As backdrops go, it is hard to beat the view from Pier Kilo 8 at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. There is a breathtaking view of the Waianai Mountains, remnants of an ancient shield volcano that guard the Makaha coast. In the middle distance lies the vast gray length of the battleship Missouri, BB- 63, […]

Left Coast Guy and I were at the NEX- I found an aloha shirt to wear to the retirement this afternoon much better than the one I brought: this one has the USS Midway CV-41 unit patch as the unifying theme. Then we went down to the Naval Station. I had no idea where the […]

(This is a model at McGrew Point similar to the House of Socotra, circa 1981-85. You can’t go home again.) As it turns out, it isn’t a metaphor. It is just true. The guy wouldn’t let me in the gate, and besides, the house where I lived had been bulldozed in 2005. But I will […]

Ok, Ok, I could ramble on about the miracles of intercontinental air travel, or the wonder of seeing the Golden Gate Bridge from 38,000 feet and later the mighty crater of Diamond Head slide by under the right wing of the Boeing Triple-Seven jet, or the excellence of the flight crew, aviators and supporters, or […]

As best I can determine, The Cause was lost in the West by the end of 1863. The March to the Sea was kicking a dying horse. An alert reader reminded me of why Uncle Patrick’s memories seem to trail off when he re-joined Company H- he outlasted it. He wrote: “I’m not surprised that […]

(THE BATTLE OF PEACHTREE CREEK AT BUCK HEAD, GA, NORTH OF ATLANTA. UNCLE PATRICK WAS ONE OF THREE SURVIVORS OF COMPANY “H.”) SO, UNCLE PATRICK FOUND HIMSELF AS CAPTAIN OF COMPANY “H,” FOR THE LAST BIT OF THE CONQUEST OF THE SOUTH BY THE FEDERAL FORCES. LIKE ELECTIONS, WARS HAVE REAL CONSEQUENCES. I WILL GET […]

Two weeks later I was on my way to Nashville with another gang of government workmen. I felt much better than I looked, due to the ravages of the Pox. At Edgefield Junction, Mike Costalo came through the train, apparently looking for some one. When he got near me, I spoke to him. He said: […]

(The fabulous Gayoso Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. The was built overlooking the Mississippi River in 1842 and became a Memphis landmark until it burned in 1899. The original Gayoso House was a first class hotel, designed by James H. Dakin, was appointed with the latest conveniences, including indoor plumbing with marble tubs, silver faucets and […]

After the funeral was done, they put me into a room with two other officers who were prisoners, one of whom was Capt Broughton, of Dallas, Texas. This room was about 12×14 feet square, and was quite bare as to furnishings. We had to sleep on our blankets and use our canteens for pillows. Just […]

(“Battle of Raymond” by Theodore Davis – Harper’s Weekly, June 13th, 1863, from a sketch by Theodore Davis. Image courtesy Wikipedia). These have been the words of Patrick Griffin, taken from an address he gave in 1905, some forty-two years after the events he describes. His unit- the Bloody Tinth- had been ordered from Port […]