Stories

Veterans Day Parades

By Jeff Bacon on November 8, 2015 Hero of the week, Stories

Patriotism is alive and well, if this weekend’s parades are any indication. In cities all across the country people shivered as they sat on cold concrete curbs to pay their respects to America’s veterans. I saw it firsthand in Boise, Idaho, but there were parades all over the country, of course. They are so deeply engrained in American culture that Veterans Day parades have taken on sort of a Rockwellian character. That’s a good thing. Philadelphia even jumped in and hosted its first ever Veterans Day parade this weekend (click here for video). The holiday was originally envisioned to celebrate…

Downrange Cartoonists

By Jeff Bacon on October 29, 2015 Hero of the week, Stories

One of the unexpected joys in my life has been getting to know a remarkable group of incredibly talented men and women known as cartoonists. A subgroup of the whole bunch is made up of cartoonists who visit the troops at military hospitals and travel further downrange – the colloquialism among military members for war zones. Just recently a group of five flew with the USO downrange to a place that surprised us all. They went to Iraq. Iraq had been closed since 2011. Not any more. The group consisted of five talented artists: Michael Ramirez, John Read, Chip Bok,…

Carrier battle group

Navy – Happy 240th

By Jeff Bacon on October 13, 2015 Hero of the week, Stories

Two hundred and forty years of sweat, grit, and dedication to a noble cause have built a navy that is second to none. Second to none among all other navies in the world, and second to none in the history of naval warfare. No other navy comes close. To our countrymen and allies, the United States Navy represents power and freedom to navigate the world’s seas. To those who would do the same people harm, the Navy represents their worst nightmare. Happy birthday. Semper Fortis. [Click here to see 240 years of Navy presence wrapped up in 30 images (Naval…

OEF

By Jeff Bacon on October 7, 2015 Hero of the week, Stories, Uncategorized

(Click on picture for OEF announcement) On October 7, 2001 America went to war. Still stinging from the attacks on the World Trade Center, Pentagon and the thwarted attempt that was defeated by passengers of United Flight 93, the country was ready to take the battle to those who started it. It was not a time of celebration; it was a time of resolve. Fourteen years later, some of our troops are still there, in harm’s way. Operation Enduring Freedom (officially ended at the end of 2014) cost many good lives, and affected others permanently. But it cost the architects…

(Navy photo/USS TURNER JOY MUSEUM)

Agent Orange and the Blue Water Navy

By Jeff Bacon on October 2, 2015 Stories

This is a disturbing story that describes the plight of Sailors who served offshore during the Vietnam war, and how they are not eligible for physical ailments normally attributed to Agent Orange. The article is titled, “40 Years After Vietnam, Blue Water Navy Vets Still Fighting for Agent Orange Compensation.” You need to read it, because (a) something similar might happen to you if you were in the Navy, and (b) you never know what might be lurking in the water we drink.

Farewell to a leader

By Jeff Bacon on September 24, 2015 Hero of the week, Stories

Rear Admiral Jon White is synonymous with the word leader. The word does not describe him; it defines him. It runs through his veins. He breathes it in with each breath. It comes as naturally to him as flight comes to an eagle soaring in the skies above. He is not a boisterous man, nor one distracted by petty praise. The son of a Purple Heart recipient from World War II, he has always kept the Sailor at the fore of every decision and every action he has taken over more than three decades in uniform. The same year he…

One Voice

By Jeff Bacon on September 17, 2015 Hero of the week, Stories

This is a moving and dignified tribute to wounded warriors by the Navy Band.

9/11

By Jeff Bacon on September 11, 2015 Hero of the week, Stories, Videos

It is a day that is seared into our brains, and we are all different because of it. Personally, it has dominated every day of my life since, and I am no different than millions of others who will say the same. Many men and women will suffer wounds and injuries for the rest of their lives from the wars that were to follow. Families will continue to grieve the loss of loved ones – lost on that day or in the years to come. It was a day of horror and unimaginable sadness. We were at once vulnerable and…

VJ Day – Seventy years later

By Jeff Bacon on September 2, 2015 Hero of the week, Stories, Videos

It is still considered one of the iconic moments in American history. The ceremony ending World War II took place on September 2, 1945 in Tokyo Bay aboard the battleship MISSOURI (BB 63) – chosen as the site of the surrender in part because she was Admiral Halsey’s flagship, and in part because Missouri was President Truman’s home state. It brought an end to a brutal war, and it was hoped that peace would endure – especially after the world had experienced so much bloodshed, destruction and horror. General MacArthur said at the conclusion of the ceremony, “Let us pray…

“We are a pack of wolves, not a herd of sheep.”

By Jeff Bacon on August 27, 2015 Hero of the week, Stories, Uncategorized

Does anything capture the American spirit more than the actions of three young American men who took down a terrorist before he had time to kill? Read this story to put what they did into perspective. (Click on the image.) (USA Today photo)

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