The manuscript is dated 1995-96. It was part of the jumble of digits that appeared in an old group of files. There were digital communications back then, but they were still new. What follows is one of the first Official Reports distilled through paper copies, fed through scanners into different processing systems and tucked away […]

It is not over, this pleasant culmination of the energy of summer. Last week- the one before last Sunday, that is, actually was said to end things on August 12th. From here out, our weather will reflect the changing season as the days grow shorter and the temperatures stay modest. The slide into the transition […]

We can’t avoid it. We tried to stay happy all week, and the gathering last Thursday proved to be a sentimental focus for fond memories. We had all met when the Navy brought us together in Hawaii. Our duty station was on the top floor of the Fleet Intelligence Center- the “F-I-C” that rose up […]

It was a good afternoon in Falls Church, Virginia. A dozen or so of the Old Salts who are now strewn around the world got together to share a meal and some memories. There was a certain poignancy that touched the atmosphere above the dark long table where the staff of Ireland’s Four Court bar […]

This is the morning in the week when our dislike for America On-Line’s decision to shed maintenance on their “classic” edition of the electronic communications system is the most irritating. In the old version, we could have dropped a copy of the one-page version of the report right after the title line so you could […]

1. The medical stuff disrupted the production schedule at Socotra House. This is is is first of two notes we were working on for the beginning of the next book: “A Little Traveling Music.” They are necessary to frame the real point of the narrative, which is not “Gee, look at these unique places!” but […]

Yep. We have some troubles this morning. As a group with experience in the maritime world, it comes as a bit of a surprise that it has such a nautical flavor. There are multiple powers here on our planet had have the capability of employing weapons of mass destruction to achieve foreign policy goals. It […]

The Cardio Doctor was firm. He was of the opinion that I ought to be dragging the larger portion of my body each week to a medical specialist who specializes in perfectly ordinary things. In this case, those are known as “feet.” The medical specialist is known by the area in which he operates. The […]

Considering there is nothing going on in these passing gray days in the National Capital Region there is an awful lot going on, you know? It is both personal and national, of course. The Legal Section added to the various impositions on their Intern, who has been muttering things like “Back to school coming soon, […]

This is August, the month in which the rich steamy temperatures are supposed to cloak us in moisture here north of the Tidewater of Virginia. Just last week were informed this is the warmest it has been in a couple hundred thousand years and there is something really troubling coming down the pike. This morning […]