Okie Dokie

A Sailor A SAILOR I was that which others did not want to be. I went where others feared to go, and did what others failed to do.I asked nothing from those who gave nothing, and reluctantly accepted the thought of eternal loneliness......................should I fail. I have seen the face of terror; felt the stinging cold of fear; and Enjoyed the sweet taste of a moment’s love.I have cried, pained, and hoped...but most of all, I have lived times Others would say were best forgotten. At least someday I will be able to say that I was proud of what I was ...........A Sailor. ----Unknown Don’t wait for your ship to come in; Swim out to it... CHANGES Changes in latitude, Changes in attitude, Nothing remains quite the same... Through all the islands, And all of the highlands, If we couldn’t laugh, We’d all go insane! An old US Navy postcard of the Panama Canal - Circa 1914 This is the Coastal Defenses of Panama firing one of their 14 inch railroad guns (Circa 1939) A PT Boat on patrol in Panama waters (Circa 1944) A Ship locking through at night at Miraflores Locks. The USS Manley DD-940 set a record transit through the Panama Canal of 3 hours and 10 minutes... "I can imagine no more rewarding a career. And any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction: 'I served in the United States Navy.'" President John F. Kennedy, 1 August 1963, in Bancroft Hall at the U. S. Naval Academy. (Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy, Containing the Public Messages, Speeches, and Statements of the President, January 1 to November 22, 1963 [Washington: Government Printing Office, 1964] Too Many Secrets Latest book ... More about my books ... The country of Panama is located just 9 degrees above the Equator. It is a lost paradise of enchantment. On an Armed Forces Day Celebration in the old Canal Zone these maps were available to the visitors. Panama is also a place dreams and fabulous memories. You can be part of it all...Come to Panama... it is more than a canal. Escape to Panama... a lost tropical paradise at 9 degrees above the equator… Panama at the cross roads of world commerce in the heart of the universe… Panama more than just a canal… What a place to get away from it all... Just do it... you will be glad you did!!! Picture credits: Author, US Navy archives, Naval Historical Society