Memorial

In 1976 - the bicentennial year of our nation - I boarded the USS Basilone DD-824 for the first time. I joined the crew in Port Everglades, Florida. Serving in any branch of the military will leave you with stories. There was the guy who got seasick while the ship was at the pier in Norfolk. The ship was a destroyer. Even in glassy-smooth seas a destroyer finds a way to pitch and roll. If you get seasick at the pier, you're really in a world of hurt when you go to sea.

There was the Fourth of July we spent in Eastport, Maine. Other sailors have other memories of Eastport, and I hear that the paternity suits were settled OK. My memory: on the quarterdeck, on the midwatch (the midwatch, in Navy lingo, is 12 midnight to 4 AM.) Eastport is very near to the demarcation between the Eastern time zone and the Atlantic time zone, so sunrise in early July occurs very early; dawn started breaking at about 3:30 AM. I still remember the beauty of that sunrise over the Atlantic.

Eastport is across a bay from Campobello Island. Campobello was a Roosevelt family retreat, and it was where FDR, after a swim, developed symptoms that turned into polio. Disney, in Pearl Harbor, missed so badly on so many points, but maybe the worst was the scene where FDR tosses off his - well, no. I'm not advertising it. Suffice it to say, you may call your movie "entertainment" and point out that it wasn't meant to be taken as history. Fair enough - but it's cheating, at the very least, to take a well-known historical figure and have him do something that he could not possibly do. I think it would have been much more inspiring to show FDR as a powerful leader who could work through his handicap. But, that's just me.

I remember that Miami in mid-July gives a whole new meaning to the words "hot" and "humid."

The thing I didn't know: The USS Basilone had a boiler explosion in February, 1973, three years before I came on board. Three sailors died in that explosion. Eight others were injured. Eleven of my Navy brethren are in my thoughts today. God be good to you, guys, and may we all remember, especially today.

On October 12, 2000 the USS Cole was refueling in the Yemeni port of Aden. Shortly after 11 AM a smaller boat approached. The rules of engagement at the time stated that our ship was not to fire on another ship unless our ship was fired on first. This smaller boat had no intention of firing. It was a suicide attack; the boat was loaded with hundreds of pounds of explosives. Seventeen sailors were killed; 39 injured. Fifty-six of my Navy comrades.

May God be good to you, and may we all remember. That's what today is for.

The attack on the Cole was an  al-Quaeda operation, and bin Laden was heavily involved. In the end, a Navy SEAL team was involved in taking out Mr. bin Laden. Instant karma's gonna get you. . .

Freedom isn't free. Today is a day to remember - a day to remember those who serve and are serving. For Walt and Bill Sr. and Jim and Joe and Donald and Sam and Josh and Mitch and Chuck and Chris and countless others - thank you.

And to the 67 of my Navy brothers and sisters - thanks. May God be good to you. May we all remember.

Thanks for hanging out for a few. Loved your company, and I'd love your thoughts.