Oct 13th, 1775 is a long time ago for our nation, but a short journey relative to the historical reach of many other nations. The difference? The US Navy burst onto the scene at the outset of out independence, and within a few short decades, demonstrated mastery of the ocean and navy combat. And, we’ve come a long way, baby!

Today, I’ll recount a memory of 19 years ago related to the Navy’s birthday. Dates: 10/4 – 10/10/1988 Place: Tampa, Fl. Unit: USS CARR (FFG-52). Mission: Visit Ship for the city, as requested by the Navy League Chapter.

This is the other side of a like story told by Bookie in her post about a tour of the USS SHOUP (DDG-86) this very week.

RADM Leroy Collins, USN (ret) and CAPT Bruce McDaniel, USN (Ret) were the most prominent players is getting their request fulfilled. CARR sailed from Charleston, SC on 10/1, and arrived early on the morning of the 4th at the Skyway Bridge for the long transit to Harbor Island pier in downtown Tampa. On the way in, the HMS Active, which had just spent the week in the same place, was departing. Honors were rendered between ships per naval custom.

The transit in was long, but it was the end that was most interesting. In order to get alongside the pier, we had arrived with most of our JP-5 (aviation grade fuel) pumped from the tanks, which were aft, under the helo flight deck. This caused us to be slightly down by the bow for trim, but also enabled us to get over the shallow sand bars just before the pier. We shut down our engines, and were towed stern first to the pier in the final moments of the arrival. At low tide, we would be almost on the bottom.

Finally moored, in front of a large crowd of people, we prepared to receive our guests for the week. According to the Ship’s history report, 170 people visited the ship on the 4th (a Tuesday), with daily visitors peaking at about 2000, and a total of over 700 visitors for the 6 day period. The Ship’s first Commanding Officer, CAPT Robert Horne, and his wife were there to meet the ship, as he was now stationed at Central Command at MacDill AFB.The inside story? The crew complained about having to take on the extra duty of being tour guides about the ship. Each day, most of the crew was either in the duty section, or dressed in their whites and stationed around the ship until late afternoon. The funny thing after the first day of visit ship? They were scrambling to get their whites cleaned and fighting to get assigned to help escort tour groups. It seems quite a number of phone numbers were passed to those who grudgingly went about their assignments, not realizing the opportunity at first… We were treated well.Our quarterdeck phone number was published and the city was invited to show their thanks to our crew. The line was constantly busy with offers to take a few sailors out for golf, fishing, BBQs, tours around Tampa, etc. The yellow sticky notes were posted on the weapons elevator doors in the centerline passageway by the phone watch. I can attest to the fact that you cold hardly see any exposed metal of the doors very quickly. For the sailors, there were so many great requests, they really could pick and choose from the top tier offers.

I was humbled that so many people would stand in the Florida sun in line for hours, just to walk around our ship. The sun, thankfully and unthankfully, was unhindered by clouds for most of our visit, yet they still waited patiently for the opportunity to see what their tax dollars had purchased and to meet and show gratitude to the sailors.

The week in Tampa was filled with activities. The Navy League had a formal Navy Ball, with us as the honored guests. They also hosted a wardroom party at a club on the top floor of one of the skyscrapers downtown, which was a combination Hail and Farewell for then LCDR Tom Brown (the outgoing XO) and I.

This thank you is long overdue, but thank you Tampa, FL from one of the crew members of USS CARR (FFG-52) for your hospitality in 1988. We departed Tampa, for the transit home on the 10th with a happy crew, much more open to future assignments to “Visit Ship” escort duty assignment.

The pictures? Well not the best, and located at a relative’s house these many years later. I was pretty busy, being involved in becoming both XO and Navigator, so there was no time to snap any pictures. If you note in the first picture, the skyline of Tampa, has changed radically since 1988. The club where the party was held is the tallest building in the background of the first picture.

Tracked back @: http://steeljawscribe.com/2007/10/13/open-trackback-saturday-6/trackback/

Lest we forget 17 of our shipmates.

She, like the USS SAMUEL B. ROBERTS (FFG-58), are back at sea, showing the flag and is a “Determined Warrior.”

Naval Station Norfolk Memorial to the USS COLE (DDG-67). Photo: W. Paisley

Big time H/T to Flag Gazer:

LT Michael Murphy, USN will be awarded (posthumously) the Congressional Medal of Honor.

LT Murphy was killed during the surveillance operations in Afghanistan documented in Marcus Lutrell’s book: “Lone Survivor.”It is also the first MOH awarded for combat operations in Afghanistan.

Update 10/12/2007: Official Navy Report here.

Local coverage of LT Murphy, with links to a series of 11 stories about the man who served his men and us to the end is here in Newsday, including a video interview with his parents.

Here is a tribute to Lt Murphy from the FDNY Engine 53 and Ladder 43 company, whose badge Michael wore onto combat as a memorial to those who died 9/11/2001 in his home town (Long Island).

Stop the Memorial Blogburst: Why only 38 Memorial Groves?One prominently advertised feature of the Flight 93 Memorial designed planned for Flight 93’s crash site in Pennsylvania is the “40 Memorial Groves,” one for each of the murdered heroes:Why then does the actual design only contain 38?

The Memorial Groves are built into the crescent of what was originally called the Crescent of Embrace. The crescent forms part of the symbolic heavens in architect Paul Murdoch’s crescent and star shaped design. Infidels cannot be memorialized in the Islamic heavens, so the 38 Memorial groves have to be a memorial to someone else. Who?

It is a simple geometric fact that a line across the most obtruding tips of the crescent of Memorial Groves points approximately to the White House:

A line across the Memorial Groves has the same slope (129° clockwise from north) as a line between the crash site and area of Washington DC that contains the Pentagon, the White House and the Capitol.

Notice also that the 38 groves can be seen as a set of 19 nested crescents. Take two groves away from the arc of 38 and a line across the tips of the remaining 36 will also point to the White House. Ditto for 34 groves, 32, etcetera, down to 2. One nested crescent for each of the nineteen 9/11 terrorists, each pointing to Washington, the specific target of the Flight 93 and Flight 77 terrorists and the symbolic target of all nineteen 9/11 terrorists.

Architect Paul Murdoch proves that he intends the 38 groves to be seen as a set of 19 nested crescents by surrounding the Tower of Voices with its own set of 19 nested crescents:

The Tower array contains nineteen nested crescents of various lengths, some as short as two trees, the same as with the Memorial Groves. Using arcs as short as two trees long is Murdoch’s trick for hiding the number of nested crescents in the Tower array. It isn’t until one finds the 19 nested crescents in the Memorial Groves, where the shortest crescent is made up of only 2 groves, that one knows to count the pairs of trees as crescents.

The Tower array also contains four single trees, giving special recognition to the four Flight 93 hijackers.

If anyone wants to think that this is coincidence, that is fine. (If not for all the other Islamic and terrorist memorializing features in the design, it might even be reasonable.) But even if it is coincidence, the American people still need to know that the planned Flight 93 memorial does in fact contain two sets of 19 nested crescents, and decide for themselves whether it is okay that the memorial contain elements like this that can be interpreted as honoring the 9/11 terrorists.

Fuller explanation of the Murdoch’s 19-nested-crescents theme here.

What can you do? Some suggestions here.

The Superintendent said you have to show “intent”. There was a supposed “investigation” wherein the investigator did no investigating. We have been contacting Popular Mechanics to verify the claims of Islamic intent in this design; but have instead been lumped in with the conspiracy theorists of the Truther genre. But if it’s true that this is a wacked out conspiracy theory, then surely it can be debunked, right? So where are the debunkers?”Intent” here is overt and demonstrated in simple facts, all of which are plainly evident. It is crystal clear that Murdoch is paying tribute to the terrorists who murdered the Flight 93 passengers and crew in this memorial design. The mathematical probability of all of these ‘accidentally’ occurring in one architectural design is astronomically improbable, if not completely impossible. Just the one feature – of the memorial facing to mecca – is less than 1 in 300. That one feature is compounded by features so numerous and redundant it would be in sane to deny that they exist, or that it’s a ‘misunderstanding’. You can’t see a crescent where a crescent doesn’t exist; it’s not possible. It’s not possible to measure the direction to mecca with different tools unless that exists, or an Islamic Sundial that precisely measures by shadow length the times for prayer throughout the year, and so on.The “there is no direction to Mecca” claim as a rebuttal should have made whoever said it a laughing stock. Americans need to be alerted that another terrorist attack is about to happen on the Flight 93 crash site…should this memorial begin construction as planned. When was the last time you saw all of these things converge BY ACCIDENT into one design? The Washington Monument can’t be an Islamic Sundial even in the wildest stretch of the imagination. All you have to do is look at the complicated calculations that are necessary to create one to see that. People were shocked and dismayed at the overt bare naked red crescent and star design, but the redesign which added a few trees behind the mosque retains all the terrorist memorializing features of the original.This project must be stopped and a proper and appropriate memorial should be planned for the crash site of Flight 93.—————If you want to join the blogroll/blogburst for the Crescent of Betrayal blogburst, email Cao at caoilfhionn1 at gmail dot com, with your blog’s url address. The blogburst will be sent out once a week to the participants, for simultaneous publication on this issue on Wednesdays.

Crescent of betrayal/surrender Blogburst Blogroll

1389 Blog – Antijihadist Tech
A Defending Crusader
A Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever
And Rightly So
Big Dog’s Weblog
Big Sibling
Cao’s Blog
Chaotic Synaptic Activity
Error Theory
Faultline USA
Flanders Fields
Ft. Hard Knox
GM’s Corner
Ironic Surrealism II
Jack Lewis
Kender’s Musings
My Own Thoughts
Nice Deb
Ogre’s Politics and Views
Part-Time Pundit
Right on the Right
Right Truth
Stix Blog
Stop the ACLU
The View From the Turret
The Wide Awakes

Fair game to post your trackbacks….but the title says that…

So, the last few weeks, I have been discussing the war games suffered through while a student at the Naval War College.

In amongst all the “work” to plan and execute the extraction of non-combatant Americans from Pakistan, we, not being the dry and humorous lot many might assume, decided to dress up for the occasion. We didn’t wear uniforms at War College, unless we had events with outside guests. Otherwise, sport coats and ties were the uniform of the day. Something about taking rank out of the equation while debating, lecturing, etc, on topics that may get passions up. We still all knew, but it psychologically removed some barriers to the free exchange of ideas.

So…were actually went to “war” on business attire for the civilian world…however (translated: ignore all said before here) one of those days we did get in a uniform.

Yep, by unanimous decision, we came outfitted one day to fight the war in our Mess Dress Blues. Yes, it turned some gazes our direction, but we were fighting for the cause and we wanted to look sharp while being about our virtually serious endeavors.

One other fighting day, which was designated as most flamboyant tie day, paled in comparison…

Forbidden Warrior dvdrip

Those crafty scientists….

I have a habit of using ergonomic keyboards. Have for years. It’s another area that draws my attention, partially for the better speed of input, but also out of concern for the opportunity to keep at it longer…

Kannuu HowSo…the new news is that Kannuu

Blue Velvet download

has come up with a thumb operated device that has shown the capability of inputs up to 60 wpm!  Yep, looks like a cell phone, but I bet it won’t be long before someone adapts it to a Bluetooth interface for a desktop…

How do it know? It anticipates the next letter/set of letters, like your web browser address bar, when you begin typing in an site URL.

Say goodbye to Carpel Tunnel!

John, the MilBlogs man of many arms has details of this year’s most anticipated competition to put laptops into the lives of those who have served us by their sacrifices.Read this post.There is prep work to be done and all hands (that’s a naval term meaning everyone) can join in. The USMC and Air Force seems “headless” this year to date, but I’m sure they have dark horses in the wings to come out and work towards the $240K (Yes, Twenty Four Thousand dollars – because we all had too much success last year) we’re looking to raise for my favorite project (as well as for many others): ValOUR-IT.Roll up your sleeves and come along for the ride from 10/28 thru 11/13/2007. It will be two weeks of thrills, spills, chills and possible carpel tunnel syndrome. All sorts of snarks flying while teams race to get their hands on The Most Exhaulted GoldEn Notebook (MEGEN) at the 2008 MilBlogs Conference, while filling the account to purchase laptops for those who need them.

I have cobbled together a phpBB set up as a bulletin board for general and team specific use. Register there and send me an email (see “contact us”) to let me know your team affiliation and I’ll set your permissions to the area you’ll need to chatter in.

The ValOUR-IT Bulletin Board is here.

Team leaders will have an area to cross talk. If leaders want a few moderators set to help manage traffic flow, pass that along so I can set those users in play. I have that set for anyone designated as a monitor to have full access there.

Each team will have Coordination, Marketing, Auctions, and Ideas forums to bat things around in.

A general forum is in place to list items actually put up for auction, which will be viewable by your family and friends and associates (hint: when things show up there, pass it along!).

A top level “H&I Fires” forum will be open game for issuing and responding to challenges or questions of family lineage of other teams.

I made a command decision to join the United States Coast Guard effort with that of the Navy’s. Watch for emails.

Suggestions welcome.

Oh, and for you non-USN/USCG types, this one’s for you (Click for a 8.5″ x 11″ sized printout image!):

If you’re the random selection of the first hundred commenters on the item in the blog…

Take My Tech!. The dude is listing blog entries for his games and things like wireless PC Cards and laptop bags. Put a comment under the things you would like to have a shot at and …. when there are 100 comments, then a random commenter is picked to get the item…and he ships for free…

from the terrorists…. Great job, Hill! Can I call you unpatriotic now or does this prove you are a patriot?

From World Net Daily:

It’s official: Terrorists endorse Hillary in ’08
On the record, Mideast jihadi leaders say she’s best hope for victory in Iraq
Posted: October 7, 2007 10:29 p.m. Eastern

© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

WASHINGTON – With presidential primaries approaching and the race for the White House heating up, Muslim terrorist leaders in the Middle East have offered their endorsement for America’s highest office, stating in a new book they hope Sen. Hillary Clinton is victorious in 2008.

“I hope Hillary is elected in order to have the occasion to carry out all the promises she is giving regarding Iraq,” stated Ala Senakreh, West Bank chief of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terrorist group.

Senakreh is one of dozens of terror leaders sounding off about American politics in the new book, “Schmoozing with Terrorists: From Hollywood to the Holy Land, Jihadists Reveal their Global Plans – to a Jew!” by WND Jerusalem bureau chief Aaron Klein.

Abu Hamed, leader of the Al Aqsa Brigades in the northern Gaza Strip, explained in “Schmoozing” Clinton’s repeated calls for a withdrawal from Iraq “proves that important leaders are understanding the situation differently and are understanding the price and the consequences of the American policy in Iraq and in the world.”

“The Iraqi resistance is succeeding,” stated Hamed. “Hillary and the Democrats call for withdrawal. Her popularity shows that the resistance is winning and that the occupation is losing. We just hope that she will go until the end and change the American policy, which is based on oppressing poor and innocent people.”

The Brigades, together with the Islamic Jihad terrorist group, took responsibility for every suicide bombing in Israel the past three years. The Brigades also has carried out hundreds of recent shootings and rocket attacks.

Abu Ayman, an Islamic Jihad leader in Jenin, said he is “emboldened” by Clinton’s calls for an eventual withdrawal from Iraq.
[…]

Read the article….better yet…read the book.

When will she (Hillary) wake up and see they see her as just another woman to despise? She plays weak on them and they will treat her like they do their own women in the dedicated Muslim faith?

When will the American people see it, also?

She can prattle on all she wants about “we help make more terrorists” she wants, but if she wins the high privilege to be our President and the Commander-in-Chief, she will be forced to become even more aggressive than President Bush is now, or they will turn up the heat and show her they mean business, as a reward for their “endorsement” of her election run.

Will she resist this urge to act presidential and push even more troops into combat roles, with loosened rules of engagement to show them she isn’t going to be pushed around, or will she fear her ratings from the vocal, left of left wing who “get her elected” (along with the terrorist help), and bring the troops home?

She has the choice now: Talk tough, or prepare to be steam rolled. If she choses tough, then be prepared to loose your “base” come 2012, with the screams of anguish because “HILLARY LIED!” beginning as soon as it becomes apparent (most likely within months of January 2009) she is not going to fulfill her “promise” to her constituency to end the war.

No advice here. I’m thinking “YEEHAW! IT’S GONNA BE ONE WILD RIDE!”

RM3 Otis Lee Dennis, USNRadioman Third Class Otis Lee Dennis is the subject of the day.From here is the little I can find on the web:

Otis Lee Dennis, born 26 March 1913 in Scottsville, KY., enlisted in the Navy 26 October 1940. Radioman Third Class Dennis was cited posthumously for his heroic conduct as an aerial gunner in the initial attack on Kwajalein, in which he was killed in action on 1 February 1942.

USS DENNIS (DE-405)In his honor, the USS DENNIS (DE-405), a JOHN C BUTLER Class destroyer escort was named for him.84 of these ships were planned, and 80 built. It took about 4 months to put these warships together from a steel keel on the building ways to a commissioned vessels sailing from the pier. Size: 306′ LOA, 36 ft beam, 24 knots max speed and displacing 1,300 tons. Two 5″38 cal mounts, four 40mm mounts, 10 20mm guns and 3 21″ torpedo tubes comprised the armament of these ships. These were little ships, full of fight, to escort the larger vessels, particularly the CVEs (escort carriers) and older battleships during amphibious operations. They also served as RADAR picket ships.The USS DENNIS (DE-405) was commissioned 3/20/1944, commanded by LCDR Sig Hansen, USNR. From Wikipedia:

Dennis arrived at Pearl Harbor on 19 June 1944 to escort a convoy to Eniwetok and Kwajalein. She returned to Eniwetok on 29 July screening Belleau Wood (CVL-24). Joining the 5th Fleet, she escorted Carrier Division 22 to Manus for exercises, then sortied with Task Force 77 on 10 September to supply air support for the landings on Morotai Island 15 through 27 September.

From 12 October Dennis screened the escort carriers supplying the air cover for the invasion of Leyte. On 25 October she joined her carriers in making history as they fought a gallant action with the Japanese counter-attacking force in the Battle off Samar phase of the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Dennis rescued 434 survivors from the bombed St. Lo (CVE-63). For this action she shared in the Presidential Unit Citation awarded to TU 77.4.3, “Taffy 3”. Arriving at Kossol Roads, Palaus, on 28 October, she sailed 3 days later for the west coast, arriving at San Francisco, California on 26 November for an overhaul.

More details of the Battle Off Samar and the role played by the USS DENNIS (De-405) are reported in James Hornfischer’s excellent book, “Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors,” which I used to find some of the info below.

A unit of the storied “Taffy 3,” USS DENNIS was and active participant in the last great naval surface force battle the world has seen. Of the four DEs in the formation on 25 October, 1944, LCDR Hansen was the senior skipper, and LCDR Copeland the most junior on USS SAMUEL B ROBERTS (DE-413). The geometry placed the DENNIS on the far side of the formation from the approaching Japanese battle force, lead by IJN YAMATO, with the “Sammie B” on the near side. DENNIS stayed with the escort carriers for support, until directed to detach and engage to enemy force, where she fired her 3 21″ “fish” at the Japanese from long range, adding to the attacks of the close side vessels, now engulfed in close quarters combat between large and small vessels.

As the Japanese retired, DENNIS was ordered to recover the survivors of the USS ST LO (CVE-63). With cargo nets draped over the sides, 1st Lt Frank Tyrell and BMC Joe Barry supervised the saving of 400 of the ST LO’s crew, including 35 pilots, in the wake of the first Japanese kamikaze attack.Surviving the major sea battle, USS DENNIS participated in the assaults on Guam, Iwo Jima and finally Okinawa. Off Okinawa, she rescued 88 survivors of another kamikaze attack on the USS SANGAMON (CVL-26).Decommissioned in December, 1946, USS DENNIS (DE-405) had earned the Presidential Unit Citation and four battle stars for her WWII duty.

Posted @ Little Green Footballs Open Post!