Captain Jim's Green Flash Sightings

August 11, 2015 Dear David, Re: “Solitude and Leadership: If you want others to follow, learn to be alone with your thoughts.” By William Deresiewicz             I have taken my time responding to you because you are asking for my opinion, thoughts, even reflections on the subject of leadership.                                                        The presentation was tailored and targeted to a specific group, a plebe class early in their first academic year at USMA. These young men and women are near identical to those attending the other service academies (USNA, USAFA, USCGA, MMA). The Army plebes are representative youth from across the nation because, the...

The investigation has moved swiftly and the suspects tracked down and identified, at additional cost to life. Seeking the final suspect as I write this. Hopefully, we will get some information as to their background and motives, even if the remaining fugitive does not survive the manhunt. More to the point, is that we all need to pay better attention to the vulnerablity our country has to such attacks and be more actively involved and alert to these threats. The safeguards and surveillance in place, intelligence gathering, and federal, state and local law enforcement organizations at work, not withstanding, will never be enough without every citizen accepting more responsibility to commit to the role we all can play in observing, questioning, and reporting suspicions and suspicious persons.

How Did Faith and a Belief In God become about Money and Power? Religions have evolved through oral traditions, the spoken word and telling of traditions and practices that become a common belief or guiding principle or truth. Much of this must have been based on common sense and the need to develop some degree of order and authority as bands of people grew into tribes and eventually regional and/or ethnic groups and nation-states and political states. Some of these trends were a mixture of secular power and religion, others divided power and authority between the secular and the religious leaders, and variations of each. Imagining trying to make sense of the natural calamities that afflicted the people of prehistory and to maintain and rebuild out of chaos and devastation must have credited the Gods with all manner of ills and anger towards the people that must somehow be explained and set aright. Eventual we have the word, the oral traditions and practices, set to written for...

It happened by accident. After Hurricane Ivan struck in 2004, more than homes were damaged and destroyed. Wedding plans were disrupted and because I am a Notary Public I am empowered to marry people in the State of Florida. A good friend of the family needed an alternative official to perform the marriage of their son and his wife to be and my career began. This first time out of the block, Anne stepped up and did the rehearsal dinner for 80 people. I thought that was the end of it, finally married someone as a Captain, just not on a ship. Then another couple heard about me and I married them. Since 2004, I have married eight couples, including three teachers that I worked with, one in a State Park under a magnificent oak, another on the beach, and one in her backyard on the water. I married my son's best friend with Jay standing as Best Man. I enjoy working with the couple to create the service to fit them. It is a totally unexpected role to find myself in, but I have enjoy...

A new crop of candidates to work with on their applications to the Naval Academy. Got off to good start, one candidate 100% and ready to go before the Admissions Board. Eight more to go, so far . . . This weekend starts the local high schools college fairs. I am working Gulf Breeze HS, Catholic HS, and Pensacola State College, Milton Campus, sponsored college fairs. Will be a busy few days starting September 11, great way to spend the tenth anniversary if you asked me.

As a Naval Academy Information Officer, I am a volunteer working for the Admissions Office at United States Naval Academy. Specifically, I am assigned to assist high school students with the application process for admission to the Academy. The process is far more involved than for normal college and university admissions. Not only does the candidate have to complete an admissions package for the Academy, he or she has to also seek a nomination from a congressmen or apply for a Presidential nomination if their parent(s) are veterans. So, so called Blue and Gold Officer volunteers, some 2000 plus in all states and overseas, assist the candidates and do personal interviews as part of the admissions process. I really enjoy doing this, the students are among the best in their classes and highly motivated and accomplished individuals willing to experience the service academy life and to serve their country as officers in the Navy and Marine Corps.  This July 18th, I will depart for a ...