Veteran's Day 2017. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.

[actaeon277]

He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say "To-morrow is Saint Crispian."
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say "These wounds I had on Crispin's day.
"Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
,Familiar in his mouth as household words—Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester—Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be rememberèd-We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother

Shakespeare

 

[actaeon277]

[video=youtube;v8K0lIyTkIM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8K0lIyTkIM[/video]

 

[actaeon277]

Tommy

I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o' beer,
The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here."
The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:
O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away";
But it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play,
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play.
I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,
But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls!
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, wait outside";
But it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide,
The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,
O it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide.
Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap;
An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.
Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, 'ow's yer soul?"
But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll,
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll.
We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;
While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, fall be'ind",
But it's "Please to walk in front, sir", when there's trouble in the wind,
There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
O it's "Please to walk in front, sir", when there's trouble in the wind.
You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all:
We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!"
But it's "Saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot;
An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool -- you bet that Tommy sees!

Rudyard Kipling

 

[actaeon277]

[video=youtube;o_l4Ab5FRwM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_l4Ab5FRwM[/video]

 

[KellyinAvon]

He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say "To-morrow is Saint Crispian."
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say "These wounds I had on Crispin's day.
"Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
,Familiar in his mouth as household words—Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester—Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be rememberèd-We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother

Shakespeare

Thanks Act. Happy Veterans Day!

 

[actaeon277]

[video=youtube;msYPbjFC50w]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msYPbjFC50w[/video]

 

[Alpo]

Agincourt. My favorite battle.

 

[Woobie]

He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say "To-morrow is Saint Crispian."
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say "These wounds I had on Crispin's day.
"Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
,Familiar in his mouth as household words—Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester—Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be rememberèd-We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother

Shakespeare

One of the finest speeches ever written. Happy Veterans Day.

 

[actaeon277]

 

[Wolfhound]

 

[Alpo]

I have a friend, now a Count in Nomandy, whose family owned the Crillon Hotel in Paris. Inscribed on the wall is:

Pends-toi, brave Crillon, nous avons combattu à Arques, et tu n'y étais pas ! (Hang on, brave Crillon, we fought at Arques, and you were not there!)

The letter was sent by Henry IV to the his favorite Captain who could not be at the battle of Arques. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_des_Balbes_de_Berton_de_Crillon

It is a side note to our veterans day, but Brave Crillon was a veteran of note in the 16th Century French wars of religion.

 

[Woobie]

Not a day goes by, does it?

 

[Wolfhound]

Not a day goes by, does it?

He is always in my thoughts. Always will be.....

 

[Woobie]

 

[JAL]

Francis Scott Key's last verse is a tribute to those who serve, have served and will serve in the future . . .

O thus be it ever when freemen shall stand
Between their lov'd home and the war's desolation!
Blest with vict'ry and peace may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the power that hath made and preserv'd us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto - "In God is our trust,"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave​

I think of this when I see the local war memorial which continues to periodically add names. I first heard it 50 years ago. A local TV station in Phoenix used to play this verse at the end of their broadcast day during the 1960's. That was a time when TV stations signed off late at night and signed back on early in the morning.

Freedom is never free.

John

 

[actaeon277]

One of the best days in my life.

 

[Alpo]

Water pressure caused those "wrinkles"?

What are the 2 large pods astern of the tower?

 

[halfmileharry]

Happy Veterans Day guys and gals.

 

[actaeon277]

Water pressure caused those "wrinkles"?

What are the 2 large pods astern of the tower?

Those wrinkles are on the outer hull. There are 2 hulls. The inner hull (or pressure hull) is stronger and actually acts a the pressure barrier, keeping us alive and breathing air. Then, outside that are air tanks, water tanks, rope locker, and other things that don't need inside wasting space. After all, if an air tank can hold 3,500 psi, it can hold sea pressure.
But all that stuff would create drag slowing us down, or flow noise, and noise means death. Noise is one of the deaths of a submariner, that and fires that take the oxygen from your air. So over that, they place the outer hull (or superstructure). This makes us more aerodynamic. But, since sea pressure is on both sides, doesn't need to be thick and strong.
What you are seeing is +25 years of waves and bumps from piers.

As for the "pods"...
It's funny. When I was in, they were "classified".
Then one day, I'm looking on the internet, and I see "Dry Deck Shelter". And I'm "WTF?".
But then I realized it was decades ago, so some things are no longer secret.
https://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/dds.htm
If you read, you can see my sub (USS John Marshall) twice. Once about a demonstration of our capabilities (which used to be secret) and also on a list of subs modified to carry them.
You might notice the placement of our sub on the list. We and the Sam Houston were pioneers.
Or expendable, depending on how generous you feel.
If you look, you can find out more about them DDS Dry Deck Shelter and SDV Seal Delivery Vehicle online.


As for the picture, I took it myself and am rather fond of it.
Sunrise at St. Croix, US Virgin Islands.


And the "tower" is actually called the "sail".

 

[Ericpwp]

https://www.bearcreekarsenal.com/vets-day-giveaway?utm_source=Bear+Creek+Arsenal+Newsletter&utm_campaign=3be783d8eb-11%2F07%2F2017-+Veteran%27s+Day+Giveaway&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f428505653-3be783d8eb-132548345&mc_cid=3be783d8eb&mc_eid=5b6eee1293