Posted on 11/27/2008 2:15:57 AM PST by antiunion person
A man speaking broken English cried through the radio. Something about an attack. Shots fired. Grenades launched. Pirates.
Aboard the U.S.S. Peleliu, the officers in charge expected such distress calls. On that day, Aug. 8, the ship was stationed in the Gulf of Aden, a strip of water between Yemen and Somalia known among seafarers as Pirate Alley. The hijacking was 10 miles from the Peleliu, close enough for the ship to send out rescue teams.
Steering one vessel was Jonathan Johnston, a 24-year-old Navy lieutenant junior grade. He maneuvered toward the Gem of Kilakarai, the cargo ship from Singapore under attack by two boats full of Somali pirates. Within minutes, the pirates caved to threats from Johnston’s team and skulked off, toward the horizon. Johnston had commanded a mission that thwarted the attack, an achievement that would earn him the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal. As much as he wanted to rejoice, to remind himself that being an officer in the Navy is about protecting people and saving lives, Johnston couldn’t.
(Excerpt) Read more at sports.yahoo.com ...
Sorry Buckwheat, one does not get ‘sent’ to any of the military colleges. You have to earn it. So if he went to ‘Canoe U’, he studied, applied, and was accepted after a seriously difficult vetting process; no small feat. My hat is off to anyone who can do all that. But after you sign up, you owe the military big time. And they will collect. So you can either do your contractual time serving properly and loyally or you can do it in Leavenworth.
Sent by who? He activly seeked out the position he's in.
No one twisted his arm to be where he is now...sheeesh
I hope you forgot to insert the ..... /sarc
You’re kidding, right?
If not, you deserve everything that’s been thrown your way, and more.
Yes, they do. They get a free pass out of Trenton, New Jersey, which is one of the worst hellholes in the country. They get freebie tuition to one of the most prestigious universities in the world. I suspect that if Ted WIlliams and Johnny Sain were still around, Mr. Johnson would get a private discussion about silence and gratitude.
“I'm not going to some riot in Detroit, I'm a musician for crying out loud and my band just got a year's contract to play at our local Fire House.”......or.......
I have no sympathy for this person. One can’t pick and choose when to serve and when not to serve once the commitment is made. My son is a Navy lieutenant and is currently on the USS Kearsarge. He came up through the enlisted ranks and has been on sea duty for most of his career. Being away from his family for extended periods of time is difficult, but he serves without complaining and has the support of his family.
I feel just about as sorry for poor little johnny as I would for the lottery winner that was whining he only got an annuity instead of being able to get it all at once.
I’m thinking of Elvis who gave up a zillion dollars to serve guarding the Berlin Wall or the Everly Brothers who stopped their career so they could join the Marines when their country needed them.....or the great Casius Clay, the champion fighter .....er.....cowardly wuss who suddenly became a Black Muslim and refused to be drafted...I drift. Like I said...another generation....sort of.
The Navy is just as beaurocratically inflexible as ever. When I joined, I served 23 months on a destroyer then was let out on a 1 month early out that was created for Navy budgetary reasons. I then went to college. No GI Bill because I hadn’t completed a full 24 months on active duty. Four years later, with 3 months left for an engineering degree, I got yanked and sent to Vietnam for 2 years. At 22 month in my Vietnam experience, the US was pulling out and I was to be part of the reduction. They wanted to release me early because it was not economical to send me to a ship for just 2 months. I stood my ground and pleaded my way into finishing a full 24 months in-country. When I finally did get released, I was now eligible for GI Bill benefits. I finally finished my degree.
Do the names David Robinson, Napoleon McCallum and Roger Staubach ring a bell? Seems to me they also graduated from the US Naval Academy, and were professional athletes of some repute—yet they were able to balance their commitment with their athletic careers. Johnston has yet to enter that class. I’d hope some crusty old Chief Petty Officer will have a heart -to-heart talk with the LT to advise him of his error.
That said, I’m thankful for all of the Naval Academy grads who embody the Navy Values of Honor, Courage and Commitment.
OK, this article says the boat was under attack and we let the pirates go. Does anybody else see a problem here?
My son is at the USMA. He actively sought his appointment from our Congressman and both our Senators (the Congressman came through). The Army was very very clear that a five-year active duty commitment is part of the deal (in fact one army football player, Class of 2008, was drafted by the Lions but had to skip that opportunity). And yes, cadets can leave with pretty much no strings attached all the way up to the first semester of junior (cow) year.
I have always wondered though, about such grads as David Robinson and Napoleon McCallum - how did they work around their commitments to play pro ball? The Patriots have Kyle whats-his-name (fullback and special teams) on their roster, and he graduated the Naval Academy in 2006 I believe. How did he work it out?
He's not exactly Mickey Mantle, I gather.
He did have a choice. Going to any military academy is a choice. You have to apply and be accepted, or be appointed. And you do that knowing that you have to give something back to your country and the Navy. He received training, food, uniforms, health care, etc., at a cost of well over $100,000 of your (our) money.
As a Navy veteran with over 22 years of service, I would offer him this bit of advice: lead and take care of your people; stand straight; wear your uniform with pride; do your service. If he needs to look for examples he can check with Joe DiMaggio or any one of several dozen other star athletes who gave up some of their prime playing years VOLUNTARILY to serve our nation. That was a choice...
Sounds like Johnston signed a contract
and now he wants to get out of it.
He just wants his “bailout”.
My kid is at USMA. Five year committement active duty. Full stop. Nothing subtle about it. Too many ‘resume-builders” sneak their way thru the screening process, it’s inevitable. This schmuck from USNA happens to be one of them.
They have to serve as Reserve Officers and handle public relations...
To alter the old saying slightly:
If you can't do the time, don't sign on the dotted line.
> I do like the notion of hunting pirates over baseball: can’t he stay in form by tossing hand grenades at these thugs?
You’ve remind me about an American hero I read about once (can’t remember his name, but I’m sure there’s a FReeper who will!)...
He was in WW-II, on civvy street he played professional baseball. I *think* he was a shortstop(?), can’t remember what team.
Anyway, he was in the Pacific theater as part of the ampibious landings on the various islands (so Marines or US Army). Anyrate, as he and his mates were landing, the Japanese would throw grenades, which he would then catch and throw back in their faces: BOOM! Over and over and over. Eventually bad luck caught up with him and he blew off his hand...
...Now THAT takes guts. The good news is that America is full of heroes like that guy.
I’m going to check out your threads now...
Yep...I see the problem: We’re not allowed to engage ships in international waters UNLESS they fire on us first. Doesn’t matter if they’re already attacking another ship...we can only “chase them off” or try to put ourselves in the way so as to prevent the pirates from attacking.
It sucks royally, but them’s the brakes.
If it were MY choice...
“Main guns...target amidship...send him to the bottom! FIRE!”
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