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Vic Socotra

Author: Vic Socotra

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October 21, 2019 Vic Socotra

Hong Kong Trilogy, Part Three

Editor’s Note: Pt. Loma’s piece on Hong Kong really brought back memories from salty old WESTPAC sailors. The events this week in Hong Kong- ten dead, so far- makes these recollections that much more precious. I personally was skewered for failing to mention famed Jimmy’s Kitchen in Central was snubbed. Not true. Just visited on […]

October 21, 2019 Vic Socotra

Pont Loma: Hong Kong

Fabulous My friends back home used to ask me about port calls, and what my favorite place was. Well, here it is. As Westpac sailors, Hong Kong was a touchstone for us – I went there six times, and every port call was better than the one before (well, maybe Perth might be an exception […]

October 20, 2019 Vic Socotra

Arrian: Whose Interests?

Queen Victoria’s 6th Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston, oversaw the British Empire at a time when it was nearing its greatest power (a total of 16 years as Foreign Secretary and 9 years as Prime Minister). Palmerston was quite willing to engage in all sorts of foreign actions, sticking the British “nose” into virtually every corner […]

October 20, 2019 Vic Socotra

Arrian: Whose Interests?

Queen Victoria’s 6th Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston, oversaw the British Empire at a time when it was nearing its greatest power (a total of 16 years as Foreign Secretary and 9 years as Prime Minister). Palmerston was quite willing to engage in all sorts of foreign actions, sticking the British “nose” into virtually every corner […]

October 18, 2019 Vic Socotra

Point Loma: The Music of the Night

I took my family up to Baltimore to see the Phantom of the Opera performed at the legendary Hippodrome Theater last night – it was fantastic. The story by French writer Gaston Leroux is totally compelling, the staging and sets were magnificent, the production and musical renderings were incredible, and the impact had all of […]

October 15, 2019 Vic Socotra

Arrias: Sumo Wrestling in the Middle East

Imagine a US Army force of 13,500 soldiers, cornered by a much larger enemy force, on the other side of the world. What should we do to rescue them? Is there any cost too high to pay to get those Americans out of the way of the enemy buzz saw? In Syria the Turkish army […]

October 13, 2019 Vic Socotra

H-gram 036A No Higher Honor – The Battle off Samar, 25 October 1944

“In no engagement in its entire history has the United States Navy shown more gallantry, guts and gumption than in the two morning hours between 0730 and 0930 off Samar.” – Rear Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison, “History of U.S. Naval Operations in World War II.” Earlier this year, I suggested to then-CNO Admiral Richardson that […]

October 10, 2019 Vic Socotra

Cocktails With the Admiral

OK, OK, a dollar short and late. I am distracted by the level of discourse back up North, the Turkish invasion of Syria (Kurds, anyway) and all the rest of the hysteria that will dog us the next year. The turkey flock made their third incursion on the property. I think some of them might […]

October 9, 2019 Vic Socotra

Life & Island Times: Vietnam Vet Prayer

Author’s Note: WARNING: This may offend some; so, I apologize in advance. – Marlow Editor’s Note: This is another very strange week. The Turks are moving into Syria- and against the Kurds this morning, This look-back to other times suggests we might survive, but it will take courage. – Vic Vietnam Vet Prayer I’m unsure […]

October 9, 2019 Vic Socotra

Swamp Postcard: Double, Double

OK, I am on overload from the antics up north. Just to catch you up, the pot is bubbling and not to get on the Halloween thing too early, it seems full of toil and trouble. Speaker Pelosi, uplifted by her party’s mid-term election results, swept back into power. Her team had a bunch of […]