Captain Jim's Green Flash Sightings

USS Kingfish SS 234 - Torpedo’s Mate Second Class James A. Hooper, Jr. My dad served on Kingfish during the early part of WW 2. He enlisted, as did hundreds of thousands of young Americans, in January 1942. He volunteered for the submarine force, they only took volunteers, and finished basic submarine school and training as a Torpedo’s Mate in New London, Connecticut and was assigned to USS Kingfish SS 234 homeported in Pearl Harbor. He completed two wartime patrols before being selected for the V-12 Officer Training Program and returned to the US to go through training and commissioning in Plattsburg, New York. He was commissioned in 1943 and went to Antisubmarine Warfare Officer training in Miami, Florida, before joining his ship USS Brown, a destroyer escort stationed in Boston, Massachusetts. He finished the war operating out of Boston escorting convoys to England and hunting German U-boats. After the defeat and surrender of Nazi Germany in April 1945, the German U-boats o...

We Americans are all upset or unsettled for one reason or another. I think the daily issues being brought up with the new administration and events in the world are the reason to be concerned and anxious.  One thing that is becoming more and more of a concern to me is that I have no confidence in anything the administration is saying. They have walked back so many things in such a short time and continue to be distracted by election voting fraud and the enemy press. I ask you can you believe anything that Trump says and then is corrected or spun by his surrogates? Spicer is not ready for prime time and Kelly Anne is just an apologist and does not really answer questions. One thing I can say about her is that she is a good hugger and she hugs with great sincerity and emphasis, at least when hugging President Trump. Bottom line Trump just makes excuses and blames leaks from Intelligence and vendettas from media. The real issue is the people he has working for him and his inability ...

This is Jim: A good friend forwarded the following Facebook post regarding Trump's efforts to protect the USA from terrorists sneaking into the country.  This addresses the manner in which popular opinion is managed/manipulated by propagandist (Goebbels of Nazi Germany fame perfected the process.)              From Heather Richardson, professor of History at Boston College: " I don't like to talk about politics on Facebook-- political history is my job, after all, and you are my friends-- but there is an important non-partisan point to make today. What Bannon is doing, most dramatically with last night's ban on immigration from the seven countries (originally selected by the Obama administration) -- is creating what is known as a "shock event." Such an event is unexpected and confusing and throws a society into chaos. People scramble to react to the event, usually along some fault line that those responsible for the event can widen by...

Pardon my humor. In fact, it is not meant to be humorous. January 20, 2017. I spent the day avoiding news and images of the inauguration. I truly can not wrap my head around the fact that President Trump is now our leader. His Inaugural Speech was not reassuring or confidence inspiring. His choice of words such as carnage to refer to the state of the country is insult/slur/rebuke to all Americans, that we as a Nation have failed and are failing and now, that now Trump is going to save us from ourselves. Apparently, he will make all the decisions for the Congress, he and the American people who support him and his vision. Somehow he has managed to say that will be all the American people, but there is no evidence from his remarks who among the American people is worthy of partnership in his agenda as he has belittled everyone who disagrees with him or challenges his constant outrageous exaggerations,  divisive remarks, insults, disparagement of people of color and no...

Article II, Section 1, last paragraph, U.S. Constitution: Before he [President Elect] shall take the following Oath or Affirmation: - "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." We military types and others who serve in the government all take the oath of office when we enlist and each time we are promoted. Retired military service members are subject to recall to active duty by the Secretary of Defense under 10 U.S. Code, Section 688. So our oath and obligation live with us for the rest of lives. The times in which the framers of the Constitution wrote out these requirements for oaths was a period when an oath was a very solemn and serious act. It was taken at face value that once given, an oath was binding and would be honored and respected. Men and women have died and suffered honoring their oath or...

As the final minutes of 2016 tick down, I have some thoughts about the coming year. Foremost is the hope that Americans are not complacent in our outlook that everything is going to be okay under the Trump Administration. Our unity of purpose and survival as a nation of people who protect freedom and liberty for all citizens, work to expand equal rights and protection from discrimination, is at risk. It is at risk because those in power are now the wealthiest and most "conservative" group of leaders and appointees with agendas to dismantle so much of the progress we have achieved in expanded medical insurance and access to quality care, protection of the environment, scientific inquiry and research to benefit all mankind, defending the environment and seeking energy alternatives, defending equal rights and tolerance of minority rights and issues. The partisanship implicit in the plans to dismantle ACA, minimum wage, LBGT recognition, women's right to choose, limit a...

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9 I have lived my life trying my best to be strong and courageous, to be unafraid, to find the strength and determination to do the right thing, to not be disheartened by adversity and the unworthy actions of others.  For the most part, I feel I have held my own and successfully faced up to the challenges placed in my path. It has been difficult and scary plenty of times, but I am sustained by the conviction that I am being guided by a worthy spirit and good, sound morals.  This journey has taught me humility, patience, and the ability to forgive myself and others for transgressions and failures. Throughout it all, the words and example of Jesus' ministry have helped me evolve spiritually and provided me an anchor to limit and arrest unintended drift from the honorable path.  Fortunately for me, my ...