USO Canteen FReeper Style....Thursday....April 25,2002

Graphics and Layout by Billie and Written by Snow Bunny and a Thank you to Mama_Bear Today!

[Snow Bunny]

Anchors Aweigh

I am the American Sailor

Hear my voice, America! Though I speak through the mist of 200 years, my shout for freedom will echo through liberty's halls for many centuries to come. Hear me speak, for my words are of truth and justice, and the rights of man. For those ideals I have spilled my blood upon the world's troubled waters. Listen well, for my time is eternal - yours is but a moment.

I am the spirit of heroes past and future. I am the American Sailor. I was born upon the icy shores at Plymouth, rocked upon the waves of the Atlantic, and nursed in the wilderness of Virginia. I cut my teeth on New England codfish, and I was clothed in southern cotton. I built muscle at the halyards of New Bedford whalers, and I gained my sea legs high atop mizzen of Yankee clipper ships.

Yes, I am the American Sailor, one of the greatest seamen the world has ever known. The sea is my home and my words are tempered by the sound of paddle wheels on the Mississippi and the song of whales off Greenland's barren shore. My eyes have grown dim from the glare of sunshine on blue water, and my heart is full of star-strewn nights under the Southern Cross.

My hands are raw from winter storms while sailing down round the Horn, and they are blistered from the heat of cannon broadside while defending our nation. I am the American Sailor, and I have seen the sunset of a thousand distant, lonely lands. I am the American Sailor. It was I who stood tall beside John Paul Jones as he shouted, "I have not yet begun to fight!" I fought upon the Lake Erie with Perry, and I rode with Stephen Decatur into Tripoli harbor to burn Philadelphia.

I met Guerriere aboard Constitution, and I was lashed to the mast with Admiral Farragut at Mobile Bay. I have heard the clang of Confederate shot against the sides of Monitor. I have suffered the cold with Peary at the North Pole, and I responded when Dewey said, "You may fire when ready Gridley," at Manila Bay. It was I who transported supplies through submarine infested waters when our soldier's were called "over there." I was there as Admiral Byrd crossed the South Pole. It was I who went down with the Arizona at Pearl Harbor, who supported our troops at Inchon, and patrolled dark deadly waters of the Mekong Delta.

I am the American Sailor and I wear many faces. I am a pilot soaring across God's blue canopy and I am a Seabee atop a dusty bulldozer in the South Pacific. I am a corpsman nursing the wounded in the jungle, and I am a torpedoman in the Nautilus deep beneath the North Pole. I am hard and I am strong.

But it was my eyes that filled with tears when my brother went down with the Thresher, and it was my heart that rejoiced when Commander Shepherd rocketed into orbit above the earth. It was I who languished in a Viet Cong prison camp, and it was I who walked upon the moon. It was I who saved the Stark and the Samuel B. Roberts in the mine infested waters of the Persian Gulf. It was I who pulled my brothers from the smoke filled compartments of the Bonefish and wept when my shipmates died on the Iowa and White Plains. When called again, I was there, on the tip of the spear for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

I am the American Sailor. I am woman, I am man, I am white and black, yellow, red and brown. I am Jew, Muslim, Christian and Buddhist. I am Irish, Filipino, African, French, Chinese, and Indian. And my standard is the outstretched hand of Liberty. Today, I serve around the world, on land, in air, on and under the sea. I serve proudly, at peace once again, but with the fervent prayer that I need not be called again.

Tell your children of me. Tell them of my sacrifice, and how my spirit soars above their country. I have spread the mantle of my nation over the ocean and I will guard her forever. I am her heritage and yours.

I AM THE AMERICAN SAILOR
Author unknown.


In Loving Memory
CDR. Clyde D. Killion, USN
YO1 L. H. Nash, USN

[SAMWolf]

Keep up the great work People!

[SassyMom]

Here's a sailor for y'all! Have a great day!

[SAMWolf]

Real CHIEFS

REAL CHIEFS Think Ensigns should be seen and not heard, and never, ever, be allowed to read books on leadership.

REAL CHIEFS Don't have any civilian clothes.

REAL CHIEFS Have CPO Association Cards from their last 5 commands.

REAL CHIEFS Don't remember any time they weren't Chief's.

REAL CHIEFS Propose like this "There will be a wedding at 1000 hours on 29 October, be there in whites with your gear packed because you will be a prime participant."

REAL CHIEFS Favorite national holiday is CPO Initiation.

REAL CHIEFS Keeps four sets of dress khaki uniforms in the closet in hopes they will come back.

REAL CHIEFS Favorite food is shipboard SOS for breakfast.

REAL CHIEFS Don't know how to tell civilian time.

REAL CHIEFS Call each other "Chief."

REAL CHIEFS Greatest fear is signing for property book items.

REAL CHIEFS Dream in Navy Blue, White, Haze Gray and occasionally khaki.

REAL CHIEFS Have served on ships that are now war memorials or tourist attractions.

REAL CHIEFS Get tears in their eyes when the "Chief" dies in the movie "Operation Pacific."

REAL CHIEFS Don't like Certified Navy Twill. "Wash Khaki" is the ONLY thing to make a uniform out of.

REAL CHIEFS Can find their way to the CPO Club blindfolded, on 15 different Navy Bases.

REAL CHIEFS Have pictures of ships in their wallets.

REAL CHIEFS Don't own any pens that do not have "Property U.S. Govt" on them.

REAL CHIEFS Don't voluntarily get the mandatory flu shots.

REAL CHIEFS Don't order supplies, they swap for them.

REAL CHIEFS Favorite quote is from the movie Ben Hur, "We keep you alive to serve this ship."

REAL CHIEFS Think excessive modesty is their only fault.

REAL CHIEFS Hate to write evaluations, except for their own.

REAL CHIEFS Turn in a 4 page brag sheet for their evaluation.

REAL CHIEFS Last ship was always better.

REAL CHIEFS Know that the black tar in their coffee cup makes the coffee taste better.

REAL CHIEFS Idea of heaven-Three good PO1's and a Division Officer who does what he is told.

REAL CHIEFS Think John Wayne would have made a good Chief, if he had not gone soft and made Marine movies.

REAL CHIEFS Use the term "Good Training" to describe any unpleasant task...Scraping the sides of the ship is "Good Training." Having to sleep on your seabag in the parking lot because there was no room in the barracks is "Good Training."

[SAMWolf]

The following tale is from the history of the oldest commissioned warship in the world, the USS Constitution. It comes by way of the National Park Service, as printed in "Oceanographic Ships, Fore and Aft", a periodical from the oceanographer of the US Navy.

[Note - and it's been modified slightly by someone along the way ]

On 23 August 1779, the USS Constitution set sail from Boston, loaded with 475 officers and men, 48,600 gallons of water, 74,000 cannon shot, 11,500 pounds of black powder and 79,400 gallons of rum. Her mission: to destroy and harass English shipping.

On 6 October, she made Jamaica, took on 826 pounds of flour and 68,300 gallons of rum. Three weeks later, Constitution reached the Azores, where she provisioned with 550 pounds of beef and 2,300 gallons of Portuguese wine.

On 18 November, she set sail for England where her crew captured and scuttled 12 English merchant vessels and took aboard their rum. By this time, Constitution had run out of shot. Nevertheless, she made her way unarmed up the Firth of Clyde for a night raid. Here, her landing party captured a whiskey distillery, transferred 13,000 gallons on board and headed for home.

On 20 February 1780, the Constitution arrived in Boston with no cannon shot, no food, no powder, no rum, and no whiskey. She did, however, still carry her crew of 475 officers and men and 18,600 gallons of water. The math is quite enlightening: Length of cruise: 181 days Booze consumption: 1.26 gallons per man per day (this does NOT include the unknown quantity of rum captured from the 12 English merchant vessels in November).

Naval historians say that the re-enlistment rate from this cruise was 92%.

Where do I sign up???

[SassyMom]

The USS Constitution is a beautiful ship. I think that the sailors on the Constitution probably needed all of the rum to survive. lol It was not built for comfort.

[Taxman]

No tribute to the U.S. Navy would be complete without the Navy Hymn.

The "Navy Hymn" is Eternal Father, Strong to Save. The original words were written as a poem in 1860 by William Whiting of Winchester, England, for a student who was about to sail for the United States. The melody, published in 1861, was composed by fellow Englishman, Rev. John Bacchus Dykes, an Episcopalian clergyman.

Herewith my favorite two verses:

Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!

Lord, guard and guide the men who fly
Through the great spaces in the sky.
Be with them always in the air,
In darkening storms or sunlight fair;
Oh, hear us when we lift our prayer,
For those in peril in the air!

The first time I heard the Navy Hymn was at the Pensacola Naval Air Station Chapel on the Mother's Day, 1964, the first Sunday of my Pre-Flight Training. To this day, the hair stands up on the back of my neck whenever I read, hear, or sing the Navy Hymn.

Click here for the rest of the story, a downloadble .wav file of the first verse and all of the other verses of the Navy Hymn.

[SAMWolf]

This look like any Navy Chiefs you know?

[headsonpikes]

Avast, ye swabs!! Bumping the link in #12.

That's the USO Canteen Post Office to you landlubbers.

[Brownie74]

If it doesn't have wings how can it fly stay afloat?

[Jen]

This is great, Tonk. Thanks for posting the link to the Decatur's website and pix of the crew. I sent an email to the public affairs officer of the Decatur to let him/her know that FReepers are honoring their ship today. Hope to hear from some of them!

[Jen]

Hello! Welcome to FR and the USO Canteen FReeper Style! I love Key West! I was stationed at Homestead AFB (south of Miami) and headed to the Conch Republic as often as I could. -Jen

[lodwick]

Excellent poem. Thank you. bttt

[Jen]

Hurry up and get in here. It's Navy day at the Canteen! We're eager to hear more of your 'nugget' training stories too. -Jen

[Iowa Granny]

Memo to all lurking Millitary who call the midwest home:

Mr Granny just brought me a seed corn cap filled with Morel Mushrooms. Gray ones about 2 inches tall and some yellow ones just a bit smaller.

Spring has truely arrived in SE Iowa.

[SAMWolf]

Rules as they apply to The Chief

THE CHIEF IS ALWAYS RIGHT.

IN THE IMPOSSIBLE HYPOTHESIS THAT A SUBORDINATE MAY BE RIGHT, SEE ABOVE.

THE CHIEF DOES NOT SLEEP, HE RESTS.

THE CHIEF IS NEVER LATE, HE IS DETAINED ELSEWHERE.

THE CHIEF NEVER LEAVES WORK, HIS PRESENCE IS REQUIRED ELSEWHERE.

THE CHIEF NEVER READS THE PAPER IN THE MESS, HE STUDIES.

THE CHIEF NEVER GOES ON LIBERTY WITH HIS JUNIORS, HE CONDUCTS TRAINING SESSIONS.

WHOEVER CONFRONTS THE CHIEF WITH AN IDEA OF HIS OWN, MUST LEAVE WITH THE CHIEF'S IDEA.

THE CHIEF IS ALWAYS THE CHIEF, EVEN IN HIS SHOWER SHOES.

[lodwick]

Good news on SpringTime & mushrooms - enjoy both. JL

[Mama_Bear]

Oh Bunny, I am overwhelmed! I am trying to compose this through tears and I am finding it difficult to find the words to tell you how very touching it was to come into the Canteen and see "I Am the American Sailor" posted today. I wasn't aware that you had taken that from my page until I saw the "In Loving Memory" of my two fathers (my dad and my husband's dad) underneath. My eyes welled up with tears to see their two names there. (They would both appreciate so much the good work that the Canteen does for our men and women in uniform.) But then, when I went on to read the sweet things you said about me, ... well, I totally lost it.

To each of you faithful Canteen supporters: now that I am somewhat composed, I want to tell you all how special you are and what a pleasure it is to know you. Each of you bring your own unique quality here and make the Canteen the wonderful place that it has become. I just can't tell you how much it means to me to be a small part of the very large contribution that the Canteen makes in bolstering the spirits of our military and our veterans by reminding them daily that they are not forgotten.

A big "bear hug" to all of you ... and to you Snow Bunny, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have taken on such a great responsibility in keeping the Canteen doors open. Your dedication, and Billie's, is nothing short of amazing. :-)

[SAMWolf]

Glad to hear you liked your "Wake up" surprise.

[SAMWolf]