Admiral Jonathan Greenert the Surface Navy Association Conference in Washington DC, USA, Tuesday (01/10/2012). Greenert discuss the prospects for changes to be made ​​in the U.S. Navy (U.S. Navy) related to U.S. defense budget cuts in 2013. Greenert, who had served the U.S. since September 2011 KSAL told the audience that he has made ​​various changes in the draft budget of the U.S. Navy in 2012 after visiting the Strait of Hormuz some time ago.

Two weeks ago, Iranian officials threatened to blockade the straits where Western countries imposed sanctions on Iran to force the oil embargo of the country’s nuclear program.
According to him, after seeing the conditions on the ground, it increase the funds for the procurement of equipment anti-mine bansea, anti-submarine, and the system of simultaneous resistance to attack from every direction ( counter-swarm ).

Iran has been known to develop a fleet of mini submarines and fast combat boats are small and nimble as one of the strategic Strait of Hormuz blockade in addition to sow sea mines on the track shipping narrow it.
Furthermore, the U.S. Navy will also scale back the number of military ships and other combat equipment needed in the future with changes in U.S. military strategy, which was announced last week. Currently, the U.S. Navy operates no fewer than 285 ships of various types.

According to this four-star officers, the U.S. Navy will continue its investment in the development of aircraft and unmanned submarines, a means of warfare cyber , as well as submarines and surface ships of the future. The one being developed is a fleet of destroyers to replace the fleet of Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are the mainstay at this time.
U.S. Navy, said Greenert, also interested in developing an anti-torpedo torpedo systems and electronic warfare systems.

It was 70 years ago today, December 7th 1941, that a fleet of Japanese fighter-bombers carried out the most ferocious of unprovoked attacks on US navy vessels anchored in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This was, undoubtedly one of the most infamous incidents if US military history, a perfectly planned and executed act of aggression with the sole aim of disabling US Naval forces to further Japanese expansion ambitions.

This dastardly event propelled the USA, not previously involved in WWII, immediately into the conflict, changing the course of the war forever. The then president, Franklin D. Roosevelt had chosen Pearl Harbor as a US naval base in 1939, possibly to deter the expected Japanese aggression.

One deciding factor was without doubt the seemingly endless conflict between Japan and China that had been going on since1937, apparently at a stale-mate, Japan in desperate need of commodities being denied to them. In support of the Chinese, western powers effectively ceased all trading with Japan in July 1941, making the situation for the Japanese even more acute

Being faced with such drastic shortages in supply measures, the Japanese turned to Southeast Asia and the East Indies both oil and raw material rich, meaning that Pacific region conflict became simply a matter of time.

Peace negotiations between China and Japan were progressing as 1941 drew to a close, but an assault eastwards, targeting Malaya, the Philippines and the East Indies was expected by Japanese forces seeking to expand aggressively.

The shocking fact was that Japanese military high command genuinely feared the threat of US naval power in the Pacific, Pearl Harbor easily reachable by an aircraft-carrier borne strike force of aircraft. Japanese top brass secretly assembled and dispatched the most outrageous show of force imaginable,  a convoy with more destructive air power than had ever before been assembled in one place.

Just after daybreak on December 7th, 1941, before any defense could be organized, the aerial strike force hit devastatingly, five of eight harbor sited battleships sunk or sinking, the rest damaged.  Not one US fighter aircraft got off the ground, even more ships sunk or damaged, and 2,500 US servicemen killed.

Japanese planes, within days of this attack, had decimated the Philippine-based US Pair power and a Japanese Army was invading Malaya. The real targets of the Pearl harbor attack, US aircraft carriers, were not there when they attacked. The Japanese high command failure to hit these would prove very costly in the end.

US opinion about entry into WWII had been divided, but the horror of Pearl Harbour gave the nation a determination to achieve payback, and  the ferocity of US responses knocked the Japanese  sideways. The Battle of Midway was decisive, but Pearl harbor was a tragedy the world should never forget.

There was the Dreaded Burrito Gang a Mexican hit squad chartered by Walmart employees angry at a US Navy military officers Samoan sister in law and, finally, the military officer and his intact extended family. Samoan slayers went after the Burritos to protect the category, but turned on them after instructing of the military officers scandalous social function and love child with a stripper from Guam.

The fantastic narrative was a lie from start to finish. In July 2010, prosecuting attorneys unsealed an indictment positing that Lt. Cmdr. David Rosetter, his Samoa-born married woman Laumatafiafia Fia Rosetter and her sister, Vatauomalao Tau Tafaoa, conjointly took in his parents, Richard and Joan Rosetter of Granite Falls, Minn., and his sister Luann into forking over more than $ 185,000 to pay off credit card debt Rosetter had left behind after allegedly foregetting Fia.

On Thursday, all the same, the case against Rosetter changed state 180 degrees. Federal soldier public prosecutors in U.S. District Court in Minnesota brushed off all charges against Rosetter, an 18-year vet and the other officer-in-charge of the Military Sealift Command federal agency in Hawaii, according to the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune.

Its not percipient why. Each suspect had been lodged with eight counts of helping and abetting extortion, and one count of creating a false scourge. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorneys Office worsened to provide particulars on the grounds for expending the charges against Rosetter, who had recorded a plea of not guilty and whose test was placed to begin May 23.

Rosetters attorney, Douglas Olson, told it was because Rosetter did not place any crimes. We have forever kept that David was innocent and we were readied to seek the case, he said.

Olson articulated Rosetter was on obligation in Iraq he served a yr with the Armys 101st Airborne Division and, allotting to a life story erst branded on the MS web site, realised a Bronze Star when the system was covered. Olson told netmails detailing the forcemeat and sent on to Rosetters immediate family were created to reckon as though they were aired by Rosetter.

And the Federal Bureau of Investigation instantly pronounces it was Fia and Tau who directed the system, the paper reported. Court documents were not branded online as of Fri dawn.

This was probably one of the hardest books I’ve read in a long time.

Emotionally, it felt like I was hit with a hammer right in the gut. A sledge hammer, to be precise. As a person with a sibling in the military, reading the account of the battle of Iwo Jima was a sobering and harrowing thing. I found myself on the verge of tears as I read about how the brave men who fought that month long battle suffered.

It drive home quite clearly, in my less then humble opinion, that the current military engagements are nothing like what happened in World War II. Unless it is compared to the battle of Iwo Jima alone. This battle, in all of it’s tactical nightmare-ish glory (I use the term ‘glory’ loosely.), can be a spectacular metaphore for the horror that is the meat-grinder of the current war.

Bad intelligence, poor initial execution, an overly early declaration of victory, and a misrepresentation of the combat by the press at large marked the events surrounding the battle known for a single image. It is tragic that it is so visibly evident as being present in the current military conflict.

All of this said, Flags of Our Fathers is an amazingly well written book. The language is very accessible and easy to follow. The story presented is well layed out. It is obvious that this was a labor of love for the author and a tribute to the life of his father. I highly recommend this book, even as it is emotionally challenging to read it.

Additional Notes:

Having recently re-read this book, I am at a loss for what to add to this review. I could say that it’s still a powerful book but it is simply stating the obvious. It is a very valueable book to have and read if for no other reason then the fact that the veterans of World War II are dying off. It is paramount, especially in the light of today’s military conflicts, that we remember the lessons from this war. Bradley’s book helps considerably to keep that memory alive.

Marconi claimed that his success came from improving the apparatus used by earlier experiments (coherer, de-coherer, induction coil, etc.) and discovering the aerial-to-earth system. He had found that the longer he made the arms of the aerial, the further he could transmit radio signals. By further experiment he had discovered that if he raised one arm of the aerial high into the air and buried the other arm in the ground (earthed it) he could transmit for miles instead of yards.

Preece arranged for the Post Office to back Marconi’s experiments. In 1897 Marconi made successful transmissions from Lavernock Point on the coast of Glamorganshire to Flat Holm Island, a distance of eight miles. In 1898 Marconi transmitted from specially set up stations at Alum Bay, Isle of Wight and Poole Bay nearby. (Poole Bay continued to operate until 1926.) The signals were received by ships also fitted with special equipment, and the transmissions covered a distance of eighteen miles. It was during this time that Marconi discovered that radio communication was easier over water than land. Shortly after he discovered that it was easier at night than during the day.

In the following year, 1899, the British and United States Navies began fitting Marconi system radios in their ships, and as a result, were able to keep in touch over a distance of nearly 100 miles. In the same year the English Channel was spanned by radio and the East Goodwin Lightship was able to radio for help when it was rammed by the freighter R. F. Matthews. By 1901, Marconi had improved his system sufficiently to be able to transmit from Poldhu to St. John’s using an aerial taken to a great height first by a balloon and then by a box kite.

It was during this time that Marconi had the benefit of the technical advice given by Ambrose Fleming. This was fortunate since although radio transmissions of Morse Code could be effectively made across the world, they were suitable only for the passing on of messages, not general broadcasting. The time was ripe for another important step.

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The first instance of disappearance in the Bermuda Triangle was reported by  Edward Van Winkle Jones in the year 1950.  Disappearance of Flight 19, a group of five U S Navy TBM Avenger bombers on a training mission is considered to be most famous among all disappearances.  Main reason for this is the supposed availability of the flight leader’s recording which says “We are entering white water.  Nothing seems right.  We don’t know where we are.  The water is green, no white”.  This became fodder for people like George X Sand, who introduced supernatural element to these disappearances.  Vincent Gaddis also contributed to this through his articles.  Other famous disappearances are that of Mary Celeste (brigantine merchant ship), Ellen Austin (ship), USS Cyclops (crew of 309 disappeared), Spray (fishing boat), Carroll A. Deering (schooner), Douglas DC-3 (aircraft with 32 people disappeared), SS Marine Sulphur Queen (T2 Tanker), Connemara IV (Pleasure Yacht), Raifuku Maru (Japanese vessel), KC-135 Stratotankers (aircraft belonging to the US Air Force), Star Tiger (aircraft) and Star Ariel (aircraft).  

Larry Kusche, a research librarian from Arizona State University pointed out to the fact that the claims of disappearances were exaggerated and unverifiable.  Some were outright inaccurate.  For example, it was reported that an ore carrier was lost in the Bermuda Triangle.  But the fact was that it was lost in the Pacific Ocean.  The records with United States Coastguard proves that the number of disappearances are relatively insignificant considering the traffic in this region.  

Bermuda Triangle will remain to be the most prominent among the mysteries manufactured by the human mind.

Reference:

http://www.bermuda-triangle.org/

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The idea for the ship was initiated by former New York Governor, George E. Pataki, just after the September 11 attack on America.  He wrote a letter to Gordon R. England, Secretary of the Navy.  He asked that a warship be named USS New York as a memorial to the victims of September 11. 

The bow of the ship’s hull was cast using 7.5 tons of steel salvaged from the rubble of the World Trade Center at Ground Zero.  A small ceremony preceded the melting of the steel wreckage and it was poured into a cast.  Amite Foundry and Machine in Amite, La. were responsible for melting the steel.  The steel was poured into the molds on September 9, 2003. 

Image via Wikipedia          Steel from Ground Zero, being pored into a mold for the bow of USS New York

The project began in 2003.  The contract was given to Northrop Grumman Ship Systems.  The company is located in New Orleans, Louisiana.  It was being built there when the city was devestated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.  The half-built ship survived the storm.  Unfortunately, it left a number of the workers homeless.  A “Camp Katrina” was set-up in the shipyard.  In 2006, nearly 200 workers were living in the camp.  Although or maybe in some way because many were dealing with their own personal grief, reports surfaced about the workers treating the WTC steel with an awe-inspiring reverence.     

Image via Wikipedia          USS New York being built in Avondale, La. on Aug. 16, 2006

The ship itself, along with its story, is quite inspiring.  One ofthe San Antonio class ships, LPD 21, it’s an amphibious assault ship measuring 684 feet long.  It’s capabilities include:  ability to transport 700 marines in addition to its crew of 360, ability to land those 700 marines on nearly any coastline without needing a port, speed in excess of 22 knots, ability to land and launch various aircraft, and transport 14 Expeditionary Fighting Vehicles or Amphibious Assault Vehicles.  Additionally, it’s armed with two Bushmaster II 30 mm Close-In Guns, two Rolling Airframe Missile Launchers, and ten .50 caliber M2HB machine guns.  It’s estimated at $1 billion dollars.   

Image by mudpig via Flickr          USS New York

The boat was christened on March 1, 2008 in Avondale, Louisiana.  Mrs. Dotty England, the ship’s sponsor and the wife of Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England, smashed the champagne bottle on the ship’s bow and christened it the New York.  “May God bless this ship and all who sail on her,”  she said.

Several other notables were in attendance, along with members of the NYC fire and police departments.  The victims’ family members came to watch the event, too.  A spokesman for Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, Bill Glenn was quoted saying, “It resurrects the ashes, so to speak, to do great things for our nation.”

Image via Wikipedia          USS New York’s christening on March 1, 2008

On August 21, 2009 it was delivered to the Navy in New Orleans.  The ship’s new skipper, Cmdr. Curtis Jones accepted it and set sail for Virginia on Oct. 13.  As it passed Ground Zero, it gave a 21-gun salute.

The commissioning took place on Nov. 7, 2009 in New York City on the Hudson River Pier.  The event was attended by many distinguished dignitaries including:  Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton; Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus; the governor of New York, David Paterson; New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg; Commandent of the Marine Corps., James T. Conway; USS New York’s skipper, Cmdr. Curtis Jones; and Admiral Gary Roughead.  Ray Mabus was quoted as saying,  “No matter how many times you attack us, we always come back.  America always comes back.  That’s what this ship represents.”

Two more San Antonio class ships, the USS Arlington and the USS Somerset, are under construction.  These two ships are going to honor the victims of the attacks on the Pentagon and United Flight 93, respectively.  Both of these ships are using salvaged materials from their respective locations to create the ships, too.  September 11, 2001 is a day that will always be remembered throughout our nation’s history.  Seeing anything worthwhile come from the ashes of the attacks, brings hope to people.  The US Navy has done a fine job of creating a lasting reminder of the unbreakable spirit of America. 

Image via Wikipedia          USS New York’s Coat of Arms – the two gray bars represent the twin Towers, along with the words “Never Forget”

If you drive along the coast road from the historic South Devon coastal town of Dartmouth, it will lead you through the village of Stoke Fleming, along a narrow and winding stretch of road with tantalising glimpses of Blackpool Sands and on towards the village of Strete. Beyond the village the road becomes straighter as it leads you towards the long stretch of shingle beach known as Slapton Sands. On the other side of the road is Slapton Ley a fresh water lagoon and nature reserve. There is little to remind the casual visitor of the tragedy that took place here almost a lifetime ago until they reach the village of Torcross where a surprising monument, a Sherman Tank stands close to the beach .

In 1943 the residents of Slapton and the surrounding area were forcibly evacuated by the British government. This caused a lot of sadness and resentment because some of the 3000 people had never left their villages before. What was to happen at this remote spot was a closely kept military secret. The area had been chosen for Exercise Tiger a full scale practice for the D Day landings. Slapton Sands was chosen because it was similar to Utah Beach, a shingle beach with a lake behind it. Utah Beach was the code name for one of the planned landing beaches in Normandy.

The exercise was to take place from 22nd to 30th April 1944, it involved 30,000 troops on board nine large tank landing ships. The first practice assaults on 27th April were uneventful, but tragedy struck on 28th April. A German E boat patrol spotted a convoy of 8 large tank landing ships in Lyme Bay, one boat was torpedoed and sank, a second caught fire and was abandoned and a third caught fire but managed to limp back to the coast. 638 military personnel died, 441 were from US army and 187 from US navy. Sadly some of the deaths from drowning were caused because the men were not used to being at sea and when they abandoned ship they did not put their lifebelts on correctly. When they jumped into the sea the weight of their backpacks flipped them onto their backs and forced their heads under water.

The Exercise went on and sadly loss of life continued. General Eisenhower who was the Supreme Allied Commander ordered that the men should experience real battle conditions. So when the remaining boats landed at Slapton Sands they were exposed to live shelling on the beach and 308 men died from friendly fire.

A lot was learned from the ill fated practice at Slapton Sands and changes were made that led to much more successful landings on D Day, with only about 200 fatalities at Utah Beach. However there was considerable official embarrassment about the blunders and everyone involved was sworn to secrecy. It is believed that the bodies were buried in mass graves in the surrounding fields.

Even after the war the graves of these men were not marked and there was no memorial. A local resident called Ken Small felt strongly that there should be a memorial to these men whose lives had been sacrificed in training for what proved to be the turning point of the war, but the UK and US military were unhelpful. He persisted and in 1970’s he was able to buy the rights to a submerged tank that he had located. With local support he was finally able to recover the tank in 1984 and it now stands as a memorial on a plinth provided by the local council. A plaque was erected to commemorate those who died, but there is still no memorial listing the names of the victims. Mr Small who died in 2004 was rather belatedly supported and honoured by the US military, but it took a determined man who refused to be ignored to give the men who perished in Exercise Tiger the recognition they deserved.

Image via Wikipedia

A 21 gun salute paid tribute to the victims of 9/11 as the vessel sailed proudly up the Hudson River towards Ground Zero amongst the admiration of on-lookers. Some of those watching the beauty coast in were relatives of 9/11 victims and members of the emergency services. 

An official commissioning ceremony will take place on Saturday say the US Navy.

The USS New York left Louisiana three weeks ago where she was built on her maiden voyage. Apparently the warship’s bow contains 7.5 tonnes of melted steel from the remains of the World Trade Center.

Fittingly the vessel’s crest includes images of the Twin Towers. Other features commemorating the 9/11 attacks are colours of the city departments that first responded to the terrorist attacks.

Almost 3,000 people died in the terrorist attacks.

SeaBees are the part of the Navy that rebuild. In 1940 civilians did the jobs of the SeaBees, but in 1942 they became a reality. They are the construction division that are sent to places around the world to build schools, roads, runways, wells and whatever else the Navy tells them to build.

Their symbol the Bee came about because they are workers, they build but they make sure that no harm comes to them either. That is why this Bee in the picture holds not only tools but a weapon. They can sting if they have to. They are highly trained men and woman for this field in the Navy and follow the marines ashore.

This SeaBee stands in front of the entrance of the base in Gulfport, Mississippi. I took this picture on my recent trip to visit my son.

This picture is right in front of the visitors center before you enter the base. I also took this one while there.

SeaBees are all over the world. Sometimes they build and sometimes they have to fight and protect themselves and others in battle. They are a very close knit group and I would be honored to have anyone of them by my side or have my back.

Right now they are working on a project in Djibouti, Africa.  They are hard at work drilling wells and building schools. The work they are involved in is helping many.

They are also in Iraq, Afghanistan and are bringing relief equipment to Pakistan. They are all busy little Bees, working hard and sometimes sacrificing their own lives to bring a better world to others.

This picture I took of my sons hat. To me it symbolizes what he has become, all grown up and quite a young man. Yes I am a proud Mom of a US Navy SeaBee !

More articles I wrote:

• Visiting My SeaBee
• A Mother’s Love
• For Jodi
• Lindalulu