A Townie Responds to Complaints About Old Ironsides

As noted in another post, some random couple who live in the Charlestown Navy Yard want some peace and quiet.

You see, they bought a condo smack dab in the middle of a historical site, in close proximity to a United States Navy commissioned warship. Not just any warship, mind you, but America's Ship of State - USS Constitution.

Like any commissioned ship in the United States Navy, the officers and crew carry out "Morning and Evening Colors" every day. Except that the Sailors of Old Ironsides do it better than any other crew (no offense to other ships I have been aboard, I love you all....but someone has to come first).

There have been several articles in the local newspapers and on the websites of local TV and radio stations. Comments in most places have been largely supportive of the ship and her crew. This is very gratifying. What has also been nice, is the fact that this support comes from both "Townies", Charlestown natives and "Toonies" people who have moved into our very insular neighborhood since gentrification began in the 70s.

One of the comments left in the article "Officers cool to softer Ironsides" was particularly funny for it's ribbing of the "Toonie" attitude.

A Townie response to the USS Constitution Cannon reverberation
After reading the recent article in the Boston Herald (Nov 7, 2009), concerning the sonorous cannon volleys of “Old Ironsides”, I have come to the conclusion that is time for the “Townies” (indigenous natives) to cut some slack toward the “TOONIES” (Newbies).

We must try to assuage the anguish of our Navy Yard gentry. The very thought of the magnificent U.S.S. Constitution disrupting a wine and cheese soiree by shattering their crystal goblets and Merlot bottles, unnerves me, as it should you.
The “TOONIES”, (we need these people), are richer, smarter and more sociable –just ask them--.
Yup, they’re the ones writing out a check in the express line at our local supermarkets or using their debit card to purchase a cup of coffee in a crowded donut shop.

They love to have their dogs do their business at town parks especially the parks with “No Dogs Allowed” signs displayed everywhere. These people are not selfish or elitists, “TOONIES” just have a different set of rules.

In light of recent complaints about cannon fire and halyards clanging against flagpoles at our “Fireman’s Park” on Bunker Hill Street, I would like to propose five suggestions to bring the “Townie” and “TOONIE” together.

1. We should dismantle the Bunker Hill Monument coarse by coarse and place it on the deck of Old Ironsides. This would be a “two-fer”, there would be about a 17’ foot overhang, but we could just push the extra granite blocks into Boston Harbor. This would allow for more sunshine and open space. We could use this area to start our own vineyard or perhaps an upscale soccer stadium – NO scoreboards Please ! A special “TOONIE Vote” would decide on the new location of the Constitution and Bunker Hill Monument.

2. Remove all the deceased in the ancient Phipps and Bunker Hill St. burial grounds. This space can welcome pet cemeteries, were love ones could gather on Sunday with a “Bloody Mary” and a Croissant.

3. Level the historic “Training Field” and start construction of a ten story “Starbucks” complex with the first floor dedicated as a day care center for future “Thurston Howells”.

4. Marshmallow Fluff should be smeared on all flag poles over five feet. The flag poles should also be surrounded by twenty feet of mulch to allay the clanging and soften the blow should these “staffs of honor” topple in bad weather.

5. Finally, all ball fields should be removed from the “Neck” and the “Oiley”. This land is much too valuable for athletics alone. We must develop these waterfronts for future ““TOONIES”” even as the Townie young are forced to head north up Rte 93 to search for affordable housing. “TOONIES”” and “Townies” can live together. History and tradition do not have to be adhered to.

I have to go now, there is a BMW car alarm screeching through my apartment. Oh God! It just cracked my domestic beer bottle.

A concerned Townie,
Fred Ezekiel
Charlestown
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is just some gentle teasing. As I said many of the complaining couple's neighbors have expressed scorn for the whiners. Townies and Toonies alike have laughed at this ridiculous complaint. But as a Townie.....I had to laugh when the link came to my email with a note to my cousin Chrissie to "Make sure Diane sees this!" Thanks for the smile Zeke!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Remember - you can go here and sign a petition to show support for USS Constitution's officers and Sailors as they carry out this and other fine Navy traditions.

One Square Mile - continued

The Boston Globe has published the companion piece for the video below.

Veteran tells ‘their stories’
by Kevin Cullen

Please click the link and read the story.

This is well deserved recognition for Bill Durette's tireless work. Charlestown owes Bill a debt of gratitude for preserving this history.

One Square Mile

The video in the post above goes with this post. But when I try to put them together, you can't view the video. So click on both, it won't kill you!

From today's Boston Globe - "One Square Mile”

This is a short video highlighting Charlestown's contribution to the war effort during WWII.
Bill Durette of the Charlestown Historical Society does a great job pulling together stories, people and artifacts to keep this important history available. This is also a good time to direct you to Bill's essay on Veteran's Day/Armistice Day from last year.

When George Kenneally is speaking at 1:45 to 1:49 in the vid you can see a pic of my Uncle Danny over his right shoulder.

Tomorrow the Globe will run a companion piece.

Abusing a Hero's Memory

I am very unhappy with Norman Fulkerson.

Mr. Fulkerson has an agenda. That's fine, but he is dishonoring a hero's memory to achieve his goal.

And his timing is pretty poor, too.

Mr. Fulkerson's views are aired at the website "Tradition, Family and Property". I won't be linking. He is free to have these views and I am pleased to live in a country where he can exercise his right to free speech at that website.

However, Mr. Fulkerson has written a book about Col. John Ripley, USMC where he takes certain facts and twists them to forward his agenda. Now we are on the other side of a line.

This article outlines the family's concerns regarding Mr. Fulkerson subverting the memory of their father to his own end.

War hero's family calls book a 'dishonor'

Please read the article and consider spreading the word in email and blogs that this is one book that should not be on any bestsellers list.

Not the birthday gift appropriate for this day, is it?

Not mentioned in the article are the many odd things about Mr. Fulkerson's interactions with the family. These include his request to spend time in Col. & Mrs. Ripley's bedroom following the death of Mrs. Ripley this past September. He had additionally requested to view Mrs. Ripley, alone, in the funeral home after her passing. (Mr. Fulkerson & Mrs. Ripley never met.) He also asked the family that he be given Col. Ripley's Navy Cross that had been awarded for his actions at Dong Ha.

Mr. Fulkerson ignored the family when they pointed out an inaccuracy involving Col. Ripley's son's (John Michael Ripley) name. In my opinion, that was because accuracy is not a concern.

I feel we should do what we can to keep this man from capitalizing on the honored memory of Col. Ripley.

There are certainly better ways to remember this Marine, today on the birthday of the US Marince Corp.

Happy Birthday to the USMC!

There is a great post over at USNI Blog that you shouldn't miss.

"Happy Birthday, Marines!" by UltimaRatioRegis ('The king's final argument')

And from a new Navy blog, "The Pressures of Time..." there is this -

"234th Marine Corps Birthday"

I was teasing one of my Sailors and I said "Did you kiss any Marines today? It's their birthday." He said he'd leave that to me. Then the conversation turned to the Fort Hood incident and I pointed out an excellent post, also by URR "Cowardice, Not Blindness"

"Dang! Who wrote that shit?" says the BMC. I explain that it is my Marine. "Give that Marine a little MORE than a kiss then."

USS Constitution - America's Ship of State!

November 9, 2009

USS Constitution Designated America's Ship of State

CHARLESTOWN NAVY YARD, Mass. -- On October 28, USS Constitution became America's Ship of State.

"USS Constitution's primary mission will remain education and public outreach, and any Ship of State functions will be an adjunct to the ship's primary mission," noted the National Defense Authorization Act For Fiscal Year 2010 in section 1022. "It is the sense of Congress that the President, Vice President, executive branch officials, and members of Congress should use the USS Constitution for the conducting of pertinent matters of state, such as hosting visiting heads of state, signing legislation relating to the armed forces, and signing maritime related treaties."

USS Constitution's 71st and current commanding officer, Cmdr. Timothy Cooper, could not be more excited about this law signed by President Barrack Obama, after the House of Representatives and the Senate passed the bill earlier in October.

"I am really proud - and humbled - to a part of this honor," Cooper said. "USS Constitution has always been the most visible reminder of the beginnings of our Navy. Now, USS Constitution is a visible reminder of America, and all that we stand for."

USS Constitution was launched into the Boston Harbor on October 21, 1797. In her years of active service, from 1798 - 1855, the three-masted wooden frigate fought in the Quasi-War with France, the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812. Today, Old Ironsides' is the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world, has a permanent crew of 73 active duty U.S. Navy Sailors, and is visited by nearly half a million people every year.

The origins of Old Ironsides' status as America's Ship of State were in July of 1997, when then-Cmdr. Chris Melhuish, USS Constitution's 65th commanding officer had a vision for the future of the ship, shortly before he took command.

"The idea struck me after Cmdr. Michael Beck [USS Constitution's 64th commanding officer] challenged me to create my vision for the ship, following his vision, which was to sail the ship for the first time in 116 years, for USS Constitution's bicentennial."

The status of the ship had inherently changed after that historic sail, and USS Constitution should no longer be thought of as a pierside museum exhibit, recalled Melhuish, who retired at the rank of captain, in 2006.

"The best description of the ship was 'Ship of State,'" he said. "That was the vision, and then began the long process of translating that vision into a concept."

In October of 2006, he laid out that concept on paper, which was endorsed by the Congress of the Naval Order of the United States, and by Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England.
Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy sponsored the bill in 2008, but it did not make final passage into the National Defense Authorization Act For Fiscal Year 2009, which would take another year.

"The people of this country, through Congress, have done the right thing, which should have been done in 1815," said Melhuish, referring to a National Intelligencer article that appeared then.

"Let us keep 'Old Iron Sides' at home," the newspaper author opined, shortly after USS Constitution won a string of victories against her British adversaries in the War of 1812. "She has, literally, become a Nation's Ship, and should be preserved. Not as a 'sheer hulk in ordinary' (for she is no ordinary vessel); but, in honorable pomp as a glorious Monument of her own, and other Naval Victories."

"One hundred and ninety-four years later, we have recognized our greatest ship," Melhuish said. "I'm very, very happy about that."

To learn more about USS Constitution, visit www.history.navy.mil/ussconstitution.

My Saturday - LPD 21

So I got up before dawn yesterday to be sure I was where I needed to be at 1100. The drive was an absolute breeze! The Intrepid Museum was incredibly easy to find and parking was a snap. I was in line at 0945. I must say, I was really impressed with myself.

There I was ready for the commissioning of USS New York LPD 21, the Navy's newest war ship.

I had a white ticket....next time I have to find out who has the prime color and fix my tickets, lol! I was directed to the building behind the ship where we watched the ceremony on big screen TVs. But it was all good because I was sitting with 9/11 families; Sailors who had been aboard USS New York's previous incarnation BB-34; and former crew members of the USS Intrepid.

I had some great conversations with people around me while we waited for the ceremony to start. There were a few texts with the Ogre as he tried to figure out where I was and how to get to me.

Then the ceremony began and I was reminded that I was in New York, big time! I was watching the different guests being introduced and appreciating the difference in the level of applause. Gov Paterson and Mayor Bloomberg got a polite amount. But Hillary got this buzz of excitement, especially from the two women in front of me and the woman beside me. I smothered a giggle (yeah, I know, I am an asshat). I gave props to all my Sailors...the CNO, the SECNAV and my friend VADM McCoy. Then someone who got universal love from this crowd....General James T. Conway Commandant, U.S. Marine Corps!

Hands down General Conway was the best and most moving speaker. I felt bad for Sec Mabus because he had to follow those remarks.

I enjoyed all aspects of this - setting the watch.....having Dotty England call on the crew to man our ship and bring her to life....the flyover.

Now this was the great part of being where we were, behind the ship, on the second floor. When the crew manned the ship, they were right in front of us outside the expansive glass along the entire wall.

The other plus of our spot was that immediately afterwards we were brought downstairs and allowed straight onto the ship.

It was a perfect day to be topside on the Navy's newest fight ship. There is nothing like walking around a Navy ship and having the crew proudly show her off.

I went everywhere I was allowed. That was the problem with losing the Ogre, I would have been brought to more places. LOL

But you know, the bigger thing for me is who I meet.

I met the CO. Is there anything more fun than shaking someone's hand on what is likely one of the best days of their lives? I congratulated him and thanked him for sharing his day and ship with us. Then I mentioned the Ogre and asked if he ran across him, to throw him off the ship. CAPT Jones laughed and said he would.

I enjoyed hearing the excitement in the voices of the crew members as they told little anecdotes about how New Yorkers were treating them when they were on liberty.

I spoke with family members of the crew and watched fathers give their children tours.

Of course, if I wasn't hanging, waiting for the Ogre to surface I would have missed a few things. Generally, I am not a "people-watcher". I am pretty oblivious most of the time, moving around in my own little bubble. But there hit a point yesterday where I just had to stand still. All that climbing, coupled with no sensible meals.....lol, tea and a donut at 6 am doesn't really last through the whole day of running around New York and USS New York.

So I was standing near the place people were entering the ship. The crowd was thinning. Tours were scheduled to end at 1600 and this was just before. And on comes six FDNY jakes in various working uniforms. There had been a heavy FDNY presence all day, but they were in dress uniforms.

Well, I temporarily overcame my extremely shy nature and went up and introduced myself. I told them that there was some debate out there as to whether or not a warship was the best use of the 7.5 tons of steel recovered from ground zero. I absolutely loved the response! Slightly belligerent - "Of course it's a good use! What else would you do with it?"

There was something about watching those guys standing there, hands on hips, surveying the scene. Something immensely satisfying about their approval. It was a variation on this pic playing out in front of me.

Brady, Rob, Hollywood.....it was my absolute pleasure to have met you yesterday.

To the person who got me the ticket, thank you for a really wonderful day. Someone asked how I came to drive down from Boston for this. I explained that someone in the Navy thought I was someone....and that I really wasn't, but I wasn't going to let on because this stuff was too good to miss!

Sometimes, I Could Just Explode

***UPDATE*****Go here and sign a petition to express your support for Old Ironsides, her officers and her Sailors. There is also a spot to leave a personal comment. Be nice! I was (it only hurt a little)*****
I want to take these people and shake them and say "Really? You really think anyone should listen to you?"

Perhaps this is why I was not on the short list of people suggested to the CNO to handle this matter?

It seems there are a few very selfish people living in the condos near USS Constitution.
‘More disruptive ... than you might have imagined’
From the article -

“We offer a few ideas for consideration:
A reduction in the size of the battery charge would help.
In the morning, a reduction in the National Anthem volume would help.
On Sat and Sun, would you be open to eliminating or delaying the morning salute to say 9am?
As a final note, we had guests . . . and let them know to expect the morning salute. Nonetheless, they were very startled by the volume and concussion of the salute ceremony.”

Seriously?

Fortunately, it appears that this couple is among a teeny-tiny minority

"Charlestown residents make noise over cannon protests"
My friend and fellow Townie, CDR Gillen, former commanding officer of USS Constitution puts it in perspective and shrugs them off with a laugh. He also raises my point in this -

“It’s stirring up a hornet’s nest. Just think of the uproar there will be if they stop, and all the people who are patriotic and concerned will be fuming,” he said.

You know it Bob!!

Honestly the Navy knew what they were doing when they sent the unflappable CDR Cooper to handle this instead of me. Bravo Zulu Tim and as they say "God love ya!!"

Tone down the National Anthem??? All I can do it shake my head and take solace in the fact that most commenters to the articles in the Herald & the Globe laugh at these people.

Lessons Learned - LPD 21 Version

I have a ton to blog about.....but I am wiped out from the driving. So we'll just have a quickie.

Every adventure has a lesson(s) learned. Today's was -

NEVER LET GO OF THE OGRE ONCE YOU HAVE YOUR HANDS ON HIM!!!!!

The Ogre - an uber SWO and SailorBob fav - built LPD21 down there in Avondale. I was thrilled that I would get to see him. I called when I was at the ship and left voice mail - "I'm here! Find me!"

We exchanged a few texts prior to the ceremony while he tried to figure out where I was. Afterwards as we filed out of the building he called "Where are you at?" I need an interpreter for these calls! I looked around and said "Baby, I don't know where I am!" Then people in the line explained which building and where we would be on the pier when we turned the corner.

Well....he found me. He looked so handsome all dressed up! So we stood there hugging each other, I was so excited. He told me he had to find one of his bosses - Sugarman? LOL, I don't know. I said I'd be in line and on the ship....

Then he was gone!

I wasn't thinking, I should have said I'd go with him. He ended up leading some super tour. I asked around and everyone I talked to knew just who he was - but I was always one step behind. It was like a scavenger hunt.

Then the damn NG people whisked him off to some impromptu meeting. I was tempted to demand his room key and go to his hotel for a nap and try to meet for dinner. But I was too tired.

Now there will be a list of demands for the next christening/commissioning he is involved in.

So that was my lesson learned....once he grabs my hand, I should never let go!

USS New York (LPD 21)

I have to be up very early tomorrow to head down to New York. I thought about going tonight, but my plans got away from me (yeah, yeah what a surprise).

As we say here in Boston "It's no word of a lie that I am wicked excited."

Despite telling me several times that he was not going, I found out today that the Ogre is already in New York. So I will try to hook up with him once I get there.

I'm not completely sure where I am going or where I am going to park....so I really, really want to find the Ogre and make myself his responsibility.

You can watch the festivites on FoxNews. For more info on the commissioning go here.

More Support for #TeamNavy Project Valour-IT

Small Wars Journal has crossed over to help Team Navy

"Now Hear This..."
Posted by SWJ Editors on November 5, 2009 11:00 AM

We really, really, try to avoid inter-service rivalries but will make an exception in this one case – because it is for a really good and noble cause, we were asked to help out Team Navy and we like underdogs. Via e-mail from Project Valour-IT shipmate Maggie......

Thank you, I appreciate this very much!

OK....you're reading this....what are you going to do??
Go here and donate to Team Navy for this great cause. Then email this to all your family and friends!