Last weekend, the trophy wife and I completed
back-to-back marathons.
The first was 26.2 miles along Lake Superior,
with the second skirting the shoreline of Lake
Michigan.
Because I am incredibly compromising, I added
one extra day to our trip for the actual tourist
stuff the trophy wife insists we do.
Doing nothing on purpose, with no objective,
for an entire day is not easy for me, but Monday
morning we toured the Manitowoc Maritime Museum.
Honestly, it was time well spent.
The museum houses fascinating maritime
displays; objects completely foreign to this Montana
country kid, and the grand finale is a guided tour
through the Gato-class submarine, the USS Cobia.
During World War II, the Manitowoc
Shipbuilder Company assembled 28 similar submarines
and climbing down steep steps into the fore torpedo
room before slowly squeezing through 300 feet of its
inner workings was educational, inspiring and
humbling.
For the public’s comfort, the Cobia display
is equipped with air conditioning, but in 1945, the
crowded chambers maintained a muggy 90 to 130
degrees depending on one’s proximity to the engine
room.
Back then smoking on the sub was not prohibited.
With a crew of 80, the USS Cobia was armed
with 24 torpedoes plus deck guns.
Her time underwater was only limited by
battery life and the crew’s tolerance to re-cycled
air.
Submariners were special volunteers who, having
passed extensive psychological testing, repeatedly
proved they could fight in the most adverse
conditions.
Submarine warfare, like freedom, is an all or
nothing game.
Due to the nature of underwater battles,
casualties typically included both the vessel plus
her entire crew.
Ralph Huston from Parkersburg, West Virginia,
was Cobia’s exception to this rule.
On February 27, 1945, the Cobia found herself
in a surface firefight with two Japanese sea trucks.
Even though badly wounded, Ralph continued
firing his 20-mm gun until the enemy vessels were
destroyed.
Ralph’s wounds proved fatal and his shipmates
sadly interred his remains at sea.
As his body sank into the depths of the
Pacific, his soul rested in the hands of God.
This young man’s sacrifice inspired today’s
point.
Service men of World War II, especially the
submariners like Ralph Huston, were ordinary people
with the courage to do extraordinary things.
Our liberty is secured through the selfless
sacrifice of courageous patriots; character traits
today’s progressives purposely paint as evil.
Once 50 percent of the electorate accept
progressivism and embrace sensitivity training, safe
spaces and surrender as the supreme ideal, America
will be a nation gone under.
|