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.
I know someone who has done ride alongs with the CG Boat crew. Everyone is strapped in, and she was pretty bruised up after. Those boys and girls practice that stuff all the time. Dedicated to saving lives on the open sea.
When I was with Special Boat Squadron ONE in Coronado one of our more senior reservists could not understand why one of our brilliant E5 Petty Officers wouldn’t even try to take the test for E6. The reserve petty officer was a millionaire who lived and worked in Denver and he explained again and again, where else would he be allowed to drive SEAL boats on weekends and get paid to do it and besides he didn’t the money and finally he would point out that E6 didn’t drive the boats.
I witnessed one of these rides some years ago early one morning when I was out striper fishing in a squall with heavy on shore wind and a strong outgoing tide at the mouth of a major river. There were three or four 8-10 foot standing waves building about 100 yards in from the ocean. The wave tops are 20-30 yards apart. I'm watching the waves get bigger, then I hear a CG boat, like one pictured, come tearing down the river. I'm thinking oh shit some boater is out on the ocean in trouble and I also thought the CG boat would drive around the standing waves. Nope. Sorta skipped along the tops throwing huge amounts of water out each time it landed on a wave top. Quite the spectacle.
About ten minutes or so after the CG boat disappears in the rain heading out on the ocean, I hear it coming back. They made the same run again along the tops of the standing waves. The boat didn't come back for a third or fourth run. I guess they had enough fun for one day
I know someone who has done ride alongs with the CG Boat crew. Everyone is strapped in, and she was pretty bruised up after. Those boys and girls practice that stuff all the time. Dedicated to saving lives on the open sea.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was with Special Boat Squadron ONE in Coronado one of our more senior reservists could not understand why one of our brilliant E5 Petty Officers wouldn’t even try to take the test for E6. The reserve petty officer was a millionaire who lived and worked in Denver and he explained again and again, where else would he be allowed to drive SEAL boats on weekends and get paid to do it and besides he didn’t the money and finally he would point out that E6 didn’t drive the boats.
ReplyDeleteI did a similar path. Have a lucrative civilian life so I did 16 years uscg reserves to play with the fun toys every so often.
DeleteGod Bless Them All!
ReplyDeleteDoing that is hard on the equipment.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard on the kidneys, spinal columns, and knees too.
DeleteLike career-ending hard.
I witnessed one of these rides some years ago early one morning when I was out striper fishing in a squall with heavy on shore wind and a strong outgoing tide at the mouth of a major river. There were three or four 8-10 foot standing waves building about 100 yards in from the ocean. The wave tops are 20-30 yards apart. I'm watching the waves get bigger, then I hear a CG boat, like one pictured, come tearing down the river. I'm thinking oh shit some boater is out on the ocean in trouble and I also thought the CG boat would drive around the standing waves. Nope. Sorta skipped along the tops throwing huge amounts of water out each time it landed on a wave top. Quite the spectacle.
ReplyDeleteAbout ten minutes or so after the CG boat disappears in the rain heading out on the ocean, I hear it coming back. They made the same run again along the tops of the standing waves. The boat didn't come back for a third or fourth run. I guess they had enough fun for one day
Nemo