Aug. 24, 2022

“Shoot ‘Em Up”: Operation Lion’s Den, 27 August 1972

“Another experience as Command of Seventh Fleet was the fact that the Joint Chiefs of Staff, probably due to some urging by our admirals back in Washington, decided that this was a great opportunity to show the capabilities of our ships to provide gunfire support.” Leaning back against his chair with the first button of his finely-pressed collared

Sept. 4, 2020

Fair winds, Rear Admiral Harold L. Young, USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral Harold Lawrence "Ted" Young, U.S. Navy (Retired) on September 1, 2020 at age 91.  Ted entered the U.S. Naval Academy in 1950 and served as a surface, submarine and materiel professional officer until his retirement in 1988 as the Vice Commander of Naval Sea Systems Command and Chief

Sept. 1, 2020

Passing of Rear Admiral C. Bruce Smith, SC, USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral Carlton Bruce Smith, Supply Corps, U.S. Navy (Retired) on August 29, 2020 at age 96.  Bruce entered the U.S. Naval Academy in 1943 and served as a Supply Corps Officer until his retirement in 1979 as the Commander Naval Logistics Pacific/CINCPACFLT Fleet Supply Officer. He was

March 27, 2020

Honoring our Navy's Vietnam War Veterans

March 29th is National Vietnam War Veterans Day, a day we join the nation in honoring our Vietnam War-era veterans. Although we are unable to honor these veterans in person while maintaining proper social distancing, we are able to highlight some of our Navy Vietnam War-era veterans through our online platforms.During the Vietnam War, Sailors

Jan. 22, 2019

A Portrait of HM2 Bobby Ray, Heroic "Doc" of Liberty Bridge

In the early morning of March 19, 1969, a Marine combat base at Phu Loc 6 near An Hoa, Vietnam, became the scene of a surprise enemy attack. As the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) infiltrated the camp's barbed wire perimeter, a 24-year old corpsman named Bobby Ray charged into the melee to render emergency aid to the mounting casualties. He would even

March 29, 2018

Highlight of Service - Navy's Vietnam War Veterans

Did you know March 29th is Vietnam War Veterans Day? Every facet of the Navy we know today took part in the Vietnam War effort. Sailors were on the sea, along the rivers, in the air, and on land in support of ongoing operations.Just as those who came before them and those who serve today, our Navy Vietnam War veterans served their country with

May 25, 2017

"LOST BACK END CREW"

The letter landed on my desk after I'd been at Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron (VQ) TWO maybe three months, with the suggestion to "see what you can do with this." A new NFO, I had been given the collateral duty of Public Affairs Officer, which meant occasionally getting requests from retirees for a command ball cap or working with the base PAO

Jan. 10, 2017

Patrol Boat River (PBR) Lethality in Vietnam

During the Vietnam War, the Navy deployed a variety of small boats to South Vietnam ranging from Boston Whalers to modified World War II era landing craft. Perhaps the most iconic of them all was the Patrol Boat River or PBR as it was affectionately referred to by its crews. Adapted from a commercially manufactured 31-foot fiberglass pleasure

Nov. 2, 2016

A Token of Appreciation for Our Vietnam Vets

Anyone who has been to a Navy Week in the last two decades knows how great it is to be a Sailor in the United States Navy. People buy you lunch. Businesses give you discounts. Pedestrians thank you, and the drivers show their appreciation with a friendly honk. All for doing something we volunteered to do, and (on most days at least) something we

Nov. 13, 2015

Navy Legend Vice Adm. Stockdale Led POW Resistance

It's been more than 50 years since then-Cmdr. Stockdale was shot down in Vietnam during his third tour. He had already flown nearly 200 combat missions during the three deployments, earned numerous awards and medals for his leadership and bravery. He led the first bombing mission over North Vietnam in August 1965, and after being shot down and

July 29, 2015

USS Forrestal - Trial by Fire

On Saturday July 29, 1967, in the Gulf of Tonkin, the USS Forrestal (CVA 59) is preparing for a strike against targets in North Vietnam when a missile is accidentally fired across the flight deck, hitting an A-4 Skyhawk that is fully loaded with fuel and ordinance. Chief Aviation Boatswain's Mate Gerald Farrier grabs a fire extinguisher and rushes

Jan. 31, 2015

Tet Offensive Battle of Hue City Gives Cruiser its Name

]The guided-missile cruiser USS Hue City (CG 66) returns to Naval Station Mayport in 2013 after two back-to-back deployments to the Arabian Gulf. The ship and crew returned with the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist Second Class Adam Henderson/Released)It was 47 years ago today when the

Dec. 18, 2014

Swift Boats Were Workhorses of Brown Water Navy in Vietnam

Not since the end of the Civil War did the U.S. Navy have a need for a riverine force, or Brown Water Navy. But that all changed as the United States got deeper and deeper into conflict between North and South Vietnam.Due to the nature of the fighting and supply lines in Vietnam, the Navy needed fast, strong, reliable boats that could patrol the

Sept. 19, 2014

Dirt, Taps & Nursery Rhymes: Vietnam POW Book Offers Insight into Captivity

It's National POW/MIA Recognition Day today, observed on the third Friday in September. There may not be any big sales in the stores this weekend, but please take a moment to remember those who served as prisoners of war and the thousands who remain missing in action since World War II. The POW/MIA flag, made official by Congress in 1990, may be

March 11, 2014

Operation Market Time Challenges North Vietnamese Resupply Efforts

]The U.S. Navy fast patrol craft PCF-38 of Coastal Division 11 patrols the Cai Ngay Canal in South Vietnam.Most of the blogs that appear on this space are tributes to the Blue Water Navy, those Sailors and Marines who fought their enemies in magnificent warships, impenetrable ironclads, stealthy submarines and a whole fleet of aircraft carriers,