Another Day in the Blogs....

Today is Sunday, April 15th. I am telling you that for two reasons. First, I am not sure you realized how fast this month is flying by (half over already -or, for you optimists, half still to go). The second reason is that I just could not think of an interesting way to start the blog and that seemed as good a place to start as any. -Like my Grandfather used to tell me, if you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with nonsense (his word for nonsense started with "bul" and ended with "hit", but you get the idea....).

Coast Guard Base -Kodiak

2 Coast Guard guys were found shot to death at a communications center on Kodiak Alaska. There are no details and no suspects yet. It is very mysterious. It is probably a run of the mill jealous lover squabble or something -but when you start talking "communications center" at a remote location, I start thinking more in terms of James Bond.... You know, access to sensitive equipment and communications codes.... But, as I said, probably just run of the mill "somebody went postal" stuff. By the way, I have been to the Cost Guard Base on Kodiak. It was a long, long time ago -back when I was on the USS Perkins. It was a very, very nice visit which coincidentally happened at the opening of Crab Season (one of Kodiak's biggest products). They liked us Navy guys so we got so much fresh King Crab that we wound up eating it at every meal for a week. Cracked Crab, crab omlettes, crab sandwiches, crab fu yung... It was heaven for the first day..... and hell by the time the last of the crab was used up. I think it was a decade before I could even look at a crab again.

The Coast Guard is a great service. I have always admired how military they are and yet how well they do PR with civilian sailors, boaters and the like... They don't get enough recognition for the many things they do keeping the country safe.

OK, back to April 15th. Here are some items that happened on this day: 1783, Congress Ratifies Peace Treaty with Great Britain officially ending the Revolutionary War. In 1865 President Lincoln dies after being shot the evening before by John Wilkes Booth. In 1912 the Titanic sinks (a few quick Titanic trivia facts for your next contest: Titanic took 3,000 workmen 3 years to build. It cost the equivalent of $167 million dollars to build. It took 3 million 2 pound rivets, the rudder weighed 30 tons and each anchor weighed 15 tons. There, now you learned something useful. I am just here to help). Let's see, what else? Oh: 1969 - A North Korean aircraft shoots down a Navy EC-121 reconnaissance aircraft over the Sea of Japan (when are we going to get really tough with these guys?) and in 1986 - During Operation Eldorado Canyon, Navy aircraft from USS America (CV 66) and USS Coral Sea (CV 43) attack Libya in conjunction with Air Force aircraft, after Libya is linked to the terrorist bombing of a West Berlin discotheque that killed one American and injured 78 people (President Reagan knew how to use the 'big stick' when he needed to).

And, to finish off today's journey into the Twilight Zone, here's another of my Grandfathers stories:

'Why don't you give up the drinking, smoking and carousing?' said the do-gooder.
'It's too late,' replied Murphy.
'It's never too late,' assured the virtuous one.
'Well, there's no rush then, is there...' smiled Murphy.

Live Long and Prosper....