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A few days ago, tens of thousands of civilians were stranded on a mountain dying of thirst and starvation. Today, supported by their carrier air wing, American naval aviators from the U.S.S. George H. W. Bush are putting ordnance on target. This action should have been taken months ago. Far too many have already perished at the hands of ISIS. Yet now, via American food, water, and bombs, civilians in Iraq’s north have found new hope. Finally, we are confronting the threat that ISIS poses to the world. Unfortunately, the task is falling squarely on America. Our closest ally, Britain,...

On this date in 1958, the USS Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine, became the first naval vessel to reach the North Pole, having traveled under the icepack from the Barrow Sea across the North Pole and eventually surfacing north of Greenland. SSN-571 would be decommissioned in 1980, declared a National Historic Landmark in 1982, and is now a museum ship in Groton, Connecticut.

MOBILE, Alabama -- It's judgment day for the littoral combat ship. The July 31 deadline has passed for a task force of U.S. Navy officials to collect information for a new or improved small surface combatant. In a released statement the Navy said it will begin reviewing the preliminary findings that will decide the future of the littoral combat ship, or whether to replace it. "Because the task force alternatives will be considered as part of (the fiscal year 2016 budget) deliberations, the Navy will not comment publicly on the report's findings until budget decisions within the defense department are...

The parents who were stranded at sea with their two young daughters and had to be rescued by a U.S. Navy warship say they plan to sue their satellite phone carrier and hope any monetary winnings will allow them to help repay the government's cost of their rescue. “To see people show up to help you like that is pretty amazing,” Eric Kaufman told ABC News, referring to the team from California Air National Guard’s 129th Rescue Wing that parachuted out of a plane into the frigid waters off the coast of Mexico to save his family. Kaufman and his...

The ceremony included a bit of comedy, but there was no denying the significance: For the first time in its history, the Navy promoted a woman on Tuesday to become a four-star admiral. Surrounded by friends, family and peers, Adm. Michelle J. Howard was promoted to her new rank at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. She’ll take over as the vice chief of naval operations, the No. 2 officer in the service. She is not only the first woman to hold the job, but the first African-American.

Lockheed: Marine Joint Strike Fighter on Final Approach to Initial Operational Capability By: Dave Majumdar Published: June 10, 2014 6:25 PM Updated: June 10, 2014 6:26 PM A Marine F-35B joint strike fighter lifts off from the runway during the first short take-off and vertical landing mission at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. on Oct. 25 2013. US Marine Corps Photo A Marine F-35B joint strike fighter lifts off from the runway during the first short take-off and vertical landing mission at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. on Oct. 25 2013. US Marine Corps Photo Lockheed Martin has begun testing...

As head of a Chesapeake defense contracting firm, Roderic Smith thought he had to "pay to play." He thought bribery was all part of the government contracting game. "The pattern and amounts of payments were very formulaic and routine," his lawyers said in a court filing. The scheme "was a scheduled system to provide continuous access to compete and win contracts." Smith would learn that this was not routine, but when he tried to get out, he was extorted by a co-defendant to stay in. It went on for more than eight years before federal authorities stopped it. Smith, 50,...

Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. - Romans 13:7 (NASB) GALLATIN, Tenn. (BP)--March 25, 2003, Chief Petty Officer Jordan Joseph Garrett, United States Navy (Retired), received honors long overdue for actions that "reflected great credit" upon himself, the United States Navy and the United States of America. When the USS Houston was attacked by Japanese ships on March 1, 1942, Garrett refused to leave the vessel until the third "abandon ship" alert was issued. With two broken feet, shrapnel in his...

Divers from the U.S. Navy will visit the World War II graveyard of the "Galloping Ghost of the Java Coast” — the sunken USS Houston — later this month in a bid to determine what remains of the ship, which went down with more than 700 sailors off the coast of Indonesia. The wreck of the Northampton-class heavy cruiser, which was sunk by the Japanese during the World War II battle of Sunda Strait on Feb. 28, 1942, will be surveyed by Navy divers working with their counterparts from Indonesia. The ship lies about 125 feet deep, near Java, Indonesia,...

Two locally made documentaries will run in conjunction with this week's premiere of Ken Burns' film The War. Our Nation's Highest Honor (9 p.m. Monday, Channel 8) is a half-hour report on those in the Houston area who have received the Medal of Honor. Interviews with descendants are included. The special, unavailable for preview, was produced by longtime KUHT documentary maker Jim Fisher. Fisher is also producer of Cruiser Houston: Of Pride and Purpose (9 p.m. Tuesday, Channel 8), an excellent hourlong report on the USS Houston and its crew. Remarkable footage and superb sound editing hallmark this special, which...

This is a "headsup" for selected reviews/presentations about WWII and the Cold War that will appear on BookTV (C-Span2) this weekend of Jan. 13/14, 2007. Links to the segments of specific reviews (and their broadcast times) will be posted below. The "Ship of Ghosts: The Story of the USS Houston..." might be pretty good. The author also produced "Last Stand of The Tin-Can Sailors" about Taffy 3 (Battle of Samar). The links below are for other WWII and Cold War topics that might be interesting.

Iraq Crisis: US Moves Aircraft Carrier To Persian Gulf As Obama Weighs Military Options By Howard Koplowitz@howardkoplowitz on June 13 2014 12:02 PM The USS George H.W. Bush is being positioned in the Persian Gulf as President Obama considers airstrikes in Iraq. US Navy The U.S. aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush is being moved to the Persian Gulf in case President Barack Obama authorizes airstrikes in Iraq, CNN reported Friday. Iraq is in turmoil after an al Qaeda offshoot, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, made advances this week in the north and north-central portions of the country, including...

Tobacco sales on Navy ships and in stores on Navy and Marine Corps bases would be a thing of the past under a plan being considered by Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, but some congressional members are pushing back. The Navy Department, which includes the Marine Corps, would be the first military department to prohibit tobacco sales. […] Congress is considering a measure that would prevent Mabus from instituting a sales ban, with the prohibition’s opponents arguing it overreaches on a habit that is unhealthy but still legal. …

WASHINGTON – The United States Navy has denied an application from an outspoken atheist who sought to become a chaplain to the Godless in the military. As previously reported, 38-year-old Jason Heap submitted his application last July, noting that he had earned master’s degrees from both Oxford University and Brite Divinity School, with substantial experience in human resources. He also successfully completed the necessary paperwork and all the required physical tests. Heap told reporters at that time that a position as chaplain would be a chance for him “to give back to my country."

The Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution have used the social network to make public their plan to attack enemy ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps), the branch of Iran’s military whose role is to protect Tehran’s Islamic system, have published on Twitter an interesting drawing showing how they imagine an attack to an enemy warship entering the Persian Gulf. The plan is use several different weapons systems in a coordinated attack opened by high speed boats, used to create a diversion. According to Good Morning Iran blog, that translated the text...

HOW TO SIMULATE BEING A SAILOR 1. Buy a steel dumpster, paint it gray inside and out, and live in it for six months. 2. Run all the pipes and wires in your house exposed on the walls. 3. Repaint your entire house every month using gray paint. 4. Renovate your bathroom. Lower all showerheads to four and one-half feet off the deck. 5. When you take showers, make sure you turn off the water while you soap down. 6. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, turn water heater temperature up to 300 degrees. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, turn water heater...

In the Persian Gulf there are rumors that one of Iran's Ghadir mini-subs sank while practicing tactics for attacking an American Nimitz class carrier. It was believed that a recently built two-thirds replica of an American Nimitz class aircraft carrier would be towed out so the Ghadir could get some experience in how to approach such a large ship and launch torpedoes at it. The rumored loss of a Ghadir was accompanied by talk of some new stealth technology on the Ghadir. That is probably just rumor as the small size of the Ghadir already confers a substantial amount of...

NEW YORK (CNS) -- Cardinal John J. O'Connor, who as archbishop of New York cultivated and cherished his strong ties with the Jewish community, was born of a mother who was born Jewish. It is not known whether he knew that his mother, Dorothy Gumple O'Connor, was born Jewish. She converted to Catholicism before she met and married Thomas O'Connor, the late cardinal's father. Mary O'Connor Ward, the cardinal's sister, told Catholic New York, newspaper of the New York Archdiocese, that her mother never spoke about having belonged to another faith. The fact that Dorothy O'Connor was Jewish by birth...

The United State Navy announced via official press release that Master-At-Arms 2nd Class Mark Mayo will be posthumously award the Navy and Marine Corp Medal at his burial this Friday. Petty Officer Mayo died in the line of duty protecting his ship, the U.S.S. Mahan, on March 24th, 2014, after a civilian intruder boarded the Mahan, disarmed the Petty Officer of the Watch, and engaged in a shootout with Petty Officer Mayo and other responding sailors.

A high-definition video of U.S. Navy fighter pilots swooping between snowy mountains and skimming the western Pacific Ocean has gained more than 135,000 hits since being posted four days ago. The VFA-27 Royal Maces, based at Naval Air Facility Atsugi in Japan, shot the footage from their cockpits while flying F/A18-E aircraft at various locations in the Pacific theater. Much of the footage comes from recent patrols while deployed with the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, pilot Lt. Kyle Matson said. Footage includes trips along the Australian coast and various parts of Japan. Some of the most dramatic footage shows...