Blog List (Plus a bonus: “Audio”)

I began writing “A Veteran’s Journey” on Veteran’s Day, November 11, 2019. I usually blog twice a week, Tuesdays for the “main” blog post and Fridays are reserved for a “Navy Friday Funny.”

Here’s a list of the posted “main” blogs, most recent at the top. Note that I’ve also included a link to the “audio” download (that’s ME reading the blog; sometimes it’s a little more “descriptive” than the written post).

And, if you’re interested, I’ve published these blogs in three books, “A Veteran’s Journey, Volume 1,” “A Veteran’s Journey, Volume 2,” and “A Veteran’s Journey, Volume 3” which contain many of my short stories, now available on Amazon (Vol 1), (Vol 2), and (Vol 3) ($9.95 paperback; $1.99 Kindle). Of course, as noted below, all these books are available for FREE download (eBook or PDF format).


A Veteran’s Journey,
Volume 1
A Collection of Short Stories
FREE to all Veterans
(click here)
A Veteran’s Journey,
Volume 2
A Collection of “More”
Short Stories
FREE to all Veterans
(click here)
A Veteran’s Journey,
Volume 3
A Collection of “Still More”
Short Stories
FREE to all Veterans
(click here)
A Veteran's Journey - Volume 1A Veteran's Journey - Volume 2
Blog #Pub DateBlog TitleAudio
180Nov 21, 2024My Best (3) Days in the NavyNavy
179Nov 5, 2024Grandparenting – What a Great Gig!#179Current
178Oct 22, 2024Midratsn/aNavy
177Oct 9, 2024A Force to be Reckoned Withn/aCurrent
176Oct 1, 2024Dear Mom & Dadn/aNavy
175Sep 17, 2024Night Shift#175Navy
174Sep 3, 2024Travel Orders#174Navy
173Aug 20, 2024Cruisin’ … It’s Not the Same#173Navy
172Jul 16, 2024A Change of “Scenery” (Red to Yellow)#172Navy
171Jul 2, 2024My First… Overseas Liberty Port#171Navy
170Jun 18, 2024An Honor & a PrivilegeN/ANavy, Army
169Jun 4, 2024Military Ball Caps… and Rocks#169Navy
168May 24, 2024Memorial Day 2024… What it Means to THIS VeteranN/ANavy
167May 14, 2024The Navy Introduced Me to a Lot of “Firsts”#167Navy
166Apr 30, 2024The Day I “Accidentally” Made 30 Kids Cry#166Navy
165Apr 16, 2024Back Then, I Could Sleep Anywhere#165Navy
164Mar 26, 2024It’s Not Just a Number#164Navy
163Feb 19, 2024Old Habits Die Hard#163Navy
162Feb 6, 2024My Best Day(s) in the Navy#162Navy
161Jan 18, 2024The “Pucker Factor”Navy
160Jan 1, 2024Quotes… and Happy New Year!N/ANavy, Army
159Dec 20, 2023The Bulge… “Revisited”N/AArmy
158Dec 5, 2023My Favorite Navy Jets (70s Version)#158Navy
157Nov 21, 2023Oh, the Places You’ll Go…#157Navy
156Nov 10, 2023“Missing Man” TableN/ANavy, Army
155Nov 7, 2023Four Years & Counting#155Navy
154Oct 10, 2023Technology Rants#154Life
153Sep 26, 2023The “Dream Sheet”#153Navy
152Sep 11, 2023Never Forget#152Life
151Aug 22, 2023Return to the Aftermath#151Life
Blog #Pub DateBlog TitleAudio
150Aug 8, 2023The Seabag#150Navy, Army
149Jul 25, 2023Short? “Five Days and a Wake Up”#149Navy
148Jul 10, 2023Anniversaries…#148Navy
147Jun 27, 2023An Unexpected and Unwanted JourneyN/ALife
146Jun 20, 2023Flight Ops: Another Fine Day in the Navy!N/ANavy
145Jun 6, 2023D-Day: No Better Place to DieN/AArmy
144May 29, 2023Memorial Day 2023: What it Means to THIS VeteranN/ANavy, Army
143May 16, 2023Flight Operations: Around the Clock#143Navy
142May 2, 2023An Unexpected DelightN/ANavy
141Apr 18, 2023Letter Writing: A Different Generation#141Navy, Army
140Mar 14, 2023Car v. Utility Pole: Never a Good ScenarioN/ANavy
139Feb 28, 2023Is This What I Signed Up For?#139Navy
138Feb 14, 2023Sleep Problems…#138Navy, Army
137Jan 31, 2023Hookers… #137Navy
136Jan 17, 2023What Makes the Flight Deck so Exciting?#136Navy
135Jan 3, 2023You Mean There’s More to an Aircraft Carrier than the Flight Deck?#135Navy
134Dec 31, 2022Quotes… and a Happy New Year!n/aNavy, Army, Marines
133Dec 20, 2022A Veteran’s Christmas#133Navy, Army
132Dec 6, 2022The Navy That Stayed with Me Through The Yearsn/aNavy
131Nov 21,2022Japan Air Lines 747: Engine Out#131Navy
130Nov 8, 2022The Missing Man Table#130Navy, Army
129Oct 25, 2022I May Have Left the Navy, But…#129Navy
128Oct 11, 2022Into the Aftermathn/aToday
127Sep 27, 2022Rig the Barricade#127Navy
126Sep 12, 2022World War II: The Bloody Moselle River Crossingn/aArmy
125Aug 30, 2022Nighttime on the Flight Deck, Part 2: Recovery#125Navy
124Aug 16, 2022Nighttime on the Flight Deck, Part 1: Launch#124Navy
123Aug 2, 2022I Thought I’d Heard Everything, Part 3#123Navy
122Jul 19, 2022“Three-two…” and other Navy “numbers” I Will Never Forget#122Navy
121Jul 5, 2022The “Decision”#121Navy
120Jun 14, 2022Merging the Past with the Present#120Navy
119Jun 7, 2022No Better Place to Die (repost)n/aArmy
118May 27, 2022Memorial Day 2022: What it means to THIS Veterann/aNavy, Army
117May 10, 2022“Mail Call!”#117Navy, Army
116Apr 26, 2022A Veteran’s Bond#116Navy
115Apr 12, 2022Never Forget…n/aArmy
114Mar 29, 2022Those Dastardly “Triggers”#114Navy
113Mar 15, 2022“Another Day in Paradise…”#113Navy
112Mar 1, 2022“Eject! Eject” – Excitement from the Flight Deck#112Navy
111Feb 15, 2022Navy “Orienteering”#111Navy
110Feb 3, 2022The Four Chaplainsn/aArmy
109Jan 18, 2022A New Chapter… Saying Goodbye to a Great Lady#109Navy
108Jan 4, 2022Emergency Breakaway: This is NOT a Drill!!!#108Navy
107Dec 21, 2021Christmas ’75: Coming Home…#107Navy
106Dec 7, 2021Pearl Harbor: Never Forgetn/aNavy
105Nov 23, 2021See You at the Red Light#105Navy
104Nov 9, 2021After Weeks at Sea, Finally… PI Liberty (Part 2)#104Navy
103Oct 26, 2021After Weeks at Sea, Finally… PI Liberty (Part 1)#103Navy
102Oct 12, 2021Adieu, Kitty Hawk… and Thank You!#102Navy
101Sep 28, 2021From the Flight Deck: Indescribable Beauty#101Navy
Blog #Pub DateBlog TitleAudio
100Sep 14, 2021Milestones#100Navy
99Sep 7, 2021Dismissed for Academic Reasons…#99Navy
98Aug 31, 2021Flight Ops: Aircraft Recovery#98Navy
97Aug 24, 2021Everything I Needed to Know About Life I Learned in… Boot Camp?#97Navy
96Aug 17, 2021Sivry, France: October 2, 1944n/aArmy
95Aug 10, 2021Birds of a Feather…n/aNavy
94Aug 3, 2021Flight Deck Operations: Aircraft Launch#94Navy
93Jul 27, 2021My Last Fire#93Navy
92Jul 20, 2021Walking Through Fire… Literally#92Navy
91Jul 13, 2021Blog Update(s) and… a “New” Bookn/aNavy
90Jul 6, 2021Are We There Yet?#90Navy
89Jun 29, 2021What’s it Like… Fighting a Fire?#89Navy, GFD
88Jun 22, 2021I Thought I’d Heard it All… Pre-Texting#88Navy
87Jun 15, 2021I Thought I’d Heard it All… Personality Passwords#87Navy
86Jun 9, 2021No Better Place to Die (WWII, D-Day+3)n/aWWII Army
85May 31, 2021Memorial Day 2021n/aNavy, WWII Army
84May 25, 2021Those First Few Weeks…#84Navy
83May 18, 2021Flight Deck “Skittles”#83Navy
82May 11, 2021V-E Day (1945) & Beyondn/aWWII Army
81May 4, 2021Flight Deck Dangers: Launch & Recovery#81Navy
80Apr 27, 2021New Orders! That’s NOT What I Asked For, But…#80Navy
79Apr 20, 2021What Did You Do in the Navy, Granddad?#79Navy
78Apr 13, 2021WWII, 76 Years Ago: Buchenwald Horror#78Army
77Apr 6, 2021Bremerton Shipyards April ’77: Adios#77Navy
76Mar 30, 2021Set the Mail Buoy Watch… FNG Tasks#76Navy
75Mar 23, 2021Work Hard, Play Hard: Liberty Call#75Navy
74Mar 16, 2021Spit Shining in COVID Times#74Navy
73Mar 9, 2021Boot Camp: “Hello Dollys…” and Other Things I Can’t Forget#73Navy
72Mar 2, 2021“Those” Memorable Moments, Part 2-NAS Agana, Guam#72Navy
71Feb 23, 2021The Swear Jar#71Navy
70Feb 16, 2021“Chit,” “Bird Farm,” “Scuttlebutt”… What!?#70Navy
69Feb 9, 2021100 Years Ago, Can You Imagine?#69Life
68Feb 2, 2021Flight Ops: Another Fine Day in the Navy!#68Navy
67Jan 26, 2021Flight Ops: A Day in the Life of Crash & Salvage#67Navy
66Jan 19, 2021Paying It Forward#66Navy
65Jan 12, 2021IYAOYAS#65Navy
64Jan 5, 2021“General Quarters, General Quarters…”#64Navy
63Dec 29, 2000“Last Call… 2020”#63Navy
62Dec 22, 2020Flight Deck Shenanigans#62Navy
61Dec 15, 2020There’s a Reason for the Flight Deck “Foul Line”#61Navy
60Dec 7, 2020December 7, 1941: “A date which will live in infamyn/aNavy, WWII Army
59Dec 1, 2020The Night We Foamed the Airport Runway#59Navy
58Nov 24, 2020“Nuggets of Normalcy” – Thanksgiving Style#58Life
57Nov 17, 2020That “70s Thing” We Did#57Navy
56Nov 11, 2020Veteran’s Day & Happy 1st Anniversary, “A Veteran’s Journey”#56Navy
55Nov 3, 2020Here, Hold My Beer-Skydiving#55Navy
54Oct 27, 2020Westpac ’75 Aircraft Carrier Squadrons#54Navy
53Oct 20, 2020You Always Remember Your First…#53Navy
52Oct 13, 202030 Days and a Wake up!#52Navy
51Oct 6, 2020Shore Patrol: It’s Not Just a Job, It’s an Adventure#51Navy
Blog #Pub DateBlog TitleAudio
50Sep 29, 2020Where Has the Time Gone? It’s all Relative…#50Navy
49Sep 22, 2020Westpac ’75: After Six Months, We’re Coming Home#49Navy
48Sep 15, 2020Not Just Another House Firen/aGFD
47Sep 8, 2020Memorable “Moments,” Part 1-the Flight Deck#47Navy
46Sep 1, 2020The “Oh Crap” Bag… What’ in Yours?#46Life
45Aug 25, 2020WWII Baptism by Fire, 76 Years Ago#45WWII Army
44Aug 18, 2020When Life Hands You Lemons…#44Navy
43Aug 11, 2020Port Call: Hong Kong#43Navy
42Aug 4, 2020The Shipyards, Part 2#42Navy
41Jul 28, 2020Haze Gray and Underway!#41Navy
40Jul 21, 2020Midrats… and other Navy Chow#40Navy
39Jul 14, 2020Good Morning to ya, Kitty Hawk! #39Navy
38Jul 10, 2020Hook, Line & Sinker#38Navy
37Jul 30, 2020Hawaii, One Word: Beautiful!#37Navy
36Jun 23, 2020Gone in an Instantn/aNavy
35Jun 16, 2020US Navy “A” School (ABH)#35Navy
34Jun 9, 2020No Better Place to Dien/aWWII Army
33Jun 2, 2020Launch the Alert 5!#33Navy
32May 24, 2020Memorial Day – 2020n/aNavy, WWII Army
31May 19, 2020USS Kitty Hawk, CV-63 Decommission#31Navy
30May 12, 2020USS Kitty Hawk @ Bremerton Shipyards, Part 1#30Navy
29May 8, 2020May 8, 1945: “Ours is a Quiet Celebration”n/aWWII Army
28May 5, 202075 Years Ago: The End of WWII in Europen/aWWII Army
27Apr 28, 2020Time-honored Navy Traditions#27Navy
26Apr 21, 2020That Adrenaline Rush#26Navy
25Apr 15, 2020“Livin’ the Dream:” Life Aboard an Aircraft Carrier#25Navy
24Apr 7, 2020Hurry Up and Wait!#24Navy
23Mar 31, 2020Rough Seas – Sea of Japan#23Navy
22Mar 24, 2020The Go-Go, Slow-Go, and No-Go Years#22Life
21Mar 17, 2020Reveille!… and Other “Alarm Clocks” Over the Years#21Navy, GFD
20Mar 10, 2020Port Call: Philippines#20Navy
19Mar 3, 2020The 3-Minute Navy Shower: A Luxury, Compared to…#19Navy, WWII Army
18Feb 25, 2020Things to Say During My Exit Interview#18Life
17Feb 18, 2020From Sailor to Civilian#17Navy
16Feb 11, 2020WWII – 75 Years Ago… Crossing into the Siegfried Line#16WWII Army
15Feb 4, 2020Tattoo-Yes… or No?#15Navy
14Jan 28, 2020Publishing Your Memoir (Part III)#14Navy
13Jan 21, 2020After 30+ Years, I’m Back on the Flight Deck (Part II)#13Navy
12Jan 14, 2020Writing Your Own Memoir (Part I)#12Navy
11Jan 7, 2020Letters from Home#11Navy, WWII Army
10Dec 31, 2019“You Light ’em, We Fight ’em”#10Navy
9Dec 24, 2019A Veteran’s Christmas#9Navy, WWII Army
8Dec 17, 2019My Dad’s “Journey”: The Battle of the Bulge, Christmas 1944#8WWII Army
7Dec 11, 2019My World War II “Journey”#7WWII
6Dec 3, 2019Military Lingon/aNavy, WWII Army
5Nov 25, 2019My Current “Journey” – A Novel Yet to be Published#5Vietnam
4Nov 20, 2019From Civilian to US Navy#4Navy
3Nov 13, 2010Between a Rock and a Hard Place#3Navy
2Nov 11, 2019Following My Father’s WWII Path#2WWII Army
1Nov 11, 2010Beginning a new journey…#1Navy