Sea Stories

I spent Veterans Day talking to veterans, over the phone, or voice via social media. No memes, no text messages, no quick emails. Honest, real, voice. It’s just so novel, but awkward, and clumsy. For people that used to exist to communicate and accomplish something, we’re horrible at picking up the phone. It’s this mix of wanting to...
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There have been some high-profile events going on in the Navy. On social media, the keyboard captains have been burning up data minutes faster than stolen wardroom coffee on mid-watch. From the comments, you’d think the Navy is on overrun, sinking, on fire, out of money, and losing a war...
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When I read about parents, parents of Sailors, worried about their kids, I think of my own. And I think of what I’ve seen. Growing up, there were the stories of Tiger Moms and Helicopter parents. But pre-smartphone with social media, wait… pre-cell phone, wait wait pre-beeper…
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It’s been just over a year since retirement. Time clips by at a steady pace. In the planning stages of retirement, an old mentor charged me to “remain connected as a retired Chief Petty Officer." His graying goatee, the glass of whiskey, the company polo shirt all faded as a stern gleam came from his eye
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In our modern life, even at sea, it is easy to take the bedding textiles we use every day for granted. I didn’t think much about Navy bedding until our COMCRUDESPAC Unit embarked aboard USS Boston (CAG-1) in 1967, bound for Vietnam. For my open-bay, aluminum-frame canvas rack, I got everything I needed...
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