And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
OK, this picture made me shiver just a bit. In 1983, I was a second class petty officer aboard the USS Carl Vinson. We were anchored off of Ft. Lauderdale FL for the ship's first ever liberty port after sea trials. While the ship was in port, they offered tours to the local populace. Every time a liberty launch full of tourists headed out to the ship, they would grab a couple of sailors to escort them out to the ship where they would be turned over to the tour guides. I got tagged for this duty on Saturday afternoon, returning to the ship. So, being a new ship, the boat coxswains were all new, relatively inexperienced boat drivers. So, unloading at the ship was going slow. As boats were stacking up, waiting their turn, we were doing slow circles aft of the ship's stern in water with 10-15 foot swells. I was standing on the deck next to the cox'n looking around when the clouds seemed to scrunch up a bit (love those technical terms) and He and I watched the tornado come right down out of the clouds and touch the water about 1/4 mile away from us. Looked almost the same as this pic, minus the pier. I will never forget that sight and sound.
Ouch. That sucks!
ReplyDeleteAnd blows.
DeletePaul L. Quandt
OK, this picture made me shiver just a bit. In 1983, I was a second class petty officer aboard the USS Carl Vinson. We were anchored off of Ft. Lauderdale FL for the ship's first ever liberty port after sea trials. While the ship was in port, they offered tours to the local populace. Every time a liberty launch full of tourists headed out to the ship, they would grab a couple of sailors to escort them out to the ship where they would be turned over to the tour guides. I got tagged for this duty on Saturday afternoon, returning to the ship. So, being a new ship, the boat coxswains were all new, relatively inexperienced boat drivers. So, unloading at the ship was going slow. As boats were stacking up, waiting their turn, we were doing slow circles aft of the ship's stern in water with 10-15 foot swells. I was standing on the deck next to the cox'n looking around when the clouds seemed to scrunch up a bit (love those technical terms) and He and I watched the tornado come right down out of the clouds and touch the water about 1/4 mile away from us. Looked almost the same as this pic, minus the pier. I will never forget that sight and sound.
ReplyDelete