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| SOUTH CHINA SEA (May 10, 2024) The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey (DDG 97) conducts routine underway operations in the South China Sea, May 10, 2024. Halsey is forward-deployed and assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the Navy’s largest DESRON and the U.S. 7th Fleet’s principal surface force. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ismael Martinez) |
Because I'm giving serious consideration to going book length on this, so far I've got about 72 pages, with pictures. But truth be told, this story is uncomfortably close to things which could happen in the future. And that bothers me.
I'd like to think that we can somehow just all get along. (Rodney King, Sarge? Really?) It is possible you know. There are a few people out there who would love to see things fall apart. Those people have zero clue as to what that might be like.
All that aside, The Missus Herself is on her way home after another sojourn down Maryland way. As I write this, she's not back yet, that happens later this evening. (By the time you read this, all of this will be in the past.)
Had to run down to the Social Security office on Friday. I applied online to start receiving benefits and thought it odd that one could do that. Well, a letter arrived in the mail which said, essentially, "Hey, someone applied for benefits using your name, slide on down to your local office and prove that it was you."
So I did, easy-peasy other than a local university had their graduation on Friday which snarled up traffic rather a bit. No fun, but the local constabulary were out to keep things moving. I did note that one or two officers could probably use some extra training on "how to direct traffic." Most of them did okay. Yes, there were rather a lot of them out there.
After the visit to the Social Security office I had to haul a pond pump over to the local UPS place to ship it back to Amazon. Wrenched my back a bit getting it in and out of Blue. But I'll survive. Thing wasn't heavy just a bit unwieldy.
I mean seriously honey, a pump which can handle 4,000 gallons? A bit more than we needed, which she realized 15 minutes after having me order it. So I attempted to cancel it. Amazon said, "Damn son, we're already shipping it, better luck next time." But returns on Amazon are pretty easy. So that was taken care of.
Beautiful day on Friday after a couple of inches of rain on Thursday. Today, Saturday, is a drizzly day. Gray and gloomy, which doesn't bother me all that much. Sometimes the glare of a sunny day drives my eyes crazy. My eyes have always been very light sensitive and the glaucoma doesn't help. (On the upside, I see almost like a cat at night. Very good night vision, which drives The Missus Herself nuts. She'll turn on a light to see me heading for the head in the "dark" which scares the crap out of her. I mean seriously, we live in town, there's so much ambient light I can almost read by it.)
Anyhoo, back to editing, back to playing war games on the computer, and whatever else tickles my fancy.
The leading picture? I've been on a destroyer or three in my day, love that ship class and wished we'd build more. I just like the photo, a sunny day at sea on a fast ship, what's not to love?
Oh, one more thing (channeling my inner Columbo), remember the two Lex posts which JB shared with us a while back? (Here and here.) The title of the second post "Po' Lazlorus," caused some confusion, as the name of the miscreant in the story was named Lazlo. So what's up with that "Lazlorus" thing, anyhoo?
Well, I had the opportunity to watch Brother Where Art Thou again (excellent film) and in that film (which as you should know was a Lex favorite) there was this song, Po Lazarus -
My take on this? Well, Lex's star of the story was a fellow yclept Lazlo, the name in the song, Lazarus, Lex converted to "Lazlorus." The opening lyrics to the tune go a little something like this ...
Well the high sheriff, he told his deputy
Won't you go out and bring me Lazarus
Well the high sheriff told his deputy
Won't you go out and bring me Lazarus
Bring him dead or alive
Lord, Lord
Bring him dead or alive
Our Lazlo missed movement, everyone was looking for the poor lad. Lex was an awfully clever chap, do you see it?
Anyhoo, it struck me as awfully clever. I'm still learning from Lex some 12 years down the road. (And that is a very long time ...)
Ciao.
“…a sunny day on a fast ship, whats’s not to love.”
ReplyDeleteI know you meant that rhetorically.
So I won’t create a list.
Besides, there’s a lot to love about tin cans, and only those who’ve steamed in them really understand.
It’s the Navy’s “E” ticket for one thing.
My experiences are with the ships' weapons systems. Tied up to the pier, working long hours in CIC, but once you step out on deck and see the sun sparkling off the water, it's worth it. Live on 'em for months? Haven't done that, my hat's off to the men and women who have. (Two oldest kids were in destroyers. Youngest an NFO. Night and day.)
DeleteAh, I had the great misfortune to be on the slowest destroyer in the fleet. We were hunting submarines very very quietly up north of the Aleutians and the only time we exceeded 4 knots was after we hauled in the tail and sprinted at 34 knots 60 miles in fog so thick you literally could not see Mount 51 from the bridge. Since we were being very very quiet we didn't use radar either. Did I mention it was usually dark?
ReplyDeleteI like the story Sarge but as you say, it is dark.This country has survived many dark times but I have to admit there is less and less of it as it was meant to be each time. People everywhere agree that censorship should be mandatory and there is no such thing as freedom of speech. It's irritating.
And Happy Birthday!
It's why it's called Awfully Slow Warfare! Thanks for the birthday wishes. As to people agreeing about censorship and changing things ...
DeleteYou say you'll change the constitution
Well, you know
We'd all love to change your head
Beatles said it well. Those who wish to change the Constitution are anathema to me. Enforce it and hold those accountable who violate their oaths to it.
Then there is ...."Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss."
DeleteRoger that.
DeleteOh, and the above was from Curtis. Google is playing its little game again about screwing with me commenting on some websites. Yours is one they elected to opt me out of .
ReplyDeleteAh, my dear Cap'n, still on the outs with Gargle/Gulag/Google are we?
Delete4,000 gallons/minute? Sound like something that DDG could use. Good luck with the new story Sarge, it certainly drew me in.
ReplyDeleteNo, no, no. Not 4000 gallons/minute, dear Lord that would suck the fish right out of the water and churn them up. No, the pump is intended for ponds sized UP TO 4000 gallons. Which is nowhere near what we have.
DeleteWhat sized pump did you finally go with?
ReplyDelete3000, over my objections. Our pond is, at best, a thousand gallons. The bigger pumps do have the benefit of a larger filtration capacity which is what The Missus Herself is after.
DeleteSarge, your latest IS "uncomfortably close" to something that may very well happen. The adults are NOT in charge temporally. I think we have one last opportunity to avert such; I'm not confident that will happen and am focusing efforts to deal with the likely - and very ugly - catastrophe to come.
ReplyDeleteSorry...for all of us...but there are worse things; as the man said.
Boat Guy
P.S. There were times, even on man-killing, broke-dick steam destroyers that were as good as that photo.
Which, at times, keeps me up at nights.
DeleteI fully agree boat guy, his story seems almost ripped from the headlines, which makes it so compelling. We can easily see it happening for real, which is sad, scary, and almost anger-inducing, if we weren't so numb already.
DeleteNumb describes how I feel about current events.
DeleteI look at how things are and wonder WTF? How did racism & antisemitism become acceptable?
DeleteI'm overwhelmed by the evil I see being pushed as the new "normal" by the media & (most of) the leadership.
Those clowns have much to answer for.
DeleteCrusty Old TV Tech here. Seems The Missus may have ordered you a gin-u-wine USN dewatering pump, one of those old brass submersible things, eh?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.damagecontrolmuseums.org/dcequip/pumps/esp/subpump-n.html
Damage control, one of the "unsung hero" reasons the USN was highly successful in WW2.
Glad you're pressing with the story. It's needed, but as others have noted, it is a dark place you're painting verbally.
No, nothing like that. The unit has a submersible pump which is attached to a barrel-shaped thing which contains filer elements and a UV light to kill unwanted stuff in the water. It's more than just a pump.
DeleteExcess capacity is almost always to the good. I've seen people burn out (supposed) 100% welders by trying to go cheap and running cruddy little 125 amp machines that were "100%" at 125 amps for an hour and fry them. Shouldn't go over about maybe 10 minutes at 100%. No more than 80% for sustained work. Or so I learned decades ago.
ReplyDeleteEXCELLENT movie! Great sound track. And the Sirens! Especially the 3rd one! <3
"I'd like to think that we can somehow just all get along. (Rodney King, Sarge? Really?) It is possible you know. " We used to do that. Even the capons in office used to do that - tear into each other on the floors of the Hallowed Halls, but sit down to a meal as friends. That really changed, I want to say in '72, but in reality it was more like '67. Now, when conversations start with, "You're a racist/misogynist/murderer/bigot/fill-in-the-blank-phobe" and go downhill from there, you know that there will be no meeting of the minds and little civility. I've found that when screamed at from 2 inches or so, and being told that because of my S&W hat, or my NRA shirt, that I'm a murderer, or because of my cross or cassock I'm a bigot/homophobe/misogynist, I tend to get my back up. Don't know why.
People of intellect can put aside their differences. Those with none cannot see past their own narrow world view.
DeleteEven people of intellect can get sucked into things after years of constant propaganda, like what they STARTED doing to Trump when he announced his run for President way back when... A great many things are possible when you own the media.
DeleteThe media seems to poison everything.
Delete“The problem isn't that Johnny can't read. The problem isn't even that Johnny can't think. The problem is that Johnny doesn't know what thinking is; he confuses it with feeling.”
Delete― Thomas Sowell
Thinking is hard work; that's why so few do it.
Albert Einstein
The mark of an intelligent man is the ability to discuss an idea he is opposed to in a manner of a gentleman.
Maff is hard, they say. No thinking is hard, emotions are easy.
Hope your keeping off the internet this weekend. Monday is soon enough to catch up on 3 so far "sudden" issues of import.
Staying far away from any "news" sources.
DeleteSarge, your current writings qualify as one of the "Ripped straight from today's front pages" sorts of things that we so often hear about. It does hit uncomfortably close to home, which I suspect is why it invokes strong reactions.
ReplyDeleteThat said, at least for me, I have seldom found that reacting to things - especially online - leads to anything that actually accomplishes anything.
Yes, it feels like tilting at windmills.
DeleteSarge- Love the photo. A great day- haze gray and underway with a little breeze, a lot of sun, a few clouds. While it's fun to be a passenger on a day like that, it is unbelieveably more fun to have a chance to spend some time actually conning the ship doing actual blackshoe stuff. Man overboard drills- throw a smoke float over and see how close you can get with a Williamson turn [simulating what would work best in the dark]. Or, some bumper drills, throw two smoke floats over about 100 yards apart and then maneuver to "dock" alongside that imaginary pier space. Great training for junior officers to build professional skills. Also good training for the old steam snipes to let the newbies handle the throttles, fires and feedwater watches during rapid bell changes during docking maneuvering.
ReplyDeleteOr better yet, have the skipper order a "quick draw" gun shoot if no one is around. Time how long it takes to sound General Quarter, man the gun mount(s) and get a round off.
The good old days. Remember, "When you're out of FRAMS, you're out of cans."
Thanks for solving Lex's riddle of Lazlo vs Lazorus.
Current story is well written, and I honestly would be happier without it. But, with your generous "post are free- full refund if you don't like them" policy we cannot go wrong.
John Blackshoe
Hence my decision to "walk away" from it for a few days.
DeleteThings happen slowly, until they don't. We live in interesting times.
ReplyDeleteYes, and it's not fun.
DeleteLiving here in Sonoma County, California, I feel that I'm deep in enemy territory. I very carefully keep my mouth shut around most of my neighbors, no stickers or decals on the car, try not to get dragged into face to face discussions on any subject other than food or tatting.
ReplyDeleteReading the posts/stories and the discussions they generate are a breath of fresh air. Even the ones I disagree with are welcome because of the reasoned tone.
Oh yes, you're behind enemy lines.
DeleteI left Sonoma county in 1976 to join the Coast Guard.
Delete'76? I went off to the USAF in '75 after working in a factory for a few years. Didn't see me doing that for a career.
DeleteRob, I graduated from Vista High School in '75. A year or so before I was at some party, either KoC or VFW (lots of overlap of m members) talking with one of Dad's friends and mentioned to him that I was considering enlisting in the Marines. He had been a Major and resigned his commission rather than have another tour in Viet Nam. His comment was, "Don't!" Then went on to lay out the reality of politics, the military, and how he thought things would play out. He was pretty close.
DeleteDifferent times.
DeleteSign me in to the Rodney King camp. No question the latest storyline is close to current social/political climate. But in no way is it inciteful. It’s just a good story.
ReplyDeleteSo far, “Uprising” is easy enough sorting out face value good/bad guys. Not so apparent is who wears two hats and who will ultimately come off the bench for which side. It will be a contested session of musical chairs – and then the music stops.
Going back some years I recall being urged to read Clancy’s “Clear and Present Danger”. Someone posted that “Uprising” is close to what “could” happen. Acquaintances of the time thought aspects of Clancy’s work “should” occur. Totally different storyline, but also recall reading of Clancy being questioned by PTB as to his sources for ‘Red October”; in those pre-Internet days, his best sources were public libraries.
Not on my reading list but there appears to be an abundance of anti-government militia type books available. Then there’s “Camp of the Saints.” Best broad-brush-stroke of the subject I could find was the following.
Carol Mason - Right-Wing Literature in the United States since the 1960s
https://oxfordre.com/literature/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780190201098.001.0001/acrefore-9780190201098-e-34
Sorry if I complicate making a cheese sandwich but while not directly related to “Uprising”, the following is useful in understanding “where we are today”.
“The King and Country Debate was a debate on 9 February 1933 at the Oxford Union Society. The motion presented, "This House will under no circumstances fight for its King and country", passed with a 275/153 vote. The motion would later be named the Oxford Oath or the Oxford Pledge.
It became one of the most controversial topics held within the Union, driving debate between the older and younger generations about patriotism and pacifism, and whether this motion would actually help or hurt war prevention efforts.
Winston Churchill claimed that the Oxford Oath affected certain decisions made by Adolf Hitler during the World War II. American pacifists would take their own version of the pledge, and several anti-war strikes would take place with the pledge as the main drive.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_and_Country_debate
I'm familiar with that debate. Weakness encourages tyrants.
DeleteBelieve the squadron plaque displayed on Halsey is DESRON 23, The Little Beavers.
ReplyDeleteJim
Yeah, noticed that too. For admin, upkeep, training ships are part of one destroyer squadron, but when sent off to deploy they are placed under a different operational squadron.
DeleteJohn Blackshoe
It is DESRON 23 but not the old school version I remember and that Commodore Burke would remember. It’s the woke and pc version. Bleechhh.
ReplyDeleteNothing is the same as it was. What is the point of this comment? Damn it people but some of you commenters would try the patience of Job. It's a nice Gorram picture, enjoy it and be still.
Delete