Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave, Who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep Its own appointed limits keep; Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee, For those in peril on the sea! O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard And hushed their raging at Thy word, Who walked'st on the foaming deep, And calm amidst its rage didst sleep; Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee, For those in peril on the sea! Most Holy Spirit! Who didst brood Upon the chaos dark and rude, And bid its angry tumult cease, And give, for wild confusion, peace; Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee, For those in peril on the sea! O Trinity of love and power! Our brethren shield in danger's hour; From rock and tempest, fire and foe, Protect them wheresoe'er they go; Thus evermore shall rise to Thee Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.
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Navy Blue and Gold - Synopsis - Reference Wikipedia
After each is accepted for admission to Navy, three midshipmen, Dick Gates, Roger Ash and "Truck" Cross, become roommates. Dick is the scion of a wealthy family, Roger a former star football player for another university, and Truck a sailor appointed from the fleet. With a common love of football, all three go out for the plebe squad. Dick is tricked into committing a rules violation by a disreputable upperclassman with a penchant for hazing and is severely paddled. Even though hazing is forbidden by regulations, Roger decides to get even on his own terms. Despite his egotism, his classmates as well as the upperclassmen respect him when he challenges the abuser to a boxing match and wins it. As upperclassmen, the roommates become varsity players. Dick is undersized but makes the team as a kicker, while Truck becomes a star center. Roger has come to Navy only for the publicity value of playing for the school and makes no effort during a game against a lesser opponent. When varsity coach Tommy Milton benches him for being a "slacker," he goes AWOL. Truck and Dick also go AWOL and find him drunk in a bar. Caught by Milton trying to get Roger back to barracks, the academy's former football coach, Captain "Skinny" Dawes, covers for them with an adroit adherence to the academy's honor system. Truck faces dismissal from the academy for not using his true name upon enrollment, revealed when he defends the sullied reputation of his father, a disgraced navy ship's captain, during a class discussion. Previously dismissive of academy traditions, Roger "prays" at the statue of Tecumseh for Truck's exoneration, overheard by Captain Dawes. Truck is dismissed but reinstated when the superintendent grants him clemency based on Truck's dedication to the navy and his father, who has been restored to duty with his record cleared. Truck arrives at the stadium in time to help his roommates win the Army-Navy game. At the traditional ceremony celebrating Navy's victory, Roger demonstrates his new-found devotion to the academy by giving up his place of honor to Captain Dawes. There were no black midshipman at Annapolis in 1937. Racial discrimination ends at the conclusion of the Color Parade in June of 1976. Gender barriers fall as well as women are now entering the United States Naval Academy in the summer of 1976. Additional changes would have to unfold to adapt the Academy traditions to the customs and requirements for women. One of those rules for uniforms would require that each female would have to carry her Navy purse at all times. Females were also called midshipman because unlike the other service academies "Midshipman " is a rank in the Navy. This video shows the same old guy over 50 years old who would run us into the ground! Brings back old memories.
How do we know when it is the right time to end their suffering?
I have been travelling quite a bit during this summer and when I returned home this past Thursday my wife Joyce had some disturbing news to tell me. My first response was that it was something about the kids and there drama or other financial support. I was returning from San Diego and driving home leaving the University of San Diego at 4:00 PM on a Thursday right the first day of Comic Con. My pet and walking companion Tommy pictured above had returned from his routine grooming last week and the dog groomer reported what looked like a tumor in his left ear. Well I am not one to believe the groomer so Joyce took him to the vet at 4:00 PM Thursday and had the results. Well, we had this conversation about eight months ago when Tommy could not walk and had severe hip pain. When we took him to the Vet they wanted $500 just to run the test. My response was immediate just put him to sleep because I'm not going to pay that type of money for a dog. The Vet instead gave him a cortisone shot and then I conducted research and started to give him Glucosamine tablets for pain and joint and within three days he was fine and has not had any issues since. But Tommy has always been itching and scratching his left ear. He was treated once when we first got him. The decision to get Tommy boy as I call him often was not my choice. I had a doberman pincer named Tomas that I had to give away because he was not allowed where we had to move after the 2008 Real Estate crash. I loved that dog and did not want another one. But Joyce wanted a dog to walk because everyone (55+) had a dog in the community and would walk around the lake with their pets. Well over time I am the one who walks Tommie. Every morning like clock work this dog would wake me up between 4:30-5:00 AM every single morning. He has an alarm clock built right inside. He uses stealth techniques to get me up each day. First he will wake up and shake his head so that I could hear the clinging noise of his dog tags. Next, he will walk and sit by the bed side and just stare at me just waiting for me to open my eyes. Next he will jump on the bed and crawl very slowing over to my pillow and take his claw and scratch my pillow. If that doesn't work he will next climb onto the pillow and position his face about two inches from my face and just wait but not more than a minute. If that doesn't work then he just licks me in the face. That always works. So for the past seven years Tommy and I have taken long walks together about 1.5 to 2 miles a day. But time has worn on both of us and we still walk but only after I drive to the park first. He doesn't eat very well when I am away and he is always excited when I come home. Well the doctor visit for him did not bring about good news and my initial instinct was to put him down but this time is different because it's not about the money. I have been fortunate through hard work to be a pillar in the family because I am the bank. I have spent thousands of dollars digging my kids out of crap. At first I told my wife no way! But when I got home and saw his brown eyes and how much affection this little four legged animal shows for me this 63 year old man broke down to cry. So against my logical reasoning I am choosing to make an emotional decision to try and prolong his life. His condition: The prognosis is that Tommy has a tumor or inflammation growth in his left ear that will be removed surgically to conduct a biopsy to see if it is cancer or not. If it is only on the surface and not in the ear canal then he will be OK but restricted for about three weeks. If it is cancer and it goes beyond the surface into the ear canal then this would require more surgery and the cost is just out of this world and at that point I would have to put him down. In fact I don't want to go through this much further. I will be instructing the doctor to not wake him up if it is beyond the surface. The cost will be $1,100 dollars for this procedure on Monday at 6:30 AM. I will keep you posted. Lesson Learned If you really love your pet then take them for regular annual checkups like we do for ourselves. Posted Feb 16, 2012 Three hundred years from now, every eighth-grade history book will contain some picture of Joe standing in front of a barrel of burning human excrement. Every enlisted Marine did it, and every veteran remembers the smells, the thoughts, and the odd feeling of stirring poop stew. During my tour in Desert Shield/Desert Storm, this photo was the norm. Somewhere, everywhere, the plume of burning poop let the world know “America means business.”
Try to explain the urinal system you used in the combat zone. We used ‘piss tubes’ as we referred to them. They were large fuel barrels buried in ground with screen wire across the barrel at ground level. You stood at the piss tube in front of God and everyone to take a piss. Diesel fuel was used to keep down smell. I never heard of any of them filling up to where they were to be pulled out of ground and emptied somewhere. Now that would have been a whole new detail. What an experience…I’ll never forget it either. Read Annapolis Creed for a real poop story at Lonesome Dove..Not exactly what you might think. ~Annapolis Creed SEVEN REVOLUTIONS IS WHAT WE CALL THE LARGEST DRIVERS OF CHANGE IN THE WORLD OVER THE COMING DECADES.During a recent trip to Washington, D.C. I had the opportunity to see a presentation by John Schaus from the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) otherwise known as a Think Tank (Collective group of the best minds in the world). In an hour-long presentation given by John Schaus, a team of educators explore where these drivers currently stand, and engage the audience on how decisions today can change the course of the seven revolutions. Seven Revolutions is a framework for considering the future—and how you and your organization can be successful in it. This information is important to those like myself preparing the students of today for the jobs of tomorrow. Have you considered how a global population of 9 billion people by the middle of the century will impact your life? What are the challenges for the availability of food, water, and energy resources? How will society balance the benefits of technological innovation and advanced communication with the threat of cyber security? How will global economic integration and governance affect trade, markets, and commerce overall? To answer questions like these, the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) embarked on an initiative in 1992 to address and analyze the key policy challenges that policymakers, business figures, and other leaders will face out to the year 2035 & beyond. It is an effort to promote strategic thinking about the long-term trends that too few take the time to consider. Though our research is constantly evolving, we created this guide as a snapshot for what we call the Seven Revolutions. The key points of this research have been captured in an exciting, fast-paced, multimedia presentation that has been given around the world—from governments to private corporations to academia to nongovernmental organizations. Seven Revolutions is constantly updated to reflect the latest data analysis and available technologies. It is an effective tool for pushing audiences to think outside of their areas of expertise and beyond their familiar planning parameters. In exploring the world of 2035, the seven areas of change we have identified are: Now I understand why I had to read 200 pages of the History of Sea Power back in 1972. We study the past to repeat what works. A lesson to learn for any leader.
I will be leaving early tomorrow morning en-route to Gettysburg to learn more about leadership. The preparations for this trip required the reading of resources specifically a book entitled "Killer Angels" and my team has adopted General Buford. So this post is about leadership and learning from the experience of the past. So what have I learned? See reference below: Late in June 1863, the divisions of two great armies roamed Maryland and Pennsylvania. In retrospect, their confrontation at the crossroads of Gettysburg seems almost inevitable. However, the outcome of that confrontation was largely the work of one Union officer. This officer was born in Kentucky to a Democrat family. He would lead the First Division of Union Cavalry under orders to secure the crossroads in the vicinity of Gettysburg. How he executed these orders ensured the Union Army the best chance of victory in the upcoming battle. He serves as a case-study in the theoretical and practical applications of tactics and strategy. Buford's leadership prior to the battle ensured that his troops were well prepared and ideally positioned for the Confederate advance. The leadership and defensive concepts he employed remain relevant today. Buford’s objective on June 29th was to secure the town of Gettysburg for consolidation of the Army. As such, Buford avoided prolonged combat when encountering a Confederate force (Longacre, p. 181). Another inconsequential clash occurred on the following day, June 30th, against a reinforced Confederate scouting party. Buford’s subordinate commanders viewed this as a positive sign, indicating the enemy’s unwillingness to press the issue. But Buford differed and correctly inferred that the lack of enthusiasm for fighting on the part of the Confederates indicated they had a better option than a hasty fight (Longacre, p. 182). To confirm his suspicions, Buford conducted his own extensive reconnaissance of the terrain around the town. He talked with civilians and personally visited far-flung elements of his own forces, or pickets as they were called, to gather the most complete assessment of the enemy. He came to realize that a substantial force under General Hill was as close as 9 miles away (Longacre, p. 181–182, 184). Buford’s supervision of his forces on the eve of battle was comprehensive, and several aspects of what are today known as the US Army’s “troop leading procedures” were evident in his leadership example. Buford set up his undersized element to force the Confederates to attack multiple superior defensive positions throughout the day. References Longacre, E. (1992) The Cavalry at Gettysburg: A Tactical Study of Mounted Operations during the Civil War’s Pivotal Campaign Zeitz, C. (2015). Architect of Battle: Buford at Gettysburg. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@privatesnuffy/architect-of-battle-6a538c0b1199 Bush orders Operation Desert Shield
On August 7th in 1990, President George Herbert Walker Bush orders the organization of Operation Desert Shield in response to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait on August 2. The order prepared American troops to become part of an international coalition in the war against Iraq that would be launched as Operation Desert Storm in January 1991. To support Operation Desert Shield, Bush authorized a dramatic increase in U.S. troops and resources in the Persian Gulf. Extracts from Chapter 13 of Annapolis Creed MAG-26 had a ½ squadron of CH-53 Stallions left. The Marine Corps needed another Helicopter Group. The plan was to merge air reserve units to MAG-26. Reserve units only have approximately 3% of their war-time table of equipment. The rest of the resources are stored away in Barstow and Albany Marine War Reserve Stockpiles at least in theory. I loved a challenge, and this was a big one. I was mobilized before my unit and given orders from the Wing S-4. I left my family and flew to North Carolina to assess the situation with MAG-26 at Marine Corps Air Station New River. I was now Major Smith, and I was going to war. My primary job was to assess the availability of support for the arrival of HMLA-773 from Belle Chase Naval Air Station. Upon arrival, I met Colonel Michael J. Williams, the commanding officer for MAG-26. He had no idea of the problems associated with the transfer of the reserve units. I told him I was here to prepare the transition. I went to the S-4 officer, and again he was in the dark about what was going to happen to them. I went to the supply officer for the group and found a new young second lieutenant. This butter bar had no conceptual understanding of Marine Reserve supply procedures and had never heard of the War Reserve. This was a big problem. I went back to discuss this with Colonel Williams and recommended that if he wanted to merge and deploy on time that I could do so if given the authority to oversee the operations. I called back to the 4th Marine Air Wing and asked for additional support. They sent me Gunnery Sergeant (GySgt) Brown from HMH-772. He flew out in the next 24 hours, and we began the work to determine the balance of equipment to retrieve from the war reserve and to place the necessary requisition from Barstow and Albany. We planned the movement of two HMLA (Huey & Cobra’s), two CH-46 squadrons, and 1.5 CH-53 squadrons to build MAG-26 into an operational group. We ordered the supplies and equipment for the deployment. MAG-26 had an excellent embarkation team which ordered the aircraft for our deployment into Jubayl Saudi Arabia. In three weeks GySgt Brown and I had ordered and positioned the table of equipment for the attaching reserve squadrons. But now..... Extract from Chapter 13 - Operation Desert Shield
Al-Jubayl Operations I had finished my job of getting MAG-26 together and resumed my duties as the supply officer for HMLA-773. The living conditions were austere in scalding climates above 120 degrees, and we lived in tents for the entire time in Saudi Arabia. There were porta poddies along the perimeters in Jubayl, and the local vendors provided their imitation of hamburgers. The meat was not hamburger or anything close to McDonald's or anything else back stateside. Reserve Marine pilots mobilized because of the war suffer immensely in pay. Most were airline pilots making six figures or had businesses. The Soldiers and Sailors Relief Act did not make up the vast difference in monthly pay. Many officers resigned their commission instead of reporting for duty for Operation Desert Shield. We arrived via C-5 aircraft and Boeing 747 for personnel. I stepped out of the plane in Jubayl with not one bullet to shoot if needed. Someone had not done the math correctly, and the units in the rear were on ammo rations for the first three weeks. (Yep in a war zone with five bullets, LOL!) Despite the popular belief, it does rain in the desert, and we paid the price for this experience. When Saddam H. started launching those damn Scud missiles, the alarms would sound, and we were so scared of biological weapons that everyone started putting on their NBC gear each time. But one night after digging foxholes it rained all night, and then the alarms went off and guess what? Every Marine who jumped into the foxhole ruined their protective clothing. Nuclear, Biological & Chemical (NBC) personnel changed the rules after that night. Marines were instructed to only put the chemical suit on when ordered to do so by an NBC specialist. Most of the casualties during Desert Shield happened because of accidental discharges from cleaning weapons. I returned to my tent one day to find a bullet hole three inches above the head position of my sleeping cot while stationed in Jubayl in December 1990. We weren’t supposed to be here anyway. MAG-26 was meant to have been deployed to Al Mishab Air Field, but something was seriously wrong. I was a logistics officer and a darn good one. The air wing did not assign or seek to find logistic officers. Instead, they would assign a pilot to the position. This was all right during peacetime operations. But in war time this was a big mistake. Things were about to change.... |
Dr. Jordan B smith jr.I attended the U. S. Naval Academy from 1972-1976 earning a B.S. in Mathematics. Served 20 years both active and reserve in the US Marines. Veteran of the Desert Shield/Storm. I earned a MAED and Ed D. specializing in curriculum and instruction from the University of Phoenix in 2015. I graduated from CBC High School in Clayton, MO in 1972. Archives
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