Originally posted by Dean Goldberry
Can anyone cite a specific example of how any American military action SINCE WW2 has had anything to do with any AMERICAN'S freedom? And don't try
to use the bombings of the al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan in October, 2001 as an example, since there has been no real evidence to support the
justification for it, 9/11, as being what the government-MSM claim it is/was. Can anyone cite anything that isn't mere rhetoric, opinion or emotion
concerning American "freedoms" being achieved by its military since WW2? Let the crickets chirp... or the hollow, baseless, rhetorical bashing
begin.
I guess I would ask what you define as "military action". Every time the fleet ballistic missile submarine that I served aboard in the 80's, the
USS Stonewall Jackson, went on a deterrent patrol for 70-80 days, I consider that a "military action. My shipmates and I sacrificed our lives every
time the diving alarm sounded and we lived with the radiation from the warheads and the reactor and the pressure of the water above us to protect our
country from an attack from foreign superpowers.
American freedoms WERE protected by the deterrence of foreign attack 24/7 365 days a year.
You might hear crickets.......all I heard was the hum of the turbines 600 feet below the surface.
I Remember
Here's to us, one and all
Who heard the message and answered the call
To break away from the old mainstream and live our lives on a submarine
Sub School gave us the chance to pass the test
To declare that we were The Best of the Best.
When we left New London with orders in hand
We all headed out on different courses for distant, faraway lands.
Some went East coast some went West
But no matter where you ended up, your first boat's the best.
You reported on board not knowing what to think
But now you're known to all as a nub and a dink.
You learn about Tradition and learn about Pride,
You learn about Honor and the men who have died,
You learn about the heritage that's been passed on to you
Because now you're considered one of the crew.
You study that boat from bow to stern
From the conning tower to the bilges, it's your duty to learn
Where and what makes that boat go, how it operates and in what direction it flows
How to charge those batteries and keep them alive or how to rig the boat for dive
Draw those systems fore and aft, blow the #ters, Check the draft
These are duties that you must glean when you live your life on a submarine
When you've learned all there is to know about your boat
You show 'em you know it, by your walk through vote
You go before the Qual Board, card in hand
Where they question and grill you to beat the band
And when you think you can take no more
They tell you to wait just outside the door.
For what seems like eons, Time stands still
And when they call you in, you feel quite ill!
But they congratulate you for doing so good
And welcome you into their Brotherhood.
Right of passage declares that you must drink your "fish".
And the tacking on process is not something you wish
But you wear those dolphins on your chest with pride
Because down deep in your heart, you know you're Qualif ied.
It seems like yesterday, it seems like a dream
That I truly lived on a submarine
Most Boats are gone, a memory of time
I wonder what happened to that crew of mine?
The Old Boats that are left, are all museums
And even if you rode 'em, you have to pay admission to see 'em.
So here's to us, those that remember
Who rode the boats out in all kinds of weather
To those past, present and even the future
To those young, hardy lads who still love adventure
So let's lift our glasses and have a toast
To the memory of those daring young sailors and their undersea boats.
[edit on 11/11/09 by StonyJ]