[CW] Slap, slap, slap

[James M. Walker]

Amen to that Brother,
This from a former instructor in Land Navigation, Day/Night. Using
the tools God gave us, eyes and ears and all the stars in the sky.

"GPS! GPS, We don't need no stinking GPS"
Where's the Duke when you need him?
Jim
WB2FCN
10 S.F. Grp

----- Original Message -----
From: "K0HB " <k-zero-hb at earthlink.net>
To: "CW Reflector" <cw at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Tuesday, January 03, 2006 11:44 AM
Subject: [CW] Slap, slap, slap


> Saw this in another venue.  It has absolutely nothing to do with Amateur
> Radio,
> but struck a chord.
>
> The Slap Slap of Signal Light Shutters
>
>     --by Bob 'Dex' Armstrong
>
> I saw a piece in a popular magazine awhile ago. It said that the United
> States
> Coast Guard had ceased to teach Morse Code. With all the super techno
> whizbang
> communication equipment around these days, I guess 'dits' and 'dahs' are
> looked
> upon as primitive communication.
>
> That's a damn pity because there is no more comforting sound than the
> rythmic
> slap of the signal light shutters. Watching a competent signalman operate
a
> signal light, to me beats watching a concert violinist or an Olympic
> medal-winning ice skater.
>
> There was something about nighttime steaming, transiting the open expanse
> of the
> world's oceans and exchanging seemingly meaningless flashes of light that
> in
> truth, were an exchange of clear, concise messages. The signalman and the
> gentle
> click of the signal light shutter louvers.
>
> "Sir, that's the J. W. WEEKS, DD-701."
>
> "Very well. Ask them if LT Al Timberlake is aboard. I went to the academy
> with
> Big Al."
>
> "Aye sir."
>
> "Yessir, he's aboard. LT CDR now."
>
> "Very well. Tell them to relay my compliments and tell Big Al that 'Short
> Stack'
> passed him during the midwatch."
>
> Little messages exchanged in darkness. Communication between members of
> America's great saltwater family. Those fingers of light always made me
> feel
> that I was a part of a big organization.
>
> Things that were so much a part of our life, have gone out of existence in
> the
> ensuing years. They tell me that torpedomen and quartermasters have joined
> gunners mates in the lost ratings of yesteryear. I know nothing lasts
> forever
> and that there's nothing worse to subsequent generations than an old
> bastard
> reliving cherished memories of the past. But with the navy looking to
boost
> its
> recruiting, it might be beneficial to revisit some of the things that were
> so
> meaningful to the bluejackets who manned our ships long ago.
>
> Tradition is a valuable asset. Not that to honor tradition, you have to
set
> aside technological advance. Not at all. But many of the 'sailor skills'
> are
> being discounted. Consider this. In battle, when you lose power and your
> computer-generated mo-jo is lost, or your batteries run out. Or the enemy
> detonates some hootenanny that scrubs your database. Will there be anyone
> who
> can take a legitimate sextant observation?
>
> What happens if the bad guys find a way to negate satellite positioning?
> What
> happens to the poor bastards bobbing around in a lifeboat with a signalman
> and
> an operating flashlight?
>
> How can you call a man an American bluejacket who can't tie a bowline or
> read
> flags? At some point, you stop being a bluejacket and become a technician.
> That's a sad fact, but a fact, nonetheless.
>
> The navy used to sell salt water adventure. It used to fill its recruiting
> offices with posters of smiling bluejackets visiting exotic ports. Ships
at
> sea.
> Extolling the qualities found in elite service like submarines. Now, you
> see
> posters promising monetary incentives, education benefits and pledges of
> high-level technical training. It is not an 'All for the Navy' navy,
> anymore.
> It's a 'What's in it for me?' navy. You can see the effect on the
> boatservice.
> Interchangeable crews. That's like a shared bride.
>
> Somebody needs to reinitiate the concept of 'a lad and his boat'. I see
> nuclear
> power sailors with the names of a dozen boats embroidered on their vests.
> How
> can a lad develop love and loyalty to twelve boats? Simple answer. He
can't.
>
> We need to figure out some way of reconnecting men with ships. We need to
> develop, to reestablish the relationship between sailors and their ships.
> We
> need to shitcan the term, 'Get my ticket punched on such and such a ship.'
> I
> find the term 'ticket punched' repulsive. I rode with men who truly loved
> the
> ship. She has been ours for better than 45 years and will continue to be
> until
> the day we leave the planet. It is sad that with the 'interchangeable
> parts'
> commands of today, a boatsailor doesn't develop the love we were given.
>
> But, as I said earlier, there's nothing worse than a nostalgic old coot
> who's
> out of step with the march of time. An old sonuvabitch whose era has come
> and
> gone.
>
> But you can't fault a man who loved his service. The men. His wardroom.
His
> boat. An old bastard who can still hear the gentle slap, slap, slap of the
> bridge signal light shutters.
> --
> ><{{{{*> http://www.home.earthlink.net/~k0hb
>
>
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