No One Ever Connected the Dots of Our Boating Life and the Nightmare of My Father’s War
My father kept a telescope on the back porch from which he could investigate any boating mishap in our purview. From this perch, he would watch for unlucky sailors whose boats ran aground on the sandbar when the outgoing 10-foot tides made navigation treacherous. He didn’t just casually point out the beached boats; he’d check on them all day, making sure they were lifted to safety on the incoming tide. But his real preoccupation was looking out for the smaller sailboats—the Fish Boats and Lightnings—competing in the bay every Saturday and Sunday in the local yacht club races. As bad weather came in or sudden gusts flipped them over, he would dash to their rescue. And of course, I dashed with him, game for an adventure with my dad.
Only in retrospect did I come to see that my father’s preoccupation with boats in distress was unusual, and it was a lifetime before I came to understand that everything he did on the water was shaped by what had happened to him on a destroyer in the South Pacific during World War II. It was a story that he never talked about, and no one in my family ever connected the dots between our boating life and the nightmare of my father’s war.
I came to this story—to these dots—by way of my confusion about why, growing up surrounded by sailors, I should carry such a fear of being out there on that wide blue expanse fending off the nagging sense that disaster could strike at any moment. What I didn’t know was that it had struck already and that, in these summer days, I was riding shotgun on my father’s quest to undo a moment of complete helplessness and horror during the Battle of Midway.
Read Part I of Sally's Story
Military, Vets Depend on Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Its Future Is Uncertain.
In its 12 years of existence, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has reviewed more than 323,000 complaints by members of the military community. Last year alone, it recovered $175 million in monetary relief from enforcement actions against companies that harmed military members and veterans.
But the future of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is uncertain. Last year, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that alleged the funding mechanism for the bureau—specifically structured to keep it independent of political interference—is unconstitutional. If the court finds that to be true, the bureau’s funding could be gutted and its operations curtailed.
Read the Story
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The Debrief
US Strikes Yemen Again as Campaign to Thwart Houthis Intensifies
The operation marks at least the third time in the last week that military action has been taken against the Iran-backed group, signaling what could be the beginning of an enduring campaign. The militants have launched nearly 30 attacks on merchant ships in the region since November, linking their actions to the war in Gaza and Western support for Israel.
From The Washington Post »
He Warned Authorities About the Maine Gunman, But They Downplayed His Texts. Now He’s Speaking Out
The series of warning signs about Robert Card have been well documented. In May, relatives warned police that Card had grown paranoid, and they expressed concern about his access to guns. In July, Card was hospitalized in a psychiatric unit for two weeks after shoving a fellow reservist and locking himself in a motel room. In August, the Army barred him from handling weapons while on duty and declared him nondeployable.
From The Associated Press »
US Forces Recovered Iranian Warheads in Navy SEAL Mission Gone Awry
American military personnel recovered Iranian-made missile warheads and related components during a ship-boarding mission near Somalia that disrupted the weapons resupply of militants in Yemen but left two elite Navy SEALs lost at sea.
From The Washington Post »
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Discharged From Hospital
Austin's hospitalization on New Year's Day became controversial after it emerged that no one—including the president—knew for several days that he was in the hospital, had undergone surgery for prostate cancer, or that he had complications from the procedure.
From NPR »
Lawmakers Call on Federal Regulators to Review Navy Federal Over Mortgage Approval Disparities
A CNN investigation last month found that Navy Federal approved more than 75% of the white borrowers who applied for a new conventional home purchase mortgage in 2022 while approving less than 50% of Black borrowers who applied for the same type of loan, according to the most recent federal data available.
From CNN »
Army Investigated Alleged Mass Shooter Who Killed 6 in Austin, San Antonio for Spousal Abuse
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The Navy Says Contaminated Hawaii Water Is Now safe. Citing an EPA report, Residents Say Otherwise.
Persistent complaints from residents regarding water quality prompted the EPA's investigation, which revealed petroleum hydrocarbons in the drinking water of three out of four homes. Residents have raised concerns after experiencing similar symptoms to those during the 2021 contamination, such as rashes, headaches, heartburn, and fatigue.
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US Military Academies Focus on Oaths, Loyalty to Constitution
The emphasis for the next generation of military officers that their loyalty must be focused on the nation’s democratic underpinnings rather than on any individual is a reflection of how the armed forces are being forced to deal with America's deep political polarization at a time when trust in traditional institutions is eroding.
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Non-White Military Members With Osteoarthritis Get Stiffed for Knee Replacement
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