Got lost at the Podiatrist, a formerly routine local errand now assuming different proportions due to changing times. Word came in that a concert had been cancelled at the Hollywood Bowl due to a “brief blackout” that also disrupted a USC football game at the Coliseum. We were comforted by the announcement from the mayor’s office that the inability to keep the lights on was completely understandable since temperatures had surged.

The electrical grids in Arizona, Texas and Nevada thankfully were not subject to problems, since apparently they experience a different sort of heat. Like what is expected in that debate thing tonight, which brought on a lot of controversy to the delayed morning meeting. Aside from the old Navy stuff flying around the Salty end of the picnic table.

That sidebar had started with a frank discussion of how we are going to deal with armed international gangs now operating openly in north Denver and across America. US Army sources apparently are internally reporting that Tren de Aragua, the Venezuelan prison gang, “has established a presence in Brooklyn, Bronx, and Williamsburg, NY, “with “approximately 400 TdA members” living in these cities. They”have been given a ‘green light’ to fire on or attack law enforcement in Denver. Similar reporting by DHS in New York.

They have heightened the warning level for law enforcement at local, state, federal law enforcement, and the military. It is the last phrase that is new. This is now not a problem for the cop-shop. This requires the Army.

Or the Navy, which as you might expect was a hot-button for the afternoon as the sun drenched the patio and suds and sangria enlivened the level of discussion.

We agreed to react to the debate if it actually happens. We had expected some kind of derailment, based on messaging out of the Harris Preparation Camp, which like the cops and army thing are another of those new things that politicians formerly were expected to simply step up and do. We have agreed to do the responsible thing. Our poll indicates we will vote early and in person at the Registrar’s office in two weeks and then cease our personal involvement in this contest.

The Navy stuff? Our circle is mostly former sea-service by trade, so the usual topics are always in play. The one about one of the old-line guys some had worked for, a guy whose career included things like the Legion of Merit some of us got as a retirement award, with a Combat “V.” That career got some admiration and his picture is in the intro slide. One of the Good Guys you would trust with your life. Then there was the other story about today, this world. The tale of the destroyer skipper relieved over an inappropriate photo- of a rifle transtioned from embarrassment to systemic failure.

Turns out, he actually got fired for a steering problem on his ship reported some 18 times but left unfixed. A Navy spokesperson declined to comment, citing the matter as an ongoing investigation.

That is true butalso a convenient deflection. Previous reporting indicates the ship had mechanical failure- uncontrolled shifting of the hydraulic power units controlling one of two rudders. A safety of navigation issue, you know?

It had been reported up the chain and off the ship. The Admiral’s staff responded by to troubleshoot the warship while pierside in Bahrain but the tech visit was not funded or authorized for underway time. So, without correction when the warship departed the same steering problems began to occur, including one while alongside an oiler steaming in the Gulf of Oman. Collisions at sea are generally career enders, but ones also associated with hitting an (inflammable) Diesel Fuel Marine-filled ship are particularly to be avoided by skilled professionals.

There were some rueful smiles and an occasional grimace at the picnic table, depending on how close to one of those special moments at sea we had been. But this one got better. The skipper had notified the chain of command of a casualty to his machinery. The maintenance chain- the repair guys- failed to their job and the operations folks did not accommodate the limitation.

So, someone had to get fired and the guy with that awful picture of the rifle is the perfect candidate. In these situations, it is customary for the second in command- the executive officer or “XO” to move up and assume command. Instead, the deputy of the two-star Destroyer Squadron (DESRON-21) was dispatched to remedy the problem her staff had contributed to making.

She is an experienced officer, recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal. Her public bio also references 2021 participation in the panel discussion “LGBT Experiences in the Forward-Deployed Navy Ten Years After Don’t Ask, Don’t tell.” She is now acting CO of USS John S. McCain (DDG-56), which is now hopefully someplace getting the recalcitrant rudder fixed before again operating as part of the USS Abraham Lincoln’s strike group in the Gulf of Oman.

It would be fun to treat this as one of the social crazy stories so popular in the messaging world these days. We respect the DSM and awards like the ones Frank earned in their careers. We respect freedom to the extent that we surrendered some of ours for a while to protect the freedom of the whole. And as to who we like or love? None of our business or yours.

But this is just some of the hysteria that needs to be reigned in. It has become this surreal. There are very complex and lethal machines operated by American citizens out there and we are replacing sustainable operating systems with ones that are not.

People like Frank had to deal with a left-over Navy intended to fight Japan, rode hard, and expected to step up to a new Russia. It was tough, but peace was generally maintained. This time it is likely to be different, and from what we can observe, it is already alongside and our rudders may not work.

Enjoy the debate if you stay up, This topic probably won’t be on the agenda. It could still be fun!

Copyright 2024 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com

Vic Socotra | Purveyor of glib words to the world