written by Todd DePastino On October 10, 1845, the United States Naval Academy opened its doors at an old abandoned Army post, Fort Severn, in Annapolis, Maryland. There were 56 midshipman students and seven professors. Its mission to train and educate future naval officers by giving them a modern scientific training in the art
Written by Walter James De Mamiel (1920-2022) as told to Susan De Mamiel March 22, 2022We recently received a memorial donation for Walter James De Mamiel, who passed away on November 24, 2022, at age 102. Walter was a Gunner's Mate, Petty Officer First Class, aboard the light carrier USS Cabot (CVL-28), which saw combat throughout the
By Todd DePastino Japanese glass net floats Before he died in 2013, WWII veteran Jack Purcell attended VBC events and shared his remarkable story of serving as a Navy officer in the invasion of Okinawa. Before Pearl Harbor, Jack was already well known as leader of what would become the Jack Purcell
Written by Bob MacPherson Retired Navy Chief Warrant Officer Two, Bob MacPherson, took umbrage with our VBC Magazine's article, "What Is a Warrant Officer?" "It has more errors than Pittsburgh has potholes," he said. Specifically, Bob says the article failed to describe Navy Chief Warrant Officers adequately. Bob shares his story and corrections below. Most of
Written by Jim McStay A B-52 flies over the beach at U-Tapao, ca. 1973 (Jim McStay) Navy P-3 Orion pilot Jim McStay recalls a long day in the air from Diego Garcia with special cargo in a cooler and a badly hurt SeaBee on a litter awaiting emergency surgery. Back when I
