Monthly Archives: March 2023

Sometimes a ship’s captain at sea on deployment will allow his crew to go without shaving, usually with some kind of buy-in providing donations to the Morale, Welfare and Recreation fund. Not all captains do it, and the CNO slammed the door on it during my last deployment, making it clear—in no uncertain terms—that COsContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 18 March”

I loved it when the ship and crew made a big deal about what is essentially a Christian holiday. Just because they don’t know that this is what it is or why we actually celebrate it, and even if their observances don’t involve religion at all, they have cracked open the door and I amContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 17 March”

Most of the oilers that resupplied us were named for explorers, and that was enough of a prompt me for evening prayers like this one. Shamefully, most of the crew wouldn’t ever know who they were. (Cue middle ager complaint: What are the teaching in schools these days?) Within this story I found a lessonContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 16 March”

This story was a rare two-for: it includes both history and poetry. It is amazing how many names we know without knowing why we know them, and the stories really are worth telling. My hope in sharing some of them is to pique interest in others to read more deeply into our history. America reallyContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 15 March”

Sports are a ground rich with valuable life lessons. This is at least part of the reason, I suspect, that anyone applying for admission to a service academy or ROTC program must have some involvement in athletics if he or she hopes to be seriously considered. Participation in sports teaches that sometimes life is notContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 14 March”

There are two bottlenecks in the Red Sea. Everyone knows about the Suez Canal, but at its southern end the Red Sea narrows into the straits of Bab-al-Mandeb before emptying, though the Gulf of Aden, into the north Arabian Sea. This is a dangerous transit because, in addition to being one of the busiest shippingContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 13 March”

Destroyers rose to naval prominence during the fight against submarines in the Second World War, and one of their primary missions remains defending the fleet from the threat of submarine attack. It is a proficiency all escort ships (CRUDES, in US Navy parlance) must demonstrate before departing for an extended deployment. Lately in an eraContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 11 March”

I like to interrupt the war stories with other stuff, and as I may have mentioned before, I got a kick out of reading poetry on the ship’s main public address system. So I went back to poetry for this one. As for the prayer, if you’re Orthodox and you’ve been reading along with thisContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 10 March”

When we deployed with the USS Laboon in company, I had no idea who Laboon was. Looking up his story I was amazed to find that he, like me, began his Navy service in submarines, but finished it as a chaplain. Take some time to read the remarkable stories of the chaplains who have wonContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 9 March”

Most of our Navy ships that deploy from the eastern coast of the U.S. will pass through the Suez Canal. It is a long transit in restricted waters that presents a host of difficulties, not the least of which is that the ships are close enough to land to be hit by a thrown rock,Continue reading “Daily Prayer, 8 March”