Don't Forget Our Troops This Holiday Season!!!!!

Here it is another thanksgiving and again we have soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen deployed all over the globe, from Antarctica to the deserts in Africa, Iraq and Afghanistan, South Korea to South America.  Today if you can think of the continent we most likely have military personal deployed  in at least one country but most likely multiple countries on that continent.

Right now most of us know the three main deployment areas, mainly Iraq and Afghanistan where our troops are currently in the most danger and of course the troops we have in South Korea and with the recent flair up may God prevent this situation from getting any worse, what few people don't know is the far flung places we do have our military personal. 

After spending 20 years in the navy, I know this can be the hardest time for our men and women in uniform, please take some time out and say a prayer for them, and if you have a way reach out and thank a soldier, airman, sailor or marine. They deserve more thanks than we or our country are capable of showing, but let them know you appreciate their sacrifices they are making for you and your family.

During this time of year the majority of us think about our troops overseas being lonely, but believe it or not, from my own experience the troops who really need our attention are those who are here stateside serving on a military base who could not, for one reason or another make it home for the holidays and will end up eating their thanksgiving meal in the chow hall, don't get me wrong the military cooks will go all out to give them a good meal, but the thought of being so "close" to home but yet so far away brings the blues to many especially for those that this will be their first holiday season away from home.

So during this season, reach out to our troops overseas and at home, if you live near a base many commands have programs where you may be able to invite serviceman or women to your home for dinner, give gifts or just write them a letter of thanks, take some time out and investigate the different methods in your area to show your support for our military.

I

9/11 My Outrage

USS Dubuque, LPD-8 Courtesy US Navy

Hello everyone, if you are a regular reader of my blog you have already read my first entry on 9/11 and how I'm getting so upset at my fellow Americans and other people of the world who are bad mouthing the United States over Afghanistan. So the last I posted I was telling the story of where exactly I was on that day.

For me and all the other sailors stationed on board the Amphibious Transport Dock USS Dubuque, LPD-8 it was actually September 12th because we happened to be on a port call in Darwin, Australia.  First thing we heard was rumors going around the ship that a small plane, perhaps something like a Cessna had crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center. At hearing this we all stopped what we where doing and took a break to see if we could find out was happening by tuneing in one of the news stations.

We turned on the news, and basically getting from them that it could have been anything from a light aircraft to a passenger jet that had gone terribly of course but not even a whisper about a possible attach. Then as we were watching another a jet liner came into view and smacked right into the other tower. Like I said in my first post on 9/11 all hell broke loose!

Before any of us could respond the general quarters (battle stations) alarm went off, our commanding officer didn't even second guess, he knew something bad was going down.  All of us on duty assembled on the flight deck and where given weapons and ammunition, the ship installed weapons which are normally unloaded while in port where loaded up and manned.  Our first responsibility was to make sure the ship and our crew were protected, our second job was to get over three quarters of the crew who was out enjoying liberty in Darwin back on the ship so we could get underway.  Sailors and Marines are not a dumb lot, and as soon as the attacks started making the local news there in Australia it didn't take long to get just about everyone back on board.

At this point all of us on board knew that our deployment schedule had totally changed and we would be heading somewhere to strike back, to be honest most of us thought our target was Iraq, but myself I wasn't surprised to find out that it was Al Qaeda after all they by this time had already killed some of our shipmates from the USS Cole. Within probably about 12 hours we where manned and ready to get back out to sea. I remember seeing others on board, as well as myself watching planes take off and land at the Darwin airport and just wondering if we or Darwin could be an attack, but Thank God no further attack came.  I to remembered that soon we would loose communication with the outside world so I immediately emailed my wife Sandi to tell her I love her and was OK.  My Father In law Gary Vines who was also in the navy

and although permanently assigned to the USS Pellilu happened to be on board the Dubuque that day of the attacks and he to wrote Sandi's mom to do the same.  About 1 hour after the attacks our phones and email was off. You can't have people telling family what our plans of attack were.

Like I said about 12 hours later, all of us exhausted from getting ready to get to sea, and watching the news we headed back to sea.  Now this is another thing I won't forget, as we started to slowly leave port, sliding through the channel the citizens of Australia lined the banks of the bay all the way to the beach waving US Flags and holding signs declaring their support for the American people, at that time I thought we would have the majority of the world's people supporting us.  We didn't know the death toll yet but we knew it would be large and because the main target was the World Trade Center it wouldn't be all American citizens who where killed.

As the coast of Australia slipped over the horizon that day I knew the world had forever changed and that we where in for a long deployment, I was right on both counts as our normally six month deployment stretched to almost ten and here we are nine years later still fighting in Afghanistan.

US Navy To The Rescue

The USS Ronald Reagan, one of the US Navy's newest aircraft carriers was in the news the last couple of days for coming to the rescue of the cruise ship Carnival Splendor who it seems had an engine fire and became stranded off the coast of Mexico. All in a days work for the USS Ronald Regan's crew, a horror story for the passengers who paid big bucks to make what was suppose to be a pleasure cruise.

OK first let me say, most of you who may be reading my blog (if there is anyone) know from reading my profile that I spent 20 years in the navy, and no I've never had the honor of being on a naval vessel that came to the rescue of a cruise ship, although I have been on board for rescues of aircraft in the water and merchant ships but those could make for other interesting stories. What I want to assure everyone is the passengers where never in any danger, the only ones who may have been in danger where the first responders of the crew.

The media is making a big deal out of the fire and you hear passenger's like, Leticia Lewis who told CNN "I'm just thankful to be alive". CNN's not pointing out those people who said "oh I wasn't worried at all". First of all the technology used in all types of newer vessels can control and put out a fire in a ships engine room in a matter of seconds before it can get out of hand, most of that technology are inventions pioneered by the US Navy and other navy's of the world. A good example is a chemical agent called Bromochlorodifluoromethane or the trade name Halon 1211.

Back in the mid 80's about the time I was serving on the aircraft carrier USS Constellation, engine rooms and many other spaces on board US Navy ships began replacing the old CO2 fire extinguishing systems most of us may be familiar with with the new Halon 1211 systems, which while on board was put to the real test when we had a engine room fire on board, and worked pretty good considering it was a new system, the fire did end up burning 42 Spaces (rooms) on board, however that was about 25 years ago and the Halon systems of today are a million times more reliable.

Briefly to tell you how this works with out getting technical is when there is a fire, Halon 1211 is automatically actuated and it destroys all the oxygen in the room, and as we know it takes three things for a fire to start or continue burning, Fuel, Air and an Ignition source. So the way Halon works is by getting rid of the air. As a side note to that I remember a terrible tragedy back in the mid 80's when a marine stationed at Marine Corp Base Camp Pendelton, Ca was looking for a quick high and breathed in some Halon 1211, needless to say it sucked all the Oxygen out of his body and killed him instantly, I tell you this just to show you how effective it could be.

So despite all the media hype about the possible danger the passengers where in, it's just that hype, it was a small fire and was out almost instantly. Now the fact that they spent that much money to go on a seven day cruise and ended up floating helpless of the coast of Mexico is a tragedy. Someone who may not normally get sea sick can get violently ill when your ship has no power and floating around like a fishing bobber, you add the smell of rotting food and sewage it makes for a horrible four days.

Yet Carnival being in the business of taking people on cruises have stood up and said everyone is invited to come back for a free cruise on them, (of course they did, don't want to loose the business right?) so the passengers got an experience of a life time, something they can tell their grand children about, I mean how many people have actually gotten the chance to see an actual aircraft carrier in action and still get to go on a cruise when the are ready.

You hear allot lately with people wondering if cruises are safe, and they are very safe, probably one of the safest and different vacation you can take, unless their is a major explosion on board a ship which to is highly unlikely barring a terrorist attack. So sit back in your patio chair and enjoy the cruise.

One thing I do want to say is that Carnival owes the US Navy and Coast Guard a big thank you, not only did they come too their rescue, the defense department announced today that they will not send Carnival a bill for their services.

Picture Courtesy of USA Today

Thought I might get on here and just say a bit about the San Bruno fire, its scary right now PG&E right now of course are trying to cover their asses, which is what you would expect any company to do, and all their failures will come out in the investigation.

What I want to bring up is the responsibility of each city, county, township or what ever jurisdiction you may live in. The local government is overall for the citizens well being and should be watching and keeping records of every bit of construction that has or will occur in their area. Now I've heard to conflicting story's about the age of this gas line, but the two dates out their are 1948 and 1956, either way old for a pipe and defiantly not up to the codes we have today.

Now above I did say it is the local governments responsibility which it is, however the overall responsibility for our safety and well being is ours, get involved, attend a council meeting. Find out when the pipes (Gas, Water, Sewer) where installed in your town, make the council and the utility companies responsible for the pipes test them if they are over 20 years old. The next disaster may not happen for 10 years but do you want it to be in your neighborhood.

One last thing, do you know what kind of pipes do run under your streets? Few people know because of the large military presence in the San Diego area there are highly vol tile jet fuel pipes running all over San Diego County transferring fuel to Naval Air Station North Island and Marine Corp Station Mirimar. Check it out because I be live some of those went underground as long ago as the mid 1930's. God help San Diego if one of these lines rupture.

Think about it!!!!