FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Chester M "Whitey" Mack ~ April 1, 2013

Serving The Best Troops and Veterans In The World !! | StarCMC

[Kathy in Alaska]

Our Troops Rock!  Thank you for all you do!

For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces.

Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today!

~ Hall of Heroes ~

Chester M. "Whitey" Mack

Some info from this website.

           

Chester M. "Whitey" Mack, 77, of Englewood, Fla., passed away Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008.

He was born July 20, 1931, in Glen Lyon, Pa.

Whitey and his beloved wife, Joan, moved to Englewood in 1995 from North, Va. He was a highly decorated U.S. Navy captain with 20 years of service. He had a chemical engineering degree from Penn State, and master's degree in international law from Georgetown University. He was a member of the American Legion, Military Officers Association of America of Sarasota, Fla., and the USS Lapon Association; and a life member of U.S. Submarine Veterans.

Arrangements were made in Port Charlotte, Fla.

---

So what did he do for those Navy decorations?  From a NOVA transcript:

NARATOR:  Sub commanders like Whitey Mack, knew the risks of getting in close; they also knew the rewards. In 1969, Mack slipped in behind the newest Soviet missile sub, and followed its every move for 47 straight days.

MACK: Every 90 minutes, he changed course. It wasn't 89 minutes or 91 minutes; it was exactly 90 minutes. And that's the longest I slept for the whole time. He'd go up, well we'd go up, he'd come down, we'd go down. And sometimes, we'd go pretty deep. We just did the merry old dance, you know, two 6,000 ton ships circling each other.

I think that probably the most important thing is that we came back like we had an idea of where he was operating, the method of his operations. We thought we had a better handle at the range of his tactical missiles. We could actually separate the different officers of the deck. We knew which guy had the deck just by the way he handled the ship, the way things ran. When you learn next door to somebody, you learn a lot about him, and we did. And we brought all that information back.

__: This business of surveillance against the Russians and finding out what they were doing, it was just like cowboys and Indians. And naturally, as it got more sophisticated, it was a bit more like three-dimensional chess. But with the added spur to it, knowing that somebody might be nudging up your backside any minute, and really being quite nasty about it.

NARRATOR: Sometimes spying against the other side led submarines into spaces they weren't supposed to be, a fact both sides, to this day, officially deny.

__: Our submarine never, never entered the American territorial waters. We had a strict order not to come closer than 50 miles.

__: The orders were quite clear, "Thou shalt not trespass."

__: And were those orders ever trespassed, themselves?

__: I can't answer that question. You might get someone from the United States Navy to answer that. I can't. I'll just leave it, "Thou shalt not trespass." And somebody wants to give a nudge and a wink, well that's up to them.

__: Look, in the '60s, I was training with the SEALs. I was in the Navy, training with the SEALs, and some of my colleagues had been in the sewers of Hanoi....(inaudible) that's one of the sewers. So can you get real close? Well you can get real close. ...(laughter)

The story of Whitey Mack is detailed in a book called "Blind Man's Bluff."

One of Whitey's favorite hangouts was the Horse And Cow.  And there's even a song called the "Ballad of Whitey Mack."  Click the link - you'll love it!

Thank you Whitey - you were a true hero.  

Please remember the Canteen is here to honor, support and entertain our troops and their families.  This is a politics-free zone!  Thanks for helping us in our mission!

---

[mylife]

Beyond that and perhaps the greatest thing he did a Capt was he admired every bubbelhead on the boat, right down to the cook, he would listen.

The mutual respect was the glue that made the crew.

[ConorMacNessa]

Loyalty up and down the chain of command - that's what makes the greatest outfits!



Where are the survivors of the massacre at Benghazi? The silence of the Obama Regime on this question is deafening!

Fiat Justitia, Ruat Coelum!

Genuflectimus non ad principem sed ad Principem Pacis!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[mylife]

respect.

[Kathy in Alaska]

God Bless you good, Mac. Good night and rest well. Thanks for helping honor our troops, past and present.
Thank you for your service to our country.

[mylife]

Kursk

[Kathy in Alaska]

wh!!

Luv.....#50!!

[The Mayor]

Excellent learning lesson, I just watched the Passion of Christ again as I do every year and had a discussion about it with my daughter who is 17. It is conversations like this one and yours that will stick in our memories for years, especially our childrens.

What we say as parents can set the course for their future and what they will ultimately teach their kids. What we say has great importance and can have a huge affect on them so we can’t be wrong, especially on a Biblical perspective. God holds us accountable for what we teach our children.

[mylife]

Dive! Dive!!

[mylife]

Ooops, " Dive Dive!

[Kathy in Alaska]

My first 2 vehicles were VW bugs....then I got a pickup and put this horn in it. I loved it!!

[mylife]

LOL!

I owned VWs till 1992

[mylife]

I had a altimiter in one of the VW campers

[mylife]

We got that puppy to 14K ft

[Kathy in Alaska]

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good morning/afternoon/evening/night Troops, wherever you are.

Thank you for doing your part to help keep all of us free and safe.

Thanks, unique, for the pastries.

Coffee is always on........

How about a donut?

Cookies?

Veggies?

Sandwich?

[Kathy in Alaska]

God bless and keep safe our troops worldwide.

Good night.

Statler Brothers ~ How Great Thou Art

[E.G.C.]

A very pleasant good morning to everyone at the Canteen and to all our military at home and abroad. Thanks for your service to our country.

((HUGS))Good morning, Ladies. Thanks for this morning's thread, Star. How's it going?

[E.G.C.]

BTTT

[Robert A Cook PE]

Got to Easter Mass over here in Oviedo Spain (near the north coast mountains) yesterday. Sunny day - first time in 12 days. 8<)

(Built - and rebuilt - those boat described in Blinds Man Bluff while in Vallejo CA at Mare Island Shipyard. Now closed.)

[Arrowhead1952]

Good morning to everyone at the Canteen. 65º this morning and headed for the mid 80s again.