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Why John Paul Jones is No Longer “The Father of the US Navy”

When I was in school, textbooks told us that daring Revolutionary War hero John Paul Jones was the “Father of the American Navy.” But something happened over the last thirty years, and the title is now up for grabs. Today, most sources give the honor to Commodore John Barry, President John Adams, or the

Magawa, the Award-Winning Rat

PDSA, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images We’ve all heard of military working dogs receiving service medals for acts of valor. But last week, an African giant pouched rat (you read that right - a rat!) named Magawa was awarded a gold medal by the British veterinary charity People's Dispensary for Sick

Say Goodbye to the Navy Peacoat

On October 1, the US Navy completed the phase-out of the venerable Navy peacoat in favor of the “Black Cold Weather Parka.” The new parka is superior in every way: warmer, lighter, more versatile, and able to be stuffed into a seabag. It has only one drawback: everyone hates it. I’ve mentioned the peacoat

Swept Away: Life and Death at Sea in WWII

Jack Brawdy Lauren’s wonderful piece on the sound-powered telephone—a staple of any Navy or Cost Guard ship—triggered a memory of a tragic story shared by Jack Brawdy, a WWII veteran who attended our early breakfasts before he passed away in 2012. Here is Jack’s account: In 1943, Eddie Miller and I were

The Cost of Being a Hero

Recently on The Scuttlebutt we talked about Sergeant Major Thomas “Patrick” Payne being awarded the Medal of Honor for his part in a 2015 raid to free Iraqi hostages held by ISIS in northern Iraq. His story can be viewed HERE.  Sgt. Maj. Payne entered a burning building and exposed himself to fire while freeing

The Forgotten Flag Raiser of Iwo Jima

[yotuwp type="videos" id="MLCupx1UExg" ] Video of the Flag Raising on Iwo Jima, shot by Marine photographer Bill Genaust. 23 February 1945.  A few years ago, an amateur researcher named Eric Krelle made a blockbuster discovery about the famous photograph of Marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945. Krelle figured

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