The best of my blog in PDF format. It’s almost like a real book.
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Marina, Butt, and Other Stories - Latest Version
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“We have gone forth from our shores repeatedly over the last hundred years and we’ve done this as recently as the last year in Afghanistan and put wonderful young men and women at risk, many of whom have lost their lives, and we have asked for nothing except enough ground to bury them in, and otherwise we have returned home to seek our own, you know, to seek our own lives in peace, to live our own lives in peace.” — Colin Powell
“Dover Beach” is one of my favorite poems. It was written in the middle of the 19th century after a visit by the poet to the Dover shore, but it speaks to me of all the young men who ever died in foreign lands, from ancient Troy to Normandy, to the deserts of Iraq and Afghanistan.
The poem is only superficially about war - it’s alledgedly a metaphor of love and loneliness - but I much prefer to let the words just wash over me, the way the waters across the narrow English Channel at Normandy beach washed over our honored dead.
Enjoy.
Dover Beach
The sea is calm to-night.
The tide is full, the moon lies fair
Upon the straits;–on the French coast the light
Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand,
Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.
Come to the window, sweet is the night-air!
Only, from the long line of spray
Where the sea meets the moon-blanch’d land,
Listen! you hear the grating roar
Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling,
At their return, up the high strand,
Begin, and cease, and then again begin,
With tremulous cadence slow, and bring
The eternal note of sadness in.
Sophocles long ago
Heard it on the Ægean, and it brought
Into his mind the turbid ebb and flow
Of human misery; we
Find also in the sound a thought,
Hearing it by this distant northern sea.
The Sea of Faith
Was once, too, at the full, and round earth’s shore
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furl’d.
But now I only hear
Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,
Retreating, to the breath
Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear
And naked shingles of the world.
Ah, love, let us be true
To one another! for the world, which seems
To lie before us like a land of dreams,
So various, so beautiful, so new,
Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,
Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;
And we are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
Where ignorant armies clash by night.
Matthew Arnold, 1851
Here’s a long story, if you care to read. It’ll probably sound way far-fetched, and cause you to take pause and consider my overall credibility, but I have this theory that something happened in 1942, specifically on the night of November 9, 1942, that nobody who knows, wants to talk about.
I have some hard facts, that I deem reliable, that I obtained in documents from my own father’s Navy Service Record. Dad was stationed at MTBS in Melville RI from April of 1942 until December 9, when he was discharged for Bad Conduct. After several other previous AWOLs, on that night my dad, admittedly it seems, stole an automobile from a location in Bristol, RI (Usher Place) belonging to one John Hogan, and took it on a joyride to either Scranton, or New York City. Among the other crimes to which he confessed, he damaged the automobile. I don’t know if he came back to the base on his own, or was brought back by police, nor do I know if he was alone in this, but the documents show he returned at 11 AM the next day. One day I hope to get back to Melville, and see if there was any police report filed for the accident or arrest in Bristol - there must have been, since he was handed back over to the Navy base.
That morning, while he was still AWOL from the base, according to historian Samuel Eliot Morison’s “History of United States Naval Operations in World War II,” a noted work upon which the famous documentary series “Victory at Sea” was largely based - several mines planted by a U-Boat the evening before, blew up in New York City harbor and the harbor was subsequently closed to traffic for several days, the only time it was closed during the entire war. I have learned from the actual ship’s log or “KriegsTageBuch” for the U-608 that the mines were indeed planted that night.
Perhaps the attack was just a coincidence, or perhaps all of the details fit together in some way, I don’t know. But here’s what else I do know. On that very same night, 200 miles to the north in Canada, a German saboteur was dropped off by another submarine, the man walked into town, and promptly turned himself into the Canadian authorities.
I’ve talked to a man at a historical society in Bristol, and he told me that on that date in 1942, Usher Place would have been a vacant lot. He said he knows this, because several months earlier the fire department went there by mistake, after a fire alarm was called in for Usher’s Place, the home of the Usher family - and the home burned down, because the fire department went to the vacant lot address. Because of this the address was later changed to Usher Terrace.
Also on that night, near Wilkes-Barre, PA, a local almanac recorded that a store was held up at gunpoint for gasoline ration coupons. I considered this related, because my dad came from Scranton, and would have known the area. If he were running, or needed gas for a long return trip, that’s where he might go. I also considered the possibility of coincidence, that this might have been a more common occurence during the war, what with gas being rationed and all, but after searching through the almanac, it’s the only recorded event of that type.
I am particularly interested in David (D.J.) Walsh because he is the officer who signed all of my dad’s punitive documents, for the AWOLs and he also presided over the Summary Court-Martial, and signed that document. I’m not bitter or seeking to harm or tarnish his reputation in any way, I have mixed feelings about my dad myself, I just want to learn what happened, and I think he knew the entire story.
And there is one other “coincidence” that could have some bearing on what happened - prior to coming to MTBS, my dad had been assigned to a mine-assembly training unit at Lockwood Basin. Therein lies a logical connection to the mines in NY, and, considering that the distances to Scranton and to New York City from Bristol are practically the same, neither could theoretically be ruled out as his destination.
So what was going on in America at the time? UBoats were sinking American ships right off our coast; two (that we know of) teams of German saboteurs had landed on American shores several months earlier, one on Long Island and another in Florida, all of the men from both teams were soon captured and tried and all but two were executed, and in December their accomplices, including family members were still being tried in Chicago; the nation was in a panic to protect military bases and industrial and transportation centers.
Was the Navy running an intelligence operation that night? Why else would they knowingly falsify evidence used in a court-martial proceeding, i.e. provide a non-existant address?
Here’s where the facts move into the rarified air of the upper stratosphere of wild speculation and amusement: On top of all that, if you read Nigel Hamilton’s definitive biography of John F. Kennedy, who was at MTBS at Melville at this very time, you will learn that JFK was also experiencing some trouble at the base. Note that there were two types of sailors at the MTBS - those on permanent assignment to the training center, like my father and Mr. Kennedy, and those being trained for several months as PT crews. Most of them wanted to get into the war. Those who were doing the training, had little chance of that. According to this book JFK was unhappy with his teaching assignment, disappointed with the way Newport had changed, having trouble with his commanding officer, and burning to get into combat. D.J. Walsh was the executive officer of the training center, and would have been Kennedy’s direct superior, though his name is never mentioned in the book.
To resolve his issues, Kennedy (or his father) contacted Massachusetts Senator David I. Walsh in early November, just about the time my dad entered the brig, and John actually met with Senator Walsh at his home. They had some sort of discussion and later Senator Walsh sent him a copy of a geography book. This seemed somewhat strange to me, that the Senator would give a young Navy officer, educated at Harvard, a basic book on Geography. I’ve seen several of the maps in the book, and they are very low-detail maps, depicting just the land masses and a few major cities, with circles drawn to show the air-mileage away from one large city. One particular map centers on London, with circles going out as far as Normandy in France. Another is centered on Stockholm,
with circles out into Germany and Poland.
And Senator Walsh was a colorful figure in his own right; a noted isolationist, opposed to the war from the outset, just prior to this he had been raked over the coals and censured for alledgedly frequenting a homosexual brothel in Brooklyn, where German spies were thought to be operating. And for some reason, J.Edgar Hoover, the head of the FBI who had the brothel bugged, could have cleared him of the allegations, but didn’t. Nonetheless, with Senator Walsh’s help, JFK managed to get out of Melville, and away from “that Newport” and assigned to the PT-109 in the Pacific.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
But were JFK and my father, who often referred to himself as “a dumb Polack” simply two Plutarchian parallel lives, one noble and the other ignoble, that never met or intertwined? Not according to my dad. “I knew John F. Kennedy,” he told me once, and I believe that.
Lt. Cmdrs Specht and D.J. Walsh
I’ve been learning a little about my father’s Commanding Officer at the MTBS Training Center at Melville, in tiny Rhode Island. I can almost see why dad thought it was in Connecticut. If you leave the base, whatever direction, it’s not too long before you find yourself in either Massachusetts, or Connecticut, which wouldn’t matter much if you were on your way to Scranton.
David J. (DJ) Walsh was the Executive Officer (XO) of MTBSTC from April 1942 until September 1943. Before that he had been the XO of the USS Niagara, which was evidently an auxiliary ship of the fleet that was later converted for use as a PT Boat tender. He took over the position at MTBS from Cdr William C. Specht, who, at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, had commanded Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 1 at Pearl Harbor. Walsh stayed on as Commanding Officer until June 1945 when Cdr Thomas G. Warfield took over.
David J. Walsh was not related, as far as I can determine, to Senator David I. Walsh. But I have learned that his father was a state Senator from Connecticut, though I have yet to confirm this. David I. Walsh was from Massachusetts.
[Editor's Note:] The Dartmouth being referred to in these newspapers is not the University in New Hampshire, but Dartmouth, MA on the Fall River very near Bristol, RI, Newport and the old MTBS Training Station.
CapeCodTimes.com - Buzzard Bay Boat Collision Kills Sailor
By JOAO FERREIRA and BRIAN FRAGA
THE STANDARD-TIMES
July 19, 2008 6:00 AM
DARTMOUTH — An experienced sailor and prominent retired businessman was killed yesterday afternoon after a power boat collided with the sailboat he was aboard and threw him into the waters of Buzzards Bay.
David J. Walsh, 64, a South Dartmouth resident also known as “D.J.,” was the retired president of Teledyne Rodney Metals, a specialty metals manufacturer, and past chairman of the Buzzards Bay Regatta. The Bristol County District Attorney’s Office confirmed his death last night.
According to the Coast Guard, Walsh and Warren G. Hathaway, publisher emeritus of Hathaway Newspapers, part of the SouthCoast Media Group, were sailing off Padanaram when a 60-foot power boat hit Hathaway’s 30-foot sailboat, also called Padanaram, around 1:30 p.m. yesterday near Wilkes Ledge.
Hathaway was being treated at St. Luke’s Hospital last night but escaped serious injury in the accident, according to Gregg Miliote, spokesman for Bristol County District Attorney C. Samuel Sutter.
Walsh was thrown into the water by the force of the collision. A Coast Guard crew aboard a 25-foot rescue boat located him just before 2:30 p.m. and took him to State Pier in New Bedford, where an ambulance was waiting, said Coast Guard spokesman Zach Zubricki.
Walsh was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, a hospital spokeswoman said.
The three-member crew of the power boat, the Reasons, reported the accident to Coast Guard Station Menemsha. Two nearby patrolling cutters, the Ridley and the Tybee, as well as the 25-foot rescue boat and a helicopter were dispatched.
Coast Guard officers boarded the Reasons after the collision, according to Miliotte.
Reasons’ home port could not be determined last night and information about the identities of its crew was not available.
At the time of the accident, seas were less than one foot and winds were 5 to 10 knots, the Coast Guard said.
“They’re doing an investigation to find out what happened,” Zubricki said.
The Massachusetts Environmental Police, along with DA’s office and the Dartmouth police, are investigating the accident.
Yesterday afternoon, several hours after the fatal accident, investigators were aboard the Reasons, which had been taken to the Fairhaven Shipyard and Marina, where it was lifted out of the water.
Marina personnel said the Padanaram also was towed there.
While it was unclear last night what led to the collision, South Dartmouth resident Tom Kenney, a friend of Walsh and Hathaway, shared what he had learned about the accident.
“It was my understanding that a fairly large power boat ran up over D.J.’s stern and threw him into the water. Warren Hathaway was below decks. He scrambled up; the boat was taking on water,” Kenney said. “D.J. probably didn’t even see it coming.”
Kenney said Hathaway, who was “pretty well banged up,” told him that if he had been on deck, he would have been killed.
Standard-Times correspondent Barbara Veneri contributed to this report.
Hathaway Publishing Wikipedia Article
SouthCoastToday.com - David J. Walsh
DARTMOUTH — David John “DJ” Walsh, 64, of South Dartmouth, died Friday unexpectedly. He was a loyal husband of 33 years to his wife Melody, a devoted father and grandfather, a prominent businessman, a sailing coach at Dartmouth High School and always a beloved friend.
Born in Natick, Massachusetts, the son of the late David and Ruby (Scannell) Walsh, he has resided in South Dartmouth for the past 14 years.
He was a graduate of Marion High School and received a degree in mechanical engineering from Lowell Technical College.
Over the course of his 40-year career in manufacturing, he traveled extensively internationally and throughout the Midwest and Maryland where he held positions with General Electric, RCA and Teledyne Rodney Metals.
DJ was on the board of directors at the New Bedford Yacht Club (NBYC), a two-term chairman of the Buzzards Bay Regatta and recipient of the 2007 Barb McCarthy Corinthian Spirit Award, given annually to the NBYC member who demonstrates a love of sailing, an enthusiasm for racing and is a true friend to the club.
He was loved and respected by all who knew him well and a true optimist. DJ loved his dog Molly with whom he shared a love of the water.
Surviving in addition to his wife is a step-daughter, Lisa Lang of Maryland and granddaughters Charlotte and Rachel; and a step-son, Michael Carr of Virginia and his wife Jami. He was the brother of the late Marie Cummings.
A celebration of his life will be held on Tuesday, July 22, 2008 at the New Bedford Yacht Club, 208 Elm St., South Dartmouth from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. In lieu of sending flowers, a donation can be made in DJ’s name to Community Boating Center, Inc., 1641 Padanaram Avenue, New Bedford, MA 02740. Arrangements in the care of Waring-Sullivan Home of Memorial Tribute at Dartmouth, 230 Russells Mills Rd. For online tributes: www.waring-sullivan.com.
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