known. The sea is my home and my words are tempered by the sound of paddle wheels on the Mississippi and the song of whales off Greenland's barren shore. My eyes have grown dim from the glare of sunshine on blue water, and my heart is full of star-strewn nights under the Southern Cross. My hands are raw from winter storms while sailing down round the Horn, and they are blistered from the heat of cannon broadside while defending our nation. I am the American Sailor, and I have seen the sunset of a thousand distant, lonely lands.
I am the American Sailor. It was I who stood tall beside John Paul Jones as he shouted, "I have not yet begun to fight!" I fought upon the Lake Erie with Perry, and I rode with Stephen Decatur into Tripoli harbor to burn Philadelphia. I met Guerriere aboard Constitution, and I was lashed to the mast with Admiral Farragut at Mobile Bay. I have heard the clang of Confederate shot against the sides of Monitor. I have suffered the cold with Peary at the North Pole, and I responded when Dewy said, "You may fire when ready Gridley," at Manila Bay. It was I who transported supplies through submarine infested waters when our soldier's were called "over there." I was there as Admiral Byrd crossed the South Pole. It was I who went down with the Arizona at Pearl Harbor, who supported our troops at Inchon, and patrolled dark deadly waters of the Mekong Delta and the Persian Gulf.
I am the American Sailor and I wear many faces. I am a pilot soaring across God's blue canopy and I am a Seabee atop a dusty bulldozer in the South Pacific. I am a corpsman nursing the wounded in the jungle, and I am a torpedoman in the Nautilus deep beneath the North Pole. I am hard and I am strong. But it was my eyes that filled with tears when my brothers went down with the Thresher, and it was my heart that rejoiced when Commander Shepherd rocketed into orbit above the earth. It was I who languished in a Viet Cong prison camp, and it was I who walked upon the moon. It was I who saved the Stark, the Samuel B. Roberts and the USS Cole in the waters of the Persian Gulf. It was I who pulled my brothers from the smoke filled compartments of the Bonefish and wept when my shipmates died on the Forestall, the Iowa and White Plains. When called again, I was there, on the tip of the spear for Operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm and Operation Enduring Freedom.
I am the American Sailor. I am woman, I am man, I am white and black, yellow, red and brown. I am Jew, Muslim, Christian, and Buddhist. I am Irish, Filipino, African, French, Chinese, and Indian. And my standard is the outstretched hand of Liberty. Today, I serve around the world; on land, in air, on and under the sea. I serve proudly, at peace once again, but with the fervent prayer that I need not be called again. Tell your children of me. Tell them of my sacrifice, and how my spirit soars above their country. I have spread the mantle of my nation over the ocean, and I will guard her forever. I am her heritage and yours.
I am the American Sailor.
MUCM J. Wallace, USN
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