Navy Notes

Today marks the 71st anniversary of the sneak attack by naval and air forces of the Japanese military on the United States military base located at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

While it is True, the Line 

"They Do Make High Quality Automobiles" Was Cut From the Speech

This seems like as good a time as any to discuss the Navy.

Two Dollar Bill Y'all (Yes, it's a Play on the Title of Limp Bizkit's First Album)


My Dad was in the Navy for twenty years.  One of the better military lore stories he shared with me is as follows:

In 19xx the mayor of xx became upset with the United States Navy, which was in the habit of docking the Enterprise aircraft carrier at their port.  According to xxx, the sailors caused enough problems in the city that the mayor requested that the commanding officer of the carrier do something to stop the sailors from causing problems or he would have to see about preventing the carrier from making port in his city.  Xxx thought about the situation and radioed the Pentagon to make a special request. The next payday all of the sailors on board the xxx were issued their pay in $2 bills.  When these sailors were allowed off the ship, they papered the city with Thomas Jefferson’s image.

Seeing the obviously massive economic impact of the Navy on the city, the Mayor backs down  and agrees that the Navy can continue to make port in his city.

Unfortunately, based on my internet searches, this is nothing more than a tall tale.  


The Military Portrayed in Television

One of the best lines in televised drama produced this century came to us from the first season of Lost.  Two strangers are finding more about each other when one mentioned that he fought in Iraq.  The other character says that his buddy was part of the 101st Airborne or something similar and asks what unit the first guy served in.  The bearded man responds by saying that he served in the Republican Guard.

The hairs on my arms stood on end when I heard this.