Credo
"Sign on, young man, and sail with me. The stature of our homeland is no more than the measure of ourselves. Our job is to keep her free. Our will is to keep the torch of freedom burning for all. To this solemn purpose we call on the young, the brave, the strong, and the free. Heed my call, Come to the sea. Come Sail with me." -- John Paul Jones
"Pardon him, Theodotus; he is a barbarian, and thinks that the customs of his tribe and island are the laws of nature" --George Bernard Shaw, "Caesar and Cleopatra"
"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music."--Friedrich Nietzsche
"A kind Providence has placed in our breasts a hatred of the unjust and cruel, in order that we may preserve ourselves from cruelty and injustice. They who bear cruelty, are accomplices in it. The pretended gentleness which excludes that charitable rancour, produces an indifference which is half an approbation. They never will love where they ought to love, who do not hate where they ought to hate."--Edmund Burke
"Μολὼν λαβέ" -- Leonidas
"Blogito Ergo Sum" -- Neptunus Lex
I trust them with more than my mere life.
They are the same Men who stand watch on the midwatch, driving ships with over 5000 souls onboard, in gale or calm, in hazardous waters or deepest ocean depths, in calm situations, or in the gravest of Harms’ Way, watchful over meters which do not move (much), stations which do not seem to matter, in jobs which seem to have little utility or purpose to the average person….
Until the fire begins in the fueling station, the flooding starts during routine maintenance, the Exocet missile comes in from the Mirage F-1 into a bunkroom full of sleeping sailors, or the small boat blows a 20 ft diameter hole in the side while all hands are rising for breakfast. Then, in one of the very few superior organizations in the world, will you find Men and Women who run TOWARDS the fire, towards the flooding, and towards the damaged compartments to combat fire, flood, and pestilence from an unseen enemy without regard to their own lives. Because the existence of that ship, the presence of that command, and the determination behind Her use are all that matters to those of us at home who count on their Will and Determination every day of our lives.
And we never knew it.
Subsunk
Sub is dead on. The sea [and the sky] are the most hostile unforgiving environments there are, short of space. And that’s BEFORE anybody starts shooting at you. And AFTER. And ALL THE TIME in between. Mariners have always known whom the real “Forever War” is with.
So how does a ship, aircraft, or spacecraft get where it needs to go, in Harm’s Way, in spite of everything?
Will and Determination, by everyone involved. Because here everything matters. Every little thing. Is a valve hand-tight? Is a weapon still zeroed? Is every tool accounted for? Everyone’s contribution counts toward Victory. For who knows whose actions will make the critical difference? Despite the services’ rank structure, all are equal in value here. “A kingdom lost, and all for the want of a horseshoe nail.”
In humble things are mighty purposes made possible.
Leadership is the potential, the latent energy of Trust made manifest. A gift of the led, and a sacred obligation.
To those for whom nothing matters, to whom nothing is sacred, this is a frustrating magic they jealously envy and fear. They can’t buy it or fake it. The nihilists who cannot humble themselves to obey can never command, because they selfishly will not learn the secrets of trust.
Instead of rifles, this drill team could be throwing aircraft tiedown chains or anything else. Their skill and mutual trust, which the officer only demonstrates, are still the same.
Some Call It Plagerism…
Now Cdr. Salamander has his Sunday Funnies, and Lex has his carrier tales, so I figured why not flatter them by copying their methods. Therefore, I present to you (in installments) some of the following:…
For comments 1 and 2, well spoken and so very true.
Very cool picture. Would that uniform (minus the weaponry) be called dress whites?
Sigh, now try to picture those outstanding looking sailors look that good wearing those silly damn blue uniforms…
And who says sailors can’t look as sharp as Marines? Makes ya get choked up, it does…
United States Navy CORE VALUES: Honor, Courage, Commitment; engaging in the honorable endeavor of serving your country, developing and displaying not only physical courage, but the moral courage to do the right thing, and the sense of commitment to see it all through even when the going gets rough. For the Army those core values are Duty, Honor, Country. Regardless of which service you?
United States Navy CORE VALUES: Honor, Courage, Commitment; engaging in the honorable endeavor of serving your country, developing and displaying not only physical courage, but the moral courage to do the right thing, and the sense of commitment to see it all through even when the going gets rough. For the Army those core values are Duty, Honor, Country. Regardless of which service you’re thinking about, the underlying sentiment is the same – serving with the highest purpose possible.
What a picture, Lex. I’m sitting up a little straighter in my chair now. Thanks.
Reminds me of a young man I knew once upon a time.
I was an associate martial arts instructor and he was a royal screwup. His friends and associates were heading to jail or death and he wasn’t far behind. We were all in a medium-small town, which likely limited just how much trouble he could get into. Anyway, he had enough spirit left to understand that he had to get out and believed that the military was his only option. He just had to get his mind and body in shape to be accepted.
Note that I am not disparaging military service. He looked at the Army as an opportunity to get up and out, not as a last resort. He know he had screwed up his life and wanted a place to get it right. We supported and helped him as best as possible.
Skip to the ending. A year after he enlisted in the Army (and yes, we were amazed and impressed that he passed the whiz quiz) he showed up at the kwan… as a damned impressive young man. Clean, straight, and honorable. He apologized for his earlier behavior and thanked the Sifu and the staff for being there when he needed us.
We taught out of our Sifu’s garage and never charged a dime for anything. And this story tells exactly why.
Yep, I trust guys like that. Because I know who they are and why they are there. And I am damn glad they are.
Those are dress whites, Kristen – although we call ‘em “chokers,” for obvious reasons.
Did you click on the pic for the vid? It’s pretty cool.
The same trust shown here is why guys like Lex are willing to strap on their warbirds, push them to the limits of their abilities (and beyond), and fully trust that the 18 year old who torqued the bolts on the engines…
Video? Oh.
Well, now that I’ve watched it, your caption makes sense. Before I figured it was one of those Navy code things that I’m never quite grasping ’round here.
Pic/Video – WOW. Comments 1 and 2 – double WOW. It’s an unparallelled brotherhood.
While the video is good, in person multiply by 10!
A lil bit of googling and I came up with this photo essay. What’s impressive, to me, is the fact those guys are throwing around M-1s…and they ain’t light, by any means.
That’s awesome, Lex! What a feel-good thing to watch. Trust is what it’s all about, innit?
OMG!!! FIXED BAYONETS! (K boggles)!
The Marine!Goth (when he was Cadet Major in High School) was on the West Coast National Championship MCJROTC Silent Drill team, so I KNOW how long they drilled, how hard. How many times they did those moves against a dummy, and then how many times they cold cocked the officer anyhow. (Seventeen stitches worth in JC’s case LOL).
Color me VERY impressed!
that’s damn kewl.
cholesterol…
cholesterol…